SAN ANTONIO — Christopher Palmer still remembers the infectious smile and the red dress worn by his second-grade classmate Jennifer Sue Delgado, who was murdered June 6, 1988.
“It was tragic in the sense that she was so young, and it was for no reason at all that we know of. And she lived across the street from the laundromat,” Palmer said.
San Antonio police say a man became upset after a vending machine inside the laundromat (Highway 90 near Westrock Drive and Westoak Road) failed to dispense a can of soda.
The suspect proceeded to stab Delgado and her mother. While Delgado died, her mother survived.
“How terrifying to be feet from your house and you’re minding your own business, and someone comes in and for some unknown reason he pulls out a knife and stabs you or your child. It’s so hard to imagine,” Palmer said.
It’s an unsolved murder filled with many questions and a desire for justice and closure.
Palmer’s been leading a community fundraising effort since 2021 to create Jennifer Sue Delgado Memorial Way across the street from where she and her mother were attacked. The laundromat is now a credit union.
The San Antonio City Council approved the street designation request last week, although it’s undetermined at this time when the signage will be installed.
“It’s a big sigh of relief not just for me and everything I’ve gone through to try and get this going for the past year, but we’re over that hurdle and now something can be done to have a permanent memorial for Jennifer,” Palmer said.
Palmer hopes to one day hold a reunion with Delgado’s classmates, friends and family to remember the girl loved by so many.
“The memorial for me brings a sense of closure. If we can’t have justice in terms of finding the killer, this ensures a way that she’s never forgotten,” Palmer said.
An SAPD spokesperson noted all leads have been exhausted in the open case of Jennifer Sue Delgado. Anyone with information is urged to call the department’s Homicide Unit at 210-207-7635.