I was wondering if I can get more info. on the murder of Rebecca Young from Miami. I believe the time of the crime was around 1991.

Sure. She was murdered in a sugar cane field. There was a witness to the murder, who telephone police after it happened, but didn't give out his contact info, and hasn't called back. Police believe he would have gotten a good look at the suspect and the car, and want to speak with him again. I'm missing a few details, maybe one of the forum veterans can fill in the blanks, but hopefully this is a good start.

This is the one who was a suspected prostitute/drug user, right? And she was killed with a machete in a pretty brutal manner.

This was one of those segments that stuck with me.... *shiver*

I was wondering if I can get more info. on the murder of Rebecca Young from Miami. I believe the time of the crime was around 1991.

I believe the murder took place in West Palm Beach county. RS mentioned how frustrating it was for law enforcement because they believe they knew who murdered her. I can't remember if they just couldn't find him or didn't have the evidence to arrest him. If they could locate the witness it would no doubt go a long way in identifying the killer and hopefully making an arrest.

Any updates in this case?

Some of you guys might have better insight than I do, so maybe you can help me here. Things I totally don't get about the Rebecca Young case:

1. The suspect in the segment is depicted as a rather unkempt (and intoxicated) white male who had "told a prostitute he killed a black woman." According to Antonio's story, two Hispanic men--one possibly Cuban and the other possibly Mexican--had murdered Rebecca. How do the police figure this guy in? Do they think he physically murdered her, or did he have some other party carry it out? I understand it's just a re-enactment, but the man didn't exactly strike me as someone who typically ordered hits.

2. Why was Antonio not appealed to in Spanish? I think it could probably be safely assumed that his command of the English language wasn't fantastic as he called and reported in Spanish (although he would've had to know enough to understand the conversation between Rebecca and her killers, which is depicted as having been in English). Certainly if he were, by some chance, able to catch the segment, he'd recognize his own phone call to police, but what to do might not be apparent to him--especially if he hadn't really been aware of the show and its pretext, or didn't fully understand the instructions to call.

(Antonio did have a very distinct Cuban accent, and he seemed to use a lot of area-specific slang. I always have a hard time understanding all of his call. I can get the first couple of sentences very clearly, but when he starts on the license plate I get lost until he gets to they started to argue, the girl and him.)

Any thoughts on anything?

2. Why was Antonio not appealed to in Spanish? I think it could probably be safely assumed that his command of the English language wasn't fantastic as he called and reported in Spanish (although he would've had to know enough to understand the conversation between Rebecca and her killers, which is depicted as having been in English). Certainly if he were, by some chance, able to catch the segment,

UM did run on spanish televison (Univision?) for a while, with episodes re-dubbed in Spanish.

I sincerely hope this episode was one of them.

Perhaps this episode was dubbed and they figured it would be redundant.

1. The suspect in the segment is depicted as a rather unkempt (and intoxicated) white male who had "told a prostitute he killed a black woman." According to Antonio's story, two Hispanic men--one possibly Cuban and the other possibly Mexican--had murdered Rebecca

Are they sure that guy was white and not hispanic, too? Was it just from appearance or speech? Maybe he was just a lighter shade or more European descent than Indian descent?

Antonio was an idiot for waiting for a week to tell police what happened.

Antonio was an idiot for waiting for a week to tell police what happened.

Snitching on violent drug dealers isn't the best way to ensure a prolonged and happy life.

I give Antonio credit for even calling in the first place.

I give Antonio credit for even calling in the first place.

Me too. It was evident in his voice how scared he was. I agree that it wasn't the best decision in the world to wait a week, sdb, but Antonio really did a lot more than a lot of people are willing to do. It might've taken weeks or months for someone to discover Rebecca if he hadn't eventually taken the initiative.

Snitching on violent drug dealers isn't the best way to ensure a prolonged and happy life.

I give Antonio credit for even calling in the first place.


Antonio did have a gun, I wish he'd been able to shoot them, he might have saved her life. But he might have feared retaliation. What an ugly story. It makes me sad. Once that man beat her the first time, her life was in danger.

Me too. It was evident in his voice how scared he was. I agree that it wasn't the best decision in the world to wait a week, sdb, but Antonio really did a lot more than a lot of people are willing to do. It might've taken weeks or months for someone to discover Rebecca if he hadn't eventually taken the initiative.


Or maybe years or maybe not even at all. The segment said that (i'm assuming because of the heat) she had past the stages of decomposition and was already beginning to mummify. It's possible with no witness, and animals carrying off bones she would have a been a missing person, never laid to rest, her family always wondering if she ran off or was harmed.

Antonio did have a gun, I wish he'd been able to shoot them, he might have saved her life. But he might have feared retaliation. What an ugly story. It makes me sad. Once that man beat her the first time, her life was in danger.

Sadly I probably would have done what Antonio did, hide in the cane field. It's very easy to say just shoot them but there are many variables to take into account. I certainly would have been able at least to help catch the guys that did this.

Sadly I probably would have done what Antonio did, hide in the cane field. It's very easy to say just shoot them but there are many variables to take into account. I certainly would have been able at least to help catch the guys that did this.


I agree with you. It's very easy to say, "Just do this or that" when you are watching the episode, but I imagined he was paralyzed with fear. So much so that he didn't even want to risk coming forward except for the message. I'm sure he feared that if anyone knew who he was, he'd face retaliation. But I wish he'd called back.

Pretty interesting how Robert Stack said at the beginning of the segment how this case was very frustrating for investigators because they knew who killed her but couldn't prove it. I wonder what they have or what they know that tells them who do it?

Pretty interesting how Robert Stack said at the beginning of the segment how this case was very frustrating for investigators because they knew who killed her but couldn't prove it. I wonder what they have or what they know that tells them who do it?

That's a good question. I wonder if this is partly why the mystery caller Antonio is so important to the case. Perhaps the police were hoping that he might be able to identify someone in a lineup.Maybe they needed some evidence to put their suspect on the scene and Antonio's testimony would have been it.

For what it's worth, I live not far from where this occurred and have driven through Belle Glade many times. Sugar cane farming is endemic to this area and much of the workforce in the sugar cane fields are Cuban immigrants. The majority of the immigrants only speak Spanish. It wouldn't surprise me if Antonio lived and worked in the area, perhaps cutting sugar cane given he was familiar with the location and possibly not living in the best conditions - he mentioned he didn't have a phone, for example.

Also, for what it's worth, many of the immigrants are of questionable legal status. That could also be why Antonio never called back, unfortunately.

That's a good question. I wonder if this is partly why the mystery caller Antonio is so important to the case. Perhaps the police were hoping that he might be able to identify someone in a lineup.Maybe they needed some evidence to put their suspect on the scene and Antonio's testimony would have been it.

For what it's worth, I live not far from where this occurred and have driven through Belle Glade many times. Sugar cane farming is endemic to this area and much of the workforce in the sugar cane fields are Cuban immigrants. The majority of the immigrants only speak Spanish. It wouldn't surprise me if Antonio lived and worked in the area, perhaps cutting sugar cane given he was familiar with the location and possibly not living in the best conditions - he mentioned he didn't have a phone, for example.

Also, for what it's worth, many of the immigrants are of questionable legal status. That could also be why Antonio never called back, unfortunately.

Excellent points. Plus, the fact that we are 20 years later and he still hasn't come forward tells me he never will. I wonder if he went back to Cuba or wherever he was from?

Excellent points. Plus, the fact that we are 20 years later and he still hasn't come forward tells me he never will. I wonder if he went back to Cuba or wherever he was from?

It is possible. Although, many immigrants stay and work here and send money back to their homes in other countries to support their families who haven't made it to the US.

In either case, if Antonio was an immigrant and worked in sugar cane, as I suspect, I think finding him now would be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. The population in question is very transient and unfortunately impoverished.

ETA: I think Meg mentioned in an earlier post reaching out to him in Spanish. This probably would have been the best bet. Though, we don't know what all the police tried. It is possible that they did have appeals in the news media and so forth.

It is possible. Although, many immigrants stay and work here and send money back to their homes in other countries to support their families who haven't made it to the US.

In either case, if Antonio was an immigrant and worked in sugar cane, as I suspect, I think finding him now would be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. The population in question is very transient and unfortunately impoverished.

ETA: I think Meg mentioned in an earlier post reaching out to him in Spanish. This probably would have been the best bet. Though, we don't know what all the police tried. It is possible that they did have appeals in the news media and so forth.

Most likely. I also think its like you said, he was afraid of coming forth out of fear of possibly being deported. He may have also known one of the killers as well.

He may have also known one of the killers as well.

That's an interesting thought right there. It got me thinking about the account. Didn't Antonio say that one of the killers was named "Ricardito?"

In the re-enactment, the Rebecca Young actress yells out "don't kill me, Ricardito!" implying that was how Antonio heard the name.

A part of me wonders though. That seems kind of convenient. Coupled with the odds of Antonio being on the scene in the right place, at the correct vantage point to witness all of this undetected. It all seems kind of suspect. I've never really considered that until today.

That's an interesting thought right there. It got me thinking about the account. Didn't Antonio say that one of the killers was named "Ricardito?"

In the re-enactment, the Rebecca Young actress yells out "don't kill me, Ricardito!" implying that was how Antonio heard the name.

A part of me wonders though. That seems kind of convenient. Coupled with the odds of Antonio being on the scene in the right place, at the correct vantage point to witness all of this undetected. It all seems kind of suspect. I've never really considered that until today.

I mean, I wouldn't say its odd that she screamed "don't kill me Ricardito!". Assuming she at least knew him and she believes he's about to murder her, I think its natural to say the persons name in hopes of appealing to them. But I do get what you're saying and its certainly possible.

I just watched the original version of this segment. I had seen it before on lifetime back in the day. It is very chilling to watch to say the least. It's crazy I think I may have viewed the moss beach/civil war episode in the weeks prior and opted out of the next showings. Watching this segment would have been hard on me as a child.

Meg made some good points in her post. The biggest discrepancy or ? Is the fact that Antonio thought the killer was Mexican and in that scene they show a Hispanic suspect. but then in the traffic stop reenactment the suspect appeared to be more Caucasian. As many pointed out after megs post This could possibly the key to breaking the case. The police may not have been able to hold the suspect for long or get probable cause to search because he did not match the description given by Antonio over the phone. The Mexican statement could have been a mistake. The suspect could have been light-tan skinned or just was Caucasian but spoke spanish/or English with a non Cuban accent. If they were speaking English when Antonio was watching from the sugar cane area then Antonio would have been translating in his mind. This would make his observations a little more difficult as well in trying to pin point a non Cuban dialect. Ricardito was likely an alias...

Snitching on violent drug dealers isn't the best way to ensure a prolonged and happy life.

I give Antonio credit for even calling in the first place.
I agree with this. If he was a working class immigrant I doubt he was keen to be involved in this case. I do wonder if he ever viewed the segment or was informed by someone. Given the brutality of the crime I imagine he would have told his family about the incident. Holding that inside would be difficult.

Seems pretty obvious that the drunk rambling dude featured in the segment is the one who killed her. Stack even says as much in the segment when he says that the police seemed certain that he was involved in her murder. What's odd though is that Antonio described 2 men involved in Rebecca's murder, one Cuban and the other Mexican. The drunk rambling guy (the actor who played him, anyway) was a long haired white guy. The police seem to think this guy is the likely suspect, so I believe they have more information than what was given out in the segment. But if that's true, that makes the entire phone call by Antonio questionable.

Seems pretty obvious that the drunk rambling dude featured in the segment is the one who killed her. Stack even says as much in the segment when he says that the police seemed certain that he was involved in her murder. What's odd though is that Antonio described 2 men involved in Rebecca's murder, one Cuban and the other Mexican. The drunk rambling guy (the actor who played him, anyway) was a long haired white guy. The police seem to think this guy is the likely suspect, so I believe they have more information than what was given out in the segment. But if that's true, that makes the entire phone call by Antonio questionable.
I’m not sure but maybe it could have been a contract killing of some sort involving a drug debt or another type of criminal activity? I always thought the caller was sincere. It is possible that his testimony was flawed or that he simply saw or heard a Caucasian guy speaking Spanish and confused the dialect since it was not Cuban. I get frustrated when I watch this segment because it seems if they located the witness he may have been able to identify or eliminate the suspect. I wonder if Rebecca had any interaction with the police before her murder.

Leaning towards 'Antonio' being the murderer. Why was he worried about them finding him? According to him they hadn't seen him there, so how could they identify him? They had no clue anybody else was there at the time. More likely the reason he never phoned back is he was trying to put the blame onto other people by making up some description of a couple of guys & put himself in a good light by reporting the crime in case the cops tracked him down.

Hate to bump this thread up but I just saw this episode a few minutes ago and still, like I felt the first time that I saw this story, I think ANTONIO is the killer.
He wanted someone to find her so her reported it. I also don’t believe he was doing “illegal hunting” as RS mentioned on the episode. In Florida? Hunting for what gator? Idk I think he was doing some illegal cutting of the sugar cane and who knows why rebeccca Young was with him. If she was a prostitute then there you go...
either way I don’t believe Antonio’s story... Bc Who the heck is Ricardito a name he threw out to throw ppl off. Who was that boyfriend of hers too, not much mention of him.

I don't think the caller did it. for me his phone call sounded sincere and makes sense. as for hunting in south florida, that may not make sense to some people, but south florida is a multi-cultural society. people from different countries bring their heritage with them. I don't think it is far fetched to say that she was killed over drugs or a disagreement between drug dealers.

I don't think the caller did it. for me his phone call sounded sincere and makes sense. as for hunting in south florida, that may not make sense to some people, but south florida is a multi-cultural society. people from different countries bring their heritage with them. I don't think it is far fetched to say that she was killed over drugs or a disagreement between drug dealers.

The problem is he had a gun, they used a machete-why would he let it happen & why would he be in fear of his life when he could blow them away? Most likely he knew of the killing because he was involved in it, or knew the killers who were shooting their mouth off about it.

The problem is he had a gun, they used a machete-why would he let it happen & why would he be in fear of his life when he could blow them away? Most likely he knew of the killing because he was involved in it, or knew the killers who were shooting their mouth off about it.
It is possible. I just don’t see it that way due to sincere nature of his phone call. Contrary to what we see on television not everyone who carries a gun is willing to use it on another human under those circumstances (if you believe him which I do). I would venture to say some people would opt not to get involved and many would never even call the police out of fear of being thrust into an investigation...yet perhaps he called out of guilt for doing nothing to help her?

I think most people armed with a gun would intervene on a couple of guys about to murder a woman with a machete, or even just roughing her up. A lot of people would intervene even if they were unarmed at risk to themselves. If this is true which I highly doubt then he is as bad as the murderers for his cowardly non-actions & he couldn't even be bothered to call the cops back again or present himself to them after an international appeal. I think it was most likely the accomplice who felt bad after the event & wanted her body to be found for her families sake.

I think most people armed with a gun would intervene on a couple of guys about to murder a woman with a machete, or even just roughing her up. A lot of people would intervene even if they were unarmed at risk to themselves. If this is true which I highly doubt then he is as bad as the murderers for his cowardly non-actions & he couldn't even be bothered to call the cops back again or present himself to them after an international appeal. I think it was most likely the accomplice who felt bad after the event & wanted her body to be found for her families sake.

I don't think that him cowering in fear makes him as bad as a murderer.

In a perfect world all people would intervene, but we know that does not happen. We can try to make sense of it...and that's where I agree it does not make sense when we are looking back at what he didn't do. until you are faced with fight or flight you never know what will happen in the heat of the moment.

As far as international appeal for the witness to come forward....it is possible the man never heard of the UM segment or the appeals for him to call the police again. I would also add that if he indeed were involved it would not make sense for him to call the police in the first place especially if he had knowledge of the circumstances.... because without his call the crime may have never been discovered and she could very well still be a missing person.

He did not speak english, he was illegally hunting, he may have had other reasons to fear law enforcement for whatever reason. Look at the bird road rapist case in the same area where an innocent man was railroaded for a crime when he cooperated with police. I am not trying to engage in stereotypes, but there are reasons that immigrants in America fear law enforcement and have problems trusting their local government agencies. I truly wish it could be better, but I do not see that much has changed in that regard in the last 25 years since this segment aired.

Why am i here again? It just baffles me that not one soul has come forward with this incident. Most likely the caller “Antonio” was FAKE. The name Ricardito was FAKE . How many ppl is named RICARDITO? originally I assumed Rebecca was Spanish and not black. Clearly she was clearly an African American girl. That boyfriend/pimp here the heck is he? How come he was dismissed as a suspect? She was 21 yrs old and didn’t seem like the type to be into drugs and prostitution in her own she was definitely pimped. So what’s the purpose of the pimp? Smh Rebecca died for this pimp.If she did rob someone for their drugs she surely doesn’t seem like she would’ve did this alone. He forced her into doing that and she paid the price for it while his coward behind his or ran. She should’ve never been away from her pimp. I’m sure her “pimp boyfriend” had other women he pimped that knew Rebecca. I truly believe that the call from this Antonio was meant to throw off the investigation and or the person was an accomplice and felt bad so he reported her body so that her family could find her. There is no Ricardito and I say go back to the boyfriend/pimp. Sometimes I truly wonder how these so call investigators get their jobs. This is a job to always take serious, there is no down time.you can’t ever just treat this like a job. If it’s not a passion, they shouldnt be working that department. End of story . Floridians aren’t that bright anyway. Ive recently moved here from Indiana, if it wasn’t for my job, I’d run for my life before my brain becomes stuck on stupid like these ppl.

Sorry for any typos in my original post.
I haven’t figured out how to edit posts yet. Smh

Sorry for any typos in my original post.
I haven’t figured out how to edit posts yet. Smh

You’re fine. Welcome! We appreciate your thoughts!

Why am i here again? It just baffles me that not one soul has come forward with this incident. Most likely the caller “Antonio” was FAKE. The name Ricardito was FAKE . How many ppl is named RICARDITO? originally I assumed Rebecca was Spanish and not black. Clearly she was clearly an African American girl. That boyfriend/pimp here the heck is he? How come he was dismissed as a suspect? She was 21 yrs old and didn’t seem like the type to be into drugs and prostitution in her own she was definitely pimped. So what’s the purpose of the pimp? Smh Rebecca died for this pimp.If she did rob someone for their drugs she surely doesn’t seem like she would’ve did this alone. He forced her into doing that and she paid the price for it while his coward behind his or ran. She should’ve never been away from her pimp. I’m sure her “pimp boyfriend” had other women he pimped that knew Rebecca. I truly believe that the call from this Antonio was meant to throw off the investigation and or the person was an accomplice and felt bad so he reported her body so that her family could find her. There is no Ricardito and I say go back to the boyfriend/pimp. Sometimes I truly wonder how these so call investigators get their jobs. This is a job to always take serious, there is no down time.you can’t ever just treat this like a job. If it’s not a passion, they shouldnt be working that department. End of story . Floridians aren’t that bright anyway. Ive recently moved here from Indiana, if it wasn’t for my job, I’d run for my life before my brain becomes stuck on stupid like these ppl.

Miami is a unique place. It is unlike anywhere else in America that I have been to. It is culturally diverse, but especially amongst Hispanic culture. they are all very different from one another in spite of speaking the same language. It would be comparable for American to go to the UK or Australia and try carrying on a conversation with someone without running into language barriers and major cultural differences...or the same if you are just trying to listen to a conversation.

I know a lot of bright people from Florida personally that I work with. I will add that Ricardito is likely not someone's given name. In the Hispanic culture(especially among Mexican) they often add "ito/ita" to the end of someone's name as a slang often used for a term of endearment. Often they simply add it to someone's name or they call them something else as a nickname. Mexico's most famous footballer...his name is Javier Hernandez. No one calls him that. His nickname is "Chicharito" and that is what he is known as even in England where he plays.

I think for Rebecca Young this is a very sad case. The caller could have been involved, but lets not also discount the fact that he could have been exactly what he said he was...a bystander that did a noble deed by helping authorities find her body so that there could be some closure. without that call she may have never been found. I really hope this case gets solved especially due to the fact that investigators claimed to have a suspect.

Don’t take my statement about Floridians too serious.
I’m in North Florida, close to Georgia where these ppl are like a decade behind in everything. Very slow handling business . Being from Indiana,I guess I should’ve taken a job in south Florida lol
I hope this case gets solved too
I understand your point but we’ve been assuming for yrs that “Antonio” was who he said he was and have gotten nowhere. I’m just trying to think differently in 2018 .
So what do you think about the boyfriend /pimp??

I think most people armed with a gun would intervene on a couple of guys about to murder a woman with a machete, or even just roughing her up. A lot of people would intervene even if they were unarmed at risk to themselves.

Just like in Kitty Genovese's case, in which everyone around in the neighborhood could see the attack going on from their window and the assailant return to the crime scene to attack her again and again? When the could have hear her screams right there on the street, begging for someone to help, and no one even called the police? It's not like they were all under any personal threat...

Just like in Cheryl Araujo's case, in which she was being gang-raped on a bar pool table in front of a room full of seated patrons having a bear who did not lift a finger to intervene? It's not like 10 drunken guys jumping on 3 other guys with their trousers down would risk their lives there...

Your assertion that "a lot of people would intervene in such situations, even unarmed" has been demonstrably and repeatedly proven to be flat wrong. It is now common knowledge that, on the contrary, the more witnesses are present the less likely they'll intervene, and that if not directly compelled to intervene most people will try their best to remain out of danger, even if it means doing nothing. "Kitty Genovese Syndrome", a.k.a Diffusion of responsibility, is a very real psychological phenomenon. This is why women are now taught in self-defence classes that if attacked in a public area they should target a specific invididual, give them direct eye contact, and plead directly to them rather than simply call for help. It increases the chance that the person will feel morally compelled to do something, which will have the domino effect of other people following to help and support that person.

Here, though, we have a old, scared civilian in a dangerous situation against at least two thugs, in which one is crazed, possibly on drugs, and on the verge of slaughtering a woman with a machete in a rage. "Ricardito" was not alone with Rebecca Young - he had at least one accomplice present. Even armed with a hunting gun (which we ignore the state or the caliber for, for all we known it could have been without ammo or jammed), that guy might also have a gun of his own. In two-to-one situations odds are well against you that that you will lose, and either get gunned down or pinned by suppression or covering fire while the other comes around to slash you with a melee weapon. If he intervenes, then runs away, odds are good either of the assailant would run in pursuit and kill him. In such situations you don't know your surroundings, and if not trained it is easy to become bewildered. It's fight or flight, and he decided "flight" and to remain hidden instead. Plus, as an illegal immigrant from Cuba it is understandable that he did not want to get involved with authorities at the time. Even if he had helped the police, after a warm thank you he would have certainly been deported to Castro-land for his trouble.

Don’t take my statement about Floridians too serious.
I’m in North Florida, close to Georgia where these ppl are like a decade behind in everything. Very slow handling business . Being from Indiana,I guess I should’ve taken a job in south Florida lol
I hope this case gets solved too
I understand your point but we’ve been assuming for yrs that “Antonio” was who he said he was and have gotten nowhere. I’m just trying to think differently in 2018 .
So what do you think about the boyfriend /pimp??

Yeah I understand what you are saying there. It has been a long time now. If I recall from the segment the boyfriend/pimp was or was not the suspect that the police had in mind? That's the frustrating part for me is that if Antonio did come forward he could have ID'd or cleared the suspects.

Hate to bump this thread up but I just saw this episode a few minutes ago and still, like I felt the first time that I saw this story, I think ANTONIO is the killer.
He wanted someone to find her so her reported it. I also don’t believe he was doing “illegal hunting” as RS mentioned on the episode. In Florida? Hunting for what gator? Idk I think he was doing some illegal cutting of the sugar cane and who knows why rebeccca Young was with him. If she was a prostitute then there you go...
either way I don’t believe Antonio’s story... Bc Who the heck is Ricardito a name he threw out to throw ppl off. Who was that boyfriend of hers too, not much mention of him.

He said he was hunting rabbits in the phone call to the police.

Just like in Kitty Genovese's case, in which everyone around in the neighborhood could see the attack going on from their window and the assailant return to the crime scene to attack her again and again? When the could have hear her screams right there on the street, begging for someone to help, and no one even called the police? It's not like they were all under any personal threat...

Just like in Cheryl Araujo's case, in which she was being gang-raped on a bar pool table in front of a room full of seated patrons having a bear who did not lift a finger to intervene? It's not like 10 drunken guys jumping on 3 other guys with their trousers down would risk their lives there...

Your assertion that "a lot of people would intervene in such situations, even unarmed" has been demonstrably and repeatedly proven to be flat wrong. It is now common knowledge that, on the contrary, the more witnesses are present the less likely they'll intervene, and that if not directly compelled to intervene most people will try their best to remain out of danger, even if it means doing nothing. "Kitty Genovese Syndrome", a.k.a Diffusion of responsibility, is a very real psychological phenomenon. This is why women are now taught in self-defence classes that if attacked in a public area they should target a specific invididual, give them direct eye contact, and plead directly to them rather than simply call for help. It increases the chance that the person will feel morally compelled to do something, which will have the domino effect of other people following to help and support that person.

Here, though, we have a old, scared civilian in a dangerous situation against at least two thugs, in which one is crazed, possibly on drugs, and on the verge of slaughtering a woman with a machete in a rage. "Ricardito" was not alone with Rebecca Young - he had at least one accomplice present. Even armed with a hunting gun (which we ignore the state or the caliber for, for all we known it could have been without ammo or jammed), that guy might also have a gun of his own. In two-to-one situations odds are well against you that that you will lose, and either get gunned down or pinned by suppression or covering fire while the other comes around to slash you with a melee weapon. If he intervenes, then runs away, odds are good either of the assailant would run in pursuit and kill him. In such situations you don't know your surroundings, and if not trained it is easy to become bewildered. It's fight or flight, and he decided "flight" and to remain hidden instead. Plus, as an illegal immigrant from Cuba it is understandable that he did not want to get involved with authorities at the time. Even if he had helped the police, after a warm thank you he would have certainly been deported to Castro-land for his trouble.

The Kitty Genovese case has largely been proved to be a myth conjured by the media. The idea of everyone watching and doing nothing is a myth, few people saw anything at all, much less anything that would prompt a response.

And yes, people do tend to intervene most of the time. I'm not sure what good it does to bring up diffusion of responsibility, this guy was alone so clearly that was not a factor.

There is no evidence that he was old. Nor do people go hunting without ammo, so its fair to assume he at least had ammo and very likely had the firearm loaded. Nor do people walk around hunting with a jammed firearm, you clear the jam as soon as you notice it. So the question is why did he not intervene? I suspect 2 factors.

One, he very likely was not in the US legally. Two, based on the fact that he did not have a phone, and did not seem to speak English I think it is fair to guess he was quite poor, and thus his hunting firearm was likely a break action shotgun or rifle, single or double barrel. Armed with such a weapon the idea of taking on both perpetrators would require a fair bit of courage and daring, and he opted not to.

Watched this one again today and was hoping to find some good news searching threads (but, alas). Given the strange choice of weapon, would it be reasonable to assume Ricardito was in the sugar cane farming trade, and it was carried out in the fields for convenience and/or familiarity? That would at least give a person outward cause to carry around a blooming machete.

Watched this one again today and was hoping to find some good news searching threads (but, alas). Given the strange choice of weapon, would it be reasonable to assume Ricardito was in the sugar cane farming trade, and it was carried out in the fields for convenience and/or familiarity? That would at least give a person outward cause to carry around a blooming machete.

Far more likely he was a drug dealer, which is also ample reason to carry around a machete.