deadmonton 2006 - russell ross
Russell Ross, 52, was beaten on October 20th, 2006. He died four days later from blunt head trauma.
Ross was Edmonton's twenty-ninth homicide victim of the year.
Three males, two 16-year-olds and a 14-year-old, were each charged with three counts of assault causing bodily harm.
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At about 6:30 a.m. on October 21st, officers were called to an alley near 96 Street and 107A Avenue.
A 52-year-old homeless man had been found beaten and bleeding from the head.
The man was taken to University of Alberta Hospital with life-threatening injuries. His prospects were described as poor.
Police initially had no suspects but investigators were looking for three male youths that witnesses saw in the area at about the time the man was found.
Homicide detectives were notified of the assault but were not initially involved in the investigation.
On October 26th, 2006 police announced that Russell Ross had died two days earlier from blunt head trauma. His death was Edmonton's 29th homicide of the year.
After conferring with the Crown prosecutor's office, police charged three males, two 16-year-olds and a 14-year-old, with assault causing bodily harm.
"That charge was arrived at after consulting with the Crown and us determing that that charge had the best likelihood of conviction," said a police spokesman.
"The decision to lay the charges is based on the evidence so far," Alberta Justice spokesman David Dear told the Edmonton Journal. "It's not appropriate to discuss it further. It is before the courts."
That decision did not sit well with those who worked within the city's homeless community.
Dear later added it was still possible for the assault charges to be upgraded.
There was no indication that weapons were used. Police did not comment on how they identified the youths or what their motive for the attack was.
Police also said they were not looking for any other suspects.
University of Alberta law professor Sanjeev Anand theorised something may have happened between the time Ross was beaten and the time he died, resulting in the lesser charges
"That's strange, unless there's something about the beating we just don't know," Anand told the Journal. "I just can't conceive of it."
Anand said even a pre-existing medical condition doesn't normally create an exception to the laying of murder or manslaughter charges.
"They're not treating it as a homicide. They're treating it as an assault, " Anand said while suggesting detectives may only be able to prove a low-level beating took place.
In a story published October 26th, the Edmonton Sun caught up with several street people who said police had warned them to stay south of the river. The men also said Russell Ross was beaten to death for his beer.
“Cops told us not to go north. They warned us about the kids on the north side who like to beat up homeless guys for laughs,” Leonard told the paper.
“I won't cross the bridge,” he added.
Police told the men to stay clear of the north side to avoid roving gangs of kids prowling downtown area streets looking to beat up vagrants.
Christopher, another homeless person, seemed to know something about the weekend attack.
“He had some beer, and they wanted it. So they kicked hell out of him. They're not kids. They're just a bunch of fucking little punks who think it's real funny to beat up someone just 'cause he's poor.”
The men said swarming attacks on street people are routine, occurring almost daily.
“It's not for money,” said Leonard. “They do it for fun.”
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The murder had others in the city's homeless community on edge. CTV Edmonton spoke to Les Redell (pictured above far left).
"You sleep by video cameras or something eh. You sleep, you gotta worry about people getting hurt for nothing. The homeless are always ones ... they'll steal your bag."
"There's guys that get beat, mugged, they get piped everyday."
Dawn Young echoed Redell's fears and said she keeps to herself on the city's streets.
"A lot of people here are coming in and out of prison or they're involved in different kinds of activities that aren't considered legal."
"So you know, you have to be careful about what you say and what you do and who you're involved with."
Global Edmonton spoke to Richard Paul, a man who knew Ross.
"He was alright. He was good people to meet, eh."
Global also interviewed Janelle Baker (far right) of the Hope Mission. She reflected on how the homeless were perceived by others.
"The unfortunate thing is that the individuals who did this and the individuals who do do this do not see them as people."
"And if these people don't get the punishment that they deserve, what's it going to teach the people after that?"
There was media speculation the attack on Ross was inspired by a recent episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
The installment, Fannysmackin', featured a group of individuals who beat up vulnerable people as part of a social event. It aired ten days before Ross was attacked.
The attack also recalled a scene from Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, where four teens brutally assault a homeless man.
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CTV Edmonton asked Mayor Stephen Mandel for his reaction to the attack on Russell Ross by the three teens.
"I don't know how much lower you can get on the criminal chain than that one."
Strong reaction also came from Alberta's Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko and Edmonton Chief Mike Boyd (see Why Edmonton? The Rise of Teen Violence for full details).
Terry Kettleson, a Whyte Avenue outreach worker who knew Ross, told the station he was a good man.
"He was a very kind soul when he was sober. And even when he was under the influence he still always made a mention of coming up and talking to me."
The Edmonton Journal also quoted Kettleson who said Russell Ross was native and from God's Lake First Nation in Manitoba. She said he had four children who live in Edmonton and Manitoba.
The Journal interviewed Ross for a story published in July 2002 about the closing of the Inner City Mission at 10304 96th Street.
Ross brought his two daughters, Ara-Bella and Patricia, with him to say goodbye to the soup kitchen. Ross said he lived at the mission in 1996 and 1997.
At the time the story was printed, Ross said he was celebrating three years and two months of sobriety.
"On May 1, 1999, I woke up in the alley behind the Mustard Seed Church," he said. "And then I slowly made a comeback, day by day."
The newspaper also spoke to Ross in December 1993.
Ross had brought his young son and daughter for a Christmas feast at the inner-city Sacred Heart Church.
He told the Journal he couldn't afford to put one on himself as a single father on welfare.
"On a limited income, every little bit helps," Ross said.
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On October 27th, 2006 a memorial was held near the scene where Ross was beaten and found.
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Amazing Grace was sung as the man was fondly remembered.
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"He was a very nice man, a very gentle man. Always treated everyone he saw with respect," said one who attended.
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"He was very kind and quiet and intelligent. His kids meant so much to him it was beyond belief," said another.
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Sandy Ericson, of the Boyle Street Community Services, took exception to how the murder of Russell Ross was portrayed.
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"All the media and everything talks about this homeless man."
"Russell was a person – a man without a home – but he had people who cared for him."
Terry Kettleson, a Whyte Avenue outreach worker, expressed her reaction to the lesser charges of assault the three youths faced.
"That was very upsetting for me ... very upsetting."
"To me it just sends a message that – you know what, a homeless person – you may only get a slap on the wrist."
"It was a shock to know that it was him because he wasn't an intimidating or obnoxious man."
"He always ensured, that while his kids were in care, they had proper care. He never let anything slide that way and it was always just so amazing," Kettleson said of how the man looked out for his children.
Ross was the fourth homeless or transient man to have been murdered in 2006.
Jason Anthony Kaye, 28, was beaten to death in an alley south of 107 Avenue near 96 Street on January 23rd.
Jaret Lee Severight, 29, was shot in the chest in the parking lot of a highrise seniors complex at 10305 100 Avenue during fireworks celebrations on Canada Day, July 1st.
Cleophus Delorme McGilvery, 60, was beaten August 12th near NAIT. He died in hospital September 26th.
No charges have been laid in any of those cases.
The start of the trial of three youths charged in connection with Russell Ross' death came within days of the fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Leonard Fred Halkett, found May 24th, 2007 in a parking lot behind the Salvation Army residence.
Both murders took place in the city's downtown core and both murders seemed to be senseless and random acts of violence.
On May 29th, 2007 the three teenagers, who cannot be named under provision of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, appeared in an Edmonton youth court.
Instead of murder, they each faced three charges of assault causing bodily harm.
As the trial opened, more details emerged about the final hours in the life of Russell Ross.
According to testimony from the trial's first witness, Ross and two drinking buddies were sharing 26-ounce bottles of 11% Mountain Crest Brewery "Axehead" beer behind the Lucky 97 supermarket on 97th Street and 107th A Avenue on October 20th, 2006.
Their binge began the day before when Ross, Gilbert Hamelin and a third man started the day enjoying the pleasures of bottles of Listerine mouthwash.
On the stand, Hamelin told of how three aboriginal youths came along and began kicking at the men while yelling profanities.
"They came running up to the alley and started kicking us for no reason," said Hamelin.
"They were saying we didn't deserve to be there."
Hamelin, who uses crutches because he’s missing part of a leg, admitted he didn't see the faces of his attackers because he was drunk and had his head buried between his knees and under his arms in an attempt to fend off the blows.
The man said he only saw the sizes of the attackers and that they were aboriginal because of their darker skin.
Hamelin told the court he suffered injuries to his head and scrapes and bruises to the side of his body. The beating also left Ross and the third man with bloodied faces.
When police arrived, Ross was able to tell them about the beating. The next day he was discovered a block away in dire need of medical attention.
Hamelin testified he heard from friends about Ross being found lying in the area near the beating. He went back to the scene, saw Ross being taken away in an ambulance and was questioned by police.
A police officer took the stand and said that on October 20th, he and his partner talked to some of the victims, including Ross, who had a slightly swollen eye and was bleeding. Ross told the officers he had been kicked in the forehead.
Ross died three days later. According to a medical examiner's report, the homeless man died from blunt head trauma, the result of a beating.
Police had interviewed three youth immediately after the assault. Because the victims didn't want to lay charges, police drove the teens in custody to their homes.
When Ross died, they were charged with assault causing bodily harm.
Two teens, who were 16 at the time of the attack, observed the trial from the prisoners' box and remained in custody. A third watched from the spectators' gallery.
On the first of the trial's scheduled four days, the Crown called upon no forensic evidence that would link any of the three accused to the crime.
The third man in the alley was expected to testify, but it was feared he too would not be able to identify his assailants.
The trial continues.
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This page updated
01:24 2007-05-30.