Family seeks help in solving Cathedral City murder

A local family is asking for the community’s hep to solve a homicide from March 28, 2018.

Ramon Diaz, 47, of Cathedral City was shot and killed outside his Cathedral City home after leaving his jiu-jitsu studio in Palm Springs a little after 9:30 that March evening.

“Who did this and why?” said Alex Diaz, Ramon Diaz’s brother.

“We want to know why and who would do this to him,” added Ramon Diaz’s sister, Gabby Diaz.

The unanswered questions about Ramon Diaz’s murder weigh heavily on the Diaz family.

“It just can’t go on this way. He can’t be forgotten. The story just can’t go on and it can’t be a cold case. There has to be somebody that knows something out there,” Gabby Diaz said.

“It’s very frustrating. I’m angry every single day and sad, and I think of him every single moment of every day,” Alex Diaz added.

It’s been nearly five months since Ramon Diaz died. The suspect is still at large.

“It just sickens me that somebody could go about their everyday lives knowing that they did this to someone, that they stole someone’s life away, that they murdered them senselessly,” Gabby Diaz said.

Ramon, a long-time Palm Springs Jiu-Jitsu instructor, was dedicated to his craft and a role model to hundreds, according to his former students.

“His brother pegged it best at his funeral. He was everyone’s big brother, their uncle, their dad. He helped a lot of kids, kids who had nothing. He was like a dad to them and a big brother to people like myself,” said Karianne Carillo, Roman’s former student and friend.

“I think about my dear friend, my Jiu-Jitsu father every day, every night, every morning. In life he’ll guide us in ways that we never though we could imagine. If it wasn’t for him, my life would be completely different,” said Romel Fuentes, another former student of Ramon Diaz.

Ramon’s loved ones say they’re speaking in hopes that someone else will.

“(We’re speaking out) to get this case solved, get the person who did this behind bars, for my brother, for his memory, for his legacy, for the school,” Alex Diaz said.

“We’re just pleading for somebody to please say something, anything. Sometimes people don’t realize that even the smallest things mean something. Please anybody that knows something, anything,” Gabby Diaz added.

Cathedral City Police say there are no new leads in this case. The investigation remains active and on going. If you have any information on the homicide you’re urged to call CCPD at (760)770-0300.