One year later, family still hoping for break in case of Pasadena killing

Robert Calderon’s family has a simple wish for Christmas: information that will convict the person who shot the 27-year-old Altadena native on Dec. 18, 2015, and left him to die near the curb of 627 N. Mentor St. in Pasadena. 

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $20,000 reward in April for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer, but the case has gone cold, said Calderon’s mother, Sarah Mendoza-Jaime, a youth coordinator for the city of Pasadena. 

Mendoza-Jaime is hoping a vigil on Dec. 18 will remind people that her son’s killer still hasn’t been found and perhaps jog someone’s memory about what happened that night around 10:45 p.m., when police were called to the scene because of gunfire. 

No one reported seeing the shooting, but investigators found a trail of blood starting at the center of the street to the grassy strip between the curb and sidewalk, where Calderon collapsed. 

Family and friends will attend a Mass in Calderon’s honor at 9:30 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Pasadena, and then gather at the spot where Calderon died to light candles and remember the young man who hoped to become an electrician. 

Mendoza-Jaime says therapy and her work with at-risk youth has helped her cope since her son was killed. She has also started a support group for grieving parents in the Pasadena-Altadena area. People interested in the group can contact Mendoza-Jaime at sarabel1@hotmail.com. 

Anyone with information about Calderon’s shooting can call Pasadena Police Det. Jordan Ling at (626) 744-4081. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.  

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.