Tip Leads to Arrest in 1981 Slaying Case

A nearly 15-year-old San Fernando Valley murder case came closer to being solved this week when detectives from the LAPD West Valley Division arrested the suspected killer in Northern California, authorities said.

“Periodically we pick up old cases trying to find a suspect, and this time we found someone with a tip,” said Det. Rick Swanston.

A source told authorities that Ampelio Palafox, 53, might be living in Loomis, a farming town about 30 miles east of Sacramento. The case stemmed from a slaying in August 1981, authorities said.

Palafox had been engaged in an argument with a 33-year-old laborer named Otabiano Ledesma on Remmet Avenue in Canoga Park, according to police.

Palafox allegedly pulled a pistol and shot Ledesma several times in the back and chest and fled, Swanston said. Paramedics arrived to find Ledesma dead.

Following the recent tip, LAPD detectives went to Loomis, where they found Palafox working as a hired hand.

“We hit a few ranches and showed people his photo,” Swanston said. “He looked exactly the same.”

Palafox had relatives in Loomis and had been using an assumed name while working at the ranch, Swanston said.

The suspect is being held without bail in the Placer County Jail on one count of murder, Swanston said.

Arrangements are being made to bring Palafox to Los Angeles, police said.