Serial killer of homeless persons is captured

Serial killer of homeless persons is captured

by Lynda Carson -- January 14, 2012

Oakland -- To the relief and the horror of the homeless community in Orange County and throughout California, on early Saturday morning January 14, 2012, Itzcoatl Ocampo, of Yorba Linda, California, was booked in the Anaheim jail as a suspect in the recent cold blooded stabbing killings of four homeless people, that have occurred since December, 20, 2011.

The recent spate of killings have terrorized the homeless population nearby, and throughout the state. As the blood of the homeless people flowed onto the wealthy streets of Orange County during nearly the past month, the homeless persons on the streets wondered if they were going to be next to die at the hands of the serial killer.

Itzcoatl Ocampo is being held without bail, and is expected to be transferred to Orange County Jail sometime next week, after being caught for the stabbing death of a homeless man named John, a Vietnam veteran. John, died of fatal stab wounds in the parking lot of a Carl's Jr. Restaurant, late Friday night in Anaheim.

During a press conference on January 14, the police have reportedly linked the stabbing death of the homeless man named John, and the brutal activities of Itzcoatl Ocampo with the recent killings of three other homeless men nearby in Orange County.

It was also reported that on January 14, that mourners appeared at the crime scene and wept over the death of the homeless man known as John, where they left some emotional signs and flowers to show their grief, and that a candle light vigil was scheduled for later that same evening on Saturday night.

Since his capture and arrest, Ocampo is believed by authorities to be the serial killer of several other homeless people in the area, and the police have already tied the killings of four homeless people to Ocampo since his arrest late Friday night Jan. 13, after the fourth homeless man was found murdered in a parking lot of a Carl's Jr. Restaurant, in Anaheim.

Anaheim is the home of Disneyland, a wealthy affluent suburb of Los Angeles.

State records report that Ocampo, age 23, is the owner of 4805 Via Del Buey, a 4-bedroom home that was built in 1984, in nearby Yorba Linda. Records further reveal that the state of California is holding $89.55 in back wages for Ocampo, from when he worked for the Stater Brothers Markets. There's a Staters Brothers Market located at 18527 Yorba Linda BLVD., in Yorba Linda.

Leaving a trail of homeless men left to die on the cold hearted streets of wealthy Orange County since mid December, Ocampo was finally captured by a policeman after being chased on foot by witnesses and bystanders from the latest crime scene, after stabbing his most recent victim on Friday night in the parking lot of Carl's Jr. Restaurant.

Before the capture of Ocampo on late Friday, a task force was recently created by local police agencies and the FBI to find the killer of the three other homeless men stabbed to death, and the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs had recently offered a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the deaths of James McGillivray, age 53, murdered on Dec. 20, Lloyd Missaugh, age 42, murdered on Dec. 28, and Paulus Cornelius Smit, age 57, who was stabbed to death on Dec. 30.

During the recent serial killings of the homeless population, the homeless have been urged by authorities to stay in shelters at night, and to stay out of the shadows as a precaution when sleeping on the streets at night, and to sleep with others in a group when possible, in an effort to stay alive. It was reported that three of the people killed, were attacked and stabbed to death while they were sleeping alone.

Despite the warnings from the authorities for the homeless to stay in shelters at night while the serial killings were taking place, it was a false hope being offered for the poor homeless population being terrorized on the streets of California.

There are not nearly enough homeless shelter beds available in Orange County, or the state of California to house the thousands of homeless families left on the streets to die, due to all of the state and federal budget cuts that have shredded the nations housing programs during past years.

As recent as December 8, 2011, residents of Oakland gathered at St. Mary's Center, an organization that offers shelter and services to the local homeless population and senior citizens, for a Homeless Memorial to honor the lives lost during the past year of those living homeless, and in poverty on the cold hearted streets of Oakland.

Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco have a large homeless population, and many of the homeless people in the East Bay have managed to survive on a daily basis with the help of Street Spirit Newspaper, which the homeless are allowed to sell for a dollar a copy, and are allowed to keep the money that they make as local newspaper vendors.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com