A teenager and a 19-year-old were charged Monday with capital murder in the fatal beating of a homeless man at Rancho Cienega Park in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw area.
Jordan English, 16, and Tyshaun Vasquez, are accused of killing 43-year- old Eddie Ray Smith Jr. during an attempted robbery on Nov. 30.
The defendants were arraigned this afternoon in a downtown courtroom and pleaded not guilty to one count each of capital murder and attempted robbery, with a special circumstance allegation of murder during an attempted robbery.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Renee Korn ordered them held without bail.
Smith Jr.’s body was found in the park at 5001 Rodeo Road. The criminal complaint alleges that Vasquez, who was arrested on New Year’s Eve, used a metal trash can as a deadly weapon in the attack.
English and Vasquez are due back in court on Jan. 20, when a date for a preliminary hearing is expected to be set.
— City News Service