commentary by Patrick H. Moore
Many young men and young women dream of performing great deeds and receiving recognition at the personal and even the national level. Our stabs at heroism take many forms; in the case of teenage boys our feats – whether in daydreams or actuality – often include feats of physical prowess.
When I was 15 I decided, one fine summer afternoon, to walk from the Trans-Bay Bus Terminal near the Ferry Building in San Francisco to Palo Alto where a friend and I were going on a hike with a couple of rare 15-year-old beauties the next day. From the Bus Terminal to Colorado Street in Palo Alto where the young lovely was waiting for me (at least I hoped she was waiting) was a mere 35 miles. I took the bus from Oakland to the Bus Terminal and set out on foot at about 8:00 pm. 10 hours later I arrived at the B’s house. She was startled to discover me scratching at her window as the sun rose on another splendid NorCal day, and probably thought I was a bit demented to have executed my quixotic quest.
But the quest itself was eventful – I walked through miles of graveyards; I heard the old Stones song “As Tears Go By” at least a dozen times on my 10-volt transistor radio; I evaded half-a-dozen dirty old men (DOMs) who would have liked nothing better than to sink their claws into me; and I was picked up by the police on two occasions and held for questioning. I was so naïve I had no idea that I would be viewed by the authorities as a runaway or some other kind of miscreant. My folks told The Man to let him (me) go so they did and I reached my destination unscathed.
The reason I tell this old tale of youthful naivete is because I am reminded of it by the much crueler fate that befell another young hero-in-his-own-mind, 28-year-old Kevin Adorno of Farmington, Ct, who was allegedly stabbed and killed by a mentally ill homeless man outside a Vero Bech, FLA McDonald’s. You see, as part of his “bucket list” (things you want to do before you “kick the bucket”), Kevin had decided to ride his bicycle from Maryland clear to Miami, FLA, where he planned on arriving triumphantly at his girlfriend’s house at which time this courageous knight-errant would “pop the big question”: “Will you marry me?”
In a weird stroke of fate (and just plain bad luck), Kevin was actually on the phone with his girlfriend on Monday night outside the McDonald’s — less than 140 miles away — when tragedy struck. A homeless man, Rene Herrera Cruz, 59, who was in the habit of hanging around outside the McDonald’s, succumbed to lethal paranoia when Kevin exited the McDonald’s and began walking toward him. Cruz believed that Kevin was on the phone with people who wanted to attack him and apparently thought that Kevin was either giving his enemies instructions or at the very least identifying his location.
Cruz told law enforcement that he took the knife from his waistband when someone began walking toward him, according to the arrest affidavit. After taking out the knife, the person saw it and ran and Cruz said he stabbed Adorno.
After stabbing Adorno, Cruz went across the street to the Burger King where he discarded the knife and his shirt in the garbage, according to the arrest affidavit.
When questioned, Cruz reportedly told police he’d never met Adorno and the two hadn’t exchanged any words before the stabbing.
Evann Gastaldo writes for Newser:
Adorno’s girlfriend told police she didn’t hear an argument, just the phone dropping and then, eventually, sirens, TCPalm reports. Witnesses saw Adorno stumble inside the restaurant after being stabbed in the chest and arms and tried to help, but it was too late; police found him lying on the bathroom floor—carrying an engagement ring—and he was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Naturally, the police believe the attack was unprovoked (which it undoubtedly was), and Cruz has been charged with first-degree murder.
Unsurprisingly, Kevin was quite proud of his of “his quest” and had announced it to his friends on his Facebook page.
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I am struck by three things:
1) Why in the world do some people have such incredibly bad luck? Here’s an apparently happy young guy engaged in self-styled heroics and – by a simple twist of fate — it costs him his life. He just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and is struck down by a madman.
2) Why first-degree-murder? There was clearly malice on the part of Cruz which would support second-degree-murder, but how can a few seconds of premeditation (at most) support a conviction for first-degree-murder?
3) What about the fact Cruz is either schizophrenic or was in the throes of schizoaffective disorder at the time of the stabbing? The suspect should be found not guilty by reason of insanity and placed in a mental institution where he can receive appropriate treatment for his condition. Does this mean he should ultimately be released back into the population if the doctors declare him cured? Not necessarily. But by the same token, he should not serve his time in a state penitentiary where his condition will only worsen and become increasingly malignant.