On April 10, 2012, 25 year old Sam Michel was found stabbed to death in his Los Angeles apartment. A year later, his murder remains unsolved and there are no leads. His family has just announced that they have doubled the reward from $50,000 to $100,000 in the hopes of bringing renewed awareness to the case.
What is known about the murder is that Michel met a friend at a local Koreatown bar known as R Bar and walked home alone at 12:45 am. His apartment, a 1920s Spanish style building called the Villa Sir Francis Drake was only five blocks away from R Bar, on Serrano Ave. Around 2:30 am, neighbors heard screams and called the police, who found Michel on the floor, having been stabbed multiple times. Nothing of value was taken, and there were no signs of forced entry, suggesting that the murderer knew Michel. Witnesses saw a man leaving the apartment on a small BMX bicycle, and the LAPD have expressed an interest in identifying and speaking with this individual. Anyone with information that could help shed light on this case can call 213-382-9470.
The Los Angeles Times City Beat Twitter account posted a series of photos and video about Sam Michel, highlighting his life, the neighborhood and apartment building he loved, and the pain of his family at his loss. A graduate of Cal Arts, an avid photographer, a beloved son–the glimpses that you get of Sam Michel paints a picture of a creative life lived fully, and tragically cut short.
