Leslie Heimov, head of the Children’s Law Center of California, said a counselor's death and a high number of incidents at Wayfinder should be a warning to providers throughout the state. 'No child should live in a place where that’s happening every day.'
The teenage boy living in a Windsor Hills youth home was enraged. He broke windows, sprayed a fire extinguisher, flipped a refrigerator over.
It also illustrates broader tensions over child-care reforms signed into law in 2017 that established Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs like the one Wayfinder was running the night of McKnight-Hillman’s death. Critics say these programs, which house larger numbers of mentally ill and traumatized youth than other types of group homes, pose increased risks to counselors and other staff members.
Records reviewed by The Times contain accounts of myriad assaults and injuries at Wayfinder in recent years. In one incident, a teen suffered first-degree burns, and in another a pregnant staff member was elbowed in the stomach. A staff member also said they were assaulted in a room in 2018 by a group of juveniles while others blocked the door.“After seeing some of the violence actually take place I would actually say to myself ... ‘Is it actually safe to come to work today?’ ” said C.J.
“Wayfinder conducts extensive and substantial training for its staff on de-escalation when children are in distress, trauma and intervention, and must comply with comprehensive licensing and program regulations,” he said. “This is incredibly difficult work. ... We have many successful, long-term employees, but, understandably, this work is not for everyone.”
During the investigation into McKnight-Hillman’s killing, a Wayfinder employee told sheriff’s investigators that the facility had a “chronic problem” with kids using drugs on site that they obtained after running away, according to a judge’s summary of testimony delivered during the trial of one of the teens accused of killing McKnight-Hillman.
Joice Hillman wasn’t surprised her grandson wanted to help troubled kids. He’d always had a “servant’s heart,” she said, that grew from a young age as he helped care for his mother, Monique, who suffered from sickle cell disease. He often talked about wanting to be a social worker or a psychiatrist, she said.
David McKnight-Hillman, center, with his grandfather David Hillman Jr., left, and father, David Hillman III. “We told the state, if you’re moving to the [short-term program] model, the number of runaways will go up, the number of incidents will go up. You’re creating this pressure-cooker situation,” said Jodi Kurata, executive director of the Assn. Of Community Human Service Agencies, which advocates for dozens of child-care facilities in L.A. County.
An autopsy concluded McKnight-Hillman suffered a “subgaleal hemorrhage” to the back of his head, and the cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma. Allen, Wayfinder’s president, said Greber’s description of his employees’ behavior was inaccurate but declined to elaborate, citing the pending lawsuit.
David McKnight-Hillman’s father, David Hillman III, and stepmother, Theyna Hillman, at the Cochran Firm in Los Angeles.Security officers did not intervene on the night of the killing. Allen said he believed guards are not allowed to physically touch residents, but Murray, the spokesman for the Department of Social Services, said state policies do not bar them from doing so. Told of Murray’s comments, Allen said he stood by his interpretation of state licensing standards.
Less than an hour later, Phillips said, he entered the building that housed the short-term residential program to remove girls who were supposed to be in the campus’ shelter that he oversaw. Once inside, he said, he was attacked by a group of teens. Phillips said he was punched, knocked to the ground and kicked in the ribs. At some point in the struggle, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.