An early morning call to a Thousand Oaks long-term care facility resulted in the discovery of a homicide. Earlier this month, deputies responded to reports of an agitated resident at a facility located on the 900 block of Warwick Avenue. As detailed in a recent news release from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the subject, later identified as Thomas Buckley, had broken a window and was preventing staff from approaching him.
Following the detainment of Buckley, the facility’s staff found his roommate, 72-year-old Michael Patterson, with severe injuries indicative of an assault. Despite emergency services’ efforts, Patterson was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Ventura County Fire Department and American Medical Response (AMR) personnel. Buckley, a resident of Thousand Oaks, has since been arrested on charges including murder, and his bail is set at $2,000,000, the Sheriff's Office stated in their report. His arraignment is scheduled for the upcoming Tuesday.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau, along with several other units, is actively investigating the incident as a homicide. Before the arrest, investigators learned that Buckley had also assaulted a staff member at the long-term care facility, causing minor injuries, as per the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. An autopsy is pending, and officials await the official cause and manner of Patterson's death to be determined by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Detectives are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward. Individuals with information can contact Detective Gerardo Cruz at (805) 384-4726 or Detective Erik Hernandez at (805) 384-4729.
