The detective searched a state database for silver Jettas built between 2000 and 2008 that had been cited for traffic violations in recent years. Information on more than 200 cars came back. He winnowed the list to cars registered in Los Angeles and found himself staring at the addresses of 84 Angelenos. Kaden thought he had caught a break when he plotted the addresses on a map and saw that two of the Jettas were registered to people living close to where Nicolas had been run down. Neither lead panned out, however.
And so Kaden did the only thing left to do: He went looking for the remaining Jettas on the list, hoping he might find the one that had killed Nicolas.
Two detectives helped him for a day. Other than that, Kaden was on his own and still had to deal with the rest of his workload, including preparing evidence for several upcoming criminal trials. "I've at least touched this case every day," he said. "I wish I could say it's the only thing on my plate right now, but it's not."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, May 08, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 2 inches; 77 words Type of Material: Correction
Hit-and-run reward: An article in Monday's Section A examining two hit-and-run fatalities said staffers for Los Angeles Councilman Bernard Parks had arranged for a reward in one of the cases without first receiving a request from the Los Angeles Police Department. The article cited an LAPD officer on that point, but department officials now say the officer was unaware that a commanding officer had contacted Parks' office to inquire about a reward before the offer was made.
Kaden began one morning of searching at an impressive Spanish-style home near Griffith Park. A silver Jetta sat parked outside. Kaden circled to the front of the car and inspected the edges of the windshield for glue that could indicate it had recently been installed.
Finding nothing, he stepped back to snap some photos with a Polaroid camera. After leaving a brief note and his calling card at the front door, he opened a large binder with Nicolas' name and "Unsolved" on the spine and crossed the car off the list.
The day would take him to several apartment complexes in Thai town and Koreatown, and to an artist colony at a converted brewery in East L.A. He found several Jettas, but none could be connected to Nicolas' death. Still, he fastidiously took notes and photos of each car and calmly explained himself to the confused owners before moving on. Twice, after spotting silver Jettas on the side of the road, he pulled quick U-turns to check them out.
"You gotta think you might get lucky, otherwise you wouldn't do this job," he said. "You'd be frustrated beyond frustration. I try not to focus on the bleakness of it all.
"Is it fair?" he asked, reflecting on the difference between Nicolas' case and Bachan's. "I can't look at fair. Any time you have a high-profile person involved in a crime or a high-profile situation, you are always going to receive more attention. Is that right? Is that wrong? I don't know."
