VENTURA : 2 Men Indicted in Beating Death

The Ventura County grand jury issued an indictment against two Ventura men Tuesday, charging them both in connection with the killing of 36-year-old Thomas Shoop, who died a day after being beaten and robbed of $15 last month, prosecutors said.

The jury indicted Everado Mondragon, 35, and Jose Sanchez, 24, each on charges of murder and robbery. Prosecutors decided to bring the case before the grand jury because of fear that witnesses of the Feb. 20 mugging might be reluctant to come forward if the case wasn’t immediately brought to court.

“I felt it would be in everybody’s best interest to get on with this,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Terence M. Kilbride said. “Witnesses become very nervous; we wanted to be sure we got them in court.”

Mondragon was also indicted for selling cocaine and failing to appear in court. Arraignment on the indictment was postponed Tuesday until April 4. The men remain in custody at the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $250,000 each.

The attack on Shoop occurred while he was walking near Harrison Avenue and Olive Street in west Ventura. He was approached by two men who offered to sell him rock cocaine. When he refused, the men kicked him repeatedly and stole $15. Shoop later identified Mondragon and Sanchez as his assailants.

Shoop refused medical treatment after the beating because he didn’t have health insurance, relatives said. He died a day later of a ruptured spleen.

“Basically, he lived on odd jobs and supplemental income; he couldn’t afford a hospital bill,” said John Kenney, Shoop’s cousin.

“He was going to tough it out and see if he didn’t have to go. He suffered a fatal mistake.”

Shoop attended Buena High School and later worked as an electrician until a work-related accident left him partially disabled.

“Most people who knew him had a lot of respect for him,” Kenney said. “He was a very giving person.”