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It seems equally plausible, also based on his state, and on the oh-so-glorious track record of US police, that police officers did assault him, and used excessi

It seems equally plausible, also based on his state, and on the oh-so-glorious track record of US police, that police officers did assault him, and used excessive force on a man who appears to have needed help rather than an impressive array of injuries and $25k bail. Your offensive presumption of innocence of law enforcement notwithstanding.

CydeWeys 10y ago
He was in the process of attempted breaking and entering on someone's house. Everyone is glossing right over that fact. This is not some innocent man who was randomly beat up by the police. He was committing a violent crime and it sounds like reasonable force was used to stop it and protect the other citizens who were endangered. Read the other responses I've left for more. I'm actually quite critical of the police in most situations, but this is one in which I side more with the people whose house was getting broken into than the one perpetrating that crime.
- madaxe_again 10y ago
  No, he wasn't. He was banging on their front door, admittedly hard, but that doesn't constitute breaking and entering anywhere, as he neither broke nor entered, nor was attempting to do so. If you want to break and enter, you use a window, not the frigging front door. Also, if it were breaking and entering, they would have charged him with that. Instead, it's "Suspicion of intoxication", "Resisting Arrest" and "Assaulting a police officer", the latter two being the default charges for when you don't actually have anything worthwhile to charge someone with. 10 cops for Suspicion of Intoxication? Shit, we'll get it in the neck from the super for this one - better make it look good. Please do show me where he was charged with breaking and entering, if I, and the coroner, have missed something. From the neighbour's account in the autopsy report, it sounds more like they were concerned for him than scared. Hell, I've had drunken idiots pounding on my front door before, and I wouldn't consider beating them to a pulp for it, nor would I approve of, if I had called the police, them beating the poor sod to a pulp. Also, if beating a door is considered a violent crime that warrants beating a human being in retaliation and placing a $25k price on their head, then that's a pretty damn sad place we've ended up.
  - dpark 10y ago
    > He was banging on their front door, admittedly hard, but that doesn't constitute breaking and entering anywhere, Well, breaking and entering isn't actually a defined crime in Califorinia. Burglary is, and while Murdock certainly couldn't have been guilty of that based on the reports, he could potentially have been guilty of attempted burglary (which is also a crime, though iffy in this case), or trespass, or probably a number of other crimes. > Also, if it were breaking and entering, they would have charged him with that. Police don't really "charge" anyone of anything. That's the prosecutor's job. > From the neighbour's account in the autopsy report, it sounds more like they were concerned for him than scared. You are misreading the report. The incident reported to the coroner's office was not the banging that got Murdock arrested. The neighbor reported that Murdock came by to apologize on the day he hung himself. He was arrested on Dec 26 and Dec 27. The knock the neighbor reported was Dec 28. (I have no idea if this was the same neighbor or not.)
  - posterboy 10y ago
    maybe the neighbour or an attorney or whoever could didn't press charges.
- mindcrime 10y ago
  Everyone is glossing right over that fact. No one is glossing over that fact. Some of us are saying that there might be more to the story, and/or that the facts might not be as reported. On the other hand, they might be. But a certain measured degree of skepticism seems prudent.

CydeWeys 10y ago

He was in the process of attempted breaking and entering on someone's house. Everyone is glossing right over that fact. This is not some innocent man who was randomly beat up by the police. He was committing a violent crime and it sounds like reasonable force was used to stop it and protect the other citizens who were endangered. Read the other responses I've left for more. I'm actually quite critical of the police in most situations, but this is one in which I side more with the people whose house was getting broken into than the one perpetrating that crime.

madaxe_again 10y ago
No, he wasn't. He was banging on their front door, admittedly hard, but that doesn't constitute breaking and entering anywhere, as he neither broke nor entered, nor was attempting to do so. If you want to break and enter, you use a window, not the frigging front door. Also, if it were breaking and entering, they would have charged him with that. Instead, it's "Suspicion of intoxication", "Resisting Arrest" and "Assaulting a police officer", the latter two being the default charges for when you don't actually have anything worthwhile to charge someone with. 10 cops for Suspicion of Intoxication? Shit, we'll get it in the neck from the super for this one - better make it look good. Please do show me where he was charged with breaking and entering, if I, and the coroner, have missed something. From the neighbour's account in the autopsy report, it sounds more like they were concerned for him than scared. Hell, I've had drunken idiots pounding on my front door before, and I wouldn't consider beating them to a pulp for it, nor would I approve of, if I had called the police, them beating the poor sod to a pulp. Also, if beating a door is considered a violent crime that warrants beating a human being in retaliation and placing a $25k price on their head, then that's a pretty damn sad place we've ended up.
- dpark 10y ago
  > He was banging on their front door, admittedly hard, but that doesn't constitute breaking and entering anywhere, Well, breaking and entering isn't actually a defined crime in Califorinia. Burglary is, and while Murdock certainly couldn't have been guilty of that based on the reports, he could potentially have been guilty of attempted burglary (which is also a crime, though iffy in this case), or trespass, or probably a number of other crimes. > Also, if it were breaking and entering, they would have charged him with that. Police don't really "charge" anyone of anything. That's the prosecutor's job. > From the neighbour's account in the autopsy report, it sounds more like they were concerned for him than scared. You are misreading the report. The incident reported to the coroner's office was not the banging that got Murdock arrested. The neighbor reported that Murdock came by to apologize on the day he hung himself. He was arrested on Dec 26 and Dec 27. The knock the neighbor reported was Dec 28. (I have no idea if this was the same neighbor or not.)
- posterboy 10y ago
  maybe the neighbour or an attorney or whoever could didn't press charges.
mindcrime 10y ago
Everyone is glossing right over that fact. No one is glossing over that fact. Some of us are saying that there might be more to the story, and/or that the facts might not be as reported. On the other hand, they might be. But a certain measured degree of skepticism seems prudent.