Hilario Avila was killed on August 30, 1997, in Greenfield, California, during an argument at the apartment he shared with several roommates. Witnesses said the argument involved his roommate Fidel Rios-Soto; Rios-Soto reportedly went to his bedroom, retrieved a .44-caliber rifle, returned to the living room and shot Avila three times in the chest. Avila was found dead, sitting on a chair in the living room.

After the shooting, Rios-Soto fled to Mexico, leaving behind personal belongings and a paycheck, and remained away for 16 years. The case later progressed to arrest, trial and conviction for first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement. Sentencing followed.

Are there readers who knew Avila or who were in Greenfield around 1997 with information that could shed more light on what happened that night?