A Vancouver man accused of breaking into an east Vancouver home and attempting to kill a 65-year-old woman made a first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on Monday.
Vincent R. Burnett, 29, faces allegations of first-degree attempted murder, burglary, robbery, kidnapping and assault.
A 15-year-old boy, Roy James Thompson Jr., was also arrested in connection with the crime, which was reported about 3 a.m. Wednesday in the 3400 block of Northeast 138th Avenue, according to Vancouver police. The victim was taken to a hospital with head injuries and has since been released from the hospital, police said.
It is unclear if Thompson, who faces similar allegations, will be remanded to adult court. He made a first appearance in juvenile court Friday and remains in custody.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court, two people broke into the woman’s home on April 29. Police said it appeared the suspects ransacked the home while looking for items. In an upstairs bedroom, there was a large amount of blood, believed to be the victim’s, on the carpet and sheets.
Police spoke with the victim at the hospital and she said two males dressed in all dark clothing entered her home and bound her hands with her scarves and a suitcase strap. She said they repeatedly told her not to move and that they would kill her. The victim said she cried and told them she was poor and had nothing for them to take. One of the assailants then hit her in the head with what she thought to be a hammer, court records said.
The victim said the males took her wallet from her suitcase, which contained bank cards, foreign currency and about $200 in U.S. currency. She said they also took her two cellphones, according to court documents.
Police said they received a tip from a confidential reliable informant who told them two people, identified as “Junior” and “Vince,” were trafficking stolen property belonging to the victim. The two suspects reportedly had a US Bank card and checks issued in the victim’s name, two cellphones, a suitcase with “knickknacks” in it and an estimated $160, according to the affidavit.
The man identified as “Vince” reportedly told the informant that he hit the victim during the home invasion. The informant also confirmed the suspects were wearing all-black clothing during the robbery, which matched the victim’s description. Additionally, the informant said the man known as “Vince” was previously shot at an EconoLodge in Vancouver by Angelino Pena.
According to a 2014 story in The Columbian, Burnett had suffered a gunshot wound to the head at the downtown motel. Pena, then 32, an associate of the Norteno street gang, was sentenced for the crime last year.
Police showed the informant a prior booking photo of Burnett and he was identified as “Vince,” court records said.
A search warrant was then served at the residence of Thompson, and he was detained for both a Superior Court warrant and the search warrant, according to court documents. It is unclear how Thompson and Burnett know each other.
Thompson allegedly told police he went with “Vince” to the victim’s residence to break in and steal property. He admitted to helping Burnett tie up the victim and heard him yell and threaten to kill her. He said at that time the woman was uninjured, according to the affidavit.
He said Burnett took the woman upstairs and that he later went upstairs and found blood everywhere. Thompson added that he did not know why Burnett would assault the woman because she had been cooperative, according to court documents.
On Monday, Heather Carroll was appointed to represent Burnett, and his bail was set at $500,000.
He is scheduled to be arraigned May 15.
