Fourth Man Arrested In Brutal Death Of Glendora Father

GLENDORA, CA — Three men from across San Gabriel Valley face capital murder charges, and a fourth was arrested in the death of a young Glendora man whose body was discovered severely beaten and bloodied in the Angeles National Forest, authorities say.

Glendora resident Hercules Balaskas, 18; Francisco Amigon of La Verne, 19; Jacob Hunter Elmendorf, 19, also of La Verne and most recently Matthew Luzon Martin-Capiendo, 21, of Montobello have all been arrested on suspicion of committing a brutal homicide in June. Deputies arrested Martin-Capiendo on Saturday, according to reports.

Martin-Capiendo was the last to be booked on suspicion of murder, and was held without bail. He made his initial appearance at the Pomona courthouse on Monday, but his arraignment was rescheduled for Aug. 6.

The four allegedly bludgeoned Julian Hamori-Andrade, 20, of Glendora at Martin-Capiendo's Azusa-area home, then kidnapped, robbed and dumped him-- battered-yet-still-alive--down a hillside, where he died.

Hamori-Andrade's body was found around 6 p.m. May 30 in heavy brush about 30 feet down the hill alongside Highway 39 in Azusa Canyon, according to Deputy Trina Schrader of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.

Prosecutors and sheriff's officials said the victim was beaten at a home in the 6100 block of Goodway Drive, where authorities found a large pool of blood on the floor on May 28, but no suspects or victim. Hamori-Andrade was then driven to Azusa Canyon, where again he was beaten and thrown over the side of the road, according to investigators.

The other three suspects, all 19 years old, are acquaintances of the victim. They were identified as Hercules Balaskas of Glendora; Jacob Hunter Elmendorf of La Verne; and Francisco Amigon, also of La Verne.

All four are charged with first-degree murder, residential robbery and kidnapping. The murder charges include the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and murder during the commission of a kidnapping and a robbery.

The defendants all face a possible death sentence if convicted, but prosecutors have yet to decide whether to pursue capital punishment.

Sheriff's officials said the victim and suspects were all at Martin- Capiendo's home "when the victim was brutally beaten before being dragged to a pickup truck belonging to one of the suspects."

Prosecutors contend Balaskas beat the victim with a metal chair, while Martin-Capiendo wielded a rock and broken glass pipe.

A GoFundMe page was established for the family of Hamori-Andrade, and raised over $13,000 to aid in funeral costs for the family.

According to that page, Hamori-Andrade was a father of one child, and was expecting another baby to be born sometime this year.

"Life can be unfair in the most heartbreaking ways. As of today, May 31st, our family lost an important piece of our hearts. Julian was a beautiful soul who’s life ended in a terrible tragedy," Jasmine Hamori said on the GoFundMe page. "At only 20 years old his life was taken from him, he lived his life the best way he could. Julian was an amazing brother, son, father and friend and will be missed beyond words."

Related:

Pool Of Blood Found In San Gabriel Valley Home

Pool Of Blood Leads To Body, 3 Arrests, 1 Manhunt

GoFundMe Photo

GoFundMe is a Patch Promotional Sponsor