Two Detectives, One Mission: Solve the Murder of Ramon Diaz

[bc_video video_id="6020488945001″ account_id="5728959025001″ player_id="Hkbio1usDM" embed="in-page" padding_top="56%" autoplay="" min_width="0px" max_width="640px" width="100%" height="100%"] The Cathedral City Police Department says surveillance footage shows the people who killed Ramon Diaz on March 28, 2018 in front of his home on Whispering Palms Trail. "It obviously shows somebody outside a car that jumps in a car and the driver of the car so there’s at least two people out there that know something about killing Ramon and odds are if two people know, more people know," says Detective Brian Barkley with the Cathedral City Police Department. And that’s who police want to talk to, Detective Barkley, who’s been on the case since day one says they’ve been following all leads for a year but this case cannot be solved without the community’s help, "He was a great person that was innocently and brutally killed in front of his house and at this time, you know, we just need the public’s help to try to solve this." Who would kill a beloved and popular Jiu Jitsu instructor, who by all accounts had no enemies? "I wish I knew the answer to that you know I have worked my share of cases in law enforcement who that are difficult for a variety of reasons and this case just screams community involvement," says Luis Bolaños, a private investigator who is working on the case for the Diaz family pro bono. While Bolaños says he doesn’t know exactly who did it yet, he says he sees a troubling signature in this murder, "This was a gang related execution of Ramon Diaz, they laid in wait, they knew exactly where he lived, they most likely did recon a few nights before … they were waiting for him." Detective Barkley says while anything is possible, this is not consistent with what they know, "I don’t have any evidence showing that this was a quote unquote gang hit, no." Something they both agree on is these killers need to be brought to justice before they kill again, "Whoever did this is calculated, a calculated killer that doesn’t care about human life and that’s somebody we need to get in custody and get off the streets." There is a $10,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of Ramon Diaz. Anyone with information is asked to call a hotline set up by Get Bit Investigations 1-855-44-RAMON (72666). Or call the Detective Bureau of the Cathedral City Police Department at (760) 770-0300 or by email at tips@cathedralcity.gov.