Medical Marijuana Clinic Employee Murdered

[Weedguru Higher]

Murdered Pot Shop Clerk Was Executed, family says
Matthew Butcher's killers are still on the loose.

KTLA News
10:55 AM PDT, June 29, 2010

LOS ANGELES -- The family of a murdered medical marijuana clinic employee is speaking out in hopes that police will soon track down his killers.

Steven Butcher dropped off his older brother Matthew at work last Thursday, not realizing it would be the last time he saw him alive.

Matthew Butcher, 27, was shot and killed after at least four robbers stormed the Higher Path Holistic Care Collective on Sunset Boulevard in the Echo Park area, said Cmdr. David Doan, chief of detectives.

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Steven says his brother was shot execution style.

"I think they said something like they either laid him down or they put him on his knees and they shot him in the back of the head. They executed him," he told KTLA.

A security guard was shot and wounded in the attack.

Steven says he believes the victims knew the suspects.

"I feel like they knew him because he had to have let them in. The security guard let them in."

"They killed an innocent human being," he said.

Steven says his brother worked at the clinic as a clerk for five years and understood the perception that goes along with pot shops.

He says his brother just wanted to help people.

Butcher's mother, Julie Butcher, told the Los Angeles Times her son had been trying to make ends meet in a tough economy.

"He was one of the most peaceful people," she said "He would have given them anything they wanted. There's no reason for anyone to die over marijuana."

The suspects fled with an unknown amount of cash and drugs. Homicide detectives were trying to determine whether the incident was connected to another deadly attack at a nearby pot clinic about five hours later.

In that attack, the owner of the Hollywood Holistic dispensary found the body of an employee at the Hollywood store.

No surveillance video was available from either store, and because investigators do not know the motive for the second killing, they were unsure whether the two attacks were linked, Doan said.

A vigil is planned and a memorial fund has been set up in Butcher's honor.

The vigil will take place at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Eagle Rock High School.

A memorial fund has also been set up in his honor:

Matthew Butcher Memorial Fund P.O. Box 411621 LA, CA 90041

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-p ... 1304.story

[(weedguru)scarf]

one step back

[SpRi7e]

that's really sad and downright pathetic on the robbers part..

The guy is said to be an extremely peaceful person? He got robbed, yeah it happens.. it's almost expected for a medi clinic. That's why it's standard for them to have the highest of security going at all times, but why shoot him? There is never any fucking reason to shoot someone if you're robbing a place.. The guy was just living his dream, and some greedy self centered psycho maniac comes and shoots him for absolutely no reason. That's so fucked up it actually makes me mad especially since my dream is to open up a medi clinic.

A 74 year old guy at my work, workin 3rd shift (same store, just 2 miles down the road) got shot twice in the leg while being robbed 2 weeks ago. He didn't put up any fight, he didn't even hesitate to give him the money.. in fact if we get robbed, we aren't even supposed to look at him in the eyes or say anything besides agreeing with him, but no.. the fucking SEVENTY FOUR year old man got shot TWICE robbing a store that has a limit of only 70 bucks in the register at once. Who the fuck does that? Now I'm ending up replacing this guys shift since he's unable to work now, because well.. getting shot twice in the leg at that age is going to keep you off your feet for a WHILE.

People are shit sometimes

[(weedguru)scarf]

yeah that shit is fucked up