S. California victim of baseball bat hate-crime attack dies
Updated 5:56 am, Sunday, May 3, 2015
RIALTO, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California man who was beaten with a baseball bat has died and authorities say they'll seek a murder charge in the alleged hate crime attack.
Fifty-four-year-old Armando Barron of Rialto died Thursday morning at a hospital. He was attacked before dawn Sunday while walking down the street.
Twenty-two-year-old Jeremiah Bell of Fontana was later arrested. Police say investigators believe Bell, who is black, didn't know Barron but decided to assault the first person he saw who wasn't African-American.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise (
http://bit.ly/1Q4CFGq) says Bell pleaded not guilty Thursday to attempted murder with a hate-crime enhancement. A judge ordered Bell to undergo a psychiatric examination after expressing doubts about his mental competency.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/S-California-victim-of-baseball-bat-hate-crime-6235126.php
