Since May 2010, family and friends of Samuel Nava III, held vigils and signs with his picture on the corner of Mission Blvd. and Industrial Parkway in the hopes of keeping his name alive and the previously unsolved murder case in the public.
With police arresting two suspects in the case in March, transformed into a celebration of Nava's life. Dozens of relatives, friends and supporters were on hand at final monthly vigil, wearing shirts with the youth's picture and talking about their favorite memories of Nava.
The vigils were a way to show their support to one another in the past two years, family members say.
On May 3, 2010 at about 6:45 p.m., Nava, who was 17 at the time, was shot and killed while riding in a car in Hayward. He was in the backseat of the vehicle, which was making a U-turn from north Mission Boulevard to south Mission Boulevard at the intersection with Industrial Parkway.
In late March, after investigators determined them to be suspects in the case through "forensics examinations and witness accounts," according to a police report.
The two are charged for murdering Nava and are .
