Laura Wright 
This case is relatively current, yet is destined to become the basis of an urban legend. In an age of crime dramas, forensic documentaries, and entire television channels devoted to investigation, the murder of Hugues de la Plaza continues to baffle, confuse, and confound.
Hugues da la Plaza, a 37-year-old sound engineer in San Francisco, was found dead in his apartment on June 2, 2007. His apartment was bloody, his entertainment center was overturned, and his body was found with three serious stab wounds. These appear to be the only facts of any certainty in the case.
At first glance, it clearly appears to be a homicide. But would you believe it was initially ruled a suicide?
Authorities found his body inside a secured home. All of the entrances were locked from the inside. There were no suspicious footprints, no fingerprints, and no sign of forced entry. However, there was also no weapon or device found that was used for the stabbing. Hugues had just been out with his friends at a nearby club and was in good spirits when he left. Lastly, blood spatter begins outside the house, on the sidewalk, and steps beyond the front door.
Friends and relatives of Hugues are baffled during interviews and programs devoted to the French-American citizen. Most of the viewers who tune into the case are likewise disconcerted.
The investigation only gets worse. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) not only ruled it a suicide, they suggested Hugues cleaned the knife used for the stabbing, while he was bleeding to death. The Los Angeles Police Department stepped in, in 2009, and stated they also believed it to be a suicide.
Family and friends have turned to outside investigators for further analysis of the night in question. It remains debatable if anyone actually entered his apartment aside from Hugues, but several reports present a plausible timeline of events. Sadly, these reports don’t seem to be connected with any official investigatory body.
Here is a summary of what independent investigators reported.
Hugues came home after being out with friends. He settled in, ate, and used both the telephone and the computer. Someone, or something, summoned him to the door between 2:00 and 4:00 am. He opened it and stepped outside, where an assailant stabbed him.
He rushed back inside, bleeding profusely, but coherent enough to lock his attacker out. The items in his home were moved due to hemorrhagic shock. His balance was off, and he became unconscious within about two minutes.
Bafflingly, the SFPD reported that Hugues stabbed himself in the kitchen, and ran to the front door to make it appear like he was attacked. This is questionable, at best, because he would’ve left a trail of blood from the kitchen, to the front door. That would’ve left two trails of blood spatter, instead of just one that ran in from the front door.
There were allegations that the authorities mishandled the case from the beginning. There are currently allegations that they waited far too long to interview witnesses or potential persons of interest.
Disgusted with the lack of attention, the family and friends of the victim started a campaign to find justice for Hugues. His family is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprit.
The medical examiner finally stated they were unable to rule the stabbing either way. They claimed there was not sufficient evidence to rule it a suicide, or a homicide.
