Man Charged With Poisoning 8 Homeless People With Substance Twice As Strong As Pepper Spray, Recording Their Reactions
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) — A 38-year-old Northern California man has been charged with poisoning eight homeless people and recording their reactions.
William Robert Cable, of San Andreas, was charged with eight felony counts of poisoning, a felony count of inflicting injury on an elderly person, eight misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and an infraction for consuming alcohol or smoking marijuana while driving, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
"These human beings were preyed upon because they are vulnerable," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. "They were exploited and poisoned as part of a twisted form of entertainment, and their pain was recorded so that it could be relived by their attacker over and over again."
All the poisonings happened in Huntington Beach. Each victim had eaten food laced with oleoresin capsicum, a substance twice as strong as the pepper spray used by police, and suffered symptoms including difficulty breathing, vomiting, intense mouth and stomach pain. Several of them had to be hospitalized, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Cable, who was arrested on May 22, faces a maximum of 19 years and three months in jail if convicted as charged. He is currently being held on $500,000 bail and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on July 15.
