[UPDATED with Victim I.D.:] John Berry, OC Homicide No. 2: Itzcoatl Ocampo Held in Fatal Stabbings of Homeless
Categories: 2012 Homicides
 |
ORIGINAL POST, JAN. 14, 11:33 A.M.: Two people who had been at the busy restaurant chased John's presumed killer, and they were joined by a security guard and some of the more than 100 police officers who descended on the murder scene.
|
Within minutes, the suspect was surrounded by cops who sat him down on the La Palma Avenue curb. A police helicopter above shined a bright light on his expressionless face. He nonchalantly crossed his arms as if no big whoop.
 |
| KABC 7 Eyewitness News |
| Police make an arrest. |
Ocampo's build and dark clothing, and the fatal stabbing of John, fits the description and m.o. of the killer who fatally stabbed James McGillivray Dec. 20 in nearby Placentia. Two other homeless men, Lloyd Middaugh and Paulus Cornelius Smit, were subsequently stabbed to death in Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda.
One big difference between the previous slayings and last night's is there were a lot of people around the Carl's Jr. murder scene at the time. The other men were alone and isolated when they were done in. The task force probing the slayings has a press conference scheduled this afternoon that will hopefully fill in some of the blanks.
People who knew John described him as friendly.
"He was just like the kindest person ever," Chris Juarez told KABC 7 Eyewitness News. "A homeless man that never asked for anything, never begged. He stuck to his own thing. He was perfectly happy."
Another area resident, Jim Burke, told CBS2 that John eerily told him a couple days ago that the serial killer was following him Wednesday.
"John said that he kept the bike between him and this man as his line of defense and he got a good look at him," said Burke, who passed the information on to a nearby Department of Water and Power with instructions to contact police.
Previous coverage:
Write Comment
Email to Friend
Print Article
