ANAHEIM, Calif. — Investigators are “extremely confident” that a man in their custody is responsible for all four recent slayings of homeless men in Orange County, Anaheim Police Chief John Welter said Saturday.
Welter said at a news conference that investigators have tied Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, of Yorba Linda to the slayings, which have struck fear into the area’s homeless community for the past month.
Ocampo was detained Friday night after a fourth homeless man was found slain in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant. Three other homeless men have been found stabbed to death in north Orange County since mid-December. A task force of police officers, sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents had been looking for the single suspect they thought was responsible for all three.
“We are extremely confident that we have the man that is responsible for the murders of all four homeless men in Orange County,” Welter said.
Earlier Saturday, mourners wept and placed flowers at the scene of the death of the latest stabbing victim, who was described by friends as a Vietnam War veteran in his 60s named John.
The Associated Press
