Two men are charged in 2014 beating death of homeless man
The San Francisco Police Department announced Monday the arrests of two men suspected of beating a disabled homeless man to death two years ago.
David Peters of Stockon and Joseph Stull of Idaho, both 21, were each charged with murder, second-degree robbery, assault and elder abuse, police and prosecutors said.
The announcement comes two years after Lam Tai Thaun, 67, was found severely injured in the 100 block of Sutter Street in November 2014. Paramedics took Thaun to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.
According to police, Thaun was lying under a blanket on the sidewalk when he was randomly attacked. Surveillance footage shows at least one man kicking and stomping on Thaun. The man stops when a car speeds by, then continues kicking him.
Investigators were working on the case for months until they caught a break in September when they identified Stull as one of the alleged assailants. Stull had been serving time in Kootenai County Jail in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, police said. He was booked into the San Francisco County jail on Oct. 28, according to arrest records.
Last week, detectives identified Peters as the second alleged assailant in the attack and arrested him in Stockton.
San Francisco police did not provide details on how they were able to track down the two men. The investigation is ongoing, authorities said.
Peters and Stull remain in jail pending $5-million bail each. Both men are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.
For more Southern California news, follow @latvives on Twitter.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
