Phillip Leonard Piazza was 80 years old, according to coroner's records, when he died on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2000, in Inglewood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 3541 W. 117th St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as an Inglewood Police Department case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report later described him as "a 80-year-old white male" who "died Saturday, Jan. 8, after being stabbed in Inglewood." Two days after his death, the Times published a short news story under the headline "Robber Tries to Cover Up Fatal Stabbing of Elderly Man by Setting House on Fire." That story gave his age as 78, a difference from the coroner's figure that was never explained in print.
According to the Times, "Inglewood police were searching Sunday for the assailant who fatally stabbed an elderly man in an apparent robbery, then set the man's house on fire to cover up the crime."
Police said Piazza "died Saturday at Los Angeles County King-Drew Medical Center after being stabbed several times in the chest." The house on West 117th Street was his own. Fire officials said the attacker was believed to have started the blaze by lighting papers at the rear of the house in an effort to disguise the stabbing. The fire caused about $50,000 in damage and engulfed half the house.
Despite his wounds, Phillip Piazza did not die inside. "After being attacked, Piazza was able to crawl out of the burning house and was assisted by neighbors," police said. The story did not describe a suspect, say what was taken or give a time for the attack, and no follow-up report appears to have been published. Phillip Piazza is a name shared by several other men who died of natural causes in Arkansas and Northern California, none of whom has any connection to this case.
The address lies in the southern part of Inglewood, a city of about 110,000 people in the southwest of Los Angeles County, a short distance from Hawthorne and from Los Angeles International Airport. This part of the city is made up mostly of modest single-family homes on quiet residential streets, many of them built in the years after World War II. In 2000 the city was still home to the Forum and Hollywood Park racetrack, and many of its longtime residents were older homeowners like Piazza.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Phillip Leonard Piazza could be found in news archives or public records. More than 25 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived near the 3500 block of West 117th Street in January 2000, or who saw someone leaving the area as the fire broke out, may hold information that could help. At the time, police asked anyone with information to call the Inglewood Police Department at (310) 412-5246. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Inglewood Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
