5 Homeless Killed in Calif. Massacre

(NEWSER) - A surge in vicious, unprovoked assaults on homeless people has put weight behind efforts to reclassify such attacks as hate crimes, the New York Times reports. Attacks have risen as more people have been pushed onto the streets by the recession, and researchers say the assailants are generally men or, more often, teenage boys who see the homeless as easy targets and beat, burn, and kill them for sport. "A lot of what we see are thrill offenders," says one criminologist. More»

Itzcoatl Ocampo to be charged with stabbing Raquel Estrada, Juan Herrera

(NEWSER) - Authorities believe Itzcoatl Ocampo, the 23-year-old Iraq veteran charged with stabbing four homeless men to death in California, also killed two other people—ones that he knew. Ocampo will be charged today with the murders of Raquel Estrada, 53, and her 34-year-old son, Juan Herrera, the mother and brother of a friend Ocampo has known since high school. That friend, Eder Herrera, had originally been charged with the murders, but those charges were dropped Friday, CNN reports. More»

Three killed in 10 days in Orange County

(NEWSER) - Homeless Californians were packing shelters last night after discovering they're being stalked by a serial killer. The stabbing deaths of three homeless men in 10 days have been linked to a single "serious, dangerous serial killer operating in Orange County," police warn. A man wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt was seen on a video surveillance tape approaching a homeless man shortly before the victim's murder. A white, four-door Toyota can be seen parked nearby, and may be the killer's murder-spree transportation, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»

Julie Schenecker notes show calculated plans to murder kids

(NEWSER) - Before she allegedly shot her teenage son and daughter in the head for being "mouthy," Julie Schenecker detailed her plans with pen and paper. Referencing Florida's three-day waiting period to take home a firearm, Schenecker chillingly wrote in a note that it would "delay the massacre," reports the St. Petersburg Times. Schenecker has admitted shooting Beau, 13, and Calyx, 16, five days after she bought a .38-caliber handgun. Authorities have yet to identify the gun shop where she made the purchase. Click for more on the tragic case . More»

Homeless population up 15% in year

(NEWSER) - The sound of waves crashing, spectacular views, white sand between your toes: Such is life for the hundreds of homeless flocking to Hawaii's shores, where the medical and dental care is free, and hey, you're not under a bridge in Detroit in January. With the homeless population up 15% over last year at a cost of $35,000 a head—and worries that tents on the beach will drive away tourists—the state is resorting to buying them one-way tickets to their home state. More»