A fourth murder was charged Tuesday against Jon David Guerrero who is accused of killing three homeless men, but this homicide is a different pattern from the 11 other attacks that occurred near Mission Bay, Ocean Beach, and elsewhere.
Molly Simons, 83, was walking to a bus stop in North Park in the early morning hours on July 13, 2016 when a man on a bicycle hit her in the back of her head with an object that has not been found. She died three weeks later in a hospital from a skull fracture.
Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said the Simons murder only had one thing in common with the other attacks and that she was attacked when she was alone. Simons is also the only female who has been attacked and most of the other victims were homeless and asleep at the time.
Simons was going to a local YMCA where she volunteered and was going early to a bus stop. Because of the differences from the other attacks, it wasn’t originally attributed to Guerrero, but it was in the same time period when the homeless men were slain.
Guerrero, 40, pleaded not guilty Tuesday before San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeff Fraser, who set a July 11 preliminary hearing. His arraignment was the first hearing since his arrest last summer in which his mental competency was not an issue after a judge determined he was mentally fit on March 20.
Harvey said Guerrero killed Angelo DeNardo, 53, under the Interstate 5 Bridge near Mission Bay on July 3 by plunging a railroad spike into his head and chest. He was also charged with arson by setting the body on fire.
Shawn Longley, 41, was the second person killed near Robb Field in Ocean Beach on July 4. Dionicio Vahidy, 23, died July 10, four days after he was mortally wounded downtown.
There were two attacks in the Sports Arena area also in July in which a 61-year-old man was left blind after a railroad spike was driven into his sinus cavity. The very first attack occurred Feb. 8, 2016 when a man awoke to being stabbed. The attacker carried a flashlight, but dropped it at the scene. Harvey told the judge that DNA on the flashlight matched Guerrero’s DNA profile.
“He’s terrorized the homeless community,” said Harvey.
The charges represent 12 people attacked in 2016. The charges include four murders, three attempted murders, two arsons, five counts of assault, and the special circumstance of multiple murders.
Harvey said her office has not yet decided whether they will seek the death penalty or a life term in prison if he’s convicted. Guerrero remains in jail without bail. The motive remains unknown, but Guerrero was convicted in 2009 of stealing a bicycle from a homeless woman who was knocked down.