Justice For Eric Kleemeyer

The Killing of Eric Kleemeyer

Eric’s Story

My nephew Eric Kleemeyer was shot to death in front of his mother’s house by members of the Santa Clara Police Department. The following is my opinion as to what happened to him. Eric is not here to say what actually took place so I did my best writing this for him. What Eric experienced that night is unimaginably horrible but this is dedicated to Eric’s mother who now experiences that unimaginable horror everyday.

Eric’s Story

Part One

Little Joe

     It was Monday January 3rd 2004 and the holidays were finally over. Shopping that time of year with all the distracted drivers, nonexistent parking, and the crowds of rude and hurried masses is a horrible experience and one that should be avoided whenever possible. There is however a far worst role in this madness than simply being one more body amongst the holiday throngs. That would be if you were one of the poor outnumbered souls working on the other side of the cash register logging endless and exhausting hours trying to service and please those insatiable herds of consumers. For people who had worked the Christmas retail season in one of larger new “super stores”, such as Eric Kleemeyer had at the local Santa Clara Costco facility, the time had finally come to hopefully start getting back to more normal and slower paced lifestyle.

     As if his work schedule hadn’t been enough to contend with in the midst of all the commotion Eric had managed to also somehow celebrate his twenty second birthday. December fifteenth had marked one full year of official adulthood for the popular young man.

     Eric had never been at a shortage when it came to friends but this year there was one friend in particular who was missing. Eric’s best friend, Joseph “Little Joe” Ramirez was not there to celebrate his birthday with him. It was hard to muster up any level of enthusiasm because it just wasn’t the same without Little Joe around, but then Little Joe wasn’t there to celebrate Christmas or New Years either. The truth was he would never be there to share the good times with Eric again.

     It was just a little more than a year ago that Eric’s world was changed forever. On the night of September 21, 2001 four young friends, Morgan, Jeff, and the inseperatable Eric and Little Joe, were just hanging out together when the phone rang. The call came from three other acquaintances who said they were having a problem. They were trying to get something to eat at the nearby Denny’s. They had tried to use the A.T.M. at the Bank of Santa Clara when a group of guys had started bothering them and would not leave them alone. They said they might be members of an Asian gang and the reason they were afraid was not because they were outnumbered but mostly because one of the trouble makers had flashed a knife. 

     Without hesitating, Eric, Little Joe, Morgan, and Pat rushed the short distance to check on their friends. They didn’t stop to arm themselves but there seemed to be no reason for such extreme measures. Eric stood six foot two and was quite athletic and Little Joe was in good enough condition to play on the West Valley College Soccer team. The two others were also in their prime so the idea of taking weapons seemed to be almost cowardly, as if they were not capable of taking care of themselves. Besides they were just going to check on some buddies, not injure or kill anybody.

     When they arrived they discovered their friends had already left. The confrontational group of men had moved to the front of Taco Bell after equipping themselves with weapons of various sorts. The ensuing street fight was extremely short, violent, and very one sided.  Morgan was severely beaten. Jeff had been beaten and attacked with a knife. Eric was not only beaten and assaulted with a knife he was pounded on the head with an electric drill after they terrorized him by holding the drill to his temple. They threatened to kill him by drilling into his brain. Fortunately those three would survive and recover.

     Little Joe was not so fortunate. He had been stabbed numerous times, including one into his heart. Having done their damage the victors departed leaving behind their bleeding victims.

     Eric, as hurt as he was, finally managed to go to his friends’ aid but he was helpless against the severest of the injuries. Eric drove his dying friend to the emergency room and then, covered in blood, left him only to frantically go and find Little Joe’s parents. By the time he returned his friend had died from his injuries.

     Along with his best friend Eric’s innocence also died that night. Before this it had seemed as if they were invincible and would live forever.Before it had seemed that deep down people basically had honor and fights would be fair. There is an old saying about some poor fool bringing a knife to a gunfight but these unfortunate young men had the bad fortune to bring fists to a knife fight with opponents that knew nothing about honor and fairness.

     It was little consolation that the perpetrators were subsequently apprehended and charged for their crimes. Nothing was ever going to bring Little Joe back. In the future there would be the trial to contend with when Eric would be forced to relive that horrible night and testify against these killers. It was not going to be easy.     

     Eric began receiving various threats about what would happen to him should he testify against the gang members. He couldn’t turn to or depend on the police because Eric believed they had no interest in helping protect him. The police had determined Eric Kleemeyer to be a “trouble maker” and so labeled they would routinely stop him whenever they saw him out on the street. He was stopped and questioned a number of times for simply walking to and from his job. The police had even gotten physically rough with him on at least one occasion so as far an Eric was concerned he had as much reason to be as afraid of local law enforcement as he did any gang reprisals.

     Still he took the threats seriously. There was even a rumor going around that there was a reward on Eric’s life. It got to a point where he would turn down rides to work from family and friends because he was concerned for their safety.

     Nothing however was going to stop him from testifying in the upcoming trial because he would be speaking forLittle Joe. To others Little Joe may have seemed like just a typical West Valley college student who was at the wrong place at the wrong time but Eric knew his friend was more than that and he did not deserve to be cut down in the prime of his life.

     Last years birthday and Christmas, the first without Little Joe, had seemed almost surreal. Otherwise the reality would have proved unbearable. This year was a little easier, but not much. Maybe it would be a little easier next year and so on but Eric knew it would somehow always be there forever. The celebrating this year was conservative in comparison to earlier years and Eric found it easier instead to throw himself into his work and keep his mind focused there.

     Eric was not the type of person that would allow the ever-present sadness to overwhelm him. At his core he was a caring and upbeat individual who had family and friends that loved him deeply…with their help he would get through this.  

     Now it was January. As stressful and hectic as things may have been that was now all in the past. The birthday, the Christmas shoppers, the big day after Christmas sale and gigantic returning of gifts avalanche was now over. The last major marker of the holiday season, New Years Eve, had come and gone. The amateur drinkers and over indulgers had enjoyed two days to recover from their hangovers and now it was time to get back to normal. It was a brand new year. In fact it was the first day of the first work week of a brand new year. It was a time of new beginnings and opportunities. It was the last day of Eric Kleemeyer’s life.

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