This is a guy who never hurt anybody

by Daily Newswire Service

LOS ANGELES -- City officials and residents gathered at a memorial service Saturday for a homeless man doused with gasoline and set on fire.

John Robert McGraham, 55, died October 9 when he was set on fire near Third Street and New Hampshire Avenue.

Los Angeles Councilman Tom LaBonge told the crowd at Immanuel Presbyterian Church that McGraham was mentally ill and living on the streets, but remembered as a simple but peaceful man.

"In the case of John and all of the homeless, we must encourage all of our leaders to work on the issue of mental illness," LaBonge said. "I know that we'll always keep John in our hearts."

During the service, a projector showed pictures of McGraham's family, and shots of him as a baby and young boy. The last photo showed him with his hair uncut, fully bearded, wearing a battered coat, shirt and shoes.

Presiding pastor Rev. Frank M. Alton, officiated the services, which included a translator for a largely Latino crowd on the second floor of the church.

"We thought he was alone," said his sister, Sharon McGraham. "It is so wonderful to be loved. Thank you so much."

The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote next week to offer a $75,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of whoever is responsible for the crime.

At a news conference Friday, police and McGraham's relatives asked for the public's help in finding two men believed to be responsible for the killing.

LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck called McGraham's death "a crime that should shock every man, woman and child in the city of Los Angeles."

Witnesses say two men, in their mid- to late-20s, jumped out of a late-model tan or gold car, possibly a Honda, and poured gasoline on McGraham before setting him on fire, Beck said.

The men bought a red gas can and filled it at a station in the area, Beck said. Police have yet to find surveillance video that would help identify the killers.

The man, who once worked at the former Ambassador Hotel nearby, lived on the streets for years, where his sisters brought him food and money.

Susanne McGraham-Paisley said her brother was a peaceful person who avoided trouble.

"This is a guy who never hurt anybody," she said.

Sharon McGraham choked back tears as she described her brother as sweet and good-hearted.

"He was just so precious. He was such a sweetheart," Sharon McGraham said.