Horseheads man dies in Calif. hospital; homicide under investigation

[Bill]

A Horseheads High School graduate died Tuesday morning in a San Diego-area hospital, 10 days after he was found unconscious in a parking lot.

His death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Thomas A. Elliott, 24, a 2004 Horseheads graduate, was a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, according to an obituary from Lynch Funeral Home in Horseheads, N.Y. He was trained as an explosive ordnance disposal technician.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Elliott died Tuesday morning at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido as a result of head trauma. He was found in the pre-dawn hours on Feb. 27 in a parking lot on South Coast Highway in Cardiff by the Sea, a small community just north of
San Diego.

Elliott was taken to the hospital and never regained consciousness.

The Leader was unable to reach the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Unit for
further details Tuesday.

WETM Channel 18 News reported Elliott was involved in a brutal bar fight.

Elliott played lacrosse and ran cross country at Horseheads High, according to his MySpace page. Survivors include his parents, Charles and Susan Elliott of Horseheads; and two brothers, Kevin Elliott and Daniel Elliott, according to his obituary.

[4thDimension]

This is the son of one of my junior-high teachers. She had her husband flew out to California and were forced to make the decision to take him off of life-support.

Very sad.

[Bill]

It is also the friend of BFCitizen. Small world. And sad. The mother has had a serious burden to carry.

[RAF2]

Seems like more of our boys are dying here in the US, than on the battlefield...

Find those MF's and frag'm all!

[sstinbf]

I know the Elliotts very well and I cannot express the sorrow I feel for them at this time with words. Tommy was a great kid, tough as nails, but never a bully. When he played hockey for us in Binghamton, he always looked out for the younger, smaller kids. He had the perfect personality to be a Marine, always looking out for his buddies and teammates. The fact that he volunteered to learn how to dismantle roadside bombs and boobytraps tells you that he was a person who put other's safety above his own. He was a true warrior and will be missed. Semper Fi. RIP Tommy.

[Bill]

The Marine Corps is decidedly less today with his absence.

[Amos]

Its a damn shame what happened. All we can hope for is karma and justice.

[sstinbf]

Today has been a day of much reflection and melancholy for me. I went to pay my respects to Tommie Elliott and his family. What these people have had to endure over the last 3 weeks I would not wish on anyone. I can't begin to imagine the pain and anguish they are feeling. I know that my thoughts and prayers are with them and will continue to be with them in the difficult days ahead.

The circumstances behind Tommie's death are particularly troubling to me. Iot appears he and 2 other Marines were attacked by a group of thugs as they were leaving a send off party for a group of Marines deploying to Afghanistan. Police believe the attack was part of a gang initiation. They were attacked from behind and Tommie was struck at the base of his skull and was out cold before he hit the ground. He fell, unable to protect himself, hit his head again, causing a brain injury that he could not recover from. This information is not heresay. It came straight from his father.

If they catch these cowards, and that is what they are, I'm afraid all they will get is a few years in the slammer (advanced gang training) then back to society. I have spent a great deal of time today reflecting on how we have lost our way as human beings by allowing these scum to live.

My cousin Skip, a decorated Vietnam veteran, was also murdered by a coward - shot in the head from behind as he ate his breakfast in a diner - and memories of that came rushing back to me today. That guy got 7 years. I guess that maybe I am old school but I never jumped anyone or sucker-punched someone from behind in my life. If I was going to kick someone's ass, I would want him to know who was doing it and why. If I was going to kill someone I would want him to know it was me doing him in.

In some ways, I feel that as a sociey we have glorified this cowardly behavior, instead of condemning it. The values and morals our fathers and grandfathers had, the concept of honor, are rapidly disappearing.

Sorry for the ranting and raving. I thought getting this off my chest might help. It didn't. I still want to be the architect of their slow painful deaths, and yes, I would look them straight in the eye all the way to the end. Since there is no chance that I will ever be allowed to execute these cowards, I can only hope the old saying is true - "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only one.".

RIP Tommie, Semper Fi

[HeightsHeightsBaby]

God Bless you, Marine.

[Herb]

Sorry for the ranting and raving. I thought getting this off my chest might help. It didn't. I still want to be the architect of their slow painful deaths, and yes, I would look them straight in the eye all the way to the end. Since there is no chance that I will ever be allowed to execute these cowards, I can only hope the old saying is true - "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only one.".

No need to be sorry about anything. You have gotten your point across very well. This Country has and is in the process of becoming everything we have fought against throughout our lives. " Cowards " like those you describe seem to abound these days and the numbers are growing. But with your self described "Ranting and Raving" I can garner some faith in the fact that there are many like you still around. These lowlife scum will get their just due in the end you can be assured. And let it be a long and painful end for them. And in the meantime it will be people like you, myself , Bill, Raf2, Maudbid, RP and others in not only this forum but in many other Bands of Brothers and Sisters throughout America who still care about each other that keep the faith and do our best to keep this type of thing from happening again. God Bless you and God Bless Tommie and his family. As for the Scum that did this foul deed , God Damn them all and may they Rot in Hell. There have been several unsolved murders in good old Elmira thay can be attributed to "Gang Scum". So watch your back friend and be assured that there are others watching it also.