Violet Fashion by Mindy
03-27-2008, 08:43 PM
TWO HOMELESS men have been charged with torturing and assaulting an Australian tourist who was thrown into a burning fire pit on a beach.
Adelaide man Robert Schneider, 26, was found in the pit at Ocean Beach with third-degree burns on his legs and body, a fractured skull, a broken hand and deep facial cuts, the San Diego Union-Tribune (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080320-9999-1m20suspects.html) newspaper reported.
Homicide Detective Dan Roman told the newspaper that the homeless men were in a group of five that Mr Schneider was drinking with at the beach. The two beat him with a skateboard and threw him into the fire.
After the attack, one of the men Mr Schneider had been drinking with pulled him out of the fire while another ran for help.
The Australian was placed in a medically induced coma by doctors.
It was believed Mr Schneider was in the Californian city to join a group of friends who were on their way to Mexico for a surfing trip.
His parents, Peter and Judy Schneider, told the Union-Tribune that they had flown from Adelaide to the US to be with their son following the February 27 attack.
Mr Schneider told the newspaper last week that his son was “doing well”.
“He’s healing beautifully… there were many days we would just stand there and wonder and hold his hand.”
Peter Schneider said he hoped that police would find the two homeless men – 21-year-old Damian Maple and 46-year-old Frank Montoya – who were the alleged attackers.
“If they are the right people, they need to stand and account for what they have done,” Mr Schneider said.
The San Diego County district attorney's office said today that Maple and Montoya faced five charges and could be jailed for life if convicted, the Associated Press reported.
http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,26058,23445135-5014090,00.html
Adelaide man Robert Schneider, 26, was found in the pit at Ocean Beach with third-degree burns on his legs and body, a fractured skull, a broken hand and deep facial cuts, the San Diego Union-Tribune (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080320-9999-1m20suspects.html) newspaper reported.
Homicide Detective Dan Roman told the newspaper that the homeless men were in a group of five that Mr Schneider was drinking with at the beach. The two beat him with a skateboard and threw him into the fire.
After the attack, one of the men Mr Schneider had been drinking with pulled him out of the fire while another ran for help.
The Australian was placed in a medically induced coma by doctors.
It was believed Mr Schneider was in the Californian city to join a group of friends who were on their way to Mexico for a surfing trip.
His parents, Peter and Judy Schneider, told the Union-Tribune that they had flown from Adelaide to the US to be with their son following the February 27 attack.
Mr Schneider told the newspaper last week that his son was “doing well”.
“He’s healing beautifully… there were many days we would just stand there and wonder and hold his hand.”
Peter Schneider said he hoped that police would find the two homeless men – 21-year-old Damian Maple and 46-year-old Frank Montoya – who were the alleged attackers.
“If they are the right people, they need to stand and account for what they have done,” Mr Schneider said.
The San Diego County district attorney's office said today that Maple and Montoya faced five charges and could be jailed for life if convicted, the Associated Press reported.
http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,26058,23445135-5014090,00.html