Ernest E. Debs Park is a popular nature reserve and park in Montecito Heights enjoyed by both transplant and OG Angelenos, birdwatchers, and nature lovers who want to take in a little wilderness and reflection with their city vistas and live oak groves. But a bizarre and tragic murder of a tourist this past fall betrays the park’s beauty, planting a newfound fear to anyone who is looking to appreciate its 282 acres of serenity in the middle of NELA.
On the afternoon of September 10, 2021, 29-year-old photographer Jason Jose Cortez Nativi, a visitor from Virginia, staying in L.A. for a work project, was reportedly shot and killed while walking on a trail at Debs. A witness claims Nativi was the victim of a sniper’s bullet, alleging on the day of the killing that they saw a man fire a single shot while hiding in the bushes about 75-to-100-feet away.
Nativi’s family cannot begin to imagine a motive. Authorities are struggling to locate additional leads. The existing observer to the crime claims the killer appeared to be a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s standing just under six feet tall in a light blue hoodie, with a sketch found on ABC News suggesting this guy and his glacial stare.
Noting that Nativi had no criminal affiliations, enemies, or rivals in a city he was visiting, LAPD homicide detective Alex Abundis told KNX, “It’s something that I can’t explain and that’s the reason why I’m asking for help.”
That help appeared to arrive in a news conference led by Gil Cedillo earlier this month, in which L.A. City Council announced that it is currently offering a reward of $50,000 to help solve the killing of the Virginia newlywed, asking for tips to the CrimeStoppers website or hotline, or directly to Abundis’ desk.