$25,000 Reward Is Renewed in Slaying

Police, city officials and family members of a woman killed in a 1995 convenience store robbery gathered at the store Thursday to announce the renewal of a $25,000 reward for information in the case.

Jyotsna Prajapati, 29, was shot in the head when she tried to stop two men from stealing a 12-pack of beer. Her 2-year-old daughter, Atithi, lay sleeping in the back room of Top Produce Market in the 7400 block of Van Nuys Boulevard during the shooting but was not harmed.

“It never ceases to amaze me what can happen when you keep a reward out there,” said Capt. Rich Wemmer, commander of the LAPD’s Van Nuys station. “We have had cases that have been several years old and we end up getting solid information.”

Police have interviewed one witness and compiled descriptions of the Latino suspects. They say one was 22 to 24 at the time the crime was committed and about 5 feet 10 and 175 pounds, the other 17 or 18, 5 feet 6 and 130 pounds. Both allegedly fled in a black, late-model Chevrolet Camaro or Beretta.

City Councilman Joel Wachs, who represents the area around the market, introduced a motion approved Wednesday by the council to extend the reward. It was first issued the week after Prajapati’s death.

The reward “obviously isn’t going to bring her back,” Wachs said Thursday. “But it will keep [the suspects] from striking again. And it will send a message that we’re not going to stop until we have found justice.”

Standing underneath the store’s blue-and-white sign that still advertises “cold beer,” Premchand Prajapati, the victim’s brother-in-law, said the family continues to struggle with the shooting’s effects.

“We used to give her advice that if she sees someone running out with beer, let them keep running,” he said. “But we do expect that one day the killer will be caught. We will be happy then. We will forget at that time.”

Anyone with information should call the Van Nuys homicide detectives at (818) 756-8377.