- Delbert Belton, 88, was set upon in the parking lot of the Eagles Lodge in Spokane, Washington on Wednesday night
- He died on Thursday morning in hospital after being admitted with serious head injuries
- His daughter-in-law says doctors said he was found bleeding from all parts of his face
- Demetrius Glenn, 16, arrested and charged with first-degree murder
- Police are searching for second suspect, Kenan Adams Kinard, 16
- Glenn has long juvenile criminal history and will be tried as adult in Belton's slaying
- Adams Kinard was convicted of theft and assault in June
By James Nye
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Senseless: Delbert Belton an 88-year-old veteran of World War II was beaten to death outside the Eagles Lodge in Spokane, and police are looking for two young men who may be responsible for the attack
A second teenager accused of taking part in the deadly beating of a World War II veteran in Washington state has been named following the arrest of his alleged accomplice.
Thursday night, police arrested Demetrius Glenn, 16, in connection to the slaying of 88-year-old Delbert Belton, who was savagely beaten with flashlights in the parking lot of his regular bar in Spokane on Wednesday.
Belton, who was shot in the leg during the pivotal battle of the Pacific campaign, passed away from serious head injuries Thursday at Sacred Heart Medical Center in the city.
Friday afternoon, authorities named a second suspect in the killing, identified as 16-year-old Kenan Adams Kinard. He currently remains at large.
Police told Belton's daughter-in-law, Bobby, that he was beaten with heavy flashlights in the assault which left him bleeding 'from every part of his face'.
Witnesses to the attack said that Belton, who was going to play pool, was outside the Eagles Lodge at around 8pm when two male suspects set upon him.
A friend said the veteran had just pulled up and was waiting for a female friend so she didn't have to walk in alone.
Suspects: Demetrius Glenn (left), 16, was arrested for the murder of Delbert Belton; his alleged accomplice, 16-year-old Kenan Adams Kinard (right), is on the loose
Most wanted: Police say Adams-Kinard should be considered a threat to the community and should not be contacted
Surrender: Glenn turned himself in to police custody through his lawyer
'It does appear random. He was in the parking lot, it appears he was assaulted in the parking lot and there was no indication that he would have known these people prior to the assault,' Spokane Police Major Crimes Detective Lieutenant Mark Griffiths said.
On Thursday evening, police released surveillance photos of the two suspects, Glenn and Kinard.
Dark past: Adams-Kinard was convicted of third-degree theft and fourth-degree assault in June
Glenn faces a first-degree murder charge and one count of robbery. The local station KHQ reported that he will be tried as an adult.
The teen has an extensive juvenile criminal history, which includes malicious mischief, fourth-degree assault, driving without a license and riot with a deadly weapon charges.
Adams-Kinard also has had a few run-ins with the law, The Spokesman Review reported. He was convicted of third-degree theft and fourth-degree assault in June.
Police Chief Frank Straub said Adams-Kinard should be considered a threat to the community and should not be contacted. He urged anyone who sees him or has information on his whereabouts to call 911 at once.
Glenn turned himself in to police custody through his attorney just before 10pm Thursday. Officers noticed that the teen had an abrasion on his right hand, according to an affidavit.
While being questioned by police, Glenn was asked to stand up and show what he was wearing.
'These are not the shorts from the video,' Glenn said, according to the report, apparently referring to the surveillance footage.
Glenn, who spells his first name as 'Demetruis' on social media sites, described himself on his Twitter account in this manner: 'I Play Foot-ball,Run Tracc [sic],Get Money Do What i do,im a guy but i like the show keeping up with the kardashians.'
Delbert 'Shorty' Belton was taken to the Intensive Care Unit of Sacred Heart after the assault at the Eagles Ice-A-Rena near Lidgerwood, but succumbed to his wounds.
Wanted: Police released images of two possible suspects between the ages of 16 and 19. One juvenile was arrested this morning
Suspect Number Two: Police say two teens assaulted 88-year-old Delbert Belton outside the Eagles Lodge in North Spokane Wednesday night. One teen has been arrested in connection to the crime
Family members were today grieving for the widower, who is survived by one son Bill, 65, who is currently in hospital himself.
Daughter-in-law Bobby Belton told KREM-TV she received the police call and had to break the news to her ill husband.
'They used those great, big heavy flashlights,'' she said. 'The doctor said he was bleeding from all parts of his face.
'You expect older people to die but not in that way. You just don't do those kind of things'
His sister Alberta Tosh told the Spokesman Review: 'He was a good guy who would help anybody if they needed help,' she said.
His great-nephew Allen Hills told KHQ that the veteran took him in and put him back on his feet when he hit rock bottom.
'It seems trivial, but he really did save my life. He made it possible for me to get a job and find work,' he said.
'He wasn't just my great-uncle. He was a great person, and he didn't deserve to die like that.'
Devastated: Daughter-in-law Bobby Belton, pictured, told of her grief at the brutal killing
Tribute: Lill Duncan takes a photo of a memorial for Delbert Belton, the 88-year-old World War II veteran who was beaten to death, in Spokane
Friends were left equally outraged that the serviceman would die in such a callous way.
'He put his life on the line for our country to come home and 60 years later? Get beat to death?' his closest friend Ted Denison told the Review. 'That's not right.'
Denison who knew Belton for 23 years regularly played pool with the former soldier who went on to be an aluminum worker.
He worked at Kaiser Aluminum's Trentwood rolling mill until his retirement in 1982 but remained a skilled member of the Steelworkers Union.
His wife died several years ago.
'He went up there and played pool, met with some of the guys he used to work with at Kaiser Aluminum,' he told CNN.
'It's really depressing. Seems that all there is is bad news.'
Police said that Belton had just arrived with a lady-friend to play pool at the lodge when he was set upon.
Tribute: Friends raised a drink to Delbert Benton in the bar he was murdered outside today
'Those people to me are cowards,' said Denison to KXLY.com. 'They are cowards when they beat old people that are defenseless.... They need to be caught. Period. Because that's senseless. Beating an old man, what kind of person does that? But a wimp to me.'
'He was always there for me when I needed him,' he added. 'We'd joke back and forth. We were always having fun, some sort of fun.'
Their outrage was mirrored online. On Twitter a campaign titled Justice for Delbert Belton was spreading this morning.
Actor James Woods was one high profile supporter.
'Don't let him die without anyone caring,' read one of his many posts on the killing.
The police are looking for two male suspects in the attack, with one described as heavy set and wearing all black clothing and the other as 6 feet tall and 150 pounds.
Delbert Belton fought for this country nearly 70 years ago, bravely and valiantly, in a battle on a Pacific island that claimed thousands of lives. The teens who killed him aren't even good cannon fodder.
- Scooby Doo , Phoenix, 23/8/2013 17:03
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