Murdered USC student
a big case for L.A. police

Question: What ever happened to the investigation of the murder of Punahou graduate Maxwell Hazlett in Los Angeles?

Answer: Los Angeles police said their investigation into the fatal shooting is progressing.

"It's amazing how big this case has gotten, even for us," said Detective Mario Mota. "We have added two additional detectives to assist with the case."

The 21-year-old Hazlett, a University of Southern California junior, was a former Hawaii resident and a 2001 Punahou graduate. His father is Honolulu attorney Mark Hazlett and mother Louise Woodcock Hazlett lives in New Zealand.

His body was found 5:35 a.m. April 3 at Second and Emerald streets in the Rampart area of downtown Los Angeles, a mile from his apartment on South Figueroa Street.

Mota said detectives have talked to several people and need to talk to many more.

"We didn't have much to go on initially," he said. "We've been able to work on clues and develop the case."

He said the case is extremely sensitive, which is why police are being tight-lipped about it.

Mota said the majority of the cases he gets are gang-related, but characterized the Hazlett murder as a "random act."

Hazlett was walking home when he was confronted, he said.

"We don't believe Maxwell knew his attackers," he said. "It was an unfortunate incident. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Hazlett majored in economics and Chinese language, spoke German and Spanish, and was studying Mandarin.

He aspired to get a degree from a Chinese or Taiwanese university, and possibly go on to law or business school in the United States or to an academic career, his father had said.

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