Released Suspect in Killings Now Victim of Cyberbullying

Since July 3rd, San Diego has been plagued with a spree of killings and brutal attacks on local homeless, leaving three dead and two seriously injured.

The serial killer was targeting San Diego’s homeless and stabbing and/or lighting them on fire usually using gasoline as an accelerant. The first attack on July 3rd happened near Morena Blvd. on a freeway underpass where the suspect “torched” his victim, 53-year-old Angelo De Nardo, with gasoline and a lighter. Less than 24 hours later, two more people were attacked. 61-year-old Manuel Nunez Mason was critically injured near Loma Portal and 41-year-old Shawn Mitchell Longley was found dead in Ocean Beach.

The fourth attack occurred at approximately 5am in downtown San Diego when a witness saw a man stab and torch 23-year-old Dionicio Vahidy. Supposedly the assailant stabbed Vahidy before throwing a blanket on him, spraying something on it, and lighting it on fire. While Vahidy survived the initial attack, he succumbed to his injuries four days later.

The grisly attacks came to an end in the early morning hours of July 15th when police heard screams and caught a suspected assailant mid attack. 39-year-old Jon David Guerrero was arrested and it has since been found that he has a history of mental illness and previous arrests.

Before Guerrero’s arrest, there was another man in custody for the killings, 36-year-old Anthony Padgett of Chula Vista. Padgett was arrested and released without charges, but that hasn’t stopped the onslaught of hate filled comments on his social media accounts. It came to light that Padgett had a previous conviction in 2010 for setting a homeless person on fire and the internet went wild with the information leaving comments on Padgett’s public Facebook photos such as this comment posted on a photo of Padget: "Disgusting af. He was arrested in 2010 for setting a homeless on fire, released, and somehow manages to have "friends". You are just as sick as he is. He is a murderer!"

While some people have come to Padgett’s defense stating that he was wrongfully arrested, others are still harassing him due to his previous conviction. When one woman was confronted on her comment saying she hopes Padgett gets killed in prison, she replied “Pfffft, I think NOT! IF he didn’t do it (although he did) he still set his friend on fire some years back, so he is a ***.”

Although the law states every person is innocent until proven guilty, it seems this isn’t the case when it comes to public opinion. “A wrongful arrest has enormous implications on a person, beyond the obvious instant and very public humiliation,” stated George Ramos, a San Diego criminal lawyer. “Unfortunately, there is a presumed guilt associated with an arrest despite the Constitution saying otherwise.”

Ramos also explained that there are significant consequences for a person who is wrongfully arrested, “because the arrest will always be part of that person’s background check even if the case was not filed.”

While investigators are confident Guerrero is the attacker, Padgett has been pushed into the spotlight with the false arrest and will most likely continue to be bullied and harassed as a result of this situation. Public opinion on the matter is strong and varied given his past criminal record.