EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) - Emergency calls from an El Cajon independent living facility detail the situation for the residents in the year leading up to a man’s beating death, allegedly at the hands of his roommate.
Matthew McCarthy, 39, was killed in December after his roommate Brad Payton hit him in the face several times with a frying pan, according to prosecutors.
The home on Naranca Avenue had been the source of 78 emergency calls in 2018.
"There's people all around the clock in and out," said one woman who lives nearby and asked not to be identified. "They come out screaming at each other at 2, 3 in the morning."
A log of 911 calls from 2018 obtained by 10News indicates the trouble at the home. Calls were made by reporting parties who dispatchers described as ‘rambling’ or making threats to harm themselves or other residents. Other calls mentioned items being broken or allegations of theft among roommates, drug use, urination or defecation, nudity, and mental illness.
RELATED: 911 log details calls made to El Cajon home ahead of deadly attack
The morning of McCarthy’s fatal injuries, the reporting party said a person was bleeding after a fight. Police later determined the incident involved a frying pan.
The father of a man initially detained in connection with the attack told 10News his son suffers from schizophrenia, and the facility houses people with mental disabilities.
While certain types of homes, including senior care facilities and group homes, are licensed by the state, independent living facilities (ILF) are unlicensed.
RELATED: Police called from home 78 times leading up to murder with frying pan
Many recovery programs have lists of ILFs, according to San Diego Regional Center official Lori Sorenson. People with developmental disabilities also access them through word of mouth.
In the case of McCarthy’s home, no background check was required before move-in, the manager told 10News in a statement.
