Joseph Christopher Magdaleno was 21 years old when he died on Saturday, January 31, 2009, in Whittier. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds at 12725 Wardman St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Whittier Police Department.
He had told his mother he was going to meet his girlfriend at a park. The couple then went to browse and shop in Uptown Whittier. At about 5:45 p.m., as they walked in the 12700 block of Wardman Street, two men approached. "They got in front of him and asked, 'Where are you from?' He told them, 'I'm from nowhere,'" his mother, Christina Avina, told the Whittier Daily News, relaying what the girlfriend had told her. The men claimed to be from a Whittier gang and told him they would give him the opportunity to run.
The couple ran, but the men caught up, and one of them stabbed him. The attackers fled south down an alley along Milton Avenue.
"Bleeding profusely, the victim ran into a house in the area and collapsed on the floor," Whittier police Officer Jason Zuhlke said. The homeowner, a stranger, called police and performed CPR, but Magdaleno was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. The coroner found he died of a stab wound to the chest.
Police said Magdaleno was associated with a gang. His parents said he was not. He was a Pioneer High School graduate, had worked at a warehouse in Santa Fe Springs, and was the father of a young daughter. "Senseless. Senseless," Avina said. "I felt like they took my heart and cut it out of my chest." His father, Jose Naranjo, recalled telling him, "If you see something bad, just walk away and come home."
The man who stabbed him wore long shorts with high socks and a dark jersey with "LA" on the front in white letters. Early reports described both men as Latinos in their 30s. By 2010, police described them as being in their mid to late 20s.
In April 2009, Avina stood outside the Whittier Police Department pleading for help. "Whoever is hiding them please come forward," she said. In November 2010, Detective Chad Hoeppner said he and his partner had handed out more than 250 fliers in Uptown without a single call. "Maybe they're afraid to say anything," Avina said.
Whittier is a city in southeastern Los Angeles County, known for its tree-lined older neighborhoods and for Whittier College. Uptown Whittier is its historic downtown, a walkable district of shops and restaurants along Greenleaf Avenue.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Joseph Christopher Magdaleno could be found in news archives or public records. More than 16 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was in Uptown Whittier near Wardman Street and Milton Avenue on the evening of January 31, 2009, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Whittier Police Department at 562-945-8250, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
