Santee Homeless Man Dies From Beating Injuries; 2 Brothers Believed Responsible: Sheriff

SANTEE, CA: A homeless man found beaten and unconscious Sunday at a Santee River bottom has now died from his injuries and the suspects in the case — two brothers — will be charged with his murder, authorities said.

George Lowery, 50, had been hospitalized in critical condition since his wife discovered him lying severely injured Sunday near Chubb Lane and North Magnolia Avenue, according to San Diego County sheriff's Lt. Kenneth Nelson. The lieutenant said Lowery and his wife lived in a nearby homeless encampment.

On Thursday, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department announced the arrest of two brothers in connection with the alleged assault: 20-year-old Austin Mostrong and 19-year-old Preston Mostrong, both of Santee. They were initially booked into jail on suspicion of attempted murder, torture and kidnapping.

Sheriff's Lt. Kenneth Nelson said Friday the attempted murder charge will be amended to murder, and that a robbery charge will also be added.

Physical evidence and witness statements were what led to the brothers' arrests, Nelson told Patch.

"We don't believe it was a random attack; we believe he was targeted," Nelson said. "We believe it stemmed from an incident that occurred the previous week at the river bottom."

The lieutenant added that detectives worked "around the clock" to figure out who was responsible for the brutal attack.

"This person, Mr. Lowery, is one of society's most vulnerable folks," Nelson said. "We took it very seriously. The detectives from Santee worked around the clock to solve this case — that is why they were able to solve it so quickly."

***Updated at 1:15 p.m. Pacific Time; Originally posted at 11:28 a.m. Pacific Time, April 29, 2016