Eric Edward Velasquez

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Santa Paula Police Department (CA)

Offense Location:

Santa Paula, California

Summary:

A 21-year-old college student was murdered on March 7, 1994, when he was fatally shot outside an apartment complex in Santa Paula, California. The case remains unsolved. California announced in 2022 that a $50,000 reward would be offered for any information leading to the arrest and conviction.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

While driving back home from La Puente, where he visited his girlfriend that weekend attending a family gathering, Eric was taking his two friends back home. When they passed a house, they noticed a car outside that they had had an earlier confrontation with. They stopped at the home and one of Eric's friends got out of the car and broke the car window. They got back into the car and headed back to his friend's apartment to drop them off. Back at the apartment, words were exchanged and tensions rose after the car window had been broken. The police showed up to settle the dispute, and after the officers left the scene, Eric and his friend went inside, had something to eat, and after some time, Eric walked back out to his car to head home. The unknown suspect, whom police think was waiting outside, was still upset about the broken window, and then shot Eric in the chest while he was getting back into his car in the carport.

Additional Details:

Eric Velasquez was born in Trinidad, Colorado, the second son in his family. An outgoing young man who loved his family. In elementary school, he played flute in the band, played baseball, track, and achieved many academic awards for Science, English, and Math. In his high school years, he also excelled academically. In his senior year, he obtained honor roll twice and won the student body award. He was chosen for the prestigious Bank of America Achievement Award in Art. In his free time, he enjoyed reading, drawing, painting, and sports. While in High School, he got a part-time job working for Jenny Craig, and after Graduation, he decided to pursue a degree in business at Santa Barbara City College in California. Eric had dreams of one day going to law school. After leaving his second semester of college due to financial reasons, he eventually moved back home to Ventura, California. He helped take care of his two younger brothers while taking on a part-time job as a salesman for the Ventura Los Angeles Times. Eric was generous beyond his death. The Coastal Community Eye Bank of California acknowledged Eric's family's thoughtfulness with his generous gift of cornea donation. Two people received corneal transplants and did very well post-operatively. The people who received the Corneal donations have restored their active lives within their communities. The family has continued to struggle with their loss, falling in and out of depression, and trying to find out everything they could about who murdered their family member. Every year for the past 21 years, Eric Velasquez's mother has visited the Santa Paula Police Department, hoping that his killer has been identified and arrested.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 26, 2026