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By Amanda Codispoti
LYNCHBURG
There are no flowers, candles or pictures memorializing the spot in downtown Lynchburg where police said three teens fatally beat an 81-year-old man Sunday to impress a group of girls.
But the violence that erupted on Main Street will not soon be forgotten by residents and business owners in a city that last year saw no homicides and know their historic downtown to be safe.
"Everyone's sickened by it," said City Manager Kimball Payne, who called the killing a "random act of insanity."
Three juveniles -- two 16-year-olds and a 13-year-old -- have been charged with murder in the death of George Leroy Baker III, of Tempe, Ariz.
Police have not released the suspects' identities, but two are named in search warrants that were sealed Wednesday. Earlier copies of the court documents posted to the website of WDBJ (Channel 7) identify one of the suspects as Kenneth Davis. Another suspect is referred to only as "Jackson."
The search warrant identifying Davis was also posted to The (Lynchburg) News & Advance's website.
Jackson admitted to kicking Baker, and Davis' mother reported him as a runaway in May, according to the documents.
The teens were arrested Tuesday and will be tried as adults. It was unclear Wednesday whether the teenagers had attorneys.
The boys were with a group walking in the 1100 block of Main Street about 11 p.m. Sunday, Lynchburg police Capt. Todd Swisher said.
Witnesses heard Davis say that he was going to hit the first person he saw to impress the girls who were with him, according to a search warrant.
Baker was in Lynchburg to see his granddaughter, a Liberty University graduate, be married. He had a room at the Craddock Terry Hotel, and was about two blocks away when he crossed paths with the teens, police said.
A witness dining at the nearby Hash House saw a teen kick Baker in the face after he'd been knocked down, according to a search warrant.
Two others told police they saw Davis run up to Baker and heard what sounded like someone being hit.
Baker was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital and died early Monday.
Baker's death, the third homicide in the city this year, left the community shocked.
At Liberty University, a concert choir class said a prayer for Baker and his family, junior Stephanie Gardner said.
Staff at the Hash House, a block from where Baker was beaten, were still shaken Wednesday.
Kim Hamilton, a server, said she'd spent more than an hour talking with Baker when he came in for green eggs and ham Friday morning.
He told her Lynchburg was a beautiful city brimming with history, which he was eager to learn.
"He had a smile on his face the whole time," Hamilton said. "He was just a beautiful man."
Even the police struggled to understand Baker's death.
"Trying to rationalize this -- you just can't do it," Swisher said.
Some worried that the violence would mar downtown, where new shops and loft apartments have opened in recent years.
"There is so much revitalization going on, it's a shame to have that scar on the community," said Michelle Rivers, owner of Urban Merchant, a boutique.
Payne, the city manager, said that for years crime was one of the reasons people were reluctant to go downtown.
Now, he said, "there is a degree of determination that this is not going to set us back."
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Future Leaders
I just finished working a job in Williamsburg with some of these Gen-Ys, and am glad it's over. Some could care less about stealing, getting arrested, DUI, violence, sex with minors, etc. I kid you not. They seem proud of this stuff. 'Little wonder small-biz owners prefer foreign summer hires.
It's a shame because their Facebook "friends" are still on-course, looking at a bleak future compared to my younger days.
I tend to think it's not religion, nor race that makes a crucial difference, but parenting. We need it now more than ever while we fix this country. Kids have no illusions about government's failures and how corporations will throw them out in a heartbeat; nor do many have self-esteem. They see a use-and-be-used jungle out there, so on the off-time, juice up with whatever the body can tolerate: what difference does it all make?
Our Condolences
Our condolences go out to Mr. George Leroy Baker III's family and friends. This crime is horrific and saddens our hearts. My son attended Liberty University last year and we think Lynchburg is a beautiful place. It is unfortunate this man's visit to this wonderful place turned out so horribly. We hope the law officials in this case will conduct a thorough investigation and not rush to judgement. If it turns out any of these three youths were involved in assaulting this man leading to his death, as a society we must realize we have their lives, their well being and their futures in our hands. As child advocates, we have needed to fight to protect children & youth from daily attacks from adult violent offenders and child sexual preditors, once these young people have been sentenced to adult jails and prisons and for some while they await their court hearings inside these adult facilities. Many times these youth are moment to moment in fear of their lives, fear of getting severely beat, and fear of being sexually raped by one or several adult inmates. Too many times these children & youths are attacked and raped, sometimes repeatedly, with no escape. Many times they are sentenced to h
As a society.......
we failed them from the get go and they are no accountable as we would be. To be that optimistic with so many witnesses that they "killed" someone to believe they should be protected because of their age is folly. They may not have realized (because violence on TV and other places suggests everyone makes it) that Mr. Baker would die, but they did know he was hurt, hurting and otherwise this was wrong yet they did it anyway. The fact that they go to prison and convicts set new standards for justice is their consequence. If we need to protect them we need to protect every convict who's killed someone. Let's just lock them all up on closets, - we have, but like anyone or any animal caged they're going to get squirrley. They made a choice, the choice has consequences, they should be terribly afraid - for the rest of their lives. All of them. We're all at fault yet people "choose" to do this stuff anyway and we're to take the blame, I don't think so.
opps kudos needed after all
Opps. Sorry. Spoke too soon about the citizens of Lynnchburg. After reading the article from the newspaper in that city it seems that the people(witnesses) did come to the aid of that poor gentleman. Wish our own paper had said that in the article when they had printed it. However, that doesn't change the course of action that should be taken against the "girls".jmo
What did the witnesses do?
This heinous crime was committed on the streets of a city near businesses. In front of people that later came forwards to be "witnesses", yet they did nothing to stop it. Says alot for the citizens of that city. Just an observation, but I really don't think I want to ever consider living there. As for the girls, they should be charged just like in Norfolk when the group of "teens" there beat that man to death in Ocean View.
teens murder 81 yr old
i don't see how you can blame the parents unless they in some way encouraged or directly facilitated this horrible act of violence. parents can raise children, teach them right from wrong etc. every day of their lives and hopefully they become independent decent human beings.unfortunately, as hard as parents try to instill values the world is working just as hard to undo what you've taught them. sometimes it seems society, television, peer pressure, violence and sex on t.v have way more influence on our young people than parents do. bottom line, these teens knew what they were doing was wrong and did it anyway. i wonder if the girls were impressed or were they scared the boys would turn on them? were the girls laughing, urging them on? did they cry and try to stop the boys? did they run or just standby and watch? did they do anything to help Mr.Baker? why is it some people seem to be without a conscience??? how do people get that way??!! how horrible for everyone involved. a man had his life tragically ended, these teenagers have ruined their lives and at the very least will spend most all their adult lives in prison, families have suffered losses-the family of Mr.Baker has lost a
But, making them accountable......
.......is what's key for a parent. Just how long of a time-out do you give a kid who kills a small animal and then a human being? Time-outs work for some things but not all. Kids have to be held accountable for their actions and that's where parents drop the ball. Some are too busy, ignorant or worse don't care. I'm not talking about you, but the sad fact is they are out there and when one looks back on the parents, sometimes we find patterns. Not all the time, because peer pressure being what it is can be another factor to consider, but just because you don't like to hear it doesn't mean it isn't out there. But you feel you need to be heard and so do a lot of the rest of us. State your point but don't shoot the messenger(s).
Funny how we're given a chance to speak out on some view we are passionate about and how so many others try to shut us up. Is that society speaking? If so, just where does one stand. We keep grouping, ungrouping, sectorizing, and partitioning so much that "society" seems to be on some transcendental level I can't reach.
Maybe that bumper sticker that reads, "let's kill em all and let God sort em out" holds some credence. But, society says, le
Crime of pure stupidity...
No Hate, No Racism, just pure stupidity. One kid said I'm goona jump the first person comes this way, in front a his peers, and it goes tragically downhill from there. For all you death seekers - the law in Virginia automatically makes a murder by anyone over 14 an adult crime, BUT removes the death penalty from the table. I'm living in Lynchburg, and everyone here, regardless of race is horrified by this crime.
'Nuther thing
Why were kids of that age out at 11pm? They should have been in bed by 10. Their parents need to feel the heat as well.
No curfew in Lynchburg
Lynchburg does not have mandated curfews for teens, so it is totally normal to see kids walking around at night in certain parts of town. And for those who drive cars, it is also normal to waste a night just driving around with nothing to do.