A 75-year-old man
– one of two Gilroy men beaten in a home invasion almost two
weeks ago – died today, according to a release from Gilroy
police.
A 75-year-old man – one of two Gilroy men beaten in a home invasion almost two weeks ago – died today, according to a release from Gilroy police.
The two men were beaten sometime before 10:15 p.m. April 13, when at least one man entered a residence on the 1000 block of Montebello Drive near First Street and used a baseball bat to beat the 75-year-old and a 46-year-old, police said. The suspect spoke in Spanish to the victims and no one else was in the home at the time of the attack, police said.
When police arrived at the residence, after receiving a call of a disturbance, they found the older man lying on a couch in the living room of his home with severe head injuries, police said. The younger man, a friend of the 75-year-old, was lying in the kitchen with major injuries to his legs, police said. He was in stable condition a week ago, but his current condition is unknown.
The Santa Clara County Coroner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of release. This is the first homicide in Gilroy this year.
Although police said they have not determined a motive, “the investigation is very active,” said Sgt. Wes Stanford. “We’re chasing down any and all leads.”
Police have not been able to learn much about what happened during the attack, Sgt. Jim Gillio said last week.
“From what little information we could get, we believe they were targeted,” Gillio said.
He would not say why police believe this but wanted the community to know “we don’t feel like there’s a roving band of home invaders going around town.”
Gillio did not know if the victims knew their attacker but said police do not believe the crime is gang-related. The suspect’s face was obscured during the attack, police gathered from their interview of the one victim.
“At this time, little is known about the motivation for home invasion,” police said in a press release.
It was not immediately apparent how the attacker got into the home or if anything was stolen, Gillio said.
“There’s no evidence that forced entry was made into the house,” he said.
Lined with duplexes on the south side of the street and apartment buildings on the north side, Montebello sees it’s share of police activity, said resident Susan Tellerday, who has been living on the street for four years. For the most part, “it’s pretty quiet here, but the police do come a lot because there are some low-lifes,” she said Friday afternoon as she took her dog for a walk.
Neighbors said at least half a dozen police cars showed up the evening of April 13 in front of the Plum Tree West apartments at 1055 Montebello Drive.
“I saw the cops but I didn’t know what for,” said Isaiah Luna, who was visiting a friend who lives on Montebello. “I just thought someone got sick. A lot of older people live there.”
A woman who identified herself as manager of the Plum Tree West refused to comment and asked reporters to leave the property Friday afternoon. Well-manicured grounds surround the apartment complex, which must be accessed through a main entrance. Friday afternoon, visitors and residents came and left the complex freely, and it didn’t appear that they needed a key to get in the main entrance, where they pass through to an unguarded lobby. The apartments open onto the main hallways and do not have patios or entrances that open up directly outdoors.
A Gilroy woman whose mother has lived at the Plum Tree apartments for 17 years said the management distributed a letter to its residents notifying them of the attack and reminding them not to answer their door to strangers. The woman asked that her name not be printed.
“I like this place,” she said, pulling groceries from her trunk to deliver to her mother.
Although she knew the older victim – who she said lives in a downstairs apartment – by face, she did not know his name, but said he seemed like a “nice man.”
Anyone with information can call Detective Stan Devlin at 846-0335.
