Man Fatally Attacked Outside Home In Berkeley Hills

BERKELEY (CBS / AP) — A 23-year-old Alameda man is in jail on suspicion of murder after police say he fatally attacked another man outside the man’s home in the Berkeley hills.

Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said a woman called police Saturday night and reported that she and her husband had arrived home to find a stranger near their garage.

Peter Cukor was attacked after he asked the man to leave. The 67-year-old owner of a logistics consulting firm, died later in the hospital.

KCBS’ Doug Sovern Reports:

The property where the attack occurred is on Park Gate near Shasta Road and Grizzly Peak Boulevard. The two-story, 6,500-square-foot house sits behind stone walls and up a driveway of roughly 40 yards.

Kusmiss said an officer arrested Daniel Jordan Dewitt at a park about a block from the scene shortly after the attack. Dewitt, who matched a suspect description, suffers from mental illness, his mother told the newspaper.

Dewitt is being held without bail.

nsilsby

You are an ignorant S.O.B. That is my baby brother, he is a very sick and delusional young man. What is the point of making such an insensitive comment on a topic you apparently know nothing about. EVERYONE in this situation lost someone dear to them. My brother is not a violent person. He is sick and he must have been very scared and in a psychotic state to have committed such a horrific act. Have a little compassion. I know you find strength in your anonymity, and feel that you can be cruel and heartless without having to be held accountable, he is not wicked nor a pirate smarty pants.

wisegurl

He should have been locked up in a mental hospital if he is so damn sick and you are just as responsible for what happened if you knew how sick he is dumb ass

nsilsby

If you read the articles and watched the news you would have gathered that he has been in and out of hospitals for the past 5 years. The system keeps releasing him eventhough he is gravely disabled. Educate yourself before you make ignorant comments. ..based on what you’ve had to say, I suggest changing your username because I see no wisdom in ignorance “gurl”.:
nsilsby

This reply is meant for “wisegurl”
lh

You may not be aware that it can be impossible to keep someone in a locked facility against their will, no matter how hard a family tries (pleads, even begs). The laws err on the side of the patient and “free will”, even when severe mental illness can lead to harm. The person must be deemed at risk of IMMEDIATE harm to self or others to be detained without consent. Given that most psychotic disorders are variable in severity over time, it is virtually impossible to predict dangerousness with great accuracy, thus many who truly should be hospitalized are released. This is a tragedy for all.

bubba

no, i dont buy this, there a many mentally ill peopke, but hey dont beat someone to death with their hands. you say hes not a violent person? obvioussly he is. you can blame this all on an illness. i am sorry for your pain, but this is too much. what was he doing in that neighbor hood? come on, now the police are blaming the occupy movement?. wow everyone seems to be trying to pass the buck here. may justice be done, and this guy recieves the help he needs in prison
justicedue

It’s not the public’s problem nor the system failed when a person kills an iinnocent. If the family is aware they have a problem child, it’s their responsibility. He committed a murder, he’s a murder. Sympathy belongs to the victim’s family. The downside is the taxpayers will get the bill for the murder’s lawyer, free room and board, free everything, and the victim’s family, gets to bury their relative.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/02/21/ignored-911-call-turns-fatal-in-berkeley-police-busy-with-occupy-protest/ Ignored 911 Call Turns Fatal In Berkeley; Police Busy With Occupy Protest « CBS San Francisco

[…] Related tags 911 Call, Alameda High School, Attack, Berkeley, Berkeley Hills, Berkeley Hills Homicide, Berkeley Police, Bob Melrose, Daniel Dewitt, Emergency, Fatal, Occupy, Occupy Cal, Occupy Oakland, Peter Cukor, Police officers, Slow Police Response var addthis_product = 'wpp-261'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};if (typeof(addthis_share) == "undefined"){ addthis_share = {"templates":{"twitter":"{{title}} {{url}}"},"url_transforms":{"shorten":{"twitter":"bitly"}},"shorteners":{"bitly":{"login":"cbslocal","apiKey":"R_a42469be25a4cd114f9641fad362d038"}}};}BERKELEY (KCBS) — Berkeley Police acknowledge they didn’t immediately respond to a call in the hills that would eventually result in a homicide this past Saturday. […]
bbvmck

Too bad the homeowner didn’t have a loaded gun and the knowhow to use it. . There would still be a funeral but only for a violent criminal.

My sympathy to the victim’s family.
http://www.eyeonoccupy.org/?p=715 Peter Cukor Killed After Police, Allegedly Busy With Occupy Protest, Failed To … – Huffington Post » Eye On Occupy

[…] hearts go out to the other family,” said DeWitt’s mother Candy, in tears, to CBS. “It breaks my heart. We’ve all lost in this.” According to Candy, the DeWitts […]
Susan

hey wisegurl..ur ignorant…I have a family member that is mentally ill.no matter how hard you try you cannot be there 24/7…its hard on EVERYONE…..I feel for both familys…victim and suspects…there are no winners here.

nsilsby

Thank you Susan. It is comforting to know that there are people out there who understand. I am Daniel’s older sister and this has been such a horrific tragedy for both families. I am flabergasted at some of the comments I am ready. I cannot believe people can be so ignorant and mean in regards to my brother and our family. I just hope justice is served for both parties. It is the system that has failed him. My family has done EVERYTHING they can to try and keep Daniel safe and get him help, but being that he is an adult, there is so little we as a family are able to do. This situation is so unfortunate. I just wish people had a better grasp on mental illness and the different degrees of it, then maybe they wouldn’t be so crueland heartless. Thank you for your objectivity, sympathy and compassion for both victims in this devastating situation.

http://www.eyeonoccupy.org/?p=720 Peter Cukor Killed After Police, Allegedly Busy With Occupy Protest, Failed To … » Eye On Occupy

[…] hearts go out to the other family,” said DeWitt’s mother Candy, in tears, to CBS. “It breaks my heart. We’ve all lost in this.” According to Candy, the DeWitts […]
nsilsby

Can we keep the uneducated , rude and heartless comments to a minimum. The situation is difficult enough for both families, the last thing needed are complete strangers spouting off at the mouth because they are behind their computers and can be anonymous. It is unhelpful and unappreciated. You will never be able to grasp the frustartion, and heartache of dealing with a loved one as sick as my brother. This is a shock to all of us. He IS NOT a violent person, he is delusional, educate yourself before you make comments regarding your beliefs in accordance with his fate. He is 23, he is still a child, a sick one at that how can you condem the ill? Hhe was lost, confused and suffering from psychosis. I can only imagine how scared both my brother and the victim were in that situation. PLease, I beg you all to stop the evil words, they are only causing more pain. Have your beliefs, but keep them to yourselves, have some consideration. Thank+s, Nicole DeWitt Silsby
http://www.bizzyblog.com/2012/02/21/man-dies-after-police-fail-to-respond-to-initial-non-emergency-911-call/ BizzyBlog

[…] an Occupy protest headed to UC Berkeley from Oakland.” Here is part of the original report from KCBS in San […]
http://www.favstocks.com/berkeley-man-dies-after-pre-occupied-police-fail-to-respond-to-initial-non-emergency-911-call/22874639/ Berkeley Man Dies After ‘Pre-Occupied’ Police Fail to Respond to Initial ‘Non-Emergency’ 911 Call | FavStocks

[…] now that Drudge had it in his headlines during much of the day. Here is part of the original report from KCBS in San Francisco: Man Fatally Attacked Outside Home In Berkeley […]
http://www.snspost.com/occupy-causes-slow-911-response-result-murder/ ‘Occupy’ Causes Slow 911 Response, Result: Murder | SNS Post

[…] Berkeley Police acknowledge they didn’t immediately respond to a call in the hills that would eventually result in a homicide this past Saturday. Officers were preparing for an Occupy protest headed to UC Berkeley from Oakland and said it […]
Jrooster101

At least we know where this psycho is now. To his so called “big sister=nsilsby,” I don’t really care what YOU think, you have an obvious bias. Of course you think your brother is a victim, he is your blood. The problem, is that the leftist ACLU made involuntary commitment “unconstitutional” so now we have a bunch of people with a propensity for violence (even if it is delusion) walking the streets putting us at risk. I know plenty of nutcases that never hurt a fly, even during a psychotic episode, and some that were violent at the drop of the hat.
http://finance-talking.info/berkeley-man-murdered-after-%e2%80%98pre-occupied%e2%80%99-police-fail-to-respond-to-initial-%e2%80%98non-emergency%e2%80%99-911-call/ Finance Talking » Blog Archive » Berkeley Man Murdered After ‘Pre-Occupied’ Police Fail to Respond to Initial ‘Non-Emergency’ 911 Call

[…] now that Drudge had it in his headlines during much of the day. Here is part of the original report from KCBS in San […]
http://www.favstocks.com/berkeley-man-murdered-after-pre-occupied-police-fail-to-respond-to-initial-non-emergency-911-call/23874850/ Berkeley Man Murdered After ‘Pre-Occupied’ Police Fail to Respond to Initial ‘Non-Emergency’ 911 Call | FavStocks

[…] now that Drudge had it in his headlines during much of the day. Here is part of the original report from KCBS in San Francisco: Man Fatally Attacked Outside Home In Berkeley […]
Sunny Schwartz

Hopefully Danny Dewitt will be able to deal with his mental illness while incarcerated. Our prisons are full of people like Danny who need proper medical and psychological services. Most prisons only produce monsters don’t address their core needs.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/03/08/at-meeting-berkeley-police-chief-defends-response-to-fatal-attack/ At Meeting, Berkeley Police Chief Defends Response To Fatal Attack « CBS San Francisco

[…] SF) — Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan said at a community forum Thursday night that the recent death of a Berkeley hills homeowner at the hands of an apparently mentally ill intruder “has been a very difficult case for […]
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/05/16/authorities-say-berkeley-murder-suspect-broke-deputys-jaw/ Authorities Say Berkeley Murder Suspect Broke Deputy’s Jaw « CBS San Francisco

[…] The 23-year-old DeWitt is charged with murder in the beating death of Peter Cukor on Feb. 18. […]
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/11/15/family-of-murdered-berkeley-man-files-wrongful-death-lawsuit/ Family Of Murdered Berkeley Man Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit « CBS San Francisco

[…] (CBS SF) — The wife and two sons of a 67-year-old man who was killed outside his home in the Berkeley Hills in February filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city Thursday, alleging that it was negligent in the way […]
http://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/this-day-in-crime-history-peter-cukor-murder-218212-berkeley-hill-ca-daniel-jordan-dewitt-charged-with-his-murder/ This Day In Crime History: Peter Cukor murder 2/18212 Berkeley Hill, CA *Daniel Jordan Dewitt charged with his murder, « Bonnie's Blog of Crime

[…] Man Fatally Attacked Outside Home In Berkeley Hills Ignored 911 Call Turns Fatal In Berkeley; Police Busy With Occupy Protest Accused Berkeley Hills Killer To Appear In Court Man Charged With Murder In Berkeley Hills Killing Berkeley victim confronted murder suspect twice Police Dispatch Audio Details Non-Response To Intruder In Fatal Berkeley Attack Berkeley Police Chief Defends Response To Fatal Attack Murder suspect ruled mentally incompentent Berkeley Police Chief Still Facing Criticism Over Hills Murder Family Of Deceased Berkeley Man Disputes Police Claims Transcript: Peter Cukor’s call to police before he was killed Judge orders murder suspect be sent to Napa State Hospital Authorities Say Berkeley Murder Suspect Broke Deputy’s Jaw Family Of Murdered Berkeley Man Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit […]

Man Fatally Attacked Outside Home In Berkeley Hills

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