How San Diego's Homeless group Is Reacting to the Recent Homeless Murders

Lawyer Dan Tandon and Jon David Guerrero, whose face is obscured on the guide of a judge, at Guerrero's arraignment listening to this week. photograph by using John Gibbons/San Diego Union-Tribune On Tuesday afternoon, journalists packed a San Diego court for the arraignment of Jon David Guerrero, the man charged with brutally attacking 5 homeless americans in San Diego this month, killing three and significantly injuring at the least two others.

Following his arrest closing week, San Diego police chief Shelly Zimmerman informed reporters she was confident Guerrero changed into the person answerable for "these evil acts." but in court, Guerrero, 39, failed to enter a plea. His lawyer, deputy public defender Dan Tandon, requested that the arraignment be delayed for two weeks—a request the decide granted.

"San Diego deserves to understand the fact and the whole story in this case," Tandon told newshounds. "And this story begins many years before July 3—years earlier than the primary loss of existence during this case."
Tandon declined to complicated. On July 3, police allege that Guerrero killed Angelo De Nardo, a fifty three-12 months-historic homeless man, and set his body on fire under a throughway overpass in San Diego's Bay Park regional. The equal week, 41-12 months-old Shawn Longley changed into discovered dead at a park from blunt-drive trauma to his higher torso and 23-year-historical Dionicio Derek Vahidy died after he turned into found with severe wounds on his higher body and a burning towel on his head. Guerrero become charged for the murders.

Two different victims survived: an unidentified homeless man whose assault beneath a throughway overpass final Friday morning led to Guerrero's arrest, and sixty one-yr-old Manuel Mason, who became found in the metropolis's midway District with wounds to his upper physique. Leean Rasko, a longtime chum of Mason's who's visited him diverse instances within the health facility, told VICE the assault left Mason completely blind. Rasko described Mason as a gruff but clever man who spoke several languages and at all times made bound she changed into secure when she walked to a close-by trolley cease to get to work.

The attacks, which were scattered around the metropolis, have unnerved San Diego's homeless community. despite Guerrero's arrest, more than half a dozen homeless americans VICE talked to this week remained cautious. Ray, who requested to be identified simplest by way of his first identify, spoke of he involved that "somebody's going to delivery copying" the killer. He become running along with his spouse, Beth, alongside seventeenth street in downtown San Diego's East Village local, a gritty enviornment that the homeless check with as "the bottoms" because of its centred road inhabitants. a person who become packing up his tent across the road noted he'd heard somebody was going round with a baseball bat, focused on homeless individuals.

All but probably the most attacks came about in the parts of the metropolis the place homeless individuals go to get away from the drugs, violence, and police sweeps standard to the bottoms. Dionicio Vahidy, as an example, turned into found on a tree-lined path leading to idyllic Pantoja Park, close the San Diego Bay. On Monday morning, several homeless americans lingered within the park, sitting on benches or in the colour below a tree. Debra, who declined to provide her closing identify, described the park because the "most secure region to be," despite what came about to Vahidy.

A number of benches down, although, Frank Pulicchio disagreed. He said he normally sleeps in or near the park together with his girlfriend, however turned into so shaken by the attacks, he determined to put her up in a inn for a few days. "it's not been decent," he observed, choking up a little bit. San Diego's Pantoja Park, the place many homeless individuals go to get away the the drugs, violence, and police sweeps in different components of the city. photo by means of the creator.

There have been seven homeless deaths categorized as homicides in 2015, in accordance with the San Diego County clinical examiner. that's far fewer than the deaths from heart ailment or overdoses, however the recent assaults have underscored the city's lack of emergency components for its huge homeless population. Roughly 2,seven hundred people sleep on the metropolis's streets each and every night, according to a recent report with the aid of the San Diego Regional task force on the Homeless, and take care of beds are all the time filled. earlier than Guerrero's arrest, the superior counsel police and repair suppliers may supply folks changed into to stay collectively and reside in well-lit areas.

And that is the reason what Ray and Beth did—unless, Ray said, "a bunch of police officers would reveal up and inform us to leave." VICE spoke to americans who also talked about the contemporary attacks have highlighted tension between the homeless and police, above all in East Village, the place the city has been conducting weekly encampment sweeps. Chris Nafis, a pastor on the dwelling Nazarene Church in East Village, told VICE nervousness still lingers among the homeless who attend his services, exacerbated by means of an usual boost in violence and crime within the area. He described a gang combat that broke out the other evening close the church, in front of a homeless encampment.

"The violence might comfortably turn towards them, and that they have nowhere to move," he said. "If the police do reveal up, they use collective punishment, and all and sundry's type of afraid they are going to be on the wrong conclusion of the police." Guerrero, who has been charged with three counts of homicide and two counts of premeditated attempted homicide, is at present being held without bail on the sixth ground of San Diego's critical penitentiary, where inmates with mental sickness are housed. court facts reveal he has an extended crook historical past with diverse convictions for burglary and grand theft. In 2009, he pleaded responsible to pushing a homeless girl off her bike and stealing it, based on the San Diego Union-Tribune.
since the case worried varied murders, Deputy District attorney Makenzie Harvey stated prosecutors may are looking for the loss of life penalty.