Reward Funds Sought in Slaying : Ventura: Officials are frustrated by a lack of leads in the stabbing of a high school athlete. Some blame fear of retaliation.

Almost three months after the fatal stabbing of a Ventura High School student, police and city officials conceded Monday that their investigation of the crime has reached “a lot of dead ends” and appealed for help from the public.

At a press conference, Chief of Police Richard F. Thomas and Ventura Mayor Gregory L. Carson announced that the city is putting $1,000 into a reward fund for information leading to a conviction, and appealed to citizens for more contributions.

Jesse Owen Martin Strobel, a 17-year-old varsity football player, was walking home from his part-time job at his father’s pizzeria when he was stabbed in the chest on a residential Ventura street shortly before midnight on Jan. 29. He was found lying on the porch of a house and was taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center, where he died at 1:15 a.m.

Police originally assigned 10 detectives to the case and have interviewed hundreds of people, given polygraph tests to suspects and examined information provided by a psychic hired by the Strobel family. But even though police have identified a prime suspect, “We don’t have the evidence to prosecute,” said Sgt. Roger Nustad, who is in charge of the investigation.

Police also “know the kind of vehicle” used by the killer, Thomas said, but the murder weapon has not been found and solid leads have been elusive.

“We’ve had a lot of dead ends,” Thomas said. “More so than in a typical case. But people know who killed Jesse Strobel. There’s no question there were witnesses who have not come forward (because of) fear of incrimination or fear of retaliation.”

Standing alongside a poster-size color photo of Strobel in his football uniform, Thomas added: “We need help from the community . . . The people who have the best information may be children whose parents may be asking them not to step forward.”

Authorities believe more than one assailant jumped Strobel on North Catalina Street, just a few blocks north of the high school. John Strobel, Jesse’s father, doesn’t believe his 6-foot-3 son could have been overcome by only one attacker.

“Jesse was as strong as an ox,” John Strobel said. “Knowing the size of my son, more than one person was involved.”

Police believe Strobel was the “intended target” and not the victim of a random attack, Thomas said, adding that the slaying may be gang-related. Three weeks before the stabbing, Strobel was allegedly threatened by Ventura High gang members who had beaten his best friend.

Nustad said Monday that the investigation is “focused on people who are or were students at Ventura High.” But Ventura High Principal Jerry Barshay downplayed Nustad’s assertion, saying only, “There’s a lot of speculation going on.”

Rumors have floated around the 1,700-student campus since the killing. “I’ve heard people say they thought they knew who it was, but nobody knew if that was true or not,” Adi Green, a senior, said Monday. “It’s just a lot of rumors.”

But Green and some other classmates agreed with officials that many teen-agers have withheld information on the slaying.

“No one would confess anything because they’re scared,” she said. “If they say they know who it was, then their life could be in danger.”

Another student, who declined to give his name, said simply: “No one wants to rat. That’s how it is. No one wants to say anything.”

Junior Mindy Tallant said most of the rumors have died down over the past few weeks. “I don’t think students know enough to say anything,” she said.

Others said students are just trying to put the whole incident behind them. “I don’t really want to get involved because I didn’t really know him,” said senior Laurie Baumgartner. “It seems like everybody’s going on with their lives and not worrying about the killing anymore.”

Eleventh-grader Tim O’Connor, who said he was a friend of Strobel’s for several years, said he doesn’t think the reward will make any difference.

“They haven’t found (the killer) yet, so in a way he thinks he got away with it,” O’Connor said. “I’m not sure who did it, but I think he might be getting off.”

Some students said the gang situation at Ventura High School has been “way overblown.”

Strobel’s death touched off a flurry of anti-gang action. A week after the stabbing, a task force of 165 lawmen searched 20 homes in Ventura and arrested six people. At Ventura High, a dress code was put into effect, students were barred from leaving campus for lunch and Poli Street was closed off.

Although the campus was reopened Monday, allowing students to leave for lunch, less than 50 students took advantage of the opportunity, school officials said.

District Supt. Joseph Spirito said students could phone 1-800-499-GROW to call in tips about the Strobel killing or discuss other safety concerns. GROW stands for Get Rid of Weapons, he said.

“That was based on the thought that sometimes it’s not cool to snitch,” he said. “Through this hot line, maybe they’ll give information, and if they do, I’ll pass it on to police.”

Mayor Carson said donations to increase the reward fund should be mailed to city Treasurer Kaye Wright, P.O. Box 99, Ventura 93001.

Correspondent Jeff McDonald contributed to this story.