Police seeking info from public on crime
By NATHAN BRUTTELL
Friday, July 30, 2010 10:19 PM MST
Police are hoping the public will shed some light about incidents leading up to the death of a 45-year-old Lake Havasu City woman, “who suffered multiple gunshot wounds,” and was found dead Thursday morning in a city residence.
Judy Cravets, of Lake Havasu City, was found dead after her estranged husband, Jeffrey Cravets, called 911 about 11:11 a.m. Thursday to report the dead body inside the home in the 3500 block of Palo Verde Boulevard North. Jeffrey Cravets told responding officers he discovered his wife deceased inside the residence, according to a Lake Havasu City Police Department press release. Jeffrey Cravets, 37, is “considered a person of interest and was questioned by detectives before being released without any charges,” according to the release.
“He’s of interest because he’s her estranged husband and we understand their relationship was strenuous of late,” said Sgt. Joe Harrold. “To the best of our information, he had access to the residence where she was found as well.”
Harrold added there were no signs of forced entry when police arrived, alcohol is not suspected to be a factor and no weapons were found at the scene. Harrold said he could not comment on how long the body had been in the home before police arrived, the suspected weapon used or if there were any signs of a struggle at the residence so as to not hinder the investigation. However, there was “no indication” that the body was transferred or moved after death, Harrold said.
Judy Cravets is “known to frequent Lake Havasu City drinking establishments” and was last seen at about 2 p.m. Sunday at the residence, Harrold said. While police do not know if the couple has any children at this time, there was no one inside the residence when police arrived Thursday.
“We’re putting that information out there because we’re hoping the public, who may have seen her in the last seven days, can provide us information so detectives can piece together a timeline of activity to help us with the investigation,” Harrold said, adding that no witnesses or neighbors reported hearing gunshots at the residence. “That’s why we’re looking for the public’s help on this and since Mr. Cravets is a person of interest, we’re also looking for information regarding his activity as well.”
Lake Havasu City Police Criminal Investigation Bureau detectives served a search warrant and also collected “numerous items of evidence” from inside the home that will be forensically examined by the state crime lab, according to the release. Harrold said he expected more information to become available within the next week.
Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding Judy Cravets’ or Jeffrey Cravets’ activity during the past week or with information regarding any suspicious activity in the area of Palo Verde Boulevard North and Kiowa Boulevard North to call 928-855-5775. Anonymous information can be reported by calling Silent Witness at 928-854-TIPS (8477).
You can contact the reporter at nbruttell@havasunews.com
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Cumberland, TN: Couple found dead in Cumberland home
Both charged 4 days earlier in connection with alleged rape
By News Sentinel staff
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Authorities in Cumberland County have launched an investigation into the death of a couple whose bodies were found in their home late Thursday night - just four days after criminal charges were filed against them in connection with the rape of a 15-year-old girl.
The bodies of James Phillip Jones, 46, and Linda Mae Jones, 35, were discovered in bed at their home on Highway 70 in the Westal community by Linda Jones' father, Ed Hill, Hill told WVLT-TV in an interview.
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office officials could not be reached for comment Friday night. The case has not been labeled a homicide. It was not immediately known if authorities were investigating the case as a murder-suicide.
According to Rockwood Police Department reports and warrants filed in Roane County General Sessions Court, the Joneses are alleged to have had sex with the 15-year-old girl in their home.
The incident is alleged to have occurred in December of last year.
According to the documents, James Phillip Jones gave investigators a "voluntary written statement (of) his involvement."
He was charged with statutory rape.
Linda Mae Jones admitted "involvement and participation while her husband had (a) sexual encounter" with the girl, the documents stated.
A charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor was filed against her, according to the police records and court documents.
A state Department of Human Services investigator also participated in the investigation.
The charges against the couple were filed on Sunday, the same day the couple were interviewed by police investigators.
The couple were released on bond, pending their first court appearance scheduled for Aug. 16.
By News Sentinel staff
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Authorities in Cumberland County have launched an investigation into the death of a couple whose bodies were found in their home late Thursday night - just four days after criminal charges were filed against them in connection with the rape of a 15-year-old girl.
The bodies of James Phillip Jones, 46, and Linda Mae Jones, 35, were discovered in bed at their home on Highway 70 in the Westal community by Linda Jones' father, Ed Hill, Hill told WVLT-TV in an interview.
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office officials could not be reached for comment Friday night. The case has not been labeled a homicide. It was not immediately known if authorities were investigating the case as a murder-suicide.
According to Rockwood Police Department reports and warrants filed in Roane County General Sessions Court, the Joneses are alleged to have had sex with the 15-year-old girl in their home.
The incident is alleged to have occurred in December of last year.
According to the documents, James Phillip Jones gave investigators a "voluntary written statement (of) his involvement."
He was charged with statutory rape.
Linda Mae Jones admitted "involvement and participation while her husband had (a) sexual encounter" with the girl, the documents stated.
A charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor was filed against her, according to the police records and court documents.
A state Department of Human Services investigator also participated in the investigation.
The charges against the couple were filed on Sunday, the same day the couple were interviewed by police investigators.
The couple were released on bond, pending their first court appearance scheduled for Aug. 16.
Washington: Body found in Washington may be murder suspect from Colorado
July 30, 11:28 AM · Isabelle Zehnder - Seattle Headlines Examiner
July 30, 2010 - The body found at Riffe Lake in Western Washington may be that of a murder suspect from Colorado.
Sheriff Steve Mansfield of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release Friday stating that on Wednesday, at approximately 6 p.m., the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a recreational boater had found a body on Riffe Lake.
Deputies responded to the scene and discovered the badly decomposed human remains.
It was unknown at that time if the body was male or female but it was believed to be that of an adult.
Detectives processed the scene and have located identification in a backpack next to the body belonging to a 49-year-old Colorado man.
According to Sheriff Mansfield, positive identification has not been made but detectives learned the identification card found belonged to a man wanted for murder from Denver, Colorado.
The wanted man had a connection to Lewis County after his vehicles was found near Blue Lake Campground, outside of Randle, on Monday. At that time, the vehicle was impounded but the suspect was not located.
According to Denver officials, the man was wanted in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, which occurred in March of 2010.
Detectives are working with the Lewis County Coroner to determine cause of death and to make a positive identification.
July 30, 2010 - The body found at Riffe Lake in Western Washington may be that of a murder suspect from Colorado.
Sheriff Steve Mansfield of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release Friday stating that on Wednesday, at approximately 6 p.m., the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a recreational boater had found a body on Riffe Lake.
Deputies responded to the scene and discovered the badly decomposed human remains.
It was unknown at that time if the body was male or female but it was believed to be that of an adult.
Detectives processed the scene and have located identification in a backpack next to the body belonging to a 49-year-old Colorado man.
According to Sheriff Mansfield, positive identification has not been made but detectives learned the identification card found belonged to a man wanted for murder from Denver, Colorado.
The wanted man had a connection to Lewis County after his vehicles was found near Blue Lake Campground, outside of Randle, on Monday. At that time, the vehicle was impounded but the suspect was not located.
According to Denver officials, the man was wanted in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, which occurred in March of 2010.
Detectives are working with the Lewis County Coroner to determine cause of death and to make a positive identification.
Omaha, NE: Bond at $1M for Omaha man in girlfriend's death
Associated Press - July 30, 2010 7:15 PM ET
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Bond has been set at $1 million for an Omaha man charged in his girlfriend's beating death.
Larry Ebberson is suspected of first-degree murder in Mary Grayer's death. The 52-year-old remained in the Douglas County jail following Friday's court hearing.
Ebberson reported finding 53-year-old Mary Grayer in their yard last Friday night. Police say she was taken to a hospital, where staff determined she'd been assaulted. She died late Wednesday.
A phone number listed for a Larry Ebberson had been reassigned.
Information from: WOWT-TV, http://www.wowt.com
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Bond has been set at $1 million for an Omaha man charged in his girlfriend's beating death.
Larry Ebberson is suspected of first-degree murder in Mary Grayer's death. The 52-year-old remained in the Douglas County jail following Friday's court hearing.
Ebberson reported finding 53-year-old Mary Grayer in their yard last Friday night. Police say she was taken to a hospital, where staff determined she'd been assaulted. She died late Wednesday.
A phone number listed for a Larry Ebberson had been reassigned.
Information from: WOWT-TV, http://www.wowt.com
Sunset Hills, MO: Boyfriend charged in Sunset Hills murder
BY CHRISTINE BYERS • cbyers@post-dispatch.com > 314-863-2821 | Posted: Saturday, July 31, 2010
CLAYTON • James Harvey was charged Friday with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Sherry Bladdick.
Harvey, 37, of the 4200 block of Botanical Avenue, is in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Harvey served time from 1995 through 2002 in an Illinois prison for criminal sexual assault and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, stemming from a case in Rock Island County. He was 21 years old at the time of the attack, and the victim was 37.
He was in and out of prison in Illinois from 2005 through 2007 for failure to register as a sex offender in Madison County.
Bladdick, 49, of south St. Louis County, was found dead Sunday in the yard of an upscale subdivision in Sunset Hills after a party.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said Friday that Harvey was seen leaving the party with Bladdick and returned moments later saying she was unresponsive. An ambulance was called to the scene in the 10500 block of Anton Place, where she was found on a front lawn.
The medical examiner, Dr. Mary Case, said an initial exam suggested her death might be related to drinking at a party.
A police source said Bladdick's estranged husband demanded an autopsy, which revealed that Bladdick's neck had been broken. McCulloch said Bladdick's body would have been autopsied regardless.
"There may not have been significant external injuries, and that resulted in the belief that there may not have been foul play involved," McCulloch said.
Case ruled the death a homicide.
Sunset Hills police called the Major Case Squad for assistance. The squad typically requires a department to call within four hours after a body is discovered.
"They notified us within four hours of it being ruled a homicide," explained Lt. Bill Baker, the squad commander. "Obviously, they needed help and they were looking for manpower."
About 24 hours after the murder, Harvey was arrested in Belleville and charged with public drunkeness and possession of marijuana. He had been in custody at the St. Clair County Jail.
A police source said Harvey confessed to the murder and made incriminating statements on a relative's cell phone.
Sherry Bladdick's roommate, Jeanne, warned her about Harvey, who, a few weeks ago, violently grabbed Bladdick's arm and shouted insults during a late-night quarrel.
Bladdick lived in an apartment complex in an unincorporated area of south St. Louis County near Webster Groves and worked at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
CLAYTON • James Harvey was charged Friday with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, Sherry Bladdick.
Harvey, 37, of the 4200 block of Botanical Avenue, is in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Harvey served time from 1995 through 2002 in an Illinois prison for criminal sexual assault and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, stemming from a case in Rock Island County. He was 21 years old at the time of the attack, and the victim was 37.
He was in and out of prison in Illinois from 2005 through 2007 for failure to register as a sex offender in Madison County.
Bladdick, 49, of south St. Louis County, was found dead Sunday in the yard of an upscale subdivision in Sunset Hills after a party.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said Friday that Harvey was seen leaving the party with Bladdick and returned moments later saying she was unresponsive. An ambulance was called to the scene in the 10500 block of Anton Place, where she was found on a front lawn.
The medical examiner, Dr. Mary Case, said an initial exam suggested her death might be related to drinking at a party.
A police source said Bladdick's estranged husband demanded an autopsy, which revealed that Bladdick's neck had been broken. McCulloch said Bladdick's body would have been autopsied regardless.
"There may not have been significant external injuries, and that resulted in the belief that there may not have been foul play involved," McCulloch said.
Case ruled the death a homicide.
Sunset Hills police called the Major Case Squad for assistance. The squad typically requires a department to call within four hours after a body is discovered.
"They notified us within four hours of it being ruled a homicide," explained Lt. Bill Baker, the squad commander. "Obviously, they needed help and they were looking for manpower."
About 24 hours after the murder, Harvey was arrested in Belleville and charged with public drunkeness and possession of marijuana. He had been in custody at the St. Clair County Jail.
A police source said Harvey confessed to the murder and made incriminating statements on a relative's cell phone.
Sherry Bladdick's roommate, Jeanne, warned her about Harvey, who, a few weeks ago, violently grabbed Bladdick's arm and shouted insults during a late-night quarrel.
Bladdick lived in an apartment complex in an unincorporated area of south St. Louis County near Webster Groves and worked at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Albertville, AL: Prosecution rests case against Kathy Lowe
By Elizabeth Summers
The Reporter
Published July 31, 2010
The prosecution rested its case against Kathy Lowe on Friday.
Lowe is on trial in the shooting death of her husband, David Lowe, a former Marshall County Sheriff’s deputy and investigator for the Marshall County District Attorney’s office. The shooting took place on Nov. 11, 2008.
The defense team, led by Robert Tuten of Huntsville, began calling witnesses that included Marshall County District Attorney Steve Marshall, who testified he investigated allegations made by former DA employee Dola Dyson that David Lowe told her “there was a bullet with her name on it.”
Marshall said David Lowe admitted he said that and later took a medical retirement from his job as an investigator for the DA’s office.
David’s medical past
Dr. Russell Reeves and a registered nurse from his office testified David Lowe was suffering from coronary artery disease, which had necessitated a heart bypass surgery, diabetes and renal failure. Reeves testified David Lowe frequently did not follow the doctor’s recommended treatments and that in 2007, he was told the renal failure was end stage. Reeves said Lowe would have been dead “in a matter of weeks or months” because he refused to undergo dialysis.
The nurse testified due to the renal failure, toxins would build up in David Lowe’s system, causing confusion, and that she discussed this with Kathy Lowe.
Other witnesses called Friday included a couple who owned the Barnyard Grill barbecue restaurant in Albertville, a restaurant the Lowe family frequented and where Kathy and her son, Bryan, worked at one time; a private investigator employed by the defense; and law enforcement officers responding to the Lowe’s home in March 2008 to a domestic violence call.
Cell phone records
Alabama Bureau of Investigation agent Larry Crocker took the stand Thursday, discussing the cell phone service tower usage on the night of the shooting. Crocker, a computer and cell phone forensics expert, showed jurors a map outlining the Lowe’s home in relation to four towers accessed and used during specific calls placed and received Nov. 11.
Before leaving the stand, Renfroe and representatives from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the carriers of the Lowe’s home phone and cellular services, testified.
The representatives outlined calls made from the home and to and from a cell phone used and carried by Kathy Lowe. According to phone company records, eight calls were made from the home phone to Kathy Lowe’s cell phone between 7:46 and 8:59 p.m., the times she was supposed to have been held hostage by her husband. Calls were also made to Bryan Lowe’s cell phone and Kathy Lowe’s mother’s home phone.
Additionally, a series of calls were made from Kathy Lowe’s cell phone to Amanda and Bryan Lowe’s cell phones, Kathy Lowe’s mother’s home and, moments after the shooting, to Marshall County Sheriff Scott Walls’ cell phone. Incoming calls were also received from Bryan Lowe.
Alleged boyfriend
Nixon Chapel Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brian K. Walls took the stand as a friend of the Lowes who had been members of his department since 2006.
Walls testified that a Nixon Chapel VFD firefighter had a relationship with Kathy Lowe that caused two fellow Nixon Chapel firemen to file complaints of inappropriate conduct against the firefighters. According to Walls, two separate incidents reported by firemen in mid-2008 and again in September 2008 forced Walls to convene an officers’ meeting to discuss the firefighter’s conduct. The officers gave him the option of resigning from the VFD in an effort to keep his and the fire department’s good name and character intact, or be fired.
“He was seen kissing Kathy Lowe after a training session one night” in September, Walls said. “(A lieutenant) observed them and submitted a written statement to me the next day.
“We have conduct policies in place because we get federal grant money and we abide by their rules.”
Walls also testified Kathy Lowe had brought a copy of a do-not-resuscitate order, or an advanced life directive, to the fire department asking Walls to keep it on file. To Walls’ knowledge, no one has ever brought a DNR to the fire department during his eight years as fire chief. No similar documents were filed for Kathy Lowe or her children at that time, Walls said.
Autopsy results
State Medical Examiner Valerie Green testified to David Lowe’s autopsy results and said he suffered two gunshot wounds to the back, one of which was fatal.
Green said David Lowe was shot twice near his left shoulder blade, one wound about three inches below the other.
The first bullet penetrated his skin, went through the bones on the side of his spinal cord but caused no damage to the spinal cord itself, grazed the lower lobe of his lung and lodged in the right atrium of his heart. This wound was the fatal wound, Green said.
The second bullet entered in the muscles between the 11th and 12th ribs, perforated his diaphragm, hit his left kidney, pancreas and intestines before lodging in the muscles. He also suffered hemorrhaging around the left kidney.
Toxicology tests run on his blood samples tested negative for any illicit drugs and alcohol.
Witnesses
Diane Lamons, a retiree from both the Marshall County Sheriff’s office and District Attorney’s office, said she talked to Kathy Lowe by phone the day after the shooting while working at the DA’s office. She said Kathy Lowe explained to her David Lowe held her at gunpoint for several hours the day before and held her hostage. He allowed her to go to the bathroom at one point, but met her in the hall with a gun. Kathy Lowe said she told David Lowe to “go ahead and kill me” before returning to the living room. She went to the bathroom a second time later and was able to sneak into the bedroom to retrieve a gun, Kathy Lowe told Lamons.
She tried to sneak into the kitchen but was “caught” by David Lowe who slammed her into cabinets before following her out to the pool. She told him they both needed time apart to “cool off” but he refused to leave her, Lamons said.
Kathy Lowe said she fired two shots into the air to prove she knew how to use the gun before she saw David Lowe reach for his gun. Lamons said Kathy Lowe told her she was convinced David Lowe was going to shoot her, then go to her mother’s house nearby and kill her mother and two children. That is when Kathy Lowe shot David Lowe, Lamons said.
Lamons also testified that David Lowe and his son, Bryan Lowe, had fought over money. She said Bryan Lowe “irritated” David Lowe with constant requests for money and refusal to get a job.
Cynthia Canfield, a retiree from the DA’s office, testified Kathy Lowe called the DA’s office the day after the shooting and talked to her. She said Kathy Lowe told her the events unfolded differently, saying David Lowe argued all day over Kathy Lowe’s decision to allow daughter Amanda Lowe to use the family car.
Amanda Lowe called Kathy Lowe during the evening, saying she had returned from a school ballgame and was at her grandmother’s home nearby. During the phone call, Kathy Lowe asked to speak with Bryan Lowe, telling him she and David Lowe were arguing, the fight was bad and not to allow Amanda Lowe to return to the family’s home, Canfield said. Kathy Lowe also told Bryan Lowe she was going to try to diffuse the situation if possible, she told Canfield.
Canfield said the ending of the story was the same, that Kathy Lowe shot two rounds into the air, then shot David Lowe once before firing blindly at him two more times.
In cross examination, Canfield told defense attorney Richard Tuten Kathy Lowe had told her of one instance of domestic violence where she had gotten between David and Bryan Lowe.
Dola Dyson, a former DA’s office employee, testified she stopped by Kathy Lowe’s mother’s home the day following the shooting. Her conversation with Kathy Lowe included David Lowe holding her hostage for 45 minutes before being able to run into another room to find a gun. She took the gun and ran outside, Kathy Lowe told Dyson, but David Lowe found her. When his right hand reached toward a gun in his right pocket, Kathy Lowe was forced to shoot him, Dyson said she was told.
Dyson said during her visit, Kathy Lowe seemed “very calm and collected” and was not crying. She also said the children were not emotional and did not cry or display any type of emotions.
Dyson said she thought David Lowe “worshiped the ground” Kathy Lowe walked on but that Kathy Lowe “wore the pants in the family,” during the time she knew the couple.
Canfield was recalled and stated Kathy Lowe had told her a story of how Bryan Lowe had hidden a gun of some type in the fields behind the house “in case he ever had to take his daddy out, he wouldn’t have to get too close.”
Charles Lee, a 17-year veteran of the DA’s office, testified he talked to Kathy Lowe by phone Nov. 12, when Kathy Lowe asked him to be a pallbearer for David Lowe’s funeral.
The day began with David and Kathy Lowe arguing and David Lowe pointing a gun at Kathy Lowe most of the day. Lee said Kathy Lowe told him the argument began over a credit or debit card statement. David Lowe followed Kathy Lowe throughout the house, telling her to get a gun so they could “shoot it out.”
Kathy Lowe was able to get a gun later in the evening, but David Lowe took it from her, taking out the bullets after pointing and cocking another gun at her, she told Lee.
The couple scuffled over the gun in the kitchen, Lee said Kathy Lowe told him, and she ran out of the house to the pool steps. David Lowe tried to get Kathy Lowe to go back into the house with him, but she refused, Lee said.
She “popped off” a couple of rounds then shot David Lowe as he reached for his gun. She shot at him two more times “with her eyes shut,” then ran to her mother’s house nearby for help, Lee said he was told.
Inconsistencies
During nearly five hours on the witness stand Wednesday, ABI agent Bradley Renfroe discussed Kathy Lowe’s statements made to him in the early morning hours following the shooting and again in a second meeting in late January.
He pointed out inconsistencies in her story, including if she was truly held hostage by her husband, and if so, for how long, and what was the actual trigger for the argument that ultimately led to David Lowe’s death late in the evening Nov. 11, 2008
Son’s 911 call
On Wednesday, the court heard a 911 call placed by her son, Bryan, immediately following the shooting and testimony from Alabama Bureau of Investigation officers regarding her statements made hours and months following the incident.
During the 911 call, Bryan Lowe is heard initially reporting “y’all have a domestic violence case at my house. You’re going to need to get deputies here now,” he continues.
He told dispatchers, “I don’t know if my dad killed my mom or if he committed suicide … Dad is trying to get up and trying to pull a gun on my mom. I’m going over there to see what is going on and take care of my mom.
“She pulled a gun on my dad and shot my dad … I’m not going up there … he’s trying to get a gun out.”
In the background of the call, a person sobbing loudly can be heard.
The trial is expected to last into next week.
The Reporter
Published July 31, 2010
The prosecution rested its case against Kathy Lowe on Friday.
Lowe is on trial in the shooting death of her husband, David Lowe, a former Marshall County Sheriff’s deputy and investigator for the Marshall County District Attorney’s office. The shooting took place on Nov. 11, 2008.
The defense team, led by Robert Tuten of Huntsville, began calling witnesses that included Marshall County District Attorney Steve Marshall, who testified he investigated allegations made by former DA employee Dola Dyson that David Lowe told her “there was a bullet with her name on it.”
Marshall said David Lowe admitted he said that and later took a medical retirement from his job as an investigator for the DA’s office.
David’s medical past
Dr. Russell Reeves and a registered nurse from his office testified David Lowe was suffering from coronary artery disease, which had necessitated a heart bypass surgery, diabetes and renal failure. Reeves testified David Lowe frequently did not follow the doctor’s recommended treatments and that in 2007, he was told the renal failure was end stage. Reeves said Lowe would have been dead “in a matter of weeks or months” because he refused to undergo dialysis.
The nurse testified due to the renal failure, toxins would build up in David Lowe’s system, causing confusion, and that she discussed this with Kathy Lowe.
Other witnesses called Friday included a couple who owned the Barnyard Grill barbecue restaurant in Albertville, a restaurant the Lowe family frequented and where Kathy and her son, Bryan, worked at one time; a private investigator employed by the defense; and law enforcement officers responding to the Lowe’s home in March 2008 to a domestic violence call.
Cell phone records
Alabama Bureau of Investigation agent Larry Crocker took the stand Thursday, discussing the cell phone service tower usage on the night of the shooting. Crocker, a computer and cell phone forensics expert, showed jurors a map outlining the Lowe’s home in relation to four towers accessed and used during specific calls placed and received Nov. 11.
Before leaving the stand, Renfroe and representatives from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the carriers of the Lowe’s home phone and cellular services, testified.
The representatives outlined calls made from the home and to and from a cell phone used and carried by Kathy Lowe. According to phone company records, eight calls were made from the home phone to Kathy Lowe’s cell phone between 7:46 and 8:59 p.m., the times she was supposed to have been held hostage by her husband. Calls were also made to Bryan Lowe’s cell phone and Kathy Lowe’s mother’s home phone.
Additionally, a series of calls were made from Kathy Lowe’s cell phone to Amanda and Bryan Lowe’s cell phones, Kathy Lowe’s mother’s home and, moments after the shooting, to Marshall County Sheriff Scott Walls’ cell phone. Incoming calls were also received from Bryan Lowe.
Alleged boyfriend
Nixon Chapel Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brian K. Walls took the stand as a friend of the Lowes who had been members of his department since 2006.
Walls testified that a Nixon Chapel VFD firefighter had a relationship with Kathy Lowe that caused two fellow Nixon Chapel firemen to file complaints of inappropriate conduct against the firefighters. According to Walls, two separate incidents reported by firemen in mid-2008 and again in September 2008 forced Walls to convene an officers’ meeting to discuss the firefighter’s conduct. The officers gave him the option of resigning from the VFD in an effort to keep his and the fire department’s good name and character intact, or be fired.
“He was seen kissing Kathy Lowe after a training session one night” in September, Walls said. “(A lieutenant) observed them and submitted a written statement to me the next day.
“We have conduct policies in place because we get federal grant money and we abide by their rules.”
Walls also testified Kathy Lowe had brought a copy of a do-not-resuscitate order, or an advanced life directive, to the fire department asking Walls to keep it on file. To Walls’ knowledge, no one has ever brought a DNR to the fire department during his eight years as fire chief. No similar documents were filed for Kathy Lowe or her children at that time, Walls said.
Autopsy results
State Medical Examiner Valerie Green testified to David Lowe’s autopsy results and said he suffered two gunshot wounds to the back, one of which was fatal.
Green said David Lowe was shot twice near his left shoulder blade, one wound about three inches below the other.
The first bullet penetrated his skin, went through the bones on the side of his spinal cord but caused no damage to the spinal cord itself, grazed the lower lobe of his lung and lodged in the right atrium of his heart. This wound was the fatal wound, Green said.
The second bullet entered in the muscles between the 11th and 12th ribs, perforated his diaphragm, hit his left kidney, pancreas and intestines before lodging in the muscles. He also suffered hemorrhaging around the left kidney.
Toxicology tests run on his blood samples tested negative for any illicit drugs and alcohol.
Witnesses
Diane Lamons, a retiree from both the Marshall County Sheriff’s office and District Attorney’s office, said she talked to Kathy Lowe by phone the day after the shooting while working at the DA’s office. She said Kathy Lowe explained to her David Lowe held her at gunpoint for several hours the day before and held her hostage. He allowed her to go to the bathroom at one point, but met her in the hall with a gun. Kathy Lowe said she told David Lowe to “go ahead and kill me” before returning to the living room. She went to the bathroom a second time later and was able to sneak into the bedroom to retrieve a gun, Kathy Lowe told Lamons.
She tried to sneak into the kitchen but was “caught” by David Lowe who slammed her into cabinets before following her out to the pool. She told him they both needed time apart to “cool off” but he refused to leave her, Lamons said.
Kathy Lowe said she fired two shots into the air to prove she knew how to use the gun before she saw David Lowe reach for his gun. Lamons said Kathy Lowe told her she was convinced David Lowe was going to shoot her, then go to her mother’s house nearby and kill her mother and two children. That is when Kathy Lowe shot David Lowe, Lamons said.
Lamons also testified that David Lowe and his son, Bryan Lowe, had fought over money. She said Bryan Lowe “irritated” David Lowe with constant requests for money and refusal to get a job.
Cynthia Canfield, a retiree from the DA’s office, testified Kathy Lowe called the DA’s office the day after the shooting and talked to her. She said Kathy Lowe told her the events unfolded differently, saying David Lowe argued all day over Kathy Lowe’s decision to allow daughter Amanda Lowe to use the family car.
Amanda Lowe called Kathy Lowe during the evening, saying she had returned from a school ballgame and was at her grandmother’s home nearby. During the phone call, Kathy Lowe asked to speak with Bryan Lowe, telling him she and David Lowe were arguing, the fight was bad and not to allow Amanda Lowe to return to the family’s home, Canfield said. Kathy Lowe also told Bryan Lowe she was going to try to diffuse the situation if possible, she told Canfield.
Canfield said the ending of the story was the same, that Kathy Lowe shot two rounds into the air, then shot David Lowe once before firing blindly at him two more times.
In cross examination, Canfield told defense attorney Richard Tuten Kathy Lowe had told her of one instance of domestic violence where she had gotten between David and Bryan Lowe.
Dola Dyson, a former DA’s office employee, testified she stopped by Kathy Lowe’s mother’s home the day following the shooting. Her conversation with Kathy Lowe included David Lowe holding her hostage for 45 minutes before being able to run into another room to find a gun. She took the gun and ran outside, Kathy Lowe told Dyson, but David Lowe found her. When his right hand reached toward a gun in his right pocket, Kathy Lowe was forced to shoot him, Dyson said she was told.
Dyson said during her visit, Kathy Lowe seemed “very calm and collected” and was not crying. She also said the children were not emotional and did not cry or display any type of emotions.
Dyson said she thought David Lowe “worshiped the ground” Kathy Lowe walked on but that Kathy Lowe “wore the pants in the family,” during the time she knew the couple.
Canfield was recalled and stated Kathy Lowe had told her a story of how Bryan Lowe had hidden a gun of some type in the fields behind the house “in case he ever had to take his daddy out, he wouldn’t have to get too close.”
Charles Lee, a 17-year veteran of the DA’s office, testified he talked to Kathy Lowe by phone Nov. 12, when Kathy Lowe asked him to be a pallbearer for David Lowe’s funeral.
The day began with David and Kathy Lowe arguing and David Lowe pointing a gun at Kathy Lowe most of the day. Lee said Kathy Lowe told him the argument began over a credit or debit card statement. David Lowe followed Kathy Lowe throughout the house, telling her to get a gun so they could “shoot it out.”
Kathy Lowe was able to get a gun later in the evening, but David Lowe took it from her, taking out the bullets after pointing and cocking another gun at her, she told Lee.
The couple scuffled over the gun in the kitchen, Lee said Kathy Lowe told him, and she ran out of the house to the pool steps. David Lowe tried to get Kathy Lowe to go back into the house with him, but she refused, Lee said.
She “popped off” a couple of rounds then shot David Lowe as he reached for his gun. She shot at him two more times “with her eyes shut,” then ran to her mother’s house nearby for help, Lee said he was told.
Inconsistencies
During nearly five hours on the witness stand Wednesday, ABI agent Bradley Renfroe discussed Kathy Lowe’s statements made to him in the early morning hours following the shooting and again in a second meeting in late January.
He pointed out inconsistencies in her story, including if she was truly held hostage by her husband, and if so, for how long, and what was the actual trigger for the argument that ultimately led to David Lowe’s death late in the evening Nov. 11, 2008
Son’s 911 call
On Wednesday, the court heard a 911 call placed by her son, Bryan, immediately following the shooting and testimony from Alabama Bureau of Investigation officers regarding her statements made hours and months following the incident.
During the 911 call, Bryan Lowe is heard initially reporting “y’all have a domestic violence case at my house. You’re going to need to get deputies here now,” he continues.
He told dispatchers, “I don’t know if my dad killed my mom or if he committed suicide … Dad is trying to get up and trying to pull a gun on my mom. I’m going over there to see what is going on and take care of my mom.
“She pulled a gun on my dad and shot my dad … I’m not going up there … he’s trying to get a gun out.”
In the background of the call, a person sobbing loudly can be heard.
The trial is expected to last into next week.
Piscataway, NJ: Man again seeks to overturn conviction for murder of two women in Piscataway
By KEN SERRANO
STAFF WRITER
A man convicted of murdering two women in Piscataway, one the daughter of poet Amiri Baraka, has renewed his bid to have his conviction overturned.
Ibn El-Amin Pasha, also known as James Coleman, appeared in Superior Court, New Brunswick on Friday for a post-conviction relief hearing.
Among other arguments, the 41-year-old Pasha is contending that he should get a new trial because he was not tried separately on related domestic-violence charges, keeping him from testifying on those charges alone.
Judge Frederick DeVesa set a tentative hearing date of Dec. 13.
Pasha shot Shani Baraka, 31, and her companion, Rayshon Holmes, 30, following a series of violent incidents against Baraka's half-sister, Wanda Wilson, who is Pasha's former wife.
The bodies of the two women were found on Aug. 12, 2003, in Wilson's home by friends of Wilson who came to check on the house while she was vacationing. Prosecutors argued that Pasha killed Baraka, a girls' basketball coach at Malcolm X. Shabazz High School in Newark, because she was living at the house and had helped Wilson break off her relationship with Pasha. Holmes, of Irvington, was killed because she was a witness to the murder, prosecutors said. Two years ago, a state appeals court upheld Pasha's conviction and his 168-year prison sentence.
Among Pasha's arguments rejected then by the three-judge panel was that his sentence was "manifestly excessive."
Ken Serrano: 732-565-7212; kserrano@MyCentralJersey.com
STAFF WRITER
A man convicted of murdering two women in Piscataway, one the daughter of poet Amiri Baraka, has renewed his bid to have his conviction overturned.
Ibn El-Amin Pasha, also known as James Coleman, appeared in Superior Court, New Brunswick on Friday for a post-conviction relief hearing.
Among other arguments, the 41-year-old Pasha is contending that he should get a new trial because he was not tried separately on related domestic-violence charges, keeping him from testifying on those charges alone.
Judge Frederick DeVesa set a tentative hearing date of Dec. 13.
Pasha shot Shani Baraka, 31, and her companion, Rayshon Holmes, 30, following a series of violent incidents against Baraka's half-sister, Wanda Wilson, who is Pasha's former wife.
The bodies of the two women were found on Aug. 12, 2003, in Wilson's home by friends of Wilson who came to check on the house while she was vacationing. Prosecutors argued that Pasha killed Baraka, a girls' basketball coach at Malcolm X. Shabazz High School in Newark, because she was living at the house and had helped Wilson break off her relationship with Pasha. Holmes, of Irvington, was killed because she was a witness to the murder, prosecutors said. Two years ago, a state appeals court upheld Pasha's conviction and his 168-year prison sentence.
Among Pasha's arguments rejected then by the three-judge panel was that his sentence was "manifestly excessive."
Ken Serrano: 732-565-7212; kserrano@MyCentralJersey.com
Wooster, OH: Murder-suicide or double suicide: Six children in Wooster home with dead man, woman
Staff and wire reports
WOOSTER -- Authorities are investigating the death of a man and woman found inside a Wooster home Friday morning.
Wooster police are calling the incident a domestic situation, WKYC.com reported Friday afternoon.
According to the Wayne County Coroner's Office, the man had a knife wound to the chest. The cause of the woman's death is being determined.
Police said it appears to be a murder-suicide or double suicide.
Six children were in the home at the time of the incident.
Police said a co-worker of one of the deceased received an e-mail, asking to have police check on the children.
The names of the deceased are not being released.
WOOSTER -- Authorities are investigating the death of a man and woman found inside a Wooster home Friday morning.
Wooster police are calling the incident a domestic situation, WKYC.com reported Friday afternoon.
According to the Wayne County Coroner's Office, the man had a knife wound to the chest. The cause of the woman's death is being determined.
Police said it appears to be a murder-suicide or double suicide.
Six children were in the home at the time of the incident.
Police said a co-worker of one of the deceased received an e-mail, asking to have police check on the children.
The names of the deceased are not being released.
Pendleton, IN: Murder-suicide in Pendleton
Updated: Jul 31, 2010 8:42 AM EDT
Enlarge this picture
Pendleton- An early morning shooting at a diner in Pendleton left a man and a woman dead.
Police are calling it a murder-suicide. They say a 56-year-old man entered the Deb and Donna's Diner on East State Street right as it opened Saturday morning.
The man shot and killed his 51-year old ex-girlfriend, who worked in the diner, and then shot himself.
Police say the pair broke up just a few days ago.
Names of the victims have not been released.
Enlarge this picture
Pendleton- An early morning shooting at a diner in Pendleton left a man and a woman dead.
Police are calling it a murder-suicide. They say a 56-year-old man entered the Deb and Donna's Diner on East State Street right as it opened Saturday morning.
The man shot and killed his 51-year old ex-girlfriend, who worked in the diner, and then shot himself.
Police say the pair broke up just a few days ago.
Names of the victims have not been released.
Buckner, MO: Buckner man acquitted in death of live-in girlfriend
A Jackson County jury Friday acquitted a Buckner man of a murder charge stemming from the 2008 shooting death of his live-in girlfriend.
Prosecutors had charged John F. Beltz, 25, with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the August 2008 death of Michelle Grush, 24, who had two children with Beltz.
The defense called former Jackson County medical examiner Thomas Young, who testified that Grush’s wound was self-inflicted, countering the homicide finding of current medical examiner Mary Dudley.
Defense attorney Dan Ross said the forensic evidence of suicide was compelling and “proved the correctness of my client’s innocence.”
Prosecutors had charged John F. Beltz, 25, with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the August 2008 death of Michelle Grush, 24, who had two children with Beltz.
The defense called former Jackson County medical examiner Thomas Young, who testified that Grush’s wound was self-inflicted, countering the homicide finding of current medical examiner Mary Dudley.
Defense attorney Dan Ross said the forensic evidence of suicide was compelling and “proved the correctness of my client’s innocence.”
Springfield, OR: Springfield Man Pleads 'Not Guilty' to Wife's Murder
By Heather Hintze
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- A Springfield man is behind bars in connection with his wife's death nearly five months ago.
On March 5th, police responded to an emergency call at this house on Rivertree Way in Springfield. They found the body of 62-year-old Andrea Wiggins in a hot tub. Her husband William Wiggins is now charged with murder.
"Anytime you get an event like this you want to make sure you have all the information you possibly have, and we had a story at the time that didn't make sense with the evidence we were shown, and it took us a while to put that together," said Sgt. David Lewis.
Nearly five months later, William Wiggins is behind bars, charged with the murder of his wife Andrea. Her death was initially ruled a homicide in March after the autopsy.
"The autopsy report revealed Mrs. Wiggins died of strangulation and fresh water drowning," said Lewis.
Officers say there is indication the two were having marital problems.
"Some of it was financial, some of it was motivational," said Lewis.
At the time of her death, Andrea was assistant dean for advancement in the College of Education at the University of Oregon, a position she held for 11 years.
"Massive loss. Andrea was beloved. I can't think of anybody who didn't think the world of Andrea. She was our greatest cheerleader, our greatest advocate, and she was fun to be around," said College of Education Dean Mike Bullis.
Even though she's gone, Andrea leaves a legacy behind on the University of Oregon campus, through her work to help students get the best education they can.
"She raised more than $30 million for us to build the new HEDCO Building which is the most technologically advanced building on campus and to renovate these historical buildings. She was also passionately committed," said Bullis.
Wiggins plead not guilty at his arraignment this afternoon. He is scheduled to appear again for his 35-day call.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- A Springfield man is behind bars in connection with his wife's death nearly five months ago.
On March 5th, police responded to an emergency call at this house on Rivertree Way in Springfield. They found the body of 62-year-old Andrea Wiggins in a hot tub. Her husband William Wiggins is now charged with murder.
"Anytime you get an event like this you want to make sure you have all the information you possibly have, and we had a story at the time that didn't make sense with the evidence we were shown, and it took us a while to put that together," said Sgt. David Lewis.
Nearly five months later, William Wiggins is behind bars, charged with the murder of his wife Andrea. Her death was initially ruled a homicide in March after the autopsy.
"The autopsy report revealed Mrs. Wiggins died of strangulation and fresh water drowning," said Lewis.
Officers say there is indication the two were having marital problems.
"Some of it was financial, some of it was motivational," said Lewis.
At the time of her death, Andrea was assistant dean for advancement in the College of Education at the University of Oregon, a position she held for 11 years.
"Massive loss. Andrea was beloved. I can't think of anybody who didn't think the world of Andrea. She was our greatest cheerleader, our greatest advocate, and she was fun to be around," said College of Education Dean Mike Bullis.
Even though she's gone, Andrea leaves a legacy behind on the University of Oregon campus, through her work to help students get the best education they can.
"She raised more than $30 million for us to build the new HEDCO Building which is the most technologically advanced building on campus and to renovate these historical buildings. She was also passionately committed," said Bullis.
Wiggins plead not guilty at his arraignment this afternoon. He is scheduled to appear again for his 35-day call.
Hebron, KY: Husband Charged in Hebron Wife's Death
Daryl Attwood is accused of killing his wife Linda on July 30, 2010. (WKRC-TV)
The Boone County Sheriff's Department has now charged a man in the death of his wife in Hebron. 48 year old Daryl Attwood is accused of killing his wife, 48 year old Linda Attwood, sometime this morning.
Linda's body was found in the couple's home in the 3200 block of Limaburg Road in Hebron. Police haven't commented on how she died.
Neighbors tell Local 12 the couple was fun-loving, and seemed to have no quarrels between them. They moved to Hebron from Boston about six months ago and have three sons, two of which visited the couple just recently.
Officials carried out several bags of items and searched the family car during today's investigation.
The Boone County Sheriff's Department has now charged a man in the death of his wife in Hebron. 48 year old Daryl Attwood is accused of killing his wife, 48 year old Linda Attwood, sometime this morning.
Linda's body was found in the couple's home in the 3200 block of Limaburg Road in Hebron. Police haven't commented on how she died.
Neighbors tell Local 12 the couple was fun-loving, and seemed to have no quarrels between them. They moved to Hebron from Boston about six months ago and have three sons, two of which visited the couple just recently.
Officials carried out several bags of items and searched the family car during today's investigation.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Carroll County, GA: Judge: Student Was Strangled To Death
IMAGES: Murder Suspects Appear In Court
Posted: 12:36 pm EDT July 30, 2010
Updated: 3:30 pm EDT July 30, 2010
CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. -- The two people suspected of killing a University of West Georgia student appeared in court Friday afternoon, and the judge revealed startling details about the woman's death.
Magistrate Judge Al Johnson revealed in court Friday that Marcelle "Marci" Elliott, 21, had been strangled to death.
Farrah Strength, 29, along with Joshua Clay, 31, are accused of luring Elliott to her death last week.
Both were denied bond Friday.
Police said they think Strength and Clay killed her inside Strength's mother's Lovvorn Road home, and then dumped her body in some woods south of town.
SLIDESHOW: Murder Suspects Appear In Court
Documents indicating that Strength was involved in another murder investigation seven years ago have been discovered.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Richard Elliot uncovered Carroll County Sheriff's Office documents showing Strength's mother, Christine, was charged with murder in the death of her husband, Jerry, in 2003. Detectives said Christine Strength, armed with a pistol in both hands, gunned down her husband, Farrah's father, outside their Carroll County mobile home.
Investigators told Elliot that Farrah Strength was not home at the time of the shooting, but did provide them with statements saying she and her mother had been the victim of years of domestic abuse at the hands of Jerry Strength. She also claimed her father raped her.
Deputies charged Christine Strength with murder, and the District Attorney's office presented the case to the grand jury, but the grand jury "no billed" it -- meaning that the grand jury believed there was insufficient evidence to indict.
Farrah Strength and Clay were arrested and charged with murder on Thursday. They are being held in the Carroll County Jail.
Police said Strength and Elliott were acquaintances.
Detectives confirmed that they discovered the Elliott's body in a wooded area off Laurel Road about 5 miles from where she was last seen on July 22.
"It's extremely sad," said Carrollton police Capt. Jamison Sailors. "It's always awful when a 21-year old girl loses her life. It's never an easy thing. I know it's not easy for the family."
Police said Elliott's father first made contact with Strength shortly after he reported his daughter missing. He found her number while searching through his daughter's cell phone account. At first, police said Strength was very helpful in talking with the father and with police.
"She was very cooperative," said Sailors. "She spoke with detectives. But then the evidence started mounting and she turned into a suspect."
Police would not give a motive for the killing.
"(Strength is) the type of person I would stay away from," said E.J. Critten, Strength's neighbor on Lovvern Road.
Critten said he watched early Thursday morning as police searched Strength's house and carted away boxes of evidence. He said he knew Strength pretty well, but kept his daughters away from her because she often acted and spoke strangely.
"She was a cool person until she told me she had seen a demon," said Critten. "She said a demon had talked to her when she was a little girl and had drove her to study demons."
WSB-TV
Strength's mother did not want to speak on camera on Thursday, but provided Channel 2 with a handwritten statement. It read, "First, I would like to extend my deepest condolinses to the family. And with all sensirity, I know nothing about this incident, and have no further statement. I would appritiate if the media would leave my family alone in this difficult time."
Posted: 12:36 pm EDT July 30, 2010
Updated: 3:30 pm EDT July 30, 2010
CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. -- The two people suspected of killing a University of West Georgia student appeared in court Friday afternoon, and the judge revealed startling details about the woman's death.
Magistrate Judge Al Johnson revealed in court Friday that Marcelle "Marci" Elliott, 21, had been strangled to death.
Farrah Strength, 29, along with Joshua Clay, 31, are accused of luring Elliott to her death last week.
Both were denied bond Friday.
Police said they think Strength and Clay killed her inside Strength's mother's Lovvorn Road home, and then dumped her body in some woods south of town.
SLIDESHOW: Murder Suspects Appear In Court
Documents indicating that Strength was involved in another murder investigation seven years ago have been discovered.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Richard Elliot uncovered Carroll County Sheriff's Office documents showing Strength's mother, Christine, was charged with murder in the death of her husband, Jerry, in 2003. Detectives said Christine Strength, armed with a pistol in both hands, gunned down her husband, Farrah's father, outside their Carroll County mobile home.
Investigators told Elliot that Farrah Strength was not home at the time of the shooting, but did provide them with statements saying she and her mother had been the victim of years of domestic abuse at the hands of Jerry Strength. She also claimed her father raped her.
Deputies charged Christine Strength with murder, and the District Attorney's office presented the case to the grand jury, but the grand jury "no billed" it -- meaning that the grand jury believed there was insufficient evidence to indict.
Farrah Strength and Clay were arrested and charged with murder on Thursday. They are being held in the Carroll County Jail.
Police said Strength and Elliott were acquaintances.
Detectives confirmed that they discovered the Elliott's body in a wooded area off Laurel Road about 5 miles from where she was last seen on July 22.
"It's extremely sad," said Carrollton police Capt. Jamison Sailors. "It's always awful when a 21-year old girl loses her life. It's never an easy thing. I know it's not easy for the family."
Police said Elliott's father first made contact with Strength shortly after he reported his daughter missing. He found her number while searching through his daughter's cell phone account. At first, police said Strength was very helpful in talking with the father and with police.
"She was very cooperative," said Sailors. "She spoke with detectives. But then the evidence started mounting and she turned into a suspect."
Police would not give a motive for the killing.
"(Strength is) the type of person I would stay away from," said E.J. Critten, Strength's neighbor on Lovvern Road.
Critten said he watched early Thursday morning as police searched Strength's house and carted away boxes of evidence. He said he knew Strength pretty well, but kept his daughters away from her because she often acted and spoke strangely.
"She was a cool person until she told me she had seen a demon," said Critten. "She said a demon had talked to her when she was a little girl and had drove her to study demons."
WSB-TV
Strength's mother did not want to speak on camera on Thursday, but provided Channel 2 with a handwritten statement. It read, "First, I would like to extend my deepest condolinses to the family. And with all sensirity, I know nothing about this incident, and have no further statement. I would appritiate if the media would leave my family alone in this difficult time."
Belleville, IL: Woman is found guilty of murder: 'This is not an abused wife. This is a cocaine addict'
BY MARIA BARAN - News-Democrat
BELLEVILLE -- Cindy Shepheard was convicted Thursday night of killing her husband.
It was the end of the fourth day of her trial for the murder of her husband, Erick Shepheard, whose body was found with a bullet wound to the chest and head inside their burned out home at 6560 Press Road near Freeburg on Jan. 2, 2008.
Jurors -- 11 women and one man -- deliberated for more than two hours before announcing they had found Cindy Shepheard guilty of first-degree murder.
St. Clair County Circuit Judge John Baricevic set the sentencing date for Sept. 21. She faces a sentence ranging between 20 and 60 years in prison.
J. Lindsay, who is married to the victim's aunt, said he was pleased with the verdict.
"I would like to say it's nice to see justice done," Lindsay said.
Lindsay said the most powerful evidence during the trial came in the form of Cindy Shepheard's testimony.
"The indecisiveness of her testimony and the changes in her story convinced the jury," he said.
Defense lawyer Rick Roustio declined to comment on the verdict, though he said he believed "the actual incident" of Erick Shepheard's death deserved a charge of second-degree homicide.
"It's the baggage on the frontside and the backside that were hard to get over," Roustio said, alluding to allegations of drug use by his client that arose during the trial.
Cindy Shepheard, 36, testified earlier in the day that she feared her husband's beatings after she broke his rules.
It was just a week before the shooting that Cindy Shepheard said that her husband beat her backside with a hairbrush so badly that she could barely sit. Under questioning, she agreed that her husband had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sort of temperament.
Cindy Shepheard's oldest daughter, 16-year-old Danielle Matusak, testified that she had never witnessed Erick Shepheard lay a hand on Cindy Shepheard. Danielle also testified that she had never seen bruises on her mother's body or had been told of physical abuse from her mother.
In contrast, she said that she had witnessed her mother throw things and hit and push during occasional arguments with the 34-year-old Erick Shepheard.
The teen described her deceased stepdad as "on the quiet side" but the two "had a really close relationship."
It was Erick Shepheard who was at home watching his stepdaughters Danielle, and her younger sister, Raven, and Erick and Cindy's older son, Keaton, on Dec. 31, 2007.
At the same time, Cindy Shepheard rang in 2008 with a cocaine binge at a male drug supplier's house in Swansea.
Cindy Shepheard said she knew her husband would be mad when she returned home on New Year's after being out all night and day with their 10-month-old son, Tanner.
While on the stand, she said that she didn't remember shooting her husband in the chest with the .38-caliber revolver that was given to her by the drug supplier.
"It's just a big blur," she said, in between sobs.
"I didn't know I had shot him. I don't really know. He was just angry with me. I didn't think he was hurt," she continued.
When talking to police in the days after the shooting, "she did not believe Erick Shepheard had died," Roustio said. "She thought he was at work."
She also said that she had no role in starting the fire that destroyed the family's home with her husband's body inside.
"She wants us to think that she was too abused to even remember what happened," Assistant State's Attorney Steve Sallerson said during closing arguments. "This is not an abused wife. This is a cocaine addict."
Reporter Mike Fitzgerald contributed information to this article. Contact reporter Maria Baran at mbaran@bnd.com or 239-2460.
BELLEVILLE -- Cindy Shepheard was convicted Thursday night of killing her husband.
It was the end of the fourth day of her trial for the murder of her husband, Erick Shepheard, whose body was found with a bullet wound to the chest and head inside their burned out home at 6560 Press Road near Freeburg on Jan. 2, 2008.
Jurors -- 11 women and one man -- deliberated for more than two hours before announcing they had found Cindy Shepheard guilty of first-degree murder.
St. Clair County Circuit Judge John Baricevic set the sentencing date for Sept. 21. She faces a sentence ranging between 20 and 60 years in prison.
J. Lindsay, who is married to the victim's aunt, said he was pleased with the verdict.
"I would like to say it's nice to see justice done," Lindsay said.
Lindsay said the most powerful evidence during the trial came in the form of Cindy Shepheard's testimony.
"The indecisiveness of her testimony and the changes in her story convinced the jury," he said.
Defense lawyer Rick Roustio declined to comment on the verdict, though he said he believed "the actual incident" of Erick Shepheard's death deserved a charge of second-degree homicide.
"It's the baggage on the frontside and the backside that were hard to get over," Roustio said, alluding to allegations of drug use by his client that arose during the trial.
Cindy Shepheard, 36, testified earlier in the day that she feared her husband's beatings after she broke his rules.
It was just a week before the shooting that Cindy Shepheard said that her husband beat her backside with a hairbrush so badly that she could barely sit. Under questioning, she agreed that her husband had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sort of temperament.
Cindy Shepheard's oldest daughter, 16-year-old Danielle Matusak, testified that she had never witnessed Erick Shepheard lay a hand on Cindy Shepheard. Danielle also testified that she had never seen bruises on her mother's body or had been told of physical abuse from her mother.
In contrast, she said that she had witnessed her mother throw things and hit and push during occasional arguments with the 34-year-old Erick Shepheard.
The teen described her deceased stepdad as "on the quiet side" but the two "had a really close relationship."
It was Erick Shepheard who was at home watching his stepdaughters Danielle, and her younger sister, Raven, and Erick and Cindy's older son, Keaton, on Dec. 31, 2007.
At the same time, Cindy Shepheard rang in 2008 with a cocaine binge at a male drug supplier's house in Swansea.
Cindy Shepheard said she knew her husband would be mad when she returned home on New Year's after being out all night and day with their 10-month-old son, Tanner.
While on the stand, she said that she didn't remember shooting her husband in the chest with the .38-caliber revolver that was given to her by the drug supplier.
"It's just a big blur," she said, in between sobs.
"I didn't know I had shot him. I don't really know. He was just angry with me. I didn't think he was hurt," she continued.
When talking to police in the days after the shooting, "she did not believe Erick Shepheard had died," Roustio said. "She thought he was at work."
She also said that she had no role in starting the fire that destroyed the family's home with her husband's body inside.
"She wants us to think that she was too abused to even remember what happened," Assistant State's Attorney Steve Sallerson said during closing arguments. "This is not an abused wife. This is a cocaine addict."
Reporter Mike Fitzgerald contributed information to this article. Contact reporter Maria Baran at mbaran@bnd.com or 239-2460.
Eagle, ID: Eagle Murder-Suicide
Posted: Jul 28, 2010 10:46 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 29, 2010 12:23 PM EDT
Eagle, Idaho -- Ada County authorities are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in Eagle after a concerned property manager called authorities.
Inside and apartment in the 400 block of West State Street, deputies found a 56-year-old man and his 63-year-old wife dead from apparent gunshot wounds. No names have been released yet.
According to the sheriff's office, it appears the man shot his wife and then himself. A family pet was also shot and killed in the home.
Updated: Jul 29, 2010 12:23 PM EDT
Eagle, Idaho -- Ada County authorities are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in Eagle after a concerned property manager called authorities.
Inside and apartment in the 400 block of West State Street, deputies found a 56-year-old man and his 63-year-old wife dead from apparent gunshot wounds. No names have been released yet.
According to the sheriff's office, it appears the man shot his wife and then himself. A family pet was also shot and killed in the home.
Anaheim, CA: Motive sought in O.C. murder-suicide
Thursday, July 29, 2010
TAGS:shooting, murder, orange county news
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ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- Investigators are trying to determine if money trouble or marital problems prompted an Anaheim man to kill his wife, try to kill his young son and then take his own life.
Investigators say 51-year-old Wayne Zickefoose's home was in foreclosure.
They say he shot and killed his 39-year-old wife, Herminia, on Sunday night, June 13, and then shot his 3-year-old son three times before he killed himself.
A passing motorist called 911 to report gunshots in the neighborhood.
TAGS:shooting, murder, orange county news
Comment NowEmailPrintReport a typo
ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- Investigators are trying to determine if money trouble or marital problems prompted an Anaheim man to kill his wife, try to kill his young son and then take his own life.
Investigators say 51-year-old Wayne Zickefoose's home was in foreclosure.
They say he shot and killed his 39-year-old wife, Herminia, on Sunday night, June 13, and then shot his 3-year-old son three times before he killed himself.
A passing motorist called 911 to report gunshots in the neighborhood.
Los Angeles, CA: Couple identified in Orange County murder-suicide
July 29, 2010 | 1:44 pm
A husband and wife found dead in an upscale Orange County community died as a result of a murder-suicide, authorities said Thursday.
Stacey Tomekia Bryant, 38, and Eddie Lydell Bryant, 39, were found shot to death Wednesday afternoon in the home they owned in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Eddie Bryant appeared to have shot his wife before turning the gun on himself, said homicide investigator Dan Salcedo of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Salcedo said some "writings" were found at the scene but he could not discuss their contents. There were indications the Bryants, who had been together since high school and had no children, may have been having "relationship issues," Salcedo said.
Eddie Bryant was unemployed and his wife recently worked in a mortgage-related business, Salcedo said.
A husband and wife found dead in an upscale Orange County community died as a result of a murder-suicide, authorities said Thursday.
Stacey Tomekia Bryant, 38, and Eddie Lydell Bryant, 39, were found shot to death Wednesday afternoon in the home they owned in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Eddie Bryant appeared to have shot his wife before turning the gun on himself, said homicide investigator Dan Salcedo of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Salcedo said some "writings" were found at the scene but he could not discuss their contents. There were indications the Bryants, who had been together since high school and had no children, may have been having "relationship issues," Salcedo said.
Eddie Bryant was unemployed and his wife recently worked in a mortgage-related business, Salcedo said.
Newburg, WI: Fight over lawn mowing resulted in death
Steven Szerbowski killed by gunshot wound after dispute
By Jesse Garza of the Journal Sentinel
Animosity between a Washington County man and his girlfriend's family led to the fatal shooting of the girlfriend's son-in-law after an argument over who would mow her lawn, according to a criminal complaint.
George A. Trinka is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Steven L. Szerbowski, 39, of West Bend.
Trinka, 63, also is charged with first-degree-reckless endangerment, use of a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the incident Saturday at his girlfriend's home in Newburg, according to the complaint obtained by WTMJ-TV (Channel 4).
Szerbowski, his wife and their four children went to the home to watch a parade of motorcycles that was to pass the house, according to the complaint.
After the parade, Szerbowski's 12-year-old son received permission from his grandmother to cut her lawn, which angered Trinka, who said the grass was too wet and that he would cut it the next day.
The woman said Trinka did not like her family because he thought they didn't like him.
By the time Szerbowski and his son went to return the lawn mower to the garage, Trinka, who lived in the basement, had wedged a two-by-four between the knob on the garage door and the floor.
After Szerbowski forced the door open, his mother-in-law began arguing with Trinka before his wife attempted to intervene.
Trinka told investigators Szerbowski began walking downstairs to the basement, yelling that he was going to beat Trinka.
Trinka then armed himself with a .22 caliber handgun he retrieved from a desk drawer, showed it to Szerbowski and told him to go back upstairs. He told investigators Szerbowski grabbed the hand with which he was holding the gun. After a brief struggle, the gun went off.
His account was contradicted by Szerbowski's mother-in-law, who said Trinka fired the gun at Szerbowski.
Szerbowski died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the complaint.
Trinka was in custody in the Washington County Jail Thursday night, his bail set at $50,000, a jail official said.
By Jesse Garza of the Journal Sentinel
Animosity between a Washington County man and his girlfriend's family led to the fatal shooting of the girlfriend's son-in-law after an argument over who would mow her lawn, according to a criminal complaint.
George A. Trinka is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Steven L. Szerbowski, 39, of West Bend.
Trinka, 63, also is charged with first-degree-reckless endangerment, use of a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the incident Saturday at his girlfriend's home in Newburg, according to the complaint obtained by WTMJ-TV (Channel 4).
Szerbowski, his wife and their four children went to the home to watch a parade of motorcycles that was to pass the house, according to the complaint.
After the parade, Szerbowski's 12-year-old son received permission from his grandmother to cut her lawn, which angered Trinka, who said the grass was too wet and that he would cut it the next day.
The woman said Trinka did not like her family because he thought they didn't like him.
By the time Szerbowski and his son went to return the lawn mower to the garage, Trinka, who lived in the basement, had wedged a two-by-four between the knob on the garage door and the floor.
After Szerbowski forced the door open, his mother-in-law began arguing with Trinka before his wife attempted to intervene.
Trinka told investigators Szerbowski began walking downstairs to the basement, yelling that he was going to beat Trinka.
Trinka then armed himself with a .22 caliber handgun he retrieved from a desk drawer, showed it to Szerbowski and told him to go back upstairs. He told investigators Szerbowski grabbed the hand with which he was holding the gun. After a brief struggle, the gun went off.
His account was contradicted by Szerbowski's mother-in-law, who said Trinka fired the gun at Szerbowski.
Szerbowski died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the complaint.
Trinka was in custody in the Washington County Jail Thursday night, his bail set at $50,000, a jail official said.
Nashville, TN: Man Charged With Murders of Two Cousins
Posted: Jul 29, 2010 10:01 PM EDT
Demeko Duckworth
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A man accused of murdering his girlfriend last week has now been charged with the murder of her cousin.
Metro police obtained a murder warrant against Demeko Duckworth for the shooting death of Clarence Goins on Hillside Avenue on July 19.
Duckworth was arrested near Atlanta on Sunday after a murder warrant was issued for him in the death of his girlfriend, Asia Wade. Wade was found stabbed to death on July 20 in her Elizabeth Road home.
Duckworth is being held in Gwinnett County Jail in Georgia pending extradition to Tennessee. During an interview with detectives who traveled to Georgia, Duckworth allegedly admitted to shooting Goins.
Goins and Wade were cousins.
Demeko Duckworth
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A man accused of murdering his girlfriend last week has now been charged with the murder of her cousin.
Metro police obtained a murder warrant against Demeko Duckworth for the shooting death of Clarence Goins on Hillside Avenue on July 19.
Duckworth was arrested near Atlanta on Sunday after a murder warrant was issued for him in the death of his girlfriend, Asia Wade. Wade was found stabbed to death on July 20 in her Elizabeth Road home.
Duckworth is being held in Gwinnett County Jail in Georgia pending extradition to Tennessee. During an interview with detectives who traveled to Georgia, Duckworth allegedly admitted to shooting Goins.
Goins and Wade were cousins.
Gordon County, GA: North Georgia man accused of killing ex-girlfriend, shooting two teens
By Marcus K. Garner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5:50 a.m. Friday, July 30, 2010
A Calhoun man is hospitalized in police custody Friday after allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend to death and wounding two teens before being shot by police.
The tragic scene unfolded Thursday evening across the northern edges of Gordon County, where 38-year-old Paul Buchannon led county sheriff’s deputies on a hunt that ended near Hill City.
Around 6 p.m. Thursday, sheriff’s deputies and detectives were called to a report of a double shooting at a home in the 2500 block of U.S. Highway 41 near Resaca, Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston said in an incident report.
There, deputies found a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old shot by a then-unidentified man. One of the men was shot in the back and the other in the leg. Both were taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.
"He shot the two men ... they were wounded," GBI spokesman John Bankhead told WSB Radio. "He then kidnapped the ex-girlfriend."
Witnesses reported the gunman forced the woman out of the house into a black Chevrolet Camaro and sped north on U.S. 41, Ralston said.
A search began as authorities identified Buchannon, and detectives tracked the woman’s cell phone signal to a remote area near the Whitfield County line.
Deputies found the Camaro abandoned alongside railroad tracks near Hill City and, believing Buchannon and his hostage were close by, began an intense ground search.
The woman was soon found sprawled on the railroad tracks several hundred yards outside town, shot in the head, Ralston said.
Dozens of law enforcement officers were called to search for a man who was now considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.
The sheriff requested help from the GBI, State Patrol, deputies from Walker and Whitfield county sheriff’s offices, and from the Calhoun police, Ralston said.
Hound dogs and handlers from the Georgia Department of Corrections also were called, along with a helicopter from the Georgia Aviation Authority, to aid with the search through a wooded area along Georgia Highway 136.
Deputies discovered signs of forced entry at a nearby church, where broken glass was found with blood on it, Ralston said.
The manhunt continued as darkness fell, while GBI agents investigated the scene of the initial shooting and the scene where the woman was found.
Around 9:50 p.m., Ralston said a search team consisting of deputies and corrections officer and dog found Buchannon in a thickly wooded area.
“Buchannon threatened the officers with his pistol and was subsequently shot several times,” Ralston said in the report.
Authorities later determined the handgun recovered from Buchannon was the same one used to shoot the woman and the teens. No officers were harmed, Ralston said.
Buchannon was flown by helicopter to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, where his condition was unknown.
"We don't know if he will survive or not," Bankhead said.
The victims have not been identified, pending notification of their families and loved ones, authorities said.
The GBI is investigating the officer-involved shooting and the investigation continues.
Buchannon, who has had prior domestic violence-related arrests, will likely be charged with murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and gun charges.
Return to AJC.com for more updates.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5:50 a.m. Friday, July 30, 2010
A Calhoun man is hospitalized in police custody Friday after allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend to death and wounding two teens before being shot by police.
The tragic scene unfolded Thursday evening across the northern edges of Gordon County, where 38-year-old Paul Buchannon led county sheriff’s deputies on a hunt that ended near Hill City.
Around 6 p.m. Thursday, sheriff’s deputies and detectives were called to a report of a double shooting at a home in the 2500 block of U.S. Highway 41 near Resaca, Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston said in an incident report.
There, deputies found a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old shot by a then-unidentified man. One of the men was shot in the back and the other in the leg. Both were taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.
"He shot the two men ... they were wounded," GBI spokesman John Bankhead told WSB Radio. "He then kidnapped the ex-girlfriend."
Witnesses reported the gunman forced the woman out of the house into a black Chevrolet Camaro and sped north on U.S. 41, Ralston said.
A search began as authorities identified Buchannon, and detectives tracked the woman’s cell phone signal to a remote area near the Whitfield County line.
Deputies found the Camaro abandoned alongside railroad tracks near Hill City and, believing Buchannon and his hostage were close by, began an intense ground search.
The woman was soon found sprawled on the railroad tracks several hundred yards outside town, shot in the head, Ralston said.
Dozens of law enforcement officers were called to search for a man who was now considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.
The sheriff requested help from the GBI, State Patrol, deputies from Walker and Whitfield county sheriff’s offices, and from the Calhoun police, Ralston said.
Hound dogs and handlers from the Georgia Department of Corrections also were called, along with a helicopter from the Georgia Aviation Authority, to aid with the search through a wooded area along Georgia Highway 136.
Deputies discovered signs of forced entry at a nearby church, where broken glass was found with blood on it, Ralston said.
The manhunt continued as darkness fell, while GBI agents investigated the scene of the initial shooting and the scene where the woman was found.
Around 9:50 p.m., Ralston said a search team consisting of deputies and corrections officer and dog found Buchannon in a thickly wooded area.
“Buchannon threatened the officers with his pistol and was subsequently shot several times,” Ralston said in the report.
Authorities later determined the handgun recovered from Buchannon was the same one used to shoot the woman and the teens. No officers were harmed, Ralston said.
Buchannon was flown by helicopter to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, where his condition was unknown.
"We don't know if he will survive or not," Bankhead said.
The victims have not been identified, pending notification of their families and loved ones, authorities said.
The GBI is investigating the officer-involved shooting and the investigation continues.
Buchannon, who has had prior domestic violence-related arrests, will likely be charged with murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and gun charges.
Return to AJC.com for more updates.
York County, SC: Coroner to hold rare inquest in 2001 shooting death
by STUART WATSON / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Stuart: SWatson@WCNC.com
Posted on July 29, 2010 at 6:50 PM
Updated yesterday at 7:09 PM
YORK COUNTY, S.C. -- For the first time in at least 20 years, the York County SC Coroner has scheduled an inquest, allowing a jury to decide how Melissa Huntley Motz was shot in the head just after Valentine's Day in 2001.
At the time, Coroner Doug McKown ruled the case a suicide but police and Melissa's parents believe she was shot by her husband.
According to police e-mails obtained by the I-team under a Freedom of Information request, Rock Hill police first suspected Ms. Motz's new husband, Jimmy Motz, saying his account of the shooting was "...full of holes."
A civil jury found Mr. Motz to be responsible for his wife's death in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Ms. Motz's parents, Larry and Patsy Huntley.
Jimmy Motz had a string of convictions for assault and domestic violence and two ex-wives divorced him after saying he beat them.
One ex-wife, Sandy Motz, swore in an affidavit that Jimmy Motz threatened her by shoving a pistol under her chin. Melissa Motz was shot directly under the chin.
Melissa Huntley Motz was shot early the morning of February 16, 2001. Her husband had taken her to a Charlotte strip club, the Paper Doll.
Jimmy Motz testified under oath that when he paid for a "table dance," his wife became upset and left to call a cab. Jimmy Motz also testified that he called her a "stupid b*****" because she had "...ruined a perfectly good evening."
Jimmy Motz drove his wife home to Rock Hill.
After pulling his Ford Thunderbird into the parking lot in front of the couple's Rock Hill apartment, Jimmy Motz testified that after he got out of the car, he heard a "pop" sound and looked to see his wife had shot herself while sitting in the front passenger seat.
But a neighbor who was outside the apartment smoking a cigarette told police he heard no gunshot before Motz yelled at him to call police.
Motz then fired the same pistol which had shot his wife. He fired the gun into the air, clearing the chamber.
Motz said he was trying to summon help but he had already yelled to a neighbor to call 9-1-1.
Forensics investigators found gunshot residue on Melissa Huntley Motz's left hand. She was right handed.
But the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) found the forensics tests inconclusive.
York County Coroner Sabrina Gast has asked SLED's cold case squad to reexamine evidence with the newest forensic techniques.
Ms. Gast has also asked another pathologist to review and re-test physical evidence.
The coroner has scheduled up to 3 days of testimony, October 25, 26 and 27, from pathologists, police officers, family members and Jimmy Motz himself.
Ms. Gast says she will subpoena Motz and he could be held in contempt if he refuses to appear.
Motz testified under oath in the civil trial that he did not shoot his wife. Sabrina Gast says she is taking the unusual step of calling for an inquest because she has many questions left unanswered about exactly how Melissa Huntley Motz died and she wants to hear from experts, not to make the call herself.
"I have an idea what I would call it," Ms. Gast said, "But I think in fairness we're going to let those jurors see."
One of the SLED investigators met with the Huntley family, who said the new investigation gives them hope.
"She told me that when she got through there would be no question left unanswered and no stone left unturned," said Larry Huntley, Melissa's father, "And I think if they do that, in my mind there can only be one conclusion."
Ms. Gast says an inquest does not determine guilt or innocence and has a lower burden of proof than a criminal trial.
Ms. Gast says she plans to empanel 75 jurors to select six and one alternate.
The coroner will ask questions of the witnesses and jurors themselves may question witnesses.
It will be up to a prosecutor to determine whether to charge Jimmy Motz even if the inquest finds the shooting was a homicide.
Solicitor Kevin Brackett declined to take the case to a grand jury in 2001, saying there was not enough evidence to get a conviction.
But Ms. Gast says Mr. Brackett will seek an outside solicitor to review the case if there is a finding of homicide.
E-mail Stuart: SWatson@WCNC.com
Posted on July 29, 2010 at 6:50 PM
Updated yesterday at 7:09 PM
YORK COUNTY, S.C. -- For the first time in at least 20 years, the York County SC Coroner has scheduled an inquest, allowing a jury to decide how Melissa Huntley Motz was shot in the head just after Valentine's Day in 2001.
At the time, Coroner Doug McKown ruled the case a suicide but police and Melissa's parents believe she was shot by her husband.
According to police e-mails obtained by the I-team under a Freedom of Information request, Rock Hill police first suspected Ms. Motz's new husband, Jimmy Motz, saying his account of the shooting was "...full of holes."
A civil jury found Mr. Motz to be responsible for his wife's death in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Ms. Motz's parents, Larry and Patsy Huntley.
Jimmy Motz had a string of convictions for assault and domestic violence and two ex-wives divorced him after saying he beat them.
One ex-wife, Sandy Motz, swore in an affidavit that Jimmy Motz threatened her by shoving a pistol under her chin. Melissa Motz was shot directly under the chin.
Melissa Huntley Motz was shot early the morning of February 16, 2001. Her husband had taken her to a Charlotte strip club, the Paper Doll.
Jimmy Motz testified under oath that when he paid for a "table dance," his wife became upset and left to call a cab. Jimmy Motz also testified that he called her a "stupid b*****" because she had "...ruined a perfectly good evening."
Jimmy Motz drove his wife home to Rock Hill.
After pulling his Ford Thunderbird into the parking lot in front of the couple's Rock Hill apartment, Jimmy Motz testified that after he got out of the car, he heard a "pop" sound and looked to see his wife had shot herself while sitting in the front passenger seat.
But a neighbor who was outside the apartment smoking a cigarette told police he heard no gunshot before Motz yelled at him to call police.
Motz then fired the same pistol which had shot his wife. He fired the gun into the air, clearing the chamber.
Motz said he was trying to summon help but he had already yelled to a neighbor to call 9-1-1.
Forensics investigators found gunshot residue on Melissa Huntley Motz's left hand. She was right handed.
But the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) found the forensics tests inconclusive.
York County Coroner Sabrina Gast has asked SLED's cold case squad to reexamine evidence with the newest forensic techniques.
Ms. Gast has also asked another pathologist to review and re-test physical evidence.
The coroner has scheduled up to 3 days of testimony, October 25, 26 and 27, from pathologists, police officers, family members and Jimmy Motz himself.
Ms. Gast says she will subpoena Motz and he could be held in contempt if he refuses to appear.
Motz testified under oath in the civil trial that he did not shoot his wife. Sabrina Gast says she is taking the unusual step of calling for an inquest because she has many questions left unanswered about exactly how Melissa Huntley Motz died and she wants to hear from experts, not to make the call herself.
"I have an idea what I would call it," Ms. Gast said, "But I think in fairness we're going to let those jurors see."
One of the SLED investigators met with the Huntley family, who said the new investigation gives them hope.
"She told me that when she got through there would be no question left unanswered and no stone left unturned," said Larry Huntley, Melissa's father, "And I think if they do that, in my mind there can only be one conclusion."
Ms. Gast says an inquest does not determine guilt or innocence and has a lower burden of proof than a criminal trial.
Ms. Gast says she plans to empanel 75 jurors to select six and one alternate.
The coroner will ask questions of the witnesses and jurors themselves may question witnesses.
It will be up to a prosecutor to determine whether to charge Jimmy Motz even if the inquest finds the shooting was a homicide.
Solicitor Kevin Brackett declined to take the case to a grand jury in 2001, saying there was not enough evidence to get a conviction.
But Ms. Gast says Mr. Brackett will seek an outside solicitor to review the case if there is a finding of homicide.
Mansfield, LA: Jury convicts Mansfield man of ex-wife's death
MANSFIELD — A DeSoto jury on Thursday convicted a Mansfield man in the October 2007 shooting death of his ex-wife and attempted homicide of her daughter.
The jury deliberated about two and a half hours over lunch before returning with a second-degree murder verdict against Winford Campbell, District Attorney Richard Johnson said.
District Judge Charles B. Adams, who presided over the four-day trial, will sentence Campbell to a mandatory life sentence on Aug. 26.
Assistant District Attorney Ron Stamps prosecuted Campbell, who was defended by attorney Joe Clark.
"We are grateful to the jury for taking the time to do their civic duty. We are grateful that a vicious murderer is off the streets," Johnson said.
Campbell killed his ex-wife, Sandra Lou Vanzant Campbell, 42, following an argument in her South Mansfield home. He shot her three times as she ran to a neighbor's house for help. But she collapsed in the yard and died.
Campbell also fired gunshots inside of the home, which injured Sandra Campbell's daughter, Jamia Vanzant, who was seven months pregnant. Vanzant was struck in the leg and foot, but recovered and later delivered a healthy son. Vanzant was the main witness in Campbell's prosecution.
The jury deliberated about two and a half hours over lunch before returning with a second-degree murder verdict against Winford Campbell, District Attorney Richard Johnson said.
District Judge Charles B. Adams, who presided over the four-day trial, will sentence Campbell to a mandatory life sentence on Aug. 26.
Assistant District Attorney Ron Stamps prosecuted Campbell, who was defended by attorney Joe Clark.
"We are grateful to the jury for taking the time to do their civic duty. We are grateful that a vicious murderer is off the streets," Johnson said.
Campbell killed his ex-wife, Sandra Lou Vanzant Campbell, 42, following an argument in her South Mansfield home. He shot her three times as she ran to a neighbor's house for help. But she collapsed in the yard and died.
Campbell also fired gunshots inside of the home, which injured Sandra Campbell's daughter, Jamia Vanzant, who was seven months pregnant. Vanzant was struck in the leg and foot, but recovered and later delivered a healthy son. Vanzant was the main witness in Campbell's prosecution.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Salinas, CA: Woman Stabs Boyfriend To Death in Self-Defense
Posted: Jul 28, 2010 5:11 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 29, 2010 11:06 AM EDT
SALINAS, Calif- There will be no charges filed against a woman for stabbing her boyfriend to death in the lower Soledad Street area know as Chinatown.
Police were conducting a patrol sweep when they heard someone screaming for help early Wednesday morning.
They found a 25-year-old man on Lake Avenue suffering from a several stab wounds to his neck. According to police, the victim was covered in large amounts of blood. The victim told officers he had been stabbed by his girlfriend. The victim was transported to a bay area hospital for treatment where he was pronounced dead.
Police say that the girlfriend called 911 Wednesday morning claiming that the pair had been fighting. After questioning her, police and the District Attorney's Office called this a case of self-defense.
Updated: Jul 29, 2010 11:06 AM EDT
SALINAS, Calif- There will be no charges filed against a woman for stabbing her boyfriend to death in the lower Soledad Street area know as Chinatown.
Police were conducting a patrol sweep when they heard someone screaming for help early Wednesday morning.
They found a 25-year-old man on Lake Avenue suffering from a several stab wounds to his neck. According to police, the victim was covered in large amounts of blood. The victim told officers he had been stabbed by his girlfriend. The victim was transported to a bay area hospital for treatment where he was pronounced dead.
Police say that the girlfriend called 911 Wednesday morning claiming that the pair had been fighting. After questioning her, police and the District Attorney's Office called this a case of self-defense.
Dane County, WI: Update: Authorities seek witnesses in officer-involved shooting
Dane County Sheriff's detectives are attempting to locate a male bicyclist who was in the area where deputies shot and killed an armed man Wednesday in the town of Dunkirk.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer said an adult male was bicycling, possibly with two others who might have been children, in the vicinity of 2853 Aaker Road between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., when deputies shot the 42-year-old man after he came out of a garage and fired a shotgun at the deputies.
The Sheriff's Office is asking the cyclist, or any other witnesses, to contact them via the tip line at 284-6900.
Authorities have not released the name of the man killed. An autopsy was scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday.
Dane County property records show the owners of the home are William and Kristi Sorenson. A phone message left for Kristi Sorenson was not returned. But Julie Foley, of the crime response program of the Dane County District Attorney's Office, said in an e-mail, "As you can well imagine the family is fractured over the developments of last night. Kris is in no position to talk and asked that I convey the same."
Deputies were called to the residence at about 7:20 p.m. by the man's wife, who told 911 that her husband was intoxicated and causing a disturbance, and she wanted him removed from the home, Schaffer said.
When deputies arrived, the man came out of the garage with a shotgun and ignored deputies' orders to put the gun down, she said. A deputy fired a less lethal, bean-bag round at the man, who then fired his shotgun at deputies, who returned fire.
Schaffer could not say how many deputies fired or how many shots were fired by deputies or the man killed.
Five deputies and one sergeant who were at the scene at or around the time of the shooting been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated, in accordance with Sheriff's Office policy, she said.
One of the deputies present at the time of the shooting, who is also a member of the sheriff's Tactical Response Team, recently returned from being placed on leave after a McFarland man was shot and killed by deputies after a four-hour stand-off following a domestic incident July 20, Schaffer said.
All but three of the 17 deputies placed on leave after that incident have been cleared to return to duty, she said.
Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said Monday none of the deputies involved in the McFarland incident will face criminal charges.
Another deputy involved Wednesday previously was on leave after a July 12 incident in which a Stoughton man shot and killed himself after eluding police who attempted to pull him over for reckless driving.
Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said Wednesday that deputies have been called to the Aaker Road residence before for domestic incidents, but he would not elaborate. There were children living in the home, but Mahoney didn't know if any were there at the time of the shooting.
The man was pronounced dead by MedFlight staff who responded to the scene.
State Journal reporters Devin Rose and Patricia Simms contributed to this story.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer said an adult male was bicycling, possibly with two others who might have been children, in the vicinity of 2853 Aaker Road between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., when deputies shot the 42-year-old man after he came out of a garage and fired a shotgun at the deputies.
The Sheriff's Office is asking the cyclist, or any other witnesses, to contact them via the tip line at 284-6900.
Authorities have not released the name of the man killed. An autopsy was scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday.
Dane County property records show the owners of the home are William and Kristi Sorenson. A phone message left for Kristi Sorenson was not returned. But Julie Foley, of the crime response program of the Dane County District Attorney's Office, said in an e-mail, "As you can well imagine the family is fractured over the developments of last night. Kris is in no position to talk and asked that I convey the same."
Deputies were called to the residence at about 7:20 p.m. by the man's wife, who told 911 that her husband was intoxicated and causing a disturbance, and she wanted him removed from the home, Schaffer said.
When deputies arrived, the man came out of the garage with a shotgun and ignored deputies' orders to put the gun down, she said. A deputy fired a less lethal, bean-bag round at the man, who then fired his shotgun at deputies, who returned fire.
Schaffer could not say how many deputies fired or how many shots were fired by deputies or the man killed.
Five deputies and one sergeant who were at the scene at or around the time of the shooting been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated, in accordance with Sheriff's Office policy, she said.
One of the deputies present at the time of the shooting, who is also a member of the sheriff's Tactical Response Team, recently returned from being placed on leave after a McFarland man was shot and killed by deputies after a four-hour stand-off following a domestic incident July 20, Schaffer said.
All but three of the 17 deputies placed on leave after that incident have been cleared to return to duty, she said.
Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said Monday none of the deputies involved in the McFarland incident will face criminal charges.
Another deputy involved Wednesday previously was on leave after a July 12 incident in which a Stoughton man shot and killed himself after eluding police who attempted to pull him over for reckless driving.
Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said Wednesday that deputies have been called to the Aaker Road residence before for domestic incidents, but he would not elaborate. There were children living in the home, but Mahoney didn't know if any were there at the time of the shooting.
The man was pronounced dead by MedFlight staff who responded to the scene.
State Journal reporters Devin Rose and Patricia Simms contributed to this story.
Snow Hill, NC: Community, eastern NC mourn Greene County deputy shot & killed in the line of duty
SNOW HILL, N.C. – An outpouring of emotion all across the east tonight following the death of Greene County deputy Jon Willis.
31 year old Greene County deputy Jon Willis was shot and killed inside a home last night.
Flags are at half staff in honor of Willis, who last night paid the ultimate price protecting others.
Shortly before 8 last night, Willis responded to a domestic violence call at 89 Brook Place.
Willis was alone at the time, went inside and was shot and killed by 22 year old Daniel Myers who came out of a bedroom inside the house firing a hand gun. Myers hit Willis multiple times. He died on scene.
Myers was no stranger to crime. Nine On Your Side did a criminal background check on Myers and it turns out he has an extensive list of charges.
Over the past couple years, Myers has been charged with assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting arrest.
Most of those charges came from Greene and Wayne counties.
Myers was on parole for a conviction from August 2009.
Sheriff Lemmie Smith said a call is different and you just never know what may happen, “We're trained on how to respond to these situations and you really don't know what kind of situation you might have when you arrive to the scene of a domestic. A domestic is one of the most dangerous calls you can go on."
A deputy was en route to back him up but arrived after the shooting happened.
Sheriff Smith says Willis was issued a bullet proof vest but was not wearing it at the time.
Willis had two children, a boy and a girl.
We’ll have more throughout the day on wnct.com and tonight at 6 on Eyewitness News 9.
--- Previous Story ---
A Greene County deputy sheriff has been killed in the line of duty. It happened at 89 Brook Place off Highway 13 South of Snow Hill.
9OYS is gathering information, but the biggest mystery that remains why a domestic disturbance call resulted in the deaths of two men?
Officials in Greene County say Sheriff's Deputy Jon Willis was answering a domestic disturbance call in the subdivision Wednesday evening around 7:30pm.
According to Sheriff Lemmie Smith, at the time of his arrival, the suspect who was identified as 22-year-old Daniel Meyers was drunk, angry and irate. Meyers shot Deputy Willis twice before shooting himself.
Smith says Deputy Willis was issued a bullet proof vest, but wasn't wearing it at the time he responded to the call.
The Greene County Sheriff's Office has yet to tell us what caused the domestic disturbance call to escalate to gunfire. But neighbors are firm, there's never an excuse to turn a weapon on an officer.
"They're there to assist what's going in a situation---not to cause an incident,” said neighbor LaToya Lender. “But to prevent an incident."
This is the third deputy to die in the line of duty in eastern North Carolina since April 2009. 31-year-old Willis is survived by two children.
Eyewitness News 9 will have more throughout the day on wnct.com and on Eyewitness News 9 at Noon, 6, CW & Nightside.
31 year old Greene County deputy Jon Willis was shot and killed inside a home last night.
Flags are at half staff in honor of Willis, who last night paid the ultimate price protecting others.
Shortly before 8 last night, Willis responded to a domestic violence call at 89 Brook Place.
Willis was alone at the time, went inside and was shot and killed by 22 year old Daniel Myers who came out of a bedroom inside the house firing a hand gun. Myers hit Willis multiple times. He died on scene.
Myers was no stranger to crime. Nine On Your Side did a criminal background check on Myers and it turns out he has an extensive list of charges.
Over the past couple years, Myers has been charged with assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting arrest.
Most of those charges came from Greene and Wayne counties.
Myers was on parole for a conviction from August 2009.
Sheriff Lemmie Smith said a call is different and you just never know what may happen, “We're trained on how to respond to these situations and you really don't know what kind of situation you might have when you arrive to the scene of a domestic. A domestic is one of the most dangerous calls you can go on."
A deputy was en route to back him up but arrived after the shooting happened.
Sheriff Smith says Willis was issued a bullet proof vest but was not wearing it at the time.
Willis had two children, a boy and a girl.
We’ll have more throughout the day on wnct.com and tonight at 6 on Eyewitness News 9.
--- Previous Story ---
A Greene County deputy sheriff has been killed in the line of duty. It happened at 89 Brook Place off Highway 13 South of Snow Hill.
9OYS is gathering information, but the biggest mystery that remains why a domestic disturbance call resulted in the deaths of two men?
Officials in Greene County say Sheriff's Deputy Jon Willis was answering a domestic disturbance call in the subdivision Wednesday evening around 7:30pm.
According to Sheriff Lemmie Smith, at the time of his arrival, the suspect who was identified as 22-year-old Daniel Meyers was drunk, angry and irate. Meyers shot Deputy Willis twice before shooting himself.
Smith says Deputy Willis was issued a bullet proof vest, but wasn't wearing it at the time he responded to the call.
The Greene County Sheriff's Office has yet to tell us what caused the domestic disturbance call to escalate to gunfire. But neighbors are firm, there's never an excuse to turn a weapon on an officer.
"They're there to assist what's going in a situation---not to cause an incident,” said neighbor LaToya Lender. “But to prevent an incident."
This is the third deputy to die in the line of duty in eastern North Carolina since April 2009. 31-year-old Willis is survived by two children.
Eyewitness News 9 will have more throughout the day on wnct.com and on Eyewitness News 9 at Noon, 6, CW & Nightside.
Montgomery, AL: Police: 1 injured, 1 killed in shooting
By Matt Okarmus
A Montgomery man shot a woman three times Wednesday morning before shooting and kill ing himself, according to the Mont gomery Police Department.
The 34-year-old woman, who police have declined to identify, survived the incident. She initial ly was taken to Baptist Medical Center South where she was listed in critical condition, but her con dition has been upgraded to stable. She was later transferred to Jack son Hospital, according to Keith Barnett, a police spokesperson.
Officers responded to a domes tic violence call shortly before 10 a.m. in the 200 block of Townsend Drive. Upon arrival, they witness ed a man produce a handgun and shoot a woman three times in the torso before turning the gun on himself, according to Maj. Huey Thornton.
The man later was identified as Samuel Jones, 26, of Montgomery. Reports state Jones died after shooting himself in the chest.
Thornton said the victim and suspect had been dating and that the shooting resulted from a do mestic dispute.
Wednesday's shooting joins a growing list of domestic violence-related deaths in the Montgomery area.
Recently, police investigated a situation in which police said a woman stabbed to death a 22-year-old man during an alterca tion. Thornton said at the time that it appeared the woman was acting in self-defense.
Justin Harris of 330 Gardendale Drive was pronounced dead short ly after arriving at the emergency room of Jackson Hospital, accord ing to reports.
"I'm heartbroken when I hear this news," said Melanie Beasley, a spokeswoman for the Family Sunshine Center, a non-profit or ganization that serves victims of family violence in Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore and other sur rounding counties.
Beasley said that just during the past several months there have been about nine domestic violen ce-related deaths in Montgomery, Butler and Lowndes counties.
She wants the public to know that there is help available.
"If someone they love is hurt ing them, they can contact the Family Sunshine Center," Beasley said. "They can call, and we can talk them through the situation."
Beasley said someone in a po tentially dangerous domestic situ ation needs to try and recognize periods when the danger is great est. This can be when a person threatens to leave the person abus ing them or during situations in which drugs or weapons are in volved, she said.
Steve Searcy, the director of the yet-to-open Family Justice Center, said there is information about when times are most dangerous, but sometimes victims run out of time before they have an opportu nity to find out about it.
"Eighty-five percent of deaths in domestic violence situations happen when the victim is at tempting to leave," Searcy said. "That's when they need to be in contact with professionals that can give them help."
The Family Sunshine Center's 24-hour hotline can be reached at 800-650-6522.
A Montgomery man shot a woman three times Wednesday morning before shooting and kill ing himself, according to the Mont gomery Police Department.
The 34-year-old woman, who police have declined to identify, survived the incident. She initial ly was taken to Baptist Medical Center South where she was listed in critical condition, but her con dition has been upgraded to stable. She was later transferred to Jack son Hospital, according to Keith Barnett, a police spokesperson.
Officers responded to a domes tic violence call shortly before 10 a.m. in the 200 block of Townsend Drive. Upon arrival, they witness ed a man produce a handgun and shoot a woman three times in the torso before turning the gun on himself, according to Maj. Huey Thornton.
The man later was identified as Samuel Jones, 26, of Montgomery. Reports state Jones died after shooting himself in the chest.
Thornton said the victim and suspect had been dating and that the shooting resulted from a do mestic dispute.
Wednesday's shooting joins a growing list of domestic violence-related deaths in the Montgomery area.
Recently, police investigated a situation in which police said a woman stabbed to death a 22-year-old man during an alterca tion. Thornton said at the time that it appeared the woman was acting in self-defense.
Justin Harris of 330 Gardendale Drive was pronounced dead short ly after arriving at the emergency room of Jackson Hospital, accord ing to reports.
"I'm heartbroken when I hear this news," said Melanie Beasley, a spokeswoman for the Family Sunshine Center, a non-profit or ganization that serves victims of family violence in Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore and other sur rounding counties.
Beasley said that just during the past several months there have been about nine domestic violen ce-related deaths in Montgomery, Butler and Lowndes counties.
She wants the public to know that there is help available.
"If someone they love is hurt ing them, they can contact the Family Sunshine Center," Beasley said. "They can call, and we can talk them through the situation."
Beasley said someone in a po tentially dangerous domestic situ ation needs to try and recognize periods when the danger is great est. This can be when a person threatens to leave the person abus ing them or during situations in which drugs or weapons are in volved, she said.
Steve Searcy, the director of the yet-to-open Family Justice Center, said there is information about when times are most dangerous, but sometimes victims run out of time before they have an opportu nity to find out about it.
"Eighty-five percent of deaths in domestic violence situations happen when the victim is at tempting to leave," Searcy said. "That's when they need to be in contact with professionals that can give them help."
The Family Sunshine Center's 24-hour hotline can be reached at 800-650-6522.
Bronx, NY: Monster Julio Flores, who buried dismembered ex-girlfriend in concrete, gets 19 years to life
BY BRENDAN BROSH
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Thursday, July 29th 2010, 5:12 PM
Murderer Julio Flores smirks as detectives walk him out of the 52nd Precinct in the Bronx shortly after the murder in 2008.
Victim Jaritza Calderon was accused of seeing other men by jealous monster Julio Flores.
A savage killer who strangled and dismembered his ex-girlfriend before burying her in concrete in a Jersey basement was sentenced yesterday to 19 years to life in prison by a Bronx judge.
Julio Flores, jealous that former flame Jaritza Calderon, 28, was seeing other men, lured her to his East Gun Hill Road apartment to pick up a cable box in 2008 - but killed her instead.
The baby-faced construction worker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this month before the case went to trial.
"It was a crime of astonishing brutality," said Acting Supreme Court Judge Ann Donnelly as she sentenced the Guatemalan immigrant.
"Not only did you strangle this woman, you then chopped her up."
Calderone's sister said the aspiring nurse met Flores at church and trusted him.
"My sister did not deserve to die the way she died," said Elizabeth Calderone. "The justice that God gives him will be greater than the justice the judge just gave him."
Flores, 34, carted Jaritza Calderone's remains in plastic bags to a vacant Teaneck, N.J. home and buried her severed body parts in a false wall underneath a basement staircase, according to court records.
Flores then ran into the homeowners and confessed to putting a body in the basement.
"At the moment I was angry," said Flores during a rambling statement before sentencing. "I am sorry to the family."
Flores will be deported back to Guatemala if he is ever released from prison because he entered the country illegally, his attorney David Leung said.
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Thursday, July 29th 2010, 5:12 PM
Murderer Julio Flores smirks as detectives walk him out of the 52nd Precinct in the Bronx shortly after the murder in 2008.
Victim Jaritza Calderon was accused of seeing other men by jealous monster Julio Flores.
A savage killer who strangled and dismembered his ex-girlfriend before burying her in concrete in a Jersey basement was sentenced yesterday to 19 years to life in prison by a Bronx judge.
Julio Flores, jealous that former flame Jaritza Calderon, 28, was seeing other men, lured her to his East Gun Hill Road apartment to pick up a cable box in 2008 - but killed her instead.
The baby-faced construction worker pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this month before the case went to trial.
"It was a crime of astonishing brutality," said Acting Supreme Court Judge Ann Donnelly as she sentenced the Guatemalan immigrant.
"Not only did you strangle this woman, you then chopped her up."
Calderone's sister said the aspiring nurse met Flores at church and trusted him.
"My sister did not deserve to die the way she died," said Elizabeth Calderone. "The justice that God gives him will be greater than the justice the judge just gave him."
Flores, 34, carted Jaritza Calderone's remains in plastic bags to a vacant Teaneck, N.J. home and buried her severed body parts in a false wall underneath a basement staircase, according to court records.
Flores then ran into the homeowners and confessed to putting a body in the basement.
"At the moment I was angry," said Flores during a rambling statement before sentencing. "I am sorry to the family."
Flores will be deported back to Guatemala if he is ever released from prison because he entered the country illegally, his attorney David Leung said.
Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Man Gets 27 Years For Killing Girlfriend
Posted: 4:54 pm EDT July 29, 2010
Updated: 5:30 pm EDT July 29, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Charlotte man who admitted killing his girlfriend will spend at least 27 years in prison.
Daniel Jaworski pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree burglary and second-degree murder in the death of Roschelle Woyee in December 2008.
The two had been dating for five years when Jaworski shot and killed Woyee outside of her home. Woyee had called police earlier in the day after Jaworski had attacked her.
The case put a spotlight on domestic violence in the Charlotte area.
"If I had only taken the extra step ... maybe I would have helped prevent this any way," the victim’s sister, Robin Woyee, said after the hearing in Mecklenburg County Superior Court.
“Things just got to a point where he was unable to deal with things,"Dean Loven, Jaworski's attorney, said.
Jaworski told the judge that his relationship with Woyee had been troubled. He also asked for forgiveness from her family.
Jaworski's mother declined comment after the hearing.
Roschelle Woyee and Jaworski have a 2-year-old daughter, who is now being cared for by both sets of grandparents.
Updated: 5:30 pm EDT July 29, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Charlotte man who admitted killing his girlfriend will spend at least 27 years in prison.
Daniel Jaworski pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree burglary and second-degree murder in the death of Roschelle Woyee in December 2008.
The two had been dating for five years when Jaworski shot and killed Woyee outside of her home. Woyee had called police earlier in the day after Jaworski had attacked her.
The case put a spotlight on domestic violence in the Charlotte area.
"If I had only taken the extra step ... maybe I would have helped prevent this any way," the victim’s sister, Robin Woyee, said after the hearing in Mecklenburg County Superior Court.
“Things just got to a point where he was unable to deal with things,"Dean Loven, Jaworski's attorney, said.
Jaworski told the judge that his relationship with Woyee had been troubled. He also asked for forgiveness from her family.
Jaworski's mother declined comment after the hearing.
Roschelle Woyee and Jaworski have a 2-year-old daughter, who is now being cared for by both sets of grandparents.
Guthrie, OK: Oklahoma man, 21, says teen girlfriend wanted him to kill her father at Guthrie home
By Michael Baker
Published: July 29, 2010
GUTHRIE — A 21-year-old man testified today he killed his 15-year-old girlfriend's father after she asked him to do it and showed him where the kitchen knives were kept.
Preliminary hearing held in Guthrie slaying
Jul 29Jerry Jerone Chiles Jr., 21, said he killed his 15-year-old...
Oklahoma man, 21, says teen girlfriend wanted him to kill her father at Guthrie home
Kaleigh Lynn Fryer and Jerry Jerone Chiles Jr. are charged with the stabbing death of Lewis Keith Fryer, 42.
"She said she'd leave the back door open for me and stuff and then she showed me where the knives are at," said Chiles as he testified at Kaleigh Fryer's preliminary hearing. "She said, please, please can I do it."
Chiles has struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to the murder in exchange for his testimony against Fryer and a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. He could have faced the death penalty.
On May 13, Police found Lewis Fryer dead in his Guthrie home at 401 W Orbit after his daughter called 911. He had been stabbed in the back and the neck.
Chiles was arrested later that day at Crossroads Mall and questioned by authorities. Chiles admitted killing Lewis Fryer and implicated Kaleigh Fryer in the plot, according to court records.
The preliminary hearing will continue on Aug. 30 with Kaleigh Fryer's attorney having a chance to question Chiles.
Published: July 29, 2010
GUTHRIE — A 21-year-old man testified today he killed his 15-year-old girlfriend's father after she asked him to do it and showed him where the kitchen knives were kept.
Preliminary hearing held in Guthrie slaying
Jul 29Jerry Jerone Chiles Jr., 21, said he killed his 15-year-old...
Oklahoma man, 21, says teen girlfriend wanted him to kill her father at Guthrie home
Kaleigh Lynn Fryer and Jerry Jerone Chiles Jr. are charged with the stabbing death of Lewis Keith Fryer, 42.
"She said she'd leave the back door open for me and stuff and then she showed me where the knives are at," said Chiles as he testified at Kaleigh Fryer's preliminary hearing. "She said, please, please can I do it."
Chiles has struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to the murder in exchange for his testimony against Fryer and a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. He could have faced the death penalty.
On May 13, Police found Lewis Fryer dead in his Guthrie home at 401 W Orbit after his daughter called 911. He had been stabbed in the back and the neck.
Chiles was arrested later that day at Crossroads Mall and questioned by authorities. Chiles admitted killing Lewis Fryer and implicated Kaleigh Fryer in the plot, according to court records.
The preliminary hearing will continue on Aug. 30 with Kaleigh Fryer's attorney having a chance to question Chiles.
COLLETON COUNTY, S.C.: Colleton County Man Accused of Killing Wife
Credit: Colleton County Sheriff's Office
Investigators said Eli Marc Meyers is charged with killing his wife.
By TUQUYEN MACH
Published: July 29, 2010
A man is under arrest after police say he shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself.
Colleton County Sheriff's officials said Eli Meyers, 51, called 911 around 5:00 a.m. Sunday.
Deputies and EMS arrived to find Meyers suffering from a gunshot wound in his home on Homestead Drive.
He was flown to Charleston for treatment of an apparent self inflicted wound.
Deputies also found the body of his wife, Rose Marie Meyers, in the home.
On Thursday, sheriff's officials said Eli Meyers is now facing charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He is currently in the Colleton County jail awaiting a bond hearing.
Investigators said Eli Marc Meyers is charged with killing his wife.
By TUQUYEN MACH
Published: July 29, 2010
A man is under arrest after police say he shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself.
Colleton County Sheriff's officials said Eli Meyers, 51, called 911 around 5:00 a.m. Sunday.
Deputies and EMS arrived to find Meyers suffering from a gunshot wound in his home on Homestead Drive.
He was flown to Charleston for treatment of an apparent self inflicted wound.
Deputies also found the body of his wife, Rose Marie Meyers, in the home.
On Thursday, sheriff's officials said Eli Meyers is now facing charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He is currently in the Colleton County jail awaiting a bond hearing.
Chase, WI: Randall Staeven of Pulaski arrested in death of wife Christine Staeven
BY PAUL SRUBAS
psrubas@greenbaypressgazette.com
The estranged husband of a woman found dead in a burning home a year ago has been arrested for her murder, the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department said today.
Additional information
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Authorities said they have arrested Randall Staeven, 50, of Pulaski, and are recommending charges of first-degree intentional homicide, arson, mutilating a corpse and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.
The charges relate to the May 14, 2009, death of Christine Staeven, 40, and a fire at her home at 740 Jaworski Road, in the town of Chase.
The sheriff’s department identified the Staevens as being married but going through a divorce at the time of her death.
Randall Staeven was angry that he could lose the family home as a result of the couple’s pending divorce, according to the criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
Randall and Christine’s relationship had a history of domestic abuse and Randall Staeven had been ordered to undergo anger management counseling, the complaint said.
In January 2009, Christine received a restraining order against her husband and had him removed from the Jaworski Road home, the complaint said.
Randall Staeven is scheduled to be in court for an initial appearance at 10 a.m. Friday before Oconto County Circuit Judge Michael Judge.
Investigators suspected murder early on, because an autopsy showed no carbon monoxide in her system, indicating that she had died before the fire.
Christine Staeven’s body — found in one of the home’s bedrooms — was significantly damaged during the fire, which had been set in three different places in the home, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday
Three of her children, then aged 11, 7 and 3, escaped the fire. Another child wasn’t home at that time.
Christine Staeven’s 11-year-old daughter told authorities she woke up the night of the fire to the smell of smoke as well as the fire alarm sounding and her brother screaming, the criminal complaint said. She found her two brothers in the house at the time and then helped them get out, it said.
Relatives had set up fundraising efforts to help care for the children.
The sheriff’s department had no comment on what led to the arrest other than to say it was as a result of a joint investigation by the sheriff’s department and agents from the state Division of Criminal Investigation.
psrubas@greenbaypressgazette.com
The estranged husband of a woman found dead in a burning home a year ago has been arrested for her murder, the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department said today.
Additional information
(Links will open in a new window)
♦ http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/textalerts.shtml" target="new" style="color:#72A440;">Sign up for news, weather, sports, Green Bay Packers and high school sports text alerts.
Authorities said they have arrested Randall Staeven, 50, of Pulaski, and are recommending charges of first-degree intentional homicide, arson, mutilating a corpse and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.
The charges relate to the May 14, 2009, death of Christine Staeven, 40, and a fire at her home at 740 Jaworski Road, in the town of Chase.
The sheriff’s department identified the Staevens as being married but going through a divorce at the time of her death.
Randall Staeven was angry that he could lose the family home as a result of the couple’s pending divorce, according to the criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
Randall and Christine’s relationship had a history of domestic abuse and Randall Staeven had been ordered to undergo anger management counseling, the complaint said.
In January 2009, Christine received a restraining order against her husband and had him removed from the Jaworski Road home, the complaint said.
Randall Staeven is scheduled to be in court for an initial appearance at 10 a.m. Friday before Oconto County Circuit Judge Michael Judge.
Investigators suspected murder early on, because an autopsy showed no carbon monoxide in her system, indicating that she had died before the fire.
Christine Staeven’s body — found in one of the home’s bedrooms — was significantly damaged during the fire, which had been set in three different places in the home, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday
Three of her children, then aged 11, 7 and 3, escaped the fire. Another child wasn’t home at that time.
Christine Staeven’s 11-year-old daughter told authorities she woke up the night of the fire to the smell of smoke as well as the fire alarm sounding and her brother screaming, the criminal complaint said. She found her two brothers in the house at the time and then helped them get out, it said.
Relatives had set up fundraising efforts to help care for the children.
The sheriff’s department had no comment on what led to the arrest other than to say it was as a result of a joint investigation by the sheriff’s department and agents from the state Division of Criminal Investigation.
Caddo, LA: Luttrell's Wife Accused Of Having Him Killed
Photo by Michael Moore
The wife of Ernest Luttrell paid a hit man to kill her husband so she could sell his property and give it to a relative who had been cut out of his will, Caddo sheriff's investigators said Thursday as they arrested her in the latest twist in the murder case.
Loretta Luttrell, 70, paid $1,000 to have her husband of 50 years killed, Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator said. She left early for church the morning of the murder, which was committed by a man recruited by a family friend, Prator said.
Sheriff's Department detectives arrested the widow shortly after her husband's funeral concluded at midafternoon..
Mrs. Luttrell's daughter, who was with her mother as sheriff's deputies escorted them from Forest Park West cemetery to the detective office, said her mother is in the moderate stages of Alzheimer's.
"My mother's mind is half gone," Katey Passaniti said outside the detective office.
The couple had recently received a bonus payment for leasing mineral rights to their property.
Prator said Mr. Luttrell had promised a "large sum" of money to one of Mrs. Luttrell's family members.
"When Mr. Luttrell changed his mind, Mrs. Luttrell plotted to have him killed so she could sell his property and still provide the money to the family member," Prator said at a news conference.
Mrs. Luttrell was booked for first-degree murder and jailed without bond. A first-degree murder charge can apply when a person is accused of offering money for someone to be killed.
Luttrell's widow is the third person arrested in the case. On Tuesday, sheriff's detectives charged Erick Crain with shooting Luttrell. On Wednesday, they arrested Tina VanMoerkerque, who lived on the Luttrell property and did odd jobs like housekeeping and running errands, on charges she helped plan the murder, including arranging for a hit man.
Mr. Luttrell was retired from Borden and worked on his land off Greenwood-Springridge Road.
Sheriff's detectives have accused Crain, 26, of going to the Luttrells' home minutes after his wife left for church on Sunday morning, confronting the victim inside, shooting him repeatedly and then taking his truck.
VanMoerkerque, 44, is accused of telling Crain how to get in the house and where he kept his gun, sheriff's detectives said.
Both are jailed without bond on first-degree murder charges.
Ernest Luttrell, who had a daughter and two grandchildren, was a Korean War veteran.
The wife of Ernest Luttrell paid a hit man to kill her husband so she could sell his property and give it to a relative who had been cut out of his will, Caddo sheriff's investigators said Thursday as they arrested her in the latest twist in the murder case.
Loretta Luttrell, 70, paid $1,000 to have her husband of 50 years killed, Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator said. She left early for church the morning of the murder, which was committed by a man recruited by a family friend, Prator said.
Sheriff's Department detectives arrested the widow shortly after her husband's funeral concluded at midafternoon..
Mrs. Luttrell's daughter, who was with her mother as sheriff's deputies escorted them from Forest Park West cemetery to the detective office, said her mother is in the moderate stages of Alzheimer's.
"My mother's mind is half gone," Katey Passaniti said outside the detective office.
The couple had recently received a bonus payment for leasing mineral rights to their property.
Prator said Mr. Luttrell had promised a "large sum" of money to one of Mrs. Luttrell's family members.
"When Mr. Luttrell changed his mind, Mrs. Luttrell plotted to have him killed so she could sell his property and still provide the money to the family member," Prator said at a news conference.
Mrs. Luttrell was booked for first-degree murder and jailed without bond. A first-degree murder charge can apply when a person is accused of offering money for someone to be killed.
Luttrell's widow is the third person arrested in the case. On Tuesday, sheriff's detectives charged Erick Crain with shooting Luttrell. On Wednesday, they arrested Tina VanMoerkerque, who lived on the Luttrell property and did odd jobs like housekeeping and running errands, on charges she helped plan the murder, including arranging for a hit man.
Mr. Luttrell was retired from Borden and worked on his land off Greenwood-Springridge Road.
Sheriff's detectives have accused Crain, 26, of going to the Luttrells' home minutes after his wife left for church on Sunday morning, confronting the victim inside, shooting him repeatedly and then taking his truck.
VanMoerkerque, 44, is accused of telling Crain how to get in the house and where he kept his gun, sheriff's detectives said.
Both are jailed without bond on first-degree murder charges.
Ernest Luttrell, who had a daughter and two grandchildren, was a Korean War veteran.
Calico Rock, AR: Arkansas Man Accused of Setting Fire that Possibly Killed Ex-Wife
By KSPR News
Story Created: Jul 29, 2010 at 12:14 PM CDT
Story Updated: Jul 29, 2010 at 12:14 PM CDT
74-year old Donald Dickey was arrested Wednesday and is now being held in the Izard County Jail on an Arson Charge.
Firefighters were called to a residence in Calico Rock Sunday for a fire. The house was destroyed and the occupant, Mary Dickey could not be found.
Two days later Arkansas State Police and other enforcement agencies processed the scene for evidence and discovered what appeared to be human remains.
The remains have been submitted to the Medical Examiner’s Office of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for autopsy and identification purposes.
Dickey is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Story Created: Jul 29, 2010 at 12:14 PM CDT
Story Updated: Jul 29, 2010 at 12:14 PM CDT
74-year old Donald Dickey was arrested Wednesday and is now being held in the Izard County Jail on an Arson Charge.
Firefighters were called to a residence in Calico Rock Sunday for a fire. The house was destroyed and the occupant, Mary Dickey could not be found.
Two days later Arkansas State Police and other enforcement agencies processed the scene for evidence and discovered what appeared to be human remains.
The remains have been submitted to the Medical Examiner’s Office of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for autopsy and identification purposes.
Dickey is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Hyde Park, NY: Man out on bail shoots and kills wife, self
Published: 3:08 PM - 07/29/10
Last updated: 3:10 PM - 07/29/10
BY MICHAEL RANDALL
Times Herald-Record
HYDE PARK — A man out on bail for a previous domestic violence incident shot and killed his wife and then himself Thursday morning.
Dutchess County sheriff’s personnel responded to a house on South Quaker Lane after the county’s 911 Center got a call at 4 a.m.
Danielle Riccardulli, 17, told Deputy Nicholas LaMonica that her father had shot her mother, Linda Riccardulli, 47. He also reportedly threatened to shoot the family dog.
A sheriff’s office emergency services unit team broke into the house, but Anthony John Riccardulli Sr., 55, shot himself before being confronted by them. He died later at a local hospital.
The Riccardullis had two other children, but they were not home at the time.
Anthony John Riccardulli Sr. was previously arrested by Hyde Park town police on June 28 on charges including first-degree assault, a felony, following a domestic incident at the house.
He had been held in Dutchess County Jail since then, but was released Tuesday after posting $25,000 bail.
The murder-suicide case remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office and the Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s office.
State police, Hyde Park police and SPCA humane law enforcement officers also assisted at the scene.
mrandall@th-record.com
Last updated: 3:10 PM - 07/29/10
BY MICHAEL RANDALL
Times Herald-Record
HYDE PARK — A man out on bail for a previous domestic violence incident shot and killed his wife and then himself Thursday morning.
Dutchess County sheriff’s personnel responded to a house on South Quaker Lane after the county’s 911 Center got a call at 4 a.m.
Danielle Riccardulli, 17, told Deputy Nicholas LaMonica that her father had shot her mother, Linda Riccardulli, 47. He also reportedly threatened to shoot the family dog.
A sheriff’s office emergency services unit team broke into the house, but Anthony John Riccardulli Sr., 55, shot himself before being confronted by them. He died later at a local hospital.
The Riccardullis had two other children, but they were not home at the time.
Anthony John Riccardulli Sr. was previously arrested by Hyde Park town police on June 28 on charges including first-degree assault, a felony, following a domestic incident at the house.
He had been held in Dutchess County Jail since then, but was released Tuesday after posting $25,000 bail.
The murder-suicide case remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office and the Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s office.
State police, Hyde Park police and SPCA humane law enforcement officers also assisted at the scene.
mrandall@th-record.com
Youngstown, OH: Hearing next week for woman charged with killing boyfriend with car
Published: Wed, July 28, 2010 @ 3:32 p.m.
YOUNGSTOWN — A city woman is in Mahoning County jail on $100,000 bond after police say she killed her 64-year-old boyfriend by hitting him with a car.
Kimberly Mack, 46, of Woodford Avenue, appeared for her arraignment today before Judge Elizabeth Kobly of Youngstown Municipal Court on felony vehicular homicide charges. The judge set bond at $100,000 and ordered Mack to appear for a preliminary hearing Aug. 4.
Prosecutors said Mack ran over 64-year-old James Jackson of West Evergreen Avenue killing him earlier this week, then confessed to being behind the wheel when Jackson was hit.
Prosecutors told the court Mack has a criminal history that includes theft, falsification, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana.
YOUNGSTOWN — A city woman is in Mahoning County jail on $100,000 bond after police say she killed her 64-year-old boyfriend by hitting him with a car.
Kimberly Mack, 46, of Woodford Avenue, appeared for her arraignment today before Judge Elizabeth Kobly of Youngstown Municipal Court on felony vehicular homicide charges. The judge set bond at $100,000 and ordered Mack to appear for a preliminary hearing Aug. 4.
Prosecutors said Mack ran over 64-year-old James Jackson of West Evergreen Avenue killing him earlier this week, then confessed to being behind the wheel when Jackson was hit.
Prosecutors told the court Mack has a criminal history that includes theft, falsification, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana.
Tulsa, OK: Woman handed 0-year term in husband's killing
Nellie Guillory: A psychologist said she “recounted experiencing severe and chronic physical and emotional abuse” during their 14-year marriage. Reports show that in 2006 and 2008, she called police in response to being assaulted by her husband, Antoine “Tony” Guillory, 49, who was shot in the head Jan. 5, 2009, at their residence and died at a hospital two days later.
By BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Published: 7/29/2010 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 7/29/2010 5:21 AM
A Tulsa woman who maintained that she had been a target of domestic violence pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder in the killing of her husband.
Nellie Guillory, 59, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the slaying of Antoine "Tony" Guillory, 49. He was shot in the head Jan. 5, 2009, at the couple's residence in the 1300 block of East 66th Place and died at a hospital two days later.
Nellie Guillory, who had been free on bond, was jailed Wednesday.
In accordance with a plea agreement, Tulsa County District Judge Tom Gillert scheduled a six-month judicial review of the 10-year sentence for Jan. 24. At that time, the judge could modify the sentence to allow Guillory to serve part or all of the rest of her sentence on probation.
Police reported that she fired the fatal shot through a door. She said she was trying to "ward off" her husband, "who she believed intended to enter her room and choke her," an arrest report states.
Guillory said she loved her husband and "did not intend to hurt him," police reported.
In a document supporting her guilty plea, Guillory indicated that she fired a pistol into a room that she knew was occupied by her husband in reckless disregard for his life.
Assistant District Attorney Courtney Cain said reports show that the Guillorys had a volatile relationship marked by a history of violence.
A psychological evaluation states that Nellie Guillory "recounted experiencing severe and chronic physical and emotional abuse" during their 14-year marriage.
Reports show that in 2006 and 2008, she called police in response to being assaulted by her husband.
She also reported that on two occasions before the fatal shooting, she fired a gun during domestic assaults — once into a hardwood floor and once into the corner of a wall — and that that ended the assaults, according to a report by psychologist Curtis Grundy.
Grundy wrote that his principal diagnosis of Guillory is "post-traumatic stress disorder" related to her experiences of being abused.
In Grundy's opinion, Guillory believed at the time of the fatal shooting that she was in "imminent danger of significant bodily harm or death," according to the evaluation, which was filed as a court document.
By BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Published: 7/29/2010 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 7/29/2010 5:21 AM
A Tulsa woman who maintained that she had been a target of domestic violence pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder in the killing of her husband.
Nellie Guillory, 59, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the slaying of Antoine "Tony" Guillory, 49. He was shot in the head Jan. 5, 2009, at the couple's residence in the 1300 block of East 66th Place and died at a hospital two days later.
Nellie Guillory, who had been free on bond, was jailed Wednesday.
In accordance with a plea agreement, Tulsa County District Judge Tom Gillert scheduled a six-month judicial review of the 10-year sentence for Jan. 24. At that time, the judge could modify the sentence to allow Guillory to serve part or all of the rest of her sentence on probation.
Police reported that she fired the fatal shot through a door. She said she was trying to "ward off" her husband, "who she believed intended to enter her room and choke her," an arrest report states.
Guillory said she loved her husband and "did not intend to hurt him," police reported.
In a document supporting her guilty plea, Guillory indicated that she fired a pistol into a room that she knew was occupied by her husband in reckless disregard for his life.
Assistant District Attorney Courtney Cain said reports show that the Guillorys had a volatile relationship marked by a history of violence.
A psychological evaluation states that Nellie Guillory "recounted experiencing severe and chronic physical and emotional abuse" during their 14-year marriage.
Reports show that in 2006 and 2008, she called police in response to being assaulted by her husband.
She also reported that on two occasions before the fatal shooting, she fired a gun during domestic assaults — once into a hardwood floor and once into the corner of a wall — and that that ended the assaults, according to a report by psychologist Curtis Grundy.
Grundy wrote that his principal diagnosis of Guillory is "post-traumatic stress disorder" related to her experiences of being abused.
In Grundy's opinion, Guillory believed at the time of the fatal shooting that she was in "imminent danger of significant bodily harm or death," according to the evaluation, which was filed as a court document.
Lansing, MI: Family: Lansing woman, 19, had dated one of the suspects in her slaying
2 men arraigned on charges that include murder
Kevin Grasha
kgrasha@lsj.com
Shayla Johnson used to date one of the two men now charged with killing her, family members said.
The same day the 19-year-old woman was shot and killed at her home on Lenore Street, Dion Lanier - one of two men arraigned Monday on charges in connection with her death - was on the front porch, hanging out with her younger brother, said her mother, Lori Black.
She added that Johnson and Lanier dated for a few months about two years ago.
Neighbors said Johnson was shot multiple times Friday night in front of the house.
No one else was home at the time.
Black said she had gone to her boyfriend's home that night to plan a camping trip that was supposed to begin Saturday. Johnson was supposed to go on the trip, Black said.
At a hearing in 54A District Court, Lanier, 18, and another man, Walee al-Din, 21, both of Lansing, were arraigned on charges that include murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conspiracy to commit home invasion.
Black said she has never met al-Din.
Judge Louise Alderson ordered Lanier and al-Din to be held without bond at the Ingham County Jail. Both requested court-appointed attorneys.
Preliminary hearing
A preliminary hearing, which determines if there is enough evidence for a trial, is set for Aug. 5.
Police arrested three men in connection with the incident. A third man is expected to be arraigned today on similar charges, Lansing police Lt. Noel Garcia said. More arrests are possible, Garcia said.
Three guns used
According to the felony complaint read aloud Monday in court, three guns were used during the incident - two handguns and an AK-47 assault rifle. The men went to the house to steal money and/or a controlled substance, according to the complaint.
More than a dozen of Johnson's friends and family were in the courtroom, as well as friends and family of both Lanier and al-Din. The suspects' friends and family left the courthouse before the State Journal could seek comment.
Additional Facts
What's next
A third suspect arrested in connection with Friday's fatal shooting of 19-year-old Shayla Johnson is expected to be arraigned today. Police say more arrests are possible.
Kevin Grasha
kgrasha@lsj.com
Shayla Johnson used to date one of the two men now charged with killing her, family members said.
The same day the 19-year-old woman was shot and killed at her home on Lenore Street, Dion Lanier - one of two men arraigned Monday on charges in connection with her death - was on the front porch, hanging out with her younger brother, said her mother, Lori Black.
She added that Johnson and Lanier dated for a few months about two years ago.
Neighbors said Johnson was shot multiple times Friday night in front of the house.
No one else was home at the time.
Black said she had gone to her boyfriend's home that night to plan a camping trip that was supposed to begin Saturday. Johnson was supposed to go on the trip, Black said.
At a hearing in 54A District Court, Lanier, 18, and another man, Walee al-Din, 21, both of Lansing, were arraigned on charges that include murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conspiracy to commit home invasion.
Black said she has never met al-Din.
Judge Louise Alderson ordered Lanier and al-Din to be held without bond at the Ingham County Jail. Both requested court-appointed attorneys.
Preliminary hearing
A preliminary hearing, which determines if there is enough evidence for a trial, is set for Aug. 5.
Police arrested three men in connection with the incident. A third man is expected to be arraigned today on similar charges, Lansing police Lt. Noel Garcia said. More arrests are possible, Garcia said.
Three guns used
According to the felony complaint read aloud Monday in court, three guns were used during the incident - two handguns and an AK-47 assault rifle. The men went to the house to steal money and/or a controlled substance, according to the complaint.
More than a dozen of Johnson's friends and family were in the courtroom, as well as friends and family of both Lanier and al-Din. The suspects' friends and family left the courthouse before the State Journal could seek comment.
Additional Facts
What's next
A third suspect arrested in connection with Friday's fatal shooting of 19-year-old Shayla Johnson is expected to be arraigned today. Police say more arrests are possible.
Seneca, SC: Man enters plea in killing pregnant girlfriend
OCONEE COUNTY, S.C. - July 28, 2010 - A man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend has pled guilty to the charges in court today.
James Baskerville, then 59, shot and killed Karla Benson before shooting himself at the Upstate Pain Management and Surgery Clinic in Seneca in June 2009.
Benson, 29-years-old at the time of the shooting, was 20 weeks pregnant.
Baskerville shot a hole through the roof of his mouth into his head and has to eat with a feeding tube.
Baskerville had been charged with murder and death of a child in utero, but he pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter. Today, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for each. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
James Baskerville, then 59, shot and killed Karla Benson before shooting himself at the Upstate Pain Management and Surgery Clinic in Seneca in June 2009.
Benson, 29-years-old at the time of the shooting, was 20 weeks pregnant.
Baskerville shot a hole through the roof of his mouth into his head and has to eat with a feeding tube.
Baskerville had been charged with murder and death of a child in utero, but he pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter. Today, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for each. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
St. Bernard Parish, LA: Woman pleads guilty to manslaughter in St. Bernard Parish homicide
Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 6:01 PM Updated: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 6:05 PM
The Times-Picayune
A woman who killed her boyfriend in St. Bernard Parish in 2008 pleaded guilty to manslaughter in state District Court in Chalmette Tuesday and will spend five years in prison, authorities said.
District Judge Jacques Sanborn sentenced Connie Reeb, 32, to 10 years, with five years suspended. After she leaves prison, she must also serve three years active probation, authorities said.
Reeb was initially booked with second-degree murder in the shooting death of her boyfriend, Ralph Brossette, in the Violet home they shared. Reeb, who had been living with Brossette for around six months at the time of the Nov. 24, 2008 homicide, told investigators that Brossette had abused and threatened her and her two children.
At the time of the homicide, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office said Reeb originally told investigators that someone else had come into the home and shot Brossette. But under questioning, she said that Brossette returned home from a local casino around 6:30 a.m. and that when he fell asleep she sent her children outside to play with their puppy and shot Brossette with a .38-caliber pistol as he slept. She told investigators at the time that she feared Brossette would kill her. The weapon was recovered in the backyard of the house.
Reeb has been out of jail on $250,000 bond since February 2009, the Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. Reeb, who is pregnant, will report to prison after the birth of her child, authorities said.
© 2010 NOLA.com. All rights reserved.
The Times-Picayune
A woman who killed her boyfriend in St. Bernard Parish in 2008 pleaded guilty to manslaughter in state District Court in Chalmette Tuesday and will spend five years in prison, authorities said.
District Judge Jacques Sanborn sentenced Connie Reeb, 32, to 10 years, with five years suspended. After she leaves prison, she must also serve three years active probation, authorities said.
Reeb was initially booked with second-degree murder in the shooting death of her boyfriend, Ralph Brossette, in the Violet home they shared. Reeb, who had been living with Brossette for around six months at the time of the Nov. 24, 2008 homicide, told investigators that Brossette had abused and threatened her and her two children.
At the time of the homicide, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office said Reeb originally told investigators that someone else had come into the home and shot Brossette. But under questioning, she said that Brossette returned home from a local casino around 6:30 a.m. and that when he fell asleep she sent her children outside to play with their puppy and shot Brossette with a .38-caliber pistol as he slept. She told investigators at the time that she feared Brossette would kill her. The weapon was recovered in the backyard of the house.
Reeb has been out of jail on $250,000 bond since February 2009, the Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. Reeb, who is pregnant, will report to prison after the birth of her child, authorities said.
© 2010 NOLA.com. All rights reserved.
Richmond, VA: Suspect in woman's death denied bond in abduction
By MARK BOWES | TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Published: July 28, 2010
Richmond, Va. --
A Richmond judge yesterday denied bond for Michael D. Solomon on a charge of abducting his slain girlfriend's 2-year-old son last week.
During a brief hearing in Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, Judge Richard B. Campbell echoed a prosecutor's concern about releasing Solomon because "the mother of this child was slain."
He was referring to Tameka Claiborne, 28, whose body was found Friday partially submerged in the James River near the Westover Plantation and Gardens in Charles City County.
Solomon, 27, described by police as the prime suspect in Claiborne's killing, is charged with abducting and then abandoning Claiborne's son, Malik Ellison, on July 20. That is the same day that Claiborne was last seen in the company of Solomon at their home in South Richmond, according to court papers.
There was some confusion yesterday about who will represent Solomon, who appeared by videoconference from the Richmond City Jail. Solomon surrendered to police Friday accompanied by an attorney, Mary Kay Martin, but Solomon told the judge yesterday that he has been unable to contact her since.
Campbell asked defense attorney Katina Whitfield to temporarily represent Solomon and to try to reach Martin.
After denying Solomon bond, the judge set an Aug. 26 preliminary-hearing date.
Published: July 28, 2010
Richmond, Va. --
A Richmond judge yesterday denied bond for Michael D. Solomon on a charge of abducting his slain girlfriend's 2-year-old son last week.
During a brief hearing in Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, Judge Richard B. Campbell echoed a prosecutor's concern about releasing Solomon because "the mother of this child was slain."
He was referring to Tameka Claiborne, 28, whose body was found Friday partially submerged in the James River near the Westover Plantation and Gardens in Charles City County.
Solomon, 27, described by police as the prime suspect in Claiborne's killing, is charged with abducting and then abandoning Claiborne's son, Malik Ellison, on July 20. That is the same day that Claiborne was last seen in the company of Solomon at their home in South Richmond, according to court papers.
There was some confusion yesterday about who will represent Solomon, who appeared by videoconference from the Richmond City Jail. Solomon surrendered to police Friday accompanied by an attorney, Mary Kay Martin, but Solomon told the judge yesterday that he has been unable to contact her since.
Campbell asked defense attorney Katina Whitfield to temporarily represent Solomon and to try to reach Martin.
After denying Solomon bond, the judge set an Aug. 26 preliminary-hearing date.
Flagstaff, AZ: Murder victim urged to leave
LARRY HENDRICKS Assistant City Editor | Posted: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 5:05 am | (0) Comments
The 7-year-old son of Maria Montes has now had both of his parents taken away from him through violence.
The boy's father, Kyle Garcia, was shot and killed by anti-gang enforcement officers in Sunnyside during a traffic stop in the summer of 2006. The officers were eventually cleared in the shooting after Yavapai County investigators determined the shooting to be justified.
Montes, on behalf of her son and other members of Garcia's family, joined a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Flagstaff Police Department, the city and the state in the wake of Garcia's death. The case is still active and has not been resolved.
The boy's status is unknown at this time, but he has a large, extended family in the city to provide assistance to him.
The mother of Maria Montes told Flagstaff police detectives that she had spoken with her daughter about leaving her boyfriend because he had been getting "physical" with her.
And neighbors remarked to investigators how they often heard arguments coming from the home where Montes, 27, lived.
Now, the boyfriend, Carlos A. Ratcliff-Barreras, 22, a convicted felon who has done prison time for having his dogs attack a police officer responding to a previous domestic disturbance report, is accused of murdering Montes.
She leaves a 7-year-old son, and her death is one of four domestic violence homicides in Flagstaff in the last two years.
WARNING SIGNS
Montes, 27, was discovered in her Sunnyside home on North Center Street at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to police reports.
She had suffered a puncture wound to her neck, and she died at the hospital a short time later.
Police had been called to the residence by Ratcliff-Barreras, who told dispatchers that Montes had fallen in the shower and was bleeding from her neck. He claimed he had to knock down the bathroom door after an argument and found Montes bleeding from her neck and asking for help.
Police investigators booked bloody clothing and a metal kitchen knife into evidence, according to reports.
According to police reports, neighbors were used to hearing arguments coming from the home in which Montes lived.
According to police reports, one neighbor "stated he was in his back yard when he heard the neighbors who live in (Montes' home) arguing, but stated this was nothing new.
"He stated they always are fighting. He stated they usually get in an argument and one of them leaves and then they come back and argue and then it gets quiet."
The mother of Montes, when she was notified of her daughter's death, told detectives that she had recently talked to Montes about leaving the relationship with Ratcliff-Barreras because he was getting physical with her and the two were drinking larger quantities of alcohol when together.
After the incident, Ratcliff-Barreras was taken to the police department for questioning. Later, Ratcliff-Barreras was booked into the county jail on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage and disorderly conduct. All of the charges are domestic violence-related.
Ratcliff-Barreras is being held in the county jail in lieu of $1 million bond.
PRIOR DV CONTACT
Ratcliff-Barreras has had contact before with police on domestic violence-related issues. According to police reports, Ratcliff-Barreras was arrested in February 2008 after police responded to a home to investigate a domestic disturbance.
The call was of a verbal fight between an apparently drunk man and his ex-girlfriend. Police had to chase the man, and during the chase, the man called and whistled for his two dogs to attack police.
The dogs attacked, and an officer had to fend off the dogs with kicks and blows from his flashlight. Ratcliff-Barreras pleaded guilty to a 2006 charge of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer from the 2008 incident.
He did prison time -- more than a year -- until his release in May 2009, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections website.
Daily Sun Reporter Hillary Davis contributed to this report. Larry Hendricks can be reached at lhendricks@azdailysun.com or 556-2262.
Surviving son's parents both died violently
The 7-year-old son of Maria Montes has now had both of his parents taken away from him through violence.
The boy's father, Kyle Garcia, was shot and killed by anti-gang enforcement officers in Sunnyside during a traffic stop in the summer of 2006. The officers were eventually cleared in the shooting after Yavapai County investigators determined the shooting to be justified.
Montes, on behalf of her son and other members of Garcia's family, joined a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Flagstaff Police Department, the city and the state in the wake of Garcia's death. The case is still active and has not been resolved.
The boy's status is unknown at this time, but he has a large, extended family in the city to provide assistance to him.
-- Larry Hendricks, Sun staff reporter
Domestic violence on rise
In the last two years, there have been four domestic violence deaths in Flagstaff. Two were murder-suicides reported in 2009, involving couples not from the area. The last murder-suicide, in April, was between a Flagstaff husband and wife who had been experiencing marital difficulties.
The deaths came as the city experienced a marked increase in reports of domestic violence. Police officials cite a number of reasons for the increase -- including increased community awareness, a broader classification standard for the crime, and the financial pressures on families from the economic recession.
After a reduction in DV incidents reported citywide in 2008, DV incidents in 2009 exceeded 2007 numbers, according to police department statistics. Police officials continue to see the major driving force in DV incidents is substance abuse.
In 2009, the county put together a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team to identify gaps in service available to victims of domestic violence and come up with solutions on how to fill those gaps.
Along with the fatality review team, Northern Arizona University hosts a national clearinghouse of information on domestic violence deaths called the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative. Local, state and regional service agencies can access the information in order to attempt to reduce rates of family violence.
-- Larry Hendricks, Sun staff reporter
The 7-year-old son of Maria Montes has now had both of his parents taken away from him through violence.
The boy's father, Kyle Garcia, was shot and killed by anti-gang enforcement officers in Sunnyside during a traffic stop in the summer of 2006. The officers were eventually cleared in the shooting after Yavapai County investigators determined the shooting to be justified.
Montes, on behalf of her son and other members of Garcia's family, joined a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Flagstaff Police Department, the city and the state in the wake of Garcia's death. The case is still active and has not been resolved.
The boy's status is unknown at this time, but he has a large, extended family in the city to provide assistance to him.
The mother of Maria Montes told Flagstaff police detectives that she had spoken with her daughter about leaving her boyfriend because he had been getting "physical" with her.
And neighbors remarked to investigators how they often heard arguments coming from the home where Montes, 27, lived.
Now, the boyfriend, Carlos A. Ratcliff-Barreras, 22, a convicted felon who has done prison time for having his dogs attack a police officer responding to a previous domestic disturbance report, is accused of murdering Montes.
She leaves a 7-year-old son, and her death is one of four domestic violence homicides in Flagstaff in the last two years.
WARNING SIGNS
Montes, 27, was discovered in her Sunnyside home on North Center Street at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to police reports.
She had suffered a puncture wound to her neck, and she died at the hospital a short time later.
Police had been called to the residence by Ratcliff-Barreras, who told dispatchers that Montes had fallen in the shower and was bleeding from her neck. He claimed he had to knock down the bathroom door after an argument and found Montes bleeding from her neck and asking for help.
Police investigators booked bloody clothing and a metal kitchen knife into evidence, according to reports.
According to police reports, neighbors were used to hearing arguments coming from the home in which Montes lived.
According to police reports, one neighbor "stated he was in his back yard when he heard the neighbors who live in (Montes' home) arguing, but stated this was nothing new.
"He stated they always are fighting. He stated they usually get in an argument and one of them leaves and then they come back and argue and then it gets quiet."
The mother of Montes, when she was notified of her daughter's death, told detectives that she had recently talked to Montes about leaving the relationship with Ratcliff-Barreras because he was getting physical with her and the two were drinking larger quantities of alcohol when together.
After the incident, Ratcliff-Barreras was taken to the police department for questioning. Later, Ratcliff-Barreras was booked into the county jail on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage and disorderly conduct. All of the charges are domestic violence-related.
Ratcliff-Barreras is being held in the county jail in lieu of $1 million bond.
PRIOR DV CONTACT
Ratcliff-Barreras has had contact before with police on domestic violence-related issues. According to police reports, Ratcliff-Barreras was arrested in February 2008 after police responded to a home to investigate a domestic disturbance.
The call was of a verbal fight between an apparently drunk man and his ex-girlfriend. Police had to chase the man, and during the chase, the man called and whistled for his two dogs to attack police.
The dogs attacked, and an officer had to fend off the dogs with kicks and blows from his flashlight. Ratcliff-Barreras pleaded guilty to a 2006 charge of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer from the 2008 incident.
He did prison time -- more than a year -- until his release in May 2009, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections website.
Daily Sun Reporter Hillary Davis contributed to this report. Larry Hendricks can be reached at lhendricks@azdailysun.com or 556-2262.
Surviving son's parents both died violently
The 7-year-old son of Maria Montes has now had both of his parents taken away from him through violence.
The boy's father, Kyle Garcia, was shot and killed by anti-gang enforcement officers in Sunnyside during a traffic stop in the summer of 2006. The officers were eventually cleared in the shooting after Yavapai County investigators determined the shooting to be justified.
Montes, on behalf of her son and other members of Garcia's family, joined a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Flagstaff Police Department, the city and the state in the wake of Garcia's death. The case is still active and has not been resolved.
The boy's status is unknown at this time, but he has a large, extended family in the city to provide assistance to him.
-- Larry Hendricks, Sun staff reporter
Domestic violence on rise
In the last two years, there have been four domestic violence deaths in Flagstaff. Two were murder-suicides reported in 2009, involving couples not from the area. The last murder-suicide, in April, was between a Flagstaff husband and wife who had been experiencing marital difficulties.
The deaths came as the city experienced a marked increase in reports of domestic violence. Police officials cite a number of reasons for the increase -- including increased community awareness, a broader classification standard for the crime, and the financial pressures on families from the economic recession.
After a reduction in DV incidents reported citywide in 2008, DV incidents in 2009 exceeded 2007 numbers, according to police department statistics. Police officials continue to see the major driving force in DV incidents is substance abuse.
In 2009, the county put together a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team to identify gaps in service available to victims of domestic violence and come up with solutions on how to fill those gaps.
Along with the fatality review team, Northern Arizona University hosts a national clearinghouse of information on domestic violence deaths called the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative. Local, state and regional service agencies can access the information in order to attempt to reduce rates of family violence.
-- Larry Hendricks, Sun staff reporter
Odessa, TX: Clark maintains innocence
West Odessan scheduled to stand trial in September
July 27, 2010 10:25 PM
BY JIM MUSTIAN
For the past 29 months, Jan David Clark has sat in an isolation cell in the Ector County Detention Center wondering how things could have gone so awry.
Though he admits to killing his wife during an attempted exorcism in February 2008, he maintains he never intended to harm the woman he “loved and spoiled” for 17 years.
“That was not a willing thing that took place,” Clark, 63, recalled in a jailhouse interview Tuesday. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s still a supernatural thing.”
After more than two years of delays, Clark is scheduled to be tried this fall on murder charges in connection with the death of 59-year-old Susan K. Clark. About two dozen subpoenas were mailed Tuesday to various investigators and law enforcement officials, ordering them to appear for trial Sept. 13 in Judge Stacy Trotter’s 244th District Court.
Clark was unaware of the trial date before the interview but said he is more than ready. “I’ve waited long enough,” he said, adding he has not ruled out testifying in his own defense.
Authorities say Clark killed his wife in their Ferguson Avenue home in West Odessa. According to court filings, Clark told investigators he held his wife’s face to the floor of their bathroom when the exorcized spirit from her body entered his, causing him to kill his wife.
Investigators found Susan Clark wrapped in a bed sheet on her back with a cross and a sword atop her body. Preliminary autopsy results revealed she had been suffocated, court documents show.
Clark said he regrets attempting the exorcism alone, noting a group effort would have been more appropriate.
“My intention was to confront a demon I thought she had,” Clark said. “I had a pretty arrogant attitude about the whole thing.”
Clark acknowledged Tuesday that he did not have “all my oars in the water” at the time of his arrest. But he insisted that murder is the wrong charge because he “did not willingly” kill his wife.
“That ain’t right,” Clark said of the murder charge. “Never has been.”
Asked whether he should be accountable for his wife’s death, Clark said he feels he has already paid his penance by spending more than two years behind bars.
“I feel like I have been held accountable already,” Clark said.
Clark said he has bided his time by watching television and reading his Bible. Sgt. Gary Duesler of the Ector County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Clark has been held in “separation” because “we don’t want him around other people.”
“The man allegedly committed a heinous crime,” Duesler said.
Clark’s defense attorney, Lawrence Barber of Odessa, declined to comment on the case. District Attorney Bobby Bland, who is trying the case for the state, also declined to comment.
Over the past several months, Clark said he has grown accustomed to isolation. He said Tuesday he wouldn’t join general population even if given the chance. His only complaints are the quality of the food and the temperature of his cell.
“You could hang meat in my cell,” Clark said with a laugh.
July 27, 2010 10:25 PM
BY JIM MUSTIAN
For the past 29 months, Jan David Clark has sat in an isolation cell in the Ector County Detention Center wondering how things could have gone so awry.
Though he admits to killing his wife during an attempted exorcism in February 2008, he maintains he never intended to harm the woman he “loved and spoiled” for 17 years.
“That was not a willing thing that took place,” Clark, 63, recalled in a jailhouse interview Tuesday. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s still a supernatural thing.”
After more than two years of delays, Clark is scheduled to be tried this fall on murder charges in connection with the death of 59-year-old Susan K. Clark. About two dozen subpoenas were mailed Tuesday to various investigators and law enforcement officials, ordering them to appear for trial Sept. 13 in Judge Stacy Trotter’s 244th District Court.
Clark was unaware of the trial date before the interview but said he is more than ready. “I’ve waited long enough,” he said, adding he has not ruled out testifying in his own defense.
Authorities say Clark killed his wife in their Ferguson Avenue home in West Odessa. According to court filings, Clark told investigators he held his wife’s face to the floor of their bathroom when the exorcized spirit from her body entered his, causing him to kill his wife.
Investigators found Susan Clark wrapped in a bed sheet on her back with a cross and a sword atop her body. Preliminary autopsy results revealed she had been suffocated, court documents show.
Clark said he regrets attempting the exorcism alone, noting a group effort would have been more appropriate.
“My intention was to confront a demon I thought she had,” Clark said. “I had a pretty arrogant attitude about the whole thing.”
Clark acknowledged Tuesday that he did not have “all my oars in the water” at the time of his arrest. But he insisted that murder is the wrong charge because he “did not willingly” kill his wife.
“That ain’t right,” Clark said of the murder charge. “Never has been.”
Asked whether he should be accountable for his wife’s death, Clark said he feels he has already paid his penance by spending more than two years behind bars.
“I feel like I have been held accountable already,” Clark said.
Clark said he has bided his time by watching television and reading his Bible. Sgt. Gary Duesler of the Ector County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Clark has been held in “separation” because “we don’t want him around other people.”
“The man allegedly committed a heinous crime,” Duesler said.
Clark’s defense attorney, Lawrence Barber of Odessa, declined to comment on the case. District Attorney Bobby Bland, who is trying the case for the state, also declined to comment.
Over the past several months, Clark said he has grown accustomed to isolation. He said Tuesday he wouldn’t join general population even if given the chance. His only complaints are the quality of the food and the temperature of his cell.
“You could hang meat in my cell,” Clark said with a laugh.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Clackamas, OR: Wife Suspected In Clackamas Man's Killing
Autopsy Determines Man, 73, Died Of Gunshot Wound
POSTED: 12:34 pm PDT July 27, 2010
UPDATED: 2:38 pm PDT July 27, 2010
CLACKAMAS, Ore. -- A 70-year-old Clackamas woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of fatally shooting her husband, deputies said.
Sheriff's deputies said Carol Jean Schreiner surrendered to detectives at the Clackamas County Jail in Oregon City at about 10:25 a.m. She was arrested on suspicion of probable cause of murder, deputies said.
On Friday afternoon, deputies were called to the 8800 block of Southeast Shadow Brook Court to investigate a suspicious death. They found 73-year-old Richard Meisner Schreiner dead at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputies said an autopsy determined the man died of a gunshot wound.
Carol Jean Schreiner is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday at 3 p.m.
No bail has been set, deputies said.
POSTED: 12:34 pm PDT July 27, 2010
UPDATED: 2:38 pm PDT July 27, 2010
CLACKAMAS, Ore. -- A 70-year-old Clackamas woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of fatally shooting her husband, deputies said.
Sheriff's deputies said Carol Jean Schreiner surrendered to detectives at the Clackamas County Jail in Oregon City at about 10:25 a.m. She was arrested on suspicion of probable cause of murder, deputies said.
On Friday afternoon, deputies were called to the 8800 block of Southeast Shadow Brook Court to investigate a suspicious death. They found 73-year-old Richard Meisner Schreiner dead at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputies said an autopsy determined the man died of a gunshot wound.
Carol Jean Schreiner is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday at 3 p.m.
No bail has been set, deputies said.
Trenton, NJ: Man sought in woman's death arrested
A man accused of killing a Maryland woman whose body was found under a New Jersey bridge over the weekend has been arrested in Canada, authorities said.
Canadian authorities arrested Benjamin Moore, 46, of Lexington Park, outside a Days Inn Hotel where he was staying in Niagara Falls, authorities said.
Moore, left, and Baker. (Courtesy of St. Mary's County Sheriff)
Maryland law enforcement officials had been working with Canadian police to track Moore after he was accused in the death of Devon Baker, 37, also of Lexington Park.
Baker's body was discovered by a fisherman near the Princeton Country Club in Trenton, N.J., about 8 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.
She had been missing since July 17 when she was seen leaving a residence on Liberty Street in Lexington Park, according to authorities. The relationship between Moore and Baker wasn't clear, but the pair knew each other, Capt. Terry Black of the county sheriff's office said.
Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy to help determine when and how Baker was killed. It was also unclear where she was slain.
Moore will be held in Canada pending extradition proceedings.
This item has been updated since it was first published.
-- Mike McPhate
Canadian authorities arrested Benjamin Moore, 46, of Lexington Park, outside a Days Inn Hotel where he was staying in Niagara Falls, authorities said.
Moore, left, and Baker. (Courtesy of St. Mary's County Sheriff)
Maryland law enforcement officials had been working with Canadian police to track Moore after he was accused in the death of Devon Baker, 37, also of Lexington Park.
Baker's body was discovered by a fisherman near the Princeton Country Club in Trenton, N.J., about 8 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.
She had been missing since July 17 when she was seen leaving a residence on Liberty Street in Lexington Park, according to authorities. The relationship between Moore and Baker wasn't clear, but the pair knew each other, Capt. Terry Black of the county sheriff's office said.
Authorities are awaiting the results of an autopsy to help determine when and how Baker was killed. It was also unclear where she was slain.
Moore will be held in Canada pending extradition proceedings.
This item has been updated since it was first published.
-- Mike McPhate
Dorchester County, SC: Dorchester County man killed in attempted murder-suicide identified
Posted: Jul 27, 2010 9:10 AM EDT
Updated: Jul 27, 2010 12:50 PM EDT
DORCHESTER COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - A husband tried to kill his wife Sunday and then turned the gun on himself.
Dorchester County deputies said the domestic violence incident happened on Thomas Kate Road in the Dorchester community.
Deputies said that 88-year-old J.L. Washington chased his wife with a gun. She was able to get away, but then Washington killed himself. The wife was not injured during the altercation.
The Dorchester County coroner's office confirmed that Washington died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Domestic violence are on the rise in the Lowcountry.
My Sister's House is an organization that helps domestic violence victims in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. The group sheltered 343 victims in 2008 and helped 1,400 others.
The State Law Enforcement Division said a victim is most likely to be abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend, then by a spouse and finally by a common-law husband or wife.
Updated: Jul 27, 2010 12:50 PM EDT
DORCHESTER COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - A husband tried to kill his wife Sunday and then turned the gun on himself.
Dorchester County deputies said the domestic violence incident happened on Thomas Kate Road in the Dorchester community.
Deputies said that 88-year-old J.L. Washington chased his wife with a gun. She was able to get away, but then Washington killed himself. The wife was not injured during the altercation.
The Dorchester County coroner's office confirmed that Washington died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Domestic violence are on the rise in the Lowcountry.
My Sister's House is an organization that helps domestic violence victims in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. The group sheltered 343 victims in 2008 and helped 1,400 others.
The State Law Enforcement Division said a victim is most likely to be abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend, then by a spouse and finally by a common-law husband or wife.
Albuquerque, NM: Officer kills domestic-violence suspect
APD: Man lunged at officers with a knife
Updated: Tuesday, 27 Jul 2010, 1:07 PM MDT
Published : Tuesday, 27 Jul 2010, 7:13 AM MDT
Reporter: David Romero
Web Producer: Blair Shiff
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A domestic dispute left a 41-year-old man dead after an officer shot him near a southeast Albuquerque apartment complex, police reported.
The shooting happened around midnight. Police officers were called to an apartment at 3406 Crest SE to a domestic dispute between a man and a woman.
APD said when officers arrived they separated the man and the woman. When they then tried to put the man, identified as Len Fuentes, in the police car, he pulled a knife from his waistband and lunged at officers, according to police.
One of the two officers pulled out his service weapon and shot the man twice, once in the chest and once in the stomach. Fuentes later died from his injuries at University of New Mexico Hospital.
According to police, the man had just moved into the apartment with his girlfriend and her mom. The mom was reportedly present at the time of the fight.
As part of standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting, other police agencies are involved in the investigation. The two officers--Jeremy Hollier, a three-year veteran, and Anthony Glodon, a two-year veteran--are on standard paid administrative leave.
Updated: Tuesday, 27 Jul 2010, 1:07 PM MDT
Published : Tuesday, 27 Jul 2010, 7:13 AM MDT
Reporter: David Romero
Web Producer: Blair Shiff
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A domestic dispute left a 41-year-old man dead after an officer shot him near a southeast Albuquerque apartment complex, police reported.
The shooting happened around midnight. Police officers were called to an apartment at 3406 Crest SE to a domestic dispute between a man and a woman.
APD said when officers arrived they separated the man and the woman. When they then tried to put the man, identified as Len Fuentes, in the police car, he pulled a knife from his waistband and lunged at officers, according to police.
One of the two officers pulled out his service weapon and shot the man twice, once in the chest and once in the stomach. Fuentes later died from his injuries at University of New Mexico Hospital.
According to police, the man had just moved into the apartment with his girlfriend and her mom. The mom was reportedly present at the time of the fight.
As part of standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting, other police agencies are involved in the investigation. The two officers--Jeremy Hollier, a three-year veteran, and Anthony Glodon, a two-year veteran--are on standard paid administrative leave.
Raleigh, NC: Shooting involving Benjamin Hamilton ruled self-defense
By: News 14 Carolina Staff
RALEIGH — The Wake County District Attorney said a shooting involving the cousin of a Raleigh baseball star was in self-defense.
That means that there will be no charges pressed against the parents of 29-year-old Benjamin Hamilton. Warrants show the shooting happened after Benjamin Hamilton backed his parents into their bedroom inside their Wake County home. Linwood Hamilton told sheriff's deputies he had no choice and shot his son with a shotgun. The warrants also showed statements of previous violence by Benjamin Hamilton against his ex-girlfriend. Warrants say he broke into his parent's house in May, damaged their property, and made threats.
Benjamin Hamilton was a cousin of Major League Baseball Star and Raleigh native, Josh Hamilton.
RALEIGH — The Wake County District Attorney said a shooting involving the cousin of a Raleigh baseball star was in self-defense.
That means that there will be no charges pressed against the parents of 29-year-old Benjamin Hamilton. Warrants show the shooting happened after Benjamin Hamilton backed his parents into their bedroom inside their Wake County home. Linwood Hamilton told sheriff's deputies he had no choice and shot his son with a shotgun. The warrants also showed statements of previous violence by Benjamin Hamilton against his ex-girlfriend. Warrants say he broke into his parent's house in May, damaged their property, and made threats.
Benjamin Hamilton was a cousin of Major League Baseball Star and Raleigh native, Josh Hamilton.
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