Over the past few years, we've covered a number of significant crimes in and around the Lower Haight which weren't immediately solved.
Recently we checked in with SFPD Sgt. Danielle Newman, who gave us updates on six of the most serious cases.
August 2, 2010: Philip DiMartino was found stabbed to death inside his apartment at 138 Hermann Street. It was later revealed that police found two notes written in Spanish inside DiMartino's apartment, leading them to believe that his killer might have been Hispanic, and might have cut his hand at the scene of the crime. A $25,000 reward was issued, but no other details were ever released. Sgt. Newman tells us that this case remains open and is being actively investigated. July 11, 2011: A 20-year-old man named Sean Everette Wilson was found dead on Webster between Fell and Hayes. Neighbors had reported gunfire in the area, and when police arrived, they found Wilson with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Sgt. Newman tells us that this case remains open and is being actively investigated. February 17, 2012: A shooting on Potomac Street in the middle of the afternoon left a man with life-threatening injuries. He was sitting in a parked car when someone ran up to the car and shot him, then fled. Sgt. Newman says the case was assigned to the Gang Task Force, and is considered an open investigation, but has been "inactivated" pending any further investigative leads. Meaning, "all productive leads and avenues of investigation have been exhausted." February 10, 2013: A 23-year-old man named Ernesto "Xe" Acosta was gunned down in a drive-by shooting at Hayes and Webster. Acosta, an employee of the Upper Haight Whole Foods, was walking to a friend's house around 2am that night. A car, which investigators believe to be a white 2012 Lexus, drove by Acosta, and someone inside opened fire. Acosta was hit. He was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Investigators indicated that the shooting might have been tied to an event happening that night at Yoshi's on Fillmore. Sgt. Newman tells us that this case remains open and is being actively investigated. May 22, 2013: A 26-year-old woman was walking on the 1600 block of McAllister between Scott and Divisadero around 10:15pm when a black sedan drove by, apparently spraying gunfire. Several bullets hit nearby buildings, with one even piercing a man's window and lodging itself in a book in his cabinet. Another bullet hit the woman in the torso. She received wounds to multiple organs which ultimately required months of recovery. The sedan continued westward on McAllister and sped away. Sgt. Newman says the case was assigned to the Gang Task Force, and is still open and actively being investigated. October 14, 2013: Around 7:30pm, three people were shot on the 400 block of Rose Street, near Webster. One, a 23-year-old named Marcus Spruell, later died. The other victims were a teenager and a male in his early twenties. Two suspects were seen fleeing east on Rose Street, but no other description of them was provided. Sgt. Newman tells us that this case remains open and is being actively investigated. To recap: four homicides and two shootings -- all open cases, none solved. If you have information on any of the four homicides, you're encouraged to call SFPD's homicide division at 415-553-1145. If you have information on either of the other two cases, you can call the Gang Task Force at 415-553-1401. And if you'd like to stay anonymous, you can always call the Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444. We'll post an update should there be developments in any of these cases.
August 2, 2010: Philip DiMartino was found stabbed to death inside his apartment at 138 Hermann Street. It was later revealed that police found two notes written in Spanish inside DiMartino's apartment, leading them to believe that his killer might have been Hispanic, and might have cut his hand at the scene of the crime. A $25,000 reward was issued, but no other details were ever released. Sgt. Newman tells us that this case remains open and is being actively investigated. July 11, 2011: A 20-year-old man named Sean Everette Wilson was found dead on Webster between Fell and Hayes. Neighbors had reported gunfire in the area, and when police arrived, they found Wilson with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Sgt. Newman tells us that this case remains open and is being actively investigated. February 17, 2012: A shooting on Potomac Street in the middle of the afternoon left a man with life-threatening injuries. He was sitting in a parked car when someone ran up to the car and shot him, then fled. Sgt. Newman says the case was assigned to the Gang Task Force, and is considered an open investigation, but has been "inactivated" pending any further investigative leads. Meaning, "all productive leads and avenues of investigation have been exhausted." February 10, 2013: A 23-year-old man named Ernesto "Xe" Acosta was gunned down in a drive-by shooting at Hayes and Webster. Acosta, an employee of the Upper Haight Whole Foods, was walking to a friend's house around 2am that night. A car, which investigators believe to be a white 2012 Lexus, drove by Acosta, and someone inside opened fire. Acosta was hit. He was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Investigators indicated that the shooting might have been tied to an event happening that night at Yoshi's on Fillmore. Sgt. Newman tells us that this case remains open and is being actively investigated. May 22, 2013: A 26-year-old woman was walking on the 1600 block of McAllister between Scott and Divisadero around 10:15pm when a black sedan drove by, apparently spraying gunfire. Several bullets hit nearby buildings, with one even piercing a man's window and lodging itself in a book in his cabinet. Another bullet hit the woman in the torso. She received wounds to multiple organs which ultimately required months of recovery. The sedan continued westward on McAllister and sped away. Sgt. Newman says the case was assigned to the Gang Task Force, and is still open and actively being investigated. October 14, 2013: Around 7:30pm, three people were shot on the 400 block of Rose Street, near Webster. One, a 23-year-old named Marcus Spruell, later died. The other victims were a teenager and a male in his early twenties. Two suspects were seen fleeing east on Rose Street, but no other description of them was provided. Sgt. Newman tells us that this case remains open and is being actively investigated. To recap: four homicides and two shootings -- all open cases, none solved. If you have information on any of the four homicides, you're encouraged to call SFPD's homicide division at 415-553-1145. If you have information on either of the other two cases, you can call the Gang Task Force at 415-553-1401. And if you'd like to stay anonymous, you can always call the Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444. We'll post an update should there be developments in any of these cases.
