Woman killed in gruesome San Jose homicide

SAN JOSE (KGO) -- San Jose police were investigating the homicide of a woman in her 40s who was found dead on the street. Detectives were questioning several people in the area in hopes of finding the killer.

At about 2:20 a.m., a woman was found beaten to death on the sidewalk on North 15th Street near Commercial Street in San Jose.

Word of the homicide spread quickly Friday morning. The apparent victim was well known in the homeless community.

"She'd make friends with everybody or try to," said Mike Brannon, a San Jose resident. "She'd go around and say my name's Betty, like Boop."

Police wouldn't confirm her identity, but others say the victim is Betty.

Officers says they have three persons of interest in custody awaiting questioning by homicide detectives.

Workers at nearby businesses were kept out of the crime scene for several hours.

The area has seen violence before.

Dan Schaper, business owner, said he's not surprised about what happened because there have been other homicides in the area.

A lot of homeless people live in and around the industrial area.

City Team Ministries' Mens Shelter is a few blocks away. It also serves breakfast and dinner to the homeless community.

They say Betty was a regular at dinner time, but the woman described as friendly and outgoing is gone. Her life, taken while living on the streets of San Jose.