During the afternoon of March 10, 2000, a passerby found Jack Jamar’s wallet lying on the ground on the Ventura College campus. Obtaining the address from a driver’s license, the passerby brought the wallet to Jamar’s home. The front door was open, but there was no response when she knocked. The police were called and found Jamar, who was 78 years old, in his bed. His face was swollen and covered in blood, and there was blood on the dresser, wall and floor, doorway, and bathroom. Jamar was alive and able to briefly speak to a police officer. He was taken to the hospital where he remained in a vegetative state until his death in May 2000.
In the opinion of the medical examiner, Jamar died as the result of blunt-force injuries caused by a minimum of three impacts, one impact to the mouth, another to the front of the head, and another to the right side of the head near the eye. The medical examiner testified that one impact appeared to have been caused by a rod-shaped instrument, but that the cause of the other impacts could not be determined. There were multiple fractures to the bones around one eye, the cheek, teeth, and frontal sinus. Blood spatter showed that all impacts occurred in the general area of the dresser.
After discovering a connection between Cid and Jamar, the police arranged for a family friend to make a telephone call to Cid’s mother regarding Cid’s activities on March 10. During the telephone call, Cid’s mother stated that Cid called her that afternoon and asked her to pick him up at Ventura College. Cid told his mother: “I’m scared, hurry, something happened.” When his mother picked Cid up, Cid removed his clothes, saying, “I have to do it or they’re gonna-I don’t want ‘em to recognize me. . . .”
In late March, the police found Cid in a city near San Diego and arrested him. At first, Cid denied any involvement with Jamar, but later admitted that he knew Jamar and had been in Jamar’s house. Cid told police that he and Jamar went to Jamar’s house after Jamar had picked Cid up at a bus stop. Cid claimed that Jamar attempted to have sex with him, and then became violent. Cid admitted that he pushed Jamar against a dresser, kicked him, and hit him with his hands. Cid stated that he was able to escape and run away.
Cid was a cross-dresser, sometimes passed as a woman, and performed sexual acts for money. A defense expert testified that Cid suffered from “gender identity disorder,” a disorder that causes a person to feel that he or she belongs to the wrong sex and attempt to live as the other sex. In the case of a male, this entails dressing like a female and adopting stereotypical feminine behavior. The expert also testified that a person with a gender disorder is no more predisposed to violence than other people.
Cid was charged with murder and robbery. It was alleged that the murder was committed while Cid was engaged in the commission of the robbery. After a jury trial, Cid was acquitted of first and second degree murder and robbery, but was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and petty theft. Cid is serving his sentence at Salinas Valley State Prison, a prison for minimum and maximum custody male inmates.
Transvestite Says in Letter That He ‘Hurt’ Elderly Ventura Man – Los Angeles Times.
Suspect in Murder Case Won’t Face Death Penalty – Los Angeles Times.
