21-year-old sentenced in beating of homeless man

A 21-year-old Inglewood man who beat a sleeping homeless man with a baseball bat was sentenced to 11 years in prison today as his victim expressed compassion for his attacker.

Justin Edward Brumfield had nearly pummeled Ernest Adams, 56, to death with a baseball bat as he slept on a downtown Los Angeles sidewalk in August 2005.

When given a chance to speak, Adams told the court: “I do not have revenge in my heart for the defendant.”

Adams asked that he not be stuck with medical bills from the beating.

Brumfield told police he and a friend, William Alexander Orantes, decided to attack homeless men after watching a video depicting homeless men brawling. Orantes pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in August and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Orantes and Brumfield had attacked Gerald McHenry, 38, as he slept at 9th and Wall streets. The pair then found Adams at 3rd and Flower streets, where they beat him severely enough to put him in a coma for three weeks.

Calling for a tough sentence, Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Lebovich said, “This was done for sport against the most vulnerable people in society.”

In imposing the prison term for two assault counts, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta told Brumfield his crime “shows you are a serious danger to society, which includes the homeless.”

The slightly built Brumfield gazed around the courtroom as the judge spoke. Adams sat sternly behind Brumfield’s mother in the courtroom. Beneath Adams’ black hair, a long scar and a depression in his scalp were visible, wounds left by Brumfield.

When the sentencing was completed, Brumfield’s mother, Laurel Simpson, turned in her seat to face Adams. She handed him a handwritten letter; the muscular Adams firmly grasped her hand, smiled warmly and told her to “have a good day.”

Outside the courtroom, Simpson, who had been composed in court, began to cry. Adams embraced her. She tore a piece off a file folder she was carrying, wrote her phone number on it and handed it to Adams.

“Call me,” she said. “I want to speak with you.”

“It is unfortunate that Justin met Mr. Adams under these circumstances,” she said. “He has so much wisdom and knowledge. I wish Justin had a friend like Mr. Adams instead of the friends he had.”

Since the beating, Adams moved to an apartment in Little Tokyo and has been studying for a real estate license. He said he was concerned he might be responsible for paying for his brain surgery, which cost more than $100,000, as Medi-Cal and district attorney officials negotiate coverage amounts.

Ohta said he would later decide the amount of restitution Brumfield would have to pay Adams.

Brumfield’s lawyer, Maynard Davis, said he was “not shocked” by the sentence and was not planning an appeal.

Simpson said she believed Ohta ruled fairly, but had nevertheless hoped for a lighter sentence. “I know my son has a conscience. …He’s a good person,” she said.

Adams said he understood the reasons for Brumfield’s sentence, but regretted that he would serve far more time than his accomplice, Orantes. “I was disappointed by the disparity … but I am obedient to jurisprudence,” he said.

At Davis’ request, Ohta agreed to recommend to corrections officials that Brumfield serve his time as close to Los Angeles as possible, perhaps at a fire camp or work camp.

peter.hong@latimes.com