A 53-year-old gay man broke down in court Dec. 6 and tearfully apologized to a young man he had stabbed repeatedly when the man refused to have sex with him in his camper in Hillcrest.
Kenneth John Bauer was sentenced to nine years in state prison and fined $1,224 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeff Fraser, who gave him credit for serving 97 days. Probation was denied.
Bauer pleaded guilty Oct. 27 to attempted murder with a knife in the Sept. 11 incident that later included a 2 hour standoff with police in the 2900 block of 6th Avenue. The victim, 28, suffered a serious chest wound that punctured his lung and had cuts to his neck and face.
“I have incredible remorse over this. This is totally out of character for me,” said Bauer tearfully. “It’s the effect of the drugs. I want Steven to know I feel so bad.”
“Sorry, Steven, please forgive me,” said Bauer, sobbing and clutching tissues.
The victim stepped forward and said he didn’t understand why he got stabbed. “We had a nice day together. I know you’re sorry,” he said. “I can’t afford the hospital bills.”
“Now I’m scared of guys. I don’t want to pick up guys anymore,” said the victim. “My chest hurts a lot. My body hurts.”
The probation report says the victim and Bauer were acquaintances who met in Balboa Park that day. The victim furnished methamphetamine for both of them and they injected the drug with needles in Bauer’s camper.
Bauer removed his clothing and wanted to have sex with the victim, who refused. Bauer suggested several sex acts, but became agitated after the victim said no, according to the report. Bauer then stabbed the victim with an 8 inch folding knife.
“This is not the type of person he is,” said Bauer’s attorney, Stewart Dadmun. “He has expressed a great deal of remorse. He feels awful about what he did.”
Deputy District Attorney Ana de Santiago said Bauer was given five years for the assault plus three years consecutively for inflicting great bodily injury. Fraser imposed another year consecutively for using a knife as a deadly weapon.
When police responded, they found the victim leaning against a restaurant with a witness holding his hand to his chest to control the bleeding. Officers also observed the camper, which was rocking back and forth.
Bauer refused to surrender and told officers he had a gun and would shoot them. Officers fired rubber bullets, pepper balls, a bean bag shotgun and even sent in a police dog, but withdrew the dog when Bauer waved a knife at the dog. Bauer still refused to come outside.
Officers took apart his camper and discovered Bauer was nude, holding a knife, pinching his nipple, and masturbating, according to the probation report.
Bauer had also stabbed himself in the abdomen and he had punctured his liver. He was taken to a hospital and had surgery for his self-inflicted wounds.
His 76-year-old mother was in the courtroom. She and several of his friends wrote favorable letters to the judge, saying he went by the nickname of “Butch.” Bauer was arrested in 2008 for indecent exposure which was reduced to disorderly conduct, the report says.
