A Southern California man known for his patriotic and pro-Trump home decorations died after he was assaulted outside his house, authorities said.
Kerry Sheron, 69, died Sunday night after the assault Wednesday in Escondido, north of San Diego, the city’s police department said in a statement Monday.
Thomas Caleb Butler, 32, was arrested last week on charges of attempted murder, elder abuse, criminal threats and battery in connection with Sheron’s death. He is being held without bail, jail records show.
Butler, also of Escondido, was arraigned Friday and pleaded not guilty, NBC San Diego reported. A message left at a number listed under a relative’s name was not immediately returned.
A decision about additional charges will be announced at Butler’s next hearing, scheduled for June 3, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Tanya Sierra said.
In an email, Sierra did not respond to a question about a possible motive in the assault.
Deputy District Attorney Ross Garcia told NBC San Diego that the assault was unprovoked. Garcia accused Butler of striking Sheron once in the jaw. After Sheron fell to the ground, Garcia said, there were “subsequent hits to the victim’s head area.”
Garcia said it was unclear whether the men knew each other, according to the station.
Escondido police described Sheron’s injuries as significant. Butler fled after the alleged assault, the department said, and was later taken into custody without incident.
A bystander who intervened was also injured, the statement said.
Sheron was taken to a hospital and remained in critical condition until he died Sunday, his wife told NBC San Diego. In a verified online fundraiser, a relative said he died peacefully and surrounded by family after the assault outside his home.
The fundraiser identified Sheron as an Army veteran who was known in the community for his patriotic decorations.
The medical examiner has not released the cause and manner of his death, the police department said.
Video captured by NBC San Diego showed Sheron’s house draped in American flags and signs celebrating President Donald Trump. Dozens of people gathered there last week to express their support for Sheron, according to the station.
His wife told NBC San Diego that the couple had been harassed and threatened over the decorations but never physically assaulted. Authorities have not said what is suspected to have prompted the violence.
