Man indicted in beating death of neighbor
A man who beat his neighbor to death because the victim’s children were being too noisy has been indicted on a murder charge, prosecutors said Friday.
Gambino Granada-Ruiz, 32, faces one count of murder and one count battery with substantial bodily harm in the death of 34-year-old Dearold Doolittle, prosecutor Nicole Cannizzaro said.
Granada-Ruiz is accused of repeatedly punching Doolittle in the face March 12, 2014, near the pool area at Hampton Court Apartments, near the intersection of Twain Avenue and Swenson Street.
A neighbor spotted the beating, according to the prosecutor, and yelled for Granada-Ruiz to stop.
He paused, looked back at the witness, turned back to Doolittle, and continued to “pummel him,” Cannizzaro said.
Doolittle was lying motionless on the ground.
He had less than 20 percent brain function, “unable to talk, unable to eat, unable to breathe,” because of the attack, Cannizzaro said. Doolittle died on Dec. 20 after being on a ventilator for more than nine months.
The prosecutor said Granada-Ruiz, who lived in apartment below Doolittle, had been upset because Doolittle’s children were being rambunctious and playing with a football near Granada-Ruiz’s car.
The defendant’s lawyer, Betsy Allen, said Granada-Ruiz was a Navy veteran who served in Iraq and had no criminal history. He was indicted on an attempted murder charge in April and placed under house arrest. Prosecutors upgraded the charges after Doolittle died.
Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker
