The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday reinstated an $80,000 reward that was previously offered to anyone who could provide information related to three homicides in East Los Angeles, but was never given to those who came forward to ensure a conviction.
The case involves three slayings involving residents in a tight-knit neighborhood in East L.A., all of whom were connected to the same solitary man and his enabling father.
For years, detectives suspected Anthony Velasquez and his father, Manuel Velasquez, were responsible for the killings. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had ballistic evidence and a vehicle description tying them to the crime, and the younger suspect had personal relationships with all three victims, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But there was never enough concrete evidence to secure their arrest; not until the Board of Supervisors first offered the reward.
In February 2014, 33-year-old Jesse Avalos was found shot to death in his SUV near the intersection of Telegraph Road and Arizona Avenue. He was in the area after receiving a call from an acquaintance to help jump-start a car.
Hours earlier, Avalos and Anthony Velasquez were involved in a backyard brawl that was sparked after a previous conflict over a woman. Avalos “pummeled” Velasquez but then cooled things off with a hug, dinner and beer, homicide detective Ray Lugo said.
But Velasquez had apparently not accepted the truce. It was later revealed that the original caller that lured Avalos to his death was likely the elder Velazquez, according to the Times, citing court records.
That was the first of at least three murders linked to the father-son duo.
Another, which happened in July 2015, involved 38-year-old Eduardo Robles, a friend of Avalos, who believed Anthony Velasquez was responsible for his friend’s death.
After a confrontation, Anthony Velasquez hopped a fence and slashed the tires of Robles’ vehicle. He returned minutes later to fatally shoot Robles. Witnesses confirmed to detectives that it was Velasquez who damaged Roble’s vehicle, but stopped shy of identifying him as a gunman.
Detective Lugo had long believed that it was an open secret whom the gunman was—he did not wear a mask at the time of the shooting. But neighbors and acquaintances apparently lived in fear of the killer among them.
Years later, a third victim tied to Velasquez was found dead. In 2018, Amanda Nicole Lopez, a mother to a four-year-old boy, was found shot to death in a tent near the East L.A. Civic Center.
The two were acquaintances, officials said, with Velasquez allowing Lopez to shower at his home, do laundry and drive her around town. But the relationship turned deadly due to a romantic feelings from Velasquez that were not reciprocated, Deputy District Attorney Negin Mostadim told the TImes.
On the morning of April 22, 2018, Velasquez walked through a homeless encampment searching for Amanda Lopez. He eventually found her sleeping in a tent and shot her with a shotgun.
Despite suspicion from investigators, again there was not enough evidence to secure an arrest of Anthony or Manuel Velasquez.
In August 2021, the Sheriff’s Department released details about the unsolved killings alongside an offer of $80,000 for information leading to their arrest. Fliers were put up near the Velasquez family home which featured composite sketches of the suspects that looked eerily similar to both men.
Eventually, that reward offer proved to be what was needed to encourage two eyewitnesses to come forward and provide the last piece of the evidentiary puzzle.
Anthony and Manuel Velasquez were later arrested in connection with the crimes during an early morning SWAT raid at their home. The elder Velasquez eventually pleaded no-contest to manslaughter and accessory to murder and was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison.
Anthony Velasquez was later convicted in all three slayings and sentenced to 150 years in prison. While held in custody in a wired jail cell, Anthony Velasquez bragged about the killings and hinted at his involvement in others. He also claimed that witnesses were too afraid of him to come forward.
Eyewitnesses did eventually tell their story, but for reasons that were not disclosed, the $80,000 was never awarded to them.
On Tuesday, Supervisor Hilda Solis, who helped originally establish the reward, reinstated it so that those who “courageously came forward” could claim it.
“While East Los Angeles will continue to feel the profound losses of Jesus Antonio Avalos, Eduardo Robles, and Amanda Nicole Lopez, it is clear that this took a collective effort with our community and law enforcement working bravely together to ensure justice and closure for the families of the victims,” Solis said ina. release. “Today’s motion honors that commitment to justice.”
Detective Ray Lugo, whose world revolved around this case for years, thanked Solis and the County Supervisors for “unwavering support” in closing the case, and reminding the public about the importance of speaking up in times of crisis.
“The information we received after the reward offer was announced was critical to solving this case and ensuring the culprit does not go on to harm anyone else in our community,” Lugo said.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Anthony Velasquez maintains his innocence and plans to appeal his conviction.