Seminole Heights Murder Mystery Spurs Family On

People in the neighborhood , but so far it seems nobody saw anything. At least nobody that's willing to come forward. 

And so the shooting death of Ralph Patrinostro, 28, remains a mystery, and as this TBO.com story reported Monday, his family remains determined to keep the word out about the crime. Patrinostro's mother, Penelope Martin, and several of her friends have passed fliers out around town, asking for help. They and other family members also gather on Sunday mornings at to hand the fliers, TBO.com reports. 

Sometime after 11 p.m. on Jan. 30, Patrinostro was shot twice on the 6100 block of River Terrace as he walked to his home nearby on West Idlewild Avenue. He had been visiting with friends in the neighborhood. 

According to TBO.com, police told Martin at first that her son was targeted. Now they're saying it appears his shooting was random. 

"Police have not given us anything tangible," Martin told TBO.com. "They are giving us nothing. They say they don't have anything. What they have they don't want to release because it might impede their investigation."

"There is no question about it, we need the public's help," Tampa Police spokesperson Andrea Davis told TBO.com. "There are still a lot of unanswered questions."

A makeshift memorial has taken shape at the spot where Patrinostro was found shot. It was created by family friend Diana Mickey, according to the TBO.com story, and consists of items like a cross, crime scene tape, beer bottles and cans, flowers, candles, hats, stuffed animals, and signs depicting what happened. 

According to county records, Patrinostro was arrested four times for domestic battery, battery, marijuana possession, and aggravated assault. All the charges were eventually dropped, according to TBO.com. 

"As most people know," wrote Priscilla Makalla, Patrinostro's aunt, in an e-mail to Patch, "Ralph was no choir boy but he believed in God, read the bible from cover to cover and asked a lot of questions. He was the most positive, happy young man you’d ever meet; always ready to give you hug, a smile, a joke and a thoughtful word!"

Makalla added that, "Because we stick together as a family, there are rewards being offered. So far there’s a nice Ford Truck (relatively new), a Harley Davidson motorcycle, an antique Firebird and $1,000 in cash up for grabs for anyone who can provide meaningful information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Ralph’s killer."

Police ask anyone with information about the crime to call 813-231-6130.