GUILTY OR - Michael Hampshire, 66, beaten to death, Salem, 12 Nov 2014

[chicagofa13]

Looks like nothing new. I'm starting to think this might have been random violence. A drunk/high kid coming across a man, words exchanged, bad things happen??

 

[PastTense]

Looks like nothing new. I'm starting to think this might have been random violence. A drunk/high kid coming across a man, words exchanged, bad things happen??

It could well have been both of them drunk; otherwise the sober one might have tried to disengage.

 

[Charlie09]

The location where the victim, Michael Hampshire, 66, was found dead, was according to news reports, near D St and Winter streets in Salem.

That is aprox 0.2 miles (ca 3 minutes walk) from his own home at 806 Cottage St NE Salem, OR !

I used to live a block away from him...it's a lovely older area...not sure I would walk around by myself at that hour though . haven't read thru the thread yet, but I imagine Mr. Hampshire came across something illegal and got killed for it.

 

[hambirg]

This is very intriguing. Smith sounds like a seemingly good kid, and the victim sounds like he has had problems in the recent past. However, Smith was arrested and charged rather quickly, and that makes me assume what happened must have been fairly clear cut.

The neighbor said something about a new table saw the victim bought that wound up in the neighbor's carport. I wonder if this wasn't an attempted theft or burglary that went awry.

 

[Cintaurus]

Someone I know works with one of the victim's neighbors. According to them the victim was suffering from Bi Polar Disorder and had been off his medication for a while. His family was worried as this had caused him to become inappropriate and confrontational with strangers in the past. Perhaps a fight that escalated out of control. Very sad....

 

[chicagofa13]

Someone I know works with one of the victim's neighbors. According to them the victim was suffering from Bi Polar Disorder and had been off his medication for a while. His family was worried as this had caused him to become inappropriate and confrontational with strangers in the past. Perhaps a fight that escalated out of control. Very sad....

Interesting, the early articles said the perp claimed he had been in a fight. That would fit.

 

[Charlie09]

nothing new seems to be happening?

 

[tlcya]

Daily Mail (not always accurate) quotes a friend of the victim saying he liked to take walks in the neighborhood at night when he had trouble sleeping.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...red-airplane-mechanic-66-left-die-street.html

The victim was a retired aircraft mechanic who liked to work on home remodeling projects. He also volunteered at the local soup kitchen. Hard to say what happened - somewhat cranky older guy who can still fight has a "get off my lawn" moment with an athletic young college student, who possibly had been out partying. Not to say its the case here, but many of these young college athletes take steroids....Tempers must have gotten out of hand. Such a shame for both men.

It could well have been both of them drunk; otherwise the sober one might have tried to disengage.

Thinking the BBM seems quite possible. Some random encounter between two individuals, neither of whom was using their best judgment.

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/2679701-151/attorney-for-football-player-this-is-not-a#

The attorney for a football player charged with killing a 66-year-old Oregon man last month said his client had an altercation with the man but didn’t commit murder...

Prosecutors have not divulged the alleged chain of events, and almost all of the court paperwork has been sealed...

Deputy District Attorney Doug Hanson said toxicology reports for Smith and Hampshire have not been completed.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/2679701-151/attorney-for-football-player-this-is-not-a#

Thanks for keeping us updated, OkieGranny!

I am very curious about this case...

:seeya:

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/sto...student-charged-murder-appear-court/22975075/

A Willamette University student arrested in connection with the murder of a 66-year-old Salem man in November is expected to appear in court Friday for a new arraignment.

According to court documents, Beau Smith, 22, is set to appear before judge Vance Day at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon and is expected to be arraigned on charges of manslaughter. Potential bail may also be addressed.

Smith was originally charged with murder...

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/sto...t-arraigned-new-manslaughter-charge/23011287/

Deputy District Attorney Doug Benson told the court that he was satisfied with the grand jury's decision to charge Smith with manslaughter, but asked that the defendant continue to be held without bail, arguing that Smith was a danger to the community. "Even though a manslaughter charge is less than a murder charge, the circumstances surrounding the case are violent," Benson said.

Walter Todd, Smith's attorney, asked that Smith be allowed to post bail so he could return to California to live with his family, promising to return for each court proceeding...

Day set bail at $250,000, and Smith remained in custody Friday.

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/sto...amette-student-charged-manslaughter/25077173/

Beau Smith will be tried before Circuit Judge Vance Day and a 12-person jury beginning Oct. 27 at the Marion County Courthouse in downtown Salem.

Police and prosecutors have released little information about what happened in the early morning hours of Nov. 12 that led to the death of 66-year-old Michael Hampshire.

 

[G.Keelie]

This thread has seemed so strange, and disappointing, to me...it seemed like the victim was being blamed from the beginning. Someone immediately mentioned abuse, police records were checked, and his mental health has been mentioned, etc. What's true here is that an athletic young man killed a much older, and presumably more frail person, during a fight. And..he isn't any less dead because he had a police record or a bipolar illness.

I guess I would just like to extend my sympathy to Mr. Hampshire's family.

 

[OkieGranny]

From September:

http://www.thepresstribune.com/arti...ll-star-—-smith-sentenced-after-killing

Far removed from his glory days on the gridiron at Roseville High School, Beau Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the second degree and possession of a controlled substance Monday afternoon in a Marion County courtroom in Salem, Oregon. He will spend the next six years behind bars.

The 2011 Tigers alum admitted to taking psilocybin mushrooms on Nov. 12, 2014, just before a fight left 66-year-old Michael Hampshire dead on the streets of Salem.