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Berkeley man, 67, slain outside his house in hills
Residents of the tranquil Berkeley hills were in shock Sunday after police described a horrific slaying, with a homeowner beaten after confronting a young man - an apparent stranger - who had trespassed onto his property.
Authorities did not identify the victim, but neighbors and public records indicated that the owner of the home where the Saturday night killing occurred was Peter Cukor, 67, who owned a logistics consulting firm. His family declined to talk.
Shortly after the attack outside the large home near Tilden Park, a Berkeley police officer found Daniel Jordan Dewitt, 23, of Alameda, less than a block away. Dewitt was booked on suspicion of murder, and was being held Sunday without bail.
Dewitt suffers from mental illness, said his mother, Candy Dewitt.
"I've been telling people for years he needs help, but they're just throwing people with mental illness onto the streets," she said before declining further comment. "I'm too upset."
Police said Daniel Dewitt attacked the victim at about 8:45 p.m., after he and his wife returned home to find Dewitt near their garage. The victim told Dewitt to leave, went inside, then came out again and was attacked, said Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss.
The victim had called police on a nonemergency line after first seeing Dewitt, according to sources familiar with the case. But police were busy monitoring an Occupy Oakland march to UC Berkeley, and officers were dispatched only to high-priority calls.
An officer who noticed the call about Dewitt on his computer told a dispatcher he would respond, but was told not to go, sources said.
Minutes later, the victim's wife heard her husband yelling for help and called 911 after seeing the suspect dragging him into bushes and hitting him with a potted plant, sources said.
Officers responded and gave the victim first aid until paramedics arrived. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The property where the attack occurred is on Park Gate near Shasta Road and Grizzly Peak Boulevard. The two-story, 6,500-square-foot house sits behind stone walls and up a driveway of roughly 40 yards.
Neighbors said they were having trouble coming to terms with what had happened.
"It's unsettling," said Pat Gahan, 44. "We feel so insulated up here. You really have to make an effort to get up here."
Residents of the tranquil Berkeley hills were in shock Sunday after police described a horrific slaying, with a homeowner beaten after confronting a young man - an apparent stranger - who had trespassed onto his property.
Authorities did not identify the victim, but neighbors and public records indicated that the owner of the home where the Saturday night killing occurred was Peter Cukor, 67, who owned a logistics consulting firm. His family declined to talk.
Shortly after the attack outside the large home near Tilden Park, a Berkeley police officer found Daniel Jordan Dewitt, 23, of Alameda, less than a block away. Dewitt was booked on suspicion of murder, and was being held Sunday without bail.
Dewitt suffers from mental illness, said his mother, Candy Dewitt.
"I've been telling people for years he needs help, but they're just throwing people with mental illness onto the streets," she said before declining further comment. "I'm too upset."
Police said Daniel Dewitt attacked the victim at about 8:45 p.m., after he and his wife returned home to find Dewitt near their garage. The victim told Dewitt to leave, went inside, then came out again and was attacked, said Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss.
The victim had called police on a nonemergency line after first seeing Dewitt, according to sources familiar with the case. But police were busy monitoring an Occupy Oakland march to UC Berkeley, and officers were dispatched only to high-priority calls.
An officer who noticed the call about Dewitt on his computer told a dispatcher he would respond, but was told not to go, sources said.
Minutes later, the victim's wife heard her husband yelling for help and called 911 after seeing the suspect dragging him into bushes and hitting him with a potted plant, sources said.
Officers responded and gave the victim first aid until paramedics arrived. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The property where the attack occurred is on Park Gate near Shasta Road and Grizzly Peak Boulevard. The two-story, 6,500-square-foot house sits behind stone walls and up a driveway of roughly 40 yards.
Neighbors said they were having trouble coming to terms with what had happened.
"It's unsettling," said Pat Gahan, 44. "We feel so insulated up here. You really have to make an effort to get up here."
