Jose Gabriel Escarpetta, 38, was working in Manhattan on June 19, 1995, when a stranger approached him in a parking lot near the Avenue of the Americas and demanded money. When Escarpetta didn’t comply, the assailant fired three times, leaving him mortally wounded at the scene.

Police concluded the killing was part of a rapid robbery spree rather than a targeted attack. Investigators traced the suspect to 138 West 25th Street after he fled on foot. Authorities identified the suspected shooter as parolee Darnell Collins, who had been linked to killings and shootings across two states in the days before Escarpetta’s death. Two days later, on June 21, 1995, Collins was confronted by police in New Jersey, a chase turned into a gun battle, and he was shot and killed by officers, so there was no trial or conviction in this case.

If anyone knew Jose Escarpetta, saw him that day, or has information about the robbery, please come forward.