Delbert Belton Murder Update: Suspect in beating death of WWII vet caught on video stealing phone before attack, report says
(CBS) SPOKANE, Wash. -- Kenan Adams-Kinard, a suspect in the beating death of World War II veteran Delbert Belton, was captured on surveillance video stealing a cell phone out of a woman's lap on a bus in May, authorities said.
CBS affiliate KREM reports that Adams-Kinard, 16, pleaded guilty to theft and fourth degree assault in the incident. He served just over one month and paid the victim $400, reports the station.
The second suspect in the murder and robbery of 88-year-old Belton, Demetrius Glenn, pleaded guilty to an assault and riot charge after investigators said he was among a group that attacked a teenage boy at Northeast Spokane's Rochester Park in September of 2011. Glenn, 16, admitted he hit the boy with a stick, which one witness said had a nail attached to the end, reports the station.
Police say the 88-year-old, who survived the Battle of Okinawa, was beaten to death Wednesday by the two teens during an apparent robbery as he was waiting outside the Eagles Ice-A-Rena in Spokane for a friend.
Authorities say Glenn and Adams-Kinard attacked Belton in his car, apparently at random, and stole cash. Belton's family told KREM after the attack that the vet was beaten with "big heavy flashlights."
The teens are charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Glenn turned himself in Thursday, and Adams-Kinard was arrested early Monday in a basement apartment in Spokane after police followed up on tips from his family.
The charges carry a potential life sentence.
During a court hearing Tuesday, during which Adams-Kinard was ordered held on $3 million bail, his lawyer claimed the teens were meeting Belton to buy crack and attacked the veteran after they were "shorted." Investigators told KREM the claim was "ridiculous."
A memorial service for Belton with full military honors was planned for Thursday, followed by a church service on Friday.
Complete coverage of the Delbert Belton murder case on Crimesider
