Homicide Report > Donnie Butler, 51 [Updated]
Donnie Butler, 51 [Updated]
Died Aug. 19, 2010 at 11:15 p.m.
Donnie Butler, a 51-year-old black man, died Thursday, Aug. 19, at the state prison in the 44000 block of 60th Street West in Lancaster, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
At the time of his death, Butler was living in a two-man cell, Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide Sgt. Robert Gray said. While conducting a security check at 10:13 p.m., a prison guard found him dead.
According to preliminary coroner's records, Butler had a noose around his neck and may have died from strangulation. An official cause of death has since been deferred and results will not be available for six to eight weeks, authorities said.
Gray said investigators are still trying to determine if the case is a homicide or suicide. Butler was residing in an area of the prison for those who have mental health problems, Gray said. However, Butler did not have any problems at the prison before his death.
[Note: This homicide did not appear on a coroner's report several weeks ago. It was added Sept. 7, 2010, after the coroner's office alerted The Times about the addition.]
[Updated Feb. 28, 2011: Coroner's officials said Butler died from asphyxia and his death was ruled a homicide.]
[Updated March 1, 2011: Sgt. Gray said Butler's cellmate, Derik Brock, a 40-year-old black man, initially refused to speak with investigators about the victim's death.
Brock later wrote a letter to detectives asking them to return to the prison so that he could reveal information. On Sept. 23, in a meeting with investigators, he confessed to killing Butler.
Gray said Butler and Brock were both serving life terms. Butler was convicted of murder and Brock was convicted of attempted murder.
Brock told investigators that he was depressed and "tripping." He had stopped taking his medication and came to the realization that he was never going to get out of prison.
There was no falling out between the cellmates, but Brock had decided he was going to kill Butler, Gray said. Brock tricked Butler into letting Brock tie him up, and then Brock took a torn bed sheet and strangled him.
Brock is being held at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles and is scheduled to be arraigned in the slaying March 15 at the Antelope Valley courthouse.]
Anyone with additional information about Butler's death is asked to contact Sgt. Gray at (323) 890-5569.
— Sarah Ardalani
12 reader comments about Donnie Butler
This man, and the three others (listed in the HR) who were killed on this street the past three years were all murdered in prison.
I looked at the google maps, satellite view and its nothing but two prisons adjacent to this road.
Sept. 7, 2010 at 8:50 p.m.
Thanks for the info syscom. thats very interesting.
Sept. 9, 2010 at 7:18 a.m.
I remember Donnie Butler at Fremont High School. South Central Los Angeles, Great football player, ( But what he did that day messed up a whole bunch of people.)
Sept. 11, 2010 at 2:59 p.m.
Me and some fellow alums from Fremont High, just had a conversation about Donnie....my condolescense to his family RIP Pathfinder 4 life
Sept. 14, 2010 at 8:02 a.m.
Donnie was a terrific athlete on the local and national scale..The smiling friendly Donnie was gone by the time of his arrest for an unthinkable crime. The bigger story is drugs, dispair, and when one has nothing to lose. Those of us who played football and ran track with Donnie will always remember the former.
Sept. 15, 2010 at 10:31 a.m.
Donnie Bulter will always be the "Original Prime Time" of High School Football. I can remember in some of my classes, in which Donnie attended, he would come in after the bell. But, his spirit & energy would electrify the room! The same electricity display on the football field & track field. You will be missed Donnie R.I.P.
Sept. 15, 2010 at 12:21 p.m.
Wow, what a great athlete he was. Donnie and I played baseball at South Park in Los angeles also played football together at Fremont High in L.A. Donnie and a group of us went to The university of Arizona on Athletic shcloarships. May God bless his family.
Sept. 20, 2010 at 11:57 p.m.
from the la times back in 85 when i was 3 years old...
Ex-Football Star Guilty of Killing Boy, Raping Girl
January 23, 1985|TED ROHRLICH, Times Staff Writer
A former Fremont High School football star, described by a prosecutor as a South-Central Los Angeles "neighborhood bum," was convicted Tuesday of raping a 5-year-old girl and killing her 4-year-old brother by slashing the boy's throat.
Donnie Butler, 25, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the crimes, and psychiatrists who examined him concluded that he was psychotic.
But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gordon Ringer, who presided at a non-jury trial, decided that Butler was, nevertheless, legally sane.
Ringer also found that "special circumstances" of murder committed during the course of sexual assaults were true. Butler thus faces a term of life in prison without possibility of parole when he is sentenced Feb. 26.
The district attorney's office did not seek the death penalty for Butler, because "there's no doubt that he is severely mentally ill," Deputy Dist. Atty. Sandra L. Buttitta said.
The prosecutor said that Butler won a football scholarship to the University of Arizona in 1978, but dropped out because of poor grades.
Butler was hospitalized twice for mental problems in 1982, before returning to Los Angeles, where he became a "neighborhood bum," occasionally sleeping in a vacant duplex in the 300 block of West 71st Street, next door to the apartment where his victims lived, Buttitta said.
The prosecutor said that Butler attacked the children on the morning of Dec. 9, 1983, within hours of his release from County Jail, where he had spent time for purse snatching.
The children had been left alone because of a mix-up with a baby sitter, who was to have called for them while their mother and stepfather were away, Buttitta said.
The stepfather, Omario Silva, captured Butler shortly after the attack and held him for police. Silva is now in prison, after pleading guilty to a charge of molesting the child who survived Butler's attack, Buttitta said. TED ROHRLICH, Times Staff Writer......CRAZY life...this guy was an outstanding athlete in high school and he had a chance in college..30 yrs later he is on the hr...just another homicide
Sept. 22, 2010 at 8:26 p.m.
Donnie Butler was a long time family friend. Not sure how I feel about his death. What he did back in 1985 was unbelievable. I guess God has a plan for everybody.
Oct. 2, 2010 at 4:02 p.m.
i was a child at the time of the crimes.but to this day i always and still think that mr.silva was guilty of both crimes.i guess thats why i goggled up the kids in the neighborhood hero.donnie buter. im 43 now i stayed in the house right across the street from where this all took place(314w.71st) i dont ever remember talking or seeing a police officer come to the house to talk to my grandma or my mom.sure donnie got caught up with drugs,talked to himself,slept in alleys but when us kids were out in the middle of the street playing football he was there quarter backing for both teams giving us pointers trying to make us better in the game he loved. to you donnie may your soul rest in peace...stephon randolph aka peewee
Dec. 16, 2010 at 12:58 p.m.
What happened to Silva, the rapist pedophile stepdad? Hopefully he was severely punished via jailhouse justice. Those poor children; was their mom on drugs or just worthless from birth? Sometimes I’m sorry I have read a particular blog, this is one of those times.
Dec. 19, 2010 at 4:39 p.m.
Donnie Butler was my brother, and he didn't commit the crime the stepfather did. Donnie was sick but he wouldn't hurt anyone. Our family lived on that street, if he was in that house and got caught by the stepfather we will never know why he was there. But he wouldn't mess with a child only GOD knows. R.I.P.
Love You Forever,
Your sister Shavelle
March 31, 2012 at 7:59 p.m.
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