Sunday, July 31, 2011

Spalding County, GA: Husband arrested in wife's death in Griffin

SPALDING COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
The Spalding County Sheriff's Office said a Griffin woman died following a domestic violence incident.

Jeff McCullough, 53, was arrested when officers responded to the home July 20. Officers said there was enough evidence to arrest him for Battery under the Family Violence Act.

An ambulance was called to the house two days later. Friends said they were concerned about Debra McCullough because she had passed out.

The sheriff's office said doctors determined Debra McCullough had a severe head injury. She never regained consciousness and died.

The medical examiner has performed an autopsy, but investigators are waiting for medical records before pursuing additional charges.

Cabell County, WV: BREAKING NEWS: Cabell County Man Charged in Wife's Shooting Death

CABELL COUNTY, W.Va. – A 66-year old man from Cabell County has been arrested and charged with murder following the shooting death of his wife.

Harry Smith was booked into the Western Regional Jail early Sunday morning.


Cabell County Sheriff Tom McComas tells WSAZ.com that deputies were called to 6169 Birkewood Road near Barboursville shortly before 11 Saturday night.

McComas says deputies and EMS personnel found 62-year-old Constance Smith dead, with a gunshot wound to the head.

The original call came in as an accidental shooting.

McComas says based on what deputies and emergency workers found at the scene, along with a statement given by Mr. Smith, he was charged with murder. The Sheriff says Prosecuting Attorney Chris Chiles was also called to the scene.

No word on a motive for the shooting.

Mrs. Smith’s body was sent to the State Medical Examiner in Charleston.

Mr. Smith is expected to arraigned sometime Sunday.

Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for updated information.

Los Gatos, CA: Shock Over Daou Murder-Suicide

Friends and family are in shock and disbelief over this week's murder-suicide of a father and son found dead in their unincorporated Los Gatos home Wednesday evening by a neighbor and a relative.

The two men have been identified by Santa Clara County Sheriff's officials as Imad Ed Daou, 50, a prominent local developer; and son Andrew Daou, 22. A five shot .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver, registered to Imad Ed Daou, was recovered at the scene in his possession.

"We're all pretty devastated. Valley Christian [High School] ... even though the kids go away to college ... we're a pretty tight-knit family," said family friend Michael Schmidt, whose three boys knew Andrew while he attended the elite, private San Jose school.

Just this past Monday, Schmidt's son, Anthony, had seen Andrew at the first meeting of a Bible study group of Valley Christian alumni in Campbell. About 10 young men attended, Schmidt said.

The gathering, held at the home of former alum Ben Moreno, included prayers of gratitude, fellowshipping and a plan to tackle "the word of God," Schmidt added.

Moreno, a good friend of Andrew's, is said to have helped him during his bout with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma three years ago, Schmidt said.

"Andrew had a relationship with Jesus Christ ... it started when he was battling his cancer," Schmidt said.

"He was a loved kid. He was very respectful of all his teachers. He had a great sense of humor, but was very quite. He was extremely focused on the classroom and the basketball court. He was a quiet leader."

Friend Rob Fair, 20, who saw Andrew Monday evening in the Bible study group, said it was apparent that Andrew was holding on to this faith to endure a recurrence of Non-Hodgkins. "He was a strong Christian ... he helped organize the Bible study group. He was one of the leaders.

"We're all in shock and disbelief. When we first heard it, we didn't know what to think. It goes from shock to disbelief to maybe a little bit of anger ... It's surreal."

He remembered Andrew as having a dry sense of humor that would make everyone laugh. "He wouldn't be trying to crack jokes, but he would crack them anyway. When it got time to be serious, he was a leader in topics that were deep."

About the Bible study group, Fair said: "We were just trying to get together with other believers who are friends and try to dive into the word [scriptures]. Andrew was instrumental in the formation of this group."

Christopher Schmidt, 20, also knew Andrew through his friendship with his oldest brother, Anthony. "They played basketball together for all these years and that's how we became friends ... He was really nice and very funny."

When he saw him Monday evening at the Bible study group, he said he had to do a double take because Andrew, described as being a tall and muscular young man with dark eyes, dark hair and a generous smile, looked a lot thinner than his usual weight.

"We've been really emotional about this. My older brother called us Wednesday night and told us and we couldn't believe it. I had to walk out of the room."

Michael Schmidt said he would hold on the wistful memories he has of the father and son he met nine years ago when Andrew was a seventh-grader at Valley Christian Junior High School.

His son, Anthony, would go on to play with Andrew on the Valley Christian High School basketball team, where Andrew was a four-year starter.

"They were close friends all the way through," the grief-stricken father said. "They stayed in touch through his time at the University of San Diego and through his cancer treatment."

In 2009, Andrew had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which was treated, was in remission for a couple of years and had just recurred, Schmidt said.

Other family friends who didn't want to be identified remembered Ed Daou as a father who had high expectations for his children, attended all of Andrew's basketball games and seemed like a wonderful provider for his family.

But they said he also had a dark side. Ed Daou was described as quiet all the time, his wife, Carmen Hamady Daou, more outgoing.

The rippling effect of the devastation has now touched the family of Tessa Furtado, who is said to have been Andrew's girlfriend, they lamented.

Tessa's father, Richard Furtado, is the owner of South Bay Construction, which is building a new arts building on campus.

"They're quite distraught," Schmidt said.

According to the Mercury News, the neighbor who found the bodies said Ed Daou was an abusive husband who snapped when his wife left him. It quotes Sandra Ventura as saying that she thinks Daou killed his son to punish his wife for leaving him. Ventura is a family friend who's lived across the street from the Daous for 18 years on Clara Street. Carmen Hamady Daou left her husband three weeks ago and filed for divorce July 6. According to the article, Ventura went to take a look at the house after Carmen urged her to do so. She couldn't reach her son and was worried about him.

Andrew Daou's Facebook page shows a photo of himself with his girlfriend. His profile information says he graduated from Valley Christian High School in San Jose in 2007, the number-one rule in life is to "play like a champion." He declares his love for basketball, music, the beach and philosophizing.

The date and place of a memorial service for Andrew has still not been decided, according to Valley Christian High School Principal Mark Lodewyk.

"This tragedy has dramatically affected our community and our thoughts and prayers are with Andrew's family," Lodewyk said.

"Andrew was an incredibly caring and kind young man. His humble spirit was a blessing on our campus and in our community. He was one of those guys who brought the best out of others. His strong relationship with the Lord was strengthened through his fight against cancer. He will be deeply missed and his relationships will be treasured forever," Lodewyk added.

Article: Choking law to aid domestic violence prosecutions

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed a bill designed to aid the prosecution in domestic violence cases, establishing a law that identifies strangulation as a traumatic condition that can lead to felony charges.
The legislation recognizes choking as a potential stepping stone to more severe violence. The bill's author, Democratic Sen. Christine Kehoe of San Diego, said the clarification was needed because it is difficult to prosecute cases when there is little physical evidence.
"What happens is that strangulation is not prosecuted even though it is a precursor to homicide," she said.
Previously, defense lawyers could argue that choking is little more than a slap because victims may not have any visible injury by the time they get to court.
Most of the time, strangulation isn't about physically harming someone, Kehoe said, but rather asserting power or control. That is especially true in relationships marred by domestic abuse, she said.
"This is a control issue," she said. "They're saying, 'You are at my mercy.' That is why we want to have strangulation be charged, so it can be prosecuted in court."
Existing law does not classify strangulation as a serious criminal offense, and police officers often do not receive the training necessary to identify a victim's subtle symptoms, said Gael Strack, chief executive officer of the National Family Justice Center Alliance, a San Diego-based organization that sponsored the legislation.
The law will provide consistent, statewide training on how to identify, investigate and prosecute a strangulation case, she said.
It also will bridge gaps in current legislation designed to protect women, said Casey Gwinn, president of the alliance, which provides technical assistance, training and consulting for a national network of centers for victims of family violence.
It gives prosecutors and police officers a tool to treat strangulation as a serious crime when the victim survives. Often, the victim isn't aware of how serious the crime is, he said.
"When a woman has been strangled by her partner, she is 800 percent more likely to be killed," he said.
The alliance decided to seek the legislation after a woman was killed in San Diego. While she had a restraining order against her husband, charges brought against him for strangulation had been dismissed.
"It became clear that we needed more than what we had," Strack said. "This is going to save lives."

Tamms, IL: Fla. woman found dead in Ill. had been strangled

TAMMS, Ill. -- Illinois State Police say a Florida woman found dead in a car wrecked by her husband during a chase had been strangled.
Police say 50-year-old Lisa Curtis' body was found after the chase involving 48-year-old Bobby Curtis, both of Panama City, Fla. Police say Lisa Curtis also had been repeatedly stabbed after she died.
The chase ended with a southern Illinois sheriff's deputy shooting Bobby Curtis as he approached threateningly with a sword he first used in trying to injure himself. Bobby Curtis died at a Missouri hospital.
Authorities say an Alexander County sheriff's deputy tried to pull over the Curtis' car Tuesday in connection with Bobby Curtis' walk-away from an area mental-health evaluation Sunday.
Police say Curtis wrecked the vehicle in Tamms before being shot.

Article: Roller rink slayings show reach of domestic violence

DALLAS — The most violent and sensational cases with links to domestic violence are hard to miss in the newspaper and on television news.

There was Susan Loper, the Frisco, Texas, mom and fitness instructor who was killed in April, allegedly by a former boyfriend who later jumped into the Grand Canyon to escape police.

Police were searching for the husband of Maritza Panameno, the Irving, Texas, mother of three whose body was found in the Trinity River the same month.

And on Saturday, 35-year-old Tan Do shot and killed his estranged wife, Trini Do, and four other members of her family at a children’s birthday party before taking his own life.

For every one of those high-profile killings, there are thousands of family violence assaults, threats and other crimes that no one hears about. The abuse, which may start small, often escalates over time, according to experts. Some victims are afraid to leave their abusers, and reports show that victims can actually face more danger if they try to move on.

The operators of women’s shelters say that they are now busier than ever. In addition, those programs are struggling with fewer resources because of government cuts and reduced donations.

This summer, The Family Place has had to turn away women trying to escape abuse because its shelter has been full. And Genesis Women’s Shelter in Dallas reports record demand, with 400 names on a waiting list for counseling.

“The statistics are very grim,” said Pat Tosi, chief executive officer of Hope’s Door, a Plano domestic violence program. “People don’t even want to hear about this. They don’t want to hear that it’s all over the place.”

The prevalence of domestic violence means that most of us probably know someone who is being abused.

“It could be the person checking you out at the grocery store or working at the doctor’s office,” said Derrelynn Perryman, victims’ services coordinator for the Arlington Police Department. The department files reports on more than 3,000 family violence incidents per year, and half of the city’s 14 homicides in 2011 involved family domestic violence.

The violence goes on much more than most people realize, said Dallas Police Lt. Diana Watts. Dallas reported more than 13,000 family violence cases in 2010.

“Our caseload is high but it stays behind closed doors. It’s not where we can see it,” Watts said. “People are going to jobs every day bruised from the neck down where we can’t see.”

More than 40 percent of Texas shelters do not have enough money to meet the rising needs, according to an annual survey by the National Network to End Domestic Violence in Washington, D.C.

Many shelters have cut services and staff because of the economy, according to another recent study by Dallas-based Mary Kay Inc.

Meanwhile, victims are staying longer than they have in the past at The Family Place, said Paige Flink, the Dallas agency’s executive director. Those seeking help can’t find jobs or affordable homes, slowing the pipeline from the shelter into housing programs.

“It makes it hard to serve as many people because you’re serving them longer,” Flink said.

Some attribute increased family violence to the struggling economy. But local shelter officials caution that economic factors alone do not cause someone to be abusive.

“Not having money isn’t going to make him beat you; it’s an element to a situation that’s very tough as it is,” Flink said.

Much progress on the domestic abuse front has been made the past few decades, with more shelters being opened and more laws passed to protect victims.

There also is more public awareness — and at an earlier age. Dating-violence programs are teaching the youngest generation to recognize red flags for abusive behavior early on. Many teens are taught in schools to be careful with people who are possessive or with those who push to get into a serious relationship quickly.

But Jan Langbein, executive director of Genesis Women’s Shelter, says she is frustrated that the violence remains high. Langbein said friends can do something about abuse by just checking on one another. She wishes she had done that with her friend Mary Richardson.

The University Park woman was murdered in 1999 by her husband, Timothy Patrick Richardson, who strangled and nearly decapitated her. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison. Langbein said she did not know her friend was in danger, and she wonders whether there were any signs she may have missed.

“I never said, ‘Mary, are you OK?’ ” Langbein said.

People experiencing abuse may not reach out because they do not always see themselves as victims, Flink said. Some blame themselves for the violence. Others may fail to recognize the potential seriousness and consequences.

“It either feels very normal or it is minimized,” she said. “Sometimes I think the victim underestimates how bad it could possibly get.”

Sacramento, CA: Police identify 1 of 2 people found dead in south Sacramento

Leslie R. Bellamy, 38, was one of two people found dead in a south Sacramento home Friday afternoon, a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman said this morning.

"We are officially investigating these deaths as a murder-suicide," said Deputy Jason Ramos.
The coroner's office has yet to release the identity of the man, believed to be in his 60s, whom authorities allege killed Bellamy and then himself.

Ramos declined to comment on the manner of death for either person, or whether a murder weapon had been found. Both bodies exhibited trauma, he said, and were located in separate rooms upstairs in
Bellamy's rental home. There were no signs of forced entry.

Deputies went to the Malt Court home around 2 p.m. Friday, after Bellamy's employer notified authorities that she had not come to work that morning. Eventually, homicide investigators were called to take over the scene.

The homeowner, Trong Nguyen, said he was not very familiar with Bellamy. He said that she had lived at the home with a boyfriend. He reported "no problems whatsoever" with the couple since Bellamy had rented the home in May.

Jeny Ryon said she was a friend of Bellamy's. She described the victim as "a caring friend and a loving mother" to two, including a son who recently enlisted in the Air Force. Bellamy chose nursing as her profession, Ryon said, because she loved helping people.

"She would always give her all in a relationship," Ryon said.

Franklin County, MO: Woman charged for shooting boyfriend to death during dispute

(KMOV)-- A woman has been charged for allegedly shooting her boyfriend to death during a domestic dispute in Franklin County.
Glenda June Smith, 57, of Lonedell, Mo. was charged with Murder in the Second Degree in the shooting death of 57-year-old Wayne Dielschneider.
Authorities received a call of a domestic dispute around 9 p.m. Wednesday in the 2000 block of Highway 47 near Project Road.
When police arrived to the scene they found Smith exiting the residence with her hands in the air. Deputies secured her until the circumstances of the shooting could be determined.
Smith told police that Dielschneider was in the kitchen. He was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. A handgun was recovered in the kitchen.
Smith told police that she and Dielschneider had an argument and she thought that she may have killed him.
She was taken into custody. Bond has been set at $250,000 cash only.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Gautier, MS: Man arrested in stabbing death of girlfriend

GAUTIER, Miss. (AP) — Authorities say a 23-year-old Gautier man has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend dead in her home.
Lt. Matt Hoggatt tells The Mississippi Press Marius Markee Kirkland was charged in Wednesday's death of 23-year-old Amanda Fallon Perkins.
Hoggatt declined to explain where or how many times Perkins was stabbed, but did reveal that stabbing was her cause of death.
Kirkland was arrested by Pascagoula police following a high-speed chase.
It was unclear whether Kirkland has an attorney.

Lincoln County, NM: State police release details about man killed in police-involved shooting in Lincoln County

Posted at: 07/29/2011 11:31 AM | Updated at: 07/29/2011 1:17 PM
By: Tracy Dingmann, KOB.com



State police have released more details about the Thursday night police-involved shooting that left James Lathan dead.

Capitan police said they got a call of delayed domestic violence at 9.42 p.m. Thursday night.

One Capitan police officer and three Lincoln County Sheriff deputies responded to the home at 92621 US Highway 380, about 15 miles west of its intersection with Highway 70.

State police said Latham answered the door holding a firearm.
Officers ordered Latham to put the gun down, but he refused.

The two Lincoln County deputies fired at Lathan.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Both of the deputies are now on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Stay in touch with Eyewitness News 4 and KOB.com for more on this developing story.

Cape Girardeau, MO: Missing woman's husband charged in two crimes unrelated to wife's disappearance

The husband of the missing Cape Girardeau mother of triplets has been charged with two crimes not related to his wife’s disappearance.

According to KFVS, Clay Waller was arrested Friday and charged with stealing by writing a bad check for $55,000. He was also charged with harassment related to an incident that happened in July.

Waller’s bond was set at $55,000 cash-only for the felony charge. He is also being held on a $5,000 cash-only bond on the harassment charge.

Although these charges are unrelated to the disappearance of his wife Jacque, Waller is still being called a “person of interest” in the case.

Jacque Waller disappeared June 1, 2011. Jacque and her husband were in the middle of a divorce at the time.

Bainbridge, OH: Man Allegedly Stomps Puppy To Death, Attacks Girlfriend

BAINBRIDGE, Ohio --
A man is facing charges after allegations that he stomped a puppy to death and then attacked and threatened to kill his then-girlfriend.

48-year-old Ladonia Burns spoke exclusively with NBC4's Nadia Bashir at her Bainbridge home where the alleged attack happened. She said her then-boyfriend, 47-year-old Steve Ford, crushed her puppy's skull with his foot then came after her.

"What's going through my mind? A million things. What did I do to deserve this? Nothing," Burns said Thursday night.

She said Ford became angry last Tuesday night when Burns got home from work and insisted she obey him. A police report indicated Ford wanted Burns to go get him beer. Burns said there was no mention of beer, but rather Ford insisted she generally obey him.

She said that when she began to walk away, Ford took out his anger on her 9-week-old cockerspaniel mix puppy. Burns said she saw the puppy's legs flailing as Ford stomped on it.

Burns said she buried the puppy in the woods near her home.

"How can people do that? The puppies are still nursing. How could somebody do that?" she said.

Burns said Ford then attacked her, shattering the glass door in the front of her home. She said he beat her, held her at knifepoint and then slammed her face into her toilet's water tank. She said she believes Ford would have killed her had her parents not pulled into the driveway. They had stopped by to drop off money which Burns said Ford had called and asked to borrow earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, Burns said she is looking for good homes for her remaining two puppies.

POLICE INVESTIGATION:

According to a report from the Ross County Sheriff's Office, authorities were called to a home on Paugh Road outside of Bainbridge at about 9:30 p.m.The reporting officer said Burns told him she ran into the house after Ford allegedly killed her puppy. She said she locked the door, but Ford allegedly kicked in the glass door and charged at her.

She told the officer she ran outside but Ford allegedly caught her and pulled her to the ground by her hair.

According to the report, Ford then beat Burns for about 15 minutes and threatened to kill her.

"[Ford] promised he was going to hold her hostage because he wanted to kill her," the report states.

Burns claims that Ford dragged her into the house by her hair and held her in a chair. She said he repeatedly stabbed the chair next to her head with a butcher's knife while choking and smacking her.

She alleges he then spit on her and dragged her by her hair to the bathroom where he allegedly shoved her head in a toilet.

Burns said she finally escaped by running to her parents when they arrived.

When the officer arrived at the scene, he said, Ford smelled like alcohol and said he wanted to end his relationship with Burns anyway.

Ford is charged with assault and domestic violence and he is in jail on a bond of $50,000.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 3.

Brooklyn, NY: Man stabbed by girlfriend's baby daddy in Brooklyn

By GEORGETT ROBERTS, REBECCA HARSHBARGER and CYNTHIA R. FAGEN
Last Updated: 3:53 PM, July 30, 2011
Posted: 8:41 AM, July 30, 2011
A popular neighborhood street vendor, who had just proposed to his sweetheart, was stabbed to death by the ex-con daddy of the woman’s six-year-old son during a violent face-off in Brooklyn early today.

Police sources identified the jealous ex-jailbird boyfriend as Ray Kelly, who they say allegedly fatally knifed his 41-year-old love rival twice in the chest around 2:20 a.m.

The woman at the center of the tragic love triangle, Tracy Edwards, 42, escaped Kelly’s fury by barricading herself in a room after the bloody confrontation in the sixth floor Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment she shared with the victim.

The youngster was not at home at the time.

"Ray Kelly did it! He stabbed my boyfriend," a hysterical Edwards was screaming as cops stormed into the blood-stained apartment.

Kelly, who was recently released from prison, fled the scene and is still at large.

The victim was pronounced dead at Woodhull Hospital.

"Tracy was happy, he [the victim] had just proposed to her," said a long time neighbor, who also knew the baby daddy.

A resident who only gave his name as Angel, said that since the woman’s fiance had come courting over the past few months Edwards seemed happy.

"This was a good guy I started seeing him coming around a few months ago. Since he came into her life things started looking better for her. She seemed happier.

"It shows on her face. She started dressing nicer, her hair looks better. It’s a tragedy that the guy had to get killed."

Edward’ hairdresser said, "You would see them walking round holding hands. I would see him playing with the little boy."

Another neighbor, who is pregnant and lives a floor above the couple said Edwards was very generous and had given her baby clothes.

Police would not release the name of the victim, who is from South Carolina as is Edwards, until relatives were notified.

Kansas City, KS: Man sought in the murder of two women kills himself

A man accused of a double murder early Thursday reportedly shot himself in the head as authorities moved to arrest him at an Independence motel Thursday night.

Jackson County prosecutors had charged Rufus L. Young, 38, with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of child endangerment. He was accused of killing his former girlfriend and her mother, who was holding a small child at the time, inside a Kansas City home.

Young was pronounced dead at a hospital late Thursday, said Capt. Floyd Mitchell of the Kansas City police.

City officials identified the former girlfriend as Naushay Riley, 35, who was a public health specialist with the city’s Health Department. Police identified her mother as Jackie M. Riley, 54.

Jackie Riley was holding Naushay’s 2-year-old when she was killed, police said. The child, who was fathered by Young, was not hurt. Naushay’s 9-year-old son saw his grandmother being shot and fled with the toddler before his mother was shot.

The boy now has lost both his parents to fatal shootings. He was inside a bedroom in 2005 when his father was shot in a home invasion robbery in Kansas City, police said.

Naushay and Jackie Riley were killed inside the mother’s home in the 4800 block of East 40th Terrace, where Naushay had fled with her two children after arguing with Young at her house. She broke up with him about two months ago, police said, but Young hadn’t accepted it. Police said he feared she was seeing someone new because she had recently lost weight.

According to police and court records, the 9-year-old son awoke early Thursday when he heard the door to his grandmother’s house open and the house alarm beeping. He then heard footsteps throughout the house and saw his mother’s former boyfriend standing in the bedroom with a gun.

Meanwhile, Naushay Riley called a friend and told her: “That fool just showed up here.” The friend called police.

Young pointed the gun at Jackie Riley, prompting her to yell: “No! No! Please don’t!”

After Young shot Jackie Riley, the boy grabbed the 2-year-old child and ran to the neighbor’s house. Young then shot Naushay Riley.

After the killings, Young called Naushay’s aunt and said that he had “killed her family” and that “she was next,” police said.

The aunt called police about 1:35 a.m. Officers went to the home and found the victims’ bodies.

Young was convicted of second-degree murder for the 1994 shooting at point blank range of a 17-year-old in St. Louis, according to court records. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, he was released from custody in 2006 and from parole supervision in 2009, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections. That killing stemmed from a dispute between his family and the family of the victim, according to news reports at the time.

The Star’s Tony Rizzo and James Hart contributed to this report.

Sacramento, CA: Man sentenced to 70 years to life in girlfriend's hit-and-run death

A man who backed his motor home into his girlfriend, then drove off dragging her underneath the vehicle, was sentenced today to 70 years to life in prison and a determinate sentence of 11 years.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Troy Nunley sentenced Darryl Keith Alexander, 41, for the second-degree murder of Ginger Ball, 56. Ball was killed July 30, 2010.

Alexander stopped the motor home when he heard bystanders screaming, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

He got out of the vehicle and saw that his girlfriend's leg had been partially severed by the initial collision. He then left her body underneath the motor home in the middle of the street, got back in the vehicle and fled. In doing so, he rolled over his girlfriend again, ultimately killing her, officials said.

A good Samaritan followed Alexander and called 911. Alexander was subsequently apprehended by Sacramento police officers.

Officials said Alexander's blood alcohol level was 0.19 percent - more than twice the legal limit - two hours after the incident.

Auburn, GA: Body Found in Well May Be Missing Georgia Woman

AUBURN, Ga. – Barrow County authorities have found a woman's body in an Auburn well and charged a man with her killing.
Winder police are investigating whether the body was Tonya Faye Lynn, a missing mother of four. Police spokesman Chris Cooper said authorities charged the woman's husband, 42-year-old James Morris Lynn Jr., with obstruction and murder as they await results.
Police began investigating after the family reported the 38-year-old woman missing on Wednesday.
Cooper said James Lynn was initially arrested on an obstruction charge and later murder after authorities found what they believed to be his wife's body in the well. He said the case is still under investigation.
The woman's body has been sent to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation lab for identification and autopsy.

Temple, Hills, MD: Police arrest boyfriend in PG woman’s killing

Prince George's County police have arrested the boyfriend of a woman found dead on her apartment balcony Thursday and charged the man with first-degree murder, officials said Friday.

Donald Dixon, 50, of the 4600 block of Dallas Place in Temple Hills, was arrested Thursday in connection with the killing of Vicki Lee Griffin, police said. The couple lived together.

Firefighters were called to the apartment complex Thursday morning when someone reported the smell of gas.

When they got inside the apartment, they discovered Ms. Griffin, 63, dead on her apartment balcony suffering from “trauma to the body,” police said. A strong smelling fluid was also discovered inside the apartment.

Police could not say Friday whether the liquid was gasoline or some type of cleaning product.

Bossier City, LA: Bossier City couple dies in murder-suicide

Area sees second murder-suicide in less than a week
12:01 AM, Jul. 30, 2011 | Comments
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Police officers investigate a house where two bodies were found dead Friday morning in the 1300 block of Norris Drive in Bossier City. / Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times

A man killed his wife then turned the gun on himself on Friday, three days after the woman obtained a protective order against him.

Police entered the home of John and Brenda Hampton in the 1300 block of Norris Street about 11 a.m. and found the bodies of the slain couple, dead from gunshot wounds.

The shootings happened shortly after Bossier City police had accompanied the woman to the residence to get her belongings. However, city police were not at the house when shots rang out.

"She called for an officer to be at the house, but we got there and realized that no items were to be removed from the residence, pending a court hearing," said Mark Natale, city spokesman.

Police left the residence about 9:20 a.m., and Brenda Hampton left a short time later, Natale said.

"Apparently, she returned back to the house with some relatives and was attempting to remove items from the house when John Hampton confronted her and shot her once before killing himself," Natale said.

"Some relatives were inside the house at the time of the shooting, but no one else was injured."

Brenda Hampton, 51, had obtained a restraining order against her husband, saying he threatened to kill her.

In the document filed and signed by a judge on Tuesday, the woman notes, "He said he would kill me then he will kill himself. He said if he could not have me, no one will because I'm his wife."

Deputies attempted to serve the protective order on Friday but John Hampton, 45, was not home, said Bill Davis, spokesman for the Bossier sheriff.

The deputy who attempted to serve the paper left the Norris Street residence and returned after police were gone, and no one was there.

"The deputy returned about five minutes after we left and no one was at the house," Natale said.

A woman who only identified herself as Brenda Hampton's co-worker said the victim left her job at Cellixion about 8 a.m. and never returned.

Neighbors stared in disbelief on Friday as police gathered inside the yellow crime scene tape.

Those who knew the couple described them as "nice."

"John was the nicest person you'd ever want to meet," Becky Carr said. "I just talked to him the other day. He'd always sit outside in a chair.

"I don't know what could have gone wrong."

This is the second murder-suicide of a husband and wife in the Shreveport-Bossier City area this week, and the third this year.

On Monday, 40-year-old Ryan Douglas killed himself and his wife Carolyn Douglas, 49, inside their south Shreveport residence.

That happened a month and a half after the bodies of the Rev. Willie Guiden, a local pastor and businessman, and his wife Jan Guiden, were found in their home, about a mile from the scene of the Douglas shootings.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Hebron, ND: No reason known for Hebron murder suicide

By JENNY MICHAEL, Bismarck Tribune | Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 12:19 pm | (1) Comments

A Hebron man is believed to have shot his wife multiple times before inflicting a fatal gunshot wound on himself.
Morton County Sheriff Dave Shipman said autopsies performed Tuesday morning showed Dwile Krueger, 56, died of a single gunshot wound, and his wife, Rosi Krueger, 57, had multiple gunshot wounds. Shipman said it appears Dwile Krueger shot Rosi Krueger, then killed himself.
A family member found the couple's bodies in the couple's bedroom and called the sheriff's department at 2:23 a.m. Sunday. A firearm was recovered from the scene.
Shipman said the case remains under investigation.
"The case has not been closed yet, but it is being treated as a murder suicide," he said.
The Kruegers had no history of domestic violence or history of known problems between them. Investigators have some suspicions as to what led up to their deaths, but the sheriff said it may not be possible to corroborate those suspicions.
"We have no concrete evidence to support why it was done," Shipman said.
(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)

Orlando, FL: OPD: Girlfriend Faces Charges In College Park Death

Woman Changed Story Several Times About How Boyfriend Got Shot, Police Say


ORLANDO, Fla. -- Police said a woman faces first-degree murder charges in connection to the death of her boyfriend.
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Sgt. Vincent L. Ogburn said officers responded to a shooting at 918 West Smith Street after a 5 a.m. call Wednesday to 911.
The operator said the woman who called 911, Caryn Kelley, was angry and agitated from the minute she called.
Police officers said Kelley answered the door of the College Park home and was very upset when she let them inside.
"While checking the house they located a body, a male, was deceased; he had been shot (in the master's bedroom)," Ogburn said. "A weapon was found at the scene it was unknown whose gun it was at this point and time."
The man has now been identified as Phillip Peatross, 46, and police confirmed he was in a relationship with Kelley.
Peatross ran a pool construction business, and Kelley was a realtor, officers said.
Police said Kelley got into a fight with Peatross Tuesday night after drinking. Detectives said she then grabbed a gun and shot him.
Investigators said that Kelley changed her story several times about exactly how Peatross wound up shot dead.
At first, Kelley said she shot her live-in boyfriend in self defense, then told officers they struggled over the gun, and it went off.
Police said Kelley changed her story again, saying, "He (Peatross) shot himself."
But detectives said they couldn't believe Peatross turned a handgun on himself.
Investigators said that Kelley had blood on both of her hands, wreaked of alcohol and had slurred speech.
Detectives said that Kelley admitted that she told her boyfriend, "If he left, not to come back, because she had a gun and would use it."
Officers said Kelley's statement adds up to premeditated murder.
Kelley is set to see a judge Thursday morning, officers said.

Portland, ME: New Bedford man charged with double homicide in Maine

Maine authorities have charged a New Bedford man with two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of the mother of his four children and a longtime friend, also from New Bedford.

Joel Hayden, 29, was arrested Wednesday after he was released from Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he had been under police guard since he crashed his vehicle during a car chase Monday night in Lyman, Maine.

Hayden was taken to Cumberland County Superior Court for his initial court appearance, then transported to the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, officials said.

Hayden, who has a long criminal history with prior arrests in Massachusetts and Maine, is charged with fatally shooting his girlfriend Renee Sandora, 27, the mother of his four children, who died Monday night from a gunshot wound to the head.

The couple's 7-year-old son witnssed the shooting and ran around helplessly while his three younger siblings were strapped into a car in the driveway, according to Maine state police.

A neighbor told police the boy was running around in the driveway saying "don't shoot," then "don't leave" before a car sped off.

Police charge that Hayden also fatally shot Trevor Mills, 28, of New Bedford, outside Sandora's home at 322 Bennett Road in New Gloucester, about 12 miles north of Portland. Mills died Tuesday night, police said.

Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said autopsies for the two victims are scheduled today at the State Medical Examiner's Office.

McCausland said police officers who responded to the shooting around 6:30 p.m. Monday found both victims in the front yard.

"Based on information we developed, we began looking for Hayden and the vehicle we thought he was driving, a black Cadillac that was registered to Mills' mother," McCausland said.

Authorities spotted the vehicle, registered in New Bedford, on the highway, prompting the high-speed chase that ended when Hayden crashed the Cadillac into a culvert, causing him to sustain a serious back injury, McCausland said.

Hayden was "not in his right mind" and called his brother during the car chase to ask why the police were after him, said his mother, Marie Hayden of New Bedford.

McCausland did not comment on the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Marie Hayden said her son and Mills — both longtime friends from New Bedford — had recently had a falling out and that her son felt threatened by Mills, who frequently drove to Maine and insinuated he was interested in Sandora.

McCausland said Joel Hayden and Sandora had a history of domestic violence, with the young mother of four — ages 2, 7 and 3-month-old twins — having filed several abuse protection orders against Hayden. She did not have an active protection order Monday night, McCausland said.

According to a state police affidavit, a woman called police to report her boyfriend had shot her and a man. At one point during the 35-second call, the woman was heard asking someone "Are you going to kill me in front of my kids?" before the phone went dead.

Marie Hayden said her son had moved to Maine to spend more time with his girlfriend and their children, who are in the custody of their maternal grandparents.

Both Mills and Joel Hayden have criminal records in New Bedford, with prior arrests in shooting-related cases.

In January 2004, Hayden was charged with shooting his mother's boyfriend during a domestic argument in New Bedford. Last August, New Bedford police arrested Hayden on charges of threatening to cut the same man with a glass jug.

The case was later dismissed by a probation officer's recommendation, court records said.

Mills was scheduled to appear in New Bedford District Court on Sept. 19 for an assault and battery case. He had 16 prior criminal cases in New Bedford, including an arrest for a 2005 drive-by shooting that wounded a man in the North End.

Superior Court records indicate Mills was sentenced to serve three years in state prison after pleading guilty to discharging a firearm and other illegal gun offenses in October 2007.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Pataskala, OK: After Claiming Fatal Shooting Was Accident, Woman Charged With Murder

Thursday, July 28, 2011 6:32 AM

PATASKALA, Ohio — A woman has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a Licking County man earlier this month, 10TV's Jason Frazer reported on Thursday.
Richard Reeb was found shot to death inside a West Fieldstone Drive home during the early morning hours of July 17. Deputies went to the house after getting a 911 call from his live-in girlfriend, Sherrie L. Chafin-Eucker.

Chafin-Eucker, 48, told dispatchers that she and Reeb had been fighting and then Reeb shot himself.

"On the 911 call she makes the comment that they were struggling over the firearm," said Licking County Sheriff's Colonel Chad Dennis.

When deputies arrived, Chafin-Eucker, who answered the door naked and covered in blood, led them to Reeb's body in an upstairs bedroom, Frazer reported.

While she claimed the shooting was an accident, Dennis said there were holes in the story.

"The scene just wasn't matching with what she was saying," he said.

Chafin-Eucker turned herself into authorities on Wednesday after a warrant was issued for her arrest, Frazer reported.

She was charged with one count of murder, but deputies said additional charges were possible.

Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for additional information.

Timewell, IL: Timewell man indicted in wife's shooting death last fall

TIMEWELL, Ill. -- A Timewell man has been indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and arrested in connection with the death of his wife on Nov. 9, 2010, at their travel trailer near Timewell.
David L. Dunn, 61, of rural Timewell, voluntarily surrendered to Brown County Sheriff Karl Groesch late Tuesday afternoon. He is lodged in the Schuyler County Jail in Rushville in lieu of $150,000 bond.
The indictment alleges Dunn, acting in a reckless manner when he discharged a .308 rifle and the bullet struck his wife, Christine Mary â Chrissi' Dunn, 56, a New Zealand native. She was pronounced dead at the scene that night at their travel trailer.
The Brown County grand jury heard testimony from a special agent of the Illinois State Police during two evening sessions before returning a true bill of indictment on July 14, according to Brown County State's Attorney Mark L. Vincent. The indictment was sealed pending the arrest of Dunn, who was out of the country at the time.
Vincent said the Class 2 felony charge carries a possible term of imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than 14 years in the Department of Corrections.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Kansas City, KS: At hearing in murder case, coroner disputes Owens’ account of girlfriend’s death

By JOE LAMBE

The Kansas City Star

Derek D. Owens told police that his Olathe girlfriend died by accident from injuries suffered from falling down in between drunken bouts of sex.

But a Johnson County deputy coroner rebutted that Tuesday in testimony at a preliminary hearing in the murder case.

Michael Handler said Laura Coltrane, 25, died of strangulation after being beaten and probably kicked so severely she suffered bruises over most of her body, seven broken ribs and bleeding in her brain.

And there was no alcohol in her system, he said.

Police found her body on her bed in her apartment in the 600 block of Lakehurst Drive on Feb. 18, but there is a key witness to whatever happened there who has not talked.

Owens’ brother, Samuel L. Moore Jr., also was staying at the victim’s apartment that night. He refused to testify Tuesday without talking to his lawyer, citing his right not to incriminate himself.

Judge John P. Bennett delayed the conclusion of the hearing until next week to give lawyers time to negotiate. Moore is being held in jail as a material witness and on unrelated criminal charges

Other evidence was revealed Tuesday.

Police and crime lab workers testified that they found cleaning materials scattered throughout the apartment, many loads of laundry, some still wet, and that their tests revealed large blood stains.

Brian Murray, a neighbor of the victim and a former police officer, testified that Owens, 30, nervously came up to him after noon on Feb. 18.

He told him his girlfriend was unconscious and might be dead, Murray said, and that she had fallen while drunk and he had tried to help her.

Twice he said, “Man, I don’t know what I did,” Murray testified.

To reach Joe Lambe, call 816-234-4687 or send email to jlambe@kcstar.com.

Lake Elsinore, CA: Calif inmate awaiting murder trial found hanged

A San Bernardino County jail inmate awaiting trial in the death of his girlfriend has been found dead in his jail cell and authorities believe it was suicide.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman said Tuesday that 41-year-old Ronald Wayne Paoletto was found hanging from a bunk Monday by a deputy who was delivering breakfast to inmates.

Paoletto had no cellmate at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Bachman said there was no sign of foul play and sheriff's homicide detectives believe he took his own life.

Paoletto was charged with murder in the killing of 33-year-old Tanya Marie Petro of Lake Elsinore. She was reported missing on Jan. 7 and her body was found in a wash several days later.

Charlotte, NC: Charlotte woman killed in dispute

By Steve Lyttle
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Jul. 27, 2011

Ebony Taylor, 24, was stabbed to death early Wednesday in north Charlotte, in what police say was a domestic dispute. Mecklenburg County Sheriff

A 24-year-old woman was stabbed to death overnight in what Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say was a domestic dispute.

The victim, Ebony Patrice Taylor, was killed at a residence in the 5700 block of Lambrook Court, off Statesville Road about a mile south of Sunset Road.

Police say they were called shortly before 2 a.m. after being told a woman had been stabbed during a domestic violence incident. Residents met officers as they arrived and said the suspect had driven off. Police say they found Taylor inside the residence, dead of stab wounds.

A tip led police to a residence in the 5400 block of Windy Valley Drive, off Mount Holly Road in west Charlotte, and investigators said they took a man into custody there. That man's identity has not been released.

"Ms. Taylor and the suspect know each other," said Officer Robert Fey, a spokesman for CMPD. "This was not a random act of violence."

A neighbor told WSOC-TV that he heard Taylor and a man involved in a loud argument shortly before the stabbing. That man said he heard Taylor scream during the dispute.

Mecklenburg County jail records show that Taylor was arrested Saturday on misdemeanor assault charges. It is unclear if that arrest was related in any way to the violence overnight.

Police ask that anyone with information in the case contact Homicide detectives at 704-432-TIPS, or call Crime Stoppers, 704-334-1600.

Pittsfield, MA: Jury convicts Pittsfield man of killing girlfriend

By Associated Press
Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - Added 7 minutes ago
re
PITTSFIELD — A 43-year-old Pittsfield man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his live-in girlfriend.

David Vincent was convicted on Tuesday by a Berkshire Superior Court jury after six days of testimony.

Vincent was charged in the fatal June 2009 beating of 27-year-old Rebecca Moulton in the apartment the couple shared in Pittsfield.


Prosecutors said Vincent stayed with the unconscious woman for several hours after the attack, but never called 911.

Vincent’s lawyer said his client was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and did not intend to kill the woman.

Phoenix, AZ: Police say man lived with dead woman for 2 months

(07-27) 02:29 PDT Mesa, Ariz. (AP) --

Police in suburban Phoenix say they have arrested a man suspected of killing his girlfriend and living with her body for more than two months.

Thirty-five-year-old Erik Grumpelt was charged Tuesday with one count of second-degree murder.

After receiving a tip from Grumpelt's father, Mesa officers went to the suspect's apartment Monday and discovered the body of 39-year-old Melinda Raya on a bedroom floor under several sheets. Investigators say the body was in an advanced state of decomposition and surrounded by air fresheners.

Authorities say on May 19, Grumpelt struck Raya several times in the abdomen after learning she had cheated on him. When she became unresponsive, police say Grumpelt panicked and tried to hide her body.

Philadelphia, PA: Disfigured defendant on trial in ex-girlfriend's killing

By Joseph A. Slobodzian
Inquirer Staff Writer

Had things gone as Edward Wilson planned, he would have been a tragic memory for his family, a 54-year-old man who could not cope with the end of the May-October romance with a 26-year-old woman.
Instead, Wilson - face obliterated by the shotgun blast he meant to end his life - found himself in a Philadelphia courtroom Tuesday on trial for murder in the 2009 shooting of Antoinette Austin.

Assistant District Attorney James Berardinelli told the Common Pleas Court jury in his opening statement that the evidence would prove Wilson, now 57, is guilty of first-degree murder.

Berardinelli said the murder was planned by Wilson because Austin, an aspiring cosmetician, had ended their eight-year relationship in October 2008 after Wilson had a debilitating stroke.

Defense attorney Thomas Burke told the jury that Wilson was guilty of nothing more serious than voluntary manslaughter.

Though Burke conceded that Wilson shot and killed Austin, the jury's verdict will mean the difference between life in prison without parole and a sentence of about five to 15 years. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

"When Antoinette Austin broke up with him, it left him heartbroken, devastated, and doubly depressed," Burke said in his opening statement.

Burke noted that when Wilson was cornered in the basement of his house in the first block of North Salford Street in West Philadelphia, he told police, "I just want to die, I just want to die."

"You look at his face," Burke said. "That is what he was left with."

Wilson sat at the defense table staring at the floor with eyes that appear to no longer have lids. Surgeons performed what Burke has called a "miracle of science," rebuilding a semblance of a nose, cheeks, and lower jaw.

Austin lived with Wilson in the Salford Street house for eight years but moved out after the stroke left him angry and physically abusive.

According to previous court testimony, police responded to the report of a body and found Austin about 12:30 p.m. March 18, 2009, at the bottom of a small hill bordering the golf course along Cobbs Creek Park, in the 7500 block of Lansdowne Avenue.

Austin reportedly told police that Wilson shot her and gave enough information to lead police to the Salford Street house and the standoff with Wilson that ended in a shotgun blast at 3:25 p.m.

The prosecution's first and only witness Tuesday was Pamelarn Austin, who wept as she testified about identifying her eldest daughter's body.

Austin also described a frosty relationship with Wilson. She said she was at the Salford Street house once in eight years.

Nor, Austin said, would Wilson accompany Antoinette when she would visit her parents at the holidays and other get-togethers.

Contact staff writer Joseph A. Slobodzian at 215-854-2985, jslobodzian@phillynews.com,

Southlake, CA: Southlake man charged in wife’s shooting death

Published on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 12:08 AM PDT

Cathy Perfect and George Stahl
Kern Valley Sun

Just before 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20, deputies from the Kern Valley Substation in Lake Isabella responded to a 911 call in which William Sullivan, 39, of Southlake, reported he had just killed his 45-year-old wife, Michelle “Shelly” Sullivan, according to a statement by Kern County Sheriff's Homicide Detective Craig Rennie.

“They were just at my house for dinner,” said the victim’s sister, Rhonda Healy, shortly after she arrived outside her sister’s Southlake home. “Everything was fine. I haven’t a clue why Bill would shoot her.”

Sullivan appeared in Kern County Superior Court July 22. His arraignment was put off until Aug. 1, giving him time to hire an attorney.


(Use arrows above to view more photos)


Sheriff's deputies, Kern County Fire, CHP, and Care Ambulance personnel arrived at 8420 Radiant Way in Southlake, and deputies attempted to locate Sullivan.

Eventually they contacted Sullivan, dressed in a bloody shirt, outside his residence smoking a cigarette, Rennie said.

Sullivan was detained while deputies checked his residence.

They found William's wife dead in the living room of the couple's home. She appeared to have suffered a single gunshot wound.

Sheriff's Homicide Detectives responded and began their investigation. They located evidence at the scene, including a large caliber rifle and ammunition, officials said.

Detectives developed probable cause to believe that Sullivan shot and killed his wife of 10 years. He was placed under arrest for the murder and transported to the Kern County Jail.

Patrick Hunter, Michelle Sullivan’s brother, was in shock, as were other family members.

“It had to be an accident,” Hunter said. “He wouldn’t just point a gun at Shelly and shoot her. He's like a brother to me.”

The following morning, the families’ stress was compounded when 46-year-old Healy, the victim’s sister, lost control of her car on Goat Ranch Road. Witnesses said she was travelling about 35 to 40 mph, when she failed to make a curve and drove her car into a weekender’s front yard and took out a fence.

The following day, Friday, July 22, William Sullivan was set to be arraigned in Superior Court on first-degree murder charges. Sullivan sat quietly in the courtroom as other suspects were arraigned,talking only to Judge Sullivan.

Judge Collette Humphrey, of the Kern County Superior Court, continued Sullivan’s arraignment as Sullivan said he would hire a private attorney, but had not yet had the opportunity to do so.

Humphrey granted Sullivan until Aug. 1 to secure an attorney and then set his bail at $2 million.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Humphreys County, TN: Humphreys Co. Woman Charged In Husband's Death

HUMPHREYS COUNTY, Tenn. – A Humphreys County woman has been charged with the shooting death of her husband.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrested 60-year-old Linda Halliburton and charged her with first degree murder on Sunday. Investigators said she and her husband, 69-year-old Thomas Halliburton, got into a fight at their home on Highway 13 North in Waverly on July 22. During the fight, she allegedly shot and killed him.

His body was taken to the Medical Examiner's office for autopsy.

Halliburton was booked into the Humphreys County Jail without bond.

Wallingford, CT: Wallingford Murder Suspect in Custody: Cops

The suspect and the victim had a tumultuous relationship, police said.

Police secured an arrest warrant in the murder of a Wallingford woman.

Susan Mazzarella was found strangled inside her Danny's Way apartment complex July 16. She had been dead for several days before she was discovered, police said.

Investigators focused on Luis Roman, who had a prior relationship with Mazzarella. Roman was released from prison in June, after serving a year-long sentence for two domestic violence incidents involving Mazzarella, according to police. Mazzarella apparently allowed Roman to stay at her apartment after he got out of prison.

After Mazzarella's murder, Roman fled to Tampa, Florida, police said. They received a tip Roman was returning to Connecticut on a bus, and took him into custody July 19 at the bus station in New Haven, charging him with a probation violation.

Roman will be formally charged with murder when he appears in Meriden Superior Court Wednesday.

Philadelphia, PA: Police: Fire set to cover up killing of woman

The death of a woman whose body was found with her throat cut in a burning house in East Mount Airy has been classified as a homicide, police said today.
Rosalyn Daniels was pronounced dead at the scene following the fire 12:30 a.m. Monday in the home she shared with her two children and grandmother on the 1200 block of Cliveden Street.

Relatives say they Daniels had been planning to break up with her boyfriend when she was killed.

Police said they suspect the fire was set to cover up the crime.

They have not identified a suspect but were looking for Daniels' 2002 gold Chevrolet Impala with Pennsylvania tag HRE-3057.

Donald Newsome

Louisville, KY: Trial Begins For Man Accused Of Killing Woman After Fight Read more: http://www.wlky.com/news/28672654/detail.html#ixzz1TFvSAVmp

Kenneth Jones Charged With Murder
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The trial for a man charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend began Tuesday afternoon.
Police said Kenneth Jones was arguing with his on-and-off-again girlfriend, Mary Marie Perry, in front of his home last April, when she was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
Both sides agree that the accident happened after a fight between the two.
Jones was on the scene as she was killed near the 2400 block of Broadway.
The driver of the car was never found.

Prosecutor Sarah Farmer said a witness saw Jones push Perry into the street, kick her and that she was struck while crawling across lanes of traffic.
“Only one person knew the danger she was in and he kicked her and kicked her and walked away from her as a car ran her over. And that is why he is guilty of wanton murder,” Sarah Farmer said.
The defense claims that it wasn't Jones who killed her and she voluntarily laid in the road.
“She sat down in the street. She laid down in the street. I know it sounds odd but this is something that she'd done before. This is something she would occasionally do when she was angry with Kenneth,” defense attorney John Mack.
A medical examiner called to the stand Tuesday afternoon said there was evidence of cocaine in Perry's blood at the time of her death.
The trial will resume at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Visalia, CA: Police say couple found dead likely murder-suicide

The Associated Press
Posted: 07/25/2011 04:23:35 PM PDT

VISALIA, Calif.—Police in central California say they are investigating the deaths of a man and his girlfriend as a murder-suicide.
Visalia police Sgt. Gary Williams said 26-year-old Kathryn Bradshaw and 40-year-old Isaias Corona were found dead early Monday in Bradshaw's home in Visalia.
Police say both victims were found in the bathroom, each with a single gunshot wound. Investigators also found Corona's shotgun next to the bodies.
Authorities say they believe Corona shot Bradshaw with the shotgun while she was in the bathroom and then turned the gun on himself.
The bodies were discovered Monday morning by Bradshaw's brother, who lived with her.
Williams said the couple had been dating for about 8 months.

Duncan, OK: Duncan woman arrested in death of ex-husband, his fiancee

Dana L. Chandler, 51, of Duncan, was arrested in the 2002 Topeka, Kan., deaths of her ex-husband, Michael R. Sisco, 47, and his fiancee, Karen Harkness, 53.

From Staff and Wire Reports
Published: July 25, 2011
DUNCAN — A Duncan woman was arrested Monday in connection with the 2002 killing of her ex-husband and his fiancee.
Duncan woman arrested in death of ex-husband, his fiancee
Dana L. Chandler, 51, was charged with the two homicides in district court in Shawnee County, Kan., said Dakota Loomis, the district attorney's deputy chief of staff.
Michael R. Sisco, 47, and his fiancee, Karen Harkness, 53, were shot to death in Topeka on July 7, 2002. Police said they were shot in their home with a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. Investigators said Sisco was shot seven times, and Harkness had five gunshot wounds.
Chandler was questioned by Topeka police after their deaths but was not charged, Loomis said. However, investigative work continued.
Chandler, who had been living outside of Duncan in Stephens County, was arrested about 11 a.m. Monday, Loomis said.
Chandler had been living with her sister and was not working at the time of her arrest, authorities said.
National attention
The killings gained national attention in October 2009 when they were featured on the CBS program “48 Hours Mystery.”
Harkness was a convention sales representative with the Topeka Convention and Visitors Bureau. Sisco was a district manager for National Standard Welding Products.
Topeka police said the killings didn't appear to happen during a random burglary and ruled out robbery as a motive. Investigators said Sisco and Harkness had won money when they visited the Sac and Fox Casino near Powhattan in Brown County, Kan., and a substantial amount of the money was still in the home when the bodies were found by Harkness' parents, Harold and Betty Worswick.
After the CBS program was broadcast, Hailey Sisco told The Topeka Capital-Journal she was sure her mother, Chandler, was involved in the killings. Hailey Sisco was 17 at the time of the shootings, and her brother Dustin Sisco was 15.
Chandler's Topeka attorney, Mark Bennett, told The Associated Press on Monday he had heard about the arrest and declined to comment.
Contributing:
Staff Writer Robert Medley

Shreveport, LA: Shreveport woman, husband dead in apparent murder-suicide

SHREVEPORT, La. — A husband and wife are dead in what appears to be a murder-suicide at a house in south Shreveport.

Multiple gunshots were reported about 4:20 a.m. Monday. Police identified the victims as 40-year-old Ryan Douglas, and his 49-year-old wife, Carolyn.

Authorities say the husband was the apparent shooter.

Police spokesman Marcus Hines told KTBS-TV that the couple's daughter ran from the house when the shooting started, went to a neighbor's house and called 911.

When a police special-response team arrived, they forced entry into the house and retrieved a 3-year-old boy believed to be the couple's grandson. The child was not hurt and immediately returned to his mother.

___

Diamondhead, MS: Deputies find suicide note after a shooting in Diamondhead

DIAMONDHEAD, MS (WLOX) -
Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber just confirmed a fatal shooting happened Tuesday morning in Diamondhead's Holiday Village at 9743 Limu Way.

According to Sheriff Garber, 20-year-old Tyler Clemmons of Slidell was shot in the shoulder and is being treated. The 18-year-old shooter, Kevin Abrams, however died from an apparent self inflicted gun shot wound.

Officials said the incident sparked a week ago in Picayune. Investigaors say Abrams was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after beating his 18-year-old girlfriend.

After the beating, the girlfriend reportedly came to her mother's house in Diamondhead.

Deputies said Abrams left a suicide note telling his family he loves them.

Investigators are on scene at this time.

WLOX Reporter AL Showers is working on this story and will give you the all the information as it becomes available.

Union, SC: Police: Man Shot Woman Several Times, Then Self

Shooting Takes Place At Popular Park

POSTED: 3:33 pm EDT July 26, 2011
UPDATED: 4:30 pm EDT July 26, 2011
UNION, S.C. -- Police say a man went to a picnic area at a popular park where he killed a woman and then himself in front of a group of children at the park for an outing.
Union Public Safety said that they were called to Veterans Park about the shooting at about 1 p.m. Tuesday.
In a release, police said that 21-year-old Rosemary Lee was attending a picnic at the park with her family, and 34-year-old Kerry Brown came to the park. Both Lee and Brown were from Union.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, investigators were unsure of what happened at the park before the shooting. Investigators were still talking with witnesses trying to sort things out.
Investigators said Brown shot Lee several times before turning the semi-automatic pistol on himself.
There were also several children from Fairfield County Recreation Department in the park at the time of the shooting, the release said. None of the children was injured, but they were in close proximity to the shooting.
Counseling for the children is being provided by Fairfield County Sheriff's Office in Fairfield.
Police said Brown had an extensive criminal record dating back to 1996. Brown was a convicted felon and could not lawfully possess a firearm, police said.
The park is located near Arthur Boulevard and Lakeside Drive.
A woman at the scene told News 4 that she knew Brown. She said that Lee was Brown's girlfriend, but police have not confirmed that.
Witnesses said the shooting took place at a picnic shelter No. 3.
News 4’s Mike McCormick was at the scene and said many people who knew Brown and Lee were coming to the park to see the scene and talk about what happened.
One man said he knew Brown for 10 years. He said Brown and Lee were boyfriend and girlfriend and she was pregnant. He said both had children from other relationships.

Chino, CA: Police identify alleged Rancho Cucamonga shooter

Chino police have identified Rancho Cucamonga resident Bobby Joe Winters, 74, as the man who shot his wife to death and then attempted to kill himself as authorities closed in.

Winters drove about 9:30 p.m. Sunday to a Chino home, where his wife was visiting relatives and shot her, said Chino police spokeswoman Michelle Van Der Linden.

When police arrived at the 12500 block of Arlington Lane, both the suspect and the victim were gone.

While searching for the couple, Ontario police notified Chino police that they had located a woman matching the victim's description in the 300 block of Elm Street, Van Der Linden said. She was taken to a hospital, where she was declared dead.

Around 10:30 p.m., San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies spotted Winters in his car near the couple's Rancho Cucamonga home and approached him. At some point, Winters grabbed a gun and shot himself, the spokeswoman said.

Winters was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. He will be charged with homicide, domestic violence and kidnapping, Van Der Linden said.
Chino officers believe he kidnapped his wife after the initial shots were fired in Chino and left her in Ontario after shooting her a third time. The wife's name has not yet been released.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Chino Police Department at (909) 628-1234.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Richland County, SC: Man, Woman Dead in Domestic Shootings Identified

2:49 PM, Jul 21, 2011

Richland County, SC (WLTX) -- The
Richland County Coroner's office has
released the names of the man and woman
killed in a domestic dispute Wednesday
night.

Coroner Gary Watts says Joann B. Hill, 25,
died from multiple gunshot wounds. The
suspect, 36-year-old DeShawn
Washington, died from an apparent self-
inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Richland County deputies say
Washington shot Hill multiple times in a car
at Freshly Mill Road and Pet Sites Road.
Officers say Washington also shot the
couple's two-year-old daughter. Previous
Coverage: Man, Woman die in domestic
shooting, child injured

Hill and the child were taken to the
hospital, where Hill later died.

Deputies found Washington dead on the
front porch of a home on Sid Eargle Road.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said while
his officers responded to the incident,
Washington fired two shots at a deputy, but
the officers was not hit.

Deputies say the man eventually shot
himself to death, and deputies found his
body on the porch. Lott said deputies
never returned fire.

Utica, NY: Man dead in apparent suicide after domestic dispute in Utica

Mark Hicks/ The Detroit News
Utica — A 28-year-old man apparently killed himself Sunday after police were asked to investigate his role in an alleged domestic dispute.
About 10:30 a.m., a 21-year-old woman went to the Utica Police Department and told officers her boyfriend had pointed a gun at her during a fight.
Police went to the man's home in the 45100 block of Brownell. They were unable to reach him but believed he remained inside. A Macomb County SWAT team was called in.
The team entered the home about 3:30 p.m. and found the suspect dead from what police described as a self-inflicted injury.
The man's name is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Memphis, TN: Two dead after domestic shooting in Highland Heights section of East Memphis

By Jody Callahan

Originally published 12:33 p.m., July 24, 2011
Updated 10:46 p.m., July 24, 2011

Two people were killed Sunday morning after a domestic-violence incident spiraled out of control and led to a shootout with police.

Neighbors identified one of the victims as Larry J. Redick Jr., 36, who owns the duplex at 3670 Rhea where the shooting occurred, in the Berclair-Highland Heights area of northeast Memphis.

Also killed was Redick's wife, Latarsha Moore Redick, a security guard at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said she was an employee of Guardsmark, assigned to St. Jude for the past 11 years, adding "We are saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with her family."

According to court records, the Redicks married in November 2008. Her Facebook page says she graduated from Earle High in Earle, Ark., in 1997.

"He (Redick) did not bother nobody. He would be the last person we'd think on earth (would do this). We are totally shocked by this situation," said a neighbor who did not want to be identified.

Officers responded to a call of domestic violence at the home just before 10 a.m.

"When officers went up there, they knocked on the door. They could hear the female asking for officers," Memphis Police Lt. Col. H.K. Starnes said. "They tried to kick the door in because they could tell she was in distress. (Redick) came to the door and pulled out a pistol."

At that point, officers and Redick exchanged shots, Starnes said, and Redick retreated inside.

Police called for more cars, and a call went out over the radio that shots could be heard from inside the home.

The scene turned into a standoff as police waited outside for a tactical unit and hostage negotiators. Then Redick re-emerged, firing at officers again, Starnes said.

Police fired back, striking Redick. He was wounded and transported by ambulance to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, but later died. Officers found Latarsha Redick's body inside, and she was pronounced dead on the scene.

The couple's young son was outside the home and never in any danger, Starnes said.

None of the seven officers involved in the shootout was injured.

Police cordoned off Rhea from Homer to Flaut as dozens of neighbors -- some still clad in church attire -- looked on.

"I heard the first gunshot, where the man killed his wife. I thought it was fireworks," neighbor Nancy Hill said. "Then I heard tires squealing and stuff. I looked out the window, and that's when I saw all the squad cars."

Terry Wooder, who lives next door to the duplex, said dozens of shots were fired during the incident, some of them striking other homes on the street.

"It sounded like a war was going on down here," he said.

-- Jody Callahan: (901) 529-6531

Reporters Chris Conley and Scott Carroll contributed to this story.

Aiken, SC: Friends and family speak out about Aiken strangling victim

New information about an investigation in Aiken where an argument turned deadly. Family and friends say she died at the hands of her high school sweetheart.
Posted: 12:11 AM Jul 25, 2011
Reporter: Cleo Greene
July 22, 2011

AIKEN, S.C-- New information about an investigation in Aiken where an argument turned deadly.

30-year-old James Gray is charged with the murder of Helen Magee after deputies say he strangled her early Saturday morning.
Family and friends say she died at the hands of her high school sweetheart.

Helen had separated from her husband and then started dating James Gray. The family thinks they might know what sparked the fight.

Helen's mother-in-law, Joann Riley says, "Helen was one of a kind. I loved her to death. She would do anything for anybody and she loved all three of her kids."

Joann Riley says Helen Magee was like her own child. Helen married her son, Philip, 10 years ago. The couple then separated and Helen moved out of their home. That's when Riley says Helen started living at her Barton Brothers Lane home.

It was Riley's son that told her news.

Riley says, "He told me Helen had been murdered. That she had died. She had been strangled and it was the man that she had been seeing."

That man is 30-year-old James Gray. Aiken County deputies say Gray and Helen had a verbal fight in her front yard and that's when he strangled her. The only witnesses--her three young children.

Riley says, "Today(Sunday) is her oldest daughter's birthday and for them to have been there is really nerve-wracking and it will be a long time if ever to get over that."

Friends say they offered advice to Helen when she started to date Gray.

Roseanne Bush says, "They knew each other for a long time, and they dated for awhile."

Bush was also a close friend of Helen's. She says Gray was Helen's high school sweetheart.

Bush says, "You can't force people to do what you want them do to so all I did was pray for her."

Meanwhile, Helen's mother-in-law, Joann Riley, is trying to piece together clues. She says her son and Helen had plans to work things out and that could have fueled Gray's rage.

Riley says, "They were here just a few weeks ago talking about getting back together and ironing out there problems and everything."

It was one of her children, an 8 year old, who called 911.

News 12 tried to get a hold of the tape, but deputies say it's now a key piece of evidence in this case. They also say the recorded altercation is grueling, but in due time it will answer many questions that family wants answered.

Article: America's deadly weekend: String of family shooting sprees claim 14 dead and 53 wounded as gunmen kill wives and children

By JOHN STEVENS

At least 14 people have been killed and 53 others wounded this weekend after a string of deadly shootings over just three days in the U.S.
The worrying spike in gun violence started on Friday night just hours after a crazed gunman went on the rampage in Norway, killing at least 93 people.
In the latest shooting, a man walked into a Seattle casino in the early hours of this morning and opened fire on his estranged wife and her two sisters as she danced with her new boyfriend.

Injuries: Eight people were shot at the car show in the Seattle shopping centre

Shooting spree: In the most deadly incident, six people were killed after a man allegedly opened fire on his estranged wife and her family before killing himself at his son's eleventh birthday party at a Texas roller rink
Police said the 42-year-old suspect’s wife and two other were listed in a critical condition after seven people were injured in the shooting at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn.
Commander Mike Hirman, of Auburn police, said: ‘We know they were estranged and we know he went up there and fired rounds into his wife and into his wife's companion.’

More...
Texas gunman asked children to leave, and then shot his wife and family dead at son's roller rink birthday party
Eight people injured in shooting at Seattle car show after 'man bad-mouths another owner's paint work'
Arizona chooses official state firearm (but it is a gun made in Connecticut)
The suspect is being held at King County Jail.
This morning a 15-year-old boy died after he and eight people were wounded in a shooting at a backyard shooting in Stockton, California last night.
Police said that at least one person in a neighbouring back yard opened fire on the people attending the party at around 11pm.

Backyard shooting: A 15-year-old boy died and eight people were injured at a shooting at a birthday party at this house in Stockton, California
Officers said the suspect was not a neighbour. No arrests have been made.
In Chicago, a spree of separate shootings last night saw four people killed and 13 others wounded.
In the deadliest shooting of the weekend, six people were killed at a roller rink in Texas on Saturday after a 35-year-old man shot his estranged wife, her sisters, her brother and her sister-in-law, before turning the gun on himself at his son’s eleventh birthday party.
The suspect, Tan Do, reportedly ordered children to move out of the way before opening fire.

Suicide: In the Grand Prairie, Texas, shooting the gunman, 35-year-old Tan Do, shot himself after killing five others at the roller rink after a row with his wife

Clean up: A man carries several pairs of shoes as he begins cleaning up after six people were killed at the Forum Roller World skating rink
In Seattle, at least twelve people were injured in a shooting at a car show at a crowded shopping centre after a fight reportedly broke out after a man insulted another car owner's paint work.
Several gunshots were fired after witnesses said two groups of people started fighting at the low rider car show at the La Plaza shopping centre in Kent, Washington.
In Apopka, Florida, nine teenagers were injured on Saturday night at a birthday party. All are expected to survive.
Two people are in a critical condition after a masked gunman started shooting people outside a nightclub in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, on Saturday night.

Car show shooting: Witnesses said that a fight broke out between car owners in Seattle when one insulted another's paint job
A NYPD officer was shot while on holiday in Miami early on Saturday morning. It is reported that Harold Thomas, whose condition is unknown, got into a fight with someone outside his hotel.
In the first reported deadly shooting of the weekend, three people were killed and one seriously injured on Friday night at the start of a motorcycle rally in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Officers said they are exploring the possibility that it was a murder-suicide.

Mormon Lake, AZ: 3 killed in shooting during Mormon Lake motorcycle rally are ID'd

by Luci Scott - Jul. 24, 2011 10:10 PM
The Arizona Republic

The safety manager for a major contractor on the Sky Train construction project in Phoenix was among the dead in Friday night's shooting at a northern Arizona campground, authorities said Sunday.

Edgar Atzin, 45, died of gunshot wounds during a motorcycle rally at Mormon Lake in what detectives suspect is a murder-suicide.

Also dead from gunshots were his wife, Trina Ann Atzin, 43, and Christian Tejada, 38, of Peoria.


A fourth victim, an unidentified 33-year-old woman, was in critical but stable condition at Flagstaff Medical Center.

The Atzins lived in the 2500 block of West Straight Arrow Lane in Phoenix. Edgar Atzin was safety manager at the Phoenix office of Weitz Co., a national general contractor.

Right after the shooting at about 11:20 p.m. Friday, Coconino County sheriff's deputies found the Atzins and the second woman lying near a camp trailer. The survivor had been shot six times, sheriff's spokesman Gerry Blair said.

Some distance from the trailer, a witness found Tejada lying on the ground with a single gunshot wound under his chin and a handgun close to one of his hands.

Detectives are investigating the possibility that the shooting were fueled by alcohol and "the strong possibility" that Tejada argued with another member of the group regarding food, leading to the shooting, Blair said.

It is believed that the four were camping together and were friends, he said.

Bryan Bernardo, a vice president at Weitz's Phoenix office, said Edgar Atzin had worked in construction his entire adult life and that he had been with Weitz about three years.

"He was just a great guy, a great worker," Bernardo said.

Weitz is one of the contractors building the PHX Sky Train, the new rail connection to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The first part, from 44th Street in Phoenix to the East Economy Lot and Terminal 4, is under construction and scheduled to open in 2013.

One of Atzin's friends was Sergei Guk, who owns a building-restoration company. He said Atzin had been a client.

Guk said their working relationship morphed into a friendship, and the two had been planning to attend Bike Week in Las Vegas in September.

Guk said Atzin was conscientious in his job.

"His job was to be the guy who was responsible for everybody's safety on the project," Guk said. "It was a demanding position."

Atkin recently had a close call on the road when a car sideswiped his motorcycle.

"He just got it worked on and built the way he wanted," Guk said. "He got his bike fixed and put back together."

On Friday night after the shooting, two other women in the area were taken to Flagstaff Medical Center for possible shock, Blair said.

"It was very chaotic," said rally participant Ken Daniels, 48, of Phoenix, who was about 200 feet away from the campsite when the shooting occurred. The annual motorcycle gathering was billed as the "Too Broke for Sturgis" rally, a reference to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the largest in the nation, which takes place in South Dakota. The 71st anniversary rally in Sturgis is scheduled Aug. 8-14.

It was the first time Daniels had attended Too Broke for Sturgis, but he has been to other rallies.

"This is an extremely rare situation," he said. "It was probably something personal, and it could have happened anywhere."

The Coconino County Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate.

Mormon Lake is in Coconino National Forest.

Republic reporter Amy B Wang contributed to this article.

Jacksonville, FL: Suspect in Fla. killing dies in Maine prison

WARREN, Maine -- The Maine Department of Corrections says a man being held as a fugitive from justice on a charge that he killed a woman in Florida has been found dead in his cell.
Officials say the body of 33-year-old Shaun Corson of Madison was found hanging in his cell on Saturday at the Maine State Prison in Warren, an apparent suicide.
Associate Corrections Commissioner Jody Breton says State Police and the medical examiner are reviewing the circumstances of Corson's death.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland tells the Bangor Daily News Corson "was found hanging in his cell."
Corson was arrested this month on a warrant from Jacksonville, Fla., where he was charged with killing his girlfriend, 31-year-old Stephanie Ann Slevin, and stealing her car.

Dorchester, MA: Man charged in killing of Brockton mom, 21

By Carla Gualdron and Natalie Sherman
Monday, July 25, 2011 - Added 3 hours ago
E-mail Print (4) Comments Text size Share
Police arrested a 22-year-old Dorchester man yesterday afternoon in the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Brockton woman originally from Roslindale who he had been dating, police and family said.

Police charged Junior Fernandes, 22, of Dorchester with the murder of Alessa Castellon, who was found on Granger Street in Dorchester dead from gunshot wounds at 3:05 a.m. yesterday morning.

Fernandes will be charged with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, police said.


Antonio Castellon told the Herald that his daughter had been dating Fernandes for about six months.

Castellon was studying in the criminal justice program at Bunker Hill Community College, her family said. She was living in Brockton by herself, Antonio Castellon said. Her sister Brenda Pierna said she was supposed to start a new job as a secretarial assistant at a Brockton auto body shop today.

“My wife and I were surprised when we heard the news and we just feel horrible,” Antonio Castellon said. “She was the type of person that didn’t take anything from anyone. She was smart, very personable.”

Castellon was the mother of 3 1⁄2-year-old Antonio Llamas, who was being raised by his grandparents.

Pierna, 26, said, “She was my best friend. She will really be missed by me and my family.”

Raleigh, NC: Missing Kinston woman's ex-boyfriend, his wife charged with murder

Posted: 28 minutes ago
Updated: 8 seconds ago
A missing Kinston woman's ex-boyfriend and his wife were arrested Monday and charged with murder in her death, according to Raleigh police.

Grant Ruffin Hayes, 32, and Amanda Perry Hayes, 39, are accused of killing Laura Jean Ackerson, 27, who was last seen in Raleigh on July 13 and reported missing two days later.

The dismembered remains of a woman found Sunday near Oyster Creek, about 60 miles south of Houston, are believed to be Ackerson's, according to authorities in Fort Bend County, Texas.

Chief Deputy Craig Brady said that Raleigh police detectives who traveled to Texas to look for Ackerson believe the remains are hers. It appears she was killed in North Carolina and that her body was taken to Texas, Brady said.

Joe Garza, a crime scene witness, said he saw authorities take two coolers, a gun and a saw out of a house.

Ackerson was reported missing after she failed to pick up her two sons from their father, Grant Hayes, in Raleigh. Her white 2006 Ford Focus was found in the Camden Crest Apartments, near Glenwood Avenue and Lynn Road, on July 20.

Family and friends have said that she and Grant Hayes were involved in a custody battle and that their relationship had been "volatile."



Web Editor: Kelly Hinchcliffe

Reading, PA: Police: Man Kills Girlfriend, Self

John Craven | Reporter

Posted: 9:34 pm EDT July 23, 2011
Updated: 7:39 am EDT July 25, 2011

READING, Pa -- Police are investigating why a man murdered his girlfriend, then killed himself Saturday evening.
The incident happened in a home on North Front Street in Reading.
Friends, who spoke to both victims earlier in the day, said they saw no signs of trouble from either person before the killings.
On Sunday, the Berks County Coroner identified the dead as 43-year-old Rosario Santana, and her boyfriend, 47-year-old William Pagan-Franco.
Police responded to the home at 139 North Front Street after someone called 911, saying Pagan was threatening to harm himself. When officers arrived just before 8 p.m. Saturday, investigators said they heard a gunshot and entered the home.
Inside, they found Santana with multiple gunshot wounds on the first floor, and Pagan with a self-inflicted gunshot wound upstairs.
For neighbors, the whole scene was frantic.
"Up the street, we saw a police officer with a long rifle on a stand, like a sniper rifle type of thing, pointed at one of the houses up the street," said Melanie Thees, who lives several homes down.
Friends were stunned.
"She's my best friend, you know?" said Emelinda Velez, who spoke to both people earlier in the day. "She's a Christian person. Very nice, sweet -- always able to help other people."
Velez just spoke to Pagan, the suspected killer, just hours earlier. She said he showed no signs of distress.
"No, nothing at all," she said. "And she [Santana] called me in the morning, and she was so happy."
Friends said Santana was a deeply Christian woman. So was her boyfriend, which makes the killings so hard to understand.
"Whenever there would be like a Red Cross disaster, we would always see William stand up," said friend Ty Hairston. "He'd be like Superman. He'd head to the disaster area, lend his support."
According to friends, Santana and Pagan dated on-and-off for years. Although the relationship was rocky at times, they said they never heard complaints of violence.
"The only thing she used to tell me a lot that he was a very jealous person," Velez said.
Public records show that William Pagan does not appear to have any criminal record. Santana's autopsy is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Article: Spate of weekend shootings plague US

Multiple gunshot victims at Orlando house party, Seattle car show, Texas roller rink over weekend... what gives?

A spate of weekend shootings were reported from central Florida to Seattle, none of them connected or seeming to have similar motives.

In the deadliest, a man told children to leave his son's birthday party at a roller rink outside Dallas before shooting his estranged wife and four of her relatives and then killing himself as others fled screaming in their skates, the AP reported.

This murder suicide echoes a similar case in Michigan on July 8 when a man went on a rampage killing his daughter, an ex-girlfriend and five others, including a second child, before shooting himself after a stand off with police, a local channel reported.

Also on Saturday, a pair of shootings into crowds after altercations escalated into spraying bullets.

In central Florida, Nine people were wounded in a shooting late Saturday at a house party after a fight between teens turned from bad to worse. Rescuers hospitalized six partygoers, and three more later checked themselves in. A teen was later apprehended inside an SUV.

In suburban Seattle, late Saturday afternoon, gunfire rang out during a car show at a parking lot after one man allegedly insulted another's car. Twelve people were wounded as a crowd took cover or fled. Eight were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. No suspects have yet been identified, police said.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Fort Worth, TX: Man who said fiancée was targeted in shooting death arrested in Lewisville

Fort Worth woman killed while walking to garage is ID'd

Strange, but true: Get more crime news in our "Crime Time" blog
Have more to add? News tip? Tell us

By DEANNA BOYD
dboyd@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH — A man who told police that his fiancĂ©e was fatally shot May 29 by a man who apparently targeted her as she walked into her garage was arrested Wednesday night in connection with her slaying.

Samuel Ferralez, 35, was arrested in Lewisville on a murder warrant. He was being held in the Mansfield jail this morning with bail set at $100,000.

Ferralez had told police his fiance, 34-year-old Stephanie Caddy-Aqqad, had just returned home from the store that evening and was walking into the garage of their home in the 3500 block of Saint Vincent Road when a black Mercedes pulled up and a black man got out.

Ferralez told police the man walked up the driveway, yelled "Hey!" at Caddy-Aqqad, then shot the woman in the chest when she turned around. Then he fled.

Caddy-Aqqad was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital where she was pronounced dead later that night.

Despite his claims, an arrest warrant was issued for Ferralez on July 5, according to a news release issued Thursday.

Police said it is unknown what prompted the shooting.

Cass Lake, MN: Cass Lake man indicted for first-degree murder

Cass County grand jury delivers first-degree murder indictment in slaying of Kandace Dunn.
By: News Tribune staff, Duluth News Tribune

Homicide charges against a 27-year-old Cass Lake man have been upgraded to first-degree murder.

Ross Z. Littlewolf had been charged with second-degree intentional murder in the shooting death June 26 of his ex-girlfriend, Kandace B. Dunn, 22. But a grand jury on Thursday indicted Littlewolf for first-degree premeditated murder which carries a mandatory life sentence without parole. In Minnesota, only a grand jury can charge defendants with first-degree murder.

According to the criminal complaint previously filed:

Littlewolf broke into Dunn’s Cass Lake home shortly before 3 a.m. by firing a shotgun through a sliding glass door. Dunn was sleeping in a room with her two small children, one of whom was Littlewolf’s child. Littlewolf shot Dunn in the head, then went to another bedroom where an adult couple had been sleeping and pointed the shotgun at them. He told them to take care of the children, ages 3 and 6, and left, the complaint alleged.

The indictment also charges Littlewolf with second-degree intentional murder, three counts of first-degree burglary, and two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to the Cass County Attorney’s Office.

Littlewolf made his first appearance on the indictment in Cass County District Court on Friday. Bail remains at $750,000 or $500,000 with conditions. He’s scheduled to appear again in court on Aug. 31.

Article: A list: Family killings in Oregon and southwestern Washington

Published: Saturday, July 23, 2011, 2:00 PM Updated: Saturday, July 23, 2011, 5:03 PM
By Lynne Palombo, The Oregonian

The deaths of five members of the Criado family in Medford on July 18 represent one of the worst family killings in the region in years. Here is a list of some of the other incidents, going back to the early 1980s.

April 2011: Tuan Dao of Vancouver, Wash., distraught about his bankruptcy and failed marriage, set an Easter morning house fire that killed him and five of his children. Dao's wife, Lori and their 13-year-old daughter were not in the home during the fire. They are the immediate family's only survivors. Six killed

November 2009: Steve England shot and killed his wife, Cindy, and her son, Kevin Coleman, 28, and then killed himself at their Forest Grove home. Three killed

November 2009: Mukesh Suthar, unemployed after being laid off from Intel, killed his wife, Varsha, and their son, Ronak, 9, then himself in their Bethany home. Three killed


View full sizeJamie Francis/The Oregonian
Brenda Medina (in red coat) is comforted outside the house where she found her daughter, Tameka, shot to death Thursday morning.
November 2009: Ceantwaun Barr shot and killed his estranged girlfriend Tameka Medina and their four year old son, Ashawn, before killing himself in Portland. Their older daughter, in school that day, was spared. Three killed.

September 2007: Ruby Kuca, 5, was killed by her parents, John and Luray Kuca, when they committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in a sealed bedroom of their Portland home. Three killed

March 2006: Somkhilth Soulinho, 31 shoots and kills his girlfriend, Soupaphane Homsombath, 24, her 8-year-old son, Lionel Homsombath and stabs her 5-year-old daughter, Leana Homsombath. He then shoots himself. Four killed

June 2004: Charlene A. Dorcy, of Hazel Dell, shot and killed daughters Brittney, 2, and Jessica, 4, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Dorcy turned herself in that night. Two killed



Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian
From left are Bryant Morris, Renee Morris, Jonathan Morris and Alexis Morris. This photo was displayed in the lobby of St. Johns Christian Church where a memorial for the family was held December 28, 2002.
December 2002: Edward Paul Morris killed his 31-year-old pregnant wife Renee and their children, 10-year-old Bryant, 8-year-old Alexis and 4-year-old Jonathan and leaves the bodies of the Portland family in the Tillamook State Forest. Morris is serving a life sentence with parole in Snake River Correctional Institution. Four killed

March 2002: Robert Bryant, his wife, Janet Ellen Bryant, and their four children are found shot to death in their McMinnville-area home. Police think Robert Bryant killed his wife and children in February before killing himself with a shotgun. Six killed

December 2001: Christian Longo killed his wife, MaryJane, and her three children, and dumped the bodies in coastal inlets in Waldport and Newport between Dec. 19 and Dec. 27. Longo is later arrested in Mexico and sentenced to death for the slayings. Four killed

September 1995: David Whitson, 36, of Issaquah, Wash., shot and killed his 36-year-old estranged wife, Laura, and their three young daughters as they tried to run from him in Scotts Mills. Less than a year later, Whitson, hanged himself while in prison. Four killed

January 1992: Seng Chow Saechao, 31, a Laotian refugee, poisoned herself and her three young children in Portland. Two of the children died after drinking a concentrated solution of the pesticide diazinon. Saechao was sentenced to three years in jail for manslaughter and attempted manslaughter. Two killed

Nov. 20, 1983: Robert Galloway of Portland fatally shoots (PDF) his wife, Mary Lou, their four children, the family dog and then himself in their Southwest Portland home. The parents were partners in J&J Remodeling Co. Six killed

-- Compiled by news researcher Lynne Palombo