Overview
- The 69-year-old homeowner, Kerry Sheron, was attacked outside his Escondido property on May 20 when a man punched him in the jaw and struck his head after he fell, and Sheron died Sunday night after days in the hospital.
- Police arrested 32-year-old Thomas Caleb Butler the day of the assault and charged him with attempted murder, elder abuse, criminal threats and battery; he pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bail.
- Investigators have security video and witness accounts that show the confrontation and a bystander who tried to intervene was also injured.
- The San Diego County medical examiner has not yet released Sheron’s cause and manner of death and the district attorney’s office will decide before a June 3 hearing whether to add homicide charges.
- Sheron’s home, long known locally for pro‑Trump and patriotic displays and earlier harassment, has raised community attention and calls for answers while officials continue to probe motive and prior incidents.