| Sleepy Lagoon murder | |
|---|---|
 Defendants in the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial are reunited with family following their acquittal. | |
| Location | 5400 Lindbergh Lane Bell, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 33°59′44.1″N 118°10′22.7″W / 33.995583°N 118.172972°W |
| Date | August 2, 1942 |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Victims | José Gallardo Díaz |
| Accused | Jack Melendez Victor Thompson Angel Padilla John Y. Matuz Ysmael Parra (Smiles) Victor Segobia Henry Leyvas Gus Zamora Manuel Reyes Robert Telles Manuel Delgado Jose Ruiz (Chepe) Henry Ynostroza |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| History of Chicanos and Mexican Americans |
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The Sleepy Lagoon murder was the name that Los Angeles newspapers used to describe the death of José Gallardo Díaz, who was discovered unconscious and dying near a reservoir (dubbed the Sleepy Lagoon) with two stab wounds and a broken finger in Commerce, California, United States, on the morning of August 2, 1942. Earlier, Díaz was seen at a party for Eleanor Delgadillo Coronado where he left afterwards with two friends, Luis "Cito" Vargas and Andrew Torres. He was then confronted by a group of young men from the 38th Street neighborhood, who came to the party seeking revenge for an earlier beating of some of their friends.[1]
Díaz was taken by ambulance to Los Angeles County General Hospital, where he died shortly afterwards without regaining consciousness. The hospital's autopsy showed that he was inebriated from the party and had a fracture at the base of his skull. This might have been caused by repeated falls or an automobile accident. The cause of Díaz's death remains disputed to this day. However, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was quick to arrest seventeen Mexican-American youths–Jack Melendez, Victor Thompson, Angel Padilla, John Y. Matuz, Ysmael Parra (Smiles), Henry Leyvas, Gus Zamora, Manuel Reyes, Robert Telles, Manuel Delgado, Jose Ruiz (Chepe), Victor Segobia, and Henry Ynostroza[2]–as suspects. Despite insufficient evidence, the young men were held in jail, without bail, on charges of murder.
The trial ended on January 13, 1943, under the supervision of Judge Charles W. Fricke. Twelve of the defendants were convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to serve time in San Quentin Prison. The rest were charged with lesser offenses and incarcerated in the Los Angeles County Jail.[3] The convictions were reversed on appeal in 1944. The case is considered a precursor to the Zoot Suit Riots later in 1943.[4]
Sleepy Lagoon was a reservoir beside the Los Angeles River that was frequented by Mexican-Americans. Its name came from the popular song "Sleepy Lagoon", which was recorded in 1942 by big band leader and trumpeter Harry James.[5] The reservoir was located near the city of Maywood at approximately what is now 5400 Lindbergh Lane in Bell.[6] The current address has also been given as approximately 5500 Slauson Avenue.[7]
- ^ "José Gallardo Díaz (1919-1942) | American Experience | PBS". www.pbs.org.
- ^ Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee Records (Collection 107). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
- ^ SLDC Publications, Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee Records (Collection 107). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
{{cite book}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Romero, Lori (2012). "The Legal and Social Repercussions of the Media on the Sleepy Lagoon Trial and the Zoot Suit Riots". Scripps Senior Theses – via JSTOR.
- ^ Sleepy Lagoon Website
- ^ Chiland, Elijah (June 5, 2016). "Mapping LA's Notorious Zoot Suit Riots". Curbed. Los Angeles.
- ^ "Rumblings & Bumblings Responses: Piero II Rises & Sleepy Lagoon in Commerce". Curbed. Los Angeles. April 3, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2018.