Esaul Villagrana, 23, of Long Beach was shot and killed on October 26, 2009, around 7:20 p.m. near 20th Street and Cedar Avenue. He had stopped his car and exited when an assailant opened fire; Villagrana was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at 8:10 p.m. His pregnant wife was in the passenger seat and narrowly escaped injury while they were on their way to visit family for dinner.

Long Beach police initially suggested the killing might be gang-related because of Villagrana’s past associations with a Los Angeles gang, though he had reportedly moved to Long Beach to distance himself from that past. An anonymous caller soon after the shooting gave intimate details about the incident but has not been heard from since.

In May 2010 detectives arrested several people in connection with multiple gang-related shootings. Ruhani Bustamante, 28, identified as an East Side Longo street gang member, was named as the main suspect in Villagrana’s murder and charged with two counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder, three counts of discharging a firearm and one count of possession of narcotics by a felon; witness descriptions and surveillance footage were cited in linking Bustamante to the crimes. His next court appearance was scheduled for June 9 at Long Beach Superior Court.

Did anyone in the area know Esaul or see activity near 20th and Cedar that evening?