VENICE (CNS) - A transient suspected in the beating and subsequent death of a 76-year-old man in Venice was is custody today, according to police.
Detectives arrested the homeless suspect, identified as 45-year-old Obie Thompson, for the fatal assault that happened Feb. 8 in the 1500 block of Abbot Kinney Boulevard, officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The victim, John Decindis, told a hospital social worker that he had been attacked without provocation when he was out walking his dog, police said.
Decindis identified his attacker as a man he'd seen around the neighborhood, according to police.
He was initially hospitalized with several fractures. Following his release from the hospital, he had to check back in because he had problems recovering from his injuries, and he died at the hospital on Feb. 27, police said.
The coroner's office determined the death to be a homicide.
Detectives detained Thompson, who matched the description of the suspect, in the area of Abbot Kinney Boulevard and Milwood Avenue on March 9, the LAPD said.
Thompson was booked on a murder charge. He was later charged with murder and elder abuse by the L.A. County District Attorney's office, police said.
He's being held without bail, according to jail records. No court information was immediately available.
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