Ventura Boy, 15, Convicted in Beating Death of Transient

A 15-year-old Ventura boy was convicted of second-degree murder Friday for participating in the beachside slaying of a homeless man who was beaten by a group of party-going teens last summer.

Rocky Mattley, a freckle-faced youth with no prior criminal record, was convicted after a four-day trial in Ventura County Juvenile Court.

Although defense lawyers argued that he was a tag-along to three older teens, Judge John E. Dobroth said he had no choice but to hold Mattley accountable because he participated in the deadly assault.

After the ruling, Mattley looked to his parents, seated in the front row of the courtroom. His mother rushed out in tears. His father whispered “I love you” as the bailiff led the boy away.

Deputy Public Defender Howard Asher predicted the likely outcome during his remarks in court.

“Rocky candidly acknowledged that he kicked the man a couple of times,” Asher said. “There doesn’t seem to be a defense theory that excludes liability.”

Outside the courtroom, prosecutors Maeve Fox and Stacy Ratner said the court now faces a greater challenge: deciding how to rehabilitate a juvenile whose first offense was aiding and abetting murder.

Defense attorneys oppose sending Mattley to the California Youth Authority, where he could be held until his 25th birthday.

Ratner said there are a variety of alternative placements, but she acknowledged that many group homes won’t accept a juvenile convicted of murder.

All sides agree that the goal is not punishment, but helping Mattley make a fresh start.

“I think all the parties feel the same way,” Fox said. “The goal is to get him the backing he needs to get stability in his life.”

The deadly assault occurred the night of June 30 after a group of teenagers allegedly robbed 58-year-old James Clark, then kicked, beat and threw rocks at the homeless veteran as he lay in a sleeping bag near the mouth of the Ventura River, close to Surfers Point.

Clark died after sustaining severe multiple blunt-force injuries that included a crushed kidney, a broken rib and possible skull fracture.

Police later arrested Robert Coffman, 19, of Oak View; Timothy Becker, 18, of Ventura; Christopher Dunham, 19, of Ventura; and Mattley. They obtained conflicting statements from the four suspects.

Mattley admitted in a taped interview to kicking “a bum” as he and the other teenagers headed to a beach party. He also admitted throwing a rock at the man.

According to court testimony, Mattley later “freaked out” after learning that the homeless man had died. He told friends he didn’t realize the assault could result in death.

Ventura County prosecutors have since charged all four teenagers with murder. They elected to prosecute Mattley in Juvenile Court because he was 14 at the time.

Mattley’s trial before a Superior Court judge began earlier this month with testimony from the medical examiner and continued Wednesday as defense lawyers pushed to throw out the youth’s statements to police.

Dobroth denied the request Friday, rejecting defense arguments that police coerced the boy and violated the law by preventing him from talking to his parents before the interrogation.

The judge found Mattley knew what he was doing when he consented to an interview and seemed eager to tell his side of the story, telling detectives: “If it has to do with the bum, I think I can help you out.”

The other suspects are scheduled to stand trial April 26. They face possible life sentences in prison, if convicted.

During a preliminary hearing last month for Coffman and Becker, Ventura Police Det. Pat Stevens testified that the two men admitted assaulting Clark while heading to a party with Mattley and Dunham.

The group took the homeless man’s radio and backpack, which held a container of pennies, Stevens said. They pelted the victim with the coins and then kicked him in the face, arms and chest, he said.