Suspect in homeless slayings has homeless Dad

Friend's death haunted suspect in homeless slayings
Jan. 15, 2012 Updated: 11:54 p.m.
Suspect Itzcoatl "Izzy" Ocampo, 23, lonely and depressed after discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps, had lost his best friend, who also served in the military, family says.

By GREG HARDESTY / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

YORBA LINDA – Early last week, Itzcoatl "Izzy" Ocampo showed his father a newspaper story about a suspected serial killer targeting homeless men in the area.

His father, Refugio, lost his home in 2008 and lives out of the cab of a big rig parked in Fullerton.

The elder Ocampo, who once lived under a freeway overpass, turned to his son.

"Don't worry, mijo," he said. "I'll be fine."

Three days later, on Friday, the younger Ocampo was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the vicious stabbing deaths of four homeless men between Dec. 20 and Jan. 13, terrorizing several communities and putting transients on high alert.

With murder charges expected to be filed against Ocampo, 23, on Tuesday, his parents, siblings and friends said in interviews Sunday that the former Marine showed signs of being troubled since being discharged from the military in June 2010, but that they can't fathom him carrying out the bloody slayings.

"It doesn't make any sense to me at all," said Refugio Ocampo, 50.

Although he never saw combat, Ocampo's main job was to provide security and inspect wounded patients – fellow armed service members, civilians, enemy combatants – and also to bag up bodies of fallen Americans, said Cpl. Bonnie Tisdale, who supervised Ocampo for two years.

"These things change a person," Tisdale said. "Nothing can prepare you for war. If you have any type of mental issues going in, the military just basically heightens those issues – it makes them worse."

Tisdale said Ocampo was disciplined a couple of times for minor violations during his deployment, but that she saw no obvious signs he was troubled.

"He showed up for work on time, and was a funny guy," Tisdale said. "He seemed like an ordinary Marine."

Sgt. Michael Stil served with Ocampo.

"He never talked bad about anybody and wouldn't judge anyone," said Stil, 23. "Everybody down here (at Miramar Base, in San Diego) is shocked. We didn't expect this.

"It's just very shocking. We're all like, 'No way – that's not him.'"
read more here

Fourth victim of serial killer was Vietnam veteran