Murder In North Campus

The usually busy streets of 30th and Hemphill, near late night hot spots Trudy's and Spiderhouse, just east of Guadalupe Street were at an eerie standstill this afternoon when it was discovered that a middle-aged, white transient was found murdered in the drainage ditch that runs down the middle of Hemphill Park, just a few blocks north of The University of Texas.

This neighborhood, especially the specific section of the drainage ditch, is frequented by many homeless people in the area. And while most kept to themselves, some had frequent territorial disputes and arguments with one another that this contributor, as a resident of north campus, was very familiar with. After speaking with the APD Public Information Officer, this death was the result of a struggle.

Forensics crews and crime scene units are currently at work and details are still coming in.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By patrickdentler in News, News on July 18, 2007 1:57 PM 0 Comments

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Scooby

That's good, although it sucks for the unknown homeless guy that took a header off the retaining wall.

guest

The gnome guy at 1st and Ben White was there again yesterday afternoon, looking as healthy as I've ever seen him look.

pd

Tennessee was the partially blind guy, with a radio, he was portly with a beard...

guest

OMG, was it that homeless guy with the big white beard?

pd

Just got word throughout the neighborhood that the man killed was "Tennessee."

He had supposedly just received back pay, to the tune of a few thousand dollars, cashed it, brought it back to the creek and someone caught wind of it...

Scooby

Bad night for homeless folk... heard in the morning traffic report about a guy rolling from his sleeping spot under the S. 1st bridge onto Ben White. Haven't seen any details, but from the location it sounds like it might have been the big garden-gnome lookin' homeless guy that's always around there, bundled up like it's cold out, with all his stuff in a couple of tarp covered shopping carts in the Chuck E. Cheese parking lot. Kinda weird, cause I held the door for him walking into the 7-11 there just a couple of days ago.