I just found this site while checking for any new updates or news on Ernesto's case. Rather than answer the previous post individually, I thought I'd share a little on Ernesto.
Ernesto didn't smoke in the house on Oakley. He had family living there with small children, so smoking outside wasn't anything out of the ordinary. That evening, from what his brothers shared, he went to dinner with everyone and after being back home settled in the house he needed to go out to his vehicle and then smoke. He was smoking in the back of the house at the garage and this is where he was found.
Back in 2018 just a few days after this happened, I spoke to a neighbor who lived behind the house. While they didn't see anything occur, they heard sounds that they dismissed as fireworks. Our area will set off fire works a week before and the week after the 4th of July. No one that was spoken to had cameras in the area. This is also possibly due to not being able to release certain details due to it being an open case. As far as I was made aware by the police department, no real details were shared outside of someone had reported seeing someone running down the alley. However, no real description was given and that went no where.
We haven't heard anything from the detectives since the end of 2018. No new information has come out. We've left a few messages for detectives over the years, no responses.
Who was Ernesto? There's not enough words to explain that. He was an amazing man, extremely kind and generous, hard working and loved soccer. Ernesto came to the US from Guatemala as a teenager. Lived some time in California working, then moved to Ohio with his brothers. Worked hard every single day of his life. Eventually opened his own business and employed others.
He was laid to rest in his home time near family in Guatemala.
Ernesto Merida Argueta, 37, was shot to death on June 28, 2018, at about 11:28 p.m. at 307 South Oakley Avenue in Columbus, Ohio. Officers and paramedics found him in the rear of the house with multiple gunshot wounds; he was taken to Mount Carmel West Hospital and pronounced dead at 11:45 p.m. Ernesto was born November 6, 1980, and was originally from Guatemala.
The Columbus Police Department has not identified a suspect or suspects, and the case remains unsolved. The homicide is listed among the Ohio Attorney General’s unsolved cases. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest or indictment and is accepting tips through its channels.
If anyone has information about Ernesto, his movements that night, or the address on South Oakley Avenue, please contact Crime Stoppers or the Columbus Police Department with any details that might help.
