Family numb after brutal killing

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Hazel Dingman grew up on the Downing Avenue property in Stockton and returned to it in her golden years before she was killed there Thursday.Courtesy of Susan Trinchera

STOCKTON - Susan Trinchera clutched a framed photo of her mother against her chest, standing with her back to the property where she had found her mom's lifeless body Thursday afternoon.

Trinchera's eyes, concealed behind tinted sunglasses Friday, were the first to witness the aftermath of the attack claiming the life of 84-year-old Hazel Dingman. The mother of three and grandmother of two lived alone and scraped by on $540 a month in Social Security checks and aid from her family.

The Stockton Police Department said the senior suffered severe trauma prior to her death, but officials have not disclosed specifics. A motive has yet to be released, and it's unclear if the attack involved multiple perpetrators.

"It's absolutely senseless," Trinchera said. "She would've let whoever did this take whatever they wanted. They didn't need to kill her."

Police arrived at the home in the 500 block of Downing Avenue about 4:20 p.m. Thursday after Trinchera found her mother's body. They stayed throughout the evening and into Friday morning collecting evidence. Federal investigators from the Department of Justice also helped process the crime scene spread across the 3-acre property that's been in the family since the early 1900s.

The homicide has left the family numb and questioning whether there is any inherent goodness in humanity, said Brian Dingman, Trinchera's brother.

"Her neighbors were always kind to her, and they helped us look after her," he said. "We felt she was safe here. But how she died leaves you blank and undercuts everything."

Both siblings looked after their mother, who grew up on the Downing Avenue property and returned there during her golden years.

They would take turns going on walks with her and caring for her needs. Their values reflect how she raised them, they say.

"She always put family first," Trinchera said.

They describe Hazel Dingman as a fixture in the community. Someone whom neighbors would wave at and shoppers and cashiers at the nearby Food-4-Less would stop to talk with.

She was rich in experiences but subsided on a meager income, making her violent death even more confusing to her relatives.

"The most expensive thing in the house was probably the pair of her black EZ Spirit shoes worth about $70," Trinchera said. "She had an old television you could maybe get $25 for."

Both siblings are guarded in dealing with the media but have consented to offering details about their mother in the hopes of finding those responsible.

"I'm hoping that by coming forward and talking about who she was, we will get someone who knows a friend or relative who did this and they will say something," said Brian Dingman. "They didn't take just a mother. They took a good person."

Trinchera, who came by to take her mother to dinner, isn't talking about what she saw inside the home. She said possessions and furniture were strewn everywhere but doesn't offer details about what her mother endured in her final moments.

But her statements suggest a malicious, callous and horrific act that extinguished a life filled with grace, integrity and dignity.

"This is pure evil," said Trinchera. "Someone with nothing but pure darkness inside did this."


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