The 81-year-old man who was arrested last week, accused of a decade-long spree of slingshot vandalism in Azusa, California, died Wednesday.
The man, Prince Raymond King, died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office reported. He describes the manner of death as “natural.”
Mr. King faced five counts of felony vandalism and two counts of misdemeanor vandalism.
On M. During King’s arrest last week, police described him as a “serial slingshot shooter.” They said a slingshot and ball bearings were found on his property, which was on the same block where the crimes were committed.
Neighbors had been reporting damaged windows in their cars and homes for years. Some had reported that the pellets narrowly missed them. Neighbors had collected pellets found in their yards over the years and paid hundreds of dollars to repair the broken windows.
While at least one neighbor reported seeing Mr. King using a slingshot, others expressed surprise at his arrest.
Police said they used the locations where the damage occurred to narrow their search to a specific residence, Rois said. They monitored the house and, they say, saw Mr. Roi using the slingshot. They said he did not appear to have any motive other than mischief.
Mr. King pleaded not guilty and was released without bail. He was awaiting another court date scheduled for June 17.
Although slingshot crimes are not a common news item, Mr. King’s case was not the first.
In 1935, two men armed with slingshots headed to Central Park to hunt. As the New York Times reported under the headline “Nimrods in Park Use Slingshot,” the men were arrested and charged with killing birds without a permit.