Second attacker sentenced to prison in beating death of homeless man

More than two years after the fatal assault of a homeless man in downtown Los Angeles and nine months after his accomplice pleaded no contest in the transient's beating death, a second man has been sentenced in the attack.

Charles Allender, 43, was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2015 killing of Derrick Hamilton, 45. On May 19, he was sentenced to 35 years to life in state prison. Allender has previous convictions for receiving stolen property in 1995, robbery in 1996 and resisting an executive officer in 2005. 

Allender’s accomplice, Derek Miller, 31, pleaded no contest on Aug. 22, 2016, to a felony count of voluntary manslaughter in the attack. Two months later, he was sentenced to 11 years in state prison.

Prosecutors said that on Feb. 7, 2015, Allender and Miller, both of whom also were transients, attacked Hamilton in the parking lot of a Burger King in downtown Los Angeles. 

The men beat and stomped Hamilton, who had been panhandling, authorities said. The two had a dog, which also attacked Hamilton, who was taken to a hospital after the incident and pronounced dead.

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.