District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has scheduled a press conference on Tuesday morning, where he could announce that his office will seek the death penalty. He will be joined by members of a special task force of local and federal investigators that spent recent weeks searching for the killer.
Police arrested Ocampo on Friday evening, shortly after the fourth stabbing. Witnesses to the attack behind a Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Anaheim Hills chased the suspect, police said. One told investigators he saw a huge knife being used in the attack.
From the Orange County Register:
Starting Tuesday, the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Mobile Chili Van will visit Dana Point every Tuesday evening to provide hot meals along with service referrals and resources to homeless people.
The new services are scheduled to be available from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays in a parking lot across from San Felipe de Jesus Catholic Church, 26010 Domingo Ave., Capistrano Beach. It’s a temporary location and could change any time, according to the Rescue Mission, which suggests visiting its website, www.RescueMission.org, to get the current location each week.
After killing what is possibly his fourth victim, the Anaheim Police Department made an arrest. We’ve been praying for justice…hopefully this puts an end to the killings.
The Orange County Register reports:
Ocampo was arrested by Anaheim police shortly after another homeless man was stabbed to death about 8:15 p.m. Friday next to a trash enclosure at a Carl’s Jr. restaurant at the intersection of La Palma Avenue and Imperial Highway. That victim, a man in his early 60s, has not been identified.
1. He carries a knife
2. He stabs the victims repeatedly and viciously
3. Thus far, he has only preyed upon homeless men
4. He is preying upon those who are vulnerable and susceptible
5. There is no known motive
6. It does not appear that he knows the men or their backgrounds in any way
7. His last victim was killed December 28th, 2011
From the Orange County Register:
A special task force of about 70 local and federal law enforcement officials set up a roadblock canvas from 6 to 10 p.m. in the 100 block of North Bradford Avenue, across the street from where 53-year-old James McGillivray was killed. He was the first victim of what police have called a “serious, dangerous serial killer.”
The full story is here.
Printed in today’s paper, Jim Palmer, President of the Orange County Rescue Mission writes:
The murder of three homeless individuals in the past few weeks has sent shockwaves throughout the homeless community. The disgusting acts perpetrated upon some of the weakest and most vulnerable in our society are beyond comprehension and in stark contrast to the outpouring of love, kindness and service many of them experienced during the holiday season.
As details of the homicides emerged, we learned the names and ages of the victims: James McGillivray, 53; Lloyd Middaugh, 42; and Paulus Cornelius Smit, 57. We learned that Smit’s nickname was “Dutch.” We learned that Middaugh lived under a bridge, and that McGillivray regularly slept near the same shuttered business in Placentia. The more we learn of their daily routines and their habits and their histories, the more we are reminded of their humanity.
Homelessness is not new to Orange County, but because of the substance abuse, mental disorders and criminal pasts of some of those sleeping on our streets; it’s easy for us to forget that these individuals are human beings. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. They are lost and sometimes deeply broken people.
In November, we called on residents of Orange County to donate urgently needed blankets, jackets and umbrellas for us to distribute to the homeless so we could prepare them for the cold and inclement weather. The response was overwhelming – not just from Orange County residents, but from businesses as well. We were able to fill two pickup trucks with the items to hand out at the Santa Ana Civic Center and we talked to many of the homeless who were helped. Their responses are always the same. Week after week, outreach after outreach, they are so thankful. They are thankful for the smiles they receive. They’re thankful that we know their names. They’re thankful that they matter to someone.
During that outreach we interviewed Michele, a homeless lady sleeping on the streets of Santa Ana. Her jacket and other possessions were stolen that very day. She would not have had a jacket, blanket or scarf to keep her warm that night if we had not been there to help. Her video interview can be viewed at www.realhomeless.com.
Hundreds of organizations throughout Orange County serve the homeless. The economy’s challenges have stretched all of our resources thin. Last year, the Orange County Rescue Mission experienced a 21 percent increase in the services we provided over the previous year and the need continues to grow. One of the Rescue Mission’s New Year’s resolutions is to reach the least, the last, and the lost, “who are currently beyond our reach.” The murders of Middaugh, McGillivray and Smit make this resolution more urgent.
We can’t do it alone. Call upon your city council members and your mayors to work with nonprofits to open homeless shelters. Ask your local elected leaders to commit to helping the least in our communities, and don’t just take their word for it, hold them accountable for their actions. The homeless need our help. Yes, some of them, sadly, are beyond our reach, or won’t accept our help. But not all of them. We can and should do more to shelter and protect our homeless neighbors. To get involved, you can reach the Orange County Rescue Mission at (714) 247-4300 or www.rescuemission.org.
You can make a donation to support Homeless Outreach and our Homeless Safety Kits, which include a whistle and a flashlight, by clicking DONATE NOW.
Nicole Santa Cruz and Chris Goffard write:
Singletary stood in a parking lot Thursday night clutching a safety kit — a whistle and flashlight, both donated by the Orange County Rescue Mission.
Singletary said he fears that the killer, who has attacked in neighboring Anaheim, Placentia and Yorba Linda, might strike next in Santa Ana. So he is up all night, drinking coffee, keeping watch for strangers. For company, he listens to R&B on his headphones. He sleeps in two-hour shifts on the public bus.
“If that serial killer wants to come at us, he’ll have his hands full,” said Singletary, who has been homeless for six months. “We’ve got some soldiers out here. I’m just one of them. If that whistle goes off, you’ll have a whole army of homeless on him.”
Here’s more video from ABC7 from our outreach last night in the Santa Ana Civic Center. We handed out flashlights, whistles and safety guides.
From Washington Post national news:
Orange County Rescue Mission handed out flashlights and whistles to the homeless on Thursday, in an effort to help them protect themselves, said Jim Palmer, the group’s president.
Palmer’s group is encouraging area homeless to sleep in groups, or better yet, come inside to a shelter.
“Our goal is to get them into those beds and fill those beds,” he said.
Full Story here at the Washington Post
Here’s video of ABC7’s 4:30 broadcast from our homeless outreach in Santa Ana.
A special effort is under way to try to protect the homeless from a serial killer who’s on the loose in Orange County. Police say, so far, the suspect has stabbed three homeless men to death.
Workers from the Orange County Rescue Mission are hitting the streets with some help.
Workers load up supplies to hand out to Orange County’s homeless. But among the hygiene kits are items they’re not used to passing out, until now.
“We’re going to be providing flashlights, whistles that people can use if they suspect that there’s an issue going on and they’re scared of their situation,” said Jim Palmer, Orange County Rescue Mission president.
“We think it’s very evil, obviously, that somebody has decided to go after the homeless, but we want to help prepare them as much as we can and get them into safe shelters as quick as we can,” said Palmer.
Homeless advocates expect shelter beds will fill up quickly as word spreads of a serial killer who so far has murdered three middle-aged homeless men in Orange County.
Jason Hill is grateful to be off the streets with the help of the Orange County Rescue Mission.
“I was on the streets for about six months and pretty much by myself, I kind of kept to myself, and of course I worry about things like that. But you don’t think it’s going to be life-threatening,” said Hill.
Jim Palmer, president of the Orange County Rescue Mission, said the prospect of a serial killer in their midst had shaken the county’s homeless like nothing he had seen in the last two decades.
Help keep our community’s homeless safe by donating safety kits. The Orange County Rescue Mission will provide flashlights, whistles, blankets and hygiene items.
CLICK HERE to donate safety kits for the homeless.
You may drop items off at the Village of Hope, 1 Hope Drive, Tustin, CA. Directions here.
Thank you!
Winter shelter locations, bus transportation pick up locations and tips are included in the safety flyers being distributed to our OC Homeless tonight in Santa Ana.
Download a full-size PDF HERE.
OC Rescue Mission is in urgent need of items for safety kits that will be distributed tonight to the homeless. Items needed are hygiene kits, flashlights, whistles and blankets. These will be distributed as part of the Mission’s weekly Santa Ana outreach.
You can help to keep our community’s homeless safe immediately by making a donation at the OC Rescue Mission site.
About The Real Homeless
Donate Safety Kits here.
