(ESCONDIDO, Calif.) — A 69-year-old Southern California man known for the display of American flags and Make America Great Again memorabilia he kept in his front yard has died, days after being attacked and beaten outside his home, authorities said.
Kerry George Sheron, whose family members said was an Army veteran and a supporter of President Donald Trump, was assaulted last week outside his Escondido residence that locals dubbed the “Trump House.”
Sheron was pronounced dead at a hospital on Sunday, according to a statement from the Escondido Police Department.
Thomas Caleb Butler, 32, of Escondido and served in the Navy was arrested in connection with the incident, police said.
Police have yet to comment on a possible motive.
According to military service records provided by the Navy to ABC News, Butler enlisted in the Navy in December 2011. He served as an information systems technician and was discharged in January 2023, records show.
Butler was being held without bail on Wednesday at the San Diego County Jail, where he was booked on May 21, on suspicion of attempted murder, elder abuse, making criminal threats and battery, according to online jail records.
“The case is in the process of being presented to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, which is reviewing the circumstances to determine whether charges will be amended,” police said.
The cause and manner of Sheron’s death are pending an autopsy by the San Diego County Medical Examiner.
In a GoFundMe campaign that as of Wednesday afternoon has raised more than $40,500 to cover Sheron’s funeral expenses, family members called the incident that claimed Sheron’s life “brutal and unprovoked.”
Sheron’s wife, Maria Garcia, told ABC San Diego affiliate station KGTV that she wants her husband to be remembered as a man of service and faith.
“I want to remember my husband, you know, how he was [a] very good man, you know, [his] service in the church, service in the army,” said Garcia, who called her husband “my hero.”
Jim Gillie, one of Sheron’s friends, told KGTV that Sheron’s front-yard MAGA decorations had been targeted in the past.
“Back in March, people came through with razor blades and cut up a bunch of Kerry’s flags,” Gillie said. “Kerry was used to it because he’d come out here with his Trump signs and stuff during the week and flags, and people would drive by and honk and wave, and most of the people are good, but when someone would flip him off, he’d just look at me and say, they have their right to freedom of speech, too.”
Escondido police said the incident with Sheron unfolded around 2:14 p.m. on May 20, when officers were called to Sheron’s home to investigate a report that an assault had just occurred.
“Upon arrival, officers located an elderly male suffering from significant injuries,” police said in a statement. “A bystander who intervened during the incident was also injured. Officers learned the suspect had fled the area on foot prior to their arrival.”
Sheron was taken to a hospital in critical condition, police said.
Officers immediately searched Sheron’s neighborhood and located Butler, who matched the description of the person witnesses said attacked Sheron, according to the statement.
Tanya Sierra, a spokesperson for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, told ABC News on Wednesday that an announcement on whether to amend the charges against Butler is expected to be made at the suspect’s next court date on June 3.
ABC News Steve Beynon contributed to this report.
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