As a reward for finishing his school year, 15-year-old Ricardo Varela got to spend the weekend with his cousins at his grandmother's home.
Within hours, though, the weekend turned tragic. The Canyon Rose Academy freshman was killed as a result of a drive-by shooting.
Ricardo's father, Bobby Varela, remembers the last time he saw his son alive. It was Friday morning, Feb. 4, 2008. They talked about the weekend before Varela left for work. That evening Ricardo went to his grandmother's house in the 800 block of Calle Matus, near West Grant Road and North 15th Avenue. He had just stepped out of the house and into the carport where his uncles were playing cards when he was shot in the head. Ricardo died the next day at the hospital.
Police, at the time, suspected the shots came from a white, four-door pickup-style Cadillac Escalade. No one else was injured.
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"Whoever did this, they didn't know him," Varela said. "They took an innocent kid. He didn't have anything to do with whatever was going on."
STATUS
"It's a tough neighborhood. Ricardo was not a target. That's the grandmother's house, so I'm pretty sure she wasn't the target," said Tucson police Detective Mike Carroll.
Though the detective hasn't received any new leads in the case since July 2010, Carroll said the case remains open. He is still interested in learning more about the white Escalade seen in the area at the time of the shooting, but he doesn't want to limit the scope of the investigation to just that one vehicle. He urges witnesses - or anyone with information - to come forward.
"I know … there's somebody out there who has knowledge about this case," he said.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
The Varela family is close-knit. The death of Ricardo, one of four children, has been hard on the family.
Though he was only a freshman, Ricardo and his older sister already had plans to share an apartment when he graduated from high school and attend college together, said their father. Ricardo wanted to work in the music industry. After Ricardo's death, his sister almost dropped out of school, but Canyon Rose Academy faculty members persuaded her to continue her education. Now she attends college and recently had a baby, whom she named in memory of her brother.
Ricardo's younger brother, whom Ricardo doted on, still needs counseling to deal with the loss, his father said.
Ricardo "was quiet, real playful with everybody, got along with everybody," Varela said. "When I had side jobs to do on the weekend, he was my helper. He was my right-hand guy. He liked helping the family, like cleaning his grandma's yard. He was a wonderful kid."
The family celebrated Ricardo's birthday on Jan. 13, 2008. They buried him one month later, on Feb. 13.
"He didn't even have time to enjoy being 15 years old," his father said.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Star will feature some of the Tucson-area violent crimes that remain unsolved - sometimes many years later.
Anyone with information is urged to call 88-CRIME. Tips also can be submitted online at www.88crime.org; or by text message at 274637, then enter tip259 plus your text message.
Contact reporter Kimberly Matas at kmatas@azstarnet.com or at 573-4191 if you have been a victim of an unsolved crime or if you are related to a victim.
Ricardo Varela
