Family calls for justice in 2008 unsolved murder of CSUN student
By Ashley Mackey
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LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón on Monday joined family members of Cliff Hibbert Jr., a 22-year-old CSUN student who was shot and killed 14 years ago.
“It took me nine months to carry my son in my stomach, 22 years to raise him,” said Donna Brown, Hibbert Jr.’s mother. “And it took one bullet to take Cliff’s breath away.”
Hibbert Jr. was weeks away from graduating.
On spring break from college, Hibbert Jr. and his friend Kenneth Patterson were shot and killed in the Vermont Square neighborhood. Fourteen years later, the family continues to call for justice on this unsolved case.
“The reality is that the solvability of homicides in this country is abysmal and even in our county sometimes is around 50%,” said Gascón.
Gascón said one of the reasons for the amount of unsolved crimes is a lack of trust in the community. They hope by opening the door to the D.A.’s office it will help establish a relationship within the community.
“Every case won’t have DNA, every case won’t have surveillance cameras, every case won’t have fingerprint evidence,” said Tiffiny Blacknell, a deputy district attorney. “Some cases will be solved by eyewitnesses. And unless we build trust in communities who witness these crimes, the solve rate will continue to be low.”
LAPD is still working to solve the case but they, along with the family, urge for anyone to come forward with information regarding the murder.
“This has nothing to do with just color, or gender or political affiliation,” said Ayanna Parker, Hibbert Jr.’s sister. “This a human thing. We are human beings and we are all in this together.”
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