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Investigators believe Itzcoatl “Izzy” Ocampo, accumulated enough Ajax powder for a lethal dose that he then ingested. Deputies found Ocampo in his single-man cell at Central Jail in Santa Ana about 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, shaking and vomiting. Ocampo, 25, was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he died in the intensive care unit about 1:40 p.m. Thursday.
The suspect jailed in connection with the slaying of six people in Orange County died after deputies discovered he was ill in his cell. It is believed that the accused Orange County serial killer died after swallowing Ajax, a household cleanser.
Investigators believe Itzcoatl “Izzy” Ocampo, accumulated enough Ajax powder for a lethal dose that he then ingested. Deputies found Ocampo in his single-man cell at Central Jail in Santa Ana about 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, shaking and vomiting. Ocampo, 25, was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he died in the intensive care unit about 1:40 p.m. Thursday.Ocampo, a former Marine, was accused of killing six people, including four homeless men, a woman and her son. He was scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing in January. He was arrested in January 2012 after a series of slayings in north Orange County and had set a personal goal of 16 killings, authorities said.
Prosecutors allege that the killings carried out by Ocampo started on Oct. 25, 2011, with the stabbing death of a high school friend’s brother, Juan Herrera, 34, and their mother, Raquel Estrada, 53, in their Yorba Linda home. The killings continued on the street with the slayings of four homeless men.
Ocampo told police he targeted homeless people because they were “available and vulnerable” and he believed he was performing a public service because their presence was a “blight” on the community, authorities said. Between December 2011 and January 2012, Ocampo was accused of fatally stabbing James Patrick McGillivray, 53; Lloyd Middaugh, 42; Paulus “Dutch” Smit, 57; and John Berry, 64, in separate incidents. All of the men were homeless.
Orange County prosecutors had been seeking the death penalty against Ocampo.
Charges of violent crimes such a murder, assault, and batter should be taken seriously, and traversed with the help of experienced criminal defense attorneys. If you or a loved one has been charged with criminal conduct, contact the experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorneys at Brower & Associates.