On the evening of November 29, 1987, 35-year-old Robert Hernandez was walking home in San Antonio after dropping his 13-year-old son at his estranged wife’s house. He was accompanied by his brother and a friend when the three men were ambushed in an alley behind the shopping center at 4900 West Commerce. Several attackers, described by police as between 20 and 25 years old, assaulted them with sticks and broken beer bottles.

Officers found Hernandez in the alley with no vital signs; the medical examiner listed head injuries as the cause of death. His brother and friend survived serious cuts and beatings. The investigation produced no identified suspects and went cold.

Family members asked police to reopen the case in 2017; the San Antonio Police Department’s Cold Case Squad was actively investigating as of January 2017 and hoped new DNA technology and public tips could help solve the murder. If anyone has information about the attack, call 210-207-7635.