Post by Scumhunter on Mar 3, 2019 1:26:40 GMT -5
(Above: Photo of the crime scene where Barrios and Tarin were killed. Image Credit: thecalifornian.com via Salinas Police Department)
From The Californian:
"Help me find justice for the victims and the families in this case," said Det. Justin Heckman, a Salinas police investigator looking into the deaths of two teenagers over a decade ago.
Fourteen years ago, two young men were shot and killed behind the North Salinas High School soccer fields.
Their case has never been solved.
Although the case has languished for years, with too few details to know for sure who murdered them, the Salinas detective in charge of the cold case has taken to social media to help solve their murders.
Details of the case
Around 7 p.m. Aug. 17, 2004, cousins Lorenzo Tarin, 19, Juan Carlos Barrios, 17, and a couple of other people were walking along the intersection of Maryal Drive and Chaparral Street.
At some point, according to Det. Justin Heckman, who is the fourth detective to inherit the cold case, an argument broke out between Tarin, Barrios and other Norteño gang members who were with them.
Once the group arrived at the yellow pillars lining the entrance to the pedestrian path on Maryal Drive, a fight broke out between Tarin and Barrios and the other Norteños.
By 7:02 p.m., Barrios and Tarin had both been killed, shot in the head.
Witnesses at the time said several suspects fled north along the path behind the high school. The walkway leads to the front of the school -- from there, the gunmen disappeared.
The unusual thing about this case, Heckman said, is not just that two people were murdered at once, which is a rare event, but that gang homicides typically happen when one gang targets another. In this case, they're pretty certain Tarin and Barrios were killed by other Norteños, said Heckman.
Heckman took to social media last week to search for answers and new witnesses, reaching out to Salinas residents on Facebook via a video.
The day of the shooting, as Barrios and Tarin were gunned down, Heckman said, dozens of children were playing soccer on the field just about a hundred yards from where the killings took place.
"We're reaching out because I know there were other witnesses," Heckman said. "They may have been scared to come forward because they were juveniles at the time."
"It's important to follow up on cold cases," said Debbie Aguilar, founder of A Time For Grieving and Healing, an organization she started for parents whose children had been murdered after the death of her son, Stephen Joseph Aguilar.
"It establishes a new hope for the families," she said. "It establishes a resolve that my son does matter. It can change the whole dynamics of the community, our community of cold cases.
"We can only do this if we work together now," said Aguilar. "It's a glimpse of hope that your day will come. I wait for that day myself."
Power of social media
The police department has a strong following on Facebook which Heckman wanted to utilize.
"It's a sign of the times," he said, "and community-oriented policing," which prioritizes public outreach as a way to manage cases and best address the needs of the community.
"We get to communicate in a different way and forge a new ground," Heckman said.
The Salinas police department has been kicking around the idea for a while of reaching out for help with current and cold cases on social media. They have had success in the past, helping to solve some cases.
"We want to reach those witnesses that didn't realize the information they have is important, but it might be a piece of the puzzle," he said.
Heckman added that people often feel more comfortable texting, sending a Facebook message or an email to someone in the department rather than showing up in person or picking up the phone and dialing a detective.
Heckman hopes the public would come forward with any information they have about the case such as identifying information, firsthand witness accounts and even things they heard about the murder years later. Any one piece of information could help bring closure to the Barrios and Tarin families, he said.
"Bottom line, it's two people dead," said Heckman. "They were both young. Just because they were gang members doesn't make them not human, not people. I know hundreds of people in Salinas who here walking down a poor path and are now contributing members of society.
"These two kids, who knows," said Heckman. "They could have been our future mayor. But they weren't given an opportunity."
Anyone with information can contact Heckman directly at (831) 758-7323 or at justinh@ci.salinas.ca.us, or call the anonymous tip line at (831) 775-4222.
www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2019/01/25/salinas-police-hopes-social-media-can-help-crack-cold-case/2678186002/
Thoughts? I am placing Juan and Lorenzo's case in the Unsolved on TV section because the search for their killers was mentioned on last night's "Wanted" segment on A&E's Live PD. Tom Morris interviewed Juan's mother (and Lorenzo's aunt) who is obviously still heartbroken and hoping justice will come as a result of this national publicity.
Link to Live PD segment:
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