PHOENIX — Birthdays are supposed to be a time of celebrating life with family and friends, but for Juanita Rodriguez, it's a day of mourning after her son was brutally murdered a decade ago.
“To get a call 10 years ago to tell you that your son was found murdered. I don’t wish that on anyone,” said Rodriguez.
On August 13, 2011, Rodriguez's son Albert Chavez was found beaten and stabbed to death in Homestead Park in northeast Phoenix.
At the time, the Phoenix Police Department said a Phoenix City Streets employee found Chavez in the early morning hours.
Investigators learned that the night before another man was beaten by four to six people. The two incidents were ruled to be unrelated.
Chavez's daughter Adela said whoever killed her father, stole so much.
“He’s missed watching his grandkids grow up. He’s missed watching them go into high school,” she said as the family gathered at Homestead for a 10-year-memorial.
A decade later, Phoenix police said there are no leads in the case, which is frustrating for Rodriguez who desperately wants closure.
“10 years is a long time to have a heavy heart,” she said before sharing a message with whoever is responsible. “Just come forward. Help us have peace.”
Anyone who may have information concerning this homicide or the two earlier incidents is encouraged to call the Phoenix Police Department Violent Crimes Bureau at (602) 262-6141.
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