Family and detective push to solve 1995 cold case murder of 15-year-old in South LA

A family and a cold case detective are still seeking justice 30 years after the murder of a 15-year-old boy, who was shot while riding his bike home in South Los Angeles.

Ronald Palmer said the pain of losing his son was unbearable.

“It feels like yesterday,” Palmer said. “I used to cry a lot, but I don’t cry anymore.”

On May 28, 1995, Ronnie Palmer Jr. was heading home on his bike near West Boulevard and 58th Place in South Los Angeles when Los Angeles Police Department detectives say someone fired multiple rounds.

“There were three murders on this block in that year, which speaks to the level of violence in that year,” LAPD Robbery-Homicide cold case Detective Ricardo Feria said.

Feria said the neighborhood has drastically changed over the 30-plus years. There were no surveillance cameras in the area in 1995, and witnesses who came forward back then are long gone. His hope is that the murder would have stuck with someone’s memory, willing to come forward now.

“We all was heartbroken,” Palmer said.

The family had just recently moved into the neighborhood, according to Palmer. After Ronnie was killed, they quickly moved out of Los Angeles altogether.

“I pray every day, even at church, that they’ll catch him one day,” Palmer said.

With all the time that’s passed, he says he knows it’s possible no one will face justice in this life. Yet the case remains open for the LAPD and Feria — seeking justice to the end.

The police department said this case is an example of how it continues to investigate unsolved crimes. If you know anything about the case, you’re asked to contact the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division.