State ranks fifth in homicides attributed to domestic assaults
Kathleen Baydala
kbaydala@clarionledger.com
Tammy Leverett is spending her second weekend in the hospital recovering from stab wounds after being attacked outside a Greenwood home by her former boyfriend.
While she was unable to fend off the assault, witnesses intervened and killed her assailant.
Greenwood Police Chief Henry Purnell said officers received a 911 call on the afternoon of Oct. 1, reporting a stabbing at Walnut Circle.
"When the officers arrived, they observed the victim (Leverett) lying in the street at the corner," he said. "Then, they observed Johnny Garrett lying in a ditch, face down, also at the corner."
Investigators say they believe Johnny Howard Garrett, 46, repeatedly stabbed Leverett with a long-bladed knife, which a group of people wrestled away and turned against him. Garrett also was beaten with a metal object.
Police have not identified who was in the group and no charges have been filed, but the case is going to a Leflore County grand jury as a matter of protocol. Purnell said he believes the group's actions were akin to "self-defense."
"In a case like this, he was attacking her and people came to her rescue and in so doing, he was seriously injured," Purnell said.
More than 2,000 women and children and three men in the state sought shelter from domestic violence last year, according to the state Department of Health.
"Mississippi ranks fifth in the nation for domestic violence murders," said Betty Spencer, a social worker with the Mississippi STOP Domestic Violence Project.
According to the statistics, for every 100,000 Mississippi women, two die each year from violence at home.
The Mississippi STOP Domestic Violence Project opened a 24-hour, toll-free hot line in June to provide legal assistance to victims of domestic violence statewide and help them find resources, such as shelters.
During its first three months, calls jumped from 39 to 110, and there are almost 100 active cases on file.
"A lot of the time, the big question is, 'Why doesn't she just leave,' " Spencer said referring to the victim. "The reasons are as many as there are women, but the main one is economical. A lot of victims don't know what to do. Generally, people think it costs money to get a protection order."
Purnell would not comment on what spurred the attack on Leverett but mentioned that Garrett was cited earlier that day for two incidents of "telephone profanity." Purnell would not say whom Garrett had called or why.
While the chief said he doesn't know of any other recent reports of domestic violence involving Leverett or Garrett, Garrett has a record of violent crime.
He was convicted in 1995 of rape, aggravated assault and kidnapping in Leflore County and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The Mississippi Department of Corrections released Garrett in April 2009.
He also was convicted of burglary in Leflore County in 1986 and received a three-year prison sentence.
Timothy Jones, assistant district attorney in Leflore County, said domestic violence cases often pose unique challenges for prosecutors.
"The difficulty is that it's probably not the first time it has happened," he said. So, there are undocumented cases.
"And a lot of times when we get a case, the victim may not want to go forward because they are embarrassed or because they have children and don't want to put Daddy in jail," he said.
But the longer the abuse goes on, the more likely it is to become deadly, victims' advocates say.
"This is why it's our duty as law enforcement to go forward with cases and speak up for victims who can't speak for themselves," Jones said. "The abuse will go on for a long period, and the victim might become used to it until finally it develops into a more serious assault."
Monday, October 11, 2010
Newton, IA: Newton man accused of killing girlfriend
6:49 AM CDT, October 11, 2010
NEWTON, Iowa
A Newton man charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend remains in the Jasper County jail.
Forty-two-year-old Jay Mack is accused of killing 43-year-old Angelina Ancer at the couple's home Saturday night.
Police told The Des Moines Register that Mack allegedly retrieved a gun from the garage and shot Ancer several times.
The sheriff's office on Monday says Mack remains in jail on $850,000 bond. Officials did not know if he had an attorney.
NEWTON, Iowa
A Newton man charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend remains in the Jasper County jail.
Forty-two-year-old Jay Mack is accused of killing 43-year-old Angelina Ancer at the couple's home Saturday night.
Police told The Des Moines Register that Mack allegedly retrieved a gun from the garage and shot Ancer several times.
The sheriff's office on Monday says Mack remains in jail on $850,000 bond. Officials did not know if he had an attorney.
Little Egg Harbor, NJ: Little Egg Harbor Township man, struck by wife's car, died of head trauma
By ERIC SCOTT CAMPBELL Staff Writer | Posted: Sunday, October 10, 2010
Neighbor Barbara Keller, 74, speaks about the victim and accused. Sunday October 10 2010 John McNulty died friday after his wife Karen hit him with her car as he walked Central Street in route to a bus stop in Little Egg Harbor Township. She is charged with aggravated manslaughter. (The Press of Atlantic City / Ben Fogletto)
LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - "It's getting to be a little crazy in Little Egg Harbor," township resident Barbara Keller said Sunday afternoon. "I might have to go back to North Jersey."
Keller lives a few doors down from the Lexington Drive house John McNulty walked out of early Friday morning, minutes before a car driven by his wife struck him.
John McNulty, 73, died later that day. Karen J. McNulty, 54, is charged with aggravated manslaughter and is being held at the Ocean County Jail on $500,000 bail. Whether she has retained a lawyer is unclear.
Karen McNulty's bail was increased from $150,000 when her charge was upgraded from aggravated assault.
An autopsy performed Sunday determined that John McNulty died of head trauma, Ocean County Chief of Detectives Michael Mohel said.
Mohel said Dr. Ian Hood of the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office found the manner of death to be homicide.
Keller was one of several neighbors in the Mystic Shores age-restricted development who said Sunday that they knew little or nothing about the McNultys, despite living near them for years. Several others declined to speak with The Press of Atlantic City.
"Evidently, they had a lot of problems," Keller said. "It's really awful. I guess we didn't really know."
Keller said she had limited contact with John McNulty: "I would wave and he would wave, but then he even stopped doing that."
The McNultys' crash happened four days after an apparent murder-suicide a mile and a half away on Westchester Drive, in which 45-year-old Craig Mueller killed his brother Bryan, 52, neighbor Cara Ellis, 21, then himself.
Witnesses told police that Karen McNulty drove her Hyundai Sonata by her husband on Center Street at 5:19 a.m. Friday, made a U-turn and struck him as he was walking to the bus stop.
Mohel said Sunday that John McNulty, who worked as a security guard at Caesars Atlantic City, died later that day. A Caesars spokeswoman said the company did not have a public statement to make on the incident.
Back on Lexington Drive, neighbor Barbara Palmer said, "It seemed to me like quiet people there. Everything seemed very normal."
Another neighbor, Kay Waller, sometimes saw John McNulty walking his dog while she walked hers. She never met Karen McNulty.
"He used to have a big black dog, Daisy. He seemed like a nice man," Waller said. "I just feel so bad for him."
Mystic Shores property manager Bill Brown said he did not know the McNultys from any of the activities at the clubhouse, but with 525 homes in the development, Brown said they would not be the only people he hasn't met after a year and a half on the job.
Staff writer Trudi Gilfillian and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Eric Scott Campbell:
609-272-7217
Neighbor Barbara Keller, 74, speaks about the victim and accused. Sunday October 10 2010 John McNulty died friday after his wife Karen hit him with her car as he walked Central Street in route to a bus stop in Little Egg Harbor Township. She is charged with aggravated manslaughter. (The Press of Atlantic City / Ben Fogletto)
LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - "It's getting to be a little crazy in Little Egg Harbor," township resident Barbara Keller said Sunday afternoon. "I might have to go back to North Jersey."
Keller lives a few doors down from the Lexington Drive house John McNulty walked out of early Friday morning, minutes before a car driven by his wife struck him.
John McNulty, 73, died later that day. Karen J. McNulty, 54, is charged with aggravated manslaughter and is being held at the Ocean County Jail on $500,000 bail. Whether she has retained a lawyer is unclear.
Karen McNulty's bail was increased from $150,000 when her charge was upgraded from aggravated assault.
An autopsy performed Sunday determined that John McNulty died of head trauma, Ocean County Chief of Detectives Michael Mohel said.
Mohel said Dr. Ian Hood of the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office found the manner of death to be homicide.
Keller was one of several neighbors in the Mystic Shores age-restricted development who said Sunday that they knew little or nothing about the McNultys, despite living near them for years. Several others declined to speak with The Press of Atlantic City.
"Evidently, they had a lot of problems," Keller said. "It's really awful. I guess we didn't really know."
Keller said she had limited contact with John McNulty: "I would wave and he would wave, but then he even stopped doing that."
The McNultys' crash happened four days after an apparent murder-suicide a mile and a half away on Westchester Drive, in which 45-year-old Craig Mueller killed his brother Bryan, 52, neighbor Cara Ellis, 21, then himself.
Witnesses told police that Karen McNulty drove her Hyundai Sonata by her husband on Center Street at 5:19 a.m. Friday, made a U-turn and struck him as he was walking to the bus stop.
Mohel said Sunday that John McNulty, who worked as a security guard at Caesars Atlantic City, died later that day. A Caesars spokeswoman said the company did not have a public statement to make on the incident.
Back on Lexington Drive, neighbor Barbara Palmer said, "It seemed to me like quiet people there. Everything seemed very normal."
Another neighbor, Kay Waller, sometimes saw John McNulty walking his dog while she walked hers. She never met Karen McNulty.
"He used to have a big black dog, Daisy. He seemed like a nice man," Waller said. "I just feel so bad for him."
Mystic Shores property manager Bill Brown said he did not know the McNultys from any of the activities at the clubhouse, but with 525 homes in the development, Brown said they would not be the only people he hasn't met after a year and a half on the job.
Staff writer Trudi Gilfillian and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Eric Scott Campbell:
609-272-7217
Pahrump, NV: Possible murder/suicide in Pahrump
Updated: Oct 11, 2010 12:52 AM EDT
Pahrump, NV - Nye County Sheriff Deputies responded to a residence on the 6100 block of E. Thousandaire Blvd. in Pahrump after they received a 911 call from a neighbor at around 4:30am Saturday. They called to report that a juvenile had come from that residence and had told them that her parents were both dead.
Upon their arrival, deputies discovered a female dead from multiple stab wounds and a male dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Detectives were called to the scene and immediately began an investigation.
The juveniles from the residence have been turned over to the Division of Child and Family Services.
The names of the victims have not been released at this time.
Please tune in to 13 Action News for more on this story and all the day's news.
Pahrump, NV - Nye County Sheriff Deputies responded to a residence on the 6100 block of E. Thousandaire Blvd. in Pahrump after they received a 911 call from a neighbor at around 4:30am Saturday. They called to report that a juvenile had come from that residence and had told them that her parents were both dead.
Upon their arrival, deputies discovered a female dead from multiple stab wounds and a male dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Detectives were called to the scene and immediately began an investigation.
The juveniles from the residence have been turned over to the Division of Child and Family Services.
The names of the victims have not been released at this time.
Please tune in to 13 Action News for more on this story and all the day's news.
Erie, PA: Coroner: Erie couple killed in murder-suicide
(Updated: 5:13 p.m.)
A husband and wife found dead at their house at 1838 Fairmount Parkway early this morning were killed in a murder-suicide, the Erie County Coroner's Office has ruled. They are Julie M. Gross-Krusewicz, 52, and her husband, John R. Krusewicz, 53.
The two, whose names have not yet been released, were killed by shotgun blasts after a domestic dispute, Deputy Coroner Korac Timon said. He said the investigation showed the woman was shot first, at close range, and the man's wounds were self-inflicted.
Timon said the Coroner's Office plans to release the names of the couple today, after the office is certain the couple's relatives have been notified.
The fatalities are believed to have occurred sometime around 4 a.m., when multiple Erie police units responded to the couple's house. The domestic incident escalated into a barricaded gunman, and the SWAT team was called in, police said.
Two fatalities were reported, police said.
Neighbors said a man and woman lived in the house at 1838 Fairmount Parkway with the woman's teen daughter. The girl was not believed to have been injured.
Full details on what happened there weren't immediately available, although a neighbor said the SWAT team broke into the house and two bodies were removed.
Police remained at the scene throughout the morning. Yellow crime scene tape was stretched in front of 1838 Fairmount Parkway. The door stood open and a police cruiser was parked across the driveway.
Neighbors, who didn't want to give their names, said the family had lived there about six years and this wasn't the first time police had been called to the residence.
A husband and wife found dead at their house at 1838 Fairmount Parkway early this morning were killed in a murder-suicide, the Erie County Coroner's Office has ruled. They are Julie M. Gross-Krusewicz, 52, and her husband, John R. Krusewicz, 53.
The two, whose names have not yet been released, were killed by shotgun blasts after a domestic dispute, Deputy Coroner Korac Timon said. He said the investigation showed the woman was shot first, at close range, and the man's wounds were self-inflicted.
Timon said the Coroner's Office plans to release the names of the couple today, after the office is certain the couple's relatives have been notified.
The fatalities are believed to have occurred sometime around 4 a.m., when multiple Erie police units responded to the couple's house. The domestic incident escalated into a barricaded gunman, and the SWAT team was called in, police said.
Two fatalities were reported, police said.
Neighbors said a man and woman lived in the house at 1838 Fairmount Parkway with the woman's teen daughter. The girl was not believed to have been injured.
Full details on what happened there weren't immediately available, although a neighbor said the SWAT team broke into the house and two bodies were removed.
Police remained at the scene throughout the morning. Yellow crime scene tape was stretched in front of 1838 Fairmount Parkway. The door stood open and a police cruiser was parked across the driveway.
Neighbors, who didn't want to give their names, said the family had lived there about six years and this wasn't the first time police had been called to the residence.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Raleigh, NC: Wake County woman arrested after body found in home Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/07/726698/wake-county-woman-arrested-in.html#ixzz11xxMDUJj
RALEIGH -- A 41-year-old Wake County woman was arrested and charged early today with first-degree murder in the death of a man whose body was found concealed in the family home, authorities said.
Wendy Edmond Green is accused of killing 52-year-old David Reuben Green Jr., of 8617 Ray Road in unincorporated Wake County north of Raleigh, the warrant states.
Wake County Sheriff's Office investigators located the body in the home Wednesday. Sheriff Donnie Harrison said this afternoon that the body had been stuffed in a freezer.
The sheriff's office had been investigating a missing person case from this residence since it was filed by family members in September.
Investigators said they believe David Green was killed some time in April at the home.
Green was a "live-in" girlfriend of David Green and assumed his last name during the relationship, the sheriff's office said.
The investigation continues and more arrests are anticipated, the sheriff's office said.
Authorities listed two addresses for Wendy Green, the Ray Road residence, and 11679 Hwy 72 East in Lumberton.
She is being held in the Wake County jail with no bond.
Wendy Edmond Green is accused of killing 52-year-old David Reuben Green Jr., of 8617 Ray Road in unincorporated Wake County north of Raleigh, the warrant states.
Wake County Sheriff's Office investigators located the body in the home Wednesday. Sheriff Donnie Harrison said this afternoon that the body had been stuffed in a freezer.
The sheriff's office had been investigating a missing person case from this residence since it was filed by family members in September.
Investigators said they believe David Green was killed some time in April at the home.
Green was a "live-in" girlfriend of David Green and assumed his last name during the relationship, the sheriff's office said.
The investigation continues and more arrests are anticipated, the sheriff's office said.
Authorities listed two addresses for Wendy Green, the Ray Road residence, and 11679 Hwy 72 East in Lumberton.
She is being held in the Wake County jail with no bond.
Pomona, CA: Vigil held for slain woman
Homage paid at Pomona site
Jannise Johnson, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/09/2010 09:59:08 PM PDT
Updated: 10/09/2010 10:18:30 PM PDT
POMONA - A handful of people paid homage to a woman they called a mother, friend, sister and recovering addict Friday night.
The front of Room 5 at the Deluxe Motel was the scene of a candlelight vigil for a woman stabbed to death by her boyfriend, said those who knew her.
Alfonso Villanueva, a retired California Youth Authority officer, led the vigil.
He said more people might have shown up, but because many of them are addicts, they were afraid of being arrested if they congregated in one place.
Marsha Landry, or "Marcella," as she was known by friends, had struggled with addiction. She was living in the motel at the time of her killing.
"The community here is infested with rock cocaine," Villanueva said. "This is the story of pain and suffering and how a mother went out."
Villanueva called the killing "Satanic" in its brutality.
Villanueva is a member of the Inland Valley Peacemakers Council.
A woman who goes by the moniker "Woo" read some words about Marcella. Woo is also an addict who met Marcella when they went through drug rehab a few years ago.
"Society doesn't accept addicts because they don't understand. But we're still human," she said.
Marcella's body was found last Sunday at 6:54 p.m. when Pomona police responded to the Deluxe Motel at 915 N. Holt Blvd., according to a police statement.
Officers arrested Harvey Brooks, 58 of Pomona on suspicion of homicide. Los
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Angeles County firefighters pronounced Landry dead at the scene.
Anyone with information may call Pomona police homicide detectives at 909-620-2095 or WeTip at 800-78-CRIME.
Jannise Johnson, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/09/2010 09:59:08 PM PDT
Updated: 10/09/2010 10:18:30 PM PDT
POMONA - A handful of people paid homage to a woman they called a mother, friend, sister and recovering addict Friday night.
The front of Room 5 at the Deluxe Motel was the scene of a candlelight vigil for a woman stabbed to death by her boyfriend, said those who knew her.
Alfonso Villanueva, a retired California Youth Authority officer, led the vigil.
He said more people might have shown up, but because many of them are addicts, they were afraid of being arrested if they congregated in one place.
Marsha Landry, or "Marcella," as she was known by friends, had struggled with addiction. She was living in the motel at the time of her killing.
"The community here is infested with rock cocaine," Villanueva said. "This is the story of pain and suffering and how a mother went out."
Villanueva called the killing "Satanic" in its brutality.
Villanueva is a member of the Inland Valley Peacemakers Council.
A woman who goes by the moniker "Woo" read some words about Marcella. Woo is also an addict who met Marcella when they went through drug rehab a few years ago.
"Society doesn't accept addicts because they don't understand. But we're still human," she said.
Marcella's body was found last Sunday at 6:54 p.m. when Pomona police responded to the Deluxe Motel at 915 N. Holt Blvd., according to a police statement.
Officers arrested Harvey Brooks, 58 of Pomona on suspicion of homicide. Los
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Angeles County firefighters pronounced Landry dead at the scene.
Anyone with information may call Pomona police homicide detectives at 909-620-2095 or WeTip at 800-78-CRIME.
Houston, TX: Man found guilty of killing woman, two daughters
Thursday, October 07, 2010
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It took a Houston jury just five minutes to find a man guilty of killing a woman and her two daughters.
Authorities say Garland Harper stabbed his girlfriend to death because he believed she was being unfaithful. He then tied up her daughters, 15-year-old Briana Roberson and 7-year-old Maya Love, and strangled them.
Prosecutors told jurors it took the victims just three minutes to die and it should take them even less time to find him guilty.
Harper's attorney argued he is mentally ill and was delusional during the murders.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It took a Houston jury just five minutes to find a man guilty of killing a woman and her two daughters.
Authorities say Garland Harper stabbed his girlfriend to death because he believed she was being unfaithful. He then tied up her daughters, 15-year-old Briana Roberson and 7-year-old Maya Love, and strangled them.
Prosecutors told jurors it took the victims just three minutes to die and it should take them even less time to find him guilty.
Harper's attorney argued he is mentally ill and was delusional during the murders.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Riverdale, GA: Police: Suspect confesses to killing woman
By Alexis Stevens and Kristi E. Swartz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A man arrested in the killing of a 20-year-old Riverdale woman has confessed, Clayton County police said Friday.
Police on Thursday arrested Errol Alexis Moore Jr. He was booked into the Clayton County Jail on charges of murder, aggravated assault and concealing a death, Officer Otis Willis said.
On Friday, police said Moore, 19, confessed to killing Janell Crystal Aaron. He led authorities to the remains of her body, behind the Sherwood Cemetery, Willis said.
The body has been taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for an autopsy and to confirm that it is Aaron’s, police said. She was the mother of Moore’s 8-month-old child.
Aaron was last seen on July 15 in Riverdale, Willis said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A man arrested in the killing of a 20-year-old Riverdale woman has confessed, Clayton County police said Friday.
Police on Thursday arrested Errol Alexis Moore Jr. He was booked into the Clayton County Jail on charges of murder, aggravated assault and concealing a death, Officer Otis Willis said.
On Friday, police said Moore, 19, confessed to killing Janell Crystal Aaron. He led authorities to the remains of her body, behind the Sherwood Cemetery, Willis said.
The body has been taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for an autopsy and to confirm that it is Aaron’s, police said. She was the mother of Moore’s 8-month-old child.
Aaron was last seen on July 15 in Riverdale, Willis said.
Article: My Word: Domestic violence Dangers rise as economic slump continues
By Krista McKee
Posted 9/30/10
It is had been five years since Howard County experienced a domestic violence-related slaying. Yet just in the last few weeks we have had two.
On Sept. 7, Thelma Wynn, 34, was found stabbed to death with her home set on fire. Her former husband has been charged with murder and the subsequent arson committed to destroy her home and that of her four children. Ms. Wynn had obtained a protective order against him in 2008.
Six days later, Clare Stoudt, 35, was shot to death in the home of the father of her three youngest children, who was also found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Days earlier, Ms. Stoudt initiated a lawsuit regarding custody of her children.
Although it is has not been clear whether there was a history of domestic violence in that situation, court records show that Reginald Van Graves had been accused of battery in the past by another woman.
Why is this happening now in Howard County? Domestic violence crimes happen in every part of the nation. It cuts across all socioeconomic, cultural and geographic levels, affecting individuals of any ethnicity, sexuality, age and gender. Every 15 seconds in the United States, a woman will be the victim of domestic violence. On average, three women in this country will lose their lives today from domestic violence.
Could these recent killings be a reflection of the economic downturn? According to the Department of Justice, the National Institute of Justice, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, a poor economy can have an impact.
Women whose male partners experienced two or more periods of unemployment over a five-year study were almost three times as likely to be domestic violence victims as those whose partners were in stable jobs. Three out of four domestic violence shelters report an increase in requests for assistance since September 2008, with 73 percent of shelters attributing the rise in abuse to "financial issues."
However, we must also ask ourselves if these two killings are any indication that there has been a change in the way that Howard County has responded to the needs of domestic-violence victims. As the county's sole crisis-intervention agency dedicated to eradicating interpersonal violence, the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County works with criminal-justice and law-enforcement personnel, legal advocates, health-care and social-service providers, clergy, educators, businesses, community groups and concerned individuals to promote a coordinated community response to end domestic violence. Across the nation, agencies like ours know that public-awareness campaigns provide renewed opportunities to become knowledgeable about how best to help victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
Although these crimes can and do occur independently, they also occur together, committed by the same perpetrator against the same victim. A sexual-assault victim may have been stalked prior to the assault. A domestic-violence victim may experience rape in addition to physical and psychological abuse. While there are no perfect solutions to preventing these forms of violence, one thing that can make a critical difference in helping victims to become safe is the community's dedication to intervention, safety, justice and healing.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Community members are invited to join us in honoring those who have experienced physical, sexual and emotional abuse by a partner or family member. Come with family, friends and colleagues to join us at the DVC candlelight vigil set for Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. at the lakefront in downtown Columbia. Guest speakers and survivors will speak about their experiences and thoughts about the kind of coordinated community response the residents of Howard County deserve.
Krista McKee is president and chief executive officer of the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County.
Posted 9/30/10
It is had been five years since Howard County experienced a domestic violence-related slaying. Yet just in the last few weeks we have had two.
On Sept. 7, Thelma Wynn, 34, was found stabbed to death with her home set on fire. Her former husband has been charged with murder and the subsequent arson committed to destroy her home and that of her four children. Ms. Wynn had obtained a protective order against him in 2008.
Six days later, Clare Stoudt, 35, was shot to death in the home of the father of her three youngest children, who was also found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Days earlier, Ms. Stoudt initiated a lawsuit regarding custody of her children.
Although it is has not been clear whether there was a history of domestic violence in that situation, court records show that Reginald Van Graves had been accused of battery in the past by another woman.
Why is this happening now in Howard County? Domestic violence crimes happen in every part of the nation. It cuts across all socioeconomic, cultural and geographic levels, affecting individuals of any ethnicity, sexuality, age and gender. Every 15 seconds in the United States, a woman will be the victim of domestic violence. On average, three women in this country will lose their lives today from domestic violence.
Could these recent killings be a reflection of the economic downturn? According to the Department of Justice, the National Institute of Justice, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, a poor economy can have an impact.
Women whose male partners experienced two or more periods of unemployment over a five-year study were almost three times as likely to be domestic violence victims as those whose partners were in stable jobs. Three out of four domestic violence shelters report an increase in requests for assistance since September 2008, with 73 percent of shelters attributing the rise in abuse to "financial issues."
However, we must also ask ourselves if these two killings are any indication that there has been a change in the way that Howard County has responded to the needs of domestic-violence victims. As the county's sole crisis-intervention agency dedicated to eradicating interpersonal violence, the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County works with criminal-justice and law-enforcement personnel, legal advocates, health-care and social-service providers, clergy, educators, businesses, community groups and concerned individuals to promote a coordinated community response to end domestic violence. Across the nation, agencies like ours know that public-awareness campaigns provide renewed opportunities to become knowledgeable about how best to help victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
Although these crimes can and do occur independently, they also occur together, committed by the same perpetrator against the same victim. A sexual-assault victim may have been stalked prior to the assault. A domestic-violence victim may experience rape in addition to physical and psychological abuse. While there are no perfect solutions to preventing these forms of violence, one thing that can make a critical difference in helping victims to become safe is the community's dedication to intervention, safety, justice and healing.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Community members are invited to join us in honoring those who have experienced physical, sexual and emotional abuse by a partner or family member. Come with family, friends and colleagues to join us at the DVC candlelight vigil set for Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. at the lakefront in downtown Columbia. Guest speakers and survivors will speak about their experiences and thoughts about the kind of coordinated community response the residents of Howard County deserve.
Krista McKee is president and chief executive officer of the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County.
Palmer, AK: Man shot after report of domestic dispute
Anchorage Daily News
Published: October 9th, 2010 01:26 AM
Last Modified: October 9th, 2010 01:26 AM
PALMER -- Alaska State Troopers are investigating the Thursday morning shooting death of a 39-year-old Palmer man.
Jason Donlon was found dead from multiple gunshots about 7:15 a.m. after troopers received a report of a domestic dispute involving a gun in the Palmer area.
Troopers said Friday they were meeting with all parties involved and had not yet charged anyone with the killing.
Alaska court records show Donlon was charged in 2006 with two counts of violating a domestic violence protective order and that he and his wife at the time were going through divorce and child-custody proceedings.
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/10/08/1493234/man-shot-after-report-of-domestic.html#ixzz11xtdAGha
Published: October 9th, 2010 01:26 AM
Last Modified: October 9th, 2010 01:26 AM
PALMER -- Alaska State Troopers are investigating the Thursday morning shooting death of a 39-year-old Palmer man.
Jason Donlon was found dead from multiple gunshots about 7:15 a.m. after troopers received a report of a domestic dispute involving a gun in the Palmer area.
Troopers said Friday they were meeting with all parties involved and had not yet charged anyone with the killing.
Alaska court records show Donlon was charged in 2006 with two counts of violating a domestic violence protective order and that he and his wife at the time were going through divorce and child-custody proceedings.
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/10/08/1493234/man-shot-after-report-of-domestic.html#ixzz11xtdAGha
Webster, TX: Breakup leads to triple shooting in Webster
By MARY ALYS CHERRY
Updated: 10.02.10
A man is dead and two women were Life Flighted to Hermann Memorial Hospital in extremely critical condition Saturday afternoon after a triple shooting in Webster.
The shootings, in the parking area under the Hidden Lakes Apartment Complex at 900 Henderson Road in the Tranquility Lake area off Egret Bay Boulevard, stemmed from the man’s recent break-up with his girlfriend, Webster Police Chief Ray Smiley said.
“The suspect and the sister of one of the victims had been dating for the last 2½ years but had broken up three weeks ago,” Smiley said as his officers worked the scene.
The man and the ex-girlfriend had been arguing over the past two days.
Then, Smiley said, “On Saturday, Oct. 2, the suspect went to his ex-girlfriend’s place of employment and caused a disturbance to which the Houston Police Department was called. The suspect left the scene and returned to his apartment. The ex-girlfriend was fired by her employer and she called her sister to tell her the news.
“The sister and a friend went to the suspect’s apartment and confronted him about the ex-girlfriend losing her job. As the two females were leaving the parking lot the suspect followed them and as the sister of the ex-girlfriend exited her vehicle the suspect shot her multiple times.
“The suspect then went to the female’s vehicle and shot the other female multiple times. A Good Samaritan came to the aid of the female in the vehicle but the suspect, at gunpoint, made him pull the female’s vehicle several yards away so he could escape in his own vehicle. As the suspect fled the scene he ran over the female who was lying in the driveway.”
Smiley said officers were arriving at the scene just as the suspect was leaving. “A short chase ensued until the suspect pulled into a strip center parking lot. Officers ordered him to show his hands but he did not.” As they neared the vehicle, they found he had shot himself in the head and was dead.
The chief said the ex-girlfriend was not involved in the shootings, which left neighbors startled.
“We only average about one murder every two years,” Smiley said.
Anyone having information about this incident is urged to contact the Webster Police Department at 281-332-2426.
Updated: 10.02.10
A man is dead and two women were Life Flighted to Hermann Memorial Hospital in extremely critical condition Saturday afternoon after a triple shooting in Webster.
The shootings, in the parking area under the Hidden Lakes Apartment Complex at 900 Henderson Road in the Tranquility Lake area off Egret Bay Boulevard, stemmed from the man’s recent break-up with his girlfriend, Webster Police Chief Ray Smiley said.
“The suspect and the sister of one of the victims had been dating for the last 2½ years but had broken up three weeks ago,” Smiley said as his officers worked the scene.
The man and the ex-girlfriend had been arguing over the past two days.
Then, Smiley said, “On Saturday, Oct. 2, the suspect went to his ex-girlfriend’s place of employment and caused a disturbance to which the Houston Police Department was called. The suspect left the scene and returned to his apartment. The ex-girlfriend was fired by her employer and she called her sister to tell her the news.
“The sister and a friend went to the suspect’s apartment and confronted him about the ex-girlfriend losing her job. As the two females were leaving the parking lot the suspect followed them and as the sister of the ex-girlfriend exited her vehicle the suspect shot her multiple times.
“The suspect then went to the female’s vehicle and shot the other female multiple times. A Good Samaritan came to the aid of the female in the vehicle but the suspect, at gunpoint, made him pull the female’s vehicle several yards away so he could escape in his own vehicle. As the suspect fled the scene he ran over the female who was lying in the driveway.”
Smiley said officers were arriving at the scene just as the suspect was leaving. “A short chase ensued until the suspect pulled into a strip center parking lot. Officers ordered him to show his hands but he did not.” As they neared the vehicle, they found he had shot himself in the head and was dead.
The chief said the ex-girlfriend was not involved in the shootings, which left neighbors startled.
“We only average about one murder every two years,” Smiley said.
Anyone having information about this incident is urged to contact the Webster Police Department at 281-332-2426.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Article: Killers usually intimately close
By Erin Grace
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
The man who kills a woman is rarely a stranger.
More than 90 percent of the time, a recent study found, he's someone she knows, usually intimately. Most often, he is her husband, her boyfriend, her ex.
He could have been Jeffrey Layten. But the 39-year-old Tekamah, Neb., man instead, after threatening his estranged wife, chose a violent path that ended with his own death Wednesday.
This latest high-profile case related to domestic violence — one Omaha woman was killed in March and two in July (one allegedly by her stepson) — comes just as Omaha, along with the rest of the nation, kicks off a month of domestic violence awareness events.
The mayors of Omaha and Council Bluffs met Thursday on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge to declare their support for domestic violence victims. Both cities later held candlelight vigils.
Three candles were lit for four Douglas County women who died in 2009.
“I stand here today as a symbol of hope,” said Felicia Frezell, a mother of five whose ex-husband raped and brutalized her twice while he was an inmate on work release in 2004.
The former YWCA client is now an advocate for women and teens. Thursday's 15th annual event, organizers said, was as much about helping survivors to move forward as remembering the lives that have been lost.
Nationwide, more than 1,800 women were killed by men in 2008 and, in the cases where relationships could be determined, 92 percent were killed by someone they knew, according to a report issued by the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., in time for October's awareness efforts.
Twelve times as many women (1,564 victims) were murdered by a man they knew than by male strangers (130 victims).
Where the weapon could be determined, 52 percent involved firearms.
“We started doing this (study) to counter the idea that women should fear stranger attack,” said Kristen Rand, legislative director for the nonprofit advocacy group. “We hope it spurs women who are in these types of situations to seek out help.” The group also hopes that communities will make more resources available and that authorities will quickly remove firearms from domestic violence situations.
The federal Violence Against Women Act of 1994 made it illegal for anyone with a domestic violence conviction to possess a firearm. Nebraska statutes generally prohibit those subject to court-affirmed protection orders from possessing guns. Iowans who are subject to a protective order or have been convicted of domestic abuse similarly were barred from possessing firearms as of July 1.
Other strides locally include the opening of a one-stop shop in downtown Omaha for domestic violence victims called the Family Justice Center. Nebraska schools as of July 1 are required by state law to begin educating about dating violence. And the Women's Fund of Greater Omaha has commissioned a study of domestic violence services.
Still, for the victims — overwhelmingly women — who are living with violent partners, the subject is tender, taboo or downright dangerous.
Attorney Elaine D'Amato said she represented a Sarpy County woman who three times this year had called 911 to complain about her husband. Yet during a protection order hearing, the woman insisted to the judge and D'Amato that she loved her husband, couldn't see living in a shelter and wasn't prepared to leave.
“Women need to know they can speak up and have it stopped because it's not going to stop on its own,” said D'Amato, a Legal Aid of Nebraska attorney who almost exclusively focuses on civil matters related to domestic violence.
Sue Michalski, training and education director for Omaha's Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, called the Layten case “terrible and timely.”
Jeffrey Layten's wife, Courtney, told authorities that Layten had assaulted her Tuesday night at her home near Tekamah. She said he told her he was heading to La Vista to kill her mother and sister.
Layten's friends said that he had been upset over his troubled marriage and that his wife had told him she was going to divorce him.
Michalski said the case should prompt any woman in a violent relationship to ask herself some hard questions: Does your partner have a past history of violence? Does your partner have access to guns? Has your partner used threats of harm against himself or others to control a situation? Does your partner use alcohol or drugs?
Michalski said the message she wants victims to get is that there's help available.
“We will believe them, we will empower them,” she said. “This doesn't necessarily mean they leave that situation (immediately). We want to make sure they have a safety plan, that they have a protection order, that they have support of others in the community that can help them maneuver through the system.”
She and other advocates say that often family and friends don't have much idea about the violence that is occurring behind closed doors.
“It can be very hard to identify them,” Michalski said of violent partners. “They're very good at masking what they don't want others to see.”
Thursday evening's vigil at Omaha's Stinson Park drew more than 100 people, including Kay Scheinost, whose daughter Kim Cox was killed Nov. 9, 1998, in Omaha.
“We need to educate more so no other parents lose their daughters,” she said.
Contact the writer:
444-1136, erin.grace@owh.com
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
The man who kills a woman is rarely a stranger.
More than 90 percent of the time, a recent study found, he's someone she knows, usually intimately. Most often, he is her husband, her boyfriend, her ex.
He could have been Jeffrey Layten. But the 39-year-old Tekamah, Neb., man instead, after threatening his estranged wife, chose a violent path that ended with his own death Wednesday.
This latest high-profile case related to domestic violence — one Omaha woman was killed in March and two in July (one allegedly by her stepson) — comes just as Omaha, along with the rest of the nation, kicks off a month of domestic violence awareness events.
The mayors of Omaha and Council Bluffs met Thursday on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge to declare their support for domestic violence victims. Both cities later held candlelight vigils.
Three candles were lit for four Douglas County women who died in 2009.
“I stand here today as a symbol of hope,” said Felicia Frezell, a mother of five whose ex-husband raped and brutalized her twice while he was an inmate on work release in 2004.
The former YWCA client is now an advocate for women and teens. Thursday's 15th annual event, organizers said, was as much about helping survivors to move forward as remembering the lives that have been lost.
Nationwide, more than 1,800 women were killed by men in 2008 and, in the cases where relationships could be determined, 92 percent were killed by someone they knew, according to a report issued by the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., in time for October's awareness efforts.
Twelve times as many women (1,564 victims) were murdered by a man they knew than by male strangers (130 victims).
Where the weapon could be determined, 52 percent involved firearms.
“We started doing this (study) to counter the idea that women should fear stranger attack,” said Kristen Rand, legislative director for the nonprofit advocacy group. “We hope it spurs women who are in these types of situations to seek out help.” The group also hopes that communities will make more resources available and that authorities will quickly remove firearms from domestic violence situations.
The federal Violence Against Women Act of 1994 made it illegal for anyone with a domestic violence conviction to possess a firearm. Nebraska statutes generally prohibit those subject to court-affirmed protection orders from possessing guns. Iowans who are subject to a protective order or have been convicted of domestic abuse similarly were barred from possessing firearms as of July 1.
Other strides locally include the opening of a one-stop shop in downtown Omaha for domestic violence victims called the Family Justice Center. Nebraska schools as of July 1 are required by state law to begin educating about dating violence. And the Women's Fund of Greater Omaha has commissioned a study of domestic violence services.
Still, for the victims — overwhelmingly women — who are living with violent partners, the subject is tender, taboo or downright dangerous.
Attorney Elaine D'Amato said she represented a Sarpy County woman who three times this year had called 911 to complain about her husband. Yet during a protection order hearing, the woman insisted to the judge and D'Amato that she loved her husband, couldn't see living in a shelter and wasn't prepared to leave.
“Women need to know they can speak up and have it stopped because it's not going to stop on its own,” said D'Amato, a Legal Aid of Nebraska attorney who almost exclusively focuses on civil matters related to domestic violence.
Sue Michalski, training and education director for Omaha's Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, called the Layten case “terrible and timely.”
Jeffrey Layten's wife, Courtney, told authorities that Layten had assaulted her Tuesday night at her home near Tekamah. She said he told her he was heading to La Vista to kill her mother and sister.
Layten's friends said that he had been upset over his troubled marriage and that his wife had told him she was going to divorce him.
Michalski said the case should prompt any woman in a violent relationship to ask herself some hard questions: Does your partner have a past history of violence? Does your partner have access to guns? Has your partner used threats of harm against himself or others to control a situation? Does your partner use alcohol or drugs?
Michalski said the message she wants victims to get is that there's help available.
“We will believe them, we will empower them,” she said. “This doesn't necessarily mean they leave that situation (immediately). We want to make sure they have a safety plan, that they have a protection order, that they have support of others in the community that can help them maneuver through the system.”
She and other advocates say that often family and friends don't have much idea about the violence that is occurring behind closed doors.
“It can be very hard to identify them,” Michalski said of violent partners. “They're very good at masking what they don't want others to see.”
Thursday evening's vigil at Omaha's Stinson Park drew more than 100 people, including Kay Scheinost, whose daughter Kim Cox was killed Nov. 9, 1998, in Omaha.
“We need to educate more so no other parents lose their daughters,” she said.
Contact the writer:
444-1136, erin.grace@owh.com
Pima, AZ: Deputies on domestic-violence call kill man
Andrea Rivera Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Monday, October 4, 2010 12:00 am
A man who fired a shot at two Pima County sheriff's deputies was killed when the deputies returned fire late Saturday at a home on the far northwest side, officials said Sunday.
Sean B. McCloughan was killed at a home in the 18000 block of West Tucker Road, a remote area south of Ironwood Forest National Monument, after the man's daughter called 911 to report he was attacking her mother, said Deputy Renee Carlson, a spokeswoman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
McCloughan, 53, died at the scene, Carlson said. The deputies were not injured.
McCloughan's girlfriend and their daughter were gone when deputies arrived at the home, Carlson said.
According to court records, a protection order through Marana Municipal Court had been served on McCloughan on Thursday, but it's not clear who asked for the order.
McCloughan had a criminal history that included assault charges dating back more than a decade, Pima County Justice Court records show.
Some of the assault charges were dismissed.
In 1997, McCloughan received three years' intensive probation for aggravated assault with a handgun and attempted aggravated assault with an ax handle, according to Arizona Daily Star archives.
Officials are still investigating Sunday's shooting, Carlson said.
The department did not release the names of the deputies involved in the incident, and Carlson could not say what their status is, but it's standard procedure to place deputies involved in shootings on paid administrative leave.
This is the second officer-involved shooting this year involving the Sheriff's Department.
Two SWAT officers with the department fired shots that killed Tim Debeau during a standoff Aug. 27 at the man's northwest-side home, Star archives show.
Deputies went to Debeau's home after he called 911 to say he'd killed his girlfriend, Yolanda Pronko.
Debeau refused to come out of the home, and a robot sent into the home spotted Pronko's body.
When he did come out, he was carrying a knife and a hammer and made "aggressive movements" toward SWAT officers, the Sheriff's Department said at the time.
Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at arivera@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.
A man who fired a shot at two Pima County sheriff's deputies was killed when the deputies returned fire late Saturday at a home on the far northwest side, officials said Sunday.
Sean B. McCloughan was killed at a home in the 18000 block of West Tucker Road, a remote area south of Ironwood Forest National Monument, after the man's daughter called 911 to report he was attacking her mother, said Deputy Renee Carlson, a spokeswoman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
McCloughan, 53, died at the scene, Carlson said. The deputies were not injured.
McCloughan's girlfriend and their daughter were gone when deputies arrived at the home, Carlson said.
According to court records, a protection order through Marana Municipal Court had been served on McCloughan on Thursday, but it's not clear who asked for the order.
McCloughan had a criminal history that included assault charges dating back more than a decade, Pima County Justice Court records show.
Some of the assault charges were dismissed.
In 1997, McCloughan received three years' intensive probation for aggravated assault with a handgun and attempted aggravated assault with an ax handle, according to Arizona Daily Star archives.
Officials are still investigating Sunday's shooting, Carlson said.
The department did not release the names of the deputies involved in the incident, and Carlson could not say what their status is, but it's standard procedure to place deputies involved in shootings on paid administrative leave.
This is the second officer-involved shooting this year involving the Sheriff's Department.
Two SWAT officers with the department fired shots that killed Tim Debeau during a standoff Aug. 27 at the man's northwest-side home, Star archives show.
Deputies went to Debeau's home after he called 911 to say he'd killed his girlfriend, Yolanda Pronko.
Debeau refused to come out of the home, and a robot sent into the home spotted Pronko's body.
When he did come out, he was carrying a knife and a hammer and made "aggressive movements" toward SWAT officers, the Sheriff's Department said at the time.
Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at arivera@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.
Hampton, VA: Hampton teacher killed in murder-suicide
October 07, 2010|By Ashley Kelly, akelly@dailypress.com | 757-247-4778
Adrin Snider, Daily Press
HAMPTON — Brian Dunn says his mother never judged him, even when others did. His mom, Patricia Nobles McCarthy, was a selfless woman when it came to Dunn and his older brother — she was always in their corner.
That strong mother-son bond was tragically broken Thursday morning when police say she was killed by her husband during a murder-suicide.
"It was very disheartening," Dunn said of learning his mother had been killed by his step-father. "I felt like my joy had been taken away from me. She was my motivation to succeed in life….She was all I had in terms of people who supported me unconditionally. She was all I had."
Patricia Nobles McCarthy, 58, was returning to her home on Pear Avenue just after 6:30 a.m. when her husband, Tracy Andrew McCarthy, drove up in a white pickup truck and began shooting at her with a shotgun, according to Allison Quinones, a spokeswoman for the Hampton police department. After shooting and killing his wife, the 45-year-old Tracey McCarthy drove to Terminal Avenue in Newport News near I-664, got out of his car and walked a short distance before shooting and killing himself, police said.
Adrin Snider, Daily Press
HAMPTON — Brian Dunn says his mother never judged him, even when others did. His mom, Patricia Nobles McCarthy, was a selfless woman when it came to Dunn and his older brother — she was always in their corner.
That strong mother-son bond was tragically broken Thursday morning when police say she was killed by her husband during a murder-suicide.
"It was very disheartening," Dunn said of learning his mother had been killed by his step-father. "I felt like my joy had been taken away from me. She was my motivation to succeed in life….She was all I had in terms of people who supported me unconditionally. She was all I had."
Patricia Nobles McCarthy, 58, was returning to her home on Pear Avenue just after 6:30 a.m. when her husband, Tracy Andrew McCarthy, drove up in a white pickup truck and began shooting at her with a shotgun, according to Allison Quinones, a spokeswoman for the Hampton police department. After shooting and killing his wife, the 45-year-old Tracey McCarthy drove to Terminal Avenue in Newport News near I-664, got out of his car and walked a short distance before shooting and killing himself, police said.
Monona, IA: Authorities say man admitted fatally shooting his girlfriend Advertisement A 33-year-old Monona man has admitted to fatally shooting his girlfriend twice in the head Saturday, authorities said. In a criminal complaint, Christopher Thompson told deputies from the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office he got into a verbal and physical fight with Angela Gabel, 40, at their home at 292 Watson Road in Linton township. Gabel went outside and got into her car. Thompson followed and they continued to argue. Thompson said he then went into the house, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle, walked onto the deck and fired a shot that hit Gabel in the head. Thompson said he found Gabel still alive in the car. Thompson said in the criminal complaint he fired a second shot into Gabel's head to "put the victim out of her misery so that she didn't suffer." He went inside, put away the gun and called 911 at about 11:32 p.m. When deputies arrived, Thompson was on the deck holding his 8-month-old son. He went back inside and, after a brief standoff, surrendered. Thompson is charged with first-degree murder. He is being held without bond in the Clayton County Jail.
A 33-year-old Monona man has admitted to fatally shooting his girlfriend twice in the head Saturday, authorities said.
In a criminal complaint, Christopher Thompson told deputies from the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office he got into a verbal and physical fight with Angela Gabel, 40, at their home at 292 Watson Road in Linton township. Gabel went outside and got into her car. Thompson followed and they continued to argue.
Thompson said he then went into the house, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle, walked onto the deck and fired a shot that hit Gabel in the head. Thompson said he found Gabel still alive in the car. Thompson said in the criminal complaint he fired a second shot into Gabel's head to "put the victim out of her misery so that she didn't suffer."
He went inside, put away the gun and called 911 at about 11:32 p.m. When deputies arrived, Thompson was on the deck holding his 8-month-old son. He went back inside and, after a brief standoff, surrendered.
Thompson is charged with first-degree murder. He is being held without bond in the Clayton County Jail.
In a criminal complaint, Christopher Thompson told deputies from the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office he got into a verbal and physical fight with Angela Gabel, 40, at their home at 292 Watson Road in Linton township. Gabel went outside and got into her car. Thompson followed and they continued to argue.
Thompson said he then went into the house, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle, walked onto the deck and fired a shot that hit Gabel in the head. Thompson said he found Gabel still alive in the car. Thompson said in the criminal complaint he fired a second shot into Gabel's head to "put the victim out of her misery so that she didn't suffer."
He went inside, put away the gun and called 911 at about 11:32 p.m. When deputies arrived, Thompson was on the deck holding his 8-month-old son. He went back inside and, after a brief standoff, surrendered.
Thompson is charged with first-degree murder. He is being held without bond in the Clayton County Jail.
Troy, NY: DA says shooting of dog doesn’t fall under Buster’s Law
Published: Saturday, October 09, 2010
By James V. Franco
The Record
TROY — Late last month, Robert Clow shot and killed Daisy, a dog belonging to his girlfriend Laura Vadney and the decision by District Attorney Richard McNally to charge him with three misdemeanors rather than a felony has an animals’ rights group up in arms.
“The fact pattern clearly falls under Buster’s Law,” said Valerie Lang, of the Rensselaer County Animal Protection Coalition. “It’s textbook.”
According to Lang, Daisy was a docile dog made more so by medication she was on to treat Addison’s Disease, an affliction of the adrenal gland, and because of that the argument by Clow the dog was vicious doesn’t hold water. She did say that Daisy was scared of Clow and would often urinate when he was in her presence.
She said Clow tied the dog to a tree in the back of Vadney’s Brunswick home and shot it three times with a .44 caliber Magnum.
However, McNally said the crime does not rise to the level of Buster’s Law — passed by the state Legislature in 1999 making certain instances of animal abuse a felony — but it is a serious crime, with “aggravators” and Clow will likely see some jail time as well as a period on probation that will likely include a psychological evaluation and possible treatment.
“Buster’s Law is defined as conduct ‘intended to cause extreme physical pain or is done or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner’ and this case does not meet that criteria,” McNally said. “That said, we are taking a hard line on the case. It’s not a run of the mill animal cruelty accusation and we hold him responsible and will mandate a pretty tough disposition.”
He compared Buster’s Law to the instruction jurors get before deliberating murder and said: “I don’t think the Legislature intended to make the standards of depravity and extreme physical pain less for an animal than it does for people.”
The jury instruction he is referring to reads in part: “A defendant is guilty of Murder in the First Degree when, with intent to cause the death of another person, the defendant causes the death of such person … and the defendant acted in an especially cruel and wanton manner pursuant to a course of conduct intended to inflict and inflicting torture upon the victim prior to the victim’s death.”
He added Clow didn’t torture the dog, or kill it in front of the children or Vadney. Both examples, he said, would have elevated the crime to a felony. Lang said he routinely beat the dog with a booms.
While Lang maintains the crime meets the felony standard because it was done to cause his girlfriend pain and suffering — and the fact he allegedly “bragged” about it to Vadney’s 16-year-old son — McNally said Clow shot the dog because she was either playing with or feeding on the carcass of a cat recently killed by an automobile and that was on Vadney’s porch.
Vadney, who was eight months pregnant at the time of the alleged crime, was not available for comment. Lang said she is pushing McNally to bring felony charges against Clow, while McNally said she is happy with the misdemeanors.
Lang said McNally has a conflict of interest because he knows the Clow family and as such should recuse himself from the case. She sent a letter to County Court Judge Andrew Ceresia, who has the authority to appoint a special prosecutor, but as of Friday had not gotten a response. McNally said there is no conflict and will not voluntarily step aside.
Clow is slated to appear in Grafton Town Court on Tuesday. It is unclear if he has an attorney and he could not be reached for comment.
James V. Franco can be reached at 518-270-1277 or by email at jfranco@troyrecord.com
By James V. Franco
The Record
TROY — Late last month, Robert Clow shot and killed Daisy, a dog belonging to his girlfriend Laura Vadney and the decision by District Attorney Richard McNally to charge him with three misdemeanors rather than a felony has an animals’ rights group up in arms.
“The fact pattern clearly falls under Buster’s Law,” said Valerie Lang, of the Rensselaer County Animal Protection Coalition. “It’s textbook.”
According to Lang, Daisy was a docile dog made more so by medication she was on to treat Addison’s Disease, an affliction of the adrenal gland, and because of that the argument by Clow the dog was vicious doesn’t hold water. She did say that Daisy was scared of Clow and would often urinate when he was in her presence.
She said Clow tied the dog to a tree in the back of Vadney’s Brunswick home and shot it three times with a .44 caliber Magnum.
However, McNally said the crime does not rise to the level of Buster’s Law — passed by the state Legislature in 1999 making certain instances of animal abuse a felony — but it is a serious crime, with “aggravators” and Clow will likely see some jail time as well as a period on probation that will likely include a psychological evaluation and possible treatment.
“Buster’s Law is defined as conduct ‘intended to cause extreme physical pain or is done or carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner’ and this case does not meet that criteria,” McNally said. “That said, we are taking a hard line on the case. It’s not a run of the mill animal cruelty accusation and we hold him responsible and will mandate a pretty tough disposition.”
He compared Buster’s Law to the instruction jurors get before deliberating murder and said: “I don’t think the Legislature intended to make the standards of depravity and extreme physical pain less for an animal than it does for people.”
The jury instruction he is referring to reads in part: “A defendant is guilty of Murder in the First Degree when, with intent to cause the death of another person, the defendant causes the death of such person … and the defendant acted in an especially cruel and wanton manner pursuant to a course of conduct intended to inflict and inflicting torture upon the victim prior to the victim’s death.”
He added Clow didn’t torture the dog, or kill it in front of the children or Vadney. Both examples, he said, would have elevated the crime to a felony. Lang said he routinely beat the dog with a booms.
While Lang maintains the crime meets the felony standard because it was done to cause his girlfriend pain and suffering — and the fact he allegedly “bragged” about it to Vadney’s 16-year-old son — McNally said Clow shot the dog because she was either playing with or feeding on the carcass of a cat recently killed by an automobile and that was on Vadney’s porch.
Vadney, who was eight months pregnant at the time of the alleged crime, was not available for comment. Lang said she is pushing McNally to bring felony charges against Clow, while McNally said she is happy with the misdemeanors.
Lang said McNally has a conflict of interest because he knows the Clow family and as such should recuse himself from the case. She sent a letter to County Court Judge Andrew Ceresia, who has the authority to appoint a special prosecutor, but as of Friday had not gotten a response. McNally said there is no conflict and will not voluntarily step aside.
Clow is slated to appear in Grafton Town Court on Tuesday. It is unclear if he has an attorney and he could not be reached for comment.
James V. Franco can be reached at 518-270-1277 or by email at jfranco@troyrecord.com
Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma City man guilty of murder
Jury chooses life sentence for fatal shooting of girlfriend.
BY NOLAN CLAY
Oklahoma City man guilty of murder
Jurors in the Oklahoma County case chose a life sentence for Mark Anthony Sanders, 24.
The victim was Ebony Howeth-Viney, 33, of Oklahoma City. Prosecutors said Sanders shot her in the head early Oct. 17, 2008, inside her car at the Petro Truck Stop because she decided to reconcile with her husband.
The two earlier had been at the Palm Tree Lounge. A witness said she saw Sanders with a white rose at the club and jokingly asked if it was for her. The witness said he responded that she wouldn't want it because that rose meant death. The rose was found later in the victim's car.
"His prophecy is fulfilled,” prosecutor Pam Kimbrough told jurors.
Sanders admitted to police the two argued but claimed she kicked him out of her car before she was shot. The evidence against him included gunshot residue found on his hands.
Also, jurors were shown a police recording of him sucking spots on his shirt in a police interview room when detectives weren't present. Prosecutors contend Sanders, who admitted to watching police shows like "CSI,” was trying to hide evidence.
Defense attorneys suggested during the trial that police arrested the wrong man, that a drug dealer actually was responsible for the shooting.
BY NOLAN CLAY
Oklahoma City man guilty of murder
Jurors in the Oklahoma County case chose a life sentence for Mark Anthony Sanders, 24.
The victim was Ebony Howeth-Viney, 33, of Oklahoma City. Prosecutors said Sanders shot her in the head early Oct. 17, 2008, inside her car at the Petro Truck Stop because she decided to reconcile with her husband.
The two earlier had been at the Palm Tree Lounge. A witness said she saw Sanders with a white rose at the club and jokingly asked if it was for her. The witness said he responded that she wouldn't want it because that rose meant death. The rose was found later in the victim's car.
"His prophecy is fulfilled,” prosecutor Pam Kimbrough told jurors.
Sanders admitted to police the two argued but claimed she kicked him out of her car before she was shot. The evidence against him included gunshot residue found on his hands.
Also, jurors were shown a police recording of him sucking spots on his shirt in a police interview room when detectives weren't present. Prosecutors contend Sanders, who admitted to watching police shows like "CSI,” was trying to hide evidence.
Defense attorneys suggested during the trial that police arrested the wrong man, that a drug dealer actually was responsible for the shooting.
Hilltop Township, PA: New Details Released In Murder-Suicide
Janelle Hill | Web Producer
Posted: 5:18 pm EDT October 8, 2010
Updated: 7:02 pm EDT October 8, 2010
HILLTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA -- Investigators in Bucks County are releasing new details about a murder-suicide.
The bodies of 59-year-old Patricia Berberich and 65-year-old Gerald Mattingly were found inside their home here in the 100 block of Washington Court in Hilltown Township earlier this week.
Investigators say the two were a couple.
And they say Mattingly killed Berberich before taking his own life.
At this point investigators have not released a motive.
Posted: 5:18 pm EDT October 8, 2010
Updated: 7:02 pm EDT October 8, 2010
HILLTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA -- Investigators in Bucks County are releasing new details about a murder-suicide.
The bodies of 59-year-old Patricia Berberich and 65-year-old Gerald Mattingly were found inside their home here in the 100 block of Washington Court in Hilltown Township earlier this week.
Investigators say the two were a couple.
And they say Mattingly killed Berberich before taking his own life.
At this point investigators have not released a motive.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Colorado Springs, CO: Vidor family death determined murder-suicide
Posted: Oct 07, 2010 4:16 PM EDT
Updated: Oct 07, 2010 4:34 PM EDT
Police in Colorado Springs say autopsy results show the deaths of a mother and her 13-year-old twin son and daughter to be a murder suicide.
Police Sgt. Steve Noblitt says three bodies were found at a Colorado Springs home Monday.
Rene Ogden, 38, formerly of Vidor, and her two children, Chase and Olivia have been identified.
Autopsy reports from the El Paso County Coroner's Office show Rene Ogden passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It appears she shot her children, then shot hersef.
Police interviewed Tommy Ogden about his wife and children. Officers say he is cooperation with investigators.
Tommy Ogden called police Monday after work and said he found his wife dead. Investigators
found the children's bodies after entering the home.
Updated: Oct 07, 2010 4:34 PM EDT
Police in Colorado Springs say autopsy results show the deaths of a mother and her 13-year-old twin son and daughter to be a murder suicide.
Police Sgt. Steve Noblitt says three bodies were found at a Colorado Springs home Monday.
Rene Ogden, 38, formerly of Vidor, and her two children, Chase and Olivia have been identified.
Autopsy reports from the El Paso County Coroner's Office show Rene Ogden passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It appears she shot her children, then shot hersef.
Police interviewed Tommy Ogden about his wife and children. Officers say he is cooperation with investigators.
Tommy Ogden called police Monday after work and said he found his wife dead. Investigators
found the children's bodies after entering the home.
Sierra Vista, AZ: Officials calling deaths in Coronado Cave a murder-suicide
Thu, 10/07/2010 - 13:47
BY DEREK JORDAN
Herald/Review
SIERRA VISTA — Two people were found dead inside the Coronado Cave on Wednesday in what appears to have been a murder-suicide, the sheriff’s office announced today.
Walt G. Lemaire and Sheryl L. Allen, both 23, were discovered inside a tent in the back of the cave in the Coronado National Memorial in Hereford by a park ranger at 2:19 p.m., said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.
Both are listed as Sierra Vista residents according to sheriff’s records, though an Arizona driver’s license issued to Lemaire in April lists a Mesa address, Capas said.
The initial investigation indicates that Lemaire shot Allen with a small caliber handgun recovered at the scene before shooting himself, she said. The two were believed to have been in a relationship.
The park ranger investigated the cave after pulling over a vehicle for a traffic violation in the area earlier that day. The occupants had seen the tent in the cave and asked if camping in Coronado Cave was allowed, Capas said.
Investigators estimate the incident occurred between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. that day.
Both bodies have been taken to the Cochise County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and the investigation continues.
Coronado Cave, located in the Coronado National Memorial, is located about 21 miles south of Sierra Vista and extends about 600 feet from the entrance. Forest Service staff reported Thursday that the cave remains open to the public.
BY DEREK JORDAN
Herald/Review
SIERRA VISTA — Two people were found dead inside the Coronado Cave on Wednesday in what appears to have been a murder-suicide, the sheriff’s office announced today.
Walt G. Lemaire and Sheryl L. Allen, both 23, were discovered inside a tent in the back of the cave in the Coronado National Memorial in Hereford by a park ranger at 2:19 p.m., said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.
Both are listed as Sierra Vista residents according to sheriff’s records, though an Arizona driver’s license issued to Lemaire in April lists a Mesa address, Capas said.
The initial investigation indicates that Lemaire shot Allen with a small caliber handgun recovered at the scene before shooting himself, she said. The two were believed to have been in a relationship.
The park ranger investigated the cave after pulling over a vehicle for a traffic violation in the area earlier that day. The occupants had seen the tent in the cave and asked if camping in Coronado Cave was allowed, Capas said.
Investigators estimate the incident occurred between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. that day.
Both bodies have been taken to the Cochise County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and the investigation continues.
Coronado Cave, located in the Coronado National Memorial, is located about 21 miles south of Sierra Vista and extends about 600 feet from the entrance. Forest Service staff reported Thursday that the cave remains open to the public.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Evergreen, AL: Sheriff: Alabama man killed wife, self
SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
EVERGREEN — Conecuh County Sheriff Edwin Booker says an Evergreen man strangled his wife with a cord and later shot himself to death.
WSFA-TV reports that Booker says 35-year-old Randy Everidge strangled Whitney Everidge on Sunday morning, then left their home and went to Paul, Ala., where he committed suicide.
Whitney Everidge was taken off life support Wednesday afternoon at University of South Alabama Hospital in Mobile.
EVERGREEN — Conecuh County Sheriff Edwin Booker says an Evergreen man strangled his wife with a cord and later shot himself to death.
WSFA-TV reports that Booker says 35-year-old Randy Everidge strangled Whitney Everidge on Sunday morning, then left their home and went to Paul, Ala., where he committed suicide.
Whitney Everidge was taken off life support Wednesday afternoon at University of South Alabama Hospital in Mobile.
New Orleans, LA: Evidence against Vince Marinello called 'ample' for murder conviction
Published: Wednesday, October 06, 2010, 8:00 PM
Paul Purpura, The Times-Picayune
An appeals court has upheld Vince Marinello's second-degree murder conviction, rejecting the longtime New Orleans newsman's claims that he deserves a new trial because of judicial errors and prosecutorial overreaching.
View full sizeTimes-Picayune archive
Vince Marinello turned 73 this month at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
The ruling, released Wednesday by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles, means Marinello, 73, who is serving a life sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, now hangs his hopes that the state Supreme Court will look at his conviction for the death of his estranged wife, Liz Marinello, 45.
"I didn't think he had any grounds for an appeal to get a new trial," said Liz's mother, Bertha Norman of Purvis, Miss. "He tried. I'm just glad he didn't have any luck."
Marinello was convicted of planning the crime weeks in advance, disguising himself as a scruffy man and waiting for Liz to emerge from a regularly scheduled appointment at a Metairie Road office building on Aug. 31, 2006. She was shot twice in the face in the parking lot and died early the next day. The couple was amid a contentious end to their brief marriage, which she sought to annul on grounds of bigamy.
Marinello was convicted in December 2008 following a two-week trial. He denied being the killer and claimed in his appeal that he was robbed of a fair trial because of eight errors made by the judge and prosecutors. As such, he said, his conviction and life sentence should be tossed out.
Third Circuit Judges Marc Amy, John Saunders and Elizabeth Pickett rejected all eight claims, including one of insufficient evidence. Writing for the panel in a 43-page decision, Amy discussed the array of evidence the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and prosecutors gathered, including a 14-point checklist the authorities said Marinello wrote in planning his wife's murder.
"In light of the evidence, it is apparent that the state presented ample evidence to support the jury's conviction, specifically the defendant's identity as the perpetrator," Amy wrote. "Witness testimony indicated the deteriorating and volatile nature of the couple's relationship and, further, indicated that the defendant was aware of the time of Liz's standing appointment."
The Lake Charles appellate court handled the case because Judge Conn Regan of the 24th Judicial District Court moved the trial to Lafayette. Ruling on a defense request to move the trial, Regan found that extensive pretrial news media coverage tainted the pool of potential jurors in Jefferson Parish.
While Marinello claimed he was en route to visit friends near Jackson, Miss., when the shooting happen, the appeals court noted that the jury could have disregarded the alibi in light of his cellular phone records that showed he had left the New Orleans area later than he claimed.
The court also ruled against Marinello in his claim that prosecutors unfairly suggested he was tied to the Mafia. In cross-examining Marinello, Assistant District Attorney Tommy Block asked whether he had "a fascination with the Mafia," and made numerous references to the mob during the questioning and in closing argument.
Marinello denied mob connections, and he said in his appeal that prosecutors presented no evidence to show otherwise.
"Repeated references to the 'Mafia' were made up to convince the jury that Mr. Marinello was indeed a member of this vicious crime organization, a man capable of killing his wife," Marinello wrote in a brief he wrote and filed with the 3rd Circuit in June.
The appeals court found it could not consider the argument, because there was no objection to the references as they were made during the trial.
Paul Purpura can be reached at ppurpura@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3791.
Paul Purpura, The Times-Picayune
An appeals court has upheld Vince Marinello's second-degree murder conviction, rejecting the longtime New Orleans newsman's claims that he deserves a new trial because of judicial errors and prosecutorial overreaching.
View full sizeTimes-Picayune archive
Vince Marinello turned 73 this month at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
The ruling, released Wednesday by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles, means Marinello, 73, who is serving a life sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, now hangs his hopes that the state Supreme Court will look at his conviction for the death of his estranged wife, Liz Marinello, 45.
"I didn't think he had any grounds for an appeal to get a new trial," said Liz's mother, Bertha Norman of Purvis, Miss. "He tried. I'm just glad he didn't have any luck."
Marinello was convicted of planning the crime weeks in advance, disguising himself as a scruffy man and waiting for Liz to emerge from a regularly scheduled appointment at a Metairie Road office building on Aug. 31, 2006. She was shot twice in the face in the parking lot and died early the next day. The couple was amid a contentious end to their brief marriage, which she sought to annul on grounds of bigamy.
Marinello was convicted in December 2008 following a two-week trial. He denied being the killer and claimed in his appeal that he was robbed of a fair trial because of eight errors made by the judge and prosecutors. As such, he said, his conviction and life sentence should be tossed out.
Third Circuit Judges Marc Amy, John Saunders and Elizabeth Pickett rejected all eight claims, including one of insufficient evidence. Writing for the panel in a 43-page decision, Amy discussed the array of evidence the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and prosecutors gathered, including a 14-point checklist the authorities said Marinello wrote in planning his wife's murder.
"In light of the evidence, it is apparent that the state presented ample evidence to support the jury's conviction, specifically the defendant's identity as the perpetrator," Amy wrote. "Witness testimony indicated the deteriorating and volatile nature of the couple's relationship and, further, indicated that the defendant was aware of the time of Liz's standing appointment."
The Lake Charles appellate court handled the case because Judge Conn Regan of the 24th Judicial District Court moved the trial to Lafayette. Ruling on a defense request to move the trial, Regan found that extensive pretrial news media coverage tainted the pool of potential jurors in Jefferson Parish.
While Marinello claimed he was en route to visit friends near Jackson, Miss., when the shooting happen, the appeals court noted that the jury could have disregarded the alibi in light of his cellular phone records that showed he had left the New Orleans area later than he claimed.
The court also ruled against Marinello in his claim that prosecutors unfairly suggested he was tied to the Mafia. In cross-examining Marinello, Assistant District Attorney Tommy Block asked whether he had "a fascination with the Mafia," and made numerous references to the mob during the questioning and in closing argument.
Marinello denied mob connections, and he said in his appeal that prosecutors presented no evidence to show otherwise.
"Repeated references to the 'Mafia' were made up to convince the jury that Mr. Marinello was indeed a member of this vicious crime organization, a man capable of killing his wife," Marinello wrote in a brief he wrote and filed with the 3rd Circuit in June.
The appeals court found it could not consider the argument, because there was no objection to the references as they were made during the trial.
Paul Purpura can be reached at ppurpura@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3791.
Nashville, TN: Victim's Sister Suspected Ex-Relative In Slaying
Investigators Say Timothy Bozza, Cory Cotham Conspired Slaying
Two Nashville men police said conspired to kill one of the men's estranged wife appeared in court Wednesday.
Images: Estranged Husband Arrested In Woman's Death
Timothy Bozza and Cory Cotham both pleaded not guilty in court.
Investigators said Bozza came up with a plan to kill his soon-to-be ex-wife, Veronica, just days before their divorce was to be final. Investigators said Cotham carried out the slaying.
"Veronica was a very sweet young girl when she was a child, very sweet, very sensitive," said Lorenza Chiaramont, Veronica's sister. "She always had a passion for the medias in general; that's how she started her career in Europe."
Veronica Bozza eventually moved to the United States and became a successful television and music producer. She helped produce the 2009 CMT Music Awards.
Chiaramont said her sister loved her work but that there was one thing she loved more.
"She was a wonderful mother; that was actually her main job," said Chiaramont. "She was a very good mom."
Chiaramont received a phone call Aug. 29 that she said she'll never forget.
"Brian called me, her boyfriend, because he found the body of my sister at her house," Chiaramont said. "Right away, I thought, 'Her ex-husband killed her.'"
Chiaramont, along with other friends of Veronica Bozza, sat on the front row in court Wednesday as Timothy Bozza and Cory Cotham pleaded not guilty.
Veronica Bozza's boyfriend was also there Wednesday. He had gone to visit her that Sunday morning and instead found her body on the living room floor, officials said.
Brian Robinson said that the two met while working on a show in Nashville. He said they were going through similar things and had a real "heart connection." He said finding her dead that morning was the worst day of his life.
Chiaramont said she wanted to speak exclusively with Channel 4 News with a message for any woman who may be dealing with domestic abuse.
"It's important to talk about these things," said said. "It's important not to hide or be scared."
Veronica Bozza is originally from Milan, Italy. Veronica's sister visited with her 8-year-old nephew, who has dual citizenship, Wednesday and said he misses his mother so much.
Police said Timothy Bozza has no record of any domestic related charges. Requests for comment from his family were not returned.
Two Nashville men police said conspired to kill one of the men's estranged wife appeared in court Wednesday.
Images: Estranged Husband Arrested In Woman's Death
Timothy Bozza and Cory Cotham both pleaded not guilty in court.
Investigators said Bozza came up with a plan to kill his soon-to-be ex-wife, Veronica, just days before their divorce was to be final. Investigators said Cotham carried out the slaying.
"Veronica was a very sweet young girl when she was a child, very sweet, very sensitive," said Lorenza Chiaramont, Veronica's sister. "She always had a passion for the medias in general; that's how she started her career in Europe."
Veronica Bozza eventually moved to the United States and became a successful television and music producer. She helped produce the 2009 CMT Music Awards.
Chiaramont said her sister loved her work but that there was one thing she loved more.
"She was a wonderful mother; that was actually her main job," said Chiaramont. "She was a very good mom."
Chiaramont received a phone call Aug. 29 that she said she'll never forget.
"Brian called me, her boyfriend, because he found the body of my sister at her house," Chiaramont said. "Right away, I thought, 'Her ex-husband killed her.'"
Chiaramont, along with other friends of Veronica Bozza, sat on the front row in court Wednesday as Timothy Bozza and Cory Cotham pleaded not guilty.
Veronica Bozza's boyfriend was also there Wednesday. He had gone to visit her that Sunday morning and instead found her body on the living room floor, officials said.
Brian Robinson said that the two met while working on a show in Nashville. He said they were going through similar things and had a real "heart connection." He said finding her dead that morning was the worst day of his life.
Chiaramont said she wanted to speak exclusively with Channel 4 News with a message for any woman who may be dealing with domestic abuse.
"It's important to talk about these things," said said. "It's important not to hide or be scared."
Veronica Bozza is originally from Milan, Italy. Veronica's sister visited with her 8-year-old nephew, who has dual citizenship, Wednesday and said he misses his mother so much.
Police said Timothy Bozza has no record of any domestic related charges. Requests for comment from his family were not returned.
Nassau Bay, TX: Husband accused in wife’s stabbing death
By Chris Paschenko
The Daily News
Published October 7, 2010
NASSAU BAY — A woman was fatally stabbed early Wednesday in a Nassau Bay apartment, authorities said.
The victim was identified as Wanda Kilgore, 58. William John Beichner, 67, was charged with murder in his wife’s death, Police Chief Joe M. Cashiola said.
Nassau Bay police officers were called to Balboa Apartments, 2002 San Sebastián Court, at 12:39 a.m., Cashiola said in a statement.
Officers found a man in the hallway and detained him. He had blood on him, Cashiola said. Officers then went inside the man’s apartment, where they found the body of his wife, Cashiola said.
Bond for Beichner was set at $60,000. Beichner remained at the Webster City Jail on Wednesday.
Reporter Chris Paschenko can be reached at 409-683-5241 or chris.paschenko(at)galvnews.com.
The Daily News
Published October 7, 2010
NASSAU BAY — A woman was fatally stabbed early Wednesday in a Nassau Bay apartment, authorities said.
The victim was identified as Wanda Kilgore, 58. William John Beichner, 67, was charged with murder in his wife’s death, Police Chief Joe M. Cashiola said.
Nassau Bay police officers were called to Balboa Apartments, 2002 San Sebastián Court, at 12:39 a.m., Cashiola said in a statement.
Officers found a man in the hallway and detained him. He had blood on him, Cashiola said. Officers then went inside the man’s apartment, where they found the body of his wife, Cashiola said.
Bond for Beichner was set at $60,000. Beichner remained at the Webster City Jail on Wednesday.
Reporter Chris Paschenko can be reached at 409-683-5241 or chris.paschenko(at)galvnews.com.
Anchorage, AK: Police ID shooter, victim in suspected murder-suicide attempt
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Anchorage police are investigating a double shooting that occurred around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Police say one man is dead and the other in critical condition at a local hospital.
Police say the shooting happened in the GCI parking lot at Northern Lights and C Street.
According to the police report, two men and a young woman were in a Ford Fusion after partying at a downtown bar when an argument began. The trio pulled into the parking lot, where they exited the vehicle and continued to argue.
According to police, the argument escalated and 22-year-old James Mitchell pulled out a gun and threatened the driver, 22-year-old Stephanie Kirchner, and then shot the other man, 25-year-old Aaron McClain in the chest before shooting himself in the head.
Mitchell was pronounced dead at the hospital. McClain was taken to the hospital in critical condition and went immediately into surgery, police said.
Police are calling the shooting an attempted murder-suicide, possibly motivated by heartbreak.
"Officers arrived on scene found two males down, one shot in the chest one shot in the head. And early, early investigation information is that it was an attempted homicide, attempted suicide.” said Officer Glen Daily.
Police say the shooting happened in the GCI parking lot at Northern Lights and C Street.
According to the police report, two men and a young woman were in a Ford Fusion after partying at a downtown bar when an argument began. The trio pulled into the parking lot, where they exited the vehicle and continued to argue.
According to police, the argument escalated and 22-year-old James Mitchell pulled out a gun and threatened the driver, 22-year-old Stephanie Kirchner, and then shot the other man, 25-year-old Aaron McClain in the chest before shooting himself in the head.
Mitchell was pronounced dead at the hospital. McClain was taken to the hospital in critical condition and went immediately into surgery, police said.
Police are calling the shooting an attempted murder-suicide, possibly motivated by heartbreak.
"Officers arrived on scene found two males down, one shot in the chest one shot in the head. And early, early investigation information is that it was an attempted homicide, attempted suicide.” said Officer Glen Daily.
Cedar City, UT: Cedar City couple died in murder-suicide, police say
By Lana Groves
Published: Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 4:44 p.m. MDT
CEDAR CITY — Police say the deaths of an elderly couple Monday was a murder-suicide.
Officers responded to a report of gunshots near the 900 South block of Regency Road around noon. When police arrived, they discovered the bodies of the elderly couple with what appeared to be gunshot wounds, police said.
Jack Andrews, 80, apparently shot his wife, Patricia Andrews, 79, and then shot himself, Cedar City police said Wednesday. Both died from gunshot wounds. Jack Andrews' death was listed as a suicide.
— Lana Groves
Published: Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 4:44 p.m. MDT
CEDAR CITY — Police say the deaths of an elderly couple Monday was a murder-suicide.
Officers responded to a report of gunshots near the 900 South block of Regency Road around noon. When police arrived, they discovered the bodies of the elderly couple with what appeared to be gunshot wounds, police said.
Jack Andrews, 80, apparently shot his wife, Patricia Andrews, 79, and then shot himself, Cedar City police said Wednesday. Both died from gunshot wounds. Jack Andrews' death was listed as a suicide.
— Lana Groves
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Overtown, FL: Suspect arrested in fatal stabbing
BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ AND JENNIFER LEBOVICH
IGUTIERREZ@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Hours after the body of a state correctional officer was found brutally stabbed to death outside her Overtown home, Miami police arrested the woman's husband and charged him with second-degree murder.
Jabcol Ellis Williams, 31, the victim's husband of nine months, had spent most of Tuesday being questioned by homicide detectives.
The body of Rhonda Mickens-Williams was found about 8:30 a.m. on the side yard of her home at 1842 NW First Ct.
Someone in the home had called 911; police arrived to find Williams and his wife's 18-year-old son at the scene.
``Officers described the murder scene as very gruesome,'' said Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes. Mickens-Williams had obviously put up a fight. Williams also had blood on his hands and clothing, according to an arrest affidavit.
Williams agreed to go with officers to the police station, where at first he denied involvement in his wife's killing. He later confessed to beating and stabbing her, the affidavit said.
Police spokesman Detective Willie Moreno said the couple had an argument but declined to elaborate on the motive.
The mother of three sons was a popular correctional officer at the South Florida Reception Center in Doral; her job was to transport inmates.
``She was a very kind-hearted person,'' said Mary Troupe, a former sister-in-law. ``She loved her boys. That's all she talked about -- her boys.''
All played football and Mickens-Williams spent much of her time cheering them on. She would also take the boys on family trips to Disney World and to the county fair. She loved having family andfriends over for cookouts, Troupe said.
Mickens-Williams began working for the Department of Corrections in 2004. Warden David Harris said Tuesday her co-workers were ``heartsick'' over her death.
``No matter the situation, Rhonda always had a smile on her face and her concern for others made her one of our most popular and respected correctional officers. . . . She will forever be remembered for her good nature and compassion.''
Miami Herald staff writers Luisa Yanez and Diana Moskovitz contributed to this report.
IGUTIERREZ@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Hours after the body of a state correctional officer was found brutally stabbed to death outside her Overtown home, Miami police arrested the woman's husband and charged him with second-degree murder.
Jabcol Ellis Williams, 31, the victim's husband of nine months, had spent most of Tuesday being questioned by homicide detectives.
The body of Rhonda Mickens-Williams was found about 8:30 a.m. on the side yard of her home at 1842 NW First Ct.
Someone in the home had called 911; police arrived to find Williams and his wife's 18-year-old son at the scene.
``Officers described the murder scene as very gruesome,'' said Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes. Mickens-Williams had obviously put up a fight. Williams also had blood on his hands and clothing, according to an arrest affidavit.
Williams agreed to go with officers to the police station, where at first he denied involvement in his wife's killing. He later confessed to beating and stabbing her, the affidavit said.
Police spokesman Detective Willie Moreno said the couple had an argument but declined to elaborate on the motive.
The mother of three sons was a popular correctional officer at the South Florida Reception Center in Doral; her job was to transport inmates.
``She was a very kind-hearted person,'' said Mary Troupe, a former sister-in-law. ``She loved her boys. That's all she talked about -- her boys.''
All played football and Mickens-Williams spent much of her time cheering them on. She would also take the boys on family trips to Disney World and to the county fair. She loved having family andfriends over for cookouts, Troupe said.
Mickens-Williams began working for the Department of Corrections in 2004. Warden David Harris said Tuesday her co-workers were ``heartsick'' over her death.
``No matter the situation, Rhonda always had a smile on her face and her concern for others made her one of our most popular and respected correctional officers. . . . She will forever be remembered for her good nature and compassion.''
Miami Herald staff writers Luisa Yanez and Diana Moskovitz contributed to this report.
Chattanooga, TN: Update: New Details In Deadly Domestic Assault Attack
John Wiser's Preliminary Hearing
October 05, 2010 4:54 PM
Karen Zatkulak
Emotional details behind a brutal beating that took a mother's life, come out in court Tuesday. John Wiser faces several domestic assault charges as well as first degree murder in the death of his wife Shannon. It all stems from two separate incidents. Police say the first involves abuse of several friends. The second involves extreme force to his wife's head and neck that led to her death.
John Wiser listened to terrifying testimony Tuesday from victims telling the court about how he abused them and his wife Shannon "Shae" Wiser back on September 4th. Blair House said, "She came out and said he hit me, but you could hear her scream stop, you could hear her scream and you could hear scream."
Friends say Wiser also pushed and hit others, but said he beat his wife the worst. House says "Her eye was turning black, her face was swollen where he had hit her, her lip was busted, and she said he hit her in the back of the head."
But it was three days later that police say the continued domestic violence turned deadly. At their home on Sleepy Hollow Road, investigators say Wiser beat, kicked, threw and choked Shae in front of her two young sons. Her friend says she got a nervous, crying call from Shae just moments before Wiser laid his hands on her for the last time.
Stephanie Jarrett says she rushed to Shae's house to try to save her. "I jumped out of the car, she was laying on the walkway, she grabbed ahold of my pants said hopsital twice and had blood coming out of her mouth and then she went unresponsive."
The detective who interviewed Wiser says he admitted he was more angry than he'd been in a long time. Alexis Mercado says, "He had been married for over 7 years, and in the last 2 or 3 days had beat his wife more than he had ever hit her or any other woman before."
Jarrett says she saw blood and broken glass inside the house, and the autopsy showed Shae later died from blunt force trauma to her head and neck. Tuesday, her friends, co-workers at Blue Cross, and family came to court to show their support of Shae. "To me all domestic violence cases are bad but this is one of the severe ones yes, we hate that it ultimately ends like this."
Judge Sell bound the case over to the grand jury. Wiser is being held without bond. So far there is no indication of exactly what set Wiser off in either case. But during Tuesday's hearing, Shae's friend testified that earlier Wiser had threatened to kill her if she didn't stay with him.
October 05, 2010 4:54 PM
Karen Zatkulak
Emotional details behind a brutal beating that took a mother's life, come out in court Tuesday. John Wiser faces several domestic assault charges as well as first degree murder in the death of his wife Shannon. It all stems from two separate incidents. Police say the first involves abuse of several friends. The second involves extreme force to his wife's head and neck that led to her death.
John Wiser listened to terrifying testimony Tuesday from victims telling the court about how he abused them and his wife Shannon "Shae" Wiser back on September 4th. Blair House said, "She came out and said he hit me, but you could hear her scream stop, you could hear her scream and you could hear scream."
Friends say Wiser also pushed and hit others, but said he beat his wife the worst. House says "Her eye was turning black, her face was swollen where he had hit her, her lip was busted, and she said he hit her in the back of the head."
But it was three days later that police say the continued domestic violence turned deadly. At their home on Sleepy Hollow Road, investigators say Wiser beat, kicked, threw and choked Shae in front of her two young sons. Her friend says she got a nervous, crying call from Shae just moments before Wiser laid his hands on her for the last time.
Stephanie Jarrett says she rushed to Shae's house to try to save her. "I jumped out of the car, she was laying on the walkway, she grabbed ahold of my pants said hopsital twice and had blood coming out of her mouth and then she went unresponsive."
The detective who interviewed Wiser says he admitted he was more angry than he'd been in a long time. Alexis Mercado says, "He had been married for over 7 years, and in the last 2 or 3 days had beat his wife more than he had ever hit her or any other woman before."
Jarrett says she saw blood and broken glass inside the house, and the autopsy showed Shae later died from blunt force trauma to her head and neck. Tuesday, her friends, co-workers at Blue Cross, and family came to court to show their support of Shae. "To me all domestic violence cases are bad but this is one of the severe ones yes, we hate that it ultimately ends like this."
Judge Sell bound the case over to the grand jury. Wiser is being held without bond. So far there is no indication of exactly what set Wiser off in either case. But during Tuesday's hearing, Shae's friend testified that earlier Wiser had threatened to kill her if she didn't stay with him.
Hutchinson, KS: Police across U.S. seek Hutchinson man who is charged in wife's death
HUTCHINSON, Kan. | Law enforcement officers across the country have been asked to help search for a Hutchinson man who is charged in his wife's death.
Hutchinson police have been looking for 48-year-old Hoseah Masabah Kaminja since last Wednesday, when his wife was found dead at her home.
An autopsy found that 41-year-old Wilfrida N. Masabah died from blunt-force trauma. Police say a hatchet found near the body probably was used in the killing.
Hutchinson Police Capt. Troy Hoover says federal authorities and airport security in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been notified to look for Kaminja, who is a native of Kenya.
Kaminja has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated burglary.
Hutchinson police have been looking for 48-year-old Hoseah Masabah Kaminja since last Wednesday, when his wife was found dead at her home.
An autopsy found that 41-year-old Wilfrida N. Masabah died from blunt-force trauma. Police say a hatchet found near the body probably was used in the killing.
Hutchinson Police Capt. Troy Hoover says federal authorities and airport security in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been notified to look for Kaminja, who is a native of Kenya.
Kaminja has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated burglary.
Elmwood Park, IL: Elmwood Park couple die
cops suspect murder-suicide
October 05, 2010|By Carlos Sadovi and Serena Maria Daniels, Tribune reporters
A husband and wife died Tuesday in Elmwood Park in an apparent murder-suicide, officials said.
Grace Briglio, 71, and Nicholas Briglio, 72, were found shot in their home on the 7900 block of West Westwood Drive, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Grace Briglio was pronounced dead at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park at 11:46 a.m. from a gunshot wound, the spokesman said.
October 05, 2010|By Carlos Sadovi and Serena Maria Daniels, Tribune reporters
A husband and wife died Tuesday in Elmwood Park in an apparent murder-suicide, officials said.
Grace Briglio, 71, and Nicholas Briglio, 72, were found shot in their home on the 7900 block of West Westwood Drive, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Grace Briglio was pronounced dead at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park at 11:46 a.m. from a gunshot wound, the spokesman said.
Lawrenceville, GA: Police investigate suspected murder-suicide
By Mike Morris and John Spink
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A man and woman found dead Tuesday morning in an apparent murder-suicide were in the process of getting divorced, Gwinnett County police said.
Gwinnett police spokesman Edwin Ritter said that the couple's 12-year-old son went to a neighbor's house around 7:30 a.m. and told the neighbor something was wrong with his father, and that he might be dead. The neighbor phoned police, who responded and found the couple dead inside the home, Ritter said.
While there were "obvious signs of trauma," Ritter said that investigators have not determined how the 57-year-old man and 50-year-old woman died. No one reported hearing gunshots, he said.
Ritter said the deaths "appear" to investigators to be a murder-suicide.
The home where the incident occurred is in a neighborhood of middle-income families off Old Peachtree Road, between Braselton Highway and Ga. 20, according to Ritter.
Neighbor Christopher Smith, told the AJC that he was awakened by the children screaming.
“All I heard was, ‘please help me, my parents are dead.’ I ran out the door and come to find it it was my next-door neighbor’s kids.”
Smith said the children, a 12-year-old boy and a girl, age 9, had gone across the street to another neighbor’s house, and that neighbor had called police.
Smith said he went to the house where the children lived “and looked in the front door and there was blood on the floor, so I stepped back to the street and waited for Gwinnett police to show up.”
He described the inside of his next-door neighbor’s home as “pretty much” a hoarding situation.
“Pretty messy – newspapers, bags,” with about a three-foot wide path to walk through the house, Smith said.
Smith, 26, said he has lived in the neighborhood for 22 years, “and they lived here quite a few years before I did.”
“I knew they wanted a divorce, but I never heard them fight,” Smith said. “They kept it inside, I guess.”
Staff writers Alexis Stevens and Larry Hartstein contributed to this article.
Tita Hall, 50, died from lacerations to her neck, the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's office said. Her death has been ruled as a murder, authorities said.
Charles Hall, 57, cut and shot himself, the medical examiner's office said. He died from his gunshot wounds, and his death has been ruled a suicide, authorities said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A man and woman found dead Tuesday morning in an apparent murder-suicide were in the process of getting divorced, Gwinnett County police said.
Gwinnett police spokesman Edwin Ritter said that the couple's 12-year-old son went to a neighbor's house around 7:30 a.m. and told the neighbor something was wrong with his father, and that he might be dead. The neighbor phoned police, who responded and found the couple dead inside the home, Ritter said.
While there were "obvious signs of trauma," Ritter said that investigators have not determined how the 57-year-old man and 50-year-old woman died. No one reported hearing gunshots, he said.
Ritter said the deaths "appear" to investigators to be a murder-suicide.
The home where the incident occurred is in a neighborhood of middle-income families off Old Peachtree Road, between Braselton Highway and Ga. 20, according to Ritter.
Neighbor Christopher Smith, told the AJC that he was awakened by the children screaming.
“All I heard was, ‘please help me, my parents are dead.’ I ran out the door and come to find it it was my next-door neighbor’s kids.”
Smith said the children, a 12-year-old boy and a girl, age 9, had gone across the street to another neighbor’s house, and that neighbor had called police.
Smith said he went to the house where the children lived “and looked in the front door and there was blood on the floor, so I stepped back to the street and waited for Gwinnett police to show up.”
He described the inside of his next-door neighbor’s home as “pretty much” a hoarding situation.
“Pretty messy – newspapers, bags,” with about a three-foot wide path to walk through the house, Smith said.
Smith, 26, said he has lived in the neighborhood for 22 years, “and they lived here quite a few years before I did.”
“I knew they wanted a divorce, but I never heard them fight,” Smith said. “They kept it inside, I guess.”
Staff writers Alexis Stevens and Larry Hartstein contributed to this article.
Tita Hall, 50, died from lacerations to her neck, the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's office said. Her death has been ruled as a murder, authorities said.
Charles Hall, 57, cut and shot himself, the medical examiner's office said. He died from his gunshot wounds, and his death has been ruled a suicide, authorities said.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
West Palm Beach, FL: Man Charged In Wife's Shooting Death Held Without Bond
Deputies Say Man Shot Wife In West Palm Beach Driveway After Argument
POSTED: 3:14 pm EDT October 1, 2010
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A man who authorities said admitted to fatally shooting his wife after an argument Thursday morning will remain in jail.
On Friday, a judge denied bond for Slobodan Dragic. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Jelena Dragic.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detectives said Dragic confessed to shooting his wife to death in the driveway of their Harth Drive home after an argument.
An 8-year-old girl who lived across the street witnessed the shooting.
Deputies said Dragic fled in a white van after the shooting, but he was later apprehended at Dreher Park.
POSTED: 3:14 pm EDT October 1, 2010
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A man who authorities said admitted to fatally shooting his wife after an argument Thursday morning will remain in jail.
On Friday, a judge denied bond for Slobodan Dragic. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Jelena Dragic.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detectives said Dragic confessed to shooting his wife to death in the driveway of their Harth Drive home after an argument.
An 8-year-old girl who lived across the street witnessed the shooting.
Deputies said Dragic fled in a white van after the shooting, but he was later apprehended at Dreher Park.
Orland Park, IL: Father of Sports Figures Charged With Wife's Death
David Lohr
Contributor
(Oct. 1) -- Authorities in Orland Park, Ill., have charged the father of a TV sports reporter and a former NFL football player with murder in the shooting death of his wife.
Police arrested Allan J. Kustok, 59, on Thursday, just one day after they say he murdered his wife, Anita "Jeanie" Kustok, 58, inside their suburban Royal Oaks Lane home. The Kustoks were well known in the community for being the parents of Sarah Kustok, a popular Chicago SportsNet anchor, and Zak Kustok, a former star quarterback at Northwestern University and former NFL player with the Chicago Bears.
Orland Park PD
Police arrested Allan J. Kustok, 59, on Thursday, a day after they say he murdered his wife inside their suburban Illinois home.
Investigators learned of the shooting Wednesday, according to the SouthtownStar, after Jeanie Kustok was pronounced dead at Palos Community Hospital in Palos Heights. Kustok died as a result of a single gunshot wound, Illinois media outlets reported.
Authorities are not commenting on the specifies of the investigation, but CBS-2 Chicago, citing law enforcement sources, reported that Allan Kustok said he awoke to the sound of a gunshot at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Then he reportedly found his wife lying in their bedroom with a gunshot wound to the left side of her head.
Allan Kustok also said he was so distraught that he picked up the gun and fired off several random shots, the SouthtownStar reported.
Authorities began to question Kustok's story when they discovered his wife was right-handed, which would not fit with her shooting herself in the left side of the head. They were also concerned that Allan Kustok did not call 911 and reportedly waited more than an hour before he loaded his wife into their SUV and drove her body six miles to the hospital.
The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled Jeanie Kustok's death a homicide. The Cook County state's attorney's office charged Allan Kustok with first-degree murder in his wife's death.
News of the homicide spread quickly through the Kustoks' community, where the family was well known.
"I would never expect anything like this to happen -- if it's true," Mike Navarro, a friend of the couple, told the Chicago Tribune. "They were like the perfect couple. They had a very happy marriage."
Navarro added, "I was really taken aback. Shocked would put it mildly."
According to Examiner.com, Allan Kustok once worked as a sales rep for a local medical supply company, but it remains unclear if he is still employed there. Jeanie Kustok taught at Central Elementary School in Riverside.
"She is a beautiful person with a beautiful heart,'' the school's principal, Dr. Janice Limperis, told the SouthtownStar. "If anyone had a problem, she would find a positive way to look at it. We are devastated here. Her students are inconsolable. It's like losing a family member."
Allan Kustok is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing later today. Afterward, authorities will be holding a press conference, during which they are expected to release more details in the case.
Contributor
(Oct. 1) -- Authorities in Orland Park, Ill., have charged the father of a TV sports reporter and a former NFL football player with murder in the shooting death of his wife.
Police arrested Allan J. Kustok, 59, on Thursday, just one day after they say he murdered his wife, Anita "Jeanie" Kustok, 58, inside their suburban Royal Oaks Lane home. The Kustoks were well known in the community for being the parents of Sarah Kustok, a popular Chicago SportsNet anchor, and Zak Kustok, a former star quarterback at Northwestern University and former NFL player with the Chicago Bears.
Orland Park PD
Police arrested Allan J. Kustok, 59, on Thursday, a day after they say he murdered his wife inside their suburban Illinois home.
Investigators learned of the shooting Wednesday, according to the SouthtownStar, after Jeanie Kustok was pronounced dead at Palos Community Hospital in Palos Heights. Kustok died as a result of a single gunshot wound, Illinois media outlets reported.
Authorities are not commenting on the specifies of the investigation, but CBS-2 Chicago, citing law enforcement sources, reported that Allan Kustok said he awoke to the sound of a gunshot at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Then he reportedly found his wife lying in their bedroom with a gunshot wound to the left side of her head.
Allan Kustok also said he was so distraught that he picked up the gun and fired off several random shots, the SouthtownStar reported.
Authorities began to question Kustok's story when they discovered his wife was right-handed, which would not fit with her shooting herself in the left side of the head. They were also concerned that Allan Kustok did not call 911 and reportedly waited more than an hour before he loaded his wife into their SUV and drove her body six miles to the hospital.
The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled Jeanie Kustok's death a homicide. The Cook County state's attorney's office charged Allan Kustok with first-degree murder in his wife's death.
News of the homicide spread quickly through the Kustoks' community, where the family was well known.
"I would never expect anything like this to happen -- if it's true," Mike Navarro, a friend of the couple, told the Chicago Tribune. "They were like the perfect couple. They had a very happy marriage."
Navarro added, "I was really taken aback. Shocked would put it mildly."
According to Examiner.com, Allan Kustok once worked as a sales rep for a local medical supply company, but it remains unclear if he is still employed there. Jeanie Kustok taught at Central Elementary School in Riverside.
"She is a beautiful person with a beautiful heart,'' the school's principal, Dr. Janice Limperis, told the SouthtownStar. "If anyone had a problem, she would find a positive way to look at it. We are devastated here. Her students are inconsolable. It's like losing a family member."
Allan Kustok is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing later today. Afterward, authorities will be holding a press conference, during which they are expected to release more details in the case.
Anchorage, AK: Shooting victim dies; police charge husband with murder
LUCH: Husband has been charged with murder.
Anchorage Daily News
Published: October 2nd, 2010 11:04 PM
Last Modified: October 2nd, 2010 11:04 PM
A woman who was a well-known member of the Anchorage running community, shot multiple times early this week in a domestic dispute at a West Anchorage home, has died and her husband has been charged with murder, Anchorage police said Friday.
Police said the woman, 40-year-old Jocelyn Luch, was shot Tuesday night in the home in the 3400 block of Telstar Circle. When police arrived shortly after 9 p.m., they found Luch in the bathroom wounded in the arm, shoulder and torso.
Grown children in the home told investigators they heard multiple shots following an argument between their parents.
Luch was taken to a hospital where she underwent surgery.
Her husband, Robert Luch, 62, was taken to police headquarters, where police said he began having medical problems and lost consciousness. He too was hospitalized.
Police said Friday that Robert Luch remains in the hospital but has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder. He will be jailed after he is released from the hospital, police said.
On the night she was shot, Jocelyn Luch had competed in the Tuesday Night Race Series, a weekly event she and her children -- avid runners who excelled for West High in track and cross country -- often participated in.
The Luches made a name for themselves in the running community several years ago when the family's four kids began to dominate their age groups. They were a familiar sight at races and on the running trails.
Anchorage Daily News
Published: October 2nd, 2010 11:04 PM
Last Modified: October 2nd, 2010 11:04 PM
A woman who was a well-known member of the Anchorage running community, shot multiple times early this week in a domestic dispute at a West Anchorage home, has died and her husband has been charged with murder, Anchorage police said Friday.
Police said the woman, 40-year-old Jocelyn Luch, was shot Tuesday night in the home in the 3400 block of Telstar Circle. When police arrived shortly after 9 p.m., they found Luch in the bathroom wounded in the arm, shoulder and torso.
Grown children in the home told investigators they heard multiple shots following an argument between their parents.
Luch was taken to a hospital where she underwent surgery.
Her husband, Robert Luch, 62, was taken to police headquarters, where police said he began having medical problems and lost consciousness. He too was hospitalized.
Police said Friday that Robert Luch remains in the hospital but has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder. He will be jailed after he is released from the hospital, police said.
On the night she was shot, Jocelyn Luch had competed in the Tuesday Night Race Series, a weekly event she and her children -- avid runners who excelled for West High in track and cross country -- often participated in.
The Luches made a name for themselves in the running community several years ago when the family's four kids began to dominate their age groups. They were a familiar sight at races and on the running trails.
Butler County, OH: Butler Co. Couple Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide
Officers Find Bodies After Family Member Calls Police
POSTED: 10:18 am EDT September 28, 2010
UPDATED: 10:53 am EDT September 28, 2010
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Two people are dead following an apparent murder-suicide in Fairfield Township.
Fairfield Township police said they were called to a home in the 6300 block of Georgetown Road by concerned family members.
Officers responding to the home on Monday morning said they found "several indications of concern" before forcing entry into the residence.
Police said the officers found a man and woman dead in a bedroom, both with gunshot wounds.
Chief Richard J. St.John said it appears that Dale Kramer, 58, shot and killed his wife, Melissa Kramer, 41, and then shot himself.
Police said family members advised that problems recently surfaced between the couple, but there had been no recent incidents of domestic violence reported.
POSTED: 10:18 am EDT September 28, 2010
UPDATED: 10:53 am EDT September 28, 2010
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Two people are dead following an apparent murder-suicide in Fairfield Township.
Fairfield Township police said they were called to a home in the 6300 block of Georgetown Road by concerned family members.
Officers responding to the home on Monday morning said they found "several indications of concern" before forcing entry into the residence.
Police said the officers found a man and woman dead in a bedroom, both with gunshot wounds.
Chief Richard J. St.John said it appears that Dale Kramer, 58, shot and killed his wife, Melissa Kramer, 41, and then shot himself.
Police said family members advised that problems recently surfaced between the couple, but there had been no recent incidents of domestic violence reported.
Columbus, OH: Ohio man, 2 sons dead in apparent murder-suicide
By JEANNIE NUSS (AP) – Sep 27, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A pharmacist apparently killed his two young sons and himself in their suburban Columbus home, leaving a grisly scene for his wife when she returned to her family Sunday after a weekend away, police said.
Sarah Geller, also a pharmacist, called 911 after she found the bodies of her husband, 35-year-old Troy Geller, and their two sons, 8-year-old Solomon and 6-year-old Samson, in their home in Upper Arlington, according to police spokeswoman Heather Galli.
Officers were dispatched on a possible shooting. But Galli would not confirm Monday that the three died from gunshots and would not say what police believe was the motive. Police said there were no reports of domestic violence at the home, however.
Autopsies were planned.
The Geller boys had just started school at Barrington Elementary School. Solomon was in the second grade and Samson was in kindergarten.
Teachers continued with classes Monday in the rooms where the boys sat last week. Grief counselors made themselves available for faculty members and students.
"Any kind of death and particularly a tragic, unexpected death is a severe loss to our community," said Dan Donovan, a school spokesman. "It's extremely difficult for us to take."
The Gellers married on Valentine's Day in February 1998, the same month they were licensed as pharmacists, according to public records.
Sarah Geller has worked for Medco Health Solutions Inc. near Columbus since 2001, according to company spokeswoman Ann Smith. Troy Geller worked as a pharmacist for the same company until April 2005, but it wasn't clear when he started.
Police wouldn't say where Sarah Geller had been over the weekend. She's now staying with relatives.
Associated Press news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A pharmacist apparently killed his two young sons and himself in their suburban Columbus home, leaving a grisly scene for his wife when she returned to her family Sunday after a weekend away, police said.
Sarah Geller, also a pharmacist, called 911 after she found the bodies of her husband, 35-year-old Troy Geller, and their two sons, 8-year-old Solomon and 6-year-old Samson, in their home in Upper Arlington, according to police spokeswoman Heather Galli.
Officers were dispatched on a possible shooting. But Galli would not confirm Monday that the three died from gunshots and would not say what police believe was the motive. Police said there were no reports of domestic violence at the home, however.
Autopsies were planned.
The Geller boys had just started school at Barrington Elementary School. Solomon was in the second grade and Samson was in kindergarten.
Teachers continued with classes Monday in the rooms where the boys sat last week. Grief counselors made themselves available for faculty members and students.
"Any kind of death and particularly a tragic, unexpected death is a severe loss to our community," said Dan Donovan, a school spokesman. "It's extremely difficult for us to take."
The Gellers married on Valentine's Day in February 1998, the same month they were licensed as pharmacists, according to public records.
Sarah Geller has worked for Medco Health Solutions Inc. near Columbus since 2001, according to company spokeswoman Ann Smith. Troy Geller worked as a pharmacist for the same company until April 2005, but it wasn't clear when he started.
Police wouldn't say where Sarah Geller had been over the weekend. She's now staying with relatives.
Associated Press news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Tamarac, FL: Tamarac Couple Dies In Murder-Suicide
CBS4 Doppelgangers Jewish Celebrities Signs of Fail 2010 Celebrity Deaths A welfare check in Tamarac turned tragic Monday as Broward Sheriff's deputies found the bodies of an elderly couple, their deaths the result of an apparent murder suicide.
According to neighbors the couple, who lived in the 7-thousand block of NW 106th Avenue, were in declining health.
The sheriff's office said the husband recently sent a letter to a relative in New Jersey telling him that he planned to kill his wife and then himself. The letter threatened that by the time the relative received it in the mail, it would be too late to stop the plan. It was this relative who contacted the sheriff's office to have them check on the couple.
"It's a very sad situation," Broward Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Dani Moschella told reporters. "They may have had health problems and it looks like the husband shot and killed his wife and then shot and killed himself."
BSO detectives say it appears that the husband shot his wife and then himself sometime after Friday evening. He apparently planned the murder-suicide for some time before executing his plan, mailing the letter to the relative late last week.
The BSO has not released the names of the couple pending notification of next of kin.
Next door neighbor Kate Dorn told CBS 4's Carey Codd that the elderly woman loved to come over each day to pet their cocker spaniel, Gus.
"She was the kindest, sweetest lady," Dorn said. "They were just like a Romeo and Juliet that lived out this little life of their own in their own little circle and I guess they've come across hard times."
According to neighbors the couple, who lived in the 7-thousand block of NW 106th Avenue, were in declining health.
The sheriff's office said the husband recently sent a letter to a relative in New Jersey telling him that he planned to kill his wife and then himself. The letter threatened that by the time the relative received it in the mail, it would be too late to stop the plan. It was this relative who contacted the sheriff's office to have them check on the couple.
"It's a very sad situation," Broward Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Dani Moschella told reporters. "They may have had health problems and it looks like the husband shot and killed his wife and then shot and killed himself."
BSO detectives say it appears that the husband shot his wife and then himself sometime after Friday evening. He apparently planned the murder-suicide for some time before executing his plan, mailing the letter to the relative late last week.
The BSO has not released the names of the couple pending notification of next of kin.
Next door neighbor Kate Dorn told CBS 4's Carey Codd that the elderly woman loved to come over each day to pet their cocker spaniel, Gus.
"She was the kindest, sweetest lady," Dorn said. "They were just like a Romeo and Juliet that lived out this little life of their own in their own little circle and I guess they've come across hard times."
Pulaski, WI: Wife and Husband Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide in Pulaski
Updated: Oct 01, 2010 1:10 PM EDT
Pulaski police are investigating an apparent murder suicide. 55 year-old Nyia Sengkhammee was found dead in a house in the 100-block of East Green Bay Road shortly after 7 Sunday night.
Police say she suffered severe trauma to the head, neck and chest. Police found a bloodied butcher knife and a sawed-off three branch next to her body.
In another room of the house, police found the body of 63 year-old Khay Sengkhamme. Police say he died of an apparent gunshot wound to the head. A small- caliber handgun was found nearby.
"Our investigation leads us to believe that they deaths are a direct result of a domestic violence incident in which the husband murdered his wife and then took his own life," Police Chief Randal Dunford said.
Pulaski police say there were called to the house by family members Sunday night when they became concerned about Nyia Sengkhamme.
The adult children of the couple told police they had been fighting, and Nyia Sengkhamme spent Saturday night at the home of one of her children. They said she returned to the home Sunday to retrieve some belongings at about 11 am. When she did not return by 6:45, family members went to the house, found a door open but the house dark, and called police.
Police say their investigation indicates Khay Sengkhamme killed his wife and then himself, but officers are continuing their investigation.
Neighbors were shocked to learn about the violence in the home. Mary Yurek called them, "Nice people, everyday people. They wouldn't hurt anybody, and if you needed help...they would give you the shirt off their back."
The couple has four adult children.
Pulaski police are investigating an apparent murder suicide. 55 year-old Nyia Sengkhammee was found dead in a house in the 100-block of East Green Bay Road shortly after 7 Sunday night.
Police say she suffered severe trauma to the head, neck and chest. Police found a bloodied butcher knife and a sawed-off three branch next to her body.
In another room of the house, police found the body of 63 year-old Khay Sengkhamme. Police say he died of an apparent gunshot wound to the head. A small- caliber handgun was found nearby.
"Our investigation leads us to believe that they deaths are a direct result of a domestic violence incident in which the husband murdered his wife and then took his own life," Police Chief Randal Dunford said.
Pulaski police say there were called to the house by family members Sunday night when they became concerned about Nyia Sengkhamme.
The adult children of the couple told police they had been fighting, and Nyia Sengkhamme spent Saturday night at the home of one of her children. They said she returned to the home Sunday to retrieve some belongings at about 11 am. When she did not return by 6:45, family members went to the house, found a door open but the house dark, and called police.
Police say their investigation indicates Khay Sengkhamme killed his wife and then himself, but officers are continuing their investigation.
Neighbors were shocked to learn about the violence in the home. Mary Yurek called them, "Nice people, everyday people. They wouldn't hurt anybody, and if you needed help...they would give you the shirt off their back."
The couple has four adult children.
Olive Branch, MS: Double Shooting at Olive Branch Business May Be Murder Suicide Attempt
Reported by: Terrance Bates
Email: tbates@myeyewitnessnews.com
Last Update: 9/29 2:08 pm
OLIVE BRANCH, MS – Police in Olive Branch are investigating what police believe is an attempted murder suicide.
It happened at Williams-Sonoma warehouse around 4:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 29, 2010.
According to the DeSoto County coroner 47-year-old Johnny Bell died at the scene. Bell’s wife, 47-year-old Connie Bell was taken to The MED in extremely critical condition.
Investigators believe Johnny went to his wife’s job sometime around shift change and approached her in the parking lot. Police say that after some sort of altercation, they believe Johnny pulled a gun, shot his wife and then himself. Investigators are not saying what led to the altercation.
The couple’s cars were towed from the scene after investigators wrapped up the investigation. Eyewitness News was there as the red Dodge pick-up truck and a blue Dodge Neon were removed from the warehouse parking lot.
After the vehicles were removed, a fire truck arrived to wash away blood that had collected at the shooting scene.
Officials at Williams Sonoma haven’t made any statements about the attack at this time. One employee tells Eyewitness News, a new release will be issued at a later date, but at this point the company has no comment.
Email: tbates@myeyewitnessnews.com
Last Update: 9/29 2:08 pm
OLIVE BRANCH, MS – Police in Olive Branch are investigating what police believe is an attempted murder suicide.
It happened at Williams-Sonoma warehouse around 4:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 29, 2010.
According to the DeSoto County coroner 47-year-old Johnny Bell died at the scene. Bell’s wife, 47-year-old Connie Bell was taken to The MED in extremely critical condition.
Investigators believe Johnny went to his wife’s job sometime around shift change and approached her in the parking lot. Police say that after some sort of altercation, they believe Johnny pulled a gun, shot his wife and then himself. Investigators are not saying what led to the altercation.
The couple’s cars were towed from the scene after investigators wrapped up the investigation. Eyewitness News was there as the red Dodge pick-up truck and a blue Dodge Neon were removed from the warehouse parking lot.
After the vehicles were removed, a fire truck arrived to wash away blood that had collected at the shooting scene.
Officials at Williams Sonoma haven’t made any statements about the attack at this time. One employee tells Eyewitness News, a new release will be issued at a later date, but at this point the company has no comment.
Rivera Beach, FL: MURDER-SUICIDE LEAVES SIX DEAD
Written by DAPHNE TAYLOR
Special to South Florida Times
Behind the yellow crime-scene tape at the neatly-kept green-and-beige house, there was still a basketball post and net, a white SUV, recycle bins and patio furniture in the backyard – a scene of life.
But this home, at 1225 W. 30th St., Riviera Beach, where Natasha Whyte-Dell, and her seven children lived, is now a scene of tragedy.
Just before 2 a.m. Monday, police said, Patrick Alexander Dell, 41, entered the home and shot his estranged wife and five of her children, then turned the gun on himself after police arrived. By then, Whyte-Dell and four of her children were dead in what police said is the worst mass murder-suicide incident in Palm Beach County’s history.
Another child, Ryan Barnett, 15, survived, and is in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck.
The couple’s biological children, Natasha Precious Dell, 3, and Patrick Alexander Dell Jr., 1, were unharmed. They are staying with their mother’s relatives.
The dead include Whyte-Dell, Bryan Barnett, 14; Diane Barnett, 13; Jevon Nelson, 11; and Daniel Barnett, 10. The children attended Palm Beach County schools, which grief counselors visited after the tragedy.
Michael Barnett, father of four of the children, told reporters his surviving son is doing better than he expected. The boy is listed in critical, but stable condition. Relatives say he is expected to survive.
According to court documents and police reports, the couple, both from Jamaica, who married in 2006, had a long history of domestic violence. Neighbors said a jealous and enraged Dell tormented his estranged wife constantly and once chased her with a knife until she sought refuge in a friend’s house.
The friend, Shawana Habersham, told reporters she and Whyte-Dell barricaded themselves inside her house as Dell screamed obscenities outside the door then slashed the tires on Whyte-Dell’s vehicle and told her, “You will be going to the morgue.”
Habersham said Whyte-Dell told her officials of the Florida Department of Children and Families wanted to talk to her about the incident but, she said, no one contacted her.
Whyte-Dell had obtained a restraining order against Dell but he stalked her nonetheless, friends said. She reportedly filed for divorce on three occasions but did not proceed with any of the cases. She told police she always took him back because she felt sorry for him. However, she said the knife-wielding incident left her in fear for her life.
Dell was arrested after the December 2009 attack on felony aggravated assault but was convicted of misdemeanor improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon, according to the Palm Beach Post.
The night before the murder-suicide, neighbors told reporters, Dell had been drinking. One man said he was overheard in a restaurant saying that he was going to kill his family.
Riviera Beach Mayor Thomas Masters told reporters at City Hall it was the worst day he’s experienced since becoming mayor of the predominantly black beachfront city. Congressman Alcee Hastings, whose district includes Riviera Beach, issued a statement offering support to the family.
Palm Beach County’s victims services department, Riviera Beach police and the Florida Department of Children and Families are all reaching out to the sole survivor and his siblings. A top DCF official Terry Borman, Southeast regional director, said in a televised hearing before the Palm Beach County Commission on Tuesday that after investigating Dell in January for the knife-wielding incident, the agency could have taken steps to guarantee the family’s safety but failed to do so. DCF is now reviewing its procedures as a result, he said. The hearing had been scheduled before the tragedy but commissioners wanted answers on the incident.
Ryan, who survived the attack, is a student at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens and his principal has reached out to him in the hospital. Whyte-Dell, his mother, had said in her request for a restraining order that Ryan frequently intervened in fights between his stepfather and her, trying to protect her.
In the wake of the tragedy, Jamaican and Caribbean organizations have formed an alliance to raise funds for the family and the survivors. Attorney Junior Farquharson, a spokesman for the group, said the aim is to assist the family in different ways, including setting up trust funds for the children.
The group is also planning to obtain counseling for Michael Barnett. The grieving father told reporters his children had been “his heart.”
The support group is also planning to host a series of community forums on domestic violence.
Funeral arrangements have not been finalized. Anyone wishing to donate to the family should call Farquharson, 561-723-3605 or e-mail jflawoffices@aol.com or Grace Episcopal Church in West Palm Beach, 561-845-6060.
ALAN LUBY/FOR SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES. Home destroyed: Well-wishers placed teddy bears and flowers at the house at 1225 W. 30th St., Riviera Beach, scene of a tragedy in which a man killed his estranged wife, four children and himself.
Special to South Florida Times
Behind the yellow crime-scene tape at the neatly-kept green-and-beige house, there was still a basketball post and net, a white SUV, recycle bins and patio furniture in the backyard – a scene of life.
But this home, at 1225 W. 30th St., Riviera Beach, where Natasha Whyte-Dell, and her seven children lived, is now a scene of tragedy.
Just before 2 a.m. Monday, police said, Patrick Alexander Dell, 41, entered the home and shot his estranged wife and five of her children, then turned the gun on himself after police arrived. By then, Whyte-Dell and four of her children were dead in what police said is the worst mass murder-suicide incident in Palm Beach County’s history.
Another child, Ryan Barnett, 15, survived, and is in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck.
The couple’s biological children, Natasha Precious Dell, 3, and Patrick Alexander Dell Jr., 1, were unharmed. They are staying with their mother’s relatives.
The dead include Whyte-Dell, Bryan Barnett, 14; Diane Barnett, 13; Jevon Nelson, 11; and Daniel Barnett, 10. The children attended Palm Beach County schools, which grief counselors visited after the tragedy.
Michael Barnett, father of four of the children, told reporters his surviving son is doing better than he expected. The boy is listed in critical, but stable condition. Relatives say he is expected to survive.
According to court documents and police reports, the couple, both from Jamaica, who married in 2006, had a long history of domestic violence. Neighbors said a jealous and enraged Dell tormented his estranged wife constantly and once chased her with a knife until she sought refuge in a friend’s house.
The friend, Shawana Habersham, told reporters she and Whyte-Dell barricaded themselves inside her house as Dell screamed obscenities outside the door then slashed the tires on Whyte-Dell’s vehicle and told her, “You will be going to the morgue.”
Habersham said Whyte-Dell told her officials of the Florida Department of Children and Families wanted to talk to her about the incident but, she said, no one contacted her.
Whyte-Dell had obtained a restraining order against Dell but he stalked her nonetheless, friends said. She reportedly filed for divorce on three occasions but did not proceed with any of the cases. She told police she always took him back because she felt sorry for him. However, she said the knife-wielding incident left her in fear for her life.
Dell was arrested after the December 2009 attack on felony aggravated assault but was convicted of misdemeanor improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon, according to the Palm Beach Post.
The night before the murder-suicide, neighbors told reporters, Dell had been drinking. One man said he was overheard in a restaurant saying that he was going to kill his family.
Riviera Beach Mayor Thomas Masters told reporters at City Hall it was the worst day he’s experienced since becoming mayor of the predominantly black beachfront city. Congressman Alcee Hastings, whose district includes Riviera Beach, issued a statement offering support to the family.
Palm Beach County’s victims services department, Riviera Beach police and the Florida Department of Children and Families are all reaching out to the sole survivor and his siblings. A top DCF official Terry Borman, Southeast regional director, said in a televised hearing before the Palm Beach County Commission on Tuesday that after investigating Dell in January for the knife-wielding incident, the agency could have taken steps to guarantee the family’s safety but failed to do so. DCF is now reviewing its procedures as a result, he said. The hearing had been scheduled before the tragedy but commissioners wanted answers on the incident.
Ryan, who survived the attack, is a student at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens and his principal has reached out to him in the hospital. Whyte-Dell, his mother, had said in her request for a restraining order that Ryan frequently intervened in fights between his stepfather and her, trying to protect her.
In the wake of the tragedy, Jamaican and Caribbean organizations have formed an alliance to raise funds for the family and the survivors. Attorney Junior Farquharson, a spokesman for the group, said the aim is to assist the family in different ways, including setting up trust funds for the children.
The group is also planning to obtain counseling for Michael Barnett. The grieving father told reporters his children had been “his heart.”
The support group is also planning to host a series of community forums on domestic violence.
Funeral arrangements have not been finalized. Anyone wishing to donate to the family should call Farquharson, 561-723-3605 or e-mail jflawoffices@aol.com or Grace Episcopal Church in West Palm Beach, 561-845-6060.
ALAN LUBY/FOR SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES. Home destroyed: Well-wishers placed teddy bears and flowers at the house at 1225 W. 30th St., Riviera Beach, scene of a tragedy in which a man killed his estranged wife, four children and himself.
Burnsville, NC: Yancey County slayings ruled murder-suicide
BY NANCI BOMPEY • OCTOBER 5, 2010
BURNSVILLE — A Yancey County man shot his girlfriend twice in the chest before driving to a nearby fishing pond and turning the gun on himself.
Yancey County Chief Deputy Thomas L. Farmer said Charles Harrison Bennett, 75, and Lila Marie Davis, 56, had a disagreement about breaking up Sept. 27.
The argument led Bennett to shoot and kill Davis with a .38-caliber handgun and leave her body partially covered in the front yard of his home on Green Mountain Drive.
Farmer said Bennett then drove in his 1997 Chevrolet truck several hundred yards behind his house to a fishing pond on his property.
He got out of the truck, and using the same handgun he killed Davis with, Bennett shot himself in his left upper torso. The bullet penetrated his heart and killed him immediately.
Bennett's body then fell into the shallow pond a few feet from the truck, where deputies found him. The handgun was discovered in the water near the body.
“In talking to friends and family of Miss Davis, they apparently had been dating for some time, and there was some discussion that the relationship was going to end. … She was actually planning to move last Monday from Yancey County to (Cleveland County),” Farmer said. “The discussion ending the relationship in addition to the fact that she was planning on moving were contributing factors to some type of dispute.”
Investigators found the bodies of Bennett and Davis on Sept. 27 after receiving a call around 2 p.m. reporting that a woman was lying in the frond yard. Bennett and his truck were discovered three hours later.
The interviews with friends and family, the preliminary autopsy report and consultation with the State Bureau of Investigation made it apparent that the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide, Farmer said.
He said there had been no problems between the two reported to law enforcement before the incident. Neither Bennett nor Davis had any criminal history.
“There were no calls for help,” Farmer said. “It was just a very tragic incident.”
BURNSVILLE — A Yancey County man shot his girlfriend twice in the chest before driving to a nearby fishing pond and turning the gun on himself.
Yancey County Chief Deputy Thomas L. Farmer said Charles Harrison Bennett, 75, and Lila Marie Davis, 56, had a disagreement about breaking up Sept. 27.
The argument led Bennett to shoot and kill Davis with a .38-caliber handgun and leave her body partially covered in the front yard of his home on Green Mountain Drive.
Farmer said Bennett then drove in his 1997 Chevrolet truck several hundred yards behind his house to a fishing pond on his property.
He got out of the truck, and using the same handgun he killed Davis with, Bennett shot himself in his left upper torso. The bullet penetrated his heart and killed him immediately.
Bennett's body then fell into the shallow pond a few feet from the truck, where deputies found him. The handgun was discovered in the water near the body.
“In talking to friends and family of Miss Davis, they apparently had been dating for some time, and there was some discussion that the relationship was going to end. … She was actually planning to move last Monday from Yancey County to (Cleveland County),” Farmer said. “The discussion ending the relationship in addition to the fact that she was planning on moving were contributing factors to some type of dispute.”
Investigators found the bodies of Bennett and Davis on Sept. 27 after receiving a call around 2 p.m. reporting that a woman was lying in the frond yard. Bennett and his truck were discovered three hours later.
The interviews with friends and family, the preliminary autopsy report and consultation with the State Bureau of Investigation made it apparent that the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide, Farmer said.
He said there had been no problems between the two reported to law enforcement before the incident. Neither Bennett nor Davis had any criminal history.
“There were no calls for help,” Farmer said. “It was just a very tragic incident.”
Pike County, KY: Alleged murder-suicide leaves a husband & wife dead
An alleged murder-suicide inside a Pike County grocery store leaves a husband and wife dead.
Posted: 5:57 PM Oct 4, 2010
Reporter: Angela Sparkman
Email Address: angela.sparkman@wymtnews.com
Alleged murder-suicide leaves a husband & wife dead
An alleged murder-suicide inside a Pike County grocery store leaves a husband and wife dead.
It happened early Monday morning at the Johns Creek Grocery on Bent Branch Road.
38-year-old Jeanette Leedy was an employee; police say her husband, 44-year-old Jimmy Leedy, shot her and then himself.
Police are still looking for answers as to what led to the shooting, but say it appears Jimmy Leedy came here with the intention to kill his wife.
Johns Creek Grocery Owner says Jeanette Leedy had just opened the store shortly after six in the morning and was taking care of customers when her husband came in.
“There were three other customers who came in the store, and he pulled a gun out and made them leave. it wasn't just a few minutes, till he killed her and took his own life,” Garry Thornsberry said.
The three customers called 911, but police say the couple was dead when they arrived. Store Owner Garry Thornsberry was one of the last to talk to Jeanette Leedy before the shooting.
“Just chit-chatted with her for a few minutes and then left and went home. i had no idea, never even crossed my mind something like this would happen,” Thornsberry said.
Family members were too upset to talk on camera but say they do not know what led to the shooting.
“The detectives are still contacting people, trying to determine what caused this event to occur. That's all the information we have at this time,” Trooper Shaun Little said.
Kevin Tackett lives next door to the store.
“I talked to her every day when I walked over. She seemed like a very nice lady. I didn't see nothing that would lead to that. I didn't expect it at all,” Kevin Tackett said.
Now the store employees are trying to cope with what happened and say she will always be missed.
State police detectives say their investigation is ongoing.
Family members say Jeanette Leedy leaves behind three children.
Posted: 5:57 PM Oct 4, 2010
Reporter: Angela Sparkman
Email Address: angela.sparkman@wymtnews.com
Alleged murder-suicide leaves a husband & wife dead
An alleged murder-suicide inside a Pike County grocery store leaves a husband and wife dead.
It happened early Monday morning at the Johns Creek Grocery on Bent Branch Road.
38-year-old Jeanette Leedy was an employee; police say her husband, 44-year-old Jimmy Leedy, shot her and then himself.
Police are still looking for answers as to what led to the shooting, but say it appears Jimmy Leedy came here with the intention to kill his wife.
Johns Creek Grocery Owner says Jeanette Leedy had just opened the store shortly after six in the morning and was taking care of customers when her husband came in.
“There were three other customers who came in the store, and he pulled a gun out and made them leave. it wasn't just a few minutes, till he killed her and took his own life,” Garry Thornsberry said.
The three customers called 911, but police say the couple was dead when they arrived. Store Owner Garry Thornsberry was one of the last to talk to Jeanette Leedy before the shooting.
“Just chit-chatted with her for a few minutes and then left and went home. i had no idea, never even crossed my mind something like this would happen,” Thornsberry said.
Family members were too upset to talk on camera but say they do not know what led to the shooting.
“The detectives are still contacting people, trying to determine what caused this event to occur. That's all the information we have at this time,” Trooper Shaun Little said.
Kevin Tackett lives next door to the store.
“I talked to her every day when I walked over. She seemed like a very nice lady. I didn't see nothing that would lead to that. I didn't expect it at all,” Kevin Tackett said.
Now the store employees are trying to cope with what happened and say she will always be missed.
State police detectives say their investigation is ongoing.
Family members say Jeanette Leedy leaves behind three children.
Corpus Christi, TX: Man who shot common-law wife and her son made previous threats
14-year-old boy and mother were killed by woman's common-law husband who shot himself
CORPUS CHRISTI — The man police believe killed his common-law wife, her son and then himself on Sunday had threatened to kill the woman and her family five years ago, according to court records.
Police said Ruben Arroyo, 34, had an argument with Crystal Cantu, 31, Saturday night and she left with her five children for her mother’s house in the 2200 block of Bolivar Street. Arroyo had spent part of the summer in California but was back living with Cantu at a home in the 900 block of Lexington Avenue, where neighbors said they recently had moved.
Police said Arroyo called Cantu several times Sunday morning but she would not take his calls.
About 3 p.m., Arroyo entered the house on Bolivar Street after his two children left with their grandmother. He shot Cantu’s 14-year-old son and Cantu in the kitchen. Both were shot once in the head. Two other children in the home escaped, including Cantu’s 13-year-old son who cut his hands breaking a window to get out of the house, police said.
Armando Cantu and Arroyo were taken to Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial with critical injuries, police said. Arroyo died shortly later. Armando, a student in the Corpus Christi Independent School District, was taken off life-support late Sunday.
On Monday, roses dotted the fence line of the house where the shooting occurred. It remained sealed off with crime tape.
Court records show Cantu sought a protective order in 2005 against Arroyo for her and her children. At the time she had a son with Arroyo and three other children.
The affidavit said the two had started dating in 2002 and separated in October 2005.
But at some point the two reconciled and had another child.
That’s not uncommon, said Frances Wilson, executive director of the Women’s Shelter of South Texas. Victims of domestic violence return to their abusers an average of seven times before they end the relationship for good, she said.
In an affidavit asking for the protective order, Cantu described Arroyo as a violent man who had physically abused and threatened to kill her several times. She said he suffered from depression and took medication.
“(He) has choked me, pushed me and twisted my arms...,” Cantu said in the affidavit.
She also detailed other incidents — one in which she said he held a knife to her neck and another in which he held her head under water in a bathtub.
Cantu, who stated Arroyo had threatened to kill their baby son and himself, sought the protective order because of an Oct. 31, 2005, incident.
The affidavit said Arroyo and one of her brothers got into a fight in front of her children about how Arroyo treated her.
The fight escalated after another of her brothers got involved and Arroyo retrieved a baseball bat from his car. At one point, Arroyo grabbed her and used her as a shield so he wouldn’t get hurt, according to the affidavit.
After he let her go, she called 911.
Cantu wrote in the affidavit that after police left, Arroyo repeatedly called her from several pay phones threatening to take away their son and kill her and her family.
“I begged him to stop threatening me and again Ruben said I would be dead,” according to Cantu’s affidavit.
Court records show Cantu received a temporary protective order but it never was finalized because Arroyo couldn’t be found and she couldn’t provide authorities with an address where he could be served with the legal papers.
Online court records show Arroyo had a criminal record that included a felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor convictions for theft and assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
Wilson said often women in abusive relationships won’t leave because of threats on their life or their children’s lives.
“That’s a really strong motivator to stay,” she said.
Other times it’s also because they don’t want to break up their family and hope their abuser will change.
Wilson said in Cantu and Arroyo’s case people should be asking more than just why she didn’t leave him for good.
“It wasn’t his place to end her life (or her son’s),” she said. “People need to question his behavior not just hers.”
Wilson said it takes community involvement to help break the cycle of abuse because too often people ignore signs of domestic abuse.
“It doesn’t stay in that family,” she said. “It spills out onto our streets.”
Doug Cross, principal at the Student Learning Guidance Center, said Armando Cantu came to the school at the early part of the year and was an excellent student.
“He was a nice, respectful young man who made many friends here,” Cross said. On Monday, the school’s guidance counselor met with several distraught students and consoled them.
A group of students made bereavement cards Monday for Armando’s family, he said.
“We’ve been going through a day of mourning today at campus,” he said.
“All our thoughts and prayers are with the family right now.”
GET HELP
For information on family violence and how to get help, contact the Women’s Shelter of South Texas at 1-800-580-4878 or visit the nonprofit’s website at www.thewomensshelter.org.
CORPUS CHRISTI — The man police believe killed his common-law wife, her son and then himself on Sunday had threatened to kill the woman and her family five years ago, according to court records.
Police said Ruben Arroyo, 34, had an argument with Crystal Cantu, 31, Saturday night and she left with her five children for her mother’s house in the 2200 block of Bolivar Street. Arroyo had spent part of the summer in California but was back living with Cantu at a home in the 900 block of Lexington Avenue, where neighbors said they recently had moved.
Police said Arroyo called Cantu several times Sunday morning but she would not take his calls.
About 3 p.m., Arroyo entered the house on Bolivar Street after his two children left with their grandmother. He shot Cantu’s 14-year-old son and Cantu in the kitchen. Both were shot once in the head. Two other children in the home escaped, including Cantu’s 13-year-old son who cut his hands breaking a window to get out of the house, police said.
Armando Cantu and Arroyo were taken to Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial with critical injuries, police said. Arroyo died shortly later. Armando, a student in the Corpus Christi Independent School District, was taken off life-support late Sunday.
On Monday, roses dotted the fence line of the house where the shooting occurred. It remained sealed off with crime tape.
Court records show Cantu sought a protective order in 2005 against Arroyo for her and her children. At the time she had a son with Arroyo and three other children.
The affidavit said the two had started dating in 2002 and separated in October 2005.
But at some point the two reconciled and had another child.
That’s not uncommon, said Frances Wilson, executive director of the Women’s Shelter of South Texas. Victims of domestic violence return to their abusers an average of seven times before they end the relationship for good, she said.
In an affidavit asking for the protective order, Cantu described Arroyo as a violent man who had physically abused and threatened to kill her several times. She said he suffered from depression and took medication.
“(He) has choked me, pushed me and twisted my arms...,” Cantu said in the affidavit.
She also detailed other incidents — one in which she said he held a knife to her neck and another in which he held her head under water in a bathtub.
Cantu, who stated Arroyo had threatened to kill their baby son and himself, sought the protective order because of an Oct. 31, 2005, incident.
The affidavit said Arroyo and one of her brothers got into a fight in front of her children about how Arroyo treated her.
The fight escalated after another of her brothers got involved and Arroyo retrieved a baseball bat from his car. At one point, Arroyo grabbed her and used her as a shield so he wouldn’t get hurt, according to the affidavit.
After he let her go, she called 911.
Cantu wrote in the affidavit that after police left, Arroyo repeatedly called her from several pay phones threatening to take away their son and kill her and her family.
“I begged him to stop threatening me and again Ruben said I would be dead,” according to Cantu’s affidavit.
Court records show Cantu received a temporary protective order but it never was finalized because Arroyo couldn’t be found and she couldn’t provide authorities with an address where he could be served with the legal papers.
Online court records show Arroyo had a criminal record that included a felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor convictions for theft and assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
Wilson said often women in abusive relationships won’t leave because of threats on their life or their children’s lives.
“That’s a really strong motivator to stay,” she said.
Other times it’s also because they don’t want to break up their family and hope their abuser will change.
Wilson said in Cantu and Arroyo’s case people should be asking more than just why she didn’t leave him for good.
“It wasn’t his place to end her life (or her son’s),” she said. “People need to question his behavior not just hers.”
Wilson said it takes community involvement to help break the cycle of abuse because too often people ignore signs of domestic abuse.
“It doesn’t stay in that family,” she said. “It spills out onto our streets.”
Doug Cross, principal at the Student Learning Guidance Center, said Armando Cantu came to the school at the early part of the year and was an excellent student.
“He was a nice, respectful young man who made many friends here,” Cross said. On Monday, the school’s guidance counselor met with several distraught students and consoled them.
A group of students made bereavement cards Monday for Armando’s family, he said.
“We’ve been going through a day of mourning today at campus,” he said.
“All our thoughts and prayers are with the family right now.”
GET HELP
For information on family violence and how to get help, contact the Women’s Shelter of South Texas at 1-800-580-4878 or visit the nonprofit’s website at www.thewomensshelter.org.
Charlotte, NC: Police investigate murder-suicide
CHARLOTTE — A Sunday morning murder-suicide in Charlotte highlights the importance of domestic violence awareness month.
It is Charlotte's seventh domestic violence related murder in 2010 and North Carolina's 51st. Police said Rebecca Robertson, 31, died at the hands of Barry Leake, 39, who then turned the gun on himself. Robertson's three children, another couple and their three children were at the home on Anna Garrison Road when it happened around 1 a.m..
“Kids were just coming down the street saying 'he shot her, he shot her, in the face'. So we just grabbed the kids cause we didn't know was he still alive, [or] if he was going to come out and shoot anybody else,” said Lethia Thomas, neighbor.
Leake was arrested in February 2009 for possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine and carrying a concealed weapon. He was scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday. Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were at the home once before regarding a domestic violence call. Officers said Robertson had no visible injuries and declined to file charges.
Experts said domestic violence typically escalates.
“A situation like this just doesn't happen, there's been ongoing abuse for God knows how long,” said Mike Sexton, with Mecklenburg County CSS Women's Commission.
A report released last month listed North Carolina as 4th in the nation for cases of women being murdered by men. The domestic related murder suicide on Anna Garrison Road is North Carolina's 16th.
Robertson is the 7th woman in Charlotte to die at the hands of her partner this year.
“We've had seven here locally in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, that's exactly where we were last time year, and for all of last, year. Charlotte is always in the lead across the state for homicides,” said Sexton.
Police are still investigating this homicide and neighbors and family are trying to help three children understand what happened.
It is Charlotte's seventh domestic violence related murder in 2010 and North Carolina's 51st. Police said Rebecca Robertson, 31, died at the hands of Barry Leake, 39, who then turned the gun on himself. Robertson's three children, another couple and their three children were at the home on Anna Garrison Road when it happened around 1 a.m..
“Kids were just coming down the street saying 'he shot her, he shot her, in the face'. So we just grabbed the kids cause we didn't know was he still alive, [or] if he was going to come out and shoot anybody else,” said Lethia Thomas, neighbor.
Leake was arrested in February 2009 for possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine and carrying a concealed weapon. He was scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday. Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were at the home once before regarding a domestic violence call. Officers said Robertson had no visible injuries and declined to file charges.
Experts said domestic violence typically escalates.
“A situation like this just doesn't happen, there's been ongoing abuse for God knows how long,” said Mike Sexton, with Mecklenburg County CSS Women's Commission.
A report released last month listed North Carolina as 4th in the nation for cases of women being murdered by men. The domestic related murder suicide on Anna Garrison Road is North Carolina's 16th.
Robertson is the 7th woman in Charlotte to die at the hands of her partner this year.
“We've had seven here locally in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, that's exactly where we were last time year, and for all of last, year. Charlotte is always in the lead across the state for homicides,” said Sexton.
Police are still investigating this homicide and neighbors and family are trying to help three children understand what happened.
Imperial Valley, CA: Murder-Suicide Shakes Valley Residents
Tragedy strikes in the Imperial Valley.
Police say in an apparent murder-suicide on Monday morning, a man killed his girlfriend and then himself in front of their young child.
Commander Jeff Mason with El Centro Police identified the victim as 38 year old Amber Bryant and the gunman 31 year old Nathan Velinquette. Bryant and Velinquette were reportedly a couple and had a ten year old son together.
Amber’s friends spent the day mourning her loss and working on helping the family.
Friends say they never had a clue anything was wrong with the victim or her boyfriend, and that the last time they were all together, Amber was happy and full of life.
Amber’s friend Tina Ramirez describes her as "super outgoing, super vivacious. She was willing to help anybody at anytime. There wasn't anything that Amber wouldn't do for you."
Ramirez, who graduated from Central Union High School in 1990 with Amber, said when upon hearing the news, she “couldn't believe it.”
Amber and her 10 year old son were on their way to Sunflower Elementary, where Amber taught sixth grade and her child was a student.
Witnesses tell police while heading southbound on La Brucherie Road in El Centro, Veliquette purposely hit Amber’s car, forcing her off the road.
Commander Mason explains “once the vehicles were stopped, Veliquette exited the truck, walked to the passenger side of the vehicle, and began firing a gun into the vehicle."
The carnage continued. Commander Mason said Veliquette tried shooting himself but either misfired or ran out of ammunition.
Veliquette allegedly went back to his truck, re-loaded his gun, returned to the side of Amber’s car and shot himself.
Mason says “this appears to be a murder suicide and there appears to be what we believe are some deep-seeded domestic issues."
The couple’s 10 year old son saw the entire ordeal. He escaped unharmed and is now staying with grandparents.
Doctor Bob Pletka, the Superintendent at Sunflower Elementary School, said the school is shaken.
Pletka said most of the teachers, stricken by grief, left school early. Administrators had to take over many of the classes.
Pletka told News 11 that Amber’s students were shocked. He added that the child’s class is reaching out and wants to help their classmate.
Crisis counselors are on hand at Sunflower Elementary School.
Holtville city employees are also shocked. City Manager Laura Fischer confirms that Veliquette worked for the city’s public works department.
Fischer added she believes the truck Veliquette was driving actually belongs to the city.
Just last weekend, Amber attended her 20th class reunion at Central Union High School. That was the last time many friends saw her.
Ramirez describes Amber as “very excited.” She remembers laughing and dancing with Amber and ponders “how could it be that we were just having fun, dancing, talking about high school, planning on my daughter taking her class – and now she's gone?"
Now former classmates are working together to do anything they can for Amber’s family. Right now, the class is working on donating flowers to the funeral.
Classmates tell News 11 they hope to contribute more in the future.
Police say in an apparent murder-suicide on Monday morning, a man killed his girlfriend and then himself in front of their young child.
Commander Jeff Mason with El Centro Police identified the victim as 38 year old Amber Bryant and the gunman 31 year old Nathan Velinquette. Bryant and Velinquette were reportedly a couple and had a ten year old son together.
Amber’s friends spent the day mourning her loss and working on helping the family.
Friends say they never had a clue anything was wrong with the victim or her boyfriend, and that the last time they were all together, Amber was happy and full of life.
Amber’s friend Tina Ramirez describes her as "super outgoing, super vivacious. She was willing to help anybody at anytime. There wasn't anything that Amber wouldn't do for you."
Ramirez, who graduated from Central Union High School in 1990 with Amber, said when upon hearing the news, she “couldn't believe it.”
Amber and her 10 year old son were on their way to Sunflower Elementary, where Amber taught sixth grade and her child was a student.
Witnesses tell police while heading southbound on La Brucherie Road in El Centro, Veliquette purposely hit Amber’s car, forcing her off the road.
Commander Mason explains “once the vehicles were stopped, Veliquette exited the truck, walked to the passenger side of the vehicle, and began firing a gun into the vehicle."
The carnage continued. Commander Mason said Veliquette tried shooting himself but either misfired or ran out of ammunition.
Veliquette allegedly went back to his truck, re-loaded his gun, returned to the side of Amber’s car and shot himself.
Mason says “this appears to be a murder suicide and there appears to be what we believe are some deep-seeded domestic issues."
The couple’s 10 year old son saw the entire ordeal. He escaped unharmed and is now staying with grandparents.
Doctor Bob Pletka, the Superintendent at Sunflower Elementary School, said the school is shaken.
Pletka said most of the teachers, stricken by grief, left school early. Administrators had to take over many of the classes.
Pletka told News 11 that Amber’s students were shocked. He added that the child’s class is reaching out and wants to help their classmate.
Crisis counselors are on hand at Sunflower Elementary School.
Holtville city employees are also shocked. City Manager Laura Fischer confirms that Veliquette worked for the city’s public works department.
Fischer added she believes the truck Veliquette was driving actually belongs to the city.
Just last weekend, Amber attended her 20th class reunion at Central Union High School. That was the last time many friends saw her.
Ramirez describes Amber as “very excited.” She remembers laughing and dancing with Amber and ponders “how could it be that we were just having fun, dancing, talking about high school, planning on my daughter taking her class – and now she's gone?"
Now former classmates are working together to do anything they can for Amber’s family. Right now, the class is working on donating flowers to the funeral.
Classmates tell News 11 they hope to contribute more in the future.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
White Plains, MD: Husband/Wife Murder/Suicide Suspected in White Plains Shootings
Posted on October 01, 2010
LA PLATA, Md. (October 1, 2010)—The Charles County Sheriff's Office today released the following report regarding the shooting deaths of a husband and wife in White Plains.
DEATH INVESTIGATION: On October 1 at approximately 8 a.m., officers responded to the 8800 block of Osterly Court in White Plains after receiving a call from a teenaged resident who reported finding two family members deceased inside the residence. When officers arrived, they found Patrice Anwar Warner, 39, and his wife, Altovise Lashawn Warner, 38, in an upstairs bedroom, each suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. They were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. During the initial investigation, detectives determined this is a possible murder/suicide. A gun and other evidence were recovered at the scene. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Charles County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit at (301) 609-6514. The investigation is on-going.
LA PLATA, Md. (October 1, 2010)—The Charles County Sheriff's Office today released the following report regarding the shooting deaths of a husband and wife in White Plains.
DEATH INVESTIGATION: On October 1 at approximately 8 a.m., officers responded to the 8800 block of Osterly Court in White Plains after receiving a call from a teenaged resident who reported finding two family members deceased inside the residence. When officers arrived, they found Patrice Anwar Warner, 39, and his wife, Altovise Lashawn Warner, 38, in an upstairs bedroom, each suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. They were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. During the initial investigation, detectives determined this is a possible murder/suicide. A gun and other evidence were recovered at the scene. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Charles County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit at (301) 609-6514. The investigation is on-going.
Darlington, SC: Darlington County deaths treated as murder-suicide
DARLINGTON — The shooting deaths of two Darlington County residents Thursday night are being treated as a murder-suicide.
Investigators said 29-year-old Jamie Williamson shot and killed his estranged girlfriend, 30-year-old Crystal Strickland, outside a convenience store and restaurant on Governor Williams Highway in Darlington County.
After that shooting, Darlington County sheriff’s deputies said, Williamson returned to his parents’ home and turned the gun on himself.
The incident started about 8 p.m. Thursday when deputies responded to Strickland’s shooting at the Town & Country restaurant and store. They found her body in the parking lot. She’d been shot in the head.
Strickland’s current boyfriend, Chris Wilkes, said he and Strickland began dating about a week ago, but had known each other for 15 years.
Wilkes said Williamson had been obsessively calling and texting Strickland, threatening her life at times, this week.
“She had been at my house most of the week ... and he would call and she would have to put the phone on silent because he would call 600 or 700 times in a four- to five-hour period,” Wilkes said.
On the evening of the shooting, Wilkes said, Strickland left his home and went to the Town & Country store for a pack of cigarettes.
Wilkes said witnesses on the scene told him Williamson followed Strickland to the store, pulled up beside her vehicle and shot her to death.
Investigators said Williamson then fled to his parents’ home and ran into the woods behind it, where he shot and killed himself before authorities could reach him.
Though Strickland and Williamson were estranged, they shared two children together. Strickland also had a third child. The pair never married.
Wilkes said he and Strickland were just beginning a beautiful relationship when the tragedy took place and said he felt it could have been prevented.
“Crystal was a very giving and kind person ... that’s a common theme, how kind she was and how much she cared about other people,” Wilkes said. “It’s a travesty that this occurred and I think it could have been prevented.”
Wilkes said Strickland tried to seek protection from Williamson, but was unable to get a restraining order because both Strickland and Williamson had been charged with assaults on each other.
Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd said law enforcement officers weren’t made aware of a potentially dangerous situation between the two and said if they had been, every effort would have been taken to prevent further harm.
“I think that’s probably the most tragic part of this entire thing, is the number of people who have come up last night and today and said, ‘You know, he said he was going to do this,’ and yet nobody bothered to call law enforcement and make a report and let us know what was going on,” Byrd said. “Now they act surprised that he actually carried through on it.”
Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee said Strickland and Williamson’s bodies have been sent to Newberry for autopsies which are expected to confirm the cause and manner of their deaths.
Hardee said it is important for not only the victims of domestic violence to come forward to seek help, but also their family members and friends.
“The most important thing someone could do is, if you feel threatened, whether you’re male or female, you need to let law enforcement know,” he said. “They have no way of knowing this unless you give them a call. Sometimes folks don’t do what they say, but sometimes they do.”
Darlington County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Andy Locklair said the situation was not only preventable but especially tragic for the children of the victims.
“It’s the saddest part of it ... the true victims here are those kids,” Locklair said. “It’s a terrible situation and people sit back and they hear about and read about these tragedies, but there’s two families affected because of this tragedy and the worst part of it all is that these kids not only have to deal with the fact of losing their mother, but their father as well.”
Investigators said 29-year-old Jamie Williamson shot and killed his estranged girlfriend, 30-year-old Crystal Strickland, outside a convenience store and restaurant on Governor Williams Highway in Darlington County.
After that shooting, Darlington County sheriff’s deputies said, Williamson returned to his parents’ home and turned the gun on himself.
The incident started about 8 p.m. Thursday when deputies responded to Strickland’s shooting at the Town & Country restaurant and store. They found her body in the parking lot. She’d been shot in the head.
Strickland’s current boyfriend, Chris Wilkes, said he and Strickland began dating about a week ago, but had known each other for 15 years.
Wilkes said Williamson had been obsessively calling and texting Strickland, threatening her life at times, this week.
“She had been at my house most of the week ... and he would call and she would have to put the phone on silent because he would call 600 or 700 times in a four- to five-hour period,” Wilkes said.
On the evening of the shooting, Wilkes said, Strickland left his home and went to the Town & Country store for a pack of cigarettes.
Wilkes said witnesses on the scene told him Williamson followed Strickland to the store, pulled up beside her vehicle and shot her to death.
Investigators said Williamson then fled to his parents’ home and ran into the woods behind it, where he shot and killed himself before authorities could reach him.
Though Strickland and Williamson were estranged, they shared two children together. Strickland also had a third child. The pair never married.
Wilkes said he and Strickland were just beginning a beautiful relationship when the tragedy took place and said he felt it could have been prevented.
“Crystal was a very giving and kind person ... that’s a common theme, how kind she was and how much she cared about other people,” Wilkes said. “It’s a travesty that this occurred and I think it could have been prevented.”
Wilkes said Strickland tried to seek protection from Williamson, but was unable to get a restraining order because both Strickland and Williamson had been charged with assaults on each other.
Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd said law enforcement officers weren’t made aware of a potentially dangerous situation between the two and said if they had been, every effort would have been taken to prevent further harm.
“I think that’s probably the most tragic part of this entire thing, is the number of people who have come up last night and today and said, ‘You know, he said he was going to do this,’ and yet nobody bothered to call law enforcement and make a report and let us know what was going on,” Byrd said. “Now they act surprised that he actually carried through on it.”
Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee said Strickland and Williamson’s bodies have been sent to Newberry for autopsies which are expected to confirm the cause and manner of their deaths.
Hardee said it is important for not only the victims of domestic violence to come forward to seek help, but also their family members and friends.
“The most important thing someone could do is, if you feel threatened, whether you’re male or female, you need to let law enforcement know,” he said. “They have no way of knowing this unless you give them a call. Sometimes folks don’t do what they say, but sometimes they do.”
Darlington County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Andy Locklair said the situation was not only preventable but especially tragic for the children of the victims.
“It’s the saddest part of it ... the true victims here are those kids,” Locklair said. “It’s a terrible situation and people sit back and they hear about and read about these tragedies, but there’s two families affected because of this tragedy and the worst part of it all is that these kids not only have to deal with the fact of losing their mother, but their father as well.”
St. Augustine, FL: Elderly couple, both 85, killed in St. Johns murder-suicide
Incident is the second involving an elderly couple in three weeks.
Posted: October 2, 2010 - 12:00am
By Matt Galnor
An elderly St. Augustine couple, married for more than 60 years, died in a murder-suicide late Thursday evening.
Richard Plumb McCarthy and his wife, Lillian Martha McCarthy, both 85, were found dead in the Southwood at Belle Haven subdivision, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Richard McCarthy called authorities at 11:35 p.m. and said he'd shot his wife inside the home and was going outside to kill himself.
A neighbor said the McCarthys were a loving, devoted couple and that Richard McCarthy, who went by Dick, did not seem like anyone who would intentionally harm his wife.
Lillian McCarthy had been having heart problems and was in ill health, said Virginia Johnson, who has lived across the street from the McCarthys for five years.
When the McCarthys would return from an outing, Dick would park the car and walk over to Lillian's side, Johnson said. She'd hold his arm and he'd walk her into their home.
"My thought is they wanted to enter eternity together," Johnson said.
The couple had been married since 1946, according to a 2006 St. Augustine Record story.
Dick McCarthy was a Navy veteran, a torpedoman in World War II, according to the Record.
Johnson said she saw Dick this week at the mailbox. The two talked football, as they usually would, and Johnson said nothing appeared to be wrong.
The murder-suicide is the second of an elderly couple in St. Johns County in the past three weeks.
Deputies responded to a similar scene Sept. 14 in Elkton, discovering 68-year-old Dorothea K. Jewett shot to death inside her home, and her 71-year-old husband Stephen Perham Jewett dead outside.
Investigators said a man called the Sheriff's Office from the Coquina Crossing home just before 8 p.m., saying he had shot his wife inside and that he could be found in the backyard.
matt.galnor@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4550
Posted: October 2, 2010 - 12:00am
By Matt Galnor
An elderly St. Augustine couple, married for more than 60 years, died in a murder-suicide late Thursday evening.
Richard Plumb McCarthy and his wife, Lillian Martha McCarthy, both 85, were found dead in the Southwood at Belle Haven subdivision, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Richard McCarthy called authorities at 11:35 p.m. and said he'd shot his wife inside the home and was going outside to kill himself.
A neighbor said the McCarthys were a loving, devoted couple and that Richard McCarthy, who went by Dick, did not seem like anyone who would intentionally harm his wife.
Lillian McCarthy had been having heart problems and was in ill health, said Virginia Johnson, who has lived across the street from the McCarthys for five years.
When the McCarthys would return from an outing, Dick would park the car and walk over to Lillian's side, Johnson said. She'd hold his arm and he'd walk her into their home.
"My thought is they wanted to enter eternity together," Johnson said.
The couple had been married since 1946, according to a 2006 St. Augustine Record story.
Dick McCarthy was a Navy veteran, a torpedoman in World War II, according to the Record.
Johnson said she saw Dick this week at the mailbox. The two talked football, as they usually would, and Johnson said nothing appeared to be wrong.
The murder-suicide is the second of an elderly couple in St. Johns County in the past three weeks.
Deputies responded to a similar scene Sept. 14 in Elkton, discovering 68-year-old Dorothea K. Jewett shot to death inside her home, and her 71-year-old husband Stephen Perham Jewett dead outside.
Investigators said a man called the Sheriff's Office from the Coquina Crossing home just before 8 p.m., saying he had shot his wife inside and that he could be found in the backyard.
matt.galnor@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4550
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