Joseph Santos JoJo Ileto

Joseph Santos Ileto, known to his loved ones as “Jojo” or “Joe,” was a man with a big heart, known for his generosity and quiet strength. The 39-year-old Filipino American was the eldest son in his family and was remembered as a tower of strength, especially after the recent death of his father. While working for the United States Postal Service, he was also pursuing an engineering degree at Cal Poly Pomona. He lived in Chino Hills with his brother and other relatives, and his fellow postal workers knew they could always count on him. His family recalled a story from his youth in the Philippines when he gave his bus money to a friend in need and walked five kilometers home, a testament to the kindness that defined his life.

On the morning of August 10, 1999, a day that began like any other, Ileto was assigned to substitute on a mail route in Chatsworth, a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles. Earlier that morning, at around 10:50 a.m., a white supremacist named Buford O. Furrow Jr. had driven from his home in Washington state and opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon inside the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills. He fired 70 rounds, wounding three young boys, a teenage camp counselor, and a receptionist before fleeing. After the attack, Furrow carjacked a woman’s Toyota and drove several miles to Chatsworth, where Ileto was delivering mail.

At approximately 11:53 a.m., in the 9900 block of Valley Circle Court, Ileto was returning to his postal truck after making a delivery. Furrow approached him and asked for a simple favor: could Ileto mail a letter for him? Ever helpful, Ileto agreed. As he turned to take the letter, Furrow pulled out a 9mm Glock pistol and shot him nine times. Joseph Ileto was found dead in the driveway of a home, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and one to the back of his head. Furrow later confessed that he had murdered Ileto as a "target of opportunity" because he was non-white—mistaking him for Latino or Asian—and because he was a federal employee.

The brutal, hate-fueled crime spree triggered a massive joint investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI, and the ATF. A nationwide manhunt was launched for Furrow, but it ended the next day, on August 11, when he walked into an FBI office in Las Vegas, Nevada, and surrendered. He confessed to detectives, admitting his role in both the community center shooting and the murder of Joseph Ileto.

Federal prosecutors initially sought the death penalty, charging Furrow with a 16-count indictment that included the murder of a federal employee and numerous hate-crime violations. However, due to Furrow's documented history of severe mental illness, a plea agreement was reached to avoid a trial. On January 24, 2001, Furrow pleaded guilty to all charges. Two months later, on March 26, U.S. District Judge Nora Manella sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 110 years in prison. During the emotional sentencing hearing, Ileto's mother, Lillian, told the court, "When he killed my son, he also killed a part of me."

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Ileto family found that Joseph was often described in media reports as simply "a postal worker," an omission they felt was an insult to his identity and the reason he was targeted. Galvanized by their grief, they transformed from a private family into tireless public advocates against hate. They traveled the country, speaking out for stronger hate-crime legislation and gun control, and building coalitions with Jewish, LGBTQ+, and other minority communities. They created an acronym from Joseph’s name to define their mission: Join Our Struggle; Educate and Prevent Hate; Instill Love, Equality and Tolerance for Others (J.O.S.E.P.H. I.L.E.T.O.).

Joseph Ileto’s legacy is one of love and resilience, carried forward by his family’s activism. In April 2000, a post office in his hometown of Chino Hills was officially named the Joseph Ileto Post Office in his honor. The organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, which provided the family with support, now presents an annual Joseph Ileto Courage Award to honor community members who embody the fight for civil rights. Though his life was cut short by an act of senseless hatred, Joseph Ileto is remembered not just as a victim, but as an inspiration for the ongoing struggle against bigotry and violence. His case remains a powerful reminder of the human cost of hate and the strength of a family determined to create a more tolerant world in his name.