By Stephen Oduntan
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors have filed a murder charge against a fourth suspect in the killing of Berry Le’Mar Henderson, a Black man who was killed in broad daylight in Hollywood May 20.
Henderson, 37, was attacked by a dog, chased by a group of men and fatally stabbed near Hollywood Boulevard and Las Palmas Avenue, according to authorities.
Surveillance video captured at a nearby 7-Eleven and reviewed by a reporter shows Henderson running across Hollywood Boulevard while a dog bites at his ankles. A group of men followed close behind, including one who appeared to be carrying a weapon. The men then surrounded Henderson on the opposite side of the street, where they could be seen punching and kicking him. Others could be seen nearby as the attack unfolded, though no one appeared to physically intervene before Henderson moved out of the camera’s view.
On June 1 prosecutors charged Patrick Randall Perry, 55, with murder, joining Robert Anthony Garcia, 33, Isaul Hernandez, 36, and Bruce Lamont Fuller Jr., 30, who had previously been charged in connection with Henderson’s death.
For Henderson’s family, however, the latest arrest does little to ease the pain.
“They are devastated and distraught,” said community activist Najee Ali, who has been assisting the family. “The fact that their loved one was beaten, bitten by a pit bulldog and then eventually stabbed with a machete in broad daylight, and no one even attempted to intervene or offer aid, is just shocking.”
While grateful that all four suspects have now been charged, the family says many questions remain unanswered — including why Henderson was targeted.
Henderson’s sister, Latoya Payne, said the family has found no indication that Henderson knew any of the men charged in the case.
“As far as we know, Berry had no history with any of these individuals,” she said. “That’s part of what makes this so hard to understand.”
Payne said the family still has unanswered questions about what happened in the minutes after the attack, including how long Henderson remained injured before first responders arrived.
“I really feel in my heart that Berry would still be here if the proper measures were taken,” she said. “I feel like if someone had reacted in a timely manner, they could have saved my brother.”
Ali said the family is seeking answers about previous incidents involving the dog and its owner and whether warning signs were missed before Henderson’s death.
He added the family is grateful arrests were made quickly but remains focused on seeing the case through the court system.
“We plan on being in court to see everyone responsible held accountable, brought to justice and sent to prison,” he said.
“He was real quiet, a real humble person,” Payne said. “He just enjoyed listening to music. He loved to dress. But he loved being down there in Hollywood. He loved to be amongst the stars.”
Payne’s description matched how other relatives remembered Henderson — a quiet, peaceful man who enjoyed music and long hours along Hollywood Boulevard watching the world go by.
When Payne bought her brother a car in 2023, she said he still made regular trips to Hollywood.
“I’d ask him, ‘Why are you always going down there?’ and he’d say, ‘I just like being out here,’” Payne recalled.
Payne said Hollywood wasn’t just a place her brother visited — it was where he felt most at home.
The siblings shared a close bond that stretched back decades.
“Every time I moved, he came with me,” she said. “Even when I moved to Texas, he came with me. Me and him were locked in.”
After their mother was diagnosed with cancer, Payne said the family returned to California to help care for her. The loss of Henderson has reopened old wounds.
“It comforts me that I know Berry is with my mom,” she said.
According to Los Angeles police, Henderson was waiting for a bus around. when the attack began. He later died from multiple stab wounds, according to LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman.
Authorities allege Perry was the dog’s owner and believe he was responsible for the fatal stabbing.
Beyond the criminal case itself, the arrests have also renewed questions about whether warning signs involving Perry and the dog were missed before Henderson’s death.
The Los Angeles Times reported that activist William Gude previously provided LAPD with video involving Perry and a dog resembling the animal seen during the May 20 attack. The newspaper reported LAPD opened an investigation in 2024, though the outcome remains unclear.
NBC Los Angeles previously reported that Perry was arrested in 2024 following an altercation outside a Church of Scientology building in Hollywood.
Despite the arrests, Payne said the family is determined to keep Henderson’s memory alive and continue pushing for accountability.
“We will continue to keep Berry’s story alive. We will continue to keep his name alive because he deserved that and he didn’t deserve to die so brutally,” she said.
Payne said relatives have also established a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses.
The family is planning a public protest in Hollywood from 2 to 5 p.m. June 7 and is encouraging community members to attend.
“We’re not going to stop until the highest degree of the law is met,” Payne said.
Stephen Oduntan is a freelance writer for Wave Newspapers.
