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13-year-old boy killed in park

Neighbors in a Hillsborough County subdivision demand justice, and his mourning family wonders how it will pay for a funeral.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published December 10, 2005

	[Times photos: Mike Pease]
	Stephen's father, Ron Tomlinson, and landlord Rhonda Hunt went Friday to Logan Gate Park, where Stephen was found Thursday.
	No arrests were made Friday in Stephen Tomlinson's death.
	Neighbor Juan Rivera, 17, left, said he was among a group of teens that found Stephen Tomlinson, who Rivera said was beaten. He said one of them tried to administer CPR. At left is Kyle Sandmeyer, who knew Stephen.
	Stephen's father, Ron Tomlinson, and Eileen Leech stand in Logan Gate Park before a cross bearing Stephen's name and date of death. Stephen's aunt said she didn't know how the family would pay for his funeral.

TAMPA - Ron Tomlinson anxiously watched from behind the crime scene tape Friday morning as sheriff's deputies scoured the Logan Gate Park site where his son Stephen was found dead Thursday night.

As more family members and friends arrived, Tomlinson broke down. Tears streamed from his tired eyes, and the lines in his worn face darkened as he reached out for Rhonda Hunt, his landlord.

"I don't know if I can stay in that house," Tomlinson told Hunt, his voice cracking. "It has too many memories."

Memories of Stephen, a 13-year-old seventh-grader with a passion for Pokemon and bicycle riding, who never was without an "I love you" for a family member or a cheerful greeting for a neighbor.

Neighborhood teenagers found Stephen's beaten body in the park Thursday night. The bicycle he had been riding was nearby. Deputies worked the crime scene late into Thursday night, returning to the park before sunrise Friday, wrapping up their search for clues just after 11 a.m.

As Tomlinson watched and waited, family and friends also gathered in the Carrollwood park, angrily shouting for justice. Juan Rivera, who lives across the street, was convinced deputies knew who killed Stephen. They even questioned the man, Rivera said, but released him.

"I just want to know why they let the guy go," demanded Rivera, 17, who said he was among a group of teens that found Stephen's bleeding, beaten body Thursday night.

"We've got a person of interest right now," Hillsborough sheriff's Sgt. Michael Willette said after interviewing a neighbor. "He is talking with us. We're still in a position where this is a very active investigation."

Rivera and others said they saw an older neighborhood teenager they know run out of the park shouting on Thursday evening. Jacob Herc, 18, said the teen held a flashlight and had white gloves with him.

"He was like, "There's a kid dead back there,' " Rivera said. "He ran to my house and called the cops."

Rivera said he and a group of boys ran into the park and found Stephen, bleeding through the mouth, nose, ears, and eyes, his pants pulled halfway down. One boy tried to give Stephen CPR, to no avail.

"He just took his last breath in our hands," Rivera said.

Representatives of the Sheriff's Office would not confirm these details. They said simply that Stephen suffered "trauma to the upper torso." The Medical Examiner had no autopsy results available Friday.

Stephen's aunt, Phyllis Gardner of Wesley Chapel, said her nephew had been seen hanging out with a 19-year-old outside the family home that evening.

"The next thing we knew, (the man) was coming out of the park and Stevie was dead," Gardner said. "I don't know why a 19-year-old boy would be playing with a 13-year-old boy."

She said her brother, a single parent living on disability income, was concerned that the neighborhood was changing for the worse. He worried specifically about drug activity, Gardner said.

The neighborhood's crime rate is slightly down compared with a year ago, although the amount of violent crime for Logan Gate Village, a subdivision of Carrollwood, has climbed.

Sheriff's records show 184 crimes reported in Logan Gate last year, including two forcible sex offenses and 10 aggravated assaults. With 2005 nearly over, there have been 164 reported crimes so far, including four forcible sex offenses, 16 aggravated assaults and one murder in July.

State records show that 15 sex offenders and predators live in the same ZIP code as Stephen, including two who live on the same street.

The Sheriff's Office has not labeled this a sex crime, and there has been no indication that it involved robbery.

Gardner said Ron Tomlinson "was looking to get out" of the area. In the meantime, he told Stephen to avoid the park, just a few blocks from their home.

"We told him not to hang around with older boys," said Patsy Driggers, another of Stephen's aunts. "I don't know what happened."

Neighbors were staggered by Stephen's death.

"I almost threw up when I heard about it. I've been here for 13 years, and I've never experienced anything so close to home," said Jessica Ruiz, 23, who lives across the street from the park. She said she thought about canceling her daughter's first birthday party in the park next week.

"People are going to talk about this and think about this," Ruiz said. "It's so sad."

Like others, Ruiz remembered Stephen as a quiet, friendly boy who often would ride his bicycle around the neighborhood.

Driggers, who lives near the University of South Florida, called Stephen an angel with a warm heart. She said he loved to tell jokes and read the Bible to her.

"He used to go to sleep with his book bag on his back. He couldn't wait to go to school," she recalled.

His fellow students at Davidsen Middle School learned of his death during morning announcements.

"We know many of you may feel upset," principal Rebecca Kaskeski said, adding that crisis counseling was available in the media center. "We know you are here for each other and will be strong for each other."

She asked for a moment of silence and told students to remember Stephen's family in their thoughts and prayers. About 125 youngsters sought counseling, crisis team leader Vito Ricciardi said. Many sought repeat help to deal with the grief.

Stephen's brother, Christopher, talked about how Stephen liked to tag along with him during his job of repossessing cars in Georgia. Gardner, his aunt, remembered him as sweet and trusting.

"I think that's why he was a target," she said.

Family members and friends remained hopeful that whoever killed Stephen would be caught quickly. They planned a candlelight vigil Friday night. Meanwhile, the family worries about how they will pay for the funeral.

"It's going to be hard to come up with any money for the funeral," Driggers said. "I'm praying."

Staff writers Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler and Rebecca Catalanello contributed to this report. Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at solochek@sptimes.com or 813 269-5304.

[Last modified December 10, 2005, 01:04:11]