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CASE DESCRIPTIONS BY MONTH, DATE, AND CITY IN 2005:

January

Pascagoula, Mississippi
Attack Leads to Home

January 9: Matthew Allen Barnstaple, 22, was arrested April 14th in Old Town, FL for a homeless beating that resulted in breaking his arm and leg. He is also implicated in burning the tent camp where the victim resided.

Paul Huff, who was attacked in Pascagoula, is getting back on his feet with help from the people of Jackson County.

Weeks before, Paul Huff and five other homeless people were attacked as they returned to their campsite.

After the attack the community came together to support Huff, donating clothes, blankets, and money after Huff’s attackers burned everything he owned, including his tent.

Several Jackson County businessmen have also come together and are giving Huff a home.

Sources: WLOX-ABC 13 “Homeless Man Given Home” 8 February 2005. Sun Herald “Assault Suspect Arrested in Florida.” 14 April 2005.

February

New York, New York
75-year-old stabs homeless man with sword cane

February 2: An impatient 75-year-old East Village man stabbed a homeless man in the throat yesterday after twisting apart a walking cane, which concealed a long sword, cops and witnesses said.

Eugene Carlson allegedly attacked George Devol with the 22-inch blade after the homeless man blocked a narrow path along the snow-covered, trash-strewn sidewalk on E. Ninth St. and refused to budge.

As several horrified churchgoers looked on, Carlson hacked into Devol’s neck with his weapon and nearly severed the victim’s jugular vein, police said.

“The old man was all confused,” said the witness. “He was in a daze. He didn’t know what he had done. You could tell.”

Devol, 30, who had just left church, was in good spirits about getting a job at Con Edison before he was attacked, friends said.

Devol was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where he remained in critical but stable condition. Authorities said that Carlson was charged with first-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Source: New York Daily News “75-year-old Stabs Homeless Man with Sword Cane.” 2 February 2005.

Berkeley, California
Homeless woman brutally slain

February 8: Maria Catherine King, a familiar face on Berkeley’s University Avenue, as well as a legal writer and advocate, could be counted on for cookies, free legal advice, or a shoulder to cry on until two young men kicked her head in and killed her on February 8th, 2005.

Tiny, less than 100 pounds and struggling with mental illness, King predicted she’d never live to see 50 years of age. In February, barely a month into her 49th year, death came at the hands of two youth behind a second-hand clothing store.

A witness later told a courtroom that he saw two hooded figures kicking something “as if they were kicking a soccer ball as hard as they could.” The beating lasted about 15 seconds and as the two attackers walked away, the witness testified, one turned back, got a running start, and “jumped on the object with both feet.”

Dependent on life support, King died twelve days later in hospital. The cause of death was determined to be blunt trauma to the head, spurred by an argument over “dumpster diving.” Police believe a total of four people were involved in the attack. Doctors said the beating was so bad that her brain shifted 5 centimeters.

Both suspects are 18-year-old males. The first suspect, Jarell Maurice Johnson from San Leandro, was arrested around the corner from the crime with blood on his shoes and faces a murder charge. Police have quoted him as saying “I really kicked her ass.”

The second, Derell Morgan of Berkeley, was arrested later in May and held without bail at Santa Rita Jail.

Sources: San Mateo County Times “Homeless Woman Dies From Beating” 23 February 2005. San Francisco Chronicle “Suspect Sought in Transient’s Killing” 13 March 2005. San Francisco Chronicle “A death in Berkeley- Maria King—Homeless, Vulnerable, When Brutally Slain” 15 May 2005 and San Francisco Chronicle “2nd Suspect Held in Beating Death” San Francisco Chronicle 25 May 2005.

Daytona Beach, Florida
Homeless men attacked

February 27: Daytona Beach police said two homeless men were walking along the railroad tracks when five or six young men attacked and threw rocks at them. Calling the homeless men names, the assailants beat the victims with their fists and a blunt object and then fled after rifling their pockets.

Both homeless men were treated for cuts and other injuries at Halifax Medical Center.

Source: Daytona Beach New Journal “Homeless Man Attacked.” 27 February 2005.

March

Portland, Maine
Man charged in stabbing a homeless man

March 4: A Portland teenager accused of stabbing a homeless man in the throat was charged with elevated aggravated assault, police said.

Matthew Digaetno, 19, was jailed on $20,000 bail. According to Portland Police Capt. Joseph Loughlin, the victim, Michael Powers, 35, underwent a tracheotomy following the attack.

Loughlin said the attack occurred when two groups of men confronted each other on Portland Street near a homeless shelter and a community-policing unit. A probation officer observed the fight and saw the suspect run away after the attack with a bloody knife.

Source: Portland Press Herald “Portland Man Charged in Stabbing of Homeless Man” 4 March 2005.

April

Detroit, Michigan
Trooper held for homeless man’s death

April 14: Michigan State Trooper Jay Morningstar, aged 35, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the April 14th shooting death of a 40-year-old homeless man Eric Williams, who was unarmed. The charge is punishable upon conviction by up to life in prison.

The trooper shot Williams, nicknamed “Magoo,” once in the chest at 12:30 a.m. in front of the Detroiter Bar after responding to a disturbance call. Detroit police also responded to the car and recorded the shooting on an in-car video camera.

Williams, whose family claims he struggles with mental illness, was harassing customers inside the bar and broke two windows as he was escorted out. Detroit police said in a report that Williams had his pants down around his knees and walked toward Morningstar before the trooper shot him. The trooper said he was approached in a threatening manner and that Williams ignored commands to stop and show his hands. Sgt. Mike Heredeen, said that Williams was not partially naked, rather his baggy pants were sliding down and he approached Morningstar with his hand at his waist area.

Sources: Detroit Free Press “At funeral, talk of love replaces talk of revenge,” 27 April 2005. Detroit Free Press “Trooper charged with killing of homeless man.” May 10th, 2005. Metro “Trooper charged in slaying” May 10th 2005. Detroit Free Press “Trooper held in homeless man’s death” May 11th, 2005. Detroit Free Press “State trooper charged in death of homeless man to stand trial.” 21 June 2005.

San Francisco, California
Suspects wanted in homeless shooting

April 14: Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a group of men suspected of shooting homeless people with BB guns.

Sgt. Neville Gittens reported that six people have been injured in four separate shooting incidents over the course of two days.

The first incident took place at 2 am at Clementia and Third Streets; it went unreported until a second shooting occurred at the same location at 2:30 am. Gittens reported that the suspects struck a third time at 3:30am at Seventh and Folsom Streets.

Three of the incidents took place in the city’s South of Market neighborhood. The fourth shooting, which police believe is unrelated, took place Thursday morning in Portsmouth Square in Chinatown.

None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries, Gittens reported.

Witnesses to the South of Market shootings reported that the shooters were four to five males. The men all appear to be either teenagers or in their early 20s. Gittens reported that patrols in the neighborhood have been increased. Plainclothes police will also be used in an effort to catch the suspects.

Source: Bay Area News Station “Suspects Wanted in Homeless Shootings” www.kron.com, April 14th, 2005.

Cave Junction, Oregon
Homeless man in fair condition after beating

April 19: A homeless man from Cave Junction remained in fair condition at a Portland hospital after he was severely beaten one evening. James Guy Bennett, 46, was allegedly hit and repeatedly kicked in the face by 18-year-old Teo Rasmussen, who faces a first-felony assault charge and is being held at the Josephine County Jail on bail.

According to the Josephine County Sheriff’s Department, the incident occurred around 8 pm at the intersection of Watkins and Junction avenues near Jubilee Park. Bennett, whose blood-alcohol content that night measured .33 percent, did not fight back, said Sgt. Ken Selig.

Bennett suffered three broken vertebrae, a deep cut near his right eye, and swelling of his brain, Selig said. He was moved out of the ICU after his condition was upgraded to fair.

Rasmussen and Bennett crossed paths and witnesses said that Rasmussen appeared angry and “had a chip on his shoulder” when he came up to Bennett and “sucker punched” him, reported Selig. Rasmussen later told police he attacked Bennett because of an unspecified threat a week earlier.

Deputies found Bennett unconscious and bleeding heavily from his head. The County’s Major Crime Unit was called to the scene, and they later learned that Rasmussen was seen running from the scene just before police arrived.

Source: Southern Oregon Mail Tribune, “Homeless Man in Faire Condition at OHSU After Cave Junciton Attack.” 19 April 2005

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Agencies probe guards’ dumping of homeless man

April 21: A group of hospital security guards dumped a homeless man who appeared unresponsive on the ground outside Grand Strand Regional Medical Center. According to the police report, an unidentified emergency room doctor said he had the man removed because he considered him disorderly. Other witnesses reported that while inside the hospital, the homeless man’s speech was said to be incoherent and his body tense and contorted, with his head tilted back and arms drawn close to his chest.

Hospital officials stated that the security guards involved did not follow policy and were removed from the hospital. However, the hospital has no plans to end its contract with U.S. Security.

“I’m very disappointed by this,” said Libby Faulkner, director of Street Reach Mission homeless shelter in Myrtle Beach, “There is nothing justifiable about treatment like that, putting him on the side of the road. It upsets me that anyone would be treated that way.”

Source: The Sun News “Agencies Probe Guards’ Dumping of Homeless Man”. 21 April 2005.

May

Tucson, Arizona
Teens arrested in slaying of homeless man

May 2: Two teens have been arrested by Tucson police in the May killing of a homeless man on the Southeast Side.

According to authorities, Ralph Burkley, 19, and his brother, Derek Waters, 17, have been taken to Pima County Jail and charged with first-degree murder. The teens were arrested near an apartment complex about a block from where the body of Francis Duggan III was found on May 2.

Police said Duggan, 49, died of blunt force trauma as the result of a beating or fight. The teens knew Duggan for a short period before he was killed, according to investigators who believe robbery was the motive for slaying since Duggan’s cell phone and wallet were taken.

Sources: The Tucson Citizen “Teens arrested in slaying of homeless man.” 17 November 2005; KGUN 9 News 5pm 17 November 2005. KVOA 18 “A man and a teenager have been arrested in the slaying of a homeless person, police say” November 2005.

Camden, New Jersey
Camden boy pleads guilty in homeless man’s death

May 11: A 16-year-old Camden boy pleaded guilty, in the Family Division State Superior Court, to manslaughter in the death of a homeless man. He admitted to punching Eleazer Espinoza Pineda, 32, who usually went by the name Juan Delgado. Pineda fell and hit his head on the ground and died at Cooper University Hospital shortly after.

Judge Angelo DiCamillo sentenced the boy to four years in a juvenile facility for the act.

An investigation showed that the juvenile, wearing boxing gloves borrowed from a friend, had encountered Pineda in front of a store and knocked him down with a single punch.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer “Camden boy, 16, pleads guilty in homeless man’s death.” 11 May 2005.

Broward/Dade Counties, Florida
Street Newspaper Vendors Attacked

May: Two Homeless Voice street newspaper vendors were shot at a total of four times each while on the job. As a result, one vendor received welts to his body. The other required surgery to remove the pellet from his body.

No suspects have been named at this point. However, crimes continue as another vendor working in the same vicinity was shot in the chest with the same type of gun a few weeks later.

Source: Sean Connie, President of the Homeless Voice and the South Florida Coalition for the Homeless

Holly Hill, Florida
Homeless man killed for fun

May 31: Five teenage boys have been charged in the death of a 53-year-old homeless man through repeated beatings and allegedly jumping on a log placed over his ribs. Two of the teenagers, charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, said they killed the homeless man “for fun” because they “needed something to do”. Christopher Scamahorm, 14, and Jeffery Spurgeon, 18, confessed to beating the victim, Michael Roberts, using their fists, tree branches, and a large log to pummel the man in addition to kicking him, said spokesman Brandon Haught.

The teens found the man in the woods, behind a car wash on Nova Road, and harassed him, Haught said, where Spurgeon said he punched the man in the face and left. The pair returned a short time later and kicked the man and beat him with sticks, coming back a total of three times and beating the man each time. Friends said Scamahorn later bragged about the beating and offered to show them Roberts’ body. Visitors to the site included Spurgeon’s cousins, aged 4 and 8.

The victim weighed a little more that 100 pounds. Scamahorn was described as several inches taller and weighing in at over 200 pounds.

An autopsy showed Roberts died of blunt-force trauma to the head and body. He suffered a broken skull, ribs and badly injured legs. Defensive wounds were found on his hands.

A third teenager, Justin Stearns, 18, has also been arrested and is also charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Spurgeon and Scamahorn told deputies that Stearns hit Roberts in the face, threw a log on his head and chest and jumped on it.

Two more suspects have also been arrested in the murder case. Warren Messner, 15, of Holly Hill is charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and Phi Huynh, 15, of Daytona Beach is charged with aggravated battery in the repeated beating of the victim.

“They didn’t have to do what they did”, said Richard Roberts, brother to Michael, “They could have stopped, but they didn’t. They came back and they came back and they came back.” Barbara Burns, Michael’s older sister, also said “I just think parents need to teach tolerance of other people and to have a little respect for our fellow man. Somewhere along the line we have lost a whole generation.”

“It’s not a surprise to hear of kids attacking a homeless man. It’s happened before… It’s an easy target,” said Del Hillman, program coordinator for the Homeless Assistance Center in Daytona Beach. He added, “there’s rarely a day that I don’t walk the line and see someone who has been beaten up, whether their mouth is busted open or they have stitches.”

“The real thing here is as a community we’ve decided there’s no legitimate place for the homeless,” said Troy Ray, executive director of Halifax Urban Ministries. “Until there is, they will be subject to all kinds of violence,” Ray concluded

The boys told a friend that “it doesn’t matter, they’re just bums.” Lindsay Roberts, executive director of the Volusia/Flagler Coalition for the Homeless, said, “I think there is a shocking lack of awareness among the general public about the causes of homelessness and the notion that homeless are just bums who want to live on the street. They don’t want to be there. They live in fear. They are terribly vulnerable to violence of all kind.”

Four of the teenagers pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. They face possible life sentences. A fifth youth faces charges of aggravated battery.

Sources: “Two teens accused of killing homeless man said they did it for fun” Associated Press 30 May 2005. “Man’s death doesn’t surprise advocated for homeless” Daytona Beach News-Journal Online 31 May, 2005. “Volusia beating could have been thrill killing” Orlando Sentinel 5 June 2005. “More arrests possible in slaying” Orlando Sentinel-

Newsday.com 1 June 2005. “3rd teen arrested in fatal beating” Orlando Sentinel 2 June 2005. “Body found in woods” Daytona Beach News 29 May 2005. “3rd teen linked to beating death” Daytona Beach News-Journal Online, 2 June 2005. “Family mourns slain drifter” Daytona Beach News-Journal Online, 2 June 2005. “Judge orders two 15 year-olds held in beating” Daytona Beach News-Journal Online, 2 June 2005. Daytona Beach News-Journal Online “2 teens held in beating death” 2 June 2005. Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. “Attack Saddens Suspect’s Father” 2 June 2005.
Daytona Beach News-Journal Online “Homeless Violence Common” 2 June, 2005. Daytona Beach News-Journal Online “Suspects’ flip sides conflict with crime” 2 June 2005. Daytona Beach News-Journal Online “Study shows crimes against homeless on the rise” 29 June 2005. Miami Herald “Teenagers That Killed Homeless Man For Fun Plead Guilty” 8 December 2005.

June

East Palatka, Florida
Homeless enticed into “modern-day slavery”

June 11: A farm labor contractor and his associates are accused of looking for homeless people, mostly African-American men, and putting them to work, especially seeking those men addicted to crack cocaine or other narcotics.

The men were allegedly lured with promises of work, room and board and taken to a camp in this poor area of northwest Florida where potatoes and cabbage are grown.

At the end of each day workers were offered crack cocaine, alcohol, and cigarettes on “credit” and the authorities said that the expenses were deducted from their wages. However, as debts grew larger than their wages, the workers were told they would have to pay them off.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, this was how dozens of workers were held captive at the camp, owned and operated by labor contractor Ronald Robert Evans. Federal agents are investigating whether the conditions amounted to modern-day slavery.

“Evans and his enforcers allegedly employ force or threat of force to keep the workers in a condition of involuntary servitude,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor report that was distributed to federal and local agents who raided the camp earlier this month.

Source: Sun-Sentinel “Authorities Say Homeless Lured into Alleged ‘Modern-Day Slavery.” 11 June 2005.

Virginia Beach, VA
Beach suspect charged in fatal stabbing of homeless man.

June 18: John Michael Johnson, 45, has been charged with the stabbing death of a homeless man.

Joseph Floyd Moore Jr., 70, was stabbed after an apparent confrontation, reported Brian Ricardo, a police spokesman. The incident occurred in an alley between two buildings.

Geno Roston, the owner of the 58 Deli Diner, found the man’s body on a sidewalk beside his business, police said. Roston said he initially thought the man was asleep but realized later that he was dead.

Residents and merchants in the area told investigators that Moore did not have a permanent address, but was a regular at bars around the area.

Johnson was being held at the city jail on a charge of first-degree murder.

Source: The Virginian Pilot “Beach suspect charges in fatal stabbing of homeless man” 20 June 2005.

St. Paul, Minnesota
St. Paul homeless man fatally beaten

June 20: A homeless man found unconscious in an alley was beaten to death, said police spokesman Paul Schnell.

Steven Allen Bisek, 49, was the victim of a vicious attack by young men who robbed and harassed vulnerable, drunk and homeless victims on St. Paul’s East Side. Bisek, who had no permanent address, was found June 20, unconscious and suffering a head injury. He was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he died 11 days later. An autopsy determined the death to be a homicide by blunt force trauma.

On June 20, Police were notified about a robbery-in-progress and immediately arrested two of five suspects. Investigators determined a link between the suspects and Bisek’s homicide and arrested two others. Of the four people in custody, two are murder suspects: a teenage boy (whose identity was not released because he is a juvenile) and Deontaye J. Russel, 18, of St. Paul, who is being held in the Ramsey County jail on suspicion of homicide and robbery.

“There was absolutely enough probable cause to connect them and their action to his death,” said Schnell.

Investigators linked this case to a series of robberies committed against vulnerable adults on the East Side. “We were talking about a dozen or so, perhaps more because of the population we’re talking about it’s quite likely that this has gone unreported,” said Schnell.

Union Gospel Mission’s Men’s Services Director Nick Gisi says clients are telling him about an increase in violence, “We’ve had several clients actually say that there has been an increase out in the streets as far as being attacked.”

Police charged 18 year-old Deontre Scott, who was 17 at the time of the crime, and a 14-year-old boy with second-degree murder in the case. Prosecutors said they have filed a petition seeking to have both certified to stand trial as adults.

Sources: Star Tribune “Police: St. Paul Homeless Man Fatally Beaten.” 8 July 2005; Pioneer Press “Four Alleged Robbers Held in Homeless Man’s Death.” 8 July 2005; KARE 11 News “Men Suspected of Beating Homeless, Jailed.” Star Tribune “14 year-old Boy Charged in Fatal St. Paul Beating.” 3 September 2005. Star Tribune “St. Paul Man Charged in Death of Homeless Man.” 25 August 2005. Star Tribune “St. Paul Man, 19, is Charged in the Death of a Homeless Man.” 24 November 2005.

Detroit, Michigan
State Troopers assault homeless man

June 24: Two state troopers, Gabriel Seibt, 29, and Todd Parsons, 30, have been charged with misconduct in office, a five-year felony, for assaulting Roosevelt Dean Jr., 50, a homeless man, with chemical spray. Seibt is also charged with felonious assault.

Prosecutors say that the troopers and Dean were involved in a verbal dispute that led to the assault. The troopers took Dean to an alley, where Seibt sprayed him in the face with the chemical spray. They then left Dean by the side of the road while failing to follow several department policies, including one that requires reporting the use of chemical spray. Dean required medical attention and filed a complaint the following day.

The troopers denied a confrontation with Dean, but Law Enforcement Information Records showed that they had run a check on Dean earlier in the evening. The State Police placed the two troopers on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the case.

“The Michigan State Police is committed to protecting the dignity and rights of all persons,” said Col. Tadarial J. Sturdivant, director of the Michigan State Police.

Source: The Detroit News “Troopers released on bond after assault of homeless man.” 9 January 2006.

Sacramento, California
BB gun attacks hit the needy

June 25: At least four homeless people received minor injuries from a series of attacks with a BB gun in the Sacramento area.

One victim required stitches. Another homeless woman said someone “stomped on her face with his foot,” said Sacramento police spokeswoman Michelle Lazark.

These assaults were not the first against homeless people. The Citizens’ Crime Alert Reward Program had previously put out a flier warning: “Be on the lookout in the Downtown & North Sacramento areas for subjects who have been targeting the homeless with pellet or BB guns… These subjects drive up to their victims and ask for directions. The subjects will then shoot the victim(s) at close range,” read the bulletin. There was no apparent motive in the attacks.

The police stopped a silver Dodge Durango that matched descriptions of the attackers’ vehicle, Lazark said. Police confiscated a BB gun from the males inside; however, police ultimately let them go, claiming that no one could positively identify them.

Officials at the Loaves & Fishes organization were infuriated that the suspects were let go. “Homeless people are often detained for much less,” said Tim Brown, executive director. “They know the identity of these folks,” he said. “My question is, what are they going to do about it?” Two of the individuals who were attacked said they would be able to identify their attackers.

Source: Sacramento Bee “BB Gun Attacks Hit the Needy.” 25 June 2005.

July

Cheyenne, Wyoming
Homeless beat in park

July 6: Several incidents of “homeless bashing” have occurred in the Martin Luther King Junior Park and under a nearby bridge. People have been badly beaten with a club-like weapon. An outreach worker for Crossroads Clinic, a health care for the homeless facility, made the discoveries and alerted police to the situation.

The “bashers” appear to be teens or in their early twenties. The police are keeping an eye out for this, but so far no arrests have been made. Police presence curbed incidents initially, but they have recently resumed.

Source: Virginia Sellner, Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless; direct communication.

Holiday, Florida
Four men sought in connection with beating of transient

Four men beat a man with a baseball bat and threw his bicycle into a nearby pond, breaking his arm among other injuries.

The man was scolding children for throwing rocks at him when the four men approached him and began to attack him.

Source: Tampa Tribune, “4 Men Sought In Beating of Transient in Holiday.” 13 July 2005.

Davenport, Iowa
Man arrested in assault on homeless man

July 12: A Davenport man severely injured a homeless man by punching him, yelled a racial slur and punched another man, police said.

Ryan Eckstein, 19, was arrested on two counts of willful injury with serious injury and one count of assault with intent of a hate crime for the incidents. Witnesses identified Eckstein as the man who caused life-threatening head injuries to a 50-year-old homeless man.

Source: Quad City Times. “Man Arrested in Assault of Homeless Man.” 12 July 2005.

Roosevelt, New York
3 charged in death of homeless man

July 16: Three gang members who came up empty-handed when they beat a homeless man unconscious during a robbery in Roosevelt earlier this week have been arrested and charged with killing the man, reported Nassau police.

Jose Benitez, 36, died three days after the attack without regaining consciousness.

“I don’t think they even got anything,” Homicide Sgt. Richard Laursen said. Benitez just “looked like … an easy target.”

The teenagers, members of the “Crips” street gang, were arrested and charged with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Benitez had no gang ties.

Benitez had been clubbed several times in the back of the head with a blunt instrument. Police described Benitez only as a homeless man from Roosevelt. Police released few details about the investigation, saying only that the motive was robbery.

Source: Newsday “3 Charged in Death of Homeless Man.” 16 July 2005.

Cincinnati, Ohio
Homeless people getting targeted in park

July: Recently there have been complaints that teenagers who are hanging out in Washington Park are throwing glass beer bottles, targeting the homeless individuals who are in the park. This is occurring on a daily basis, especially now that it is nicer outside and school is almost out.

Source: Rachel Lawson, Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless; direct communication.

August

Battle Creek, Michigan
Second suspect arrested in homeless man’s death

August 6: A second suspect has been arrested for the beating death of a homeless man. A 45-year-old Battle Creek resident is being held at the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, and may be charged with assault with intent to murder. The body of 46-year-old Anthony Dewayne Headen was found near the railroad tracks. One suspect was already in custody.

Source: WWMT-TV “Second suspect arrested in homeless man’s death.” 8 August 2005.

Los Angeles, California
Sleeping homeless attacked with bats

August 16: Two 19-year-old men, allegedly inspired by the “Bumfights” videos, roamed the streets of Downtown Los Angeles hitting sleeping homeless people with aluminum baseball bats, leaving an elderly man in critical condition with severe head wounds, police said.

The suspects, William Orantes and Justin Brumfield, later told officers they had just watched a controversial DVD in which homeless people are videotaped fighting each other and wanted to do some “bum bashing” of their own, Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton said.

“This was a vicious, cowardly crime that even veteran officers such as myself find hard to believe,” Bratton said. “This happened to one of our most helpless communities because they’re not only homeless, but often mentally ill. These dehumanizing crimes will not be tolerated.”

Mayor Villaraigosa commented, “Why anyone would want to attack anyone who’s sleeping in the street is inconceivable to me.”

Authorities know of two homeless people who were beaten, but suspect there were other victims who have not come forward.

The first victim, Gerald McHenry, 38, was attacked at 2 a.m. while sleeping on a sidewalk. About 90 minutes later, a security guard saw two men beating a homeless man on the head with baseball bats. The suspects fled by car, but officers soon caught up with them. Officers recovered two aluminum bats and a replica firearm in the car. Both suspects were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

On September 29, Superior Court Commissioner Ronald Rose said he found sufficient evidence to hold Justin Brumfield of Los Angeles and William Orantes of Inglewood on one count of attempted murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Sources: LA Times “Sleeping homeless attacked with bats.” 17 August 2005; Daily Breeze “Police Say beating Suspects got Idea From ‘Bumfights’ 19 August 2005; NBC4TV News “Men stand trial for attacks on two homeless men.” 29 September 2005.

Fairfield, California
Homeless father beaten

August 18: A homeless man was beaten to unconsciousness and was found in a pool of blood in a church parking lot. Police discovered the victim lying unconscious next to the car with blood pooled around him. He was beaten, stomped on and appeared to have suffered severe head trauma. He was left blind and neurologically damaged by the beating.

A witness who lived nearby said she didn’t see the beating. But around the time of the incident she saw three men running from the scene through an adjacent apartment complex.

The three suspects Stephen Armstrong, 18, Tyler Giugni, 19, and Corey Reitmeier, 17, have plead innocent to attempted murder, mayhem and assault charges.

The victim of this savage attack was a homeless father who was living out of his car at the Parkway Community Church on Heath Drive, was reported in good condition last week. The victim, Joseph Pettaway, 47, remained in critical condition at Sutter Roseville Medical Center, hospital staff said.

The three youth were ordered to remain in jail on $500,000 bail until their next court appearance, which Commissioner Barbara Janes set for Nov. 7 at the request of the three teens’ lawyers.

One reason for the delay is the hesitation of Giugni’s lawyer to get involved in the case. Fairfield criminal defense lawyer Denis Honeychurch has represented Giugni in several criminal cases in the last 18 months. Honeychurch helped Giugni have serious criminal charges dismissed or reduced while keeping Guigni out of jail on bail, a status he was on at the time of the beating.

Honeychurch told James once again that he still had not been retained by Giugni’s family and is unsure whether to handle this new and more serious case against Giugni, who, like his alleged companions, faces a possible life sentence if convicted.

Sources: Daily Republic “Homeless Man Found Beaten.” 29 August 2005; The Daily Republic “Suspects in Beating of Homeless Man Pleads Innocent.” 29 September 2005. The Reporter. “Judge Sets Suspects’ Date in Homeless Man’s Beating.” 8 November 2005.

Boston, Massachusetts
Two South Boston teens arrested in beating death of homeless man.

August 26: Police have arrested two South Boston youth, aged 15 and 17, in the beating death of a homeless man.

Prosecutors alleged that Ryan Leonard and Thomas Grealish beat Mario Acosta Chavez with a baseball bat and kicked him. Chavez, 40, died a few days later at Boston Medical Center. He was just one of the victims in a recent increase of attacks on homeless people.

Grealish was arrested and charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon soon after the crime. He is charged with using a baseball bats and his feet on Chavez. Leonard has been charged with delivering the fatal punch. He faces a possible twenty years in prison.

Lyndia Downie, the president and executive director of the Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter in the South End, said she is relieved that an arrest has been made, but expressed concerned about the recent spate of violence.

Downie said her outreach staff knew Chavez because they would bring him food and other provisions two or three nights a week. “He was someone who tried to stay pretty inconspicuous and anonymous, ironically. He stayed out of people’s way.”

Sources: Boston Herald “Teen Charged in Homeless Man’s Beating.” 2 September 2005; Boston Globe “South Boston Teen Arrested in Beating Death of Homeless Man.” 2 September 2005. Boston Herald “Teen Charged in Homeless Slaying.” 31 December 2005.

September

Fairbanks, Alaska
Street people continue to be target of attacks

September 19: Fairbanks police are again warning street people to be extra wary after receiving reports Saturday of two more attacks by groups of violent teenagers, one day after three suspects in another attack were arrested.

The youths are reportedly on bicycles, sometimes armed with baseball bats. They prey on people who are alone, vulnerable and sometimes intoxicated, according to police. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea for (street people) to be on heightened alert still,” Lt. Dan Welborn said.

The string of beatings does not appear racially motivated, said Police Chief Dan Hoffman. He issued a warning to street people last week to watch for potential attackers after Ulak Hope, 50, was severely beaten and the rash of assaults was brought to the Police Department’s attention. Police arrested Emanual Itta, 19, of Fairbanks and two minors, 13 and 14-year-old boys, on charges of first-degree assault.

At Itta’s court appearance, Magistrate Beth Spaulding set his bail at $100,000 as police investigate whether he was involved in other attacks, as many as nine over two months. Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Crail, who sought the high amount for Itta’s bail, presented a photograph of Hope’s smashed and bloody face in court.

Hope suffered multiple facial fractures September 11 after he was taken by surprise, knocked down, kicked and struck in the face with a baseball bat, according to court records. Police say the attack on Hope appears unprovoked.

Police recovered a baseball bat at the scene of the assault, near Lathrop High School, and linked it to one of the underage suspects, records stated.

Source: Anchorage Daily News “Street People continue to be target of attacks, Fairbanks police say.” 19 September 2005.

Indianapolis, Indiana
Homeless man burned at crowd’s urging

September 27: A homeless man on the Northeast side was critically burned when a man poured lighter fluid on him and set him on fire. Anthony W. Eldridge, 22, was trying to sell the lighter fluid on the street when he encountered a crowd of about 20 people in the 4000 block of Brentwood Avenue.

“The crowd said ‘light him up,’” said Capt. Phil Burton, and a man used a cigarette lighter to set the fluid on fire.

Eldridge was sent to Wishard Memorial Hospital with third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body. He was listed in critical condition. Deputies weren’t certain how the fire was extinguished, but Eldridge was taken a short distance to the 4000 block of Pinehurst Drive East, where help was called. Police are looking for the man believed to have set Eldridge on fire. Deputies have only the name “Lil’ Willie.”

Source: The IndyStar “Police: Homeless man burned at crowd’s urging.” 27 September 2005.

Kansas City, Missouri
Man allegedly raped homeless woman

September 27: A man invited a homeless woman who was seven months pregnant to his home for shelter and then raped her, Jackson County prosecutors alleged.

Prosecutors charged Randy W. Cooper, 52, of Kansas City, with forcible rape and felonious restraint.

Court records gave this account:

The 33-year-old woman told police she was sitting at a bus stop at about 2 a.m. when a man approached and introduced himself. The man said he was concerned that she was out at night, in the cold, in her condition. The woman told the man she had nowhere to go because she was homeless. The man invited her to his home, saying she could have a room of her own. The suspect instead took the woman to an abandoned house.

Once inside, the man insisted on sleeping next to the woman even though she objected. The woman then tried to leave, but the man stopped her and demanded she have sex with him. When she tried to leave again, the man grabbed her neck, causing her to gasp for air, and raped her. After the attack, the woman tried to leave, but the man pulled a phone cord out of the wall and the woman said she feared he was going to strangle her. The next morning, when the man went into another room, the woman escaped. She ran to 31st and Prospect, where she called the police. Police took the woman to a shelter.

Police tracked down Cooper on Tuesday afternoon at his job. He told police he has known the woman for two months and “he thought he could have sex with her,” according to court records. He also said the woman called and asked him to meet her at the bus stop. Police say they were checking the phone records. Cooper has ten Jackson County convictions dating back to 1984 for crimes such as manslaughter, assault, and possession of narcotics.

Source: The Kansas City Star “Man allegedly raped homeless woman.” 29 Sept 2005.

Orlando, Florida
Homeless man badly beaten

September 30: Two Orlando police officers were taken off the street after a homeless man they were trying to arrest was seriously beaten. The homeless man was being arrested for trespassing at a local church. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating how the homeless man ended up in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Jeffrey Goff, 44, has been at the Orlando Regional Medical Center for almost two weeks after being badly beaten during his arrest.

Goff was trespassing at the Rosemont Baptist Church in Orange County. “Goff was what we refer to as passive resistance,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokesman Wayne Ivey said. “There was no kicking, no punching, no biting or anything of that nature.” A deputy was called, but Goff would not let go of the Bible he was holding to surrender a fingerprint and the deputy could not handcuff him. “There was some kind of struggle and the Orlando Police Department (OPD) was called for back-up,” said spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones.

The Sheriff’s report says once OPD officers Ed Michael and Randal Pennington showed up at the church, one of them, “grabbed a hold of Goff and threw Goff against the ground.” The same officer shot Goff with a taser gun and then struck him with a baton and punched him. The report says, “Officer Michael struck the defendant several times in the facial area with his fist.”

Goff was admitted to a hospital in serious condition with facial fractures as well as trauma to the brain. Records show that in the six years Officer Michael has worked for the Orlando Police Department, he has been the focus of seven internal affairs investigations.

Officer Michael was charged with aggravated battery. “It is difficult and it is disappointing, but we also know that individual officers do have to be accountable for their actions,” Orlando Police Sgt. Barbara Jones said.

Sources: WFTV News “Homeless man badly beaten during trespassing arrest.” 30 September 2005; Local News 6 “Orlando officer charged in violent beating of homeless man.” 19 November 2005. St. Petersburg Times “Officer Arrested for Beating Homeless Man.” 20 November 2005.

October

Cleveland, Ohio
Homeless man attacked while sleeping

October: A 55-year-old individual who has requested to have his name withheld reported that he was attacked while sleeping on a sidewalk just off of Public Square. He was injured when the suspect threw a brick at him and then drove off in his car. He needed to be hospitalized, and has stopped sleeping outside in a visible location. He now sleeps in groups for security.

Source: Brian Davis, Northeast Coalition for the Homeless.

Duluth, Minnesota
Homeless Native-American beat to death by police

October 12: Eight police officers have been placed on administrative leave following the beating of a homeless man that resulted in his death. David Croud was a Native American member of the White Earth Chippewa Reservation.

Croud, 29, was intoxicated in a downtown casino in Duluth when a patron complained. The business owners called the Duluth Police Department, who arrived on the scene shortly after. On arrival, the officers became quite belligerent, as testified by a number of witnesses, through Mr. Croud remained complacent. He was thrown up against the wall, kicked and punched repeatedly, then slammed into the sidewalk face down. He was again struck while down and handcuffed. When jerked to his feet, witnesses indicated that a pool of blood was on the pavement and that his face was covered in blood. He was then thrown into the car face down and zapped with a Taser gun. On the way to the jail, the officers realized that he was not breathing and drove to a hospital. He died on October 18th as a result of the injuries suffered.

Authorities are conducting an investigation. The ACLU of Minnesota has picked up the case and will be representing the family, with Mr. Croud’s brother acting as the designated spokesperson. Dr. Pouless, Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the region, has been called out of retirement to oversee the case.

An independent review has now cleared the police of Duluth, Minnesota from all charges. During the autopsy it became evident that the man did not die from injury during his course of travel from the time he was taken into custody to the time he arrived in front of the hospital. Other possible factors leading to his death have included his face down position on the gurney and the way he was restrained in the hospital. Additionally Duluth officers are denying any allegations of kicking the victim and using any racial comments directed towards him.

The Croud family will continue to seek help through the American Civil Liberties Union to see whether they should file a civil lawsuit.

Source: Guy Gambill, direct correspondence. Associated Press, “Reports clear police, criticize hospital in death of arrested man.” 31 January 2006.

Staten Island, New York
Teens Charged in Arson Death of Homeless Man

October 15: Two teens are under arrest after police say they set a fire that killed a homeless man on Staten Island earlier this week.

The fire destroyed an empty store on New Dorp Lane in Grant City, killing 65-year-old William Lowther.

Seventeen-year-old Edna Marino was arraigned on murder and arson charges Saturday and is being held without bail. Police say the 14-year-old also arrested will be tried in family court because he is a minor.

They say the teens intentionally set the fire. Police also told the Daily News the teens knew the man was inside at the time.

Source: “Teens Charged in Arson Death of Homeless Man” NY1 News. 15 October 2005.

Sacramento, California
Homeless man beaten

October 25: The Sacramento Police Department is investigating the beating of a homeless man that occurred at 16th Street and R Street. The suspects accosted the man with a stick and shot him with a pellet gun. The suspects were described as two teenage males dressed like ninjas.

Source: Sacramento Crime Alert. Sacramento Police Department. 25 October 2005.

San Juan, Puerto Rico
Gas station attendant beats homeless man with a bat

October 27: Around mid-morning, Senator Maria de Lourdes Santiago arrived at the Esso gas station in Puerta de Tierra. While parking, she observed a homeless man asking for money. As she pumped gas the Senator saw a young gas station employee with a bat. The employee grabbed the homeless man by his arm; he in turn threw a refreshment at the employee. The employee then proceeded to hit the homeless man in the head with his bat. People witnessing the event took action to control the employee. It was the Senator Santiago’s impression that if the other citizens had not reacted to the employee’s actions, he would have kept hitting the homeless man with the bat.

Source: Puerto Rico Senator Maria de Lourdes Santiago.

November

Springfield, Illinois
Homeless Men Attacked While Walking

November 1: Two homeless men were attacked on the street when they encountered two men driving a blue pickup truck. The men were pelted with eggs before their assailants emerged from the vehicle and attacking them. One of the men was repeatedly kicked and punched and knocked unconscious, suffering abrasions all over his body.

Sources: Springfield State Journal-Register “Police Beat” 1 November 2005.

San Antonio, Texas
Homeless Man Left for Dead

November 20: The body of David Doane, 49, has been identified after he was beaten up outside on St. Mary’s Street on November 20th. Doane had been expelled from a store nearby earlier that night for intoxication. The manager reported that soon after, that he saw two men beat Doane up, then drive off. No arrests have been made.

Sources: KABB-TX, Fox News at 9, 22 November 2005.

December

Cleveland, Ohio
Homeless man attacked while sleeping in park

December 29: On the night of December 29, 2005, Don, a 65-year-old African American, was sleeping in the Public Square. He was attacked by two white individuals, between the ages of 20-30, who were nicely dressed and in a Toyota sedan. Don was inside a sleeping bag at 4 a.m. when the attacked occurred and could not defend himself with the exception of covering his face. The two men were using sticks and kicking him. One of the sticks actually broke after repeated hits. A BFI sanitation worker broke up the attack and called an ambulance. The attackers had broken his jaw, and he had multiple bruises all over his body. Additionally, he received five stitches on his face. The BFI employee was the only witness. Don has not returned to Public Square since then. He now intends to only sleep with larger groups so he will not be visible or alone. He did manage to give a report to the police while in the hospital.

Source: Brian Davis, Northeast Coalition for the Homeless.

San Francisco, California
San Francisco suspends officer over video

December 8: An officer was suspended and others face discipline after filming videos containing sexist, racist and homophobic material for an office holiday party, officials said.

About 20 officers participated in creating or performing in the videos, Mayor Gavin Newson and Police Chief Heather Fong said.

City officials said the videos, created as a spoof about life on the force, included a skit of a white police officer in a patrol car running over a black homeless woman.

“It is shameful, it is offensive, it is sexist, it is homophobic and it is racist,” said Newsom. “We’re going to make sure that it ends, it ends immediately.”

Source: AOL News “San Francisco suspends officer over video,” 8 December 2005.

Stockbridge, Georgia
Homeless man paid $5 to drink toxic cleaner by Waffle House employee

December 14: A homeless man’s health is improving after he was paid $5 to drink an industrial strength cleaner.

Rex Leo, 50, drank the toxic liquid after being offered $5 by Quinton Wilson, 19, a cook at the Waffle House in Stockbridge. The corrosive cleaner damaged Rex’s mouth and digestive system and caused internal bleeding. He was recently removed from a ventilator and is now breathing on his own in stable condition.

Wilson was initially charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct, but authorities upgraded the charge to aggravated battery. Wilson was set free on a $550 misdemeanor bond; however, he is expected to be arrested on the new charge, jail officials said.

Wilson, along with a waitress who knew of the proposition, were both promptly fired by Waffle House.

Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel “Homeless man recovering after cook paid him $5 to drink toxic cleaner.” 21 December 2005