Man, 84, Beaten to Death in His Home
An 84-year-old man was beaten to death inside his Van Nuys home, Los Angeles police said Saturday.
The slain man was identified as Leo Saucedo, said Thomas Schwabe, an investigator with the county coroner’s office.
Authorities believe Saucedo unsuccessfully tried to fight off an assailant sometime before 6 p.m. Thursday, when a housekeeper discovered his body at his home in the 6900 block of Burnet Avenue, Officer Patti Hoopes said. A motive for the attack has not been established, she said.
News of Saucedo’s death shook residents of the quiet Van Nuys community.
“I was very shocked because we have never had any problems in this neighborhood,” said Carolyn Proto, who has lived on Burnet Avenue for 12 years. “I just don’t know why somebody would do something like this to him.”
Proto described Saucedo as a kind and caring man who devoted much of his time to caring for his wife, who has Alzheimer’s disease. She said his killing has sparked talk among neighbors of starting a Neighborhood Watch program.
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