A motel worker is shot and killed For decades, the family and community of James Bledsoe have waited for answers in his sudden and violent death. A dedicated employee at the All Star Inn Motel in San Antonio, Texas, Bledsoe not only worked on the property but also resided in the office, making the motel his entire world. That world was shattered on a Monday night in the spring of 1986, leaving behind a cold case that still troubles investigators.
The motel, located in the 5500 block of North Pan Am (I-35) near the busy intersection with Loop 410, was a typical roadside establishment. On Sunday, March 16, 1986, James Bledsoe was simply doing his job when he responded to complaints from fellow workers about a man on the premises. Bledsoe confronted the individual, a suspected pimp, and instructed him to leave the property. Investigators believe this act of diligence may have tragically sealed his fate.
The following evening, Monday, March 17, 1986, unfolded like any other.
Around 10:30 p.m., Bledsoe was making his rounds on the motel grounds. As he walked through an open-air breezeway, witnesses saw him near Room 150 in a physical struggle with another man. The confrontation was brief and brutal. The sharp sound of gunshots echoed through the motel courtyard, and horrified onlookers saw Bledsoe collapse to the ground. The assailant immediately fled the scene.
When San Antonio police and paramedics arrived, it was too late. James Bledsoe was pronounced dead right there in the breezeway, having suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The investigation began at once, with detectives from the San Antonio Police Department interviewing shaken witnesses who provided a detailed description of the man seen fighting with Bledsoe.
The suspect was described as a Black male, estimated to be between 20 and 25 years old. He had a slender build, standing between 5'10" and 6 feet tall and weighing around 160 pounds. He had short black hair and was last seen wearing blue jeans and a green jersey-style shirt that had white lettering on it. Witnesses reported seeing this man jump into the passenger side of a waiting car, a yellow four-door Ford, possibly a 1979 or 1980 model, which then sped away from the motel. Police were also told that two women, recognized as local prostitutes, were seen leaving the area in a separate, dark-colored car around the same time.
The primary theory developed by police was that the murder was a direct retaliation for Bledsoe ejecting the pimp from the motel property just one day earlier. The connection seemed too direct to be a coincidence, but identifying the suspect proved difficult. Despite the witness descriptions of the shooter and the getaway car, no arrests were ever made. The building that once housed the All Star Inn Motel is now a Motel 6, but the memory of the crime lingers.
Decades have passed, but the murder of James Bledsoe is not forgotten. The case remains open and is now in the hands of the San Antonio Police Department's Cold Case Squad. As of January 2017, detectives continue to seek the missing pieces of information that could finally bring the killer to justice. They urge anyone who might have seen something that night, or who may have heard someone talking about the incident in the days, weeks, or even years that followed, to come forward. No detail is too small. Anyone with information is asked to call the SAPD Cold Case Tip Line at 210-207-7635. 
