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Cops link 2 teens to attack on 1 of 5 homeless men
By Sue Lindsay and Hector Gutierrez
News Staff Writers
Denver police named two suspects Thursday in the slaying of one of five homeless men, and charges could be filed as early as today.
Police have connected Thomas Holden, 18, and a 16-year-old juvenile to the Sept. 8 beating death of Melvin Washington. Washington, 47, was sleeping on a sidewalk at 18th and Larimer Streets when a group of young men attacked him, witnesses said. He died of head injuries a week later.
Holden is being held in the Denver jail, and the 16-year-old is being held in Greeley on unrelated charges, homicide Sgt. Jon Priest said.
Lt. Daniel Yount said more arrests could be coming in the Washington case.
``But we don't know yet,'' Yount said.
Priest said police have ``no known suspects'' in the other slayings. Detectives are still trying to determine whether the killings are connected.
Authorities say slaying suspects are part of a loosely knit group of homeless youths known as ``mall rats'' who hang out near Skyline Park on Denver's 16th Street Mall.
``These are people who chose to be homeless,'' Yount said. ``Some have moved here from other parts of the country.''
All together, police have seven suspects in custody in connection with two nonfatal beatings of transients.
An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for an eighth suspect - Nathan Harrison, 20, in connection with the assaults of George Burdge and Thomas Hollis, two homeless men severely beaten Sept. 25 and Sept. 26.
Holden and the teen also are considered suspects in the attacks on Burdge and Hollis, detective Patric Ward said.
Also in custody in those attacks are Michael Nelson, 19; Octavia Montoya, 18; Michael Leathers, 19, and Alexander Taapken, 21, and a 17-year-old male.
The only one formally charged in the attacks, Leathers, faces counts of robbery and assault.
Four homeless men were beaten to death in September. The body of a fifth transient was discovered Oct. 22 near 19th and Lipan streets, and detectives have not ruled out foul play. The victim may have been dead at least three weeks, police said.
Until Thursday, police had not linked any of the suspects to the slayings.
The break in the case occurred Oct. 4 when Burdge, a harmonica street musician, alerted police when he saw one of his attackers on the mall. That resulted in Leathers' arrest.
Holden was arrested Saturday.
While being questioned, Holden apparently told detectives that the same suspects involved in the Sept. 25 attack on Burdge participated in the attack on Hollis early the next morning, documents showed. Hollis was able to stop the assault by throwing a rock at one of his attackers.
Holden claimed Leathers lured Burdge to the banks of Cherry Creek so he could be assaulted and robbed. Burdge told detectives he went with Leathers because Leathers was going to show the victim where he could get food.
Once they reached the bicycle path, Leathers met up with the others. Holden allegedly told detectives everyone then started to hit and kick the victim ``until they thought he was dead.''
Harrison, the lone fugitive, allegedly took Burdge's jewelry while the victim was being pummeled, Holden claimed.
According to police, forensic tests showed that Burdge's blood was on clothing belonging to some of the suspects.
In an unrelated matter, a probation revocation hearing Thursday for Leathers was rescheduled in Arapahoe County. That hearing was continued to Dec. 4.
Police said they also are investigating two assaults on Tuesday and Wednesday.
One victim, Kenneth Williams, was assaulted at 20th and Larimer streets. A suspect, Vincent DeValle, is in custody.
Late Tuesday, a 35-year-old man claimed he was sleeping at a park at Park Avenue West and East 17th Avenue when three males and a female began assaulting him.
Police said the cases don't appear to be related to the recent series of attacks on the homeless.
November 5, 1999
