Patterico's Pontifications

5/10/2006

Woman Stomped to Death on Skid Row

Filed under: Crime — Patterico @ 7:19 pm



The L.A. Times reports:

A 49-year-old woman died after being viciously stomped by a homeless man on skid row in a case that city officials said Tuesday underscores the need to improve conditions in the troubled district.

Authorities are trying to determine the relationship between the suspect and his alleged victim, Kristi Morales. Witnesses said he knocked her to the ground last Wednesday just after 9 p.m. near 5th and San Julian streets and stomped her for several minutes.

Police said a passerby attempted to intervene three times, but each time, the suspect, 52-year-old Gregory Hampton, knocked the Good Samaritan to the ground and continued beating Morales.

Hampton has a nice little criminal record:

Hampton has a criminal record dating back more than 30 years, with at least 42 arrests as an adult for violence, narcotics and burglary.

It would be interesting to know whether there were any convictions for serious or violent offenses resulting from any of those 42 arrests. The L.A. Times story doesn’t say. I can’t find any other story that does. This AP story says his record consists mostly of property crimes — but if any of those are residential burglaries, they would be strikes.

Perhaps more details will emerge in the coming days.

2 Responses to “Woman Stomped to Death on Skid Row”

  1. Awful. My father-in-law worked for many years at the Union Rescus Mission right in the middle of skid row — I volunteered down there and saw/heard some incredible stuff, but nothing as terrible or shocking as that.

    Ann (cc9923)

  2. 52, homeless, and a record. I’m thinking, at the very least, substance abuse and a history of mental illness. I’ll bet he’s been offered treatment for the substance abuse and mental illness, even taken up those offers for short periods of time. Gregory Hampton needs to be involuntarily institutionalized on a long-term basis.

    Will he?

    As long as substance abuse and illness are seen as some sort of civil right, he won’t. Even in cases like Gregory Hampton. The man is most obviously a danger to himself and others, as are many other homeless people in this country. Even when they have done nothing overt to themselves or others.

    I have clinical depression and anxiety disorder. Both mental illnesses. I have been homeless. I got treatment and I have been under treatment for the last 20 or so years. Before getting treatment I was most certainly a danger to myself, and potentially a danger to others. But had I been taken in for treatment involuntarily you can bet somebody would’ve taken action on my behalf and gotten me released onto the streets again.

    It is understood that Tuberculosis is a threat to the community. And that when a Tuberculosis patient refuses to continue on a course of treatment he must be involuntarily institutionalized so that he stays on his course of treatment. Civ-Lib types have filed suit seeking to get this practice overturned as violating the patient’s civil rights, but have consistently been stymied by the courts.

    It’s time we started treating substance abuse and mental illness as we treat Tuberculosis. As diseases that threaten the community, and who’s victims need to be involuntarily institutionalized if they refuse to continue a course of treatment. Or when available courses of treatment prove ineffective.

    We will make no real progress with the problem of the homeless until we recognize this simple fact, and take firm measures to deal with it.

    Alan Kellogg (512c35)


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