Fresno family fears boy's killer will be their neighbor

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno family in fear, and a man police believe is a murderer about to walk the same streets where they live.

"I am scared to know somebody out there wants to kill me," said Jessica Humphrey.

The family in fear has already suffered through one murder. 15-year-old Steven Humphrey disappeared in 2009 and his bones were found four years later.

The memorial Humphrey's family and friends made for his funeral looks a little different than a typical tombstone. Instead of showing his birthday and the day he died, it has three dates.

"That's the day he went missing, and that's the day we found him," said his sister, Jessica.

Police actually dug up Humphrey's bones four years after he disappeared. He'd been buried and a dog shed was built on top of his grave. Since he was found, his grandmother has kept a cross on her fence as a memorial.

Just a block down the street stands another tribute, but Humphrey's family never visits. The second memorial to Steven Humphrey is in front of the very house where Steven's family fears his killer will be living in just three months.

It sits in front of the yard where police found Humphrey's remains last year, the home where Ricardo Rosas lived. Court documents detail statements from a few witnesses who say Rosas killed Humphrey. One of them even helped dig the grave.

Rosas has never been charged with the crime, but he has been in prison for much of the last five years -- first for domestic violence against Humphrey's sister, then for throwing Molotov cocktails at the family's home, and now for domestic violence against a different woman. His latest term runs out in January and Humphrey's family says he's already sent threats their way.

"He'll try to hurt me or one of my family members," Jessica Humphrey said. "He's not going to stop."

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer understands how uncomfortable Humphrey's family is becoming.

"Here's a family that's not only lost a loved one, but now they're in fear for their lives and safety because the person responsible for it is going to be getting out of prison very soon," he said.

But Humphrey's body was decomposed when police finally found it and coroners couldn't figure out how he died. So filing a murder charge against Rosas became more difficult, even though the body was found in his backyard.

Homicide detectives are now re-interviewing witnesses to strengthen the case and alleviate the family's fears. But for now, they're a little spooked and a little angry.

"He's just getting away with it," Jessica Humphrey said. "He's getting everything he wanted."