San Diego police have arrested a man who they believe is responsible for a fatal beating last year in the Mission Bay area.
Eric Nelson, 51, reported to police on Aug. 24, 2023, that he had been beaten up near the Paradise Point Resort & Spa on Vacation Road. Investigators said he was hospitalized after the assault and was treated for injuries to his jaw, ribs and internal organs.
Twenty-five days after the assault, police said Friday in a news release, Nelson died at the hospital, and his death was subsequently determined to be a homicide by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
After the incident, detectives learned Nelosn had been confronted by Lee Orozco, 34, at the North Cove beach area, and that Orozco had punched and kicked Nelson, who suffered injuries in his attack that were later determined to be responsible for his death.
On Thursday, officers arrested Orozco, who was located in the 900 block of Seaworld Drive, for Nelson's death.
Since Orozco was booked for encroachment as well as first-degree murder. Police said he was also booked for possessing narcotics. Encroachment is a misdemeanor charge involving a person "who lodges in a public or private place without permission."
Local
On Friday, San Diego police confirmed to NBC 7 that both men involved in the incident are homeless.
When he was arrested, police said, Orozco had a white crystalline substance and some pills. Officers believed they were narcotics and will be tested at a lab for confirmation.
Orozco, who is being held without bail, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in the downtown courthouse.
