The cold case murder of Joseph Dennis Cole - Venice Beach, California - December 19, 1991
Joe and his best friend Henry Rolling (famous singer and actor) temporarily lived together in the unsafe neighborhood of Oakwood. The two friends were making a documentary about homeless Vietnam veterans who could be found in the area, so they rented a house in the same neighborhood.
On the evening of December 19, 1991, they attended a concert together, after which they went home after doing some grocery shopping. On their walk home, however, they were ambushed by two armed robbers. They demanded money, but the two only had 50 dollars with them. Because the crooks thought that was not enough, they were forced to walk home with them at gunpoint to get more money. At the residence, Henry was told to go inside while Joe was made to wait outside with the robbers. Suddenly Henry heard a shot, and he ran. He managed to escape through the back door and immediately called the police. They were quickly on the scene, but they soon had to determine that Joe had died. The robbers had shot him in the head.
About Joe Cole
Joe was born April 10, 1961 in Los Angeles County, and was son of actor Dennis Cole and his first wife, Sally Bergeron. Joe wanted to become a known actor just like his dad. He starred in movies like The Book of Manson , Weatherman '69 and Sir Drone. He also (mainly) worked as a roadie in the music industy, for several bands: Hole, Black Flag and Rollins Band. Joe was very close friends with Henry Rolling, who sang in two of these bands. The two lived together as roommates. They both loved music, and Joe is said to have liked Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath. At the time of his death, he was in a romantic relationship with bassist player Michelle Leon of the band, Babes in Toyland.
Police Investigation
Investigators worked thousands of hours in interviewing hundreds of people in the neighborhood, but couldn't find any interesting leads. In hopes that someone would recognize the perpetrator, they had a composite drawing made of the perpetrator, based on witness statements presumably from Henry.
The police were certain that the murder involved two African-American perpetrators, who were in their twenties or thirties. One of the killers, the one in the picture, is about 5'11'' and 165 pounds. He had brown eyes and black hair. - click picture to enlarge -
Information and tips
Many, many years have passed since Joe's murder. His father, Dennis Cole, sadly passed away in november 2009, and he never knew who took away his beloved son. His remaining relatives, Henry and friends have never stopped looking for answers, and are still fighting for justice.
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