The Latest: Dispute between camps preceded fatal beating

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Latest on a homeless encampment beating (all times local):

11:30 a.m.

Police in Vermont say a dispute between separate homeless encampments that involved smearing and pouring human waste on occupants’ tents preceded the fatal beating of a transgender man.

Burlington police say someone from one encampment smeared feces on the tent of someone from the other camp about 100 feet away. Amos Beede was then assaulted after he poured urine on the tent of one of his assailants.

Beede was assaulted May 23. He died May 28.

Police Chief Brandon del Pozo said Friday the crime showed “a lot of anger, rage, (and) commitment on the part of the perpetrators,” but one of the suspects had a history of assaulting other homeless people. Police don’t believe the fatal beating was related to Beede being transgender.

Burlington police identified the suspects as Erik Averill, Myia Barber, Allison Gee and Jordan Paul. They are being held in California.

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10:10 a.m.

Police say they do not believe the fatal beating of a man at a Vermont homeless encampment was related to his being transgender.

Four people wanted in the May 23 attack on Amos Beede were arrested Thursday in San Diego.

Burlington police identified the suspects as Erik Averill, Myia Barber, Allison Gee and Jordan Paul on Thursday afternoon.

San Diego police Sgt. Michael Tansey tells The Burlington Free Press (http://bfpne.ws/20W60Hy) that the group will be held until authorities in Burlington bring charges against them and seek their extradition from California. They have yet to be assigned attorneys who can comment.

Tips provided by Burlington police led San Diego detectives to the suspects, who were found at a park in the city.

Police believe a dispute preceded the beating.

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7:50 a.m.

Four people wanted in the fatal beating of a transgender man at a Vermont homeless encampment were arrested in San Diego following a nationwide manhunt.

San Diego police Sgt. Michael Tansey tells The Burlington Free Press (http://bfpne.ws/20W60Hy ) that the four suspects wanted on suspicion of second-degree murder in the May 23 attack on Amos Beede were apprehended late Thursday.

Burlington police publicly identified the suspects as Erik Averill, Myia Barber, Allison Gee and Jordan Paul on Thursday afternoon.

Tansey says the group will be held until authorities in Burlington bring charges against them and seek their extradition from California. They have yet to be assigned attorneys who could comment.

Tips provided by Burlington police led San Diego detectives to the suspects, who were found at a park in the city.

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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com