The case summaries of violent acts committed against homeless individuals were gathered from a variety of sources.  A number of narratives were derived from published news reports.  Information was also provided by homelessness advocates across the country.  Lastly, information was gathered from homeless and formerly homeless individuals themselves, in self-reporting incidents they experienced first hand.  

While we could not always identify the motive for each attack based on our sources of information, some of these attacks were perpetrated due to a bias against the victim because of his or her homeless status.  Other attacks may have been perpetrated merely because the homeless person was in a vulnerable position to be attacked, due to the nature of homelessness.  Only attacks committed by housed individuals towards homeless individuals were included.  Crimes committed by homeless individuals towards other homeless individuals were excluded from this report. 

CASE DESCRIPTIONS OF LETHAL ATTACKS BY MONTH, DATE, AND CITY IN 2007:

TOTAL DEATHS: 28

JANUARY

St. Petersburg, Florida

Two Homeless Men Found Murdered A Few Blocks Apart

January 18: Just days after the city decided to shut down and literally destroy the tents in a tent city, populated by over 150 homeless people, the bodies of David Heath, 53, and Jeff Shultz, 43, were found a few blocks apart.  The two homeless men did not know each other, nor were they residents of the tent city. Both local homeless people and advocates responded to the murders by saying everyone was safer when the tent city existed.  “There’s safety in numbers, and right now there’s a lot of fear,” Mary Street explained to The St. Petersburg Times. Street left the tent city last week after getting a voucher for an apartment.

A few weeks later, police arrested two young men Cordaro Antwan Hardin, 18, and Dorion Deshawn Dillard, 20, charging them with both murders.  Robbery may have played a role in Shultz’s killing, but Heath’s death seemed to be random. Local police determined that the attackers did not get anything from the victims. Heath leaves behind three children. 

In light of the murders, two tent cities were allowed to stand.  Mayor Rick Baker later said the decision to cut tents was a mistake and police said they did not plan any more raids.

Haverhill, Massachusetts

Homeless Man Beaten To Death 

January 24: Patrick Donavan, a 51-year-old homeless man, died after Brian Sewasky, 25, punched him in the face outside a convenience store.  The punch caused Donavan’s head to slam against the pavement.  He died the next evening at Merrimack Valley Hospital due to the injuries.

Police said the two had a brief argument outside the store before Sewasky punched him.  According to court documents, a 35 year-old homeless man witnessed the attack and identified Sewasky in a photograph.

Brian Sewasky is charged with murder. 

Gibsonton, Florida

Homeless Man Robbed and Beaten to Death

January 28: After fending off three men with a knife in December, a homeless man was stabbed and killed by his previous attackers seeking revenge. Ralph Woods Jr., 25, Raymond Sample, 27, and Richard Morse Jr., 18, stabbed the 31-year-old homeless man with his own knife behind an Advanced Auto Store on U.S. 41. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputies described the men as thugs on a simple mission. “They were looking for an easy prey, and they figured that a homeless person was easy prey,” investigators told WFLA News.  

FEBRUARY

San Diego, California

Homeless Man Murdered and Scattered Around the City 

February 23: San Diego police arrested 61-year-old Michael Nash near his home in conjunction with the disfigurement and killing of Allen Burton Hawes, a 57-year-old homeless person. 

Hawes was shot and killed sometime on or after February 23.  A tow truck driver found Hawes’ head in a plastic bag on Interstate 5.  Parts of his body were found near the Otay River in Palm City, Interstate 5, and on State Route 163.  Friends described Hawes to CBS News as “the nicest guy around here.” 

Investigators believe the two knew each other, but they have not been able to establish a clear motive. Some neighbors say that he may have been gay; however, the police have not commented on whether sexual orientation played a role in the murder.

Nash pleaded not guilty to the crime.

APRIL

Mount Kisco, New York

Police Officer Charged With Murder in Connection to Death of a Homeless Man 

April 28: George Bubaris, a 30-year-old police officer, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a homeless Guatemalan immigrant.  Bubaris faces one count of unlawful imprisonment and two counts of official misconduct.  Rene Javier Perez, the 42-year-old victim, called 911 from a laundromat and spoke with Officer Bubaris.  Perez was known as a troublemaker and has been arrested repeatedly for petty crimes.  One hour after the 911 call, Perez was found unconscious on the side of a dirt road.  He was taken to a hospital and died hours later.  The medical examiner declared the cause of death to be homicide. Apparently, Perez’s internal abdominal injuries resulted in his death.  Fernando Mateo, president of Hispanics across America, responded to the crime in New York Times by saying, “Murder is not deportation.  You don’t murder someone to get rid of them.  If you’re a police officer you should be protecting the community, not assaulting the community.”

Springfield, Missouri

Man Charged in Brutal Murder of Homeless Woman 

April 28:  On May 4, a 24-year-old man was arraigned on a second-degree murder charge after turning himself in to Springfield police for the murder of a homeless woman, Tyla Elane Rhodelander, 44, near E. Chestnut Expressway. Although arraigned, the man did not confess to the crime.

According to the statement filed by the police, Michael Humphrey called the police and reported his nephew, Aaron Letterman, had killed someone and could lead them to the body. According to Humphrey’s statement, he and Letterman met Rhodelander near the cemetery on April 28. Rhodelander told the men she was homeless and the two men helped her to carry her personal belongings and a tent to the wooded area. After setting up her tent, Humphrey said they talked and listened to music for several hours.

Humphrey said Letterman wanted to have sex with Rhodelander and followed her into her tent. After a few minutes, Humphrey said Letterman retrieved a hatchet from outside of the tent, hit Rhodelander in the head and continued to strike her.  The medical examiner declared she died from a trauma to the head.

MAY

Chicago Illinois

Death of Homeless Woman Caught On Camera

May 15:  Alicia Foster, 40, was viewed on surveillance video being beaten by two suspected gang members outside a restaurant on May 15th. Ricardo Cortes, 28, was detained on a first-degree murder charge in the death of this woman with another suspect being investigated. The police have released some of the video footage in hopes of ascertaining more information from the public in identifying the suspects. 

Foster had a verbal exchange with Cortes and another man before they attacked and beat her to death in the parking lot of Lawrence’s Fisheries.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Homeless Woman Dies After Police Used a Taser Gun 

May 19: Milisha Thompson, a 35-year-old homeless woman, died after being shocked with a Taser gun by local police.  A Taser gun is an electric stun gun often used to subdue people who are difficult to contain, without using a more violent force.  Many are speculating that the use of a Taser was unnecessary in Thompson’s case, as she was already handcuffed and on the ground.

Officers were in the area investigating a report of drug activity near a homeless shelter.  According to Police Chief Bill Citty, Thompson was being disruptive, so the officers handcuffed her.  Citty says Thompson would not calm down, so the officers stunned her twice in the neck with the Taser.  Thompson’s husband, Marvell Thompson reports they shocked his wife 20 times and told the Oklahoma Tribune, “They did use excessive force on my wife.”  Mr. Thompson said his wife suffered from schizophrenia and might have had an episode causing her to feel threatened at the time of the interaction.  Mr. Thompson said they were living and working at the City Rescue Mission while recovering from drug addictions.  After Milisha Thompson appeared to be unconscious, the officers started CPR, and she was taken to the hospital and said to be dead upon arrival. 

The two officers have been placed on paid administrative leave and an investigation is planned.  A church surveillance camera caught the incident on tape, but the police are holding it for the investigation.  Thompson’s family has filed a $1.5 million dollar lawsuit against Oklahoma City claiming the police used excessive force and have failed to properly train officers in Taser gun protocol.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Police Call the Murder of a Homeless Man a “Thrill Killing”

May 31: A homeless man, whose name has not been released, is believed to have found shelter for the night in an abandoned apartment.  Four men arrived at the building to party for the night.  Once they came upon the homeless man, police say they beat the man to death for the thrill.  Brothers, Dusty and Leslie McGee have been arrested for the murder and police are still looking for a third suspect. 

JUNE

Gastonia, North Carolina

Teens Plead Guilty to Death of Homeless Man

June 26:  Royce Dean Mathis, a homeless man from Gastonia, NC, was brutally murdered after stepping in on behalf of a younger boy engaged in an argument with three teens.

Crips gang members, Quentin O’Neal Woods, 15, Ithamar Ajalon Davis, 15, and Jamond Rashad Burney, 18, have been accused of the crime. Burney has specifically been accused of sneaking up behind Mathis and stabbing him in the neck. According to police, Mathis sustained injuries from a hunting-style knife and from being hit and kicked by the 15-year-olds.

The teens report that they wanted to teach Mathis a lesson because they thought he disrespected them by breaking up the verbal fight.

Richard Ervin Mize, a 47-year-old homeless friend of Mathis, was initially accused of the murder, and was released after spending 75 days in jail.

Davis will be charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and malicious secret assault. Although Davis is only 15 years old, he will be charged as an adult. Burney has also been charged with murder and malicious secret assault.

Woods made a plea deal with prosecutors, agreeing to testify against Davis and Burney.

JULY

Statesville, North Carolina

10 Teens Attack a Homeless Man and Leave Him for Dead

July 12: A homeless man died in the hospital after being beaten by a group of 10 teenagers. Terry Turner, 45, was attacked and robbed by the group in the middle of a busy intersection. One witness saw the 10 teens begin punching Turner and standing on him once he hit the ground. Three of the teens beat and spat on Turner. They also stole $65 dollars from him.  

The attack occurred one block from the police department and directly in front of city offices.  The teenagers fled the scene once an ambulance arrived for Turner.  Turner was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where he died of blunt trauma wounds.

“They killed a man for nothing,” Turner’s friend, Michelle Wallace told WSOC-TV in Charlotte, NC.  Relatives have been working with local businesses to raise awareness about what happened and collect money for a reward.

Police arrested Jatorre Dixon, 16, and two 15-year-olds, whose names were not released because they are juveniles. All three were charged with first-degree murder and common-law robbery. Police are still searching for the other boys involved.

A few days later, the police began searching for suspects in a beating similar to the one that occurred on July 12th. For the past two summers, the city’s homeless have complained about groups of teens robbing and beating them.

San Francisco, California

Homeless Man Harassed By Teens and Died From the Beating

July 17:  Ramon Lopez, a 35-year-old homeless man, died after a teenager punched, kicked, and beat him with a glass bottle.  According to eyewitness reports, Lopez was near 25^th and Harrison Street when a group of teens approached him.  One teenager tried to take his shopping cart, but Lopez argued, saying that it belonged to him.  The teen punched Lopez and threw a bottle at him, hitting him on the head.  The teenager left with his friends, leaving both Lopez and the shopping cart.  Police are still searching for the teenager who committed this atrocious murder.

AUGUST

Cincinnati, Ohio

Homeless Man Shot in the Face after asking for a Quarter

August 7: Donald Francis, 44, was shot and killed after asking Geraldine Beasley, 62, for a quarter. Beasley reportedly expressed a complaint about Francis to a nearby individual, Francis asked her for a quarter, and she proceeded to shoot him in the face. Of the incident, Police Chief Tom Streicher was quoted in the Associated Press saying, “That’s apparently all there was to it.”

According to the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, Francis’ death was “[an act] resulting in Cincinnati’s first documented homeless hate crime in two years.” Additionally, Georgine Getty, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless stated, “This crime is a tragedy and absolutely appalling.”

Beasley has a fifteen-year court history and is thought to experience mental illness. She was charged with murder and her trial was in February 2008.

West Palm Beach, Florida

3 Held in Beating of Homeless Man 

August 8: Gary Fenshaw, 41, told local police officers that a group of three chased him down and severely beat him with a two-by-four. The attackers yelled out racial slurs while they kicked and beat him.

The young men chased Fenshaw, finally catching him near a convenience store. Fenshaw managed to stop the attack when he slashed Kevin Medrano across the neck with a shard. 

Fenshaw later died.

Ronald Shupe, 18, Kevin Medrano, 18, and Alex Medrano, 17, were arrested on charges of aggravated battery with prejudice and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. Kevin Medrano and Alex Medrano are members of the Sur-13 gang.

Camden, New Jersey

Four Teens Murder Homeless Man

August 30:  John Anthony Smith, 54, was well liked in his South Jersey neighborhood. Friends and residents described him as wise, proud, and stubborn. So stubborn that on the night of his death he had denied an offer to sleep in a companion’s home. Smith was awoken from his park bench when four area teenagers began to punch, kick and beat him with a stick. Smith was taken to Cooper University Hospital where he suffered for 18 days before dying.  The motive is unknown; the teenagers did not take any of Smith’s personal belongings. If tried as adults, the young men aged 15 to 17 years, could face life in prison. Their status hearing was held in March 2008.

SEPTEMBER

Reno/Sparks, Nevada

Teens Accused of Beating and Killing Homeless

September 3: Two teenagers were arrested for the beating death of a homeless man. Christopher Michael Maciolek, 19, and Finley Byrdette Fultz, 18, were booked on suspicion of open murder in the beating and stomping to death of James Beasley, 55.

Witnesses say the two attackers beat a homeless man at Wingfield Park, and then walked to nearby Brick Park where Beasely was sleeping on a bench. They kicked and stomped on Beasely’s head and torso.

Both teens are suspected in the beating up two other homeless people on Labor Day.

One victim didn’t file a police report in order to not to be known as a “snitch” to the police. This victim was beaten up by a group of men as he was sleeping.  The man suffered leg fractures.

Another man reported he was awakened along the banks of the Truckee River by a group of younger men who were beating his legs with either a bat or a stick.

Mark Mallory, assistant manager for the Men’s Drop-In Center, said that seven of his clients, including the murder victim, Beasley, were assaulted by people believed to be housed.

Chicago, Illinois

Two Homeless Men Shot in Uptown Chicago

September 6: In what appear to be unrelated incidents, two homeless men were shot in a 24-hour span. Phillipi Larrnarri, 32, was shot in the head while sleeping on a bench early in the morning. Two men were seen fleeing the area, which is known to have gang activity. That night, 29-year-old James Lane, who lived in a shelter, was shot in the street. He was arguing with someone before he was shot. The shooter remains unknown in both cases, though police suspect the murders are unrelated.

St. Petersburg, Florida

Homeless Man Killed Under Freeway Overpass; Police Suspect Connection with Other Crimes against Homeless

September 13: Charles Cummings, 49, was found beaten to death under an interstate on-ramp, a few feet from his belongings. Police believe Cummings was the victim of a group attack by men who had assaulted other homeless individuals around the same time period. The motive is unclear, but Sgt. Mike Kovacsev was quoted in St. Petersburg Times saying, “Sometimes, [the homeless] are attacked just because they’re homeless. Sometimes, they are just victims of opportunity.”

OCTOBER

New York, New York

Homeless Man Set on Fire

October 5: Felix Najero, a 49-year-old homeless man, was set on fire outside of Bethany Christian Church where he rested for the night. The fire burned seventy-five percent of Najero’s body, spreading across his face, chest, and stomach. Najero died four days later in New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Police have arrested Israel Torres, a 29-year-old man from the Bronx, for the attack, charging him with attempted murder. Torres, a former prisoner, reportedly taunted Najero prior to the attack. Torres may be recharged with a more serious offence now that Najero is dead.

Granite City, Illinois

Homeless Man Beaten to Death for a Beer

October 7: Police arrested two teenagers, 17-year-old Joseph Lee Raines and 18-year-old Brandon Bouck, for the death of Thomas J. Muffler, 48. Raines and Bouck were charged with first-degree murder and robbery. They asked Muffler, who was homeless, to buy them alcohol, and when Muffler refused because they were underage, they punched him once. Later that night, the two boys saw Muffler with a beer, so they beat him and stole his beer.

Muffler’s body was found in a residential neighborhood, where he collapsed after the beating. An autopsy revealed Muffler probably died from complications of injuries (consisting of broken ribs and a pierced lung) he received.  Bouck and Muffler could face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in April 2008. 

Abilene, Texas

Homeless Man Beaten to Death

October 27: Eric Raphael McMahon, 48, was discovered severely beaten in a back alley, and taken to the hospital. The next day, police removed him from life support. A witness described the two attackers as young men. One 15-year-old boy was arrested and sent to a juvenile detention center, but his name has not been made public due to his status as a minor.  Police are searching for a second suspect.

Of this incident, Sgt. Tim Schmidt, spokesman for the Abilene Police Department and Crime Stoppers, told Dallas Morning News, “It seems like a senseless, violent act by people who have no respect for other people. It’s just a brutal act seemingly unprovoked.”

NOVEMBER

Riverside, California

Police Arrest Suspect for Murder of Homeless Man 

November 27: Police arrested Francisco Javier Hernandez, 18, for the stabbing murder of a homeless man. The victim, a 47-year-old man who is unnamed pending family notification, was found lying in the dirt with multiple stab wounds. The motive for the attack remains unclear.

Ocala, Florida

Homeless Man Attacked By Two Teens

November 28: Robert Towns Leigh, a 44-year-old homeless man from Tallahassee, was beaten with an aluminum baseball bat by two teens.

James Roberts, 18, and his cousin William Anthony Myers, 16, admitted to police that they beat Leigh around 1:00 AM. The two teens have been charged with capital murder.

Leigh had been in Miami visiting a friend and intended on hitchhiking back up to Tallahassee. The teens claimed that they were “startled” by Leigh, who told them to leave him alone, and decided to go home to arm themselves. They returned to the bench and attacked Leigh.

Richard, Leigh’s brother, commented to a Tallahassee news source about the death of his brother, “It’s just a senseless crime. I can’t believe this happened.” 

DECEMBER

Missoula, Montana

Homeless veteran suffers deadly beating to the head by young men, memorial held.

December 6: 56-year-old Forrest Salcido was found dead near the California Street footbridge in Missoula. According to reports from the police, Salcido was walking by two young men when he was struck in the head and subsequently stomped repeatedly, up to 30 times.

Anthony St. Dennis, 18, and Dustin Strahan, 20, are facing murder charges for the crime.

Police say they were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack.

Acquaintances of Salcido told Missoula News he was a “very sweet man, very intelligent, very humble, and very respectful.” The victim’s own nephew commented that every year he gave him small gifts at Christmas and he wonders now what his uncle went without in order to buy the gifts.

Hayward, California

Transient’s Beating Leads to Death

December 22: An intoxicated Robert Marr, 49, came into Hayward Fire Station No.2 suffering from a head injury and cuts on his face. Marr was transferred to a local hospital where he underwent surgery to treat his injuries.

Police interviewed Marr when he was first admitted to the hospital. He told police he was beaten up by a group of two to five men in their 20’s who were possibly white or Hispanic.

After being released from the hospital, he was found face down on Anita Avenue. He never regained consciousness and his family took him off life support on December 30^th. After reviewing the autopsy, his cause of death was a result of a severe beating, escalating the case to a homicide.

Phoenix, Arizona

Repeated Taunts Turns Deadly for a Homeless Man

December 25: Aaron Taylor, a 36-year-old homeless man, burned to death after being set on fire.  When the Phoenix Fire Department arrived Taylor was burning with a concrete bench attached to his back. Taylor may have been duct taped to the bench, which complicated all forms of rescue.

The alleged suspects are three men, ages 17, 20, and 24.  Due to the ongoing investigation, authorities have not revealed the identities of these men who have been accused of constantly harassing Taylor. 

One of the witnesses says that he saw the three men offering Taylor alcohol, and another witness reports that he saw the three men drinking with Taylor shortly before he was set afire.