A San Diego man died Sunday from wounds suffered in an attack while he slept last Wednesday.
Dionicio Derek Vahidy, 23, is believed to be the third victim to die in a series of assaults on homeless men that began on July 3 when Angelo De Nardo, 53, of San Diego was found dead and set afire in an open area off Morena Boulevard in Bay Park. De Nardo's body had been set on fire after his death, investigators later determined though they say all attacks occurred as the men slept.
Vahidy, the fourth man to be attacked, suffered extensive damage to his upper body, as did all of the victims, according to police. He was set on fire after the attack, which took place at an apartment complex in the 700 block of Kettner Boulevard.
Another victim, Shawn Longley, described as a 41-year-old drifter, was found dead at a park in the 2500 block of Bacon Street in Ocean Beach last Monday.
That same day, transient Manuel Mason, 61, was found bleeding from wounds to his upper body in the 3700 block of Greenwood Street, near Valley View Casino Center in the Midway district. He was hospitalized in critical condition but was expected to survive.
Anthony Alexander Padgett, 36, the man police believe responsible for the attacks, was arrested last Thursday and is due in court Monday. Padgett, also said to be homeless, was arrested Thursday in Chula Vista after a four-day police manhunt.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to call the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
