Thursday, March 31, 2011

San Francisco, CA: Murder verdict overturned in girlfriend stabbing

SAN FRANCISCO—An appeals court has overturned a jury's second-degree murder verdict against a San Francisco man charged with the stabbing death of his former girlfriend.

Prosecutors say Tari Ramirez, also known as Tare Beltran, became enraged in 2000 when 28-year-old Claire Tempongko told him she aborted his child and the woman was killed in front of her 5- and 10-year-old children. Ramirez is serving a sentence of 16 years to life in prison.

The San Francisco appeals court ruled Wednesday that the trial judge misled jurors about the option of a manslaughter verdict and a new trial has been ordered. The San Francisco Chronicle says the judge's instructions asked jurors to measure Ramirez's conduct against how an average person would have acted under the same circumstances.

Amarillo, TX: Man indicted for killing girlfriend

AMARILLO, TEXAS -- An Amarillo man has been indicted by a Potter County grand jury for allegedly murdering his gilfriend. The murder charge stems from Oct. 10, 2010 when Daisy Ruth Strout, 26, was killed.

Her boyfriend, Michael Paul Buse, 44, is accused of killing her. Police believe Buse and Strout were in an argument when Strout got out of Buse's vehicle and was run over. Police said autopsy results show Strout died from being crushed in her upper body. Buse could go to prison for live and have to pay a $10,000 fine if convicted.

Clackamas County, OR: Oak Grove man found dead after early morning standoff

An Oak Grove man involved in a domestic dispute died early Monday morning of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a standoff with Clackamas County sheriff’s deputy.

Sheriff’s office spokesman Det. Jim Strovink said the man’s body was found at about 3 a.m. March 28 in a Southeast Swain Court home, when deputies and SWAT team members went into the house. They had not had contact with the man for several hours after a domestic disturbance call. The man’s name has not been released. No one else was injured in the incident.

Deputies were called at about 10:18 p.m. Sunday, March 27, to the house at 15447 S.E. Swain Court after a domestic disturbance was reported. The woman and her two children left the house, but her husband was still inside armed with a handgun, Strovink said. The county’s Special Weapons and Tactical Team working with deputies at the scene attempted to negotiate with the man barricaded inside the house. Neighboring homes were evacuated while SWAT and negotiators tried to talk the man into surrendering. At about 3 a.m., after trying to contact the man for a long time, deputies went into the house and found the man’s body.

Los Lunas, NM: NM police officer shoots, kills man

LOS LUNAS, N.M. (AP) — Authorities have identified a man shot to death by a Los Lunas police officer responding to a call about a domestic dispute. State police Lt. Eric Garcia identified him as 48-year-old Fred Salas of Los Lunas.

Police Chief Roy Melnick says the woman involved in the domestic dispute fled to a neighbor's home in the central New Mexico community Tuesday afternoon. He says the man left the home with a gun and fired several shots at Sgt. Robert Ferreyra. Melnick says the officer fired back, hitting him. Salas was pronounced dead at the scene about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Melnick says Ferreyra was placed on standard three days' paid leave. The Los Lunas Police Department turned the investigation over to New Mexico State Police.

Atlanta, GA: Woman Dead After Domestic Dispute

ATLANTA -- A woman is dead after a domestic dispute Wednesday morning. When Atlanta police arrived, they found two people shot. Officers learned that a couple had been involved in a domestic altercation.

Police said the woman was attempting to stop the man from leaving by jumping on him, forcing him to the ground. As the two struggled, a gun in the man's pocket discharged, striking the man in the leg and the woman in the chest. They were both taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where the woman died. The investigation is being handled by the Atlanta Police Homicide Unit. Names are not being released at this time.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

El Cajon, CA: Woman Who Killed Boyfriend Sentenced

Gina Manley Pleaded Guilty To Voluntary Manslaughter In The 2009 Death Of Ralph Grice

POSTED: 8:13 am PDT March 30, 2011
UPDATED: 4:52 pm PDT March 30, 2011
EL CAJON, Calif. -- A woman who shot and killed her live-in boyfriend in Flinn Springs during an alcohol-fueled disagreement over the unemployed victim's plan to take a new job was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in state prison.
Gina Rene Manley, 50, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the Nov. 9, 2009, shooting death of 56-year-old Ralph Grice. She was arrested shortly after the shooting in the couple's recreational vehicle at an Olde Highway 80 trailer park.
Two people heard the couple arguing, then a pair of gunshots about a second-and-a half apart, San Diego County sheriff's Detective Scott Enyeart testified at an earlier hearing.
One bullet struck Grice in the head and traveled down his neck before coming to rest in his lower back, according to the detective.
Authorities said Manley was upset that her unemployed partner was taking a new job in Temecula and planned to remain in the Riverside County community several nights a week to avoid a lengthy commute.
Manley was sentenced by El Cajon Judge Lantz Lewis.

Davenport, FL: Boyfriend Accused of Woman's Killing

DAVENPORT | A 32-year-old man is accused of killing his girlfriend in their Davenport mobile home and leaving her body in a packing-tape sealed bedroom for about a week.

Donald Failey Jr. was taken into custody at about 3 a.m. today, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. He was found sleeping in his girlfriend's car in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Clewiston.

The body of his girlfriend, Tara Romonoski, 27, was found by deputies at their home at 235 Jeremy Drive in the Emerald Lakes Mobile Home Park about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

She was covered in a blanket and had been tied up with duct tape and electrical cords. The bedroom door and window had been taped shut.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference this afternoon that Failey admitted to strangling her but refused to say why.

“He said he had a reason, but that he would take that to the grave with him,” Judd said.

Her body had been in the mobile home since March 22, when her sister, Tammy Romonoski of New Hampshire, had last heard from her, Judd said. Her sister called deputies concerned about Tara Romonoski's well being, which prompted the visit to Jeremy Drive by deputies Tuesday.

Judd said Failey made a “covert” confession on his Facebook page Monday when he wrote “I am a piece of garbage I am a punk I hit defensless [sic] woman but won't confront a man. I am an addict and loser.”

“Quite frankly, we agree,” Judd said. “What he failed to state was that he's a cold-blooded, ruthless murderer.”

[ Matthew Pleasant can be reached at matthew.pleasant@theledger.com or 863-802-7590. ]

Houma, LA: Argument with ex-wife leads to barroom shooting rampage

By MIKE NIXON


What witnesses said sounded like a domestic dispute that carried over into public left two men wounded and a gunman dead following a shooting at an east Houma casino bar.

The incident began Thursday when 57-year-old John A. Breaux, of Houma, entered High Rollers, which adjoins with the Nifty Fifties Cafe, at 9730 E. Main Street and confronted his ex-wife, Roxanne LeBoeuf.

According to Houma Police, LeBoeuf was standing at the bar with a group of people. After words were exchanged, Breaux allegedly left the building and returned with two handguns at approximately 6:30 p.m. He fired one shot hitting Tommy Champagne, 45, of Bourg in the stomach. A second shot was fired and struck Neal Dupre, 40, of Chauvin, in the shoulder and neck.

Bourg then was said to have turned and while leaving the establishment fired one round at his face.

Champagne and Dupre were transported by ambulance to Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center and were listed in stable condition two hours after arrival. Dupre was released from the hospital over the weekend, according to police, but as of press time Monday, Champagne's status was unclear.

Breaux was taken to Terrebonne General Medical Center where he died from his self-inflicted wounds approximately 12 hours after the shooting.

A clerk at the neighboring J&N Truck Stop, who did not want to be named, said patrons from the restaurant and bar were running across a common parking lot to her business. "Dey said, dey's shootin' up da place," she said of those fleeing the scene. "I know all dem people."

Two bystanders, who declined to provide their names, said that High Rollers generally has a standard crowd and that LeBoeuf was a regular there, although they did not know her name.

Houma Police were still piecing the case together on Monday.

San Diego, CA: Husband To Stand Trial In Death Of Wife

Julio Angel Garcia-Puente Suspected In Death Of Lorena Gonzalez

POSTED: 8:15 am PDT March 30, 2011
UPDATED: 3:32 pm PDT March 30, 2011

SAN DIEGO -- A man accused of strangling his estranged wife, then putting her body in a car and setting it ablaze at UC San Diego, must stand trial on murder and arson charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Julio Angel Garcia-Puente, arrested Nov. 5 in Tijuana and turned over to San Diego police, faces more than 25 years to life in prison if convicted in the death of 38-year-old Lorena Gonzalez.
Prosecutors allege that Garcia, 50, killed his estranged wife around Oct. 30, sometime before her car was found ablaze in a UCSD parking lot off Voigt Drive in La Jolla.

While extinguishing the blaze, firefighters discovered the victim's charred body inside. Two of Gonzalez's front teeth were found in her throat from a blow to the face, and her neck was fractured in three places, according to testimony at Wednesday's preliminary hearing.
Garcia told investigators that his estranged wife's death was an accident, the prosecutor said.
Deputy District Attorney Nicole Rooney said Garcia thought Gonzalez was seeing someone else and confronted her about it. He said he pushed her when she slapped him, and she hit her head on some furniture and died, the prosecutor said.
Garcia told police he panicked, wrapped the body in a blanket and put it in the car, ultimately setting it on fire, Rooney said.
Gonzalez's pastor testified that he knew the couple was having marital problems, Rooney said.
At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, Judge Jeffrey Fraser ruled that enough evidence had been presented for the defendant to stand trial, which was scheduled for Aug. 31.
A readiness conference was set for Aug. 16.

St. Louis, MO: Woman is charged with killing boyfriend

FROM STAFF REPORTS | Posted: Monday, January 11, 2010 12:00 am | No Comments Posted

ST. LOUIS • Shonta M. Roper, 25, of the 2200 block of Osage Street, has been charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and escaping police custody.
Police said she shot her boyfriend on Friday during a domestic dispute in the 5500 block of Ashland Avenue.
About 10:30 p.m., Roper grabbed a handgun from a table during a fight and shot her boyfriend, Terrell Hadley, in the eye, police said. Police found Hadley, 29, on the floor of the living room of his home, where he was pronounced dead.
Roper fled and was arrested nearby in the 5800 block of Selbert Court. She escaped from police custody about 4:30 a.m. Saturday, then turned herself in about 8:45 a.m., police said.
Police did not say how Roper escaped except that she broke free from her handcuffs and took off.
She was being held without bail.

Pawtucket, RI: Brockton police investigating apparent murder-suicide that began in Pawtucket

Police say Pawtucket, R.I., man committed suicide at relative's residential garage in city after stabbing wife to death

By Erik Potter And Maribeth Conway
Enterprise Staff Writers
Posted Mar 30, 2011 @ 06:00 AM

BROCKTON —
A Pawtucket man’s body was discovered hanged in a residential garage about three hours after his estranged wife was found dead with multiple stab wounds in her Rhode Island home.

City police and Rhode Island authorities are now investigating what appears to be a murder and suicide.

The body of Antonio Dos Santos, 35, who also goes by Alvaro Santos, was found at a relative’s home at 4 Sycamore Ave. in what appears to be a suicide, Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Bridget Norton Middleton said.

Brockton police received a call at 6:20 p.m. Monday reporting Santos was found in a relative’s garage and appeared to be dead.

Three hours earlier, the body of his wife, Maria Almeida Turmel, 32, was found in her Pawtucket home with multiple stab wounds and covered with a blanket, the Providence Journal reported.

The newspaper reported that police believe she died while trying to escape, as her body was found near a door.

The mother of three hadn’t been seen since 7 a.m. and was found by her 7-year-old son.

He had entered the home through an unlocked window with the help of a relative. Turmel had not been answering the door or phone, according to the report.

Almeida’s family told NBC 10 of Providence there were no signs of domestic violence, but that they suspect a murder-suicide.

Maribeth Conway may be reached at mconway@enterprisenews.com.

Miami, FL: Possible Murder-Suicide in Kendall: Couple Found Dead After Kids Leave for School

By Kyle Munzenrieder, Tue., Mar. 29 2011 @ 2:29PM Comments (1)

​Police are investigating a double shooting this morning in Kendall that left a couple dead inside their home. While the investigation is on-going, detectives believe that the incident may have been a double shooting. Two children resided with the couple in the home, but had left for school earlier that morning and have been accounted for in class.

No details have been released of how the inhabitants were related other than that the two victims were in a relationship. Their identities are also still under wraps.

Police arrived at the apartment along Southwest 122nd Avenue shortly after gunshots were reported after 8 a.m. this morning, reports WSVN. Once inside, the police found both adults dead.

They believe that the man shot and killed the woman before turning the gun on himself.

"According to investigators, at this point, the preliminary investigation is leaning towards a domestic situation, possibly a murder-suicide," Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta tells WSVN. "Of course, it's to early to confirm any of that. We're allowing crime scene now to process the scene, and we'll have to wait for the medical examiner's office to give the final word as far as cause of death."

Memphis, TN: Memphis man admits he shot girlfriend 8 times, claims self-defense

By Lawrence Buser

Originally published 05:37 p.m., March 29, 2011
Updated 10:34 p.m., March 29, 2011

Yes, Tucson Biggs shot his former girlfriend eight times, but it was in self-defense, his attorney told the Criminal Court jury that will decide the capital murder case that began Tuesday.

The shooting occurred the night of Dec. 14, 2007, when the 35-year-old defendant was trying to break off his relationship with Angela Baker, who was angry and insisted he owed her money, said defense attorney Claiborne Ferguson.

"He was doing everything he could to stay away from her," said Ferguson, adding that Baker brought two armed male relatives with her to his apartment that night. "He pulled that gun and he started shooting and shooting and shooting and trying to get away from them. He shoots her a lot of times."

Two men showed up later at separate emergency rooms with gunshot wounds, but police determined they were not involved in the incident.

State prosecutor Jennifer Morris told jurors Baker, 35, had given Biggs money for a car during their four-month relationship and that she wanted the money returned when their relationship was ending.

"He agrees to give her the money the next day, but then he decides to shoot her and dispose of the gun," Morris said. "She didn't come home that night because he decided to shoot her at least eight times. That's not self-defense. That's not an accident. That is murder."

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Biggs, a twice-convicted felon who as a juvenile shot an elderly man in the back.

The shooting occurred shortly before midnight just outside the Briar Club Apartments in Southeast Memphis where Biggs lived.

After the shooting, Biggs drove to Waco, Texas, where he called Memphis police and told them what he had done. He then turned around, drove back to Memphis and turned himself in to police.

The trial before Judge Chris Craft is expected to last about a week.

Houston, TX: Michael Anthony Venters commits suicide after shooting his girlfriend Erica Semeko

Hilliard, Houston
TUESDAY, 29 MARCH 2011 18:01 WRITTEN BY LEN HUMES 0 COMMENTS

Houston police are investigating the apparent suicide of a man and wounding of a woman at 8300 Canyon Street #1025 about 6:15 p.m. on Monday (March 28).

The deceased male, Michael Anthony Venters (b/m, DOB: 6-3-82), suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. The female victim, Erica Semeko Hilliard, 28, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to Ben Taub General Hospital in critical condition.

HPD Homicide Division Sergeants R. Torres and K. Deese reported:

Ms. Hilliard confronted Venters (her live-in boyfriend) about having sexual relations with her best friend. She told Venters she was ending their relationship and asked him to leave the apartment. Venters then produced a gun, shot Hilliard several times and then turned the gun on himself. Hilliard's four-year-old son, who was present at the time of the shooting, was unharmed and was later turned over to Hilliard's family.

Roanoke, VA: Roanoke couple's violent history ends in ex-wife's death

Roanoke police said Heather Dehart, 40, was shot fatally by her ex-husband, who then shot himself.
By Amanda Codispoti
981-3334

Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times
A Roanoke police officer allows a resident of Roanoke Avenue Southwest to retrieve items Tuesday from his home located near the scene of an early-morning shooting on the street.

Three months after Terry and Heather Dehart's 2007 wedding in Salem, the trouble began.

There were protective orders to keep Terry from his wife, a divorce, assault charges, court-ordered anger management classes and reconciliation.

The couple's tumultuous relationship climaxed Tuesday, when police said Terry Dehart fatally shot his ex-wife just before 2 a.m., and then turned the gun on himself in a failed suicide attempt.

Heather Dehart, 40, a staff member at National College in Salem, was found dead on the front steps of a house in Roanoke's Norwich neighborhood two doors down from the home she and her ex-husband shared in the 1600 block of Roanoke Avenue Southwest.

Terry Wayne Dehart, 44, a self-employed plasterer, was found wounded inside his house. He was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where his condition wasn't available Tuesday. He has not been charged.

Dehart's death is the second domestic-related Roanoke homicide in less than a week, and comes after police said 2010 was marked by an alarming increase in domestic violence, including four domestic-related homicides.

On Friday, Rickshell Jones, 20, of Roanoke died after an assault that police said was committed by her boyfriend, Darryl Dennard Thompson, 21.

Heather Dehart's father, James Langford, said the couple's problems stemmed from Terry's use of drugs.

"I thought he was doing better," Langford said. "If it hadn't been for that, they would have had a pretty good life."

Heather Dehart, who has a grown son from a previous relationship, worked as an administration support staff member at National College in Salem, processing enrollment and financial aid applications. She also was a student there, pursuing a master's degree in accounting, her father said.

National College considered Heather Dehart a valued staff member, student and friend of many, the college said in a statement. "We are deeply saddened to hear of her death," the statement said.

Terry Dehart runs his business, Terry Dehart Plastering, out of the Roanoke Avenue house, according to a telephone directory listing. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade, according to the couple's marriage license.

The Deharts' next-door neighbor, Tasha Shelor, 33, who has lived on the block for 11 years, said it wasn't uncommon to hear the couple fighting and to see police at the house.

"But nothing like this," Shelor said. "This is just crazy."

Terry Dehart's criminal record reveals a man with a temper so uncontrolled that in 2006 he assaulted a 14-year-old at Woodrow Wilson Middle School. Dehart testified at his trial that he went to the school after getting a call about his son, who was actually a student at Patrick Henry High School.

At the middle school, he scolded a student who'd littered in the hallway. The two exchanged words, and surveillance video showed Dehart knocking the student's lunch tray out of his hands. The student fought back, and Dehart punched him in the stomach. He was arrested later at Patrick Henry High School. He served 30 days in jail for the assault.

Three months after his June 2007 wedding to Heather Dehart, a magistrate issued her an emergency protective order, which expired after 72 hours, according to court records.

Another protective order was issued in March 2008, after the couple had separated. In April 2008, Heather Dehart filed to terminate the order.

The couple divorced in September 2008, according to court records, but some time later, they reconciled. Terry Dehart's father, George Dehart, said their problems resumed.

In November 2009, Terry Dehart was charged with assaulting Heather Dehart and violating a protective order. It was unclear when that protective order was issued.

A judge took the assault charge under advisement and ordered Terry Dehart to attend anger management classes.

A second assault charge came in 2009. The arresting officer wrote that Terry Dehart threw a cellphone at Heather Dehart, hitting her on the hand. Terry Dehart was found not guilty.

The Deharts showed little affection toward each other, said Candy Salyers, a National College student who had known them about 10 years from their former Northeast Roanoke neighborhood.

"Something wasn't right between them," Salyers said. "I just didn't think it would end up like this."

Terry Dehart's latest arrest was on a charge of malicious wounding in February that didn't involve his ex-wife, said his attorney, Deborah Caldwell-Bono of Roanoke. She said Dehart hit another man over the head with a tire iron after the victim instigated a fight.

That charge is expected to go before a Roanoke County grand jury Friday, according to court records.

"I have every reason to believe that he would have prevailed at trial," Caldwell-Bono said. "Certainly that stress just made things worse."

Bend, OR: Judge to decide nonjury murder trial of C. Ore. man whose wife's body was found in barre

BEND, Ore. — A judge will decide the aggravated murder trial of a central Oregon man accused of killing his wife and burying her body in a barrel.

The Bulletin newspaper in Bend reports that 48-year-old Darrell Middlekauff of La Pine chose a trial by judge without a jury to avoid a possible death penalty if convicted in the July 2002 death of 40-year-old Brenda Middlekauff.

Her body was found three years later, shot three times in the head.

In closing arguments Monday, prosecutors said Darrell Middlekauff changed his story about his wife's disappearance so many times, he was caught up in a web of lies. His defense attorney argued police lacked any physical evidence linking him to the death.

A decision by Deschutes County Circuit Judge Stephen Tiktin is expected next week.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Montebello, CA: Man Shot and Killed After Kidnapping and Police Chase In Montebello

By EGP News Report
What started as a domestic disturbance call from a distraught mother ended tragically soon after she reported that her boyfriend had driven off with their three-year old daughter following an argument early Monday afternoon.
Her boyfriend, who had reportedly been drinking, led Montebello police through Montebello and East Los Angeles, ending back at his apartment on the 1300 block of Greenwood Ave.
The man stopped outside the apartment and exited his vehicle, holding a handgun, according to authorities. During the confrontation that followed, officers shot and killed the man.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the Sheriff’s department, which had taken over the investigation.
The chase began at 1 p.m. and ended back at the apartment building at 1:55 p.m.
The child was unharmed and no officers were injured, authorities said.
Sheriff’s detectives were still investigating the incident Monday evening.

George Jimenez

Auburn, IL: Auburn man to serve 55 years in prison for girlfriend's murder

By CHRIS DETTRO
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Mar 28, 2011 @ 11:00 PM
Last update Mar 29, 2011 @ 06:29 AM

An Auburn man who shot his girlfriend to death and dumped her body in a ditch in 2003 has been sentenced to 55 years in prison.

Harry L. Moore, 36, was convicted by a Sangamon County jury in January of first-degree murder, which is punishable by 20 to 60 years in prison. The jury also found that Moore personally fired the fatal shot, which allowed for an increased sentence.

Circuit Judge Pete Cavanagh on Monday sentenced Moore to 30 years for murder and an additional 25 years for firing the handgun that killed Kimberly J. Kendall, 29, also of Auburn.

Moore, who has been in the Sangamon County Jail for nearly five years, will serve all of his sentence.

Kendall’s mother, Norma Kendall, called Moore “a ruthless, vengeful person that has no value for life.”

“The hurt in my heart, knowing Harry could take Kim’s life, is so unbelievable that anyone can be so cruel,” she said in court.

The jury convicted Moore of shooting Kendall in the back of the head and dumping her body in a ditch either late on Aug. 6 or early on Aug. 7, 2003.

Moore had been living with Kendall for about a year before her death. Witnesses testified that the two had been arguing earlier on the evening of Aug. 6.

Assistant state’s attorney Gray Noll, who along with assistant state’s attorney Jay Magnuson prosecuted the case, said Moore has never accepted responsibility for Kendall’s murder. In his presentence investigation, Noll said, Moore told the Sangamon County probation office that he didn’t have a problem with drugs.

However, Noll said, several witnesses testified that Moore was involved in the use and distribution of methamphetamine.

Sangamon County public defender Bob Scherschligt and first assistant public defender Joe Miller recommended a minimum 45-year sentence, citing Moore’s lack of criminal history.

Kendall’s older sister, Tracey Clark, said Moore never made any attempt in the 2 ½ years before he was arrested to contact Kendall’s family to express sorrow or even acknowledge Kendall’s death.

Kendall's body was found by passers-by the morning of Aug. 7, 2003, in a ditch along Hambuch Road two miles north of Auburn. Moore was a suspect in the killing almost immediately, but he wasn't charged until April 2006.

Noll said additional witnesses came forward during the intervening three years.

The gun thought to be the murder weapon wasn't found until three months after Kendall was killed. It turned up along a route between Moore's house and where Kendall's body was found.

Evidence was presented that the gun belonged to Moore.

Chris Dettro can be reached at 788-1510.

Washington, NC: Man Arrested After Domestic Dispute Leads To A Dead Dog

By WCTI Staff
POSTED: 11:21 am EDT March 28, 2011

BEAUFORT COUNTY -- Beaufort County deputies arrested Paul Anthony Cox, 47, a man they said killed a dog during a dispute.
Deputies around 10 p.m. on Sunday responded to a home on Cherry Road in Washington. Once there, they investigated a domestic dispute and found that a Chihuahua was intentionally killed.
Cox, 47, was charged with Felony Cruelty to Animals.

Pascoe, WA: Psychologist says fatal beating not deliberate

LAST UPDATED: MARCH 29TH, 2011 01:26 AM (PDT)
A Spokane psychologist testified Monday that he didn't believe DeLonde Pleasant was "able to act with deliberateness" when he fatally beat his live-in girlfriend because the Pasco man was extremely intoxicated and suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder.

Pleasant, then 23, still was very traumatized from accidentally shooting his sister to death nearly a decade before and had become dependent on alcohol to manage his relationship problems and life, said Roy Mark Mays Jr.

Significant alcohol use can affect a person's memory and their ability to exercise judgment, and can lead to doing "things very atypical for them," he told jurors.

Mays, who also diagnosed Pleasant with substance abuse and depression at the time of the crime, said all of those conditions combined so Pleasant didn't know what he was doing as he pummeled and kicked Juanita Montelongo until the 20-year-old was knocked unconscious. Pleasant has remained consistent that "he does not remember the actual incident itself," he said.

"He was tearful while discussing the entire event," said Mays, who examined Pleasant in April 2002, a month after Montelongo's death. "He was clearly distraught at what had occurred. That's something that's hard to feign."

Mays was the only witness called by the defense in the rare proceeding.

Pleasant, now 32, is back in Franklin County Superior Court to be resentenced for his first-degree manslaughter plea.

His original sentence of 251/2 years was overturned in early 2009 by an appellate court, which said it should be up to a jury, and not a judge to decide if there were aggravating factors in Montelongo's death.

That normal range for the crime is 61/2 to 81/2 years.

The trial started Wednesday. Both sides wrapped up their cases Monday and are set to give closing arguments today.

Prosecutors contend that Pleasant's actions involved "deliberate cruelty beyond what was necessary to accomplish the crime" and domestic violence within the sight and sound of the child. The burden is on them.

If jurors return special verdicts in favor of the prosecution's claims, then Judge Cameron Mitchell can order Pleasant to a lengthy prison term. The jury has no role in the actual sentence that will be given to Pleasant.

Deputy Prosecutor Frank Jenny wants Pleasant to get his original sentence and be sent back to prison for up to 161/2 more years.

But Pleasant, represented by defense lawyer Karla Kane, is hoping that no matter what the verdicts are, the judge finds he has served his time and can be a free man. He has been in custody for nine years.

Pleasant did not testify during the hearing.

Montelongo and Pleasant had been together for at least three years and had a 2-year-old son. She also had a 4-year-old son.

About 2 a.m. March 3, 2002, Pleasant returned to their Eighth Avenue home after a night drinking at a birthday party and later a casino.

In an interview later that morning with then-Pasco Detective Joe Nunez, Pleasant was asked how much he had to drink. "Whew, too much. Too much, that's for real," he said.

Pleasant claimed that Montelongo was crying and accusing him of being out with another girl.

"She didn't even give me a chance to explain. ... She was wanting to know who I was with," said Pleasant, whose taped statement was played for the jury. "... I just lost it."

Nunez, who also testified Monday, asked Pleasant how long the couple fought that night. "A couple minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes," he said.

Then when Nunez questioned how many times Montelongo was hit, Pleasant responded: "I don't know. Once. Twice. I don't know.

Pleasant told police he tried to revive her by doing CPR and pouring water on her. He said he couldn't call 911 because the battery pack for the cordless phone was missing, so he eventually drove to pick up his mother and aunt for assistance.

Officer Raul Cavazos said the 911 call came in just after 6 a.m. When he arrived, Pleasant locked the door and refused to open it, so Cavazos had to kick in the door.

Police found the home in disarray, with furniture moved or knocked over and clumps of hair and blood smears in different rooms.

The forensic pathologist testified Friday that Montelongo had about 100 blows to her body, including four distinctive boot prints and a fresh bite mark. She died at Kennewick General Hospital from severe head injuries.

Dr. Louis Koussa and other emergency room staff at Kennewick General Hospital tried for about 40 minutes to revive Montelongo. He said at that point he had "unfortunately" seen other victims of beatings in the emergency room during his 23-year career.

But when asked how this case compared to others in terms of the severity, he testified: "This was probably the most severe beating that I had seen, or alleged beating that I had seen. This is the only death from domestic violence, if the alleged domestic violence did occur, that I had ever witnessed."

Also Friday, the judge ruled that statements made by Pleasant's brother and cousin in 2003 could be read to the jury because the two Pasco men reportedly were evading subpoenas to appear in court.

Mitchell found that Randy Pleasant and Jamar Sims were unavailable because "the state has made all reasonable efforts to procure the presence of these witnesses."

Detective Brad Gregory told the court that he had made attempts since Feb. 25 to track down Randy Pleasant to serve his subpoena and since March 23 for Sims. When he reached the men on the phone they either hung up or didn't call back, and never were home when police checked.

Randy Pleasant, who was 13 when Montelongo was killed, was staying at the home with his older brother. Sims had gone out partying with his cousin that night and went back with DeLonde Pleasant to his home before leaving to run to the store.

The prosecution had wanted the men to confirm the couple's young son was in the house when Montelongo was assaulted. So clerk Ann Snyder read snippets of transcripts from Pleasant's 2003 sentencing hearing to show Randy Pleasant and Jamar Sims previously told the court that the toddler was in the house sleeping in his father's bedroom.

w Kristin M. Kraemer: 582-1531; kkraemer@tricityherald.com

Article: Percentage of female homicide victims grows

FLINT (WJRT) -- (03/28/11) -- The city of Flint has now recorded its 15th homicide of the year.

After a record number of homicides in 2010, 2011 is off to a deadly start for both men and women in Flint.

"Every life is valuable, and no one deserves to be murdered," Flint Police Capt. T.P. Johnson said.

Of the 15 homicide victims this year, six are female victims. Four of them were mothers and one was a four-month-old baby.

"There is no conspiracy or no connection between these cases at all," said Johnson.

While Flint police say the numbers do not point toward a trend involving women and violence, Harmony Langford with the YWCA says the numbers speak volumes. "As proponents of educating people on domestic violence, we always want the numbers out there and we always want it discussed that violence against women is a huge issue."

Langford says violence against women has gone up 460 percent since 2009. She blames the economy and a culture of violence that has always existed in Flint.

"Many of the girls we see have a brother or a boyfriend or a cousin that has been killed, that has lost their life as a result of the violence in Flint, so they've become hardened to it. It's not completely unusual to them to see someone die," Langford said, "and it becomes almost an acceptable way of life and that's what we have to work on."

Police are still searching for a suspect in last night's killing of Laverne Himes. They're also looking for suspects in three of the other six cases.

If you have any information, call the Flint Police Department.

Manchester, KY: Detective says suspect in slaying of family of five in Leslie changed story

By Bill Estep — bestep@herald-leader.com
Posted: 12:00am on Mar 29, 2011; Modified: 3:55am on Mar 29, 2011

MANCHESTER — A man accused of killing a family of five in Leslie County in 2004 steadfastly denied involvement when detectives interviewed him the day of the slayings, according to a recording.
However, the story that Clayton D. Jackson told that day didn't match details that he later put in a letter, according to earlier testimony.
Jackson, 30, is charged with killing Chris and Amanda Sturgill and their three sons, Michael, Robert and Jordan, early on Feb. 6, 2004.
Chris Sturgill, 25, a coal truck driver, was shot in the chest with an arrow before the family's mobile home at Roark was set on fire. The boys, ages 4, 3, and 18 months, died of smoke inhalation. Amanda Sturgill's body also was found in the burned-out home.
Police focused on Jackson as a suspect early on, interviewing him the same day firefighters found the five bodies.
On the tape of that interview, played for jurors Monday, state police Detectives Johnny Griffith and Dean Craft told Jackson they'd heard he'd had a sexual affair with Amanda Sturgill, and they suggested the relationship was the motive for the killings.
The detectives pointed out that Jackson had bought gloves the day before the slayings.
A statement Jackson made to a friend — who passed it on to police — indicated that Jackson had reason to think police wouldn't find any fingerprints in Sturgill's coal truck, police told him.
Someone took the truck from Sturgill's house the morning of the killings and burned the inside of the cab.
Jackson, however, repeatedly denied having an affair with Amanda Sturgill, 21.
He said he bought gloves because of the cold weather, and he picked up aluminum cans to make money.
Jackson, who agreed to talk to police without an attorney, said on the tape that he drank at a friend's house the evening before the slayings, then started walking home because he had no car.
Jackson told police that he saw Sturgill on his way home. He stopped to talk to Sturgill, and the two went to a bootlegger's house and bought beer and liquor.
Jackson said they drank together before Sturgill dropped Jackson off late on Feb. 5 at his house, where he got sick and passed out. He didn't wake up until well after the time the killings were discovered, Jackson told police.
That account did not match what Jackson told police in a letter in 2005, written from a federal prison where he was serving time on an unrelated weapons charge.
Jackson used the letter to try to raise suspicion about three other men, saying he thought they killed the Sturgills as he ran out the back door of their mobile home.
The prosecutor, Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Gregory, has said the investigation cleared those three men.
Jackson was charged with murder after sending the letter.
His trial is scheduled to continue this week.

Raleigh, NC: Neighbor says woman was afraid before killing

RALEIGH In recent days, Cheanelle Marie Mickens had taken to spending long hours at her neighbor's apartment whenever Mickens' boyfriend was at her home.

The neighbor, Doreen McShane, said Monday that Mickens intended to break up with the boyfriend, Jeremy Beane, who sometimes lived with her.

"She told me she was going to give him his walking papers. That was maybe Friday or Thursday," McShane said. "Last week, she told me she was scared and didn't want to be by herself."

Police found Mickens, 43, dead inside her second-floor apartment at 3253 Calumet Drive, near WakeMed in Raleigh about 1 p.m. Saturday. Investigators also found Beane, 33, inside the apartment suffering from injuries that appeared to be non-life threatening.

Beane, handcuffed to his bed at WakeMed with an officer stationed at his door, was charged Monday with first-degree murder in connection with Mickens' death.

Police think Beane killed Mickens and then dialed 911, according to an incident report made public Monday. Investigators declined to say how Mickens died.

McShane has a picture of a smiling Mickens on her living room wall. She and her daughter, Teresa Croom of Knightdale, described Mickens as an intensely private woman who worked part time, serving salads at the K&W Cafeteria in Cameron Village.

"She was a quiet woman," McShane said. "All of her stuff was on the down low. Nobody knew her business."

McShane and her daughter said Mickens loved children, often visited with her sick father on her days off to make sure he ate properly, and sometimes drove her sister to medical appointments.

McShane said she became close to Mickens over the past summer. Mickens visited her every day and started calling the older woman "Ma" or "Mommy."

"She used to tell me, 'Mommy, you the only one I can talk to,'" said McShane, who is retired.

Mickens' white Ford compact car was still parked outside her apartment Monday. A plate that reads "Lady C" has been affixed to the front bumper. The apartment was quiet. A "no smoking" emblem is plastered to the front door of the residence, and two faded door mats lay outside the front door.

The day before

McShane and Croom said that Mickens had spent Friday with them at the downstairs apartment where McShane has lived for about a year. Mickens had arrived at the apartment about 9 a.m. Friday and did not leave until 2 p.m.

Saturday was Croom's birthday. She was having a party that day in Knightdale and wanted Mickens to come and celebrate with her.

"She wanted to come with us, but she wanted a designated driver," Croom said.

But another friend had called Mickens as well and had invited her to catch a train for Charlotte on Friday.

Now McShane and her daughter think that if Mickens had gone with them to Knightdale, she would still be alive.

"We should've took her with us," McShane said. "But she didn't want to come."

Fridley, MN: Fridley woman accused of killing Chihuahua puppy

Authorities say Holly Boyd threw the
animal against a dresser after a
domestic dispute with her boyfriend
and after the small dog urinated on
her leg and on a couch.

By DAVID CHANEN, Star Tribune

Last update: March 28, 2011 - 9:22 PM

Holly Boyd was already in a bad mood when
Fridley police came to her apartment last
week to break up a domestic incident
involving a male friend with whom she lives.
Police advised her friend to hang out
someplace else until things cooled down. But
45 minutes later, the friend received a
disturbing text from Boyd, according to
criminal charges filed Monday.

"The dogs killed. It also broke it's neck I
think," she said.

When the friend returned to the apartment,
he found their newly purchased Chihuahua
puppy in its bed, limp and bleeding from its
ear, the charges said. The skull was broken
in several places and its bowels protruded
from its belly.

Boyd, 28, was charged with felony animal
cruelty. She told police she was mad at the
puppy because it urinated on her leg and the
couch, so she threw it at a dresser in front of
her couch, the charges said. Police said she
showed no remorse when explaining the
dog's death.

Animal cruelty charges are unusual in Anoka
County, but a man was recently prosecuted
for shooting a dog with a crossbow, said Paul
Young, head of the county attorney's office's
violent crime division. In St. Paul, a man was
convicted in 2008 for throwing a kitten he
believed belonged to his girlfriend against a
wall. The kitten died, and he received seven
months in the workhouse.

Last year, Minneapolis started a program that
allows people involved in domestic incidents
to bring their animals to the local animal
shelter. Police can also bring an animal
immediately to the shelter during a domestic
incident.

The penalty for felony animal cruelty is up to
two years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Boyd w
as arrested Thursday, but is no longer in
jail. She couldn't be reached for comment
Monday.

Taos, NM: Questa woman pleads guilty to killing husband; may serve four years

By Chandra Johnson
Monday, March 28, 2011 3:13 PM MDT
The Questa woman accused of killing her husband in 2007 pleaded guilty to a lesser charge Monday afternoon (March 28) in Taos' Eighth Judicial District Court.

Natalie Rael, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and three counts of tampering with evidence before Judge Joseph Caldwell. The manslaughter charge was a lesser-included charge from Rael's original charge of first-degree murder for stabbing her then husband, Dennis Rael, in the neck.

A copy of the judgment from the court says that the three recently added tampering charges revolved around Rael hiding the knives used in the incident and placing a pillow over the blood-stained couch where Dennis Rael was sleeping at the time of his stabbing.

The new charges were the result of a plea agreement struck between Santa Fe attorney David Foster and public defenders Sydney West and Darryl Bouchard. The judgment also states that Rael is to have "no contact whatsoever" with the victim's family in any way. That means that Rael will also never see her two small children by Dennis Rael again.

While Rael declined to address the court, Dennis Rael's sister and father both gave the court an idea of their anguish since Dennis Rael's death in March of 2007.

"Dennis is in a place where you cannot hurt him anymore," Dennis Rael's sister, Amanda, said. "Whatever pain you suffer, you deserve."

For an updated story and full details, see the March 31 edition of The Taos News.

Irving, TX: Convicted sex offender accused of killing girlfriend, her daughter

IRVING -- A convicted sex offender was behind bars Monday, accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her 18-year-old daughter during an argument, police said.
The suspect was identified as Tyrone Cade, 38. He remained in the Irving Jail on Monday night, facing a capital murder charge. Cade walked into an Irving police station about 8:30 p.m. Sunday and told officers that he had killed two people in the 1400 block of Ronne Drive. There, police found Mischell Fuller, 37, and her daughter Desaree Hoskins, 18, dead, apparently from stab wounds.
Cade was sentenced to three years in prison in 2003 for the sexual assault of a 21-year-old woman, according to Texas Department of Public Safety records. -- Domingo Ramirez Jr.

Virginia Beach, VA: Autopsies: Va. Beach shooting was murder-suicide

Autopsies and a police investigation have determined that a shooting in Lake Edward on Sunday was a murder-suicide.

Police summoned to a parking lot in the 800 block of Baker Road shortly after 2 p.m. found two people with gunshot wounds inside a car, police said. Chiquita Long, 36, died at the scene. Rahkim Goodwin, 20, died later at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Evidence found at the scene led detectives to believe that Goodwin shot Long before turning his gun on himself, said Officer Adam Bernstein, a police spokesman. Autopsy results Monday confirmed that information.

Goodwin and Long both died of gunshot wounds to the head, said Donna Price, an administrator for the medical examiner's office in Norfolk. Long's death was a homicide and Goodwin's was a suicide, she said.

Long and Goodwin were in a relationship and had one child together, a 6-month-old boy, said Goodwin's uncle, Daniel Goodwin. Long had five other children, her family said. Long and Goodwin both lived in Norfolk.

The shooting occurred in a parking lot shared by a beauty supply store, a nightclub and a convenience store. Long, Rahkim Goodwin and Long's mother drove there together Sunday afternoon, Bernstein said. Long's mother went inside the beauty supply store and found Long and Goodwin shot when she returned, he said.

Wakefield, MA: Wakefield man accused of killing his wife

By Laura Crimaldi | Monday, March 28, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com
A Wakefield man is being held without bail today after authorities say he fatally shot his wife at their home.

David McCall, 72, called 911 at about 8:15 a.m. to report a murder-suicide at his 493 Lowell St. home, said Cara O’Brien, a spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone.

McCall’s wife, Elaine, 69, was taken to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, O’Brien said. She added she was shot once in the chest.

David McCall was arrested at his home, O’Brien said. He was arraigned on a murder charge in Malden District Court and sent for observation to Bridgewater State Hospital.

O’Brien said officials are investigating whether the suspect sustained any injuries.

Police have never been called to the couple’s home for any issues, O’Brien said.

Bay Point, CA: Bay Point man killed by deputy during traffic stop

BAY POINT, Calif.—A Contra Costa County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man during a traffic stop in Bay Point early Monday morning.
Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee says the 24-year-old man was fatally shot around 1:15 a.m.
The Contra Costa Times reports that the suspect, Johnny Ochoa, had an arrest warrant out for him after he failed to complete a court-ordered counseling program for batterers. The Times says he had a history of misdemeanor convictions, including willful injury to a child and violating a protective order.
Lee did not release any details about what happened during the traffic stop.
The District Attorney's Office is investigating the shooting alongside the Sheriff's Office.

Wagoner, OK: Man Arrested In Wife's Shooting Death

Posted: Mar 28, 2011 12:02 PM EDT
Updated: Mar 28, 2011 8:24 PM EDT
posted by: Kevin King - email

Wagoner -
A man has been arrested after police say he shot his wife to death late Sunday night in Wagoner County.

It happened in Tullahassee, about 30 miles southeast of Tulsa.

The Wagoner County Sheriff's Department says Marvin Gaines called 911 about 11 p.m. Sunday night and said he had shot his wife. When deputies arrived on scene, paramedics were already there.

But despite their best efforts, Mae Gaines died. Investigators say the shooting was related to a domestic dispute; however the sheriff's office says they have had no history with the family, who they say has lived in the area for a long time.

Marvin Gaines was arrested, but has not been charged with anything at this time. The investigation into the incident continues.

Mae Gaines was an accountant for the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper. She had several children, including two sons who played basketball for Northeastern State University.

Dominique Gaines and his brother Darnell Hinson are currently playing overseas in Puerto Rico and Poland. According to a Spanish language web site, primahora.com, the brothers are headed back to Muskogee.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Thornton, CO: Family, friends remember woman killed in Thornton

Kim Posey

Reporter

THORNTON, Colo. -- A crowd of people gathered in Thornton Sunday night for a candlelight vigil marking the one year anniversary of Liberty Ledezma's murder.

The young mother was killed, and her condo near 88th and Huron was set on fire. It is a tough day for her younger sister Brittany.

"She was like the best thing that I had," Brittany said. "I never want to let go of my sister."

The group said a prayer, and watched a slide show of pictures. They are hoping to find justice is the court system.

In January, Liberty's boyfriend, Rodney Tucker, was charged with arson and first degree murder.

As family and friends wait for his day in court, they cling to their memories of Liberty.

"I know she is with me," said Brittany.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Article: Beyond Manning Up: An NYC Paramedic Speaks Out About Men’s Violence Against Women

by GUEST CONTRIBUTOR on MARCH 21, 2011 ·
By Guest Contributor Daniel José Older, cross-posted from View From The Crossroads Of Life & Death

When I first started in EMS, I was struck by how many domestic violence calls we got. Within weeks, it became a regular part of the night, just another bloody dispute amongst the asthma attacks, strokes, shootings etc.

I’d like to say there was a moment that shook me out of complacency – the woman whose father had beat her so badly she couldn’t open her eyes but she still wouldn’t go to the hospital or press charges, the decayed body of a nameless girl we found wrapped in trash bags in the backstreets of East New York – but revelations don’t usually come in single sudden bursts. It was a slow and painful movement towards recognizing that the everydayness of men’s violence against women, the sheer normalcy of it, is the most insidious, dehumanizing part. That something must change.

They say that understanding privilege is a process much like accepting death – you cycle through a haze of stages from Denial to Bargaining to Blame and finally Acceptance. But of course, nothing’s ever that linear. As the ugly truth about what men do played out in my ambulance night after night I got angry, I tried to separate myself from all that mess by holding tight to some concept of being a “good man,” I tried to invent some perspective that would make it all a little more okay, make it make sense, rationalize it. My social scientist side kicked in and tried to fit it into some theories that’d water down all that blood but I kept going in circles, bouncing between all the stages, overlapping a few at once and getting nowhere.

Acceptance came when I finally shut up and listened to what women around me were saying, what they’d always been saying, what my own life was telling me: that the physical, mental, spiritual violence that men commit against women is so wrapped in the fabric of society that it seeps into our subconscious, poisons our relationships to each other and ourselves. It’s a matter of life and death, not just because of the enormous amount of men that kill women every year but because of the lethal fallout of the patriarchal mindset, which asks us to make insanely unhealthy choices in the name of ‘manning up.’

Even though it’s the last stage, Acceptance is only the beginning of the struggle. I finally got to a point where I could put words to my process, make some more sense of privilege and responsibility than just being speechless or awkward, move forward. Fell into a collective of like-minded people of color working on intersecting oppressions – true, brave hearted people that I learned along side, laughed with and argued with and stayed up all night unfurling crazy plans with – and we started doing workshops in schools, churches and community organizations around Brooklyn.

We used the Gender Box exercise that they outline in Beyond Beats and Rhymes, which looks at the way we play out stereotypes even today and what forces keep us in those boxes. We broke down how male privilege plays out on institutional and interpersonal levels and how white power plays on images of manhood to turn us against ourselves. We taught in Riker’s Island and the District Attorney’s office, spoke with judges, doctors, business people, priests and gangmembers, but mostly we worked with young black and brown kids, and this is what i learned:

Despite what we’re told, people are hungry to talk about how privilege and power keeps us apart and holds us back. Young men know what’s going on, feel the strain of what they’re supposed to be, but our institutions won’t give them the language of how to talk about it, how to make sense of it, how to survive. What we’re left with is locker room banter and bad tv, an epidemic of crap media culture telling us how to be who we are.

This is what I believe: in our heart of hearts, men are not the monsters we’ve allowed media to make us. We are infinitely wiser, more compassionate and more complex than that. Fighting against gender violence really means ending patriarchy, which for men means finding that place beyond what we’re told we’re supposed to be, beyond “manning up,” and becoming what we really are.

College Park, GA: College Park woman dead in possible domestic dispute

By Margaret Newkirk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

3:53 p.m. Sunday, March 27, 2011
A 21-year-old College Park woman was shot to death Sunday morning in what police are calling a possible domestic dispute.

Police found Sade Danmola unresponsive when they answered a call at the Somerset Apartments on Almand Drive about 9:23 a.m. Sunday. Danmola was pronounced dead on arrival at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Neighbors reported hearing a commotion in the apartment earlier that morning, according to a news release from the College Park Police Department.

Police said they are seeking 31-year-old Eric Robius Austin as a person of interest for questioning in the case. He has not been named a suspect.

Authorities urge anyone with information to call Detective Brian Eden at 404-761-3131.

Houston, TX: Woman gets probation for killing her husband

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Fort Bend County woman who admitted to killing her husband is not going to jail. It's all because of a plea deal reached just moments before a jury was going to return a guilty verdict against Charlene Hill.

A Fort Bend County woman who admitted to shooting her husband walked out of court on probation Friday afternoon after two trials. The second jury was moments away from convicting the woman for murder when a plea deal was struck.
Danny Hill was shot to death by his wife back in 2006. Everyone agrees to that fact. Still, Charlene Hill was given probation for the killing, something the victim's family is not happy about.

Before sentencing Charlene Hill to probation, District Court Judge Jim Shoemake explained why he went through with the plea deal just as jurors had voted to convict Hill in the slaying of her husband Danny Hill.

Judge Shoemake said, "Because I had assured the parties, the lawyers involved in this, that I would take the plea, I did not take that verdict, and I think it was the wise thing to have done, and I don't pat myself on the back for that.'

Family members of Danny Hill knew probation would be handed down Friday. In court, Danny Hill's mother Barbara Graham let it be known she did not agree with the punishment.

She said, "She has escaped being called a convicted felon by a few seconds on a clock. The truth is Charlene Hill would not divorce my son because that would mean having to lose what we all know is precious to her, money."

Charlene Hill did not speak as she walked out of the Fort Bend County Courthouse. Her lawyer, George Parnham, did say probation was the right sentence, citing testimony during the trials that Charlene Hill was the victim of domestic violence.

Parnham said, "She suffered through a relationship as a battered woman, by the man that she shot."

Prosecutor Chad Bridges worked out the terms of Hill's plea bargain as jurors were deliberating the case. Bridges believes justice was served.

"I think that her guilty plea to murder was appropriate because it wasn't self-defense," Bridges said. "Her having to allocute that it was not self-defense was a big part of it for us."

It's little comfort to Danny Hill's family.

Graham said, "But she is and always will be, a murderer."

Hill must serve 10 years on probation, a $10,000 fine and must talk to groups about domestic violence, although she may not tell those groups she acted in self-defense.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Westminister, CO: Man suspected in woman's death in Westminster after police discover body in car

WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Westminster police arrested a 22-year-old man they say is suspected of killing a woman after officers found him injured inside a car with the victim.

Police say 22-year-old Christopher Thomas Mainock is being held without bail at the Adams County Detention Facility following his arrest Saturday. Westminster police say officers spotted a suspicious vehicle early Thursday and inside they discovered that the woman was dead and Mainock was injured.

The name of the woman has not been released but police say investigators believe she was previously in a relationship with Mainock. Police say Mainock is suspected of killing the woman and then causing "self-inflicted wounds to himself." Police did not say how the woman was killed or how Mainock allegedly injured himself.

Mainock faces charges of sexual assault and first-degree murder.

Camden, AR: Arkansas jury convicts woman of first-degree murder in shooting death of husband

By Associated Press

11:22 AM CDT, March 26, 2011

CAMDEN, Ark. (AP) — A Ouachita County jury has convicted a Camden woman of first-degree murder in her husband's death.

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the panel found Felicia Wilson guilty of the reduced charge Friday in the fatal shooting of William Wilson, whose body was found on a rural roadside. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Prosecutors alleged that Felicia Wilson and her lover, Eric Colten, plotted the killing. Authorities say when William Wilson called her to ask for a ride, Felicia Wilson and Colten lured him to a deserted road where Colten shot him.

Colten pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Defense attorney, Eugene Bramlett argued that Felicia Wilson hadn't plotted to kill her husband, and that Colten killed him following an argument.

___

Deschutes, County, OR: Meyer Case a “Murder-Suicide”

Sunday, March 27th 2011 01:31pm
The Deschutes County Sheriff's Department is now investigating the disappearance of Sandra Meyer as a murder-suicide. They've now ruled the death of John Meyer, her husband, found shot to death in their home last week, a suicide. Sandra Meyer was last seen on March 9th when her husband claimed she was going to a book club meeting and hasn't been seen since. Officers say they've found a substantial amount of Sandy's blood in one of the home's heat ducts. They've also located Sandy's purse under the residence. John Meyer did leave behind a couple letters, but he denied any involvement in his wife's disappearance. But police believe otherwise.

Brigham City, UT: Neighbors mourn victims of Brigham City murder-suicide

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) – 58-year-old James, 57-year-old Kathy and 35-year-old Erik Hall were new to the Brigham City community. They moved from Ogden just a few months ago after friends and neighbors there say the Halls’ were forced to foreclose on their home.

Close friends say Kathy was in deteriorating as was Erik, from a skiing accident when he was just 19.

“He always had a smile. He was the most loving, happy, outgoing…with his spirit. Even in high school he was a very active person,” said long-time friend Ben Gerritsen.

Gerritsen had been best friends with Erick for 15 to 20 years. He was a fellow student with Erik at Weber High School and was around to watch Erik become an all-state track star and running back for the high school football team. Gerritsen was also there to accompany Erik to many of his six-month checkups after the skiing accident left him paralyzed.

“It was a big life changer. Going from a superstar to having the challenges of being in a wheelchair. But, spiritually and emotionally he was a leader to everyone,”said Gerritsen.

Annette Loveland lived right across the street from the Halls for about 20 years.

“They were very kind people very gentle people. Erik was very delightful with all of his pain he would still smile through it all,” she said.

Loveland went on to say how the entire community is in shock. They had had a special bond with the Halls after helping them through many obstacles including the pain that Erik had been in after the accident. And even with the news that police say James Hall shot and killed his wife and child, Loveland maintains he was a good man.

“He was very gentle, soft spoken. They were kind people. Very kind people with a lot of trials. One of our neighbors just said we need a big community group hug tonight.”

Police say the shooting happened about noon Friday. Police say it was a murder suicide and are confident that Hall is the one who pulled the trigger on his rifle. Police also say that Hall left behind a note touching on personal struggles and also goodbyes to his friends and family.

“It’s sad, but I know Erik loves his family, he loves his parents. He has an unconditional love for everyone. We miss Erik, but we know we’ll see him again,” said Gerritsen.

James and Kathy Hall leave behind two daughters. There will be a charitable fund set up to honor the victims of this horrible tragedy. Those details will be posted on abc4.com as soon as they are available.

la Vergne, TN: UPDATE: Police: Murder-suicide in La Vergne suburb

LA VERGNE — The identities of those dead in what police say appears to be a murder-suicide have now been confirmed.

Daniel Sim, 28, was likely asleep in the bedroom of his Betty Lou Lane home Friday morning when his wife, Nith Sim, 27, shot him, police said.

Police Chief Ted Boyd said Nith Sim likely took one gun to shoot her husband, but it jammed, prompting her to use another.

Both guns were found on the floor of the couple's bedroom. Their two children were in the room with them when the shootings occurred, police said.

Boyd said the children are unharmed, and the state Department of Children's Services is coming in to make arrangements for the children.

Boyd said it is likely the children will return to New York with Daniel Sim's mother, who was visiting at the time.

Reported earlier

A woman was killed and her husband injured at a home in the Lake Forest neighborhood of La Vergne Friday, according to La Vergne's police chief.

“We don’t know exactly what took place,” said Chief Ted Boyd, adding that the shooting happened around 10:20 a.m. The man who was shot was still alive last time police checked with medical officials, but more details about his condition are currently unknown.

A preliminary investigation has revealed the woman and her husband, along with a 5-month-old and 2-year-old, were locked inside a bedroom at their 1019 Betty Lou Drive home when the shooting occurred. The male victim’s mother, who was visiting from New York, was also inside the home.

She told police that she heard a popping sound inside the home, but thought someone had dropped something on the floor.

“She heard the baby crying in the room and went to the door,” Boyd said. “The door was locked and she couldn’t get anyone to respond. She then went outside and went to the window, but couldn’t get anyone to respond there either.”

Boyd said the woman told police she found a key to the door and went inside and discovered both her son and daughter-in-law had been shot. Two handguns were also lying on the floor.

Milton, NY: Milton murder-suicide

The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating what they believe to be a murder-suicide in the Town of Milton.

They say the deceased individuals are Tonya Barnes, 40, from Schuylerville and James Barnes, 41, from Ballston Spa.

Officials say they were husband and wife and it appear that there was a physical altercation between the two which led to Tonya's death. They believe James them committed suicide after that.

The incident is still under investigation by the Sheriff's Office and members of the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Unit.

The couple had five daughters.

Calumet City, IL: Suburban man killed in domestic-related shooting

A south suburban man was shot dead inside a Harvey home early morning following a domestic involving him, his girlfriend and a male relative, authorities said.

Killed was Antwon Wormely, 28, of Calumet City, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Wormely died from a gunshot wound to the chest in a homicide, according to an autopsy performed today.

Wormely was shot by a man inside the home in the 300 block of East 147th Place at about 3:45 a.m. as the quarrel intensified between the victim and his girlfriend intensified, according to Harvey police spokeswoman Sandra Alvarado.

The gunman was a male "family member," according to Alvarado, who wouldn't say whether it was a relative of Wormely's or his girlfriend, who lives at the home.

The shooting came after an evening that saw Wormely quarreling with his girlfriend for much of the night, Alvarado said.
The two began arguing at a bar in nearby Markham and continued as they returned to her home.

After the shooting, Wormely was taken Ingalls Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police were working with prosecutors in seeking felony charges against the suspected gunman, Alvarado said.

Morristown, TN: Shooting at Walmart in Morristown

A peaceful Saturday for shopping was shattered this afternoon as gunfire erupted at a Hamblen County Walmart. Police say 26-year-old James Humphries 3rd shot himself in the head at the entrance of the store.
Posted: 8:57 PM Mar 26, 2011
Reporter: Kate Burgess
Email Address: katharine.burgess@wvlt-tv.com

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (WVLT)--"There was blood everywhere." It's not your typical day at the Walmart, when you see blood being cleaned off the floor. "It's been crazy ever since," says Kyle Whitt, who works at the store.

Employees were trying to get back to business as usual, after James Humphries took his own life. "A lot of the employees are kind of nervous and everything. This isn't something that happens everyday."


Witnesses say Humphries ran into his ex-girlfriend at the store just before the shooting. Ricky Sanders, the Public Information Officer for the Morristown Police Department says, "he just made a threat that he was going to harm himself, then walked away immediately and as he was exiting the Walmart, pulled out the gun and shot himself." Nicholas Dearing was there when it happened. He says chaos erupted after the shooting. "Everybody started shouting, 'call 911. Somebody call 911.'"

Walmart blocked off the entrance way, but the store remained operational during the turmoil. Sanders says, "no one else was harmed, no one was threatened at the time. It was just himself as he exited the Walmart."

Humphries was taken to Morristown-Hamblen Hospital, and was then flown by Lifestar to UT Medical Center where he later died.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Saginaw, MI: New charge comes down in Kevin Amos murder case

Thursday, March 24, 2011

SAGINAW (WJRT) -- (03/24/11)--One brand-new charge came down Thursday for a Saginaw man just sentenced Wednesday in a 2002 murder.

Patrick Martin was convicted and found guilty of first-degree murder last month and sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday in the violent suffocation death of 19-year-old Kevin Amos.

Thursday afternoon, Martin was charged in the death of his former girlfriend, Debra Kukla. Kukla was found dead in the garage of her Bay City home in June 2009. She had beaten to death.

Martin was living with Kukla at the time.

Martin was charged in court Thursday with one count of open murder. Bay County's prosecutor says they just recently obtained some very helpful information -- a disclosure, he says, from Martin's close family member.

That, along with his recent conviction, helped them get to the charge. Kukla's family was in court Thursday afternoon.

Martin is expected back in court in this case early next month.

Charlotte, NC: Testimony begins in trial of slain cheerleader

by GLENN COUNTS / NewsChannel 36
Bio | Email | Follow: @gcounts23
Posted on March 24, 2011 at 5:26 PM
Updated yesterday at 5:34 PM\
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The murder trial for a man accused of killing his high school cheerleader ex-girlfriend began Thursday.
Gary Daniels is accused of first-degree murder in the March 2009 death of Charney Watt.
Daniels and Watt were a couple and prosecutors believe he killed her when she ended the relationship.
"The defendant went to the back of the woods behind the house, retrieved a shotgun, brought it to the room where Charney was, held the shotgun toward her head and pulled the trigger and killed her," said prosecutor Desmond McCallum.
At this point in the process, Daniels is considered an innocent man. His attorney, Grady Jessup, reminded the jury of that fact.

“Gary Daniels is not guilty, not guilty,” said defense attorney Grady Jessup. “Not guilty of first-degree murder because he did not, with malice, and premeditation and deliberation, kill Charney Watts.
The prosecution’s first witness was Watt’s legal guardian, Tamoria Walker. Walker’s family took Watt in because Watt’s father was in prison and her mother was bipolar. Watt herself was an Olympic High School track star, cheerleader and honor student.
Walker became emotional on the witness stand looking at some of Watt’s pictures
Prosecutors say Watt was shot in the head with a shotgun at point-blank range. The first paramedic who arrived at the scene of the shooting testified Thursday afternoon, describing a gruesome scene. Although it may be difficult for jurors to hear about, they will have to see pictures from the crime scene later in the trial.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Daniels could spend life in prison.

Lakeland, FL: Lakeland Man Charged With Manslaughter in Live-In Girlfriend's Death

Arlene Arocho died Aug. 14


By Jeremy Maready
THE LEDGER

Published: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 10:22 p.m.
LAKELAND | A Lakeland man was arrested Tuesday and charged with manslaughter in the death of his live-in girlfriend during a domestic dispute in August.

Anthony Renard McNeal, 47, of 515 Bon Air St., No. 145, was charged with manslaughter with a weapon and tampering with physical evidence, according to Lakeland police. He was booked into the Polk County Jail and held without bond Tuesday night. He will have his first court appearance today.

An autopsy concluded that Arlene Arocho, 43, died from a stab wound.

Police said it was inflicted by McNeal during an argument Aug. 14, reports said.

About 9 a.m. that day police were called to the Bon Air Street address after receiving a report about an unresponsive woman.

Police learned McNeil had gone to the property manager's office and said he had found Arocho unresponsive in bed at the apartment. When officers went to the apartment Arocho was dead, according to reports.

For months, Lakeland detectives worked on the case and waited for test and autopsy results to return, Lt. Al Wilson said.

"When there's unresolved questions, we have to investigate those things thoroughly," Wilson said.

Through interviews with witnesses, police learned that the couple had been involved in an argument earlier that day.

Police said they did not know what the argument was about.

Wilson also said there had been reports of past domestic violence issues between the couple.

McNeal has denied he stabbed Arocho.

"His story is dramatically different from the witnesses in this case," Wilson said.

The tampering with evidence charge stems from an accusation that McNeal tried to clean up areas of the crime scene before detectives had a chance to analyze it thoroughly, Wilson said.

McNeal is the son of the Rev. Jesse McNeal of Freedom in Christ Ministry in Lakeland.

[ Jeremy Maready can be reached at jeremy.maready@theledger.com or 863-802-7592. ]

Logan, OH: New Details: Missing woman's husband, in-laws arrested, charged with kidnapping

Posted: Mar 25, 2011 8:02 AM EDT
Updated: Mar 25, 2011 8:02 AM EDT
AKRON, OH (WOIO) - A missing woman's husband and in-laws have been arrested in connection with her disappearance.

25-year-old Summer Inman of Logan, Ohio was last seen on March 22nd being forcibly placed inside an older model, white-colored Ford Crown Victoria.

Now, police have arrested her husband, William Inman II, and his parents, William and Sandra Inman. All three have been charged with kidnapping and will appear in Jackson County court today.

William and Sandra Inman live in Akron.

So far, Summer Inman has not been located. Investigators continue to ask for the public's assistance in locating Summer.

Anyone with any information is requested to contact the Logan Police Department at 740-385-6868 as soon as possible.

Allegan Township, MI: Allegan County man struck and killed on M-89 after intentionally running in front of vehicle, police say

ALLEGAN TOWNSHIP — A 22-year-old Allegan County man was struck by a vehicle and killed Thursday morning when police say he intentionally ran in front of a vehicle after an argument with his girlfriend .
Allegan County sheriff's deputies found Skip Edward Barber after responding at 5:05 a.m. to a report of a possible car-pedestrian crash on M-89, east of the city of Allegan in Allegan Township. Deputies said Barber, who was being tended to by his girlfriend when the officers arrived, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police closed M-89 Thursday following the incident.
Deputies said that Barber's girlfriend, whose name has not been released, told investigators that she and Barber had been in an argument at Barber's Allegan Township residence prior to the incident and she left the residence in her car. Barber followed his girlfriend on foot and laid down in the middle of M-89, according to a news release.
The girlfriend told deputies she stopped her vehicle and tried to get Barber out of the road but “he kept going back and laying in the roadway,” police said. Barber's girlfriend told deputies a tractor-semitrailer nearly hit him and another car swerved to avoid him.
When a third vehicle came along, Barber's girlfriend told deputies that Barber ran in front of the vehicle and the vehicle's driver, a Plainwell-area man, swerved to avoid hitting Barber. However, the vehicle struck Barber “causing fatal injuries,” the news release said.
Deputies are continuing to investigate the incident but said “initial information and statements indicate that this was an intentional act by (Barber) and that the striking vehicle was making attempts to avoid him when he was struck.”
Deputies said evidence from their investigation “indicates that (Barber) had been drinking.” Police said the driver that struck Barber was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and had not been drinking.
Contact Rex Hall Jr. at rhall@kalamazoogazette.com or 269-388-7784.

Ypsilanti, MI: Ypsilanti Woman, 23, Accused of Killing Husband Arraigned

Updated: Thursday, 24 Mar 2011, 9:03 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 24 Mar 2011, 9:03 PM EDT

By ROBIN SCHWARTZ
WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com

YPSILANTI, Mich. (WJBK) - Police describe 23-year-old Katharine Mishler as a cold and calculated killer. The young woman from Kentucky lived at a Ypsilanti apartment complex with her 20-year-old husband, Samuel.

Sheriff's deputies got a 911 call at 1:47 a.m. Wednesday from Mishler saying she had shot an intruder who broke in, but police say it was all a lie.

"There had been some form of an altercation, some argument that had escalated," said Derrick Jackson with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department. "As it escalated, at some point she pulled the gun and actually pulled the trigger and shot him."

Right now, the sheriff's department is not releasing the 911 call, but they say it's a key piece of evidence in this case that shows how caculated Mishler's actions really were.

During her video arraignment, the detective told the judge Mishler later admitted her husband did not threaten or hurt her and did not deserve what happened.

The victim's family members watched the arraignment in stunned silence and left without talking to reporters.

Police and neighbors say the couple had no apparent history of problems.

Police believe Mishler is a flight risk and a danger to the community. She's being held without bond and could face life in prison.

Fairhope, AL: Murder-suicide has domestic history

Updated: Thursday, 24 Mar 2011, 5:42 PM CDT
Published : Thursday, 24 Mar 2011, 12:44 PM CDT

FAIRHOPE, Alabama (WALA) - FOX10 News has learned John Uptagraft and Patricia Evans, the two people involved in a murder-suicide Thursday morning in Mobile, have a past with domestic issues.

Uptagraft was supposed to face a grand jury on charges from 2010.

Last summer at the Spring Run Apartments in Fairhope, a domestic situation turned violent.

"The suspect had gone there armed with a pistol, broke the window to his girlfriend's apartment, entered the apartment and took her by force," said Sgt. Craig Sawyer with Fairhope Police in June 2010.

Police said Uptagraft broke into Evans' apartment while she was sleeping. They said Uptagraft, armed with a pistol, forced Evans into his car and took off. Police caught up with the car in Point Clear, pulled Uptagraft over and rescued Evans unharmed.

"Obviously emotionally distraught, shaken up by the entire thing. Physically she was fine," said Sawyer.

Police hit Uptagraft with a slew of charges including kidnapping, stalking, and rape. Uptagraft had a preliminary hearing in August 2010 where his cases were sent to a grand jury.

Uptagraft, however, was never indicted. His cases were set for this grand jury term in Baldwin County which would have started Monday, March 28.

Uptagraft bonded after the incident, and had been living at his home in Eight Mile, the same home where this story came to a deadly end.

Asheville, TN: Husband, wife end up dead after apparent murder-suicide

Mar 24, 2011
ASHVILLE — A husband and wife are dead today after an apparent murder-suicide, authorities said Thursday.

St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell identified the body of Brenda Crocker Potts, 55, of 32475 U.S. 231 in Ashville. Her husband, Kenneth Potts, 58, had apparently shot her.

Russell pronounced Mrs. Potts dead on the scene at 8:20 p.m. Wednesday. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Joe Sweatt said it appears the couple was experiencing a domestic problem when the situation turned deadly.

“A neighbor hears screams and gunfire, and then called Central Dispatch,” Sweatt said. “The call came in at 7:05 p.m. The first officer on the scene was an Ashville police officer and he went to the neighbor’s house.”

Sweatt said when the officer did get to the Potts residence, Mrs. Potts was lying on the front porch and her husband was sitting in the front porch swing with a gun in hand.

“After Mr. Potts shot his wife, he called 911 and told them what he had done,” Sweatt said. “When more officers arrived, they tried to get him to put the gun down but he refused, turned it on himself and fired a shot.”

Potts was flown by LifeSaver to University Hospital in Birmingham. Russell confirmed late Thursday that Potts died at the hospital at 12:31 p.m.

Sweatt said the incident remains under investigation by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department as well as the Ashville Police Department.

Contact Gary Hanner at ghanner@thestclairtimes.com


Read more: The Daily Home - Husband wife end up dead after apparent murder suicide

Lenexa, Ks: Jackson Co. Couple Killed In KC-area Murder, Suicide

Lenexa Police say they were called just after 6:30 pm Wednesday to a report of gunshots at a construction site. They found 47-year old Leslie Price dead.


LENEXA, Kan. (WIBW) - A couple from rural Jackson County, Kansas are identified as the victims of what police are investigating as a murder-suicide.

Lenexa Police say they were called just after 6:30 pm Wednesday to a report of gunshots at a construction site in the 8400 block of Lenexa Drive. They arrived to find 47-year old Leslie Price dead. They say she'd been shot several times.

Police say her estranged husband, 44-year old James Price, was identified as the suspect. He was found dead later in Kansas City, Missouri from what they say appeared to be a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Mocksville, NC: Davie County woman was killed, then dismembered, authorities say

By Monte Mitchell


A woman whose dismembered body was found in a brush pile in Davie County was likely first killed and then cut into pieces as a way for her killer to dispose of her body, authorities said Thursday.

David Earl Hughes, 56, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Patricia Yvette Swaim, 49.

Searchers found Swaim's head, torso, legs and right arm under the brush pile off Serenity Drive, across a field from Hughes' house. They still hadn't found her left arm or left foot as of Thursday afternoon and believe that animals could have taken them.

Hughes has been charged with first-degree murder in Swaim's death. He had his first court appearance Thursday morning. Later that day, he was denied bail during a second hearing and remains in the Davie County Jail.

Sheriff Andy Stokes said he wanted to wait until autopsy results are complete to release information about how Swaim died. Her last known contact was with her daughter on the evening of Feb. 20.

Authorities started investigating then, talking to neighbors and to Hughes.

Swaim had left the home for extended periods before, but this time investigators determined that she had stopped using her cellphone and credit cards.

"Things of that nature stopped at the same time," Stokes said. "It wasn't one thing. It was the totality of it."

Meanwhile, they kept talking to Hughes.

"Through that investigation over a period of time we were getting some major inconsistencies from him,' Stokes said. "Through that, we got enough evidence to get a warrant and come here and search the property."

That search started Wednesday morning.

Searchers noticed four-wheeler tracks going from the ranch-style brick house, across the field and into the woods at the brush pile. Swaim was found there, Stokes said.

Hughes owns the house and the two acres it sits on, together valued at $172,520, according to Davie County tax records. He also owns another adjacent acre.

The property is about half a mile north of Interstate 40, in a rural area without direct access to the highway. Hughes owns the land around his home, but does not own the large field in front of his home or the spot where Swaim was found. The property is on the western side of Davie County, almost at the Iredell County line.

Davie County sheriff's investigators and agents from the State Bureau of Investigation searched the property next to the house on Thursday. About mid-afternoon, an investigator carried several rifles out of Hughes' house.

Deputies had been to the house on a domestic call in February 2008, Stokes said, but no criminal charges were filed.

The Sheriff's Office had also responded to five medical calls for Hughes, who is disabled and walks with a cane.

Neither Hughes nor Swaim had a criminal record in Davie County, according to records at the courthouse. In 2003, though, Swaim had sought a domestic-violence-protection order against her estranged husband, according to records on file at the courthouse.

She said that he'd threatened to harm her and her boyfriend, whom she didn't name. But she asked a judge to order that her husband stay away from Hughes. She also listed Hughes' address, 184 Serenity Drive.

A judge issued an emergency order, but in a March 2003 hearing made no finding regarding the allegations of domestic violence. Swaim and her husband were divorced two months later.

mmitchell@wsjournal.com

(336) 667-5691

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Kansas City, MO: Murderer is murdered in Kansas City

by JESSICA MACHETTA on MARCH 23, 2011

Kansas City police say a murder victim was, himself, a convicted murderer and a suspect in another murder.

The body of Keith Williams was found in his home. He was a suspect in the killing of his former girlfriend. Williams had served ten years in prison before being paroled in 2003 for a murder he did when he was 14 years old.

His girlfriend was killed when a man who walked up to her in the driveway of her home and shot her to death. Williams had been questioned in that death but had not been charged.

Del Rosa, CA: Man suspected of killing one teenage son, wounding wife and four other children in rampage

March 23, 2011 | 4:58 pm
A San Bernardino man allegedly killed his 16-year-old son and wounded his wife and four other children, including his 8-year-old daughter, in an early morning rampage in the city’s Del Rosa neighborhood, authorities said.

The attack was so bloody and vicious that investigators still were trying to determine what weapon, or weapons, were used.

Ian Roderiquez, 35, was arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and torture, said Cindy Bachman, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspect’s wife, 35-year-old Sujal, suffered severe injuries and, along with his four other children, remained hospitalized, Bachman said.

“A neighbor about 9:15 this morning called 911, saying that a male subject at a nearby residence was screaming for help," Bachman said.

When police arrived at the house in the 6600 block of Merito Avenue, they detained Roderiquez as he was leaving. Deputies then entered the home and found the victims, Bachman said.

Earlier reports described the attack as a stabbing, although detectives still are trying to determine how the injuries were inflicted, she said.

“It wasn’t apparent from just looking at the victims if there was a weapon used, or more than one type of weapon used," Bachman said.

The teen boy killed was identified as Richard Roderiquez. The injured children were Jacob, 13; Gabriel, 12; Daniella, 10; and Yasmine, 8.

All of the injured children were expected to survive and will be placed in the custody of the county’s children and family services agency when released from the hospital, Bachman said.

-- Phil Willon

Newark, NJ: Newark woman was killed with hammer and dismembered, police say

Published: Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 2:00 PM Updated: Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 2:06 PM
By Richard Khavkine/The Star-Ledger
NEWARK — Police discovered a missing Newark woman's dismembered body in a West Ward residence Tuesday, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
After receiving a report of a body in an apartment in the city's Ivy Hill neighborhood, police forced their way into the Manor Drive residence of Eusebio Jacome, 51, and found the remains of Miradaliza DeJesus Jiminez, 34, said acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray.
Jiminez had been reported missing by family members Friday, Murray said. A preliminary investigation determined blunt force trauma the cause of death, and authorities say she was killed with a hammer.
“We believe that there was a romantic relationship between the two,” prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Katherine Carter said. Jiminez was not living in the apartment with Jacome, she said.
Jacome, a Honduran living in Newark, was arrested and charged in the slaying. He also faces charges of unlawfully using a weapon, as well as desecrating the victim’s body.
Citing the ongoing investigation, Carter declined to provide further details on where in the apartment Jimenez’s body was found and how badly she was dismembered.
Jacome is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Essex County jail. He is expected to make his first court appearance next week.

Amor, MN: Authorities rule Otter Tail County teen shootings a 'murder-suicide'

Two grieving families in Otter Tail County, Minn., are left with questions to which there will likely never be any answers.
By: Kristen M. Daum, Forum Communications

Murder suicide claims two lives in Park Rapids
AMOR, Minn. — Two grieving families in Otter Tail County, Minn., are left with questions to which there will likely never be any answers.

No one can explain why 17-year-old Dylan Cox fired a gun multiple times at his girlfriend, Tabitha Belmonte, 16, and then turned the gun on himself.

But in the aftermath of Monday’s tragedy, at least some details are clear:

There’s an unexpected killer, a slain victim and a 7-month-old orphan caught in the middle.

Just days after the deaths of Dylan and Tabitha, a dispute has already begun between their families over custody of the teens’ baby girl, Emma Cox.

“She’s in safe hands and we aren’t disclosing where she is now, just for her own safety,” said Dr. Susan Vitalis, a friend and family spokesperson for the Coxes. “They intend to keep Emma where she’s been living her entire life — and that’s with them.”

But, fearing for Emma’s well-being after the shootings, Tabitha’s family has already retained an attorney and contacted social services to seek guardianship of Emma as soon as possible.

“Two bodies already left that house. We don’t want Emma to be the third,” said Bobbi Teeple, Tabitha’s mother .

Tabitha and Dylan’s deaths were the result of a murder-suicide in which Dylan fired the gun, authorities said Wednesday.

Dylan’s parents, Cathy and Darrin Cox, called 911 to report the shooting at 9:07 p.m. Monday, Otter Tail County Sheriff Brian Schlueter said.

Tabitha and Dylan lived with Emma at the home of Cox’s parents at 30811 Twin Lakes Road near Amor, Minn.

Dylan, Tabitha, Emma and Cox’s parents were all home when the shooting occurred.

Amor is in central Otter Tail County, about 60 miles southeast of Fargo.

Tabitha was dead at the scene, and Dylan was airlifted to Fargo’s Sanford Medical Center, where he died Tuesday after he was taken off life support.

Schlueter said the investigation remains open, as there are “still quite a few loose ends to tie up.”

He would not comment on what might have led to the shootings or how Dylan got a gun.

Tabitha’s relatives said Schlueter told them the Coxes kept “a lot of guns” in the home. Hunting was among Dylan’s interests, his family said.

Tabitha’s grandfather Ted Bergeron said Schlueter told him Tabitha was shot multiple times in the head and Dylan had a fatal wound in the temple.

“It’s shocking because of Dylan,” Bergeron said. “I can’t believe that somebody would do something like that.”

The families of Tabitha and Dylan are perplexed such a tragedy came at the hands of a boy they agree was quiet, polite and well-mannered.

“We’re in total shock. I couldn’t have imagined Dylan picking up a gun and shooting Tabitha,” Teeple said. “He was very gentle and kind.”

The Cox family released a statement to The Forum in which they described Dylan as sensitive, creative and active.

Dylan loved his friends and family — especially his daughter — and “was eagerly waiting for Emma to say her first words and take her first steps.”

“Dylan was a great kid,” the family said. “People are looking for an answer to this tragedy, and we would love to know the answers — but some questions will never be answered.”

Yet the praises offered by both Tabitha’s relatives and Dylan’s family are in stark contrast to the impression given by Dylan’s Facebook profile — which listed his inspirations as including Charles Manson and the founder of the Church of Satan.

The Cox family said The Forum’s original reporting on the Facebook page was “very biased.”

Vitalis said the worrisome references in Dylan’s profile were far from who he was in reality.

“He was not a Satanic-type person. He was totally a gentle person, and he was not violent at all,” she said. “(Teens) will put things on Facebook that may be out of character, but that’s part of the social-networking scene. It did not define him at all.”

Cox’s family has since deleted Dylan’s Facebook profile.

Tabitha was also on Facebook, but her profile is blocked from public view due to privacy restrictions.

After Tabitha gave birth to Emma in August, she moved in with Dylan and his parents, Teeple said.

“That was fine, because I knew she was in love with Dylan,” Teeple said.

Emma was Tabitha’s world.

She inspired the young mother and Perham High School sophomore to earn better grades and get a part-time job to support her child, Teeple said.

The Cox family said Tabitha told them she’d had a “difficult upbringing.”

“Tabby needed our family’s help, and we were happy to be there for her,” the Coxes said.

Teeple acknowledged that she “wasn’t a very good mom for some time,” but said Tabitha had a good relationship with her and her husband, Steve, more recently.

Bobbi and Steve Teeple work on the road for months at a time, taking them far from their home in nearby Dent.

The Teeples and the Coxes have not spoken since before the shootings — a fact that frustrates Tabitha’s relatives although they acknowledge the Coxes’ grief.

“I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” Bergeron said. “We have the peace of mind knowing Tabby’s in a wonderful place. I don’t think they have the same peace of mind about Dylan.”

As the families continue funeral arrangements, their focus shifts to Emma’s future — with whom it will be and the potential legal battle that might determine that outcome.

“The only part of Tabby we’ve got left is Emma,” Teeple said. “We just want her back, that’s all.”

Park Rapids, MN: Park Rapids Married Couple Dies in Murder-Suicide

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. (KSAX) Greg Duane Anderson shot and killed his wife, Dawn Anderson, before taking his own life at their Park Rapids home Tuesday night.

"(Dawn) called 9-1-1; said that her husband was threatening to kill her. In the background, you could hear some loud noise and then the phone went dead," Park Rapids Police Chief Terry Eilers said.

Police said they received the first 9-1-1 call shortly after 6:00 p.m., but after Jordan Anderson told them his dad, Greg Anderson, 45, had a high-powered hunting rifle, police took extra precautions and brought in more back-up. A long driveway and bad weather also delayed their ability to confront the shooter.

"Once we got closer with our flat-van and additional officers, then they could see, actually two people, laying on the front deck," Eilers said. "Verbal commands were made; no response from them."

Police then approached the deck and found both Greg and Dawn Anderson, 45, unresponsive.

"It was an obvious self-inflicted gunshot wound to (Greg Anderson). The gun was still in his hand, and (Dawn) was laying several feet away," Eilers said.

Jordan Anderson, 20, lived with his parents and told police he was threatened by his father as well. Police said he's currently staying with relatives.

Greg Anderson had been in a halfway-house in the Fargo-Moorhead area, following a 2010 D.W.I. conviction, but he left for Park Rapids early Tuesday morning. Police said Dawn had a restraining order against Greg.

Wednesday, friends of Dawn remembered her as a woman of faith, who loved children.

"Very tragic. She will be very missed by everybody. I don't think she had an enemy at all," Dawn Anderson's friend and neighbor Rose Ward said. "She's in heaven, and I hope she's peaceful, and also my thoughts were for her children and her family." "It's gonna be sad around here for a long, long time."

Police said Greg Anderson had his firearms taken away after a 2007 gun conviction, and aren't sure how he got the rifle. The Andersons left behind two sons.

Written for the web by Joe Nelson.

jonelson@ksax.com