Latasha Harlins

Birthday January 1, 1976

Birth Sign Capricorn

Birthplace East St Louis, IL

DEATH DATE Mar 16, 1991 (15)

#170,517 Most Popular

About

Famous case of a murder that occurred in Los Angeles. She was shot and killed at 15 years old by Soon Ja Du, a convenience store owner. The judge on the case reduced Soon Ja Du's sentence to probation and fines, which contributed to the increase in problems between African-American residents and Korean-American business owners in South Central Los Angeles. This was one of the many events in Los Angeles that led to the riots in 1992. 

Before Fame

She attended Westchester High School. She was from East St. Louis, Illinois, and moved to Los Angeles when she was 5 years old. 

Trivia

Her murder has been the basis of songs such as Ice Cube's "Black Korea" and novels such as Your House Will Pay. She had April 29th named the Latasha Harlins Day by California State. She had a documentary film created in 2019 called A Love Song for Latasha. 

Family Life

Her parents were Crystal Harlins and Sylvester Acoff Sr. Her younger brother was Vester Acoff Jr. and her younger sister's name was Christina. She was raised by her maternal grandmother, Ruth Harlins after her mother was shot and killed by her father's new girlfriend. 

Associated With

Hip Hop artist Tupac Shakur dedicated his song "Keep Ya Head Up" to her. He also made references to her in five of his other songs.