Page 7 - AT

A7
U.S. NEWS Thursday 27 sepTember 2018
Man deported 6 times

charged in California

homeless killings

needed a place to stay, condition, officials said.
so he was taken in by his Another man who appar-
uncle, 65-year-old Rogelio ently was sleeping on the
Escobar, who also went beach was found dead
missing. under the Santa Monica
Investigators believe Ra- Pier on Sept. 20. Steven Ray
mon Escobar used a base- Cruze Jr., 39, of San Ga-
ball bat to bash the heads briel had been beaten to
of three homeless men death.
sleeping on downtown Authorities at first described
Los Angeles streets before him as homeless, but fam-
dawn on Sept. 16, police ily and friends said the fa-
said in a statement. Two ther of two, who loved to
died. fish at the pier, worked on
Two homeless men sleep- boats in neighboring Ma-
ing on the beach were rina del Rey and sometimes
Santa Monica PD Capt. Wendell Shirley, left, speaks at LAPD headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, bludgeoned in the head camped out under the pier
in Los Angeles. early on Sept. 8 and Sept. to avoid the long commute
Associated Press 10, leaving one in critical home.q

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER one of the last people to to his native El Salvador six
Associated Press see Dina Escobar, 60, be- times between 1997 and
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man fore she vanished in late 2011, ICE said in a state-
who had been deported August. ment.
six times was charged Authorities say they found He was released from ICE
Wednesday in a string of no outstanding warrants custody last year after suc-
killings and beatings that and released Ramon Esco- cessfully appealing his lat-
targeted sleeping home- bar before the three men est immigration case, ICE
less people in Southern Cal- were beaten to death in said. The agency didn't in-
ifornia, authorities said. California. dicate his current legal sta-
Authorities say suspect Ra- Escobar said at the time tus.
mon Alberto Escobar has a that he was in the country However, Escobar has six
long criminal record in the on a work visa, Smith said, felony convictions for bur-
U.S. and has been repeat- a claim echoed by family glary and illegal reentry,
edly deported to his native members. the agency said.
El Salvador. "We had no probable Escobar spent five years in
His scheduled Wednesday cause to arrest or book prison for robbery starting in
arraignment in Los Angeles him," Smith said. the mid-1990s, Hayes said.
was postponed to Nov. 8 Immigration status is Records in Texas show Es-
and he was ordered to re- checked by Houston po- cobar has had arrests for
main jailed without bail. lice only when a person is vehicle burglary, trespass-
The 47-year-old Escobar is being booked into the city ing, failure to stop, public This photo provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety
charged with three counts jail after being charged intoxication and two as- shows Ramon Escobar.
of murder, five counts of at- with a crime, Smith said. saults, most recently in No- Associated Press
tempted murder and four Escobar, believed to be vember 2017. That case
counts of second-degree homeless himself, likely tar- was a misdemeanor.
robbery. geted victims to rob them, Dina Escobar's burned van
He also faces special cir- Los Angeles police Capt. was found in Galveston,
cumstance allegations of William Hayes said. Texas, a few days after
multiple murders and mur- Detectives have seized a she went looking for her
der during the commission wooden baseball bat and brother. She was last seen
of a robbery, making him bolt cutters that they be- Aug. 28, two days after her
eligible for the death pen- lieve were used to blud- brother vanished, the state- Who can help us to start with a non killer shelter?
alty. geon men on the beach or ment said.
It could not be immediate- on the street in Los Angeles Dina Escobar's daugh- Aruba kills many animals, and the dogs and cats are
ly determined if he had an and Santa Monica, police ter, Ligia Salamanca, told in the killer cage, in the heat for many days without
attorney. said. All but one of the men KTRK-TV in Houston that her water and food!
Meanwhile, police in Hous- was homeless. cousin, Ramon Escobar,
ton want to talk to Escobar U.S. Immigrations and Cus- had never come across as The dogs and cats are suffering so much !
again about the disap- toms Enforcement officials violent and wasn't a source
pearance of his aunt. He have filed a detainer seek- of trouble for the family. Save the animals from the
was not a suspect when he ing to take him into custody "She loved him as she killer cage on Aruba.
was first questioned Aug. if he is released, the agen- would a son," Salamanca
30, Houston police spokes- cy said. said of her mother's devo-
man Kese Smith said. Escobar was first ordered tion to Ramon Escobar.
Investigators spoke with removed from the country Salamanca said he had
Escobar because he was in 1988 and was deported been looking for work and