Reward Sought for Killer of Skater

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter today will ask the council to authorize a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of popular Venice skater Shelby Antonio Graham.

Graham, a boardwalk fixture known by friends as “EV-Ready” for his high energy, was strangled March 29 on the beach.

Police do not know why Graham was killed and have no suspects, but they hope that the reward will prompt witnesses to come forward.

Graham, 35, entertained boardwalk visitors with his stylish brand of skate dancing, friends said.

“To see him dance, he would never stop,” said Pamela Pine, a psychoanalyst in Beverly Hills who skated with Graham. “Boundless focus and energy.”

Graham, a South Carolina native, came West as a dancer, hoping to make it in the entertainment business. But he decided to forgo those plans and become one of the boardwalk’s many free spirits, making a living by teaching skating, Pine said. He was homeless and stayed with friends, including Pine.

“Everybody in Venice thought of him as a real kind man with a real big heart,” Pine said. “Love was the big thing for him. He had a real strong belief in what he was doing.”

Graham’s friends organized a “skate against hate” memorial last Sunday, dropping flowers in the ocean during a ceremony.

The friends also collected $1,000 in donations to help Graham’s family with burial expenses, and they are tacking up reward posters around Venice to alert people about the $25,000 reward, said John Holtz, a Graham friend.

Pine said a “Friends of EV-Ready” account is being established at Mitsui Manufacturers Bank in Beverly Hills to help Graham’s family.

The City Council routinely approves award requests from its members.

“We’re doing it at the request of police and his friends,” said Niki Tennant, a Galanter spokeswoman. “We bring in such requests when a reward might inspire someone to come forward with information.”