RAF veteran beaten up by thug after others had chance to save him

RAF veteran beaten up by thug who broke into his home was murdered by the same man hours later after police assumed they were friends and left them alone together
Daily Mail
Amie Gordon
April 15, 2016

Christopher Fields, 37, was beaten to death by Joe Hasledine, 24,
Police officers were called to reports of a violent burglary at his home
They found the victim with blood on his face but left him with the murderer
Thug wrongly held Mr Fields responsible for his dog being put down
Hasledine jailed for life with minimum recommendation to serve 16 years
Mr Fields had been awarded medals following tours in Iraq and Afghanistan

Christopher Fields (pictured) was falsely accused of having Joe Hasledine's dog put to sleep after it mauled another dog outside his apartment

An RAF veteran who was attacked in his own home by an intruder was murdered by the same man just two hours later - after police left them alone together.

Officers had found Christopher Fields, 37, with blood on his face when they were called to reports of a violent burglary at his home.

While two constables quizzed Mr Fields about the break-in, culprit Joe Hasledine, 24, returned to the scene.

However officers left the two men together in the mistaken belief the pair were friends - leaving Hasledine, who had been on a cocaine-fuelled drink and drugs binge, to beat Mr Fields to death.
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Tommy Yancy, OEF-OIF Veteran Beaten by Police Caught on Video Died

May 18, 2014
Tommy Yancy, 32, father of two, was savagely beaten to death by five law enforcement officers during a routine traffic stop near the city of Imperial last Sunday, on Mother's Day. Yancy, a veteran who suffered from PTSD, served in Afghanistan and Iraq in the 259th Field Service Unit following the 9/11 attacks.

Yancy was stopped on his way to the store after a highway patrol officer spotted a missing front license plate on his vehicle. He was subsequently pulled from his car and attacked by a police K-9 unit, hit by a taser, and attacked by five officers until he succumbed to the beating and died. A witnessed, who filmed the incident, can be heard screaming on the recording: "How long before you guys call an ambulance? Call an ambulance!" According to the source of the video, who asked not to be named, his family has not been permitted to see his body, nor have they been given a cause of death.

WW II, Korean and Vietnam Army veteran beaten to death

Veteran beaten with a pipe dies
Ocala Star Banner
By Austin L. Miller
Staff writer
Published: Saturday, March 22, 2014

An 87-year-old war veteran beaten earlier this past week with a pipe and a sledgehammer has died. His 55-year-old son is accused of the killing.

Ocala police and family members said Ralph T. Croskey, a World War II, Korean and Vietnam U.S. Army veteran, passed away on Saturday morning at Ocala Regional Medical Center.

Allen Croskey, one of Croskey's three children, was charged with attempted murder Wednesday afternoon after authorities had gone to Ralph Croskey's southwest Ocala residence after receiving a call about a disturbance. Those charges have been elevated to second-degree murder since Ralph Croskey's death.

Ralph T. Croskey was an executive member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
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Father, son accused in beating Vietnam Veteran to death

Father, son accused in Vietnam veteran’s death
Boston Globe
By Nicholas Jacques
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
FEBRUARY 14, 2014

A father and son were charged Friday in the death of Vincent Lalli, a Vietnam veteran whose battered body was found in January behind a Norwood middle school.

Anthony Canejo Sr., 52, was charged with armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said. His son, Anthony Canejo Jr., 30, was charged as an accessory to the crime.

Canejo Sr. was not charged with murder because an autopsy has yet to determine Lalli’s cause of death, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Marian T. Ryan said.

The two men lived with Lalli, 66, in a Somerville apartment, Ryan’s office said.

Canejo Sr. allegedly strangled Lalli and beat him with a crowbar in the Sycamore Street residence, prosecutors said. He and his son are accused of then dumping Lalli’s body in Norwood. read more here

Homeless Vietnam Veteran beaten to death

Homeless Vietnam Veteran beaten to death

Dead man found in Norwood was Vietnam veteran
Boston Globe
By Evan Allen
GLOBE STAFF
FEBRUARY 01, 2014

SOMERVILLE -- The Somerville man whose battered body was found Wednesday evening dumped behind a Norwood Middle School was a Vietnam veteran who had recently listed his address as the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, state officials said Friday.

Vincent A. Lalli, 66, joined the US Navy in November 1967 and was honorably discharged in September 1971, said John Paradis, spokesman for the state Department of Veterans’ Services.

Lalli was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with one star, Paradis said. While information about his deployment was not available, the Vietnam Service Medal is awarded only to service members who supported operations in Vietnam, a Navy official said.

A dogwalker found Lalli’s body in a wooded area behind the Dr. Philip O. Coakley Middle School on Washington Street in South Norwood at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. His death is being investigated as a homicide, and authorities have said they believe Lalli was killed elsewhere.
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WWII Veteran killed in brutal attack, 4 barbaric teens charged

Lawrence E. ‘Shine' Thornton Killed: 4 Teens Arrested In WWII Vet's Death
Huffington Post
Posted: 10/27/2013

Four teens have been charged with capital murder after an 87-year-old WWII veteran died from injuries sustained during a brutal mugging.

The Delta Democrat Times reports that Lawrence E. Shine Thornton of Greenville, Miss., died two days after the October 18th mugging, allegedly at the hands of Terrance Morgan, 19; Edward Johnson,19; Leslie Litt, 18; and Geblonski Murray, 18.

Thornton was attacked in his own driveway, according to CNS News. The teens allegedly pushed him down on the ground and stole his wallet.
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Trial held for man accused in death of Vietnam Veteran

Trial held for man accused in death of Vietnam Veteran
News Channel 3
by Laurie Simmons
October 21, 2013

Chesapeake, Va. – Witnesses have already been called in the case against Kyle Langreder in Chesapeake.

He was the only one who police arrested and charged out of three young men who were there and present at the beating of Charles Silva, a 77-year-old Vietnam veteran who lived and worked in Chesapeake.

Both sides presented their opening statements on Monday. Two witnesses were also called. For the first time, a year after his death, a jury saw pictures of the veteran just hours after police say he was beaten by three young men on ATVs.

He suffered a bruised ear and jaw, an injured rib, and a cut on his head where he fell on the rocky ground.

Now one of the men is facing a first-degree murder charge.

Prosecutors say Langreder was responsible for the final blow to the Vietnam vet after a dispute over trespassing on property surrounding the Chesapeake Executive Airport.
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WWII vet, 88, fought back against teens who beat him to death

Delbert Belton Murder Update
WWII vet, 88, fought back against teens who beat him to death, police say
CBS
Erin Donaghue
August 26, 2013

(CBS) SPOKANE, Wash. -- World War II veteran Delbert Belton may have fought back against the two teens suspected of beating him to death outside a Spokane, Wash. Ice-A-Rena, police said in a news conference Monday morning, reports CBS affiliate KREM.

Belton, who was shot in the leg during the Battle of Okinawa, was killed during an apparent robbery Wednesday outside the Eagles Ice-A-Rena. Authorities say two young men attacked Belton in his car outside the arena as he was waiting for a friend.

"Our information is that the individual fought back and that may have made this, you know, a worse situation," said Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub in a press conference Monday morning. "I'm not being critical of Mr. Belton, we certainly encourage individuals to fight back, and he should have. But it shouldn't have happened to begin with."

The victim's daughter-in-law said Belton was hit with "big heavy flashlights" and doctors told her he was bleeding from all parts of his face, reports the station.

After identifying two suspects, police arrested two 16-year-old males. One turned himself in to authorities Thursday, a second was arrested early Monday in a Spokane basement apartment. Both teens are charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree murder. They will be tried as adults, reports the Los Angeles Times, and are being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

Tips from the community and the second suspect's family helped police hone in on his location, he said.
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Three men charged with killing Marine

Marine dies in Pasadena fight: 3 men charged
ABC News
By Sid Garcia and Subha Ravindhran
Wednesday, August 07, 2013

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Charges were filed Wednesday against three men in connection with the death of a U.S. Marine in Old Town Pasadena.

Fernando Sabino Ramirez, 25, Jonas Cardenas Ramos, 24 , and Angel Christopher Moroyoqui, 21, were each charged with one count of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury. Ramirez was also charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter.

According to Pasadena police, the incident began as a bar fight that spilled outside of IxTapa on the 100 block of East Colorado Boulevard around 1 a.m. Monday.

Ramirez, of Rowland Heights, is accused of punching 25-year-old Joshua Martinez in the head. Ramos, of San Gabriel, and Moroyoqui, of El Monte, allegedly aided Ramirez in the assault.

The street fight was captured by a car's dash cam. The video shows Martinez walking behind someone who appears to be his friend. Within seconds, he is knocked down by a single punch and left lying on the edge of the sidewalk. Moments after he fell, the fight broke up and some of the participants left the scene.
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Murdered Manhattan 2 Tour Iraq Veteran had Silver Star and 2 Purple Hearts

Vigil Planned for Murdered Manhattan Veteran
Friends of former Army medic Kevin Cockrum are gathering to pray that his killers are caught.
Posted: 12:22 PM Aug 14, 2011
Reporter: Lindsey Rogers

"Cockrum's family members tell 13 News he was a medic in the Army and completed two tours in Iraq. During each of his tours, he survived IED explosions and received two Purple Heart medals, a Silver Star and an Army Commendation Medal. He was last stationed at Fort Riley and decided to stay in the Manhattan area."

Manhattan, KAN. (WIBW) -- Friends of former Army medic Kevin Cockrum are gathering near the spot where the 31-year-old was brutally beaten to pray that his killers are caught.

A candle light vigil is planned for Sunday night in Manhattan's Aggieville district.

Around 2 a.m. Thursday, officers got a call about a person on the ground in an alley between Bluemont Avenue and Moro Street. That's about a block away from the main strip of bars and shops in Aggieville.

Police found Cockrum unconscious. He was transported to Mercy Health Center with life-threatening head injuries and was then airlifted to Via Christi Hospital in Wichita. Family members say Kevin's father flew in from out of state to be by his side.

Officials believe Cockrum was beaten by several people but do not know the circumstances surrounding the violent attack. 

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Iraq vet, John Wylie Needham charged with murder

Iraq war veteran charged with girlfriend's murder
Karen Tapia-Andersen / Los Angeles Times
John Wylie Needham appeared in Santa Ana Superior Court, where he was charged with murder.
John Wylie Needham was arrested Monday at his San Clemente condo, where his girlfriend, Jacqwelyn Joann Villagomez, was found severely beaten. He is being held on $1 million bail.
By Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:10 AM PDT, September 3, 2008
An Iraq war veteran accused of beating his girlfriend to death in his San Clemente condo was charged this morning with murder.

John Wylie Needham, 25, was arrested late Monday by Orange County sheriff's deputies, who found his 19-year-old girlfriend, Jacqwelyn Joann Villagomez, in his bedroom severely beaten. She died a few hours later.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beating4-2008sep04,0,6813405.story

Homeless veteran beaten to death on July 4th

Home / News / Local
Killing of homeless man leaves questions
Beating on July 4 witnessed by many
By Milton J. Valencia
Globe Staff / July 11, 2008
There are no roadside memorials for Timothy Finch, no flowers, cards or R.I.P. signs.

The homeless man, a 40-year-old US Army veteran, was killed in broad daylight on the Fourth of July, one of the city's busiest holidays, near Faneuil Hall Marketplace, one of its biggest tourist destinations.

Yet Finch's slaying was obscured by the same shadow of anonymity that shrouded his life. Police said that his gruesome beating was witnessed by tourists and other passersby who dismissed it as a run-of-the-mill scuffle between homeless men and that people walked by as he lay dying, thinking he was merely slumped on the sidewalk. One of the initial calls to police was for a drunk man lying on the ground, bleeding.

Soon after the killing, the scene was cleared, and Fourth of July festivities resumed. And in the days after, it was business as usual at Faneuil Hall, with little reminder that a man had recently been killed there.

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Homeless Vet:Do you know who beat Blue to death in Tucson?

Homeless Man Beaten Then Found Dead

Posted: April 14, 2008 05:54 PM EDT

Homeless Man Beaten Then Found Dead


KOLD News Reporter, Suleika Acosta

Virtually the only thing a Tucson veteran had was taken from him Sunday night: his life. The circumstances surrounding this murder are disturbing. Police say he was beaten and then found dead.

With no place to call home, the victim known as 'Blue' slept in a desert area near Ajo and Palo Verde. He'd been living on the streets 15 years.

Friends say Blue was a special person that lived a rough life all too common.

"We've got to battle for every meal we get."

Life on Tucson streets doesn't get easier with time. Just ask Gene Rickman. He shared the street selling papers with Blue.

"He's out here everyday just trying to make an honest living like the rest of us."

Gene was shocked to learn Sunday night Blue was found dead. Pima County Sheriff's investigators say three men beat the 67-year-old. The men responsible are still on the loose.

Friends say Blue was a veteran who had drinking problems but he was known as a peacekeeper in his neighborhood.

"He also tried to keep order out there with all the drunks, tried to keep the fighting down. He always protected us," says Renee, the victim's friend.

Mark Kessler delivers newspapers to the homeless every morning.

"Blue's been doing it a long time, he'll be missed," says Mark.

The homeless buy these papers and then sell them. For many, it's barely enough to get a hot meal. Despite his tough circumstances, Mark says Blue was a hard worker.

"Life on the corner is pretty tough but he was always in a good mood, smiling, happy to see me in the morning bringing papers."

Friends say Blue wasn't a loner. His best friend was a dog. Pima Animal Care Center is treating Blue's dog for a possible stab wound. The dog remains homeless but his companion is gone.


"It was totally uncalled for and it should have never happened," adds Gene.

Call 911 or 88Crime if you have any information that could help investigators track down the suspects.
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=8165036