Scottsdale, AZ: Police: Couple found dead in Scottsdale home

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say a man and woman have been found dead in a Scottsdale home and it appears to be a murder-suicide.

Scottsdale police say the married couple was found dead about 5 early Wednesday.

They've been identified as 58-year-old Daniel Peralta and his 52-year-old wife, Laura Peralta.

Police spokesman Sgt. Mark Clark says investigators haven't determined a manner of death for either victim yet.

Houston, TX: Boyfriend confessees to killing former San Jacinto College student, mother of two

San Jacinto College North campus alumnus Michelle Leigh Warner was discovered buried in an oilfield between Midland and Odessa in Texas after her estranged ex-boyfriend, Mark Augustin Castellano, strangled her and buried her body in a ditch.

Warner was last seen around midnight near the end of September at the Regency Square apartment complex in the Sharpstown area of Houston, where she lived with her ex-boyfriend and 3-year-old son Cayden.

Two days before confessing to the murder, Castellano, 37, appeared on the TV show “Dr. Phil” where he lied about her disappearance. A few days later, he confessed to the killing during an intense interrogation with investigators where he admitted strangling her, snapping her neck, placing her body in a container and burying her body in a ditch.

According to Castellano’s statements, the couple got into an argument about money and they had a history of fighting. He told investigators after the fight, Warner marched out of the apartment leaving him and the 3-year-old behind, while she went to visit some friends.

In reality, Castellano left Warner’s corpse in the apartment and drove to his parents’ home in Odessa with the 3-year-old. He contemplated what he would do with the body, and then drove back to Houston to place Warner’s body in a container, placing it in her own car while driving back to his parents’ home. Her body was in the car for a day and a half.

According to the Huffington Post, HPD Detective Waters stated that Castellano’s remark was, “I didn’t really try to hide her, I’m surprised you all haven’t found her already.”

After there were no signs of her return, her family reported her missing. Flyers where posted to help find her. According to her family, it was uncharacteristic of her to leave for that long and leave her purse and car behind.

Warner graduated at the top of her college class in 2003 in paralegal studies. Ernest Davila, Paralegal Program Director, taught her a few years ago and found out about her disappearance through the program alumni page on Facebook.

“It was bothering me ever since she went missing, then once I found out about what happened it made me quite teary,” Davila said. “Everybody loved her, she got along great with everyone, she was in Phi Theta Kappa and was a very bright student.”

He last spoke to Warner a few weeks before the murder when they discussed a reference letter for a new paralegal job. She only spent two weeks at Donato, Minx, Brown & Pool, P.C. before she was killed.

Marleyn Treviño met Warner in 2002 while taking an introductory course for paralegal studies. Treviño and Warner would talk about personal things, go to lunch, and work on assignments together. She found out about Warner while watching the news.

“She always had a smile on her face, she always had something to talk about, there was never a dull moment with her,” Treviño said.

“It’s for real, you just don’t believe it. You just think it’s never gonna happen to someone you know,” Treviño said. “She was one of the smartest students, very persistent and she would not quit until she had everything perfect.”

Mark Castellano is charged with murder and has been booked into the Harris County Jail. His bond is set at $150, 000.

San Pedro, CA: San Pedro: Man kills girlfriend, shoots himself at home

A man shot and killed a woman outside a San Pedro home late Friday, then turned the gun on himself, leaving him in critical condition, police said.

The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. Friday in the 3100 block of Almeria Street, Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera said Saturday.

The victim, identified as 45-year-old Michelle Stamper, and the suspect, 55-year-old Johnny O'Kane, had been dating, police said, and the two were involved in a dispute at the time of the shootings.

Police and neighbors said O'Kane chased Stamper out of the house and then shot her. Her body was found under a tree across the street, a neighbor said.

The man called police and said he shot a woman, said Officer A. Rodriguez of the Harbor Division.

Officers arriving at the home found the man inside with a gunshot wound to the head, he said.

Stamper was pronounced dead at the scene. O'Kane was taken to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in critical condition, Herrera said.

Neighbors on the quiet street said O'Kane had two children in their late teens or early 20s from a previous marriage.

The couple was described as quiet and friendly. One resident said the family had lived in the house for many years.
Several neighbors said they heard shots, but none of them could recall any incidents of violence at the residence.
Political signs were posted outside the small house, including several against state Proposition 30 and for Los Angeles Measure J.
A sign in the front window said, "We stand with Wisconsin workers."

Albuquerque, NM: Wife indicted for man's death at NM student party

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The wife of a man who was shot and killed at a foreign-exchange student party in Albuquerque has been indicted for murder.

A grand jury indicted this week 30-year-old Amy Herrera for the murder of her husband, 37-year-old Marc Herrera.

According to witnesses, Herrera was heavily intoxicated when he arrived at his northeast Albuquerque home during a party attended by University of New Mexico foreign students in July.

Herrera, an Air Force Major, reportedly told the students to move into another room at gunpoint. He was later found dead from apparent gunshot wound.

His death was initially believed to have been a suicide after he and his wife struggled over a gun.

It was unclear if Amy Herrera had an attorney.

Bronx, NY: Bronx man poisons his children's pizza, killing son

A boy, 5, died and his sister was hospitalized after their father allegedly served them poisoned pizza to get back at his wife for leaving him.

A boy, 5, was killed and his seven-year-old sister is in hospital after eating pizza, laced with poison, police allege. 

NBC New York reported the children's father, from the Bronx, in New York, was being questioned over the tragedy, which occurred on Tuesday night at an apartment where he was staying with his step mother. 

The man had recently split up with his wife and had shared custody of his two children.

Police told NBC he allegedly phoned his ex-wife about midnight to tell her he was going to kill himself.

A short time later, he locked himself in the bathroom with his son.

Police gained access to the bathroom and found the body of the lifeless boy. He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. His sister was suffering severe vomiting and remains in hospital.

The Daily Mail said police were questioning the father who allegedly admitted he poisoned the children and himself "with something he slipped onto the pizza".

Lubbock, TX: Plainview man faces murder charges after causing wife's fatal wreck

LUBBOCK — A Plainview man is facing murder charges in connection with an auto wreck Sunday night that killed his wife and unborn child, and injured his son and a female passenger.

Juan Castaneda was taken to Covenant Hospital Plainview with unspecified injuries after the Chevrolet pickup he was driving was found partially on top of a Pontiac Grand Am that was lying on its side and wrapped around a power pole.

Witnesses told Plainview police they saw Castaneda’s pickup ram the Pontiac several times, striking it with enough force to make it veer off the road and strike the pole.

The wreck was reported to police at about 6 p.m.

According to police reports, Castaneda’s 24-year-old wife, Vivian, was driving the Pontiac. She was also taken to Covenant Hospital Plainview, where she and her unborn child were pronounced dead.

Vanessa Garcia, the front seat passenger in the Pontiac, and the Castanedas’ 5-year-old son, Zameer Castaneda, were flown to hospitals in Lubbock for treatment.

As of Monday afternoon, Garcia was in fair condition at Covenant Hospital Lubbock. Zameer Castaneda was in critical condition at Covenant Lakeside Children’s Hospital in Lubbock.

Police are investigating the accident.

Franklin, NY: Local couple dead in apparent murder-suicide

A Franklin couple died in an apparent murder-suicide, Delaware County deputies said Wednesday.

The bodies of Willis and Wendy Brown were found at about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday in their home in the village of Franklin, Delaware County Sheriff Thomas Mills said Wednesday. Both had been shot, and it appears that the husband shot the wife, Mills said, but further details won’t be available until autopsies are complete.

Willis Brown was a professor of applied sciences and building technologies at the State University College of Technology at Delhi, and Wendy Brown was a financial adviser with the Morgan McReynolds Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Oneonta.

John Campbell, Franklin mayor, said the Browns were well-known in the village, which has a population of about 500 residents, and the reaction by the community to the deaths was “tremendous shock.’’

“It’s a terrible tragedy — a terrible loss — the community’s sympathies go out to the family,’’ Campbell said. “It’s a very tough thing to deal with. You ask yourself why and how. It’s just very tragic.’’

Wendy Brown was active in the community and known to be a willing helper, Campbell said.

“She loved Franklin,’’ Campbell said. “She was an outstanding person, a very nice person. She just was a very good citizen. … She’s going to be tremendously missed.’’

Christine Jockle, a spokeswoman for Morgan Stanley in the New York City area, said she had no information about Brown to share other than “our hearts go out to the family.’’

A biography on the Morgan Stanley website said Wendy Brown specialized in retirement and investment planning. Her background included nursing, and she had a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She listed community activities as the Catskill Symphony Orchestra, Rotary and Franklin Stage Company.

“I think everyone is just in shock, and it’s impossible to find the words to express our sorrow at this tragedy,’’ Carmela Marner, executive/artistic director of the Franklin Stage Company.

“For nine years, Wendy was an invaluable member of FSC’s Board of Trustees,’’ Marner said. “She, Willis and their two wonderful sons have been a precious addition to the FSC community and to Franklin.’’

At SUNY Delhi, the deaths of the Browns were reported by University Police to administrators as unexpected, unattended deaths, Joel Smith, vice president for college relations at SUNY Delhi, said early Wednesday afternoon. Willis had been a faculty member at the campus since 2005, Smith said.

“Our campus is terribly saddened by today’s tragic news,’’ Smith said Wednesday afternoon. Counselors were available at the campus, he said.

At midday Wednesday, yellow police tape surrounded the white clapboard house on Main Street in the village, and two deputy patrol cars were parked at opposite ends of the property.

Dr. Richard Ucci,

Delaware County medical examiner, and county District Attorney Richard Northrup were at the scene, said deputies who withheld further details pending autopsy results. The State Police Forensic Investigation Unit is assisting in the investigation.

Neighbor Larry Archbold, who said he moved to Franklin from Wisconsin two months ago, described the couple as “good folks,” although he didn’t know the couple well. He said he saw them in the yard regularly, doing things like raking leaves.

Archbold said that in the time he lived diagonally across the street from the house there had been no hint of trouble, noise or arguments.

“Nothing usually goes on in Franklin,” he said. Archbold said he saw authorities take two gurneys into the house at about 11:30 a.m. but didn’t see the gurneys removed.

A woman in Franklin who declined to give her name, said the couple had two sons, 18 and 24 years old. Several other residents refused to talk Wednesday about the Browns.

Willis Brown, an engineer who taught electrical instrumentation and controls in the technology division, was known on campus as a leader, Smith said. The college president and provost met to console faculty, Smith said, and faculty and counselors met with students in classes to share the news.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends,’’ Smith said.

Willis Brown had a bachelor’s degree in physics from the State University College at Oneonta and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Syracuse University, according to the SUNY Delhi website.

Before joining SUNY Delhi, he worked for Morningstar facilities in Wisconsin and Virginia, Smith said, and he did corporate training for Friesland Campina Domo, Kraft, The Raymond Corp., and Unisom Industries.

Willis Brown was recognized as Faculty Tutor of the Year for 2012 by the SUNY Delhi Learning Center, Smith said. He also developed programs for the campus’s Office for Training and Business Recruitment. 

Daily Star staff writer Richard Whitby contributed to this report.

Toledo, OH: Man suspected in wife's death arrested in Canada

A Toledo man suspected in the death of his wife at their West Toledo home Friday night was arrested early today in Saguenay, Quebec, authorities said.

Kyle Sheppard, 29, was awaiting extradition, Toledo police Detective Jeff Clark said. Canadian police were on the lookout for him after an arrest warrant, for one count of murder, was issued for him in Toledo Saturday, Detective Clark said.

Katie Sheppard, 29, was found by police at 10:20 p.m. Friday in an enclosed front porch, covered by a blanket, police said.

Mrs. Sheppard, according to court documents, was apparently strangled.

Police found no forced entry into the home. They also found that there was an attempt to clean up the crime scene.

Clyde, NC: Murder-suicide stuns Clyde

CLYDE — In a case acquaintances call completely inexplicable, a longtime town of Clyde employee shot and killed his wife, then killed himself.

Charles Palmer Jr., 48, shot his 51-year-old wife, Judy, several times with a handgun before turning the gun on himself, Haywood County Sheriff Bobby Suttles said.

The incident happened at 8:45 p.m. Friday inside the couple’s home on Lookout Point Road, north of Clyde, he said. The couple’s two sons, ages 20 and 17, were outside in the yard when the shootings happened.

Suttles said there was no history of domestic problems at the home.

“It appears to be a domestic dispute between the two, but we’ve never been out there before,” he said. “Their two sons were at the residence when it happened. It’s really terrible.”

Palmer, who worked as maintenance supervisor, had been a town employee since 1996, Clyde Mayor Jerry Walker said.

The community on Sunday was still trying to come to grips with the unexpected deaths, Walker said.

“I would never have believed this could have happened,” he said. “I don’t know what could have happened. I doubt anyone else does. It’s a very sad time for the town. He was a good friend of mine. I’m going to miss him terribly.”

Walker said he saw Charles Palmer and his wife separately earlier Friday, and nothing seemed out of place. Walker chatted with Palmer as Palmer worked installing the town’s Christmas decorations. The mayor later saw Judy Palmer when she stopped by Town Hall for a visit.

“I talked to him and his wife Friday,” Walker said. “There was no indication anything was going on.”

On his way to church Sunday, Walker said seeing the town clock really drove home finality of the tragedy. The clock should have been set back an hour to reflect a return to standard time.

“He would have had that clock changed,” Walker said. “It just reminded me of how Charlie was. He was a great guy.”

The family will have a joint funeral for the couple at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the chapel of Garrett Funeral Home. The family will receive friends 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

Jacksonville, FL: Police: 19-year-old was killer in murder-suicide

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has identified 19-year-old Jamel Bowman as the person who killed 20-year-old Lauren Allen at her Southside home Friday afternoon, then killed himself.

Authorities said Allen's mother arrived home Friday evening to find the woman and a male friend dead in her home in the 13600 block of Danhurst Way in the Covington Creek neighborhood.

Police said they found a gun in the home, but they said Allen was not shot.

"It is still very early on, but all indications seem to point to murder-suicide. We have quite a bit more evidence to recover and analyze and make a final determination," JSO Sgt. Jay Farhat said late Friday.

The deaths would mark the sixth murder-suicide in Duval County this year, as well as the 10th such event in Duval's surrounding counties this year.

Allen (pictured right), had graduated from Stanton College Prep last year and was attending the University of South Florida.

Channel 4 learned that Bowman lived at the Jacksonville Job Corps Center and was a friend of the family.

Rapid City, SD: Police: Two die in possible murder-suicide

Rapid City police say two people were killed in a possible murder-suicide Tuesday night. 

Brad Swanson, 58, and Deb Ohlmacher, 55, both of Rapid City were pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from the Rapid City Police Department. 

At 9:15 p.m., police were called to an apartment on Woodrun Lane for a possible shooting. A third party told police there was a man inside the apartment with a firearm who had killed his girlfriend, according to police. 

The Special Response Team was called out to assist and made contact with the man inside. He told police that he had killed his girlfriend and refused to cooperate further. When the team made entry to the home, they found the man and a woman inside with gunshot wounds.

Based on initial evidence, investigators from the Rapid City Police Department and the Pennington County Sheriff's Office believe the case is a murder-suicide, according to the news release. 

Denton County, TX: Denton County couple killed in suspected murder-suicide identified

The man and woman involved in what appears to be a murder-suicide Monday near Lake Lewisville have been identified as Nelson Rafael Rodriguez-Doran, 29, and Christina Maria Allen, 28.

Investigators say they believe that Rodriguez-Doran fatally shot his girlfriend and then himself. They were found Monday afternoon at their home on Lakeview Drive in Providence Village, a newly incorporated community off U.S. 380 in Denton County.

The murder weapon was a semiautomatic handgun, said Tom Reedy, a spokesman for the Denton County Sheriff's Department. He didn't know the caliber.

Reedy said the woman had a son, who was in the care of her brother on Tuesday.

On Monday, deputies were called back to the home at 2:48 p.m. by a person who had planned to meet the woman Monday morning, Reedy said. Deputies had been summoned to the home two days earlier.

The caller "had helped the woman move out of a domestic disturbance situation," Reedy said. "Her car was in the driveway, but no one answered the door." The caller also said a neighbor had heard "thumps" and "door slamming" before 6 a.m. Monday, Reedy said.

Deputies found the bodies inside.

On Saturday, deputies were called to the home at 11:40 a.m. about a domestic disturbance, Reedy said Monday. A woman "was trying to move out of the house that she shared with her boyfriend, but he was preventing her from entering the house to retrieve her belongings," he said. The deputies reported that no assault had occurred and that "both parties had separated to stay with friends until a later date," Reedy said.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/06/4392916/denton-county-couple-killed-in.html#storylink=cpy

Baltimore, MD: Essex Man Arrested in Girlfriend's Stabbing Death

An Essex man has been arrested in the Monday stabbing death of his girlfriend, Baltimore County police said Monday.

Police responded to a house in the 700 block of Myrth Avenue at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. A woman had called 911 and requested that officers check on her mother, who was visiting her boyfriend at that address, according to a statement from police spokesman Cpl. John Wachter.

After arriving and speaking with a man at the home, officers found a woman's body covered with a blanket in the kitchen, according to the statement. 

The victim was identified as Janet Palasik, 48, of the 1100 block of Maple Road in Essex.

The police investigation showed that Palasik had gone to the Myrth Avenue home at about 7 p.m Nov. 4 to visit John Falkenstein, her boyfriend.

According to the statement, Palasik and Falkenstein got into an argument, and Falkenstein allegedly stabbed her several times. Falkenstein, 56, of the 700 block of Myrth Avenue in Essex, was charged with first-degree murder in Palasik's death.

He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

San Antonio, TX: Police: Woman shot dead by daughter's boyfriend

SAN ANTONIO- A woman was shot and killed around 2:30 Sunday morning. Police said her daughter's boyfriend was responsible. 40-year-old Niki Hill was pronounced dead at her Northeast side home located on the 5700 block of Woodgreen near Rittiman Road. It’s where she was shot.

Niki Hill lived in the home with her husband and children. It's also the place where her family said the suspect broke into the house, forced his way in, and shot Niki dead.

Her husband Timothy Hill explained that he was asleep when he heard his wife call out to him.
She called him twice and he met her in their hallway. He didn't have a chance to talk to her and instead he just grabbed her.

“She just collapsed; I was like, what's going on? When I laid her down I could see blood just coming out like water,” said Timothy Hill, the victim’s husband.

According to police, Niki was shot in the chest by 24-year-old Gary Armstrong.
He was the boyfriend of the woman's 18-year-old daughter. 

But things didn't end there. Timothy said the gunman then kidnapped his daughter at gunpoint and held her against her will at Armstrong’s apartment. The young woman managed to escape unharmed when Armstrong fell asleep. She returned with police and by 8:30 Sunday morning Armstrong surrendered peacefully to police.

According to family members the young woman was breaking it off with Armstrong and that is apparently what set him off.

Bosque Farms, NM: Bosque Farms couple dead from murder-suicide

BOSQUE FARMS, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in New Mexico say the deaths of a couple last week in their Bosque Farms home appear to be a murder-suicide.

Rio Rancho police received a report of a domestic disturbance in progress last Thursday and notified Bosque Farms police.

Officers at the scene saw an unresponsive man lying on the floor in the dining room area of the home.

They entered the house and say the man was dead from an apparent shotgun wound to the head and a gun was found next to his body.

The body of a woman with apparent gunshot wounds was discovered in the master bedroom.

The couple has been identified as 54-year-old Arleigh Headcock and 56-year-old Nancy Headcock.

State Police officials say it appears Headcock fatally shot his wife and then himself.

Syracuse, UT: Syracuse couple died in murder-suicide, police confirm

SYRACUSE — A couple found dead in their home Monday morning were victims of a murder-suicide, police confirmed Tuesday.

The bodies of Gary Lucero, 41, and his wife Jessica Lucero, 39, were found inside a room in their home at 2125 W. 903 South in Syracuse. Investigators believe Gary Lucero shot his wife with a handgun before turning the weapon on himself, said Syracuse Police Lt. Tracy Jensen.

There was no note, and Jensen declined to comment Tuesday whether the couple had any history of marital problems or about a possible motive for the attack.

"It's a tragic situation," he said.

Neighbors said the Luceros were well-known and respected in the community. Gary Lucero was known for his love of youth and youth sports. He and his wife headed up a youth lacrosse league, the Syracuse Snipers.

Both were civilian employees at Hill Air Force Base.

Friends say the couple had three children, two of whom were adults and had moved away. Their youngest child lived at home.

Pittsburgh, PA: Deadly Domestic Dispute In Baldwin Borough

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A man is in police custody after allegedly murdering his wife early Sunday morning in Baldwin Borough.

It happened just before 2 a.m. at 5228 Meadowcrest Road.

Police responded to a 9-1-1 call saying a woman had been shot.

They found 33-year-old Kimberly Jo Conway dead of a gunshot wound.

Her husband, 31-year-old Benjamin Conway, was at the house, where he was arrested and transported to the hospital for self-inflicted wounds, according to police.

Neighbors say the couple was new to the neighborhood and mostly kept to themselves.

Homicide Detectives say earlier in the night, there was a domestic disturbance and a third family member was present.

The relative was the one who disarmed Benjamin Conway and called police.

Conway has been charged with criminal homicide.

Article: Domestic abuse victim advocates see merit in restraining orders

Three days after Zina Haughton’s request for a restraining order against her estranged husband was granted by a Milwaukee County judge, the Brown Deer woman was dead.

Radcliffe Haughton went on a shooting rampage at a Brookfield spa on Oct. 21, killing his wife and two others before killing himself.

It was a grim reminder of the limitations of restraining orders in preventing deadly acts.

“At the end of the day, it’s a piece of paper,” said Julie Fevola, executive director of Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services Inc.

Still, Fevola thinks restraining orders serve a valuable purpose for those who are coping with abusive situations.

“It is a piece of paper, but there’s teeth behind it,” said Fevola, whose agency assists more than 100 people every year in getting restraining orders.

The first step is obtaining a temporary restraining order; the second — and final — step is an injunction, which lasts up to four years. They are civil, not criminal, orders that prohibit perpetrators from contacting victims. Those who violate the orders are subject to criminal penalties.

“As (the Brookfield) incident shows, the restraining order isn’t the end-all, be-all,” Fevola said. “But it can be followed up on if it is violated. It really is (intended) to protect the victim from having contact with the perpetrator.”

Beth Schnorr, executive director of the Appleton-based Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs, said restraining orders must be accompanied by safety measures to be effective.

“It can be just a piece of paper unless you include it in an overall safety plan,” she said.

Those plans typically include having an escape route from a residence in case a dispute arises, having a bag packed and kept at a relative or friend’s home in case a victim has to leave quickly, and telling neighbors to call police if they hear a disturbance at a victim’s home.

Schnorr said restraining orders typically are granted when physical abuse has occurred and when individuals believe they are in imminent danger.

Annually, Harbor House assists 100 to 120 domestic abuse victims in preparing the paperwork for a temporary restraining order. There is no fee to file such a request with the court.

please link directly to article to see page 2.

Fremont, CA: San Jose man killed by Fremont police was reportedly grieving over brother's death hours earlier

FREMONT -- A naked San Jose man shot and killed Sunday by officers during a domestic dispute, identified by police as Dejuan Eaton of San Jose, was stricken by the sudden loss of his younger brother earlier that evening, according to his family.

Police responded to the home of Eaton's wife on the 4500 block of Central Avenue in Fremont about 11 p.m., after her roommate had called 911 and reported Eaton was attacking his spouse, authorities said.

Dejuan Eaton, 37, had just received the news that his 18-year-old brother had accidentally shot himself in the head while handling a loaded firearm earlier that evening, according to his father, Alonzo Eaton. It was at that time that Dejuan Eaton, described as a loving, family man, was pushed to his limit.

"He had just lost his grandfather last Thursday, then to hear about his brother, it blew him over the edge," Alonzo Eaton said Tuesday. "I lost two sons within an hour of each other."

Police have not released details of what happened, but the father maintains that his son went to his wife's Fremont home, where she allowed him to come in and lie down. Alonzo Eaton said Dejuan Eaton reportedly tried to force himself on his wife, who resisted his attempts.

It was likely at this point that Dejuan Eaton snapped, and the wife's roommate called police, according to Alonzo Eaton. Officers arrived to find the woman fleeing the apartment with Dejuan Eaton close behind her, naked and chasing her with a knife, police said. Officers fired at Eaton after he refused orders to drop his weapon.

The man was taken to a trauma center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Eaton, who spent most of his life in the Bay Area, moved back about a year ago to join his wife and two sons, ages 4 and 5, in Fremont, Alonzo Eaton said. The couple, who had been together for 14 years, separated about three months ago, at which point he moved to San Jose and started a new job at a grocery store deli after working at a Sacramento Trader Joe's for many years.

"Dejuan was a very hardworking man, he loved his kids, and his wife," Alonzo Eaton said. 'Everybody loved him ... they called him 'Teddy Bear.' "

The family, who held a vigil for their sons Monday evening, will hold a joint funeral service for both Dejuan and his younger brother, Tyqueece Eaton, next Thursday, when Alonzo Eaton plans to bury his sons together.

"I love my son. I love him so much," Alonzo Eaton said. "There are so many unanswered questions. We just want to know why. They could have Tased him."

The father maintained his son was shot eight times, but police have not released any information about how many times Dejuan was hit.

The officers involved in the shooting have 3 and 20 years' experience and have been placed on paid administrative leave per department policy, Fremont police spokeswoman Geneva Bosques said. The incident is being investigated jointly by the Fremont Police Department's Investigative Unit and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.

Dejuan Eaton is survived by his mother and father, five brothers and one sister, along with his wife and two young sons, who remain at their home in Fremont.

"His kids have been crying, asking questions," Alonzo Eaton said. "It's just so sad."

Santa Ana, CA: Ex-husband of CA woman arrested for fatal stabbing

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A 71-year-old California woman who once was charged with decades-old murder has been found stabbed to death and her ex-husband has been arrested for investigation of murder.

Police said 74-year-old Kenneth Finefield is suspected of killing his former wife, Macaria Finefield, at her Santa Ana home after he called 911 on Saturday.

The Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/TDtD7D) reports that Marcaria Finefield was arrested in 2004 on second-degree murder charges in connection with the death of a pregnant women 30 years earlier.

The newspaper says Finefield unintentionally killed Bertha Hernandez when she took a knife to her belly as she attempted to deliver the baby. Authorities said after fatally stabbing Hernandez, she disposed of the body in Mexico.

Charges against Finefield were dropped after Mexican authorities provided proof that she spent three years in a prison for the death.

Tyler, TX: Tyler police say man killed ex-wife, took child

A capital murder warrant's been issued for a man accused of shooting his ex-wife to death and taking their young son, according to The Associated Press.

Tyler police issued an Amber Alert for 4-year-old Lucas Calvert, who was last seen wearing a long-sleeved blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.

Police allege that 41-year-old James W. Calvert fatally shot his 30-year-old ex-wife, Jelena Sriraman.

A police statement says he's driving a four-door gray or silver 2000 Buick with license plate number DP4-G858, and he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Read more here: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/crime_time/2012/10/tyler-police-say-man-killed-ex-wife-took-child.html#storylink=cpy

New Orleans, LA: Husband beat, choked wife before she fatally stabbed him, NOPD says

Bernard Washington showed up to hiseastern New Orleans apartment intoxicated on Wednesday morning and began beating and choking his wife, police revealed Thursday. The woman ran to the kitchen, but her husband followed and tried to hit her again. She grabbed a kitchen knife and plunged it once into his left thigh.

Washington, 38, soon died. The wife -- unnamed by police but identified by her husband's relatives as Robin Washington, also 38 -- was not arrested, and investigators preliminarily classified her husband's death as a justifiable homicide.

Officials declined to discuss the deadly stabbing in depth on Wednesday. But on Thursday, the New Orleans Police Department divulged additional details on the case in a daily log of major incidents distributed to the news media.

Washington started attacking his wife at their place in the 10900 block of Roger Drive about 8:10 a.m., investigators have determined. The wife tried to bring her husband to the hospital after the stabbing occurred.

But he collapsed on the street next to a sport-utility vehicle and died from loss of blood, said John Gagliano, chief investigator for the New Orleans coroner's office. The NOPD questioned Washington's wife, consulted with the district attorney's office, and opted to not make an arrest.

Washington worked offshore to support two daughters and three sons, his father and stepmother told reporters on Wednesday. Bernard and Robin Washington were married approximately 18 months, according to police.

Warren, MI: Michigan man charged in wife's death

WARREN, Mic. -- A Michigan man was charged in his wife's death.

37-year-old Michael Dewayne Brooks broke down in tears during his video arraignment.

The father of four is now charged with abuse after the death of his wife of 20 years.

EMS crews in full hazmat gear had to extract her from the family's apartment. She died at the hospital a few days later.

Brooks was his wife's primary caretaker.

"Something I've learned recently is did have an accident about a year and a half ago and was bedridden" said David Draper, attorney.

Brooks pleaded not guilty and was released on $10,000 bond. He is expected to be back in court November 15th.

Article: Domestic violence: Why loved ones kill

Donnie Ray Plater murdered his wife and turned the gun on police in the midst of a domestic dispute last week.

That came months after Danny Battle killed his girlfriend as the woman attempted to leave his Caddo Heights residence. Both cases rocked a community still absorbing the shock of four unrelated murder-suicides in the span of two summer months last year.

“If you love somebody, you don’t hurt them and you sure don’t kill them,” said Latrina Johnson, whose sister fell victim at the hands of Plater. “Love is not supposed to hurt. Why he killed my sister I don’t know.”

Like Johnson, many question the complex reasons seemingly ordinary men, and sometimes women, are driven to murder their significant others. Unfortunately, it’s becoming more common, but experts say intimate partner murder can’t be explained on the basis of a single personality trait.

It’s a combination of factors that produce the lethal violence. It also could be conditions of risk that combine together and act on each other, said Richard Cason, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

For example, when the tradition that males have full power, honor and control runs counter to his dependency on a woman, there’s the possible appearance of weakness and humiliation, Cason said.

Others call it an unintended result of violence that goes too far. “We want to believe the murders can’t be understood in terms of loss of control or a moment of insanity,” Cason said. “Instead it’s viewed as more of a deliberate act, one which is the culmination of emotional distress that prepares the psychological grounds for the murder.”

Cason describes it as dashed hope with the readiness to destroy another even if it means destroying self. “There is this notion that if they feel they can’t carry on in this world, there is no need to stay behind,” Cason said.

According to a 2010 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of 408 homicide-suicide cases viewed, 91 percent of the perpetrators were men. The study shows intimate partner violence had occurred in 70 percent of them.

However, only 25 percent of prior domestic violence appeared in arrests records, the study found. In Caddo and Bossier parishes, only one of the recent cases had prior arrests.

Shreveport Police Department records reveal 658 domestic violence-related arrests since Jan. 1. In Bossier City, 442 people were arrested over the same time period, the Bossier City Police Department reports.

Police responded to Plater’s home for a domestic call in May, but no charges were filed, authorities said. Bossier police responded to several calls at Angela and Allan Haltom’s residence before the man killed his wife, then himself Aug. 30, 2011, in the parking lot of a Bossier City church.

Allan Haltom had at least two prior domestic violence arrests, and his wife had an active restraining order against him.

Carol Gelles, professor of sociology and criminology at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., said explaining the phenomenon of how men wind up committing such acts is difficult.

Women think they are safe, but the largest number of female violent deaths in the U.S. occurs by a family member or significant other, she said. Gelles believes the typical motive is revenge or altruism.

“There are certain factors we find in almost all women deaths by a significant other, especially the ones with revenge,” Gelles said. “The precipitant usually is a nasty divorce or custody battle. There’s a cast of blame and the man believes the woman is responsible for destroying the family.”

When the motive is altruism, reasoning points to financial problems. The man no longer believes he has the ability to take care of the family. “This is usually when the male kills the woman, himself and sometimes the children,” she said.

Statistics show that it takes a woman leaving seven to 10 times before she leaves for good, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Statistics also show that 75 percent of women who leave their abusers are at a greater risk of being killed than if they stay.

Numbers from law enforcement on both sides of the river are showing a drop in time spent on domestic violence calls, and not all victims are women. Last year, local police reported eight domestic-related deaths, and there are two so far this year.

“We see a lot of calls,” said Bill Goodin, spokesman for Shreveport police. “But in terms of domestic violence-related deaths, the number is down.”

Hackensack, NJ: Newburgh woman charged with killing 2 people in NJ

By Nathan Brown

Times Herald-Record

Published: 2:00 AM - 11/02/12

HACKENSACK, N.J. — A Town of Newburgh, N.Y., woman accused of shooting her ex-boyfriend and stabbing his current girlfriend to death in New Jersey is facing double murder charges, Bergen County prosecutor John L. Molinelli said Thursday.

Monica Mogg, 49, of Wesley Court, was picked up near Hartford, Conn., Wednesday, and charged after detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and the Connecticut State Police interviewed her, Molinelli said.

Police in River Edge went to 42-year-old Jung Yi Kim's home on Millbrook Road Wednesday afternoon to do a "welfare check" and found her and 52-year-old Arthur Noeldechan of Washingtonville, N.Y., dead, said Molinelli.

Mogg had dated Noeldechan before, and had been stalking him and Kim, who was also known as Lillian, for months after her relationship with Noeldechan ended, Molinelli said.

On Tuesday evening, he said, she drove to Kim's residence and entered it through an unlocked rear door with a rifle and a knife.

She found them in an upstairs bedroom and shot and killed Noeldechan.

Then, Mogg got in a struggle with Kim, stabbed her to death, and fled the scene with the weapons, which Molinelli said have not been recovered.

Police in Rocky Hill, Conn., found and detained her, Molinelli said, initially because she had been reported missing by family members.

Then, Connecticut state police said, they held her on the New Jersey murder warrant.

She was arraigned in Hartford Superior Court and is being held without bail at the York Correctional Institute in Niantic, Conn., pending extradition to Bergen County.

Molinelli said more charges will be lodged against her.

The sentence for first-degree murder in New Jersey is 30 years to life in prison, and 30 years must be served before one is eligible for parole, according to state code.

Wasau, WI: Wis. woman to stand trial for killing boyfriend's dog

WAUSAU, Wis. - A judge has ordered a trial for a Wisconsin woman accused of killing her boyfriend's dog.

Twenty-year-old Sean Janas appeared in court Wednesday on charges of felony animal mistreatment and poisoning an animal, a misdemeanor.

Janas waived her right to a preliminary hearing. The judge then found there is enough evidence to send her to trial.

Prosecutors say Janas poisoned her boyfriend's dog, a German shepherd-Labrador mix named Mary, and tortured the animal before the 4-year-old dog died in June.

According to the criminal complaint, Janas kept a diary with entries describing her intense hatred for Mary. Police said the diary also detailed the abuse Janas inflicted on the dog, which included forcing Mary to drink bleach and Drano during the course of several months.

Janas faces more than five years in prison and $30,000 in fines if convicted of all charges, and remained jailed this morning on a $2,500 cash bond. At the request of Moran, those attending the hearing were required to walk through metal detectors, and Marathon County Sheriff's deputies searched briefcases and handbags.

A line of protesters circled the courthouse before and after the court hearing in support of Mary, and drivers blew horns as cars passed the demonstrators.

Some who marched carried signs, and many took their dogs to the demonstration. Kelli Obremski, 42, of Mosinee took her dog, a 1-year-old boxer named Parker. And Obremski's two sons, Ben, 13, and Tanner, 15, took the morning off school to participate.

"We don't have tough enough laws that protect animals, and I believe vets should have to report any suspected abuse, just like they would in a child," Obremski said. "If (Janas) killed man's best friend, she should get the maximum penalty possible. If the abuse had been reported, I have to wonder if that dog could have been saved."

Obremski said she and her sons plan to demonstrate at future court appearances, as well.

"We'll come to every appearance we can," Obremski said. "It's that important."

Washington City, UT: Washington City man arrested after wife found dead

An elderly Washington City man was arrested Wednesday morning after a family member found the man’s wife dead in the couple’s home.

Washington City Police Chief Jim Keith said David K. Benson, 76, was booked into Washington County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. He was being held in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

Officers responding to a 911 call at 8:46 a.m. found the victim — identified by neighbors as Madelin Benson — dead inside the home near 2200 Alamosa Drive in the southwestern Utah’s community’s Pine View Estates subdivision.

Keith would not immediately confirm the victim’s identity or age, but did say she was Benson’s wife. The chief said it appeared the woman had been struck with a "blunt object," but he would not further discuss the nature of her fatal injuries.

In his jail booking photo, Benson appears to have a superficial injury to his head, but police would not say how he sustained it.

Shelly Kirton, a friend, said the slaying stunned her close-knit neighborhood.

"I was shocked when I got the call at work and I came home as soon as I could to be with our neighbors," Kirton said.

She said that David Benson had recently seemed depressed, but no one thought there was anything seriously amiss.

"They are absolutely wonderful people, most kind and gentle," Kirton said. "He adored her. They went on walks every day and held hands. They taught a home and family class at our [LDS] church."