Isaac Davis, a 58-year-old African American man, was killed on January 14, 1987, in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood. He was one of several homeless men targeted in a series of fatal stabbings during a short violent spree. The assailant approached victims from behind and delivered stab wounds to their backs; Davis was attacked on South Menlo Avenue.

Police later identified 28-year-old drifter Joseph Danks as the perpetrator. Danks was arrested after two surviving victims and witnesses linked him to attacks; he gave a recorded confession at the station and officers recovered a kitchen knife that matched the wound dimensions. Another suspect, 34-year-old Christopher John Riegel, was initially held but released after Danks’ admissions and the forensic link.

Did anyone in Koreatown at the time recognize Davis or have memories to share about him or that night?