A cemetery beating that stemmed from a possible robbery has turned into a homicide case as a 61-year-old man has been taken off life support, making him the 41st homicide victim of 2009.
The actual attack on Benson George Smith occurred on Saturday at the Pine Hills cemetery, just north of the Kennedy Road and Danforth Road area.
Det. Mike Carbone told a Friday news conference that Benson was in the company of a male friend.
"At this time, Mr. Smith and his friend were approached by a female and two other males. The two males made a demand for property. The males commenced beating Mr. Smith," he said.
The woman and two suspected assailants fled the scene. Paramedics took an unconscious Smith to hospital with life-threatening injuries. Smith died Friday.
Carbone said they have a security camera image of the woman.
Police describe her as follows:
- black, light complexion
- 19 - 21 years old, 5'4" - 5'6"
- black, curly hair in a pony tail
- last seen wearing a blue check shirt with a white sweater, tight blue jeans and black shoes
"At this time, she is considered a person of interest, but if she would like to seek counsel, she is certainly free to do so and we would strongly suggest that she contact us," Carbone said.
In an earlier news release, police described one suspect as follows:
- black, light complexion
- 20 - 25 years old, 5'6" - 5'8", 150 lbs.
- long, dark hair in a pony tail
- last seen wearing a white t-shirt, oversized jeans and running shoes. May be driving a newer, white SUV
There was no description released of the second male.
Carbone said Smith wasn't known to police and resided at a nearby shelter. Smith's companion has been co-operative with police, he said.
There's no known relationship between Smith and his attackers, but there is reason to believe they had seen each other before the incident, he said.
People with information are asked to contact police at 416−808−4104, Crime Stoppers
anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and a message to CRIMES (274637).
