SAN DIEGO—A man accused of a spate of deadly attacks on San Diego homeless men who were asleep and in some cases set on fire committed a nearly identical crime six years ago.
Anthony Alexander Padgett, 36, now jailed on suspicion of murder, admitted lighting a sleeping man on fire in a supermarket parking lot in January 2010 in the San Diego suburb of National City.
In a two-page handwritten note to a judge, Padgett blamed the influence of drugs — saying he was “super stoned and intoxicated plus using my prescribed medications” — and that he only intended to scare the victim, whom he knew.
“My intention ... was that he see the fire burning next to him and wake up and be angry at me, thus awakening himself from his nap. I did not hurt him purposely or willingly. I was negligent and made the mistake of walking a few feet away from him and started thinking + looking at something else for a few seconds!”
In the note, Padgett also calls himself a “homeless citizen,” asks Jesus to forgive his sins and expresses remorse for the victim, saying, “I'll never be so stupid again.”
The victim suffered burns over nearly 30 percent of his body. One witness told police that Padgett poured an unknown fluid on the victim and then a “whoosh” noise came before the man caught fire.
A jury convicted Padgett of assault and mayhem. The Star News of Chula Vista reported that he was sentenced to four years in prison, half of what state prosecutors sought.
