Facing her first Thanksgiving without her husband, the widow of an L.A. County sheriff's deputy who was shot outside his Cypress Park home appealed Wednesday for help in bringing his killer to justice.
With tears in her eyes and accompanied by her three young children, Celeste Escalante pleaded for anyone who witnessed or knows anything about the August slaying of Juan Abel Escalante to contact Los Angeles police detectives or use the department's anonymous tip system.
She said that even the most minor detail could make a difference.
"I know somebody saw. I know somebody heard it," said Escalante, the deputy's childhood sweetheart. "Please call and let them know what you know. Let the kids and I and my in-laws have closure . . . so we can know whoever did this is brought to justice."
Los Angeles Police Department and sheriff's investigators had initially focused their investigation on Escalante's work at the Men's Central Jail, where he guarded the most dangerous inmates, including members of the Mexican Mafia. Investigators have combed Escalante's personal life for clues. But they are now zeroing in on the possibility that Escalante was slain by local gang members -- perhaps by assailants who were not even aware that he was a lawman.
Authorities are especially interested in the long-running feud between the notorious Avenues Gang and the rival Cypress Park gang, whose territory includes the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood where Escalante was killed.
Investigators know that finding new witnesses four months after the killing is difficult, especially when there's a risk of reprisals from gang members.
Standing in a neighborhood where gang roots run deep and allegiance carries over from generation to generation, Escalante's wife told reporters that detectives had assured her that anyone with information could contact the LAPD anonymously.
"Don't be afraid not to say something because you are scared of retaliation," she said.
By calling, she said, tipsters will allow her three children to know that "our justice system works."
"Abel lived and breathed for his kids. It is hard," she said, with Alexander Abel, 10, Marissa, 8, and Julian, 3. She said they ask, "When is Dad coming from the cemetery?"
"How do I explain to you Dad is not coming home," Escalante said.
The holidays are the most difficult, she said. It was tough to smile without her husband as her children went trick-or-treating on Halloween. Thanksgiving will be another test.
