$25,000 Reward Approved for Clues to Patton Slayings

The City Council on Tuesday approved a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever stabbed to death Albert Patton, the co-founder of the Harlem Globetrotters, and his wife of 63 years.

A neighbor found the bodies of 90-year-old Patton and his wife, Edna, 85, who was confined to a wheelchair, at their South Los Angeles home on Saturday night, police said. Investigators believe the couple were killed during a robbery earlier that day.

There were no signs of forced entry at the couple’s home on South La Brea Avenue, which anchors an apartment complex that the Pattons owned.

“We are mourning a couple who were completely selfless,” said Councilman Nate Holden, who proposed the reward. “Albert was the co-founder of the Harlem Globetrotters and over the years has provided a place to stay for people like Wilt Chamberlain and Joe Louis.”

Patton was also co-founder of 100 Black Men, which provides scholarships to underprivileged students.