One Month Later, Little Progress in DiMartino Case

One Month Later, Little Progress in DiMartino CaseSFPD
Andrew Dudley
Published on September 02, 2010
On the afternoon of August 2nd, the body of stabbing victim Philip DiMartino was found inside his apartment at 138 Hermann St. Though a full month has now passed, police indicate that little progress has been made toward finding DiMartino's killer.

In the days immediately following the discovery of DiMartino's body, police sent homicide inspectors out to canvas the areas where DiMartino was known to spend time, including both his home neighborhood and the Castro. Inspectors passed out flyers and spoke with neighbors and residents, encouraging them to contribute tips that might aide their investigation. But as time has passed, tips have slowed. SFPD spokesman Samson Chan tells Haighteration that though they have received tips, the quantity is "not as many as we would like." And though they have "several inspectors actively working" on the case, there is no new information to report, and no suspect identified at this time. If public interest and media attention continue to wane, police may consider making some evidence public to spark renewed focus on the case. This could include releasing surveillance videos retrieved from the U.S. Mint across the street from DiMartino's apartment, though Officer Chan stressed that he didn't know at this time whether those videos contained any useful footage of DiMartino or his attacker. Police might also do another canvas of the neighborhood in an effort to solicit new tips. In the meantime, the facts have remained the same. Police continue to seek a hispanic male suspect who may have cut his hand during the attack, which is believed to have occurred over the weekend of July 30th. DiMartino was discovered on Monday August 2nd by a coworker, and was found with multiple stab wounds to the torso. According to police, he was known to frequent bars in the Castro. That's all the information they are releasing at this time. As usual, if you have any information, call the SFPD's anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444. We'll keep you posted with any developments.