A 38-year-old Niagara County man was stabbed to death early this morning, and Niagara County sheriff's deputies have arrested his girlfriend on a murder charge, sheriff's officials reported.
Deputies responded to a 1:15 a.m. call from the girlfriend about a stabbing at 8464 Ridge Road, Town of Hartland.
Emergency workers from Tri Town Ambulance and the Hartland Fire Department also responded and worked on Randy R. Whitney at the scene. He was taken to Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators from the sheriff's department charged the girlfriend, Gwendolyn Garcia, 31, of the same address, with second-degree murder and possession of a weapon. She was arraigned in Hartland Town Court and kept in custody with no bail.
Whitney was stabbed in the chest, but investigators wouldn't say how many times or whether they know what sparked the fatal attack.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Santa Clara, CA: Murder-suicide survivor meets Santa Clara 'angel' for Christmas
By Lisa Fernandez
lfernandez@mercurynews.com
Posted: 12/24/2009 05:43:05 PM PST
Updated: 12/24/2009 06:15:00 PM PST
Days before her first Christmas alone, Abha Appu finally found the courage to thank her "angel.''
For nine months, she didn't know her angel's name, and had no idea if she'd recognize her. The fair-haired woman had appeared in Appu's darkest moment, holding her, imploring her to "Stay with me!'' as Appu lay bleeding from a spray of gunshot wounds in front of her new Santa Clara townhome.
In an unexplainable burst of violence, Appu's husband had turned an uneventful Sunday family dinner in March into one of Santa Clara's deadliest nights ever, wounding his wife and killing five relatives, including their two young children, before killing himself.
Appu had been tempted for months to look up the woman who risked her own life by comforting her during the excruciating wait for paramedics.
And on the day before Christmas Eve, Appu's "angel'' knocked on her door.
Cheryl Abbate entered the tiny Cupertino apartment with a bouquet of flowers and a police chaplain she brought along for support.
"It's good to see you,'' she whispered into Appu's ear. She stroked Appu's long black hair. She dabbed away tears. "You look good.''
"All my family members are so grateful to you, Cheryl,'' Appu said, as her mother, Devaky Appu, who flew in from India to care for her, sat silently nearby.
Earlier this week, Appu, 35, had called the Mercury News seeking help in finding the woman who helped save her. It felt right, she said, because
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it's Christmas. Even though she is Hindu, she celebrated the holiday last year with a plastic tree and a cake she baked with her 11-year-old son Akhil Dev, one of the victims in the March 29 shootings.
For months, Appu had thought about driving back to the townhome complex and knocking on Abbate's front door. But she couldn't go back. She's still plagued with nightmares of hit men chasing her.
Abbate, too, gets emotional when she glances next door.
"Time is healing the wounds," Abbate said. "But that night, the door was still hanging open, and I didn't realize her husband had killed himself. I thought he might be coming out.''
Until she was contacted by the Mercury News this week, Abbate had been uncertain about meeting Appu.
"Is she even grateful to be alive?'' Abbate said she asked herself. "I keep wondering if I did a good thing.''
They had been next-door neighbors for all of four days. Abbate, a 40-year-old office manager with two children of her own, remembers greeting Appu and her husband Devan Kalathat, a Yahoo web analytics engineer, unpacking in the garage. Appu's husband had announced only days before that the family would be moving from their Sunnyvale apartment to the larger, upscale Rivermark townhome on Headen Way.
The women's next encounter began when Abbate's son heard popping noises. She rushed outside and found Appu on the sidewalk. She comforted her and called 9-1-1. Appu still remembers the woman telling her to "hold on honey, hold on.'' At first, Abbate thought Appu had simply fallen.
But suddenly, Abbate's tone grew desperate with dispatchers: "She says her husband shot everybody.''
To this day, Appu has no idea why. She had never spoken publicly about the shootings before this week. Nothing seemed unsual when her brother and sister-in-law and their 11-month-old daughter came over for dinner that night. They had finished a home cooked meal of chicken and curried rice when Kalathat retreated upstairs. When he returned, he was brandishing two .45-caliber handguns; one he had bought six weeks before, the other a week before.
"I just remember his face,'' Appu said, her mouth breaking into a strangely beautiful smile that masks her pain. "He had no emotion. Like a robot. I kept thinking, No one knows where I'm living now. How can I reach my parents and tell them?"
She was shot six times in the abdomen and also in the left arm and spent 15 days in a coma. A fifth surgery is planned to repair her instestinal organs. Her hand still tingles and aches nonstop.
The couple's son and 4-year-old daughter, Negha, were among the dead. Kalathat also gunned down Appu's brother, Ashok Appu Poothemkandi, 35, an HP employee from Bangalore living in Fremont; his wife, Suchitra Sivaraman, 25, and their daughter, Ahana.
During Kalathat's autopsy, medical examiners discovered a benign tumor at the base of his skull, which isn't necessary fatal but can cause headaches. Appu knew nothing about it. She wonders, if that may have triggered the bloodbath.
"He was a perfectionist,'' she said of the man she had wed in an arranged marriage in their home state of Kerala in 1995, the same year they moved to the United States. "If he had a hair out of place, he got very, very worried. If he got sick, he'd get very concerned, like he was going to die.''
But only later did she discover that five days before the killings, Kalathat, 42, had sent checks totalling $500,000 to his five siblings in India. When she has the strength, Appu hopes to recover that money with legal help.
While her family encourages her to move back to India, she said she can't bear to return and face the questions. Instead, she has moved to Cupertino and is slowly making a strong circle of friends. And finding her angel.
A lot was left unasked and unspoken at the brief meeting this week with Abbate. How do you ask a near stranger what really happened that night? Or if you're really happy to be alive? Abbate sat quietly on the couch, not wanting to pry.
It was Pastor Ryan Wright who helped with the awkward moments. He asked Appu about her physical well-being and told her that "this was not God's plan.''
Wright volunteers with Santa Clara police as a chaplain and ended up counseling officers as well as Abbate the night of the shootings. She has since become a member of the congregation he leads at Community Church of Santa Clara.
"God would tell you, I'm so sorry,'' Wright offered to Appu. "But he'd tell you you're not abandoned either. There is still good for you. There's no place so bad that God can't redeem it. I hope that you find that healing.''
Before they said goodbye, Appu handed Abbate a bag. It was filled with chocolate, a note and a gold heart pendant with diamonds.
"Without you,'' she told her, "I wouldn't have survived.''
lfernandez@mercurynews.com
Posted: 12/24/2009 05:43:05 PM PST
Updated: 12/24/2009 06:15:00 PM PST
Days before her first Christmas alone, Abha Appu finally found the courage to thank her "angel.''
For nine months, she didn't know her angel's name, and had no idea if she'd recognize her. The fair-haired woman had appeared in Appu's darkest moment, holding her, imploring her to "Stay with me!'' as Appu lay bleeding from a spray of gunshot wounds in front of her new Santa Clara townhome.
In an unexplainable burst of violence, Appu's husband had turned an uneventful Sunday family dinner in March into one of Santa Clara's deadliest nights ever, wounding his wife and killing five relatives, including their two young children, before killing himself.
Appu had been tempted for months to look up the woman who risked her own life by comforting her during the excruciating wait for paramedics.
And on the day before Christmas Eve, Appu's "angel'' knocked on her door.
Cheryl Abbate entered the tiny Cupertino apartment with a bouquet of flowers and a police chaplain she brought along for support.
"It's good to see you,'' she whispered into Appu's ear. She stroked Appu's long black hair. She dabbed away tears. "You look good.''
"All my family members are so grateful to you, Cheryl,'' Appu said, as her mother, Devaky Appu, who flew in from India to care for her, sat silently nearby.
Earlier this week, Appu, 35, had called the Mercury News seeking help in finding the woman who helped save her. It felt right, she said, because
Advertisement
it's Christmas. Even though she is Hindu, she celebrated the holiday last year with a plastic tree and a cake she baked with her 11-year-old son Akhil Dev, one of the victims in the March 29 shootings.
For months, Appu had thought about driving back to the townhome complex and knocking on Abbate's front door. But she couldn't go back. She's still plagued with nightmares of hit men chasing her.
Abbate, too, gets emotional when she glances next door.
"Time is healing the wounds," Abbate said. "But that night, the door was still hanging open, and I didn't realize her husband had killed himself. I thought he might be coming out.''
Until she was contacted by the Mercury News this week, Abbate had been uncertain about meeting Appu.
"Is she even grateful to be alive?'' Abbate said she asked herself. "I keep wondering if I did a good thing.''
They had been next-door neighbors for all of four days. Abbate, a 40-year-old office manager with two children of her own, remembers greeting Appu and her husband Devan Kalathat, a Yahoo web analytics engineer, unpacking in the garage. Appu's husband had announced only days before that the family would be moving from their Sunnyvale apartment to the larger, upscale Rivermark townhome on Headen Way.
The women's next encounter began when Abbate's son heard popping noises. She rushed outside and found Appu on the sidewalk. She comforted her and called 9-1-1. Appu still remembers the woman telling her to "hold on honey, hold on.'' At first, Abbate thought Appu had simply fallen.
But suddenly, Abbate's tone grew desperate with dispatchers: "She says her husband shot everybody.''
To this day, Appu has no idea why. She had never spoken publicly about the shootings before this week. Nothing seemed unsual when her brother and sister-in-law and their 11-month-old daughter came over for dinner that night. They had finished a home cooked meal of chicken and curried rice when Kalathat retreated upstairs. When he returned, he was brandishing two .45-caliber handguns; one he had bought six weeks before, the other a week before.
"I just remember his face,'' Appu said, her mouth breaking into a strangely beautiful smile that masks her pain. "He had no emotion. Like a robot. I kept thinking, No one knows where I'm living now. How can I reach my parents and tell them?"
She was shot six times in the abdomen and also in the left arm and spent 15 days in a coma. A fifth surgery is planned to repair her instestinal organs. Her hand still tingles and aches nonstop.
The couple's son and 4-year-old daughter, Negha, were among the dead. Kalathat also gunned down Appu's brother, Ashok Appu Poothemkandi, 35, an HP employee from Bangalore living in Fremont; his wife, Suchitra Sivaraman, 25, and their daughter, Ahana.
During Kalathat's autopsy, medical examiners discovered a benign tumor at the base of his skull, which isn't necessary fatal but can cause headaches. Appu knew nothing about it. She wonders, if that may have triggered the bloodbath.
"He was a perfectionist,'' she said of the man she had wed in an arranged marriage in their home state of Kerala in 1995, the same year they moved to the United States. "If he had a hair out of place, he got very, very worried. If he got sick, he'd get very concerned, like he was going to die.''
But only later did she discover that five days before the killings, Kalathat, 42, had sent checks totalling $500,000 to his five siblings in India. When she has the strength, Appu hopes to recover that money with legal help.
While her family encourages her to move back to India, she said she can't bear to return and face the questions. Instead, she has moved to Cupertino and is slowly making a strong circle of friends. And finding her angel.
A lot was left unasked and unspoken at the brief meeting this week with Abbate. How do you ask a near stranger what really happened that night? Or if you're really happy to be alive? Abbate sat quietly on the couch, not wanting to pry.
It was Pastor Ryan Wright who helped with the awkward moments. He asked Appu about her physical well-being and told her that "this was not God's plan.''
Wright volunteers with Santa Clara police as a chaplain and ended up counseling officers as well as Abbate the night of the shootings. She has since become a member of the congregation he leads at Community Church of Santa Clara.
"God would tell you, I'm so sorry,'' Wright offered to Appu. "But he'd tell you you're not abandoned either. There is still good for you. There's no place so bad that God can't redeem it. I hope that you find that healing.''
Before they said goodbye, Appu handed Abbate a bag. It was filled with chocolate, a note and a gold heart pendant with diamonds.
"Without you,'' she told her, "I wouldn't have survived.''
Hillsborough, FL: Officials: Hillsborough deputy fatally shoots suspect
The deputy was investigating a domestic disturbance at a Publix at U.S. 301 and Big Bend Road.
By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune
and RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 24, 2009
Updated: 19 min. ago
Search officer-involved shootings
RIVERVIEW - A Hillsborough County sheriff's corporal shot and killed a 32-year-old man this afternoon after he was called to investigate a domestic disturbance at a supermarket, authorities say.
When Cpl. Mark Clark arrived at the Publix at U.S. 301 and Big Bend Road about 1 p.m., he saw a man and a woman arguing in the parking lot, Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee said.
The woman tried waving the deputy off and the couple got into a car and drove away. Three children, ages 12, 6 and 2, were in the backseat.
His suspicions aroused, Clark followed them, staying several car-lengths behind, Gee said.
"He still thought something was amiss and she was still in danger," Gee said at a news conference this afternoon near the scene of the fatal shooting.
Gee gave this account of what happened:
The woman drove north on U.S. 301 before pulling over just south of Symmes Road. Clark saw the couple arguing inside the car and pulled up behind them.
Clark asked the man to step out of the car's passenger seat and questioned him. The woman got out of the vehicle to argue with the man. The man then ran to his passenger-side door and pulled out a large-caliber handgun.
The woman, sitting in the driver's seat, grabbed the gun and they struggled. It appeared the woman was trying to wrestle the weapon away to prevent the man from shooting at Clark.
Standing at the passenger side, Clark tried to stun the man with a handheld Taser, but the device didn't fire. The man kicked the Taser away as he struggled for the gun with the woman.
Clark drew his gun and fired one shot, striking the man in the upper torso. The suspect died at the scene.
Clark was not injured.
"It's the last thing we want to happen," Gee said. "It looks pretty straightforward. He did what he had to do. There was a lot going on and he was by himself."
Clark, a dayshift supervisor, is a 23-year veteran of the sheriff's office. He is being placed on administrative leave, standard procedure following a deputy-involved shooting.
Gee said the couple, whose names have not yet been released, have a history of domestic violence. The woman had filed a domestic violence injunction against the man, the sheriff's office said.
The children have been taken into custody by child welfare officials. The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office has also responded to the scene.
Reporter Jose Patino Girona contributed to this report. Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 259-7698. Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920.
By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune
and RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune
Published: December 24, 2009
Updated: 19 min. ago
Search officer-involved shootings
RIVERVIEW - A Hillsborough County sheriff's corporal shot and killed a 32-year-old man this afternoon after he was called to investigate a domestic disturbance at a supermarket, authorities say.
When Cpl. Mark Clark arrived at the Publix at U.S. 301 and Big Bend Road about 1 p.m., he saw a man and a woman arguing in the parking lot, Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee said.
The woman tried waving the deputy off and the couple got into a car and drove away. Three children, ages 12, 6 and 2, were in the backseat.
His suspicions aroused, Clark followed them, staying several car-lengths behind, Gee said.
"He still thought something was amiss and she was still in danger," Gee said at a news conference this afternoon near the scene of the fatal shooting.
Gee gave this account of what happened:
The woman drove north on U.S. 301 before pulling over just south of Symmes Road. Clark saw the couple arguing inside the car and pulled up behind them.
Clark asked the man to step out of the car's passenger seat and questioned him. The woman got out of the vehicle to argue with the man. The man then ran to his passenger-side door and pulled out a large-caliber handgun.
The woman, sitting in the driver's seat, grabbed the gun and they struggled. It appeared the woman was trying to wrestle the weapon away to prevent the man from shooting at Clark.
Standing at the passenger side, Clark tried to stun the man with a handheld Taser, but the device didn't fire. The man kicked the Taser away as he struggled for the gun with the woman.
Clark drew his gun and fired one shot, striking the man in the upper torso. The suspect died at the scene.
Clark was not injured.
"It's the last thing we want to happen," Gee said. "It looks pretty straightforward. He did what he had to do. There was a lot going on and he was by himself."
Clark, a dayshift supervisor, is a 23-year veteran of the sheriff's office. He is being placed on administrative leave, standard procedure following a deputy-involved shooting.
Gee said the couple, whose names have not yet been released, have a history of domestic violence. The woman had filed a domestic violence injunction against the man, the sheriff's office said.
The children have been taken into custody by child welfare officials. The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office has also responded to the scene.
Reporter Jose Patino Girona contributed to this report. Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 259-7698. Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920.
Loudon, TN: Loudon woman charged with killing husband
LOUDON -- A Loudon woman was charged late today with homicide in the shooting death of her husband.
Kristin Myers is being held in the Loudon County Jail pending arraignment, tentatively set for 1 p.m. Monday. Larry Myers, 44, was shot in the back with a 9mm handgun outside his Huffland Drive home on Wednesday morning.
Assistant Loudon Police Chief Mike Newman said the victim was moving out of the house and had already packed several bags when his wife arrived and an argument ensued.
Kristin Myers drove away after the shooting and was arrested later at a motel.
Police are still searching for the gun, which Kristin Myers stated she threw out of the car, Newman said.
More details as they develop online and in Friday's News Sentinel.
Kristin Myers is being held in the Loudon County Jail pending arraignment, tentatively set for 1 p.m. Monday. Larry Myers, 44, was shot in the back with a 9mm handgun outside his Huffland Drive home on Wednesday morning.
Assistant Loudon Police Chief Mike Newman said the victim was moving out of the house and had already packed several bags when his wife arrived and an argument ensued.
Kristin Myers drove away after the shooting and was arrested later at a motel.
Police are still searching for the gun, which Kristin Myers stated she threw out of the car, Newman said.
More details as they develop online and in Friday's News Sentinel.
Memphis, TN: Man Shot & Killed At East Memphis Apartment Complex
Last Update: 12/23 4:13 pm
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MEMPHIS, TN – Domestic violence may be to blame for a shooting at an East Memphis apartment complex. A man was shot in the chest just before 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 23, 2009. A woman is in custody, but has not yet been charged.
It happened at the Madison Humphrey's Center Apartments in the 300 block of Winding Wolf Place, not far from Baptist Women’s Center.
Fogelman Management Group owns the apartment complex. Managers released a statement this afternoon saying cops tell them this is a domestic violence incident.
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MEMPHIS, TN – Domestic violence may be to blame for a shooting at an East Memphis apartment complex. A man was shot in the chest just before 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 23, 2009. A woman is in custody, but has not yet been charged.
It happened at the Madison Humphrey's Center Apartments in the 300 block of Winding Wolf Place, not far from Baptist Women’s Center.
Fogelman Management Group owns the apartment complex. Managers released a statement this afternoon saying cops tell them this is a domestic violence incident.
Kansas City, KS: Woman Charged In KCK Killing Deborah Meeks Faces First-Degree Murder Charge
POSTED: 10:25 am CST December 24, 2009
UPDATED: 10:37 am CST December 24, 2009
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Prosecutors have charged a woman for the shooting death of a man in Kansas City, Kan.
Deborah Meeks, 47, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Wesley Smith on Monday. Police said the shooting happened at a house in the 2900 block of Hutchings Street.
Police said the two had been involved in a relationship.
UPDATED: 10:37 am CST December 24, 2009
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Prosecutors have charged a woman for the shooting death of a man in Kansas City, Kan.
Deborah Meeks, 47, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Wesley Smith on Monday. Police said the shooting happened at a house in the 2900 block of Hutchings Street.
Police said the two had been involved in a relationship.
Schnectady, NY: Homicide quiet stretch ends with Schenectady shooting
December 24, 2009 at 8:32 am by Mike Goodwin
Raymond Van Clief
The stretch of relatively homicide-free months came to an end in the Capital Region Wednesday night when a jilted lover allegedly killed his ex-wife’s new beau.
Raymond D. Van Clief, 27, of Louisville, Ky. is expected to be arraigned this morning on murder charges.
Police said Van Clief killed Elijah S. Trainer with a gunshot inflicted in front of Trainer’s 421 Page. St., Schenectady, home. Trainer is Schenectady’s first homicide victim in nearly six months.
Police said Trainer was dating Van Clief’s ex-wife.
The FBI says the homicide rate in the U.S. dropped 10 percent in the first six months of the year.
For stretches of time this year, Albany, Troy and Schenectady have all gone through periods of peace with no homicides occurring.
Raymond Van Clief
The stretch of relatively homicide-free months came to an end in the Capital Region Wednesday night when a jilted lover allegedly killed his ex-wife’s new beau.
Raymond D. Van Clief, 27, of Louisville, Ky. is expected to be arraigned this morning on murder charges.
Police said Van Clief killed Elijah S. Trainer with a gunshot inflicted in front of Trainer’s 421 Page. St., Schenectady, home. Trainer is Schenectady’s first homicide victim in nearly six months.
Police said Trainer was dating Van Clief’s ex-wife.
The FBI says the homicide rate in the U.S. dropped 10 percent in the first six months of the year.
For stretches of time this year, Albany, Troy and Schenectady have all gone through periods of peace with no homicides occurring.
Lincoln, NE: Neb. man gets 40-50 years for wife's slaying
Associated Press - December 23, 2009 7:25 PM ET
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A Lincoln man has been sentenced to 40-50 years in prison for killing his wife.
Forty-9-year-old Mark Ziemann (ZEE-man) offered an apology Wednesday before a Lancaster County District Judge Paul Merritt Jr. handed down his punishment for the 2007 slaying.
Police say Ziemann killed his wife, Rhapsody, in their Lincoln apartment two years ago then moved her body to an abandoned trailer home near the town of Daykin. She was found there a week after her death.
Authorities say Rhapsody Ziemann suffered blunt force trauma to her head and was strangled.
In October, Ziemann pleaded no contest to a second-degree murder charge.
He will become eligible for parole after serving 20 years.
Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A Lincoln man has been sentenced to 40-50 years in prison for killing his wife.
Forty-9-year-old Mark Ziemann (ZEE-man) offered an apology Wednesday before a Lancaster County District Judge Paul Merritt Jr. handed down his punishment for the 2007 slaying.
Police say Ziemann killed his wife, Rhapsody, in their Lincoln apartment two years ago then moved her body to an abandoned trailer home near the town of Daykin. She was found there a week after her death.
Authorities say Rhapsody Ziemann suffered blunt force trauma to her head and was strangled.
In October, Ziemann pleaded no contest to a second-degree murder charge.
He will become eligible for parole after serving 20 years.
Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com
Article: Mother of slain children seeks changes to state laws, procedures
By MARK MORRIS
The Kansas City Star
A mother whose two children were killed in 2004 after her estranged husband kidnapped them proposed changes to state laws and procedures Wednesday that would better protect children.
Surrounded by law enforcement authorities and legislators at a morning press conference, Tina Porter asked for an appeals procedure for denied Amber Alert requests and more complete record-keeping on protection orders in police databases.
Porter said that if those changes had been in place five years ago, authorities may have moved more quickly on the disappearance of her children.
“We have a very short window of finding (missing children) and finding them alive,” Porter said.
In June 2004, Porter’s husband, Dan Porter, picked up her children — Sam and Lindsey, ages 7 and 8 — for a weekend visit. He soon killed them, but for more than three years refused to tell authorities what happened to them.
Dan Porter confessed in 2007 and is now serving a life sentence.
Legislation to make the proposed changes is being drafted.
Rep. Jason Kander, a Kansas City Democrat, said the changes would establish an appeals procedure for parents whose request for an Amber Alert has been denied by a local authority.
Currently, if a local law enforcement agency, such as a police department, denies an Amber Alert, the parent has no procedure for asking other agencies, such as a sheriff’s department or the Missouri Highway Patrol, to reconsider.
“This puts into place an appeals procedure so more people get their eyes on it,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar.
Another change would require the courts to enter details of temporary and full orders of protection into state law enforcement databases so police can ask about the welfare of children when they encounter a parent.
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Sharp said that when officers now call up a name from the databases, they learn only that an order of protection has been entered. Under the proposed changes, the officer would have details about the children and custodial and visitation arrangements.
If a parent cannot account for a child during the interview, and if the officer has reason to believe a child is in danger, authorities could hold the parent for up to 20 hours until the child is found.
Sharp acknowledged that the procedure could be time-consuming for officers.
“But when it comes to the welfare of the child, we have all day,” Sharp said.
The Kansas City Star
A mother whose two children were killed in 2004 after her estranged husband kidnapped them proposed changes to state laws and procedures Wednesday that would better protect children.
Surrounded by law enforcement authorities and legislators at a morning press conference, Tina Porter asked for an appeals procedure for denied Amber Alert requests and more complete record-keeping on protection orders in police databases.
Porter said that if those changes had been in place five years ago, authorities may have moved more quickly on the disappearance of her children.
“We have a very short window of finding (missing children) and finding them alive,” Porter said.
In June 2004, Porter’s husband, Dan Porter, picked up her children — Sam and Lindsey, ages 7 and 8 — for a weekend visit. He soon killed them, but for more than three years refused to tell authorities what happened to them.
Dan Porter confessed in 2007 and is now serving a life sentence.
Legislation to make the proposed changes is being drafted.
Rep. Jason Kander, a Kansas City Democrat, said the changes would establish an appeals procedure for parents whose request for an Amber Alert has been denied by a local authority.
Currently, if a local law enforcement agency, such as a police department, denies an Amber Alert, the parent has no procedure for asking other agencies, such as a sheriff’s department or the Missouri Highway Patrol, to reconsider.
“This puts into place an appeals procedure so more people get their eyes on it,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar.
Another change would require the courts to enter details of temporary and full orders of protection into state law enforcement databases so police can ask about the welfare of children when they encounter a parent.
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Sharp said that when officers now call up a name from the databases, they learn only that an order of protection has been entered. Under the proposed changes, the officer would have details about the children and custodial and visitation arrangements.
If a parent cannot account for a child during the interview, and if the officer has reason to believe a child is in danger, authorities could hold the parent for up to 20 hours until the child is found.
Sharp acknowledged that the procedure could be time-consuming for officers.
“But when it comes to the welfare of the child, we have all day,” Sharp said.
Cleveland, OH: Police: Suspect Shot, Killed After Stabbing Officer
POSTED: 5:30 pm EST December 23, 2009
UPDATED: 7:09 pm EST December 23, 2009
CLEVELAND -- A man was shot and killed by Cleveland police Wednesday afternoon after the suspect stabbed an officer during an arrest attempt.
Cleveland police union officials said an officer was stabbed in the leg while trying to arrest the 29-year-old man on an outstanding arrest warrant for domestic violence.
According to union president Steve Loomis, the incident began when the suspect was spotted on a Cleveland street and a chase ensued, ending at a home on Signet Avenue, near East 128th Street.
Police said officers trapped the man inside a room of the house. Police said the suspect tried to push his way through the door and in the process the suspect stabbed an officer in the leg.
An officer fired back, striking the suspect. The suspect was taken to Huron Hospital and the Cuyahoga County coroner's office said he was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m.
The officer is being treated at MetroHealth. There is no word on his condition.
UPDATED: 7:09 pm EST December 23, 2009
CLEVELAND -- A man was shot and killed by Cleveland police Wednesday afternoon after the suspect stabbed an officer during an arrest attempt.
Cleveland police union officials said an officer was stabbed in the leg while trying to arrest the 29-year-old man on an outstanding arrest warrant for domestic violence.
According to union president Steve Loomis, the incident began when the suspect was spotted on a Cleveland street and a chase ensued, ending at a home on Signet Avenue, near East 128th Street.
Police said officers trapped the man inside a room of the house. Police said the suspect tried to push his way through the door and in the process the suspect stabbed an officer in the leg.
An officer fired back, striking the suspect. The suspect was taken to Huron Hospital and the Cuyahoga County coroner's office said he was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m.
The officer is being treated at MetroHealth. There is no word on his condition.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Miami, FL: Psychologist Pleads Guilty In Girlfriend's Death
Reporting
John MacLauchlan
A Miami-Dade psychologist and substance abuse counselor has accepted a plea deal in the death of his former patient and girlfriend.
Tuesday, 42-year-old Adam Feder pleaded guilty to guilty to manslaughter in the death of 20-year-old Rachel Finzi. As part of the plea, Feder will serve six years in prison; he had been facing up to 135 years.
Finzi's family says Rachel started seeing Feder professionally at North Miami's Compass Health Systems when she was 18-years old after a car accident left her boyfriend in a coma. Finzi's attorney C. David Durkee says when she came under Feder's care he gave her marijuana and illegal prescription medications and proceeded to engage in sexual relations with her. In early 2006, the relationship ended. Investigators say in May, Finzi went to Feder's residence and swallowed a number of pills and died from an overdose.
John MacLauchlan
A Miami-Dade psychologist and substance abuse counselor has accepted a plea deal in the death of his former patient and girlfriend.
Tuesday, 42-year-old Adam Feder pleaded guilty to guilty to manslaughter in the death of 20-year-old Rachel Finzi. As part of the plea, Feder will serve six years in prison; he had been facing up to 135 years.
Finzi's family says Rachel started seeing Feder professionally at North Miami's Compass Health Systems when she was 18-years old after a car accident left her boyfriend in a coma. Finzi's attorney C. David Durkee says when she came under Feder's care he gave her marijuana and illegal prescription medications and proceeded to engage in sexual relations with her. In early 2006, the relationship ended. Investigators say in May, Finzi went to Feder's residence and swallowed a number of pills and died from an overdose.
Dover, NH: Suspect accused of paying for slaying: Authorities say Saunders gave ex-husband $8g to have Dover boyfriend killed
DOVER — Dianna Saunders wanted her boyfriend David King dead and allegedly paid $8,000 to make it happen.
Despite this allegation, Saunders is not facing a capital murder charge.
According to state law, the capital murder charge can be applied to anyone who conspires with another to commit a contract killing.
Saunders, 42, was indicted Tuesday on felony charges of conspiracy to commit murder and accomplice to first-degree murder for allegedly organizing the August 2008 killing of King, her longtime boyfriend, at the 81 Old Dover Point Road home the two shared.
Saunders' conspiracy to commit murder indictment outlines some of the alleged murder plot, which includes Saunders reportedly paying her ex-husband to get the wheels in motion for the killing.
Associate Attorney General Ann Rice wouldn't comment Tuesday on whether prosecutors ever considered a capital murder charge in the case.
According to the conspiracy indictment, Saunders first approached her ex-husband, Roy Saunders, and gave him $8,000 to pay someone to kill King because she wanted him "gone."
She also is alleged to have spoken with her stepson, Derek Saunders, about the plot.
Authorities say Derek Saunders then got his roommate, Scott Mazzone, in on the plot and the two discussed shooting King at his home. Derek Saunders later took $500 from his father to purchase a gun, according to the indictment.
The indictment states that Dianna Saunders called Derek Saunders the day before the killing to confirm it and on Aug. 28, 2008, the day of the murder, she left the couple's home at 5 p.m. and "stayed away from her house for a sufficient length of time to allow Derek Saunders and Scott Mazzone to kill David King," according to the indictments.
The pair entered King's basement at 6:30 p.m. and Mazzone killed him by shooting him with a rifle and then cut his throat. Prosecutors have said that Derek Saunders and Mazzone lived in King's basement at some point in the past.
Following the killing, Roy Saunders gave Derek Saunders $6,000 in cash and Derek Saunders then paid Scott Mazzone $4,000, according to the indictment.
The dates August 2006 through King's Aug. 29, 2008, murder are listed on the conspiracy indictment. Rice said this doesn't necessarily indicate the plot started in 2006.
"When we talk about conspiracy we look at a broad range of dates where we think evidence of a conspiracy may be available," she said.
The accomplice to first-degree murder indictment is specific to Aug. 28-29, 2008, and alleges Dianna Saunders solicited others to commit the murder, planned it and helped to facilitate it by staying away from the residence at a prearranged time so Mazzone and Derek Saunders could kill King.
Authorities remain tight-lipped about why Dianna Saunders wanted King dead and Rice declined to shed any light on the reason when asked on Tuesday.
"I can't talk about the evidence," she said.
All documents in Dianna Saunders' case, other than a single arrest complaint and the indictments, are sealed and will likely remain sealed for a little while longer. Rice said the state Attorney General's Office will be filing a motion to unseal those documents but didn't give a specific timeline for that action.
Dianna Saunders' attorney, Jeff Karp of Boston, said he's happy the case is moving forward because the state will now have to provide him with proof linking her to the killing. He has adamantly denied her involvement in the killing.
"We're looking forward to having our day in court and vigorously defending Ms. Saunders," he said.
Dianna Saunders has been in police custody since July when Dover police flew down to where she was living in Texas and arrested her. She moved to Texas with her two daughters shortly after King's killing.
Her two daughters, ages 9 and 13, remain in Texas under the custody of Nelson Dusenbery, a man Saunders was living with in Texas, according to court documents.
Dianna Saunders is also the subject of a civil suit filed by William Meredith of Cape Neddick, Maine. Meredith was involved in multiple real estate transactions with Dianna Saunders and claimed she embezzled money from him to fund her move to Texas.
When she failed to show up for a court hearing in July, a judge issued a default judgment against her in the amount of $380,000.
Mazzone and Derek Saunders have already pleaded guilty for their roles in King's killing.
In May, Mazzone, 41, negotiated a deal with the state Attorney General's office and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for shooting King in the head. The plea included a sentence of 33 years to life in prison, which would be imposed if Mazzone cooperated with the investigation.
Derek Saunders, 27, also struck a plea deal to a charge of accomplice to second-degree murder and a sentence of 20 years to life in prison, dependent on cooperation.
Roy Saunders killed himself in Massachusetts before he was scheduled to turn himself in to police in April.
Dianna Saunders is scheduled for arraignment Jan. 4 at Strafford County Superior Court.
An indictment is not an indication of guilt; rather, it means a grand jury has found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.
Despite this allegation, Saunders is not facing a capital murder charge.
According to state law, the capital murder charge can be applied to anyone who conspires with another to commit a contract killing.
Saunders, 42, was indicted Tuesday on felony charges of conspiracy to commit murder and accomplice to first-degree murder for allegedly organizing the August 2008 killing of King, her longtime boyfriend, at the 81 Old Dover Point Road home the two shared.
Saunders' conspiracy to commit murder indictment outlines some of the alleged murder plot, which includes Saunders reportedly paying her ex-husband to get the wheels in motion for the killing.
Associate Attorney General Ann Rice wouldn't comment Tuesday on whether prosecutors ever considered a capital murder charge in the case.
According to the conspiracy indictment, Saunders first approached her ex-husband, Roy Saunders, and gave him $8,000 to pay someone to kill King because she wanted him "gone."
She also is alleged to have spoken with her stepson, Derek Saunders, about the plot.
Authorities say Derek Saunders then got his roommate, Scott Mazzone, in on the plot and the two discussed shooting King at his home. Derek Saunders later took $500 from his father to purchase a gun, according to the indictment.
The indictment states that Dianna Saunders called Derek Saunders the day before the killing to confirm it and on Aug. 28, 2008, the day of the murder, she left the couple's home at 5 p.m. and "stayed away from her house for a sufficient length of time to allow Derek Saunders and Scott Mazzone to kill David King," according to the indictments.
The pair entered King's basement at 6:30 p.m. and Mazzone killed him by shooting him with a rifle and then cut his throat. Prosecutors have said that Derek Saunders and Mazzone lived in King's basement at some point in the past.
Following the killing, Roy Saunders gave Derek Saunders $6,000 in cash and Derek Saunders then paid Scott Mazzone $4,000, according to the indictment.
The dates August 2006 through King's Aug. 29, 2008, murder are listed on the conspiracy indictment. Rice said this doesn't necessarily indicate the plot started in 2006.
"When we talk about conspiracy we look at a broad range of dates where we think evidence of a conspiracy may be available," she said.
The accomplice to first-degree murder indictment is specific to Aug. 28-29, 2008, and alleges Dianna Saunders solicited others to commit the murder, planned it and helped to facilitate it by staying away from the residence at a prearranged time so Mazzone and Derek Saunders could kill King.
Authorities remain tight-lipped about why Dianna Saunders wanted King dead and Rice declined to shed any light on the reason when asked on Tuesday.
"I can't talk about the evidence," she said.
All documents in Dianna Saunders' case, other than a single arrest complaint and the indictments, are sealed and will likely remain sealed for a little while longer. Rice said the state Attorney General's Office will be filing a motion to unseal those documents but didn't give a specific timeline for that action.
Dianna Saunders' attorney, Jeff Karp of Boston, said he's happy the case is moving forward because the state will now have to provide him with proof linking her to the killing. He has adamantly denied her involvement in the killing.
"We're looking forward to having our day in court and vigorously defending Ms. Saunders," he said.
Dianna Saunders has been in police custody since July when Dover police flew down to where she was living in Texas and arrested her. She moved to Texas with her two daughters shortly after King's killing.
Her two daughters, ages 9 and 13, remain in Texas under the custody of Nelson Dusenbery, a man Saunders was living with in Texas, according to court documents.
Dianna Saunders is also the subject of a civil suit filed by William Meredith of Cape Neddick, Maine. Meredith was involved in multiple real estate transactions with Dianna Saunders and claimed she embezzled money from him to fund her move to Texas.
When she failed to show up for a court hearing in July, a judge issued a default judgment against her in the amount of $380,000.
Mazzone and Derek Saunders have already pleaded guilty for their roles in King's killing.
In May, Mazzone, 41, negotiated a deal with the state Attorney General's office and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for shooting King in the head. The plea included a sentence of 33 years to life in prison, which would be imposed if Mazzone cooperated with the investigation.
Derek Saunders, 27, also struck a plea deal to a charge of accomplice to second-degree murder and a sentence of 20 years to life in prison, dependent on cooperation.
Roy Saunders killed himself in Massachusetts before he was scheduled to turn himself in to police in April.
Dianna Saunders is scheduled for arraignment Jan. 4 at Strafford County Superior Court.
An indictment is not an indication of guilt; rather, it means a grand jury has found sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.
Seattle, WA: Beacon Hill couple's happy life began to fall apart, friend says: Suspect sought in killing of woman, infant
Seattle police are still searching for Daniel Hicks, a "person of interest" in the slayings of his girlfriend, Jennifer "J" Morgan, and their infant daughter, Ema, who were found dead in their Beacon Hill home on Tuesday.
By Sara Jean Green
Seattle Times staff reporter
A memorial fund, called the Jennifer and Ema Morgan Memorial Fund, has been set up to help the Morgan family. Donations can be sent to Washington Federal Savings Bank, 4800 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118.
A candlelight vigil for the victims will be held at dusk today outside the victims' home in the 1300 block of South Ferdinand Street in Seattle.
They clicked instantly and fell in love. Their friends thought they were the kind of couple who would be together forever.
But a friend says something changed in the past year. Daniel Thomas Hicks stopped working and, slowly, became possessive and temperamental, the friend said. Though depressed, he was excited about becoming a father, she said.
Seattle police are still searching for Hicks, whom they continue to call a "person of interest" in the slayings of his girlfriend of nine years, Jennifer "J" Morgan, and their baby girl, Ema. Morgan and her 13-week-old daughter were found fatally shot inside their Beacon Hill home just after 10 a.m. Tuesday by Morgan's mother, Renee.
Seattle police are investigating the deaths as "suspicious." No new information was available Wednesday, said police spokesman Mark Jamieson.
The King County Medical Examiner's Office has not released Jennifer and Ema Morgan's official cause of death.
On Wednesday, Renee Morgan's employers, owners of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, issued a statement expressing sympathy for the Morgan family and announcing that a memorial fund has been set up at the Washington Federal Savings Bank branch in Columbia City.
"Out of respect we are not commenting on the circumstances of this ongoing investigation," the statement says. "Tutta Bella is a close-knit family of caring and compassionate team members who are supporting each other at this difficult time."
Morgan, 28, grew up in the house where she was killed, said her friend, Bianca Robinson. Morgan and Hicks renovated the house's lower level, splitting living space and bills with Renee Morgan, she said.
Robinson met Jennifer Morgan in 2000 when Morgan was hired by the Seattle radiologist who employed Robinson at the time. Within months of starting that job, Morgan met Hicks, Robinson said.
"I know she was deeply in love with him," Robinson said. "They seemed like two people who would really stick it out."
Hicks, 29, didn't have many friends but quickly fell in with Morgan's circle, Robinson said. He worked at a hotel, and later in construction. He was always hospitable when friends dropped by, telling them, "Mi casa es su casa," she said.
When Morgan learned she was pregnant, "she made sure she ate really well and she quit smoking," Robinson said. "She was totally ready to be a mom, hands down."
Hicks seemed ready to be a parent, too, she said. Robinson bumped in to him a few months back: "He was excited about the baby," she said.
Two weeks ago, Robinson, Morgan, Morgan's sister, Hicks' sister and another friend met at a restaurant in downtown Seattle. It was the first time the women had gotten together since Ema was born, and they spent the time playing with the baby and talking "smack like we always do," Robinson said.
Last week, Robinson received a Christmas card with Ema's photo on the front.
"She's a beautiful baby," said Robinson, a mother of four. "I can't believe Ema didn't make it to her first Christmas."
Hicks has no major criminal history, according to court records.
But in 2002, he was convicted of attempted second-degree malicious mischief for kicking a dent into the side of a woman's car and shattering one of her windows after he accused the woman of hitting him as he crossed a downtown street.
Hicks, whose sentence was deferred, was ordered to attend anger-management classes and pay $967 in restitution.
According to Robinson, Morgan was a talented artist "who could close her eyes and draw something. ... She was her own unique person. She was true to herself, true to who she was, and it's something I always respected about her."
Robinson said she's struggling to understand why her friend is dead.
"I don't know what went wrong. ... But things changed," Robinson said. "Maybe she was hoping the old Daniel would come back. She thought he'd truly come around and thought if she stuck by his side, he'd get better."
Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.
Published: Dec. 23, 2009 at 1:04 PM
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SEATTLE, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Seattle police said they are searching for a person of interest in the fatal shootings of a 28-year-old woman and her 13-week-old daughter.
The Seattle Times said Wednesday the person of interest in the double homicide was identified as Daniel Thomas Hicks, 29, and police said the man should be considered armed and dangerous.
Hicks, who has a 2002 conviction on attempted second-degree malicious mischief charges, lived with the two victims in a home in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood, neighbors said.
Neighbor Harold Shepherd said the grandmother of the infant also lived in the home and once attempted to force Hicks out of the house.
Shepherd said the grandmother found the bodies of the two victims inside the home Tuesday morning. The identities of the victims and the grandmother were not released.
Shepherd's wife, Cynthia, told the Times she saw Hicks leave the home in his pickup truck Monday night and not return.
"That was very unusual. He's a hermit. He stays in the house," she said.
By Sara Jean Green
Seattle Times staff reporter
A memorial fund, called the Jennifer and Ema Morgan Memorial Fund, has been set up to help the Morgan family. Donations can be sent to Washington Federal Savings Bank, 4800 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118.
A candlelight vigil for the victims will be held at dusk today outside the victims' home in the 1300 block of South Ferdinand Street in Seattle.
They clicked instantly and fell in love. Their friends thought they were the kind of couple who would be together forever.
But a friend says something changed in the past year. Daniel Thomas Hicks stopped working and, slowly, became possessive and temperamental, the friend said. Though depressed, he was excited about becoming a father, she said.
Seattle police are still searching for Hicks, whom they continue to call a "person of interest" in the slayings of his girlfriend of nine years, Jennifer "J" Morgan, and their baby girl, Ema. Morgan and her 13-week-old daughter were found fatally shot inside their Beacon Hill home just after 10 a.m. Tuesday by Morgan's mother, Renee.
Seattle police are investigating the deaths as "suspicious." No new information was available Wednesday, said police spokesman Mark Jamieson.
The King County Medical Examiner's Office has not released Jennifer and Ema Morgan's official cause of death.
On Wednesday, Renee Morgan's employers, owners of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, issued a statement expressing sympathy for the Morgan family and announcing that a memorial fund has been set up at the Washington Federal Savings Bank branch in Columbia City.
"Out of respect we are not commenting on the circumstances of this ongoing investigation," the statement says. "Tutta Bella is a close-knit family of caring and compassionate team members who are supporting each other at this difficult time."
Morgan, 28, grew up in the house where she was killed, said her friend, Bianca Robinson. Morgan and Hicks renovated the house's lower level, splitting living space and bills with Renee Morgan, she said.
Robinson met Jennifer Morgan in 2000 when Morgan was hired by the Seattle radiologist who employed Robinson at the time. Within months of starting that job, Morgan met Hicks, Robinson said.
"I know she was deeply in love with him," Robinson said. "They seemed like two people who would really stick it out."
Hicks, 29, didn't have many friends but quickly fell in with Morgan's circle, Robinson said. He worked at a hotel, and later in construction. He was always hospitable when friends dropped by, telling them, "Mi casa es su casa," she said.
When Morgan learned she was pregnant, "she made sure she ate really well and she quit smoking," Robinson said. "She was totally ready to be a mom, hands down."
Hicks seemed ready to be a parent, too, she said. Robinson bumped in to him a few months back: "He was excited about the baby," she said.
Two weeks ago, Robinson, Morgan, Morgan's sister, Hicks' sister and another friend met at a restaurant in downtown Seattle. It was the first time the women had gotten together since Ema was born, and they spent the time playing with the baby and talking "smack like we always do," Robinson said.
Last week, Robinson received a Christmas card with Ema's photo on the front.
"She's a beautiful baby," said Robinson, a mother of four. "I can't believe Ema didn't make it to her first Christmas."
Hicks has no major criminal history, according to court records.
But in 2002, he was convicted of attempted second-degree malicious mischief for kicking a dent into the side of a woman's car and shattering one of her windows after he accused the woman of hitting him as he crossed a downtown street.
Hicks, whose sentence was deferred, was ordered to attend anger-management classes and pay $967 in restitution.
According to Robinson, Morgan was a talented artist "who could close her eyes and draw something. ... She was her own unique person. She was true to herself, true to who she was, and it's something I always respected about her."
Robinson said she's struggling to understand why her friend is dead.
"I don't know what went wrong. ... But things changed," Robinson said. "Maybe she was hoping the old Daniel would come back. She thought he'd truly come around and thought if she stuck by his side, he'd get better."
Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.
Published: Dec. 23, 2009 at 1:04 PM
ArticlePhotosListenVideosComments
Share
SEATTLE, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Seattle police said they are searching for a person of interest in the fatal shootings of a 28-year-old woman and her 13-week-old daughter.
The Seattle Times said Wednesday the person of interest in the double homicide was identified as Daniel Thomas Hicks, 29, and police said the man should be considered armed and dangerous.
Hicks, who has a 2002 conviction on attempted second-degree malicious mischief charges, lived with the two victims in a home in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood, neighbors said.
Neighbor Harold Shepherd said the grandmother of the infant also lived in the home and once attempted to force Hicks out of the house.
Shepherd said the grandmother found the bodies of the two victims inside the home Tuesday morning. The identities of the victims and the grandmother were not released.
Shepherd's wife, Cynthia, told the Times she saw Hicks leave the home in his pickup truck Monday night and not return.
"That was very unusual. He's a hermit. He stays in the house," she said.
Mid-west City, OK: Mother-to-be is killed
MIDWEST CITY, OK -- Police are releasing new information involving a Midwest City woman who was brutally murdered on Monday. Despite being five months pregnant, investigators say Stacey Beesly was allegedly stabbed and choked by her fiancé Eric Knox inside of their apartment.
"She was wanting to start her family and have a child and a husband and someone to love her," said her sister Casie Ruthardt
According to Midwest City police Chief Brandon Clabes, Knox allegedly stabbed Stacey because she was "the devil."
"We had some newspaper carriers that flag down a couple of officers who said there was a man running around Willow Creek apartments with just a pair a of jeans on and blood all over him," said Chief Clabes.
According to Stacey's brother, Knox has a history of violence.
"There was one incident where he had choked her out and I found out after a year after it happened and I went to Stacey and told her that she needs to get away from this guy and she was like 'Herb that was so long ago,' blah, blah and nothing like that has ever happened again," said Herb Beesly
It will be up to the District Attorney's office to ask for the death penalty.
Article: WA Attorney General investigates impact of domestic violence in Tri-Cities
Josh Peterson / Reporter
Last updated: Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 05:39:36 PM
TRI-CITIES -- Five years ago, Denise Ross was living another life.
She was out of work, involved in drugs and was a perpetual victim of domestic violence.
"You lose your self worth, you lose everything. It's hard to see two feet in front of you when you've been beaten down" said Ross.
But her life took a drastic and positive turn when she found this safe house for abused family members in the Tri-Cities.
Ross realized she was a victim and started going to support groups for help.
Within a few years, she was a new person.
"The things that they have to offer here made it possible for me to put one foot in front of the other and make things happen for my life" said Ross.
And Ross and the local safe house have big time support as well.
Today, Washington's Attorney General, Rob McKenna, visited the house to see the progress it's made over the past few years, and what he could do to help the continuing line of victims.
"Domestic violence is the leading cause of homicide of women in the Tri-Cities. Just recently, over 60% of women who were being killed, were being killed by domestic violence situations" said McKenna.
In an effort to drastically lower those numbers, McKenna plans to introduce a state bill that would increase penalties for repeat offenders of domestic violence.
"We want to take the hardcore group of offenders and send them to state prison in order to create separation between themselves and their current and future victims" said McKenna.
And the announcement is music to Ross' ears.
After years of abuse, the past victim now works as a domestic violence advocate, and says the women she now works with need all the help they can get.
"Nobody deserves to be beat, nobody deserves to be degraded and belittled" said Ross.
Last updated: Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 05:39:36 PM
TRI-CITIES -- Five years ago, Denise Ross was living another life.
She was out of work, involved in drugs and was a perpetual victim of domestic violence.
"You lose your self worth, you lose everything. It's hard to see two feet in front of you when you've been beaten down" said Ross.
But her life took a drastic and positive turn when she found this safe house for abused family members in the Tri-Cities.
Ross realized she was a victim and started going to support groups for help.
Within a few years, she was a new person.
"The things that they have to offer here made it possible for me to put one foot in front of the other and make things happen for my life" said Ross.
And Ross and the local safe house have big time support as well.
Today, Washington's Attorney General, Rob McKenna, visited the house to see the progress it's made over the past few years, and what he could do to help the continuing line of victims.
"Domestic violence is the leading cause of homicide of women in the Tri-Cities. Just recently, over 60% of women who were being killed, were being killed by domestic violence situations" said McKenna.
In an effort to drastically lower those numbers, McKenna plans to introduce a state bill that would increase penalties for repeat offenders of domestic violence.
"We want to take the hardcore group of offenders and send them to state prison in order to create separation between themselves and their current and future victims" said McKenna.
And the announcement is music to Ross' ears.
After years of abuse, the past victim now works as a domestic violence advocate, and says the women she now works with need all the help they can get.
"Nobody deserves to be beat, nobody deserves to be degraded and belittled" said Ross.
Vacaville, CA: Faisons' daughter recounts threats prior to mother's death in suspected Vacaville arson
BY BRIAN HAMLIN/
Posted: 12/23/2009 01:01:42 AM PST
Murder defendant Richard Lee Strand reportedly told his ex-girlfriend that he was going to get her and her family only hours before her parents' Vacaville home erupted in flames, killing her 88-year-old mother, according to testimony offered Tuesday in Solano County Superior Court.
Strand, 39, is charged with first-degree murder and arson stemming from the July 8, 2007, blaze that engulfed the Anita Court home of Ronald and Gloria Faison. Ronald Faison was injured in the blaze. His wife was trapped by the flames and died in her bedroom.
Vacaville police arrested Strand a short distance from the Faisons' home only moments before it was swept by fire. A patrol officer said he initially stopped Strand for several bicycling violations but then noticed that he was carrying a large sheath knife and smelled of gasoline.
Questioned Tuesday by prosecuting Deputy District Attorney Krishna Abrams, the Faisons' daughter, Lisa, described her on-again, off-again relationship with Strand after meeting him in 2003 or 2004.
A self-described former "garbage can" drug user, Faison said her relationship with Strand "started out nice," but then he became increasingly abusive as they moved around between Vacaville and Woodland, doing drugs -- mostly "speed" or methamphetamine -- while living in apartments, motels and Strand's motor home.
Unexpected physical abuse and bizarre threats increased.
"He said I ripped his heart out and he was going to rip my heart out like I
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did his, and then he took my cat hostage," Faison recalled.
The woman said she became afraid of him and that he'd "socked me up pretty good" on different occasions.
Upon further questioning, Faison testified that Strand had choked her, beaten her and, on one occasion, set a fire along the driveway of a friend's home where she was staying.
"He said 'If I'd had more gasoline, I would have burned more, but I ran out of gas,' " Faison stated.
Faison said she served a short stretch in Yolo County Jail during June and part of July 2007, and that Strand approached her in a shopping center near the jail a short time after her release.
The woman said they had words and she tried to get away but he slammed her into a wall.
"I started to get up to get away from him ... the next thing I knew. I was up against a brick wall," she said.
Strand, Faison testified, drove away and she made a police report about the attack, but didn't identify him by name when she contacted police.
The next day, Faison said, she spoke to Strand on the phone and he said, "I'm going to get you and your whole family, starting with your family first."
On July 8, 2007, Faison was awakened at her Fairfield apartment by Vacaville police detectives informing her of the fire at her parents' home.
Crying, Faison paused, then testified "They told me the house was on fire. My momma was dead."
Faison told the court she had been clean and sober for more than a year.
"My dad needs me. My children need me. My grandbaby needs me. And I'm tired, just tired," she said.
Testimony resumes at 10 a.m. Jan. 5 before Solano County Superior Court Judge William C. Harrison.
Posted: 12/23/2009 01:01:42 AM PST
Murder defendant Richard Lee Strand reportedly told his ex-girlfriend that he was going to get her and her family only hours before her parents' Vacaville home erupted in flames, killing her 88-year-old mother, according to testimony offered Tuesday in Solano County Superior Court.
Strand, 39, is charged with first-degree murder and arson stemming from the July 8, 2007, blaze that engulfed the Anita Court home of Ronald and Gloria Faison. Ronald Faison was injured in the blaze. His wife was trapped by the flames and died in her bedroom.
Vacaville police arrested Strand a short distance from the Faisons' home only moments before it was swept by fire. A patrol officer said he initially stopped Strand for several bicycling violations but then noticed that he was carrying a large sheath knife and smelled of gasoline.
Questioned Tuesday by prosecuting Deputy District Attorney Krishna Abrams, the Faisons' daughter, Lisa, described her on-again, off-again relationship with Strand after meeting him in 2003 or 2004.
A self-described former "garbage can" drug user, Faison said her relationship with Strand "started out nice," but then he became increasingly abusive as they moved around between Vacaville and Woodland, doing drugs -- mostly "speed" or methamphetamine -- while living in apartments, motels and Strand's motor home.
Unexpected physical abuse and bizarre threats increased.
"He said I ripped his heart out and he was going to rip my heart out like I
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did his, and then he took my cat hostage," Faison recalled.
The woman said she became afraid of him and that he'd "socked me up pretty good" on different occasions.
Upon further questioning, Faison testified that Strand had choked her, beaten her and, on one occasion, set a fire along the driveway of a friend's home where she was staying.
"He said 'If I'd had more gasoline, I would have burned more, but I ran out of gas,' " Faison stated.
Faison said she served a short stretch in Yolo County Jail during June and part of July 2007, and that Strand approached her in a shopping center near the jail a short time after her release.
The woman said they had words and she tried to get away but he slammed her into a wall.
"I started to get up to get away from him ... the next thing I knew. I was up against a brick wall," she said.
Strand, Faison testified, drove away and she made a police report about the attack, but didn't identify him by name when she contacted police.
The next day, Faison said, she spoke to Strand on the phone and he said, "I'm going to get you and your whole family, starting with your family first."
On July 8, 2007, Faison was awakened at her Fairfield apartment by Vacaville police detectives informing her of the fire at her parents' home.
Crying, Faison paused, then testified "They told me the house was on fire. My momma was dead."
Faison told the court she had been clean and sober for more than a year.
"My dad needs me. My children need me. My grandbaby needs me. And I'm tired, just tired," she said.
Testimony resumes at 10 a.m. Jan. 5 before Solano County Superior Court Judge William C. Harrison.
Long Island, NY: Cops Release ID For Ex-Boyfriend In LIC Slaying
Police officials last week released a second photo of a 45-year-old Queens man sought in connection with the December 12 murder of a Long Island City artist.
Investigators are interested in questioning Tigran Tambiev in connection with the murder of Susan Wood, 49, whose body was discovered by friends on the kitchen floor of her second-story walkup at 43-35 10th St.
Tambiev, a furniture mover, had a rocky relationship with Woods that included several domestic violence incidents, police sources said.
Tambiev lived with Woods until recently, and had seen Woods with her new boyfriend shortly before she was stabbed to death.
Tambiev is described as 5-feet, 8-inches tall, 145 pounds, with green eyes and brownish blonde hair. He also has a 2-inch cut under his left eye, police said.
Anyone with information on Tambiev’s whereabouts is urged to call the Crimestoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. The Hotline is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
—Liz Goff
Investigators are interested in questioning Tigran Tambiev in connection with the murder of Susan Wood, 49, whose body was discovered by friends on the kitchen floor of her second-story walkup at 43-35 10th St.
Tambiev, a furniture mover, had a rocky relationship with Woods that included several domestic violence incidents, police sources said.
Tambiev lived with Woods until recently, and had seen Woods with her new boyfriend shortly before she was stabbed to death.
Tambiev is described as 5-feet, 8-inches tall, 145 pounds, with green eyes and brownish blonde hair. He also has a 2-inch cut under his left eye, police said.
Anyone with information on Tambiev’s whereabouts is urged to call the Crimestoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. The Hotline is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
—Liz Goff
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Hartford, CT: Man Sentenced To 33 Years In Prison For Stabbing Girlfriend To Death
By JENNA CARLESSO
The Hartford Courant
December 22, 2009
HARTFORD —
Through heavy sobs, Kimberly Baillargeon glanced across a courtroom at the man who stabbed her sister to death and asked him why.
"She was murdered by a man she loved — How is that possible?" she asked. "As my family went throughout the [court] system, some questions have been answered, but not many. Why would you hurt her and leave her for dead?"
But she and the many other relatives of Patricia Woodland who gathered in Superior Court Monday received only an apology from Bruce King, who was then sentenced to 33 years in prison.
King, 47, pleaded guilty in September to killing Woodland, his longtime girlfriend. He told police they had been arguing over his share of the rent payment when she was stabbed Feb. 21, 2008, outside their Windsor apartment, but said he didn't remember if he stabbed her or pulled her back onto the knife, according to court documents.
The two, both drunk at the time, were bickering over money when Woodland grabbed a large kitchen knife and took a swing at him, King told officers. He wrestled the knife away from her, and as she left the apartment screaming for help, he ran the knife into her back.
King fled the apartment but turned himself in to police the next day.
He told Judge David P. Gold on Monday that the stabbing was an accident.
"Please understand ... it was not intentional. I can honestly say that what happened was not my fault alone."
He went on to describe his tumultuous relationship with Woodland, one in which they would fight incessantly but always "kiss and make up." King said they clung to each other for support through their drug habits.
Through tears, he asked Woodland's family for forgiveness.
"I am very sorry for ... the life I have ended," he said. "I made a bad judgment call. I can't bring her back."
Prosecutor Dennis O'Connor urged Gold not to accept King's claims, however. He said the slaying couldn't have been accidental, since Woodland was stabbed once in the back and again in front — a wound that measured more than 6 inches deep and penetrated her chest cavity. She was found lying face down in the snow outside their Mack Street home.
O'Connor also pointed out King's criminal history, which included numerous drug charges and assault and threatening convictions.
Gold sentenced King to what he said would likely be the rest of his life.
"The ripple effect of the act on that day — it is so broad," Gold said. "Mr. King, you may have taken one life with your actions, but you've destroyed I don't know how many lives."
Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant
The Hartford Courant
December 22, 2009
HARTFORD —
Through heavy sobs, Kimberly Baillargeon glanced across a courtroom at the man who stabbed her sister to death and asked him why.
"She was murdered by a man she loved — How is that possible?" she asked. "As my family went throughout the [court] system, some questions have been answered, but not many. Why would you hurt her and leave her for dead?"
But she and the many other relatives of Patricia Woodland who gathered in Superior Court Monday received only an apology from Bruce King, who was then sentenced to 33 years in prison.
King, 47, pleaded guilty in September to killing Woodland, his longtime girlfriend. He told police they had been arguing over his share of the rent payment when she was stabbed Feb. 21, 2008, outside their Windsor apartment, but said he didn't remember if he stabbed her or pulled her back onto the knife, according to court documents.
The two, both drunk at the time, were bickering over money when Woodland grabbed a large kitchen knife and took a swing at him, King told officers. He wrestled the knife away from her, and as she left the apartment screaming for help, he ran the knife into her back.
King fled the apartment but turned himself in to police the next day.
He told Judge David P. Gold on Monday that the stabbing was an accident.
"Please understand ... it was not intentional. I can honestly say that what happened was not my fault alone."
He went on to describe his tumultuous relationship with Woodland, one in which they would fight incessantly but always "kiss and make up." King said they clung to each other for support through their drug habits.
Through tears, he asked Woodland's family for forgiveness.
"I am very sorry for ... the life I have ended," he said. "I made a bad judgment call. I can't bring her back."
Prosecutor Dennis O'Connor urged Gold not to accept King's claims, however. He said the slaying couldn't have been accidental, since Woodland was stabbed once in the back and again in front — a wound that measured more than 6 inches deep and penetrated her chest cavity. She was found lying face down in the snow outside their Mack Street home.
O'Connor also pointed out King's criminal history, which included numerous drug charges and assault and threatening convictions.
Gold sentenced King to what he said would likely be the rest of his life.
"The ripple effect of the act on that day — it is so broad," Gold said. "Mr. King, you may have taken one life with your actions, but you've destroyed I don't know how many lives."
Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant
Fresno, CA: Fresno man gets 11 years in girlfriend's death
Posted at 11:06 AM on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009
By Pablo Lopez / The Fresno Bee
A Fresno man was sentenced this morning to 11 years in prison in connection with the death of his girlfriend in May 2008.
Marcell Perry, 40, said nothing in Fresno County Superior Court when his sentence was announced.
Two weeks ago, he pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Denise Newton, 46, who died of blunt-force trauma to her head.
As part of a plea agreement, Perry agreed to 11-year prison sentence and waived his right to appeal, said attorney Michael Aed, who represented Perry.
If Perry had chosen to stand trial, he would have faced a charge of second-degree murder, which carries a penalty of 15 years to life in prison, if convicted. At trial, a jury would have learned of his history of domestic violence, Aed said.
“He maintains is innocence, but he didn’t want to take that chance of being convicted,” Aed said.
Newton was found dead May 7, 2008, inside her southeast Fresno apartment on Huntington Avenue near Peach Avenue. Perry shared the home with Newton but also stayed with another woman, police said.
Newton's death was initially classified as suspicious because she had no visible injuries other than a bruise on the right side of her head. Police also said there was no sign of forced entry into the home, or of a struggle.
Her death became a homicide once an autopsy showed a brain hemorrhage, detective Richard Byrd testified at Perry’s preliminary hearing in July.
Perry found Newton dead inside her apartment and called 911, but hung up before talking to anyone, and left the apartment before police arrived, Byrd testified.
By Pablo Lopez / The Fresno Bee
A Fresno man was sentenced this morning to 11 years in prison in connection with the death of his girlfriend in May 2008.
Marcell Perry, 40, said nothing in Fresno County Superior Court when his sentence was announced.
Two weeks ago, he pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Denise Newton, 46, who died of blunt-force trauma to her head.
As part of a plea agreement, Perry agreed to 11-year prison sentence and waived his right to appeal, said attorney Michael Aed, who represented Perry.
If Perry had chosen to stand trial, he would have faced a charge of second-degree murder, which carries a penalty of 15 years to life in prison, if convicted. At trial, a jury would have learned of his history of domestic violence, Aed said.
“He maintains is innocence, but he didn’t want to take that chance of being convicted,” Aed said.
Newton was found dead May 7, 2008, inside her southeast Fresno apartment on Huntington Avenue near Peach Avenue. Perry shared the home with Newton but also stayed with another woman, police said.
Newton's death was initially classified as suspicious because she had no visible injuries other than a bruise on the right side of her head. Police also said there was no sign of forced entry into the home, or of a struggle.
Her death became a homicide once an autopsy showed a brain hemorrhage, detective Richard Byrd testified at Perry’s preliminary hearing in July.
Perry found Newton dead inside her apartment and called 911, but hung up before talking to anyone, and left the apartment before police arrived, Byrd testified.
Florence, AL: Woman allegedly slain by estranged husband in front of kids
Posted: Dec 21, 2009 6:34 PM EST
Updated: Dec 22, 2009 12:25 PM EST
Woman allegedly slain by estranged husband in front of kids
FLORENCE, AL (WAFF) – A woman is murdered in her front yard Monday morning. Later, her estranged husband was caught in front of the Lauderdale County Courthouse with his two children in the car.
Police tape surrounded the property near Zip City Monday afternoon. It's an area where neighbors reported an argument between Christopher Rich and his estranged wife, Hollie Newbury, Monday morning.
"I heard three gun shots," said Chelsey Purser, who was staying with her grandmother next door.
Lauderdale County emergency officials responded to the area and found Newbury's body with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
"I don't know who had the kids, but they always met at his grandparent's house and that's when the domestic went bad," said Lauderdale County Sheriff Ronnie Willis.
Willis and the rest of the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department immediately started a countywide man hunt for the suspect. Before leaving, Willis asked another county worker who was familiar with the Zip City area for directions and was shocked by her response.
"I asked and she told me and she said he's downstairs wanting me to get the kids," said Willis.
Rich was sitting in the Lauderdale County Courthouse parking lot less than 100 feet from the sheriff's department. Authorities quickly moved in and found Rich behind the wheel of his wife's car. Blood stains covered one of the rear side panel's of the vehicle.
Rich was arrested and put in the Lauderdale County Detention Center. He had previously taken a protection order out against Newbury in August. She was also arrested in August on a domestic disturbance charge.
Updated: Dec 22, 2009 12:25 PM EST
Woman allegedly slain by estranged husband in front of kids
FLORENCE, AL (WAFF) – A woman is murdered in her front yard Monday morning. Later, her estranged husband was caught in front of the Lauderdale County Courthouse with his two children in the car.
Police tape surrounded the property near Zip City Monday afternoon. It's an area where neighbors reported an argument between Christopher Rich and his estranged wife, Hollie Newbury, Monday morning.
"I heard three gun shots," said Chelsey Purser, who was staying with her grandmother next door.
Lauderdale County emergency officials responded to the area and found Newbury's body with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
"I don't know who had the kids, but they always met at his grandparent's house and that's when the domestic went bad," said Lauderdale County Sheriff Ronnie Willis.
Willis and the rest of the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department immediately started a countywide man hunt for the suspect. Before leaving, Willis asked another county worker who was familiar with the Zip City area for directions and was shocked by her response.
"I asked and she told me and she said he's downstairs wanting me to get the kids," said Willis.
Rich was sitting in the Lauderdale County Courthouse parking lot less than 100 feet from the sheriff's department. Authorities quickly moved in and found Rich behind the wheel of his wife's car. Blood stains covered one of the rear side panel's of the vehicle.
Rich was arrested and put in the Lauderdale County Detention Center. He had previously taken a protection order out against Newbury in August. She was also arrested in August on a domestic disturbance charge.
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