SAN DIEGO (CBS 8/AP) - Four suspects wanted in connection with the homicide of a transgender man in Vermont were arrested in Ocean Beach Thursday evening.
Police in Burlington, Vermont contacted San Diego police "to follow up on information they obtained about the location of four homicide suspects wanted from their jurisdiction," according to San Diego Police Sgt. Michael Tansey.
The suspects were arrested in Ocean Beach in the 5000 block of Voltaire St. around 7 pm. The suspects were arrested without incident and they were interviewed by San Diego Police Homicide Detectives. They have subsequently been booked into jail on murder warrants issued by Burlington Vermont Police.
The two male and two female suspects who were charged earlier Thursday in the death of Amos Beede were last known to be in Roswell, New Mexico. One of the men was arrested there on May 31 on charges he assaulted one of the women, but later was released.
Beede was attacked on May 22 at a homeless camp in Burlington, the state's largest city, not far from the Lake Champlain waterfront. He died on May 28.
The suspects in his killing are identified as Erik Averill, Jordon Paul, Myia Barber and Allison Gee, who are fugitives. Police said the four are "wanted for murder."
Police initially said they were investigating whether Beede's gender identity contributed to his death, but there was no mention of that Thursday.
Beede's family posted a statement on the website of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer advocacy group Pride Center of Vermont that said contrary to earlier reports he was not homeless. The statement said Beede's being transgender was an important part of his life. It said he was a "friend to many" who went to the homeless camp to support others in need.
"Amos lived a complicated life," the statement said. "He had his share of hard times. Maybe because of this, he was a loving and caring person, especially to those who lived in the margins of society."