Posted: May 16, 2011 4:45 PM EDT
Updated: May 16, 2011 4:51 PM EDT
Cape Coral Police say they now know how a couple discovered dead in their home Sunday afternoon died. Their deaths were a result of a murder-suicide.
"Our detectives believe this is a murder-suicide," said Lieutenant Tony Sizemore.
Marcus Jackson, 31 and 28-yr old Tara Brissette were found dead inside the master bedroom of 1413 Sw 16th Terrace Sunday afternoon.
Police say Tara's mother made the disturbing discovery.
"A family member went to the home to retrieve some items and stumbled upon this discovery and called us," said Sizemore.
Cape Coral Police say Jackson shot himself with a shotgun. Tara's cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner. Police say she was not shot.
Neighbor Marty Kay says he didn't know the couple that well, but says he saw police at the house several times in the past.
He thought this was just another call.
"Pretty upsetting, come home the other day saw quite a few police cars. Anytime you hear story like that it is upsetting," said Kay.
Kay was shocked to learn this time, police were responding to a murder suicide.
NBC2's Stephanie Kolp tried speaking with Jackson's family and co-workers.
They were all too upset to talk.
Tara would've celebrated her 29th birthday Wednesday.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
San Diego, CA: Man Divorces Wife by Gunshot
By Michael Hemmingson | Posted May 16, 2011, 4:30 a.m.
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2:10 PM in the Gaslamp Quarter -- 83-year-old Joseph Gotell.allegedly shot and killed his 57-year-old wife, Deborah Gottel.
Witnesses report that the couple got into a heated, verbal argument on the busy corner of 5th and Broadway. Mr. Gotell then physically attacked his wife, pulled out a handgun and shot her twice. He dropped the weapon and walked away. He was subdued without resistance by security of a nearby hotel, who detained the homicidal husband until the police arrived.
Mrs. Gotell suffered one bullet to the head. She was pronounced brain dead at a local hospital. Her daughter, Nefra Croom, allowed Mrs. Gotell to be taken off life support and her organs harvested for donations.
Joseph Gotell is expected to be arraigned for murder this Wednesday in court.
RSS | E-MAIL THE AUTHOR
2:10 PM in the Gaslamp Quarter -- 83-year-old Joseph Gotell.allegedly shot and killed his 57-year-old wife, Deborah Gottel.
Witnesses report that the couple got into a heated, verbal argument on the busy corner of 5th and Broadway. Mr. Gotell then physically attacked his wife, pulled out a handgun and shot her twice. He dropped the weapon and walked away. He was subdued without resistance by security of a nearby hotel, who detained the homicidal husband until the police arrived.
Mrs. Gotell suffered one bullet to the head. She was pronounced brain dead at a local hospital. Her daughter, Nefra Croom, allowed Mrs. Gotell to be taken off life support and her organs harvested for donations.
Joseph Gotell is expected to be arraigned for murder this Wednesday in court.
Kingsville, TX: Murder Suspects Wife Speaks About Sister's Death
Posted: May 15, 2011 6:12 PM by Rashi Vats - rvats@kristv.com
KINGSVILLE - Family members of the woman who was shot and killed Thursday in Kleberg County spoke with us today and revealed some surprising information that lead up to the woman's death.
Kristie Canino was just 32-years-old with three children. Now those children don't have their mother, and Jennie Salazar doesn't have her baby sister.
Jennie tells us that her husband is the one who was arrested in connection with her sister's murder.
Armando Salazar Jr., 40, was arrested Friday in connection with shooting and killing Canino Thursday at her house in Ricardo.
Jennie says she's in the middle of divorcing Salazar. She says he always told her he was going to kill her family if she separated from him, but she never believed him.
"When he told me that he shot my sister in the head, and I saw what I saw...it was true," said Jennie.
Jennie says Armando called her early Friday morning, hours after Canino's death, saying he shot his sister.
"I was calling my sister, texting my sister, and I didn't get an answer. I ran from my house to her house. When my friend, Monica, showed up, that's when we walked into the house, and I saw all the blood on the wall. I put two and two together," said Jennie.
Brooks County sheriffs found him Friday near Premont.
Canino's mother knew Armando, and she says she hopes he stays in prison for life.
"He was at our house at Christmas. Yes I hate him right now. I want him to feel exactly how she felt," said Karlene Klipsch, the victim's mother.
If you would like to help Canino's family with funeral costs, please call the Kingsville Memorial Funeral Home at 361-592-5634.
KINGSVILLE - Family members of the woman who was shot and killed Thursday in Kleberg County spoke with us today and revealed some surprising information that lead up to the woman's death.
Kristie Canino was just 32-years-old with three children. Now those children don't have their mother, and Jennie Salazar doesn't have her baby sister.
Jennie tells us that her husband is the one who was arrested in connection with her sister's murder.
Armando Salazar Jr., 40, was arrested Friday in connection with shooting and killing Canino Thursday at her house in Ricardo.
Jennie says she's in the middle of divorcing Salazar. She says he always told her he was going to kill her family if she separated from him, but she never believed him.
"When he told me that he shot my sister in the head, and I saw what I saw...it was true," said Jennie.
Jennie says Armando called her early Friday morning, hours after Canino's death, saying he shot his sister.
"I was calling my sister, texting my sister, and I didn't get an answer. I ran from my house to her house. When my friend, Monica, showed up, that's when we walked into the house, and I saw all the blood on the wall. I put two and two together," said Jennie.
Brooks County sheriffs found him Friday near Premont.
Canino's mother knew Armando, and she says she hopes he stays in prison for life.
"He was at our house at Christmas. Yes I hate him right now. I want him to feel exactly how she felt," said Karlene Klipsch, the victim's mother.
If you would like to help Canino's family with funeral costs, please call the Kingsville Memorial Funeral Home at 361-592-5634.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Article: Shelter, aid vital for domestic violence victims
Opinion
Marion and Polk counties, like all of Oregon, have a problem with domestic and sexual violence. In the past two years alone, more than 90 Oregonians have lost their lives as a result of domestic violence. Ten of these victims were children.
These deaths are only the tip of the iceberg, as rates of domestic violence assaults have been on the rise across Oregon in recent years. And sexual assault crimes continue to affect one in six Oregon women.
Such crimes inflict serious and lasting physical, psychological and emotional damage on victims, and too often include children. Family members, friends and communities suffer as lives are lost and children are orphaned or killed.
The lack of services for victims in need impacts Oregon in many ways. In Oregon, nearly one-third of our child welfare cases are related to current domestic violence in the home. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of a child's removal from parental care into the foster care system. Almost one-third of cash assistance cases for low-income families (TANF) are related to a parent's attempt to escape domestic violence.
Oregon spends more than $35 million a year in health-care costs related to domestic violence. Rape is the most costly of all crimes to its victims. In 2008, researchers estimated that each rape cost approximately $151,423 in health care, counseling, lost wages and more.
We know many Oregonians truly care about these issues, yet are unsure how they can help. We know how to increase safety and save costs. Our programs need adequate funding for services to victims seeking safety. Safety services can reduce the incidence and severity of assault by more than 60 percent. In these tough budget times, we must be smarter than ever about how we invest our dollars. We urge legislators not to cut shelter and safety services for victims of violence.
We all have a role to play in providing protection for those who are in danger. When victims take the brave step of seeking shelter and help, we cannot turn them away.
People in Marion and Polk counties seeking safety from violence in the home deserve protection. Individuals and families will be safer, and our community will be stronger.
Jayne Downing of Salem is executive director for the Mid-Valley Women's Crisis Service. She can be reached at jayne@mvwcs.com. Learn more at www.mvwcs.com.Deborah Thompson of Salem is executive director for SABLE House. She can be reached at deborah@sablehouse.org. Learn more at www.sablehouse.org.
Marion and Polk counties, like all of Oregon, have a problem with domestic and sexual violence. In the past two years alone, more than 90 Oregonians have lost their lives as a result of domestic violence. Ten of these victims were children.
These deaths are only the tip of the iceberg, as rates of domestic violence assaults have been on the rise across Oregon in recent years. And sexual assault crimes continue to affect one in six Oregon women.
Such crimes inflict serious and lasting physical, psychological and emotional damage on victims, and too often include children. Family members, friends and communities suffer as lives are lost and children are orphaned or killed.
The lack of services for victims in need impacts Oregon in many ways. In Oregon, nearly one-third of our child welfare cases are related to current domestic violence in the home. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of a child's removal from parental care into the foster care system. Almost one-third of cash assistance cases for low-income families (TANF) are related to a parent's attempt to escape domestic violence.
Oregon spends more than $35 million a year in health-care costs related to domestic violence. Rape is the most costly of all crimes to its victims. In 2008, researchers estimated that each rape cost approximately $151,423 in health care, counseling, lost wages and more.
We know many Oregonians truly care about these issues, yet are unsure how they can help. We know how to increase safety and save costs. Our programs need adequate funding for services to victims seeking safety. Safety services can reduce the incidence and severity of assault by more than 60 percent. In these tough budget times, we must be smarter than ever about how we invest our dollars. We urge legislators not to cut shelter and safety services for victims of violence.
We all have a role to play in providing protection for those who are in danger. When victims take the brave step of seeking shelter and help, we cannot turn them away.
People in Marion and Polk counties seeking safety from violence in the home deserve protection. Individuals and families will be safer, and our community will be stronger.
Jayne Downing of Salem is executive director for the Mid-Valley Women's Crisis Service. She can be reached at jayne@mvwcs.com. Learn more at www.mvwcs.com.Deborah Thompson of Salem is executive director for SABLE House. She can be reached at deborah@sablehouse.org. Learn more at www.sablehouse.org.
Buffalo, NY: Apparent murder-suicide leaves one dead, one hospitalized
NEWS STAFF REPORTS
Published:
May 14, 2011, 2:03 PM
Updated: May 14, 2011, 2:58 PM
An apparent attempted murder-suicide left a man in his 20s dead and a woman seriously wounded in the city's East Amherst-Bailey area late this morning.
The woman, also believed to be in her 20s, was shot in the face. She was taken to Erie County Medical Center, police said.
They found 23-year-old Wendy Broadus of Buffalo bleeding from a gunshot wound to her upper body. She had fled to the store after being shot by 23-year-old Kasmar Williams at her home at 234 Parkridge Avenue.
The man was declared dead at the scene, in the 200 block of Parkridge Avenue, just north of East Amherst Street, west of Bailey Avenue.
Authorities described the man and woman as a couple, although it's not clear whether they were married.
Police responded to a report of the shootings just before 11 a.m.
citydesk@buffnews.com
Published:
May 14, 2011, 2:03 PM
Updated: May 14, 2011, 2:58 PM
An apparent attempted murder-suicide left a man in his 20s dead and a woman seriously wounded in the city's East Amherst-Bailey area late this morning.
The woman, also believed to be in her 20s, was shot in the face. She was taken to Erie County Medical Center, police said.
They found 23-year-old Wendy Broadus of Buffalo bleeding from a gunshot wound to her upper body. She had fled to the store after being shot by 23-year-old Kasmar Williams at her home at 234 Parkridge Avenue.
The man was declared dead at the scene, in the 200 block of Parkridge Avenue, just north of East Amherst Street, west of Bailey Avenue.
Authorities described the man and woman as a couple, although it's not clear whether they were married.
Police responded to a report of the shootings just before 11 a.m.
citydesk@buffnews.com
Newport News, VA: THE SCARS OF ABUSE: A Mother's Regret
Newport News woman convicted of murder regrets not standing up for her abused daughters
May 14, 2011|By Ashley Kelly, akelly@dailypress.com | 757-247-4778
NEWPORT NEWS — On the way to the hospital, 17-month-old Angeli Callender laid in her mother's arms. She could barely breathe.
Lillian Callender tried to give her daughter CPR, but it didn't work. It was March 1, 2010, and Callender's last chance to save her daughter's life. Her efforts were too late. Angeli's brain had swelled. She eventually went into a coma and doctors put her on life support.
"She looked like she was sleeping, but she had tubes running all through her body," Callender said.
When Angeli died two days later, her mother was not at her bedside — she was being questioned by police. A month later Callender and her boyfriend, Michael Stoffa, were charged with second-degree murder and two counts of felony child neglect.
Callender's crime was not inflicting the blow that killed her daughter. Her crime was standing by while Stoffa, 26, abused Angeli and her 2-year-old sister Yessenia, according to police. It's a crime that Callender may never forgive herself for, she said in a recent interview at Hampton Roads Regional Jail. Callender, 23, was convicted in January of felony murder. She will be sentenced in July. Stoffa's trial is scheduled for later this month. He declined to be interviewed.
Angeli is one of at least five children on the Peninsula and surrounding area who were killed by a parent or caregiver in the past year. Several other children have been severely abused and neglected. Two weeks ago, a Gloucester girl was found confined in a makeshift cage, wallowing in her own waste. In the backyard of the girl's home police dug up the remains of a child buried in a wooden box. This past week, the remains of a newborn boy were found in a plastic bag in storage bin in Newport News. Those cases are under investigation.
Details of how the deceased children were tormented vary.
Seventeen-month-old Jireh Gayles had human bite marks on his body when police found him dead last summer. Charles Poertner, 7, died from severe dehydration and only weighed 28 pounds when authorities found him dead on his living room floor. He'd been there for days.
Angeli and Yessenia were hit, kicked, punched and slapped by Stoffa in the two months prior to her death, according to the criminal complaint. Stoffa wasn't the children's biological father, but he was the man Callender thought they needed in their lives, she said.
"I needed someone to help me take care of me and my kids," Callender said. "I needed a positive male model."
May 14, 2011|By Ashley Kelly, akelly@dailypress.com | 757-247-4778
NEWPORT NEWS — On the way to the hospital, 17-month-old Angeli Callender laid in her mother's arms. She could barely breathe.
Lillian Callender tried to give her daughter CPR, but it didn't work. It was March 1, 2010, and Callender's last chance to save her daughter's life. Her efforts were too late. Angeli's brain had swelled. She eventually went into a coma and doctors put her on life support.
"She looked like she was sleeping, but she had tubes running all through her body," Callender said.
When Angeli died two days later, her mother was not at her bedside — she was being questioned by police. A month later Callender and her boyfriend, Michael Stoffa, were charged with second-degree murder and two counts of felony child neglect.
Callender's crime was not inflicting the blow that killed her daughter. Her crime was standing by while Stoffa, 26, abused Angeli and her 2-year-old sister Yessenia, according to police. It's a crime that Callender may never forgive herself for, she said in a recent interview at Hampton Roads Regional Jail. Callender, 23, was convicted in January of felony murder. She will be sentenced in July. Stoffa's trial is scheduled for later this month. He declined to be interviewed.
Angeli is one of at least five children on the Peninsula and surrounding area who were killed by a parent or caregiver in the past year. Several other children have been severely abused and neglected. Two weeks ago, a Gloucester girl was found confined in a makeshift cage, wallowing in her own waste. In the backyard of the girl's home police dug up the remains of a child buried in a wooden box. This past week, the remains of a newborn boy were found in a plastic bag in storage bin in Newport News. Those cases are under investigation.
Details of how the deceased children were tormented vary.
Seventeen-month-old Jireh Gayles had human bite marks on his body when police found him dead last summer. Charles Poertner, 7, died from severe dehydration and only weighed 28 pounds when authorities found him dead on his living room floor. He'd been there for days.
Angeli and Yessenia were hit, kicked, punched and slapped by Stoffa in the two months prior to her death, according to the criminal complaint. Stoffa wasn't the children's biological father, but he was the man Callender thought they needed in their lives, she said.
"I needed someone to help me take care of me and my kids," Callender said. "I needed a positive male model."
La Pointe, IN: Man enters guilty plea in shooting death of estranged wife, companion
By Stan Maddux
For The Herald-Argus
Published: Saturday, May 14, 2011 5:06 PM CDT
A Mill Creek area man has agreed to a 75-year prison sentence for the shooting death of his estranged wife and her male companion.
Clayton Lindsey, 44, pleaded guilty Friday in La Porte Circuit Court to two counts of murder.
He was scheduled to stand trial starting May 23 but, in exchange for the plea, he will not face a potential maximum 65-year sentence on each count.
The plea also calls for 25 years probation upon his release from incarceration.
Lindsey admitted that he killed 39-year-old Christine Lindsey and Chad Zolman, 38.
The Ohio man and Christine Lindsey were in her Kingsford Heights residence when Clayton Lindsey crashed into his estranged wife’s parked vehicle and went inside, where he killed both victims with shotgun blasts, according to officials with the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department.
In 2005, court records showed Clayton Lindsey filed for divorce but it never went through and Christine Lindsey filed for divorce about a month prior to the killings.
Clayton Lindsey, at one point during Friday’s hearing, began crying and paused about 15 seconds between responses to questions from the court.
Judge Tom Alevizos took the guilty plea under advisement.
La Porte County Deputy Prosecutor Chris Fronk said family members of the victims opted not to speak.
Instead, they preferred to wait until sentencing to voice whatever they might want to say.
“We advised them they would have an opportunity at sentencing to address the court,” said Fronk.
Defense attorney David Jones said he anticipated a lot of testimony at the sentencing hearing, which was scheduled for July 18.
With the permission of the defense, the sentencing date was extended past the 30-day deadline for sentencing after a plea is submitted due to congestion in the court calendar.
“There are going to be a lot of witnesses. We understand that,” Jones said.
For The Herald-Argus
Published: Saturday, May 14, 2011 5:06 PM CDT
A Mill Creek area man has agreed to a 75-year prison sentence for the shooting death of his estranged wife and her male companion.
Clayton Lindsey, 44, pleaded guilty Friday in La Porte Circuit Court to two counts of murder.
He was scheduled to stand trial starting May 23 but, in exchange for the plea, he will not face a potential maximum 65-year sentence on each count.
The plea also calls for 25 years probation upon his release from incarceration.
Lindsey admitted that he killed 39-year-old Christine Lindsey and Chad Zolman, 38.
The Ohio man and Christine Lindsey were in her Kingsford Heights residence when Clayton Lindsey crashed into his estranged wife’s parked vehicle and went inside, where he killed both victims with shotgun blasts, according to officials with the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department.
In 2005, court records showed Clayton Lindsey filed for divorce but it never went through and Christine Lindsey filed for divorce about a month prior to the killings.
Clayton Lindsey, at one point during Friday’s hearing, began crying and paused about 15 seconds between responses to questions from the court.
Judge Tom Alevizos took the guilty plea under advisement.
La Porte County Deputy Prosecutor Chris Fronk said family members of the victims opted not to speak.
Instead, they preferred to wait until sentencing to voice whatever they might want to say.
“We advised them they would have an opportunity at sentencing to address the court,” said Fronk.
Defense attorney David Jones said he anticipated a lot of testimony at the sentencing hearing, which was scheduled for July 18.
With the permission of the defense, the sentencing date was extended past the 30-day deadline for sentencing after a plea is submitted due to congestion in the court calendar.
“There are going to be a lot of witnesses. We understand that,” Jones said.
Ft Bragg, NC: Fort Bragg soldier from Mich, convicted of killing brother-in-law over affair gets life
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A Michigan soldier who stabbed his brother-in-law to death and seriously injured his wife because his lawyers said he was angry they were having an affair was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole.
A military jury at Fort Bragg gave 27-year-old Detroit native Spc. Eric A. Mead his punishment a day after finding him guilty of premeditated murder, attempted premeditated murder and failure to obey a lawful order, The Fayetteville Observer reported.
Mead didn't testify during the weeklong court-martial, but spoke to jurors before sentencing.
"I killed my brother and my best friend. There's no punishment greater than living with that," he said. "I'm not the man I thought I was. I thought I could handle anything, and I tried to. I was wrong."
Mead sneaked into his wife's house in May 2010 a day after being told by his superiors to have no contact with her. He stabbed his brother-in-law, 26-year-old Stephen Harris, in the back and cheek, then as his wife tried to stop the attack, he knocked her unconscious and stabbed her five times in the neck and back, authorities said.
Harris died the day after the attack from a stroke brought on by his injuries, investigators said. His wife, Melissa Younce-Mead, said she still suffered so badly from her injuries she cannot work.
Mead's lawyers said the stabbings happened after he snapped when he found out about the occasional affair between his wife and his brother-in-law, which began three years earlier.
In his statement, Mead apologized to Harris' family. He said he can't remember what happened that day, but that is no justification for the killing.
"I wish that I could take his place and I really wish that he had killed me," Mead said. "I can't even begin to explain how sorry I am."
Harris' mother said she took little from the apology from her son's killer.
She said her son was a dedicated soldier who was deployed to the Middle East five times. He continued to give to others, even after his death. Five of his organs were donated to four different people.
She said she sought a just punishment for taking away a fun-loving man with a good sense of humor.
"I want life without parole," Sheryl Harris said. "He was a cowardly person. Everyone made mistakes, but nothing justifies murder."
___
A military jury at Fort Bragg gave 27-year-old Detroit native Spc. Eric A. Mead his punishment a day after finding him guilty of premeditated murder, attempted premeditated murder and failure to obey a lawful order, The Fayetteville Observer reported.
Mead didn't testify during the weeklong court-martial, but spoke to jurors before sentencing.
"I killed my brother and my best friend. There's no punishment greater than living with that," he said. "I'm not the man I thought I was. I thought I could handle anything, and I tried to. I was wrong."
Mead sneaked into his wife's house in May 2010 a day after being told by his superiors to have no contact with her. He stabbed his brother-in-law, 26-year-old Stephen Harris, in the back and cheek, then as his wife tried to stop the attack, he knocked her unconscious and stabbed her five times in the neck and back, authorities said.
Harris died the day after the attack from a stroke brought on by his injuries, investigators said. His wife, Melissa Younce-Mead, said she still suffered so badly from her injuries she cannot work.
Mead's lawyers said the stabbings happened after he snapped when he found out about the occasional affair between his wife and his brother-in-law, which began three years earlier.
In his statement, Mead apologized to Harris' family. He said he can't remember what happened that day, but that is no justification for the killing.
"I wish that I could take his place and I really wish that he had killed me," Mead said. "I can't even begin to explain how sorry I am."
Harris' mother said she took little from the apology from her son's killer.
She said her son was a dedicated soldier who was deployed to the Middle East five times. He continued to give to others, even after his death. Five of his organs were donated to four different people.
She said she sought a just punishment for taking away a fun-loving man with a good sense of humor.
"I want life without parole," Sheryl Harris said. "He was a cowardly person. Everyone made mistakes, but nothing justifies murder."
___
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Washington, DC: Family searches for loved one's remains
May 13, 2011 - 12:24 pm
For the family of a 23-year-old woman who was killed in 1996, the pain has never stopped.
Family members of Shaquita Bell search for her remains. (Photo: Brad Bell)
Shaquita Bell was killed and went missing well over a decade ago. The man who admitted to killing her, her ex-boyfriend named Michael Dickerson, pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court in 2008. He told authorities that he shot and killed her in the District on June 27, 2008 and then buried her body in a rural area of Prince George’s County, according to the Washington Post.
He remains have never been recovered.
Her family is now trying to find her remains. Thomas Wilborne, his son and a friend spent hours digging Friday morning in the woods where the killer said he buried Bell’s body 15 years ago.
“I’m just feeling that from the depth they said they buried her we ought to be able to find something,” said Wilborne.
Bell was a young mother of three when her drug-dealing ex-boyfriend Dickerson killed her. Nearly a decade later, Dickerson took police to a patch of woods along Old Fort Road as part of a plea deal. Police and Bell's family have been searching there ever since.
“My hope is that we find her,” said Jackie Wilborne, Bell’s stepbrother. “I know she's not coming home but its still a missing piece.”
Bell's mother Jackie say this year's search was prompted by a tough mother's day for Bell's three children. They're grateful to the Metropolitan Police, who sent officers with a cadaver dog.
“I need the peace in my mind and heart, otherwise its just not complete,” Jackie Wilborne said.
For the family of a 23-year-old woman who was killed in 1996, the pain has never stopped.
Family members of Shaquita Bell search for her remains. (Photo: Brad Bell)
Shaquita Bell was killed and went missing well over a decade ago. The man who admitted to killing her, her ex-boyfriend named Michael Dickerson, pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court in 2008. He told authorities that he shot and killed her in the District on June 27, 2008 and then buried her body in a rural area of Prince George’s County, according to the Washington Post.
He remains have never been recovered.
Her family is now trying to find her remains. Thomas Wilborne, his son and a friend spent hours digging Friday morning in the woods where the killer said he buried Bell’s body 15 years ago.
“I’m just feeling that from the depth they said they buried her we ought to be able to find something,” said Wilborne.
Bell was a young mother of three when her drug-dealing ex-boyfriend Dickerson killed her. Nearly a decade later, Dickerson took police to a patch of woods along Old Fort Road as part of a plea deal. Police and Bell's family have been searching there ever since.
“My hope is that we find her,” said Jackie Wilborne, Bell’s stepbrother. “I know she's not coming home but its still a missing piece.”
Bell's mother Jackie say this year's search was prompted by a tough mother's day for Bell's three children. They're grateful to the Metropolitan Police, who sent officers with a cadaver dog.
“I need the peace in my mind and heart, otherwise its just not complete,” Jackie Wilborne said.
Brookshire, TX: Boyfriend charged with missing woman's murder
By CINDY HORSWELL
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
May 12, 2011, 10:40PM
A 44-year-old machinist was charged Thursday with murdering his pregnant girlfriend five years ago, even though her body still remains missing.
When the charge was filed Miguel Antonio Martinez was already in the Harris County Jail on $500,000 bail for another felony charge of illegal weapons possession. Authorities had confiscated several handmade gun silencers from his southwest Houston home.
Martinez told investigators he made the silencers for his "own personal use."
His girlfriend, Senovia Medina, was 37 and three months pregnant when she disappeared after dropping off food at her mother's Houston home Jan. 5, 2006.
Without her body, Martinez's lawyer believes investigators will need more evidence to prove murder.
"And if a killing did occur it was self-defense as my client has stated," said his lawyer, Emily Detoto.
Lead investigator Sgt. J.J. Wilson said Martinez has given statements to police admitting he killed his girlfriend as she came out of the shower but said it was self-defense.
"He said they were arguing, and she struck her neck on the shower stall," he said. "He's told several versions how it happened. But he never called 911 to get medical help. He showed a total lack of concern by wrapping her body in a garbage bag and dumping it."
Searchers made another sweep Thursday through a pasture near Brookshire on Interstate 10, one of the spots that Martinez told authorities that he may have buried her. But nothing new turned up and volunteers had to stop looking because of rain, said Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller.
Some small bones found Wednesday have been turned over to an anthropologist to determine if they are animal or human.
Medina's brother, Angel Medina, and two sisters, Rosa and Emelinda Medina, were elated at the news that charges were filed.
Investigators got a break in the case when an unidentified acquaintance of Martinez served as informant and got statements from him about his girlfriend's death.
cindy.horswell@chron.com
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
May 12, 2011, 10:40PM
A 44-year-old machinist was charged Thursday with murdering his pregnant girlfriend five years ago, even though her body still remains missing.
When the charge was filed Miguel Antonio Martinez was already in the Harris County Jail on $500,000 bail for another felony charge of illegal weapons possession. Authorities had confiscated several handmade gun silencers from his southwest Houston home.
Martinez told investigators he made the silencers for his "own personal use."
His girlfriend, Senovia Medina, was 37 and three months pregnant when she disappeared after dropping off food at her mother's Houston home Jan. 5, 2006.
Without her body, Martinez's lawyer believes investigators will need more evidence to prove murder.
"And if a killing did occur it was self-defense as my client has stated," said his lawyer, Emily Detoto.
Lead investigator Sgt. J.J. Wilson said Martinez has given statements to police admitting he killed his girlfriend as she came out of the shower but said it was self-defense.
"He said they were arguing, and she struck her neck on the shower stall," he said. "He's told several versions how it happened. But he never called 911 to get medical help. He showed a total lack of concern by wrapping her body in a garbage bag and dumping it."
Searchers made another sweep Thursday through a pasture near Brookshire on Interstate 10, one of the spots that Martinez told authorities that he may have buried her. But nothing new turned up and volunteers had to stop looking because of rain, said Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller.
Some small bones found Wednesday have been turned over to an anthropologist to determine if they are animal or human.
Medina's brother, Angel Medina, and two sisters, Rosa and Emelinda Medina, were elated at the news that charges were filed.
Investigators got a break in the case when an unidentified acquaintance of Martinez served as informant and got statements from him about his girlfriend's death.
cindy.horswell@chron.com
New Madrid, MO: Southeast Missouri man pleads guilty to 2010 murder of girlfriend
Friday, May 13, 2011
Standard Democrat
NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A Howardville, Mo., man will spend 23 years in prison for the death of his girlfriend.
Jann L. Wofford entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of Dorothy Virginia Hood on Feb. 16, 2010. Hood's body was discovered along a fence row along a rural New Madrid County road by a passer-by on Feb. 17, 2010.
Hood died from multiple gunshot wounds, authorities later determined.
In a preliminary hearing June 3, the victim's daughter, Caitlyn Hood, described her mother and Wofford as girlfriend and boyfriend. She stated she last saw her mother leaving with Wofford on Feb. 16, 2010.
Also during the preliminary hearing, an officer with the Missouri State Highway Patrol testified Wofford told them the two had been together and had used crack cocaine. However Wofford had told the officers when he refused to buy more crack cocaine, Hood became angry, pulled a gun and a struggle ensued, resulting in the gunfire and Hood's death.
An assistant medical examiner stated at the hearing that toxicology reports did show cocaine in Hood's blood.
Wofford's plea was accepted Tuesday in Division I of New Madrid County Circuit Court by Judge Fred Copeland. He remains in New Madrid County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest in 2010.
Standard Democrat
NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A Howardville, Mo., man will spend 23 years in prison for the death of his girlfriend.
Jann L. Wofford entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of Dorothy Virginia Hood on Feb. 16, 2010. Hood's body was discovered along a fence row along a rural New Madrid County road by a passer-by on Feb. 17, 2010.
Hood died from multiple gunshot wounds, authorities later determined.
In a preliminary hearing June 3, the victim's daughter, Caitlyn Hood, described her mother and Wofford as girlfriend and boyfriend. She stated she last saw her mother leaving with Wofford on Feb. 16, 2010.
Also during the preliminary hearing, an officer with the Missouri State Highway Patrol testified Wofford told them the two had been together and had used crack cocaine. However Wofford had told the officers when he refused to buy more crack cocaine, Hood became angry, pulled a gun and a struggle ensued, resulting in the gunfire and Hood's death.
An assistant medical examiner stated at the hearing that toxicology reports did show cocaine in Hood's blood.
Wofford's plea was accepted Tuesday in Division I of New Madrid County Circuit Court by Judge Fred Copeland. He remains in New Madrid County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest in 2010.
Omar, WV: Wife Dead after Husband Sets Her on Fire, Police Say
A woman is dead and her husband critically injured after the man set his wife and his home on fire, according to Logan County Sheriff's Deputies.
Investigators say they responded to a call of a domestic dispute Monday at the Omar home of Katrina and Jim Goldie.
Jim Goldie allegedly had set his home and Katrina on fire as a result of that dispute.
Katrina Goldie was transported to a Pittsburgh burn center where she died Thursday. Jim Goldie is currently in critical condition at Cabell Huntington Hospital.
Authorities are still investigating the incident. There's no word of any charges.
Investigators say they responded to a call of a domestic dispute Monday at the Omar home of Katrina and Jim Goldie.
Jim Goldie allegedly had set his home and Katrina on fire as a result of that dispute.
Katrina Goldie was transported to a Pittsburgh burn center where she died Thursday. Jim Goldie is currently in critical condition at Cabell Huntington Hospital.
Authorities are still investigating the incident. There's no word of any charges.
Chicago, IL: Cops: Man fatally stabbed in domestic dispute
By Liam Ford and Caroline Kyungae Smith
Tribune reporters
10:59 a.m. CDT, May 13, 2011
A 24-year-old woman was being questioned this morning following the stabbing death of a 28-year-old man in what police described as a domestic incident late Thursday in the West Englewood neighborhood.
About 11:25 p.m., police responded to a call of a man stabbed multiple times at his home in the 5700 block of South Winchester Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro. The man was dead when police arrived, he said.
Police believe the stabbing was domestic-related, Alfaro said.
Topics
Prisons
Crimes
The man was identified as Donnell LeFlore, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
LeFlore has an extensive criminal record, including convictions in a 1999 drug case and 2003 robbery case that resulted in prison terms. He also has pleaded guilty in battery cases and been charged at least three times with domestic battery, although charges in all three cases were dropped.
The woman being question in LeFlore's death was not the alleged victim in any of the cases against him.
Wentworth Area detectives are investigatin
Tribune reporters
10:59 a.m. CDT, May 13, 2011
A 24-year-old woman was being questioned this morning following the stabbing death of a 28-year-old man in what police described as a domestic incident late Thursday in the West Englewood neighborhood.
About 11:25 p.m., police responded to a call of a man stabbed multiple times at his home in the 5700 block of South Winchester Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro. The man was dead when police arrived, he said.
Police believe the stabbing was domestic-related, Alfaro said.
Topics
Prisons
Crimes
The man was identified as Donnell LeFlore, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
LeFlore has an extensive criminal record, including convictions in a 1999 drug case and 2003 robbery case that resulted in prison terms. He also has pleaded guilty in battery cases and been charged at least three times with domestic battery, although charges in all three cases were dropped.
The woman being question in LeFlore's death was not the alleged victim in any of the cases against him.
Wentworth Area detectives are investigatin
Midland, TX: Police: Suspect dead in officer-involved shooting
Story by James Cannon
Photo by Cindeka Nealy
Midland Reporter-Telegram | Posted: Thursday, May 12, 2011 11:11 pm
Midland Police confirmed two officers were involved in a shooting that left one man dead late Thursday.
According to Midland police, officers responded to a domestic violence situation called in around 9:47 p.m. in the 5100 block or Ric Drive.
The caller said that a 34-year-old male was causing a disturbance with a weapon. Two officers arrived shortly after, and the male attacked the police officers with a 2-by-4-inch piece of lumber. Officers, according to MPD, suffered minor injuries.
When one policeman was unable to remove the man off the other officer, shots were fired. It is not known at this time if both officers fired, but both are considered part of the shooting since they are directly involved.
The man succumbed to gunshot wounds to the torso around 10:42 p.m. at Midland Memorial Hospital, a Midland PD spokesperson said.
The Texas Rangers were on the scene to investigate the shooting
Photo by Cindeka Nealy
Midland Reporter-Telegram | Posted: Thursday, May 12, 2011 11:11 pm
Midland Police confirmed two officers were involved in a shooting that left one man dead late Thursday.
According to Midland police, officers responded to a domestic violence situation called in around 9:47 p.m. in the 5100 block or Ric Drive.
The caller said that a 34-year-old male was causing a disturbance with a weapon. Two officers arrived shortly after, and the male attacked the police officers with a 2-by-4-inch piece of lumber. Officers, according to MPD, suffered minor injuries.
When one policeman was unable to remove the man off the other officer, shots were fired. It is not known at this time if both officers fired, but both are considered part of the shooting since they are directly involved.
The man succumbed to gunshot wounds to the torso around 10:42 p.m. at Midland Memorial Hospital, a Midland PD spokesperson said.
The Texas Rangers were on the scene to investigate the shooting
Shambaugh, IA: Murder-suicide probed in Iowa
By Kent Dinnebier
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
SHAMBAUGH, Iowa — The deaths Wednesday night of two Shambaugh residents were being investigated as a murder-suicide, law enforcement officials said Thursday.
The bodies of Frank Harley McCoy, 68, and his wife, Karen K. McCoy, were found at their home at 506 Second St.
The Clarinda Safety Center received a 911 call Wednesday just after 7:30 p.m. from Frank McCoy indicating he had killed his wife and was going to kill himself, according to a statement released by the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
“These are things that are supposed to happen somewhere else, not in our neighborhood,” said Pastor Scott Denham of Harvest Fellowship Church in Shambaugh.
“Everyone is shocked and confused because there are so many different stories going around,” Shambaugh resident Catherine McIntyre said Thursday morning.
Wednesday night, Denham was holding a prayer meeting at the church and had stepped out to take a telephone call when he saw the flashing lights from emergency vehicles responding to the 911 call.
“I don't know if I have ever seen as many police vehicles as that in one place in my life. You got the sense there were serious events going down,” Denham said.
Law enforcement personnel secured the home and made numerous attempts to contact the couple. When no one responded, a team of officers entered the home and found the McCoys' bodies.
Ron Grebert of Clarinda said Thursday afternoon he had spoken briefly with Frank McCoy on Wednesday afternoon at the Clarinda Country Club.
“He seemed like normal,” Grebert said. “He was a pretty easygoing type of guy. I just can't believe it. It's kind of shocking.”
During the police response, seven homes in the area were evacuated and the residents sent to Harvest Fellowship Church. Among those evacuated were Shambaugh Mayor Ron Peterman and his wife, Mary.
Mary Peterman said a Page County sheriff's deputy came to their door about 8 p.m. and told them to go to the church.
“It's not anything you expect, but we were not necessarily surprised by it. We had heard the sirens on the highway and knew something was going on, but we did not know what,” Peterman said.
Although the mood of the people who went to the church was calm, Pastor Denham said there was also concern for everyone involved.
Residents were able to return to their homes after 11 p.m.
“You're shocked by it (the apparent murder-suicide) because it's not something you ever expect. It's tragic,” Peterman said.
“I couldn't believe it when I heard it,” McIntyre said. “I thought they were OK. I don't know what went wrong.”
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Page County Sheriff's Office, Page County Attorney Jeremy Peterson and the Clarinda Police Department were attempting to sort it all out on Thursday.
Autopsies were scheduled at the State Medical Examiner's Office in Ankeny.
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
SHAMBAUGH, Iowa — The deaths Wednesday night of two Shambaugh residents were being investigated as a murder-suicide, law enforcement officials said Thursday.
The bodies of Frank Harley McCoy, 68, and his wife, Karen K. McCoy, were found at their home at 506 Second St.
The Clarinda Safety Center received a 911 call Wednesday just after 7:30 p.m. from Frank McCoy indicating he had killed his wife and was going to kill himself, according to a statement released by the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
“These are things that are supposed to happen somewhere else, not in our neighborhood,” said Pastor Scott Denham of Harvest Fellowship Church in Shambaugh.
“Everyone is shocked and confused because there are so many different stories going around,” Shambaugh resident Catherine McIntyre said Thursday morning.
Wednesday night, Denham was holding a prayer meeting at the church and had stepped out to take a telephone call when he saw the flashing lights from emergency vehicles responding to the 911 call.
“I don't know if I have ever seen as many police vehicles as that in one place in my life. You got the sense there were serious events going down,” Denham said.
Law enforcement personnel secured the home and made numerous attempts to contact the couple. When no one responded, a team of officers entered the home and found the McCoys' bodies.
Ron Grebert of Clarinda said Thursday afternoon he had spoken briefly with Frank McCoy on Wednesday afternoon at the Clarinda Country Club.
“He seemed like normal,” Grebert said. “He was a pretty easygoing type of guy. I just can't believe it. It's kind of shocking.”
During the police response, seven homes in the area were evacuated and the residents sent to Harvest Fellowship Church. Among those evacuated were Shambaugh Mayor Ron Peterman and his wife, Mary.
Mary Peterman said a Page County sheriff's deputy came to their door about 8 p.m. and told them to go to the church.
“It's not anything you expect, but we were not necessarily surprised by it. We had heard the sirens on the highway and knew something was going on, but we did not know what,” Peterman said.
Although the mood of the people who went to the church was calm, Pastor Denham said there was also concern for everyone involved.
Residents were able to return to their homes after 11 p.m.
“You're shocked by it (the apparent murder-suicide) because it's not something you ever expect. It's tragic,” Peterman said.
“I couldn't believe it when I heard it,” McIntyre said. “I thought they were OK. I don't know what went wrong.”
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Page County Sheriff's Office, Page County Attorney Jeremy Peterson and the Clarinda Police Department were attempting to sort it all out on Thursday.
Autopsies were scheduled at the State Medical Examiner's Office in Ankeny.
New York, NY: Raul Barrera killed girlfriend Sarah Coit with butcher knife to back of head, suspect told cops
BY Christina Boyle
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, May 12th 2011, 12:10 PM
Raul Barrera, 33, being walked from the 7th precinct in Manhattan's Lower East Side.
The hot-headed boyfriend accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death on the Lower East Side chillingly described the victim's bloody final moments to cops, according to records released Thursday.
"We were fighting over a butcher knife," Raul Barrera confessed to an officer at Manhattan's 9th Precinct in the early hours of April 10, court papers show. "I hit her in the back. There's a lot of blood."
He told the officer, "She is bad and that's why I'm here to turn myself in."
Barrera explained to officers that he and former Hunter College student Sarah Coit had moved into the Clinton St. apartment together but "there were conflicts" and he returned to collect his belongings on April 10.
The 33-year-old public relations staffer, who arrived in court Thursday for his arraignment with a full beard and crisp white shirt, said their fight quickly "escalated."
"She swung the butcher knife," he said at first, continuing, "I cut her in the back. It's really bad. I don't think she's alive."
Then he described his action after the fatal fight. "I dragged her to the bed from the living room ... I changed my pants and changed my shoes," he added.
Barrera was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday morning after a grand jury indicted him on second-degree murder charges.
His lawyer, Paul Feinman, did not ask for bail and said the victim suffered 12 stab wounds in the savage attack, and did not die immediately.
Feinman also stressed to the judge that his client turned himself in about half an hour after leaving the scene of the crime.
Judge Richard Carruthers set the next court hearing for August 3.
District Attorney Cyrus Vance said the tragic case shows "how quickly a domestic dispute can turn deadly."
"Domestic violence is vastly under reported and constitutes both a criminal justice and a public health crisis," he said in a statement. "I urge victims of domestic abuse to break the cycle of silence."
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, May 12th 2011, 12:10 PM
Raul Barrera, 33, being walked from the 7th precinct in Manhattan's Lower East Side.
The hot-headed boyfriend accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death on the Lower East Side chillingly described the victim's bloody final moments to cops, according to records released Thursday.
"We were fighting over a butcher knife," Raul Barrera confessed to an officer at Manhattan's 9th Precinct in the early hours of April 10, court papers show. "I hit her in the back. There's a lot of blood."
He told the officer, "She is bad and that's why I'm here to turn myself in."
Barrera explained to officers that he and former Hunter College student Sarah Coit had moved into the Clinton St. apartment together but "there were conflicts" and he returned to collect his belongings on April 10.
The 33-year-old public relations staffer, who arrived in court Thursday for his arraignment with a full beard and crisp white shirt, said their fight quickly "escalated."
"She swung the butcher knife," he said at first, continuing, "I cut her in the back. It's really bad. I don't think she's alive."
Then he described his action after the fatal fight. "I dragged her to the bed from the living room ... I changed my pants and changed my shoes," he added.
Barrera was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday morning after a grand jury indicted him on second-degree murder charges.
His lawyer, Paul Feinman, did not ask for bail and said the victim suffered 12 stab wounds in the savage attack, and did not die immediately.
Feinman also stressed to the judge that his client turned himself in about half an hour after leaving the scene of the crime.
Judge Richard Carruthers set the next court hearing for August 3.
District Attorney Cyrus Vance said the tragic case shows "how quickly a domestic dispute can turn deadly."
"Domestic violence is vastly under reported and constitutes both a criminal justice and a public health crisis," he said in a statement. "I urge victims of domestic abuse to break the cycle of silence."
Ammon, ID: 5 killed in Idaho murder-suicide
AMMON, Idaho — An Iowa man is believed to have fatally shot his two young sons, their mother and her sister in an eastern Idaho home before setting fire to the house and then shooting himself, authorities said Friday.
A neighbor reported a small fire at the house in Ammon about 3 a.m., leading emergency responders to discover four bodies and a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound, the Bonneville County sheriff’s office said.
The man, Gaylin Leirmoe, later died at Eastern Idaho Medical Center.
Authorities say the two women who died were sisters, 19-year-old Melinda Kern and 22-year-old Michelle Kern. Also killed were Michelle Kern and Leirmoe’s two sons, a 10-month-old and a 3-year-old.
The house where the shootings occurred is in a quiet neighborhood in Ammon, a city of about 12,000 just east of Idaho Falls.
A neighbor reported a small fire at the house in Ammon about 3 a.m., leading emergency responders to discover four bodies and a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound, the Bonneville County sheriff’s office said.
The man, Gaylin Leirmoe, later died at Eastern Idaho Medical Center.
Authorities say the two women who died were sisters, 19-year-old Melinda Kern and 22-year-old Michelle Kern. Also killed were Michelle Kern and Leirmoe’s two sons, a 10-month-old and a 3-year-old.
The house where the shootings occurred is in a quiet neighborhood in Ammon, a city of about 12,000 just east of Idaho Falls.
Concord, NH: NH man says he's 'other half' in murder-suicide
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man who fatally shot his wife, then himself, had called 911 to report a murder-suicide and said he couldn't stay on the line because he was "the other half," the attorney general's office said Thursday.
When police got to the Charlestown home of Bettina and Roderic Lavoie last August, they found the bodies of the couple seated together on a bench. There were two type-written letters from Roderic Lavoie entitled "After I Die" and "What Happened," said Jeffery Strelzin, senior assistant attorney general. He released a statement on his office's completed investigation into the deaths.
Autopsies determined that Mrs. Lavoie died Aug. 19, 2010, of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. She was shot as she went out to her car to go to work, according to the attorney general's office. After shooting her, Lavoie dragged his wife's body onto the bench, sat down next to her, called his mother about what was happening, and then police. He then shot himself in the head, Strelzin said.
As described by the attorney general's office, the letters indicated that Roderic Lavoie, 48, had been ill and that he and his wife, 50, were having marital problems. The letters said she wanted to leave him and he suspected she was seeing someone else, so he put a GPS tracking device on her car.
A male co-worker of Mrs. Lavoie's later confirmed to the attorney general's office that he had been having a romantic relationship with her. He said she told him that her husband would probably shoot them both if he found out she was involved with another man, Strelzin said in the statement.
The couple had been married for 28 years. Lavoie told his mother and son that they were having problems last July, Strelzin said. Lavoie also told his mother he would not do anything "stupid" like his brother had done, referring to his brother's suicide years earlier due to marital problems.
When police got to the Charlestown home of Bettina and Roderic Lavoie last August, they found the bodies of the couple seated together on a bench. There were two type-written letters from Roderic Lavoie entitled "After I Die" and "What Happened," said Jeffery Strelzin, senior assistant attorney general. He released a statement on his office's completed investigation into the deaths.
Autopsies determined that Mrs. Lavoie died Aug. 19, 2010, of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. She was shot as she went out to her car to go to work, according to the attorney general's office. After shooting her, Lavoie dragged his wife's body onto the bench, sat down next to her, called his mother about what was happening, and then police. He then shot himself in the head, Strelzin said.
As described by the attorney general's office, the letters indicated that Roderic Lavoie, 48, had been ill and that he and his wife, 50, were having marital problems. The letters said she wanted to leave him and he suspected she was seeing someone else, so he put a GPS tracking device on her car.
A male co-worker of Mrs. Lavoie's later confirmed to the attorney general's office that he had been having a romantic relationship with her. He said she told him that her husband would probably shoot them both if he found out she was involved with another man, Strelzin said in the statement.
The couple had been married for 28 years. Lavoie told his mother and son that they were having problems last July, Strelzin said. Lavoie also told his mother he would not do anything "stupid" like his brother had done, referring to his brother's suicide years earlier due to marital problems.
San Jose, CA: One victim of San Jose State murder-suicide was Granite Bay High grad
clocke@sacbee.com
PUBLISHED FRIDAY, MAY. 13, 2011
One of the two student victims of a murder-suicide at San Jose State University was a graduate of Granite Bay High School, his father said Thursday.
Thomas Kyle Williams, 26, was shot and killed in a university parking garage. Police say Williams was sitting in a car with fellow accounting student Marcory Caliguiran, 25, Tuesday night when the woman's husband, Napoleon Caliguiran, fired multiple gunshots while standing outside the vehicle owned by the Caliguirans. The gunman then shot himself, police said.
Williams and Marcory Caliguiran were pronounced dead at the scene. Napoleon Caliguiran was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Williams' father, Thomas Williams of Meadow Vista in Placer County, said that his son graduated from Granite Bay High School in 2003. He attended Sierra Community College in Rocklin before transferring to San Jose State University in August 2009.
"He liked to play golf, tennis, ride bikes and wakeboard. He did all the types of things Granite Bay High students did," Thomas Williams said.
He said his son was recently recognized during an honors convocation at the university for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average for the past two semesters. He had been hired by the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and was scheduled to begin work in the company's San Jose office in September.
In addition to his parents, Thomas and Lori Williams, of Meadow Vista, Thomas Kyle Williams leaves his wife of three years, Katie.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that police were still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
"We don't know a lot, and we may never know a lot about the series of events that led up to the parking garage on Tuesday night," said San Jose State spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris.
News of the deaths hit student body President Tomaz Kolodziejak especially hard. He took classes with Marcory Caliguiran, whom he knew as "Cindy," and recently worked with her on a senior project.
Kolodziejak said Thursday that he spoke with the honors student frequently and thought something was wrong when the usually reliable Caliguiran didn't show up for class Wednesday morning.
"We started calling, texting, emailing her. She didn't respond," Kolodziejak told the Associated Press. "So the whole day was sort of terrifying. We thought it could be her, but nobody wanted to believe that. We thought maybe she was sick."
Kolodziejak said that despite their constant contact, he didn't know that Caliguiran was married. He said that several classmates often walked her to her car from classes for general safety and he believes Williams was likely doing that when they were killed Tuesday night.
Kolodziejak said an on-campus memorial likely will be held for the victims.
Thomas Williams said services for his son are pending, but he expects a memorial to be held in San Jose and another in the Granite Bay area.
PUBLISHED FRIDAY, MAY. 13, 2011
One of the two student victims of a murder-suicide at San Jose State University was a graduate of Granite Bay High School, his father said Thursday.
Thomas Kyle Williams, 26, was shot and killed in a university parking garage. Police say Williams was sitting in a car with fellow accounting student Marcory Caliguiran, 25, Tuesday night when the woman's husband, Napoleon Caliguiran, fired multiple gunshots while standing outside the vehicle owned by the Caliguirans. The gunman then shot himself, police said.
Williams and Marcory Caliguiran were pronounced dead at the scene. Napoleon Caliguiran was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Williams' father, Thomas Williams of Meadow Vista in Placer County, said that his son graduated from Granite Bay High School in 2003. He attended Sierra Community College in Rocklin before transferring to San Jose State University in August 2009.
"He liked to play golf, tennis, ride bikes and wakeboard. He did all the types of things Granite Bay High students did," Thomas Williams said.
He said his son was recently recognized during an honors convocation at the university for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average for the past two semesters. He had been hired by the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and was scheduled to begin work in the company's San Jose office in September.
In addition to his parents, Thomas and Lori Williams, of Meadow Vista, Thomas Kyle Williams leaves his wife of three years, Katie.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that police were still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
"We don't know a lot, and we may never know a lot about the series of events that led up to the parking garage on Tuesday night," said San Jose State spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris.
News of the deaths hit student body President Tomaz Kolodziejak especially hard. He took classes with Marcory Caliguiran, whom he knew as "Cindy," and recently worked with her on a senior project.
Kolodziejak said Thursday that he spoke with the honors student frequently and thought something was wrong when the usually reliable Caliguiran didn't show up for class Wednesday morning.
"We started calling, texting, emailing her. She didn't respond," Kolodziejak told the Associated Press. "So the whole day was sort of terrifying. We thought it could be her, but nobody wanted to believe that. We thought maybe she was sick."
Kolodziejak said that despite their constant contact, he didn't know that Caliguiran was married. He said that several classmates often walked her to her car from classes for general safety and he believes Williams was likely doing that when they were killed Tuesday night.
Kolodziejak said an on-campus memorial likely will be held for the victims.
Thomas Williams said services for his son are pending, but he expects a memorial to be held in San Jose and another in the Granite Bay area.
Sylva, NC: PROTECTIVE ORDER FILED HOURS BEFORE MURDERS
Shots fired inside a Sylva home Friday afternoon, may have been triggered by an earlier act of violence. Melody Conger and Kevin Frady were killed Friday, the same day a protection order was filed against the alleged gunman Matthew Moore.
"Unfortunately you can't stop an individual who is intent on committing a murder," says Julia Freeman, Executive Director of Haywood County REACH." A restraining order or criminal charges are not going to prevent that from happening."
Conger filed the protective order after a dispute in the Walmart parking lot Monday, in front of their four month old daughter. Conger states in the order "He grabbed my wrist and bent it backwards, until it popped." The order also states, "It clearly appears that there is a danger of acts of domestic violence against the plaintiff." Hours after the order was filed, Melody Conger was dead.
Friday's murders bring painful memories from the past to the surface for many people in Sylva. Bonnie Woodring was staying at the REACH shelter in Jackson County in 2006, when her estranged husband shot her. Only days before her murder, she had taken out a restraining order against him.
"Unfortunately you can't stop an individual who is intent on committing a murder," says Julia Freeman, Executive Director of Haywood County REACH." A restraining order or criminal charges are not going to prevent that from happening."
Conger filed the protective order after a dispute in the Walmart parking lot Monday, in front of their four month old daughter. Conger states in the order "He grabbed my wrist and bent it backwards, until it popped." The order also states, "It clearly appears that there is a danger of acts of domestic violence against the plaintiff." Hours after the order was filed, Melody Conger was dead.
Friday's murders bring painful memories from the past to the surface for many people in Sylva. Bonnie Woodring was staying at the REACH shelter in Jackson County in 2006, when her estranged husband shot her. Only days before her murder, she had taken out a restraining order against him.
Augusta County, VA: Police identify man killed in standoff
By Chase Purdy
Authorities on Friday identified man found dead following a three-hour barricade situation the night before.
Augusta County Sheriff Randy Fisher said Donald Eugene Bennett, 39, of Dayton, came to the front door of a home in the 500 block of New Hope-Crimora Road looking for his wife and child.
“The estranged wife sought refuge here in Augusta with a family member,” Fisher said. “That’s why this situation happened the way it did.”
Deputies were called to the home Thursday about 4:30 p.m. after Bennett’s mother in law dialed 911 for help. Inv. Brian Jenkins said the woman found Bennett waiting for her when she got home, he was holding a handgun.
As deputies pulled onto the property, Bennett dashed into the house, authorities said. For three hours, investigators tried in vain to contact him using loudspeakers and telephones.
About 9:30 p.m. deputies shot tear gas into the home, broke through the basement window and found Bennett laying dead on the floor with a gunshot wound through his head. A shotgun, handgun and more than 100 rounds of ammunition were discovered on the floor next to him, Fisher said.
Augusta County authorities found themselves in a similar barricade situation in December. That situation, which took place in Greenville, ended when the man inside the home turned himself in to police custody.
“Most of them do end up peacefully,” Fisher said. “But we have had several that decided to take their own lives. There are only two ends to this, one is good and one is bad.”
At the time of the barricade, Bennett had a protective order placed against him by his wife, the sheriff said.
Authorities said they’ll investigate scene photos, sketches and the medical examiner’s report before finding any conclusions in the case.
Authorities on Friday identified man found dead following a three-hour barricade situation the night before.
Augusta County Sheriff Randy Fisher said Donald Eugene Bennett, 39, of Dayton, came to the front door of a home in the 500 block of New Hope-Crimora Road looking for his wife and child.
“The estranged wife sought refuge here in Augusta with a family member,” Fisher said. “That’s why this situation happened the way it did.”
Deputies were called to the home Thursday about 4:30 p.m. after Bennett’s mother in law dialed 911 for help. Inv. Brian Jenkins said the woman found Bennett waiting for her when she got home, he was holding a handgun.
As deputies pulled onto the property, Bennett dashed into the house, authorities said. For three hours, investigators tried in vain to contact him using loudspeakers and telephones.
About 9:30 p.m. deputies shot tear gas into the home, broke through the basement window and found Bennett laying dead on the floor with a gunshot wound through his head. A shotgun, handgun and more than 100 rounds of ammunition were discovered on the floor next to him, Fisher said.
Augusta County authorities found themselves in a similar barricade situation in December. That situation, which took place in Greenville, ended when the man inside the home turned himself in to police custody.
“Most of them do end up peacefully,” Fisher said. “But we have had several that decided to take their own lives. There are only two ends to this, one is good and one is bad.”
At the time of the barricade, Bennett had a protective order placed against him by his wife, the sheriff said.
Authorities said they’ll investigate scene photos, sketches and the medical examiner’s report before finding any conclusions in the case.
Fayetteville, NC: Fayetteville police: Soldier shot girlfriend, himself
Posted: 3:14 p.m. yesterday
Updated: 6:47 p.m. yesterday
A man wounded in a fatal Thursday shooting at a Fayetteville apartment was identified Friday as a Fort Bragg soldier, police said.
Stephanie Thompson, 24, was killed in the shooting at the Summertime Apartments, at 6539 Jeffrey Drive, police said.
Michael Lloyd Williams, 46, was wounded and was listed in critical condition Friday at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, police said.
Williams, who was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, had been romantically involved with Thompson for seven years, police said.
Investigators have determined that Williams shot Thompson several times before turning the gun on himself, police said.
No charges have been filed in the case.
Updated: 6:47 p.m. yesterday
A man wounded in a fatal Thursday shooting at a Fayetteville apartment was identified Friday as a Fort Bragg soldier, police said.
Stephanie Thompson, 24, was killed in the shooting at the Summertime Apartments, at 6539 Jeffrey Drive, police said.
Michael Lloyd Williams, 46, was wounded and was listed in critical condition Friday at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, police said.
Williams, who was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, had been romantically involved with Thompson for seven years, police said.
Investigators have determined that Williams shot Thompson several times before turning the gun on himself, police said.
No charges have been filed in the case.
San Antonio, TX: U.S. Marshals Arrest Fugitive in Midland 5/13/11
May 13, 2011
Midland, TX - A man suspected of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend in San Antonio yesterday has been arrested in Midland.
U.S. Marshals arrested 38-year-old Jose Martinez this afternoon at his grandparent’s house on N. Lamesa.
They tell us the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force alerted them that Martinez had fled San Antonio.
An alert was put out through local police departments for a stolen vehicle.
This afternoon a Midland Police detective spotted the truck which lead the Marshals to another house on N. Lamesa.
Martinez is wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend at an Ashley Home Furniture store Thursday morning.
U.S. Marshal Phill Maxwell tells CBS 7 that Martinez was arrested without problems, and showed no emotion.
****
Press Release from the U.S. Marshal's Office:
On Friday May 13, 2011, the U.S. Marshals in Midland were notified by U.S. Marshals in San Antonio who are all part of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, that there had been a homicide in San Antonio yesterday morning. According to the information, Jose Eladio Martinez (DOB 04/28/1973) had shot and killed his ex wife in San Antonio yesterday morning at a furniture store where they both worked. Martinez is from Midland, and investigators believed that he might have fled to the Midland area. A team of U.S. Marshals investigators immediately began setting up surveillance on different locations, and observed a tan Ford Pickup arrive at one of the addresses, but the male subject driving did not look like a photo that had been provided to investigators. After this person got into another vehicle with another male subject, it was learned that the Ford pickup had been reported stolen out of San Antonio. An attempt to locate was broadcast to local law enforcement, and a Midland Police Detective located the suspect vehicle at a 7-11 store at Big Spring and Wadley. Further investigation revealed that Martinez arrived in Midland last night. This afternoon, he was dropped off at a residence on N. Lamesa street. U.S. Marshals and Midland Police went to that residence and located Martinez. He was arrested without incident, and was not armed at the time of the arrest. He has been taken to the Midland County Sheriff’s office and will be moved back to Bexar County at a later date to face charges related to the murder.
Midland, TX - A man suspected of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend in San Antonio yesterday has been arrested in Midland.
U.S. Marshals arrested 38-year-old Jose Martinez this afternoon at his grandparent’s house on N. Lamesa.
They tell us the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force alerted them that Martinez had fled San Antonio.
An alert was put out through local police departments for a stolen vehicle.
This afternoon a Midland Police detective spotted the truck which lead the Marshals to another house on N. Lamesa.
Martinez is wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend at an Ashley Home Furniture store Thursday morning.
U.S. Marshal Phill Maxwell tells CBS 7 that Martinez was arrested without problems, and showed no emotion.
****
Press Release from the U.S. Marshal's Office:
On Friday May 13, 2011, the U.S. Marshals in Midland were notified by U.S. Marshals in San Antonio who are all part of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, that there had been a homicide in San Antonio yesterday morning. According to the information, Jose Eladio Martinez (DOB 04/28/1973) had shot and killed his ex wife in San Antonio yesterday morning at a furniture store where they both worked. Martinez is from Midland, and investigators believed that he might have fled to the Midland area. A team of U.S. Marshals investigators immediately began setting up surveillance on different locations, and observed a tan Ford Pickup arrive at one of the addresses, but the male subject driving did not look like a photo that had been provided to investigators. After this person got into another vehicle with another male subject, it was learned that the Ford pickup had been reported stolen out of San Antonio. An attempt to locate was broadcast to local law enforcement, and a Midland Police Detective located the suspect vehicle at a 7-11 store at Big Spring and Wadley. Further investigation revealed that Martinez arrived in Midland last night. This afternoon, he was dropped off at a residence on N. Lamesa street. U.S. Marshals and Midland Police went to that residence and located Martinez. He was arrested without incident, and was not armed at the time of the arrest. He has been taken to the Midland County Sheriff’s office and will be moved back to Bexar County at a later date to face charges related to the murder.
Everett, WA: Lynnwood man charged with second-degree murder in wife’s death
EVERETT -- Prosecutors on Friday filed a second-degree murder charge against a Lynnwood area man accused of killing his wife April 15.
Bart R. Larsen, 49, was charged in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Snohomish County sheriff's deputies believe Bart Larsen is responsible for the death of his wife. Cristy Ann Larsen, 47, was found slain at her home Saturday in the 1700 block of 215th Street SW after a relative called to have deputies check on her welfare.
The couple, both grocery store meat cutters, had been married for 17 years.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner found that Cristy Larsen died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Bart R. Larsen, 49, was charged in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Snohomish County sheriff's deputies believe Bart Larsen is responsible for the death of his wife. Cristy Ann Larsen, 47, was found slain at her home Saturday in the 1700 block of 215th Street SW after a relative called to have deputies check on her welfare.
The couple, both grocery store meat cutters, had been married for 17 years.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner found that Cristy Larsen died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Kingman, KS: Kansas lawman charged in wife's death
Published 08:20 p.m., Friday, May 13, 2011
KINGMAN, Kan. (AP) — A south-central Kansas law enforcement officer is charged with first-degree murder and arson in the death of his wife.
Thirty-four-year-old Vashti Seacat was found in her burned-out Kingman home following a suspicious fire April 30. Thirty-five-year-old Brett Seacat was charged Friday by the attorney general and held in the Kingman County Jail. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
The charges allege Seacat killed his wife and put their two young sons in danger in setting the fire. The Hutchinson News reports authorities aren't commenting further while the investigation continues.
Seacat is a police instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and a former Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy.
Vashti Seacat had filed for divorce about two weeks before the fire.
KINGMAN, Kan. (AP) — A south-central Kansas law enforcement officer is charged with first-degree murder and arson in the death of his wife.
Thirty-four-year-old Vashti Seacat was found in her burned-out Kingman home following a suspicious fire April 30. Thirty-five-year-old Brett Seacat was charged Friday by the attorney general and held in the Kingman County Jail. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
The charges allege Seacat killed his wife and put their two young sons in danger in setting the fire. The Hutchinson News reports authorities aren't commenting further while the investigation continues.
Seacat is a police instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and a former Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy.
Vashti Seacat had filed for divorce about two weeks before the fire.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Carroll, IA: Woman missing; family wonders
By Andrew J. Nelson
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
She was 50 years old and lonely, going through a divorce.
He was 54 and said he was no longer with his wife. That wasn't true.
She is Dawn Allen, a longtime resident of Carroll, Iowa, and the manager of a Subway restaurant there. She is missing.
He was James Snovelle, 54, of Rolfe, Iowa. The two had been dating. He had met her family. Police wanted to talk with him, but now he's dead.
Snovelle killed himself Monday in rural eastern Kansas as authorities closed in. And with him went the best link investigators have to Allen's disappearance.
They don't know if she is alive or dead. They don't know if Snovelle had anything to do with her disappearance.
“At this point it's like one of those games you play at the fair, where you turn things over and hope something is underneath it,” said Carroll Police Chief Jeff Cayler.
The uncertainty weighs on Allen's family.
“The anxiety is just unbelievable. It's like it's not even real. It feels like a movie. These are not the things you think actually happen to people,” said her son, Gregg Taylor, 29, of Carroll.
Allen is a longtime employee of and manager of the Subway on U.S. Highway 30 on the east side of town. Locals could count on a first-name greeting from her.
“She's just happy. Just really outgoing. I would venture to say she probably knows 99 percent of the people who come through there,” Cayler said.
But in 2010, much wasn't going well for her. Allen and her husband of more than two decades separated, though they remain friendly. And in September, younger son Michael Allen died suddenly at 26.
“It was definitely a rough couple of months,” Gregg Taylor said. “Especially through Christmas.”
At some point, her family believes, she met Snovelle online. It began as a friendship, her son said. Snovelle was someone to share a movie or dinner with.
“She wasn't looking for a boyfriend. She wasn't looking for a husband,” Taylor said. “She was just looking for someone to share time with, to be normal.”
She introduced Snovelle to Taylor at an outing for her 50th birthday in February.
“He would open doors for mom or offer to cook food. He even helped her mow the lawn a couple of times. He just seemed like an average guy. He never really got upset about anything,” Taylor said.
He said he had been separated from his wife for several years, something that Allen, Taylor said, believed to be true.
It wasn't.
Cayler said that although Snovelle traveled a lot, he was married and living with his wife in Rolfe at the time of his death.
Snovelle told Allen his job involved making deliveries. But investigators are not really sure what he did. He had been unemployed since at least February.
“We've just uncovered so many inconsistencies it's hard to tell what might be accurate and what is not,” Cayler said.
Members of Snovelle's family declined to comment when reached by The World-Herald on Wednesday. Cayler said they are cooperating with the investigation.
Allen was last seen at her home on May 4. The next day, she was reported missing.
Authorities began looking for Snovelle, describing him as “a witness,” saying he could be traveling in Iowa, Missouri or Kansas. On Monday evening, they found him in Coffey County, Kan., on rural land his family once owned.
He took off on foot but was soon spotted crossing a stream. He then pulled a gun and shot himself. Officers searched the property, but did not find anything helpful, Cayler said.
On Wednesday evening, the police chief once again walked through Allen's home. He found no signs of foul play. Cayler is hopeful but also fearful. There are a lot of miles between Carroll and eastern Kansas.
“If he had done something bad to Dawn, it's hard to tell where he would have ultimately left her.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1310, andrew.nelson@owh.com
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
She was 50 years old and lonely, going through a divorce.
He was 54 and said he was no longer with his wife. That wasn't true.
She is Dawn Allen, a longtime resident of Carroll, Iowa, and the manager of a Subway restaurant there. She is missing.
He was James Snovelle, 54, of Rolfe, Iowa. The two had been dating. He had met her family. Police wanted to talk with him, but now he's dead.
Snovelle killed himself Monday in rural eastern Kansas as authorities closed in. And with him went the best link investigators have to Allen's disappearance.
They don't know if she is alive or dead. They don't know if Snovelle had anything to do with her disappearance.
“At this point it's like one of those games you play at the fair, where you turn things over and hope something is underneath it,” said Carroll Police Chief Jeff Cayler.
The uncertainty weighs on Allen's family.
“The anxiety is just unbelievable. It's like it's not even real. It feels like a movie. These are not the things you think actually happen to people,” said her son, Gregg Taylor, 29, of Carroll.
Allen is a longtime employee of and manager of the Subway on U.S. Highway 30 on the east side of town. Locals could count on a first-name greeting from her.
“She's just happy. Just really outgoing. I would venture to say she probably knows 99 percent of the people who come through there,” Cayler said.
But in 2010, much wasn't going well for her. Allen and her husband of more than two decades separated, though they remain friendly. And in September, younger son Michael Allen died suddenly at 26.
“It was definitely a rough couple of months,” Gregg Taylor said. “Especially through Christmas.”
At some point, her family believes, she met Snovelle online. It began as a friendship, her son said. Snovelle was someone to share a movie or dinner with.
“She wasn't looking for a boyfriend. She wasn't looking for a husband,” Taylor said. “She was just looking for someone to share time with, to be normal.”
She introduced Snovelle to Taylor at an outing for her 50th birthday in February.
“He would open doors for mom or offer to cook food. He even helped her mow the lawn a couple of times. He just seemed like an average guy. He never really got upset about anything,” Taylor said.
He said he had been separated from his wife for several years, something that Allen, Taylor said, believed to be true.
It wasn't.
Cayler said that although Snovelle traveled a lot, he was married and living with his wife in Rolfe at the time of his death.
Snovelle told Allen his job involved making deliveries. But investigators are not really sure what he did. He had been unemployed since at least February.
“We've just uncovered so many inconsistencies it's hard to tell what might be accurate and what is not,” Cayler said.
Members of Snovelle's family declined to comment when reached by The World-Herald on Wednesday. Cayler said they are cooperating with the investigation.
Allen was last seen at her home on May 4. The next day, she was reported missing.
Authorities began looking for Snovelle, describing him as “a witness,” saying he could be traveling in Iowa, Missouri or Kansas. On Monday evening, they found him in Coffey County, Kan., on rural land his family once owned.
He took off on foot but was soon spotted crossing a stream. He then pulled a gun and shot himself. Officers searched the property, but did not find anything helpful, Cayler said.
On Wednesday evening, the police chief once again walked through Allen's home. He found no signs of foul play. Cayler is hopeful but also fearful. There are a lot of miles between Carroll and eastern Kansas.
“If he had done something bad to Dawn, it's hard to tell where he would have ultimately left her.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1310, andrew.nelson@owh.com
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Crowley, LA: Crowley man booked with second-degree murder in stabbing death of girlfriend
CROWLEY, La. — Police have arrested a Crowley man, accused of killing his 26-year-old live-in girlfriend and concealing her body behind bedroom furniture.
Police Chief K.P. Gibson tells The Advocate family members found Latosha Johnson's body during a Tuesday morning search of her home.
Gibson says Johnson had been stabbed, although an exact cause of death will be determined during a scheduled autopsy.
He says Johnson's boyfriend, 22-year-old Larry Jackson, was arrested by the Lafayette police on a warrant for second-degree murder.
Jackson's bail has been set at $750,000.
It was not immediately known whether Jackson has an attorney.
___
Police Chief K.P. Gibson tells The Advocate family members found Latosha Johnson's body during a Tuesday morning search of her home.
Gibson says Johnson had been stabbed, although an exact cause of death will be determined during a scheduled autopsy.
He says Johnson's boyfriend, 22-year-old Larry Jackson, was arrested by the Lafayette police on a warrant for second-degree murder.
Jackson's bail has been set at $750,000.
It was not immediately known whether Jackson has an attorney.
___
San Antonio, TX: Man goes on trial for shooting death of girlfriend
By Guillermo Contreras
Tobacco chewers could get tax cut
Experts suggest how to improve kids' nutrition
A San Antonio man went on trial Wednesday, charged in the fatal shooting his girlfriend, but his lawyer argued that it was accidental.
Leonard Terrazas entered not guilty pleas to charges of murder and manslaughter in the Sept. 29, 2008, death of Samantha Herrera, 19, a student at San Antonio College.
Prosecutor Catherine Hayes told jurors that Terrazas, 23, bought a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun “from some homeboys” before the shooting, purportedly for protection.
Hayes told the jury they would hear testimony that Terrazas took the gun to his mother's home, where he lived with Herrera, loaded it and fired a fatal shot went through Herrera's head and out her neck, Hayes said. Herrera would have turned 20 the following day.
When police arrived, Terrazas was “very, very upset,” holding Herrera and not wanting to let go, Hayes said.
“The defense will say it was an accident, that he didn't mean to kill her,” Hayes said.
But Hayes alleged that Terrazas intentionally fired the gun or was reckless with it. She noted that jurors will also hear evidence that Terrazas was possessive and controlling, giving a hint of a motive prosecutors plan to show.
“If you point a gun at someone's head and pull the trigger, the result is murder,” Hayes said.
Terrazas' lawyer, Robert Featherston, told the jury that his client does not dispute shooting Herrera.
But “the evidence will show it was not an intentional or reckless act,” Featherston said. He urged jurors to keep an open mind because “you will see it was not a voluntary act.”
In a videotaped statement Terrazas gave to police, Terrazas said he had been showing Herrera how to use the gun and both even tried “dry firing” it — squeezing the trigger without bullets in it.
But, according to his statement, as Terrazas showed Herrera the safety button, the gun went off. He was adamant he had believed there was no round in the chamber.
“It went, ‘Pop!' I looked up and I thought I hit the wall,” Terrazas said in the statement.
Terrazas faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
Tobacco chewers could get tax cut
Experts suggest how to improve kids' nutrition
A San Antonio man went on trial Wednesday, charged in the fatal shooting his girlfriend, but his lawyer argued that it was accidental.
Leonard Terrazas entered not guilty pleas to charges of murder and manslaughter in the Sept. 29, 2008, death of Samantha Herrera, 19, a student at San Antonio College.
Prosecutor Catherine Hayes told jurors that Terrazas, 23, bought a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun “from some homeboys” before the shooting, purportedly for protection.
Hayes told the jury they would hear testimony that Terrazas took the gun to his mother's home, where he lived with Herrera, loaded it and fired a fatal shot went through Herrera's head and out her neck, Hayes said. Herrera would have turned 20 the following day.
When police arrived, Terrazas was “very, very upset,” holding Herrera and not wanting to let go, Hayes said.
“The defense will say it was an accident, that he didn't mean to kill her,” Hayes said.
But Hayes alleged that Terrazas intentionally fired the gun or was reckless with it. She noted that jurors will also hear evidence that Terrazas was possessive and controlling, giving a hint of a motive prosecutors plan to show.
“If you point a gun at someone's head and pull the trigger, the result is murder,” Hayes said.
Terrazas' lawyer, Robert Featherston, told the jury that his client does not dispute shooting Herrera.
But “the evidence will show it was not an intentional or reckless act,” Featherston said. He urged jurors to keep an open mind because “you will see it was not a voluntary act.”
In a videotaped statement Terrazas gave to police, Terrazas said he had been showing Herrera how to use the gun and both even tried “dry firing” it — squeezing the trigger without bullets in it.
But, according to his statement, as Terrazas showed Herrera the safety button, the gun went off. He was adamant he had believed there was no round in the chamber.
“It went, ‘Pop!' I looked up and I thought I hit the wall,” Terrazas said in the statement.
Terrazas faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
Los Angeles, CA: Parole Denied for Killer Who Dumped Girlfriend's Body in National Forest
Prosecutors say Kevin Frank Henriques, 40, still claims the death of his girlfriend, Theresa Cacho, was an accident.
By Jenna Chandler | Email the author | 2:06pm
Parole was denied Tuesday for a Riverside man who strangled to death his girlfriend in the 1990s and dumped her dead body in the Cleveland National Forest.
Kevin Frank Henriques, 40, was convicted by a jury of first degree murder in 1993, and will not be eligible for parole again until 2016. The Orange County District's Attorney Office objected to Henriques' possible release Tuesday, saying the convicted strangler continues to claim that the death of his live-in girlfriend, Theresa Cacho, was an accident.
The D.A. has said that contrary to evidence presented during the trial, including testimony from a friend who said Henriques admitted to the murder, and from an autopsy report proving Cacho was strangled, Henriques still claims Cacho, 20, died after falling and hitting her head.
"Henriques' failure to take responsibility for his crime, lack of remorse, and continuous denial of his guilt demonstrates that he still poses a threat to public safety and the community," the D.A. wrote in a press release.
Investigators linked Henriques to the murder after two hikers discovered her body, partially-decomposed and gagged, on a slope in the national forest.
Prosecutors later proved to a jury that Henriques, then 19-years-old, strangled Cacho by handcuffing her and stuffing socks wrapped in plastic bags into her mouth. The couple had gotten into an argument in their Riverside home before the murder.
When Henriques' roommate Brian Davidson, 18, returned home, Henriques admitted to Davidson that he had murdered Cacho. Henriques and Davidson wrapped the body in a blue blanket and put her in Henriques' car trunk. They then drove to a remote area of the Cleveland National Forest and discarded the body by rolling it down a hill.
A spokeswoman for the D.A.'s Office said she did not have a more precise location of where Cacho's body was found. A Los Angeles Times article published after the discovery reported that Cacho's body was found at the bottom of an embankment about 4 ½ miles from Ortega Highway.
In February 1993, Henriques was convicted by a jury of first degree murder, but a judge reduced the conviction to second degree murder and sentenced Henriques to 15 years to life in state prison. According to the D.A., if Henriques had been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison based on the jury's first degree murder conviction, he would not have yet been eligible for parole Tuesday.
Henriques is currently being held at Avenal State Prison.
By Jenna Chandler | Email the author | 2:06pm
Parole was denied Tuesday for a Riverside man who strangled to death his girlfriend in the 1990s and dumped her dead body in the Cleveland National Forest.
Kevin Frank Henriques, 40, was convicted by a jury of first degree murder in 1993, and will not be eligible for parole again until 2016. The Orange County District's Attorney Office objected to Henriques' possible release Tuesday, saying the convicted strangler continues to claim that the death of his live-in girlfriend, Theresa Cacho, was an accident.
The D.A. has said that contrary to evidence presented during the trial, including testimony from a friend who said Henriques admitted to the murder, and from an autopsy report proving Cacho was strangled, Henriques still claims Cacho, 20, died after falling and hitting her head.
"Henriques' failure to take responsibility for his crime, lack of remorse, and continuous denial of his guilt demonstrates that he still poses a threat to public safety and the community," the D.A. wrote in a press release.
Investigators linked Henriques to the murder after two hikers discovered her body, partially-decomposed and gagged, on a slope in the national forest.
Prosecutors later proved to a jury that Henriques, then 19-years-old, strangled Cacho by handcuffing her and stuffing socks wrapped in plastic bags into her mouth. The couple had gotten into an argument in their Riverside home before the murder.
When Henriques' roommate Brian Davidson, 18, returned home, Henriques admitted to Davidson that he had murdered Cacho. Henriques and Davidson wrapped the body in a blue blanket and put her in Henriques' car trunk. They then drove to a remote area of the Cleveland National Forest and discarded the body by rolling it down a hill.
A spokeswoman for the D.A.'s Office said she did not have a more precise location of where Cacho's body was found. A Los Angeles Times article published after the discovery reported that Cacho's body was found at the bottom of an embankment about 4 ½ miles from Ortega Highway.
In February 1993, Henriques was convicted by a jury of first degree murder, but a judge reduced the conviction to second degree murder and sentenced Henriques to 15 years to life in state prison. According to the D.A., if Henriques had been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison based on the jury's first degree murder conviction, he would not have yet been eligible for parole Tuesday.
Henriques is currently being held at Avenal State Prison.
King County, WA: Man sentenced to 32 years for killing Kent woman in 2007
Posted by Jennifer Sullivan
It took a King County jury only about a day to find Randall Conner guilty last month of stabbing to death his girlfriend in Kent in 2007
On Wednesday, Conner was sentenced to 32 years in prison for the first-degree murder of Merianne Lorentson, a personal trainer, aspiring model and mother.
Lorentson, 24, lived in fear of Connor, a man whom Lorentson was reportedly trying to break up with in the last days of her life, according to court filings. She had complained to friends that Connor was abusive and allegedly had assaulted her and threatened her at gunpoint, according to court charging papers.
In the days before her death she made a pact with a close friend -- if a day went by and she didn't call, then the friend should contact police.
After not hearing from Lorentson for more than a day, the friend called the manager of her Kent apartment complex on March 9, 2007. The manager found her body on her living-room floor. According to police, she had been stabbed more than 30 times.
Connor was quickly considered the lead suspect, but police said they needed time for DNA and other evidence to be processed. When Connor was charged with her slaying in 2008, he was in prison in California for violating the terms of his parole on an armed-robbery charge.
During Conner's trial, King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Snow portrayed him as a bully who overpowered the slim model. She said that the 6-foot-4 Connor was a muscular 250 pounds at the time of Lorentson's slaying. Snow said police found no defensive wounds on the much smaller victim.
"Marianne Lorentson was completely overpowered. She offered little to no resistance to her killer," Snow told jurors.
But defense attorney Don Minor criticized the prosecution for lacking enough evidence to prove that Conner was responsible for the slaying. Minor said DNA from at least one other person was also found in Lorentson's apartment and that Lorentson had been dating another man.
It took a King County jury only about a day to find Randall Conner guilty last month of stabbing to death his girlfriend in Kent in 2007
On Wednesday, Conner was sentenced to 32 years in prison for the first-degree murder of Merianne Lorentson, a personal trainer, aspiring model and mother.
Lorentson, 24, lived in fear of Connor, a man whom Lorentson was reportedly trying to break up with in the last days of her life, according to court filings. She had complained to friends that Connor was abusive and allegedly had assaulted her and threatened her at gunpoint, according to court charging papers.
In the days before her death she made a pact with a close friend -- if a day went by and she didn't call, then the friend should contact police.
After not hearing from Lorentson for more than a day, the friend called the manager of her Kent apartment complex on March 9, 2007. The manager found her body on her living-room floor. According to police, she had been stabbed more than 30 times.
Connor was quickly considered the lead suspect, but police said they needed time for DNA and other evidence to be processed. When Connor was charged with her slaying in 2008, he was in prison in California for violating the terms of his parole on an armed-robbery charge.
During Conner's trial, King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Snow portrayed him as a bully who overpowered the slim model. She said that the 6-foot-4 Connor was a muscular 250 pounds at the time of Lorentson's slaying. Snow said police found no defensive wounds on the much smaller victim.
"Marianne Lorentson was completely overpowered. She offered little to no resistance to her killer," Snow told jurors.
But defense attorney Don Minor criticized the prosecution for lacking enough evidence to prove that Conner was responsible for the slaying. Minor said DNA from at least one other person was also found in Lorentson's apartment and that Lorentson had been dating another man.
Riverside, CA: Love Triangle Suspected in Deadly Riverside Shooting
An officer shot and killed a man suspected of murdering his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KTLA) -- Residents of an upscale gated community in Riverside say a man shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in a jealous rage before officers arrived and shot him dead.
Police were called to a home in the 11500 block of Trailway Drive, located inside "The Palisades" gated community, just before 6 p.m. Tuesday for a reported shooting.
The gunman, identified as 46-year-old Virgil Millon, confronted an arriving officer and was shot, officials said. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Investigators later found two bodies -- one in the front yard and another on a curb.
Neighbors told KTLA that the victims were Millon's ex-girlfriend Arabella Bradford, 38, and her new boyfriend, Malvin Conely, 43.
Millon was said to have been obsessed with Bradford.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KTLA) -- Residents of an upscale gated community in Riverside say a man shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in a jealous rage before officers arrived and shot him dead.
Police were called to a home in the 11500 block of Trailway Drive, located inside "The Palisades" gated community, just before 6 p.m. Tuesday for a reported shooting.
The gunman, identified as 46-year-old Virgil Millon, confronted an arriving officer and was shot, officials said. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Investigators later found two bodies -- one in the front yard and another on a curb.
Neighbors told KTLA that the victims were Millon's ex-girlfriend Arabella Bradford, 38, and her new boyfriend, Malvin Conely, 43.
Millon was said to have been obsessed with Bradford.
Bethlehem, PA: Police: Pa. woman killed in attempted murder-suicide, 2 children in home at time of shooting
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Authorities say a Pennsylvania woman was fatally shot by a man who then tried to kill himself inside a home where two children were present.
Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek says a woman was killed and a man injured in the shooting late Tuesday in Bethlehem. The man was hospitalized in critical condition.
Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics tells The Morning Call of Allentown the slain woman was Margie Reyes.
The Express-Times of Easton interviewed Reyes in 2005 about the construction of the Habitat for Humanity home where she was killed.
Bedics says a teenager and a child younger than 10 were at the home at the time of the shooing and one of them called 911 to report a domestic dispute and gunfire. Neither child was injured.
Margie Reyes' on-again, off-again boyfriend of more than 20 years is accused of shooting her to death Tuesday night at home, according to her brother.
Police told the family that Luis Montero, the father of Reyes' three children, shot her in the 1501 E. Seventh St., Bethlehem, home, said Gilbert Reyes, of Washington, N.J.
Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek says a woman was killed and a man injured in the shooting late Tuesday in Bethlehem. The man was hospitalized in critical condition.
Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics tells The Morning Call of Allentown the slain woman was Margie Reyes.
The Express-Times of Easton interviewed Reyes in 2005 about the construction of the Habitat for Humanity home where she was killed.
Bedics says a teenager and a child younger than 10 were at the home at the time of the shooing and one of them called 911 to report a domestic dispute and gunfire. Neither child was injured.
Margie Reyes' on-again, off-again boyfriend of more than 20 years is accused of shooting her to death Tuesday night at home, according to her brother.
Police told the family that Luis Montero, the father of Reyes' three children, shot her in the 1501 E. Seventh St., Bethlehem, home, said Gilbert Reyes, of Washington, N.J.
Calimesa, CA: CALIMESA MURDER ALLEGED: Retrial of Former Police Detective in Wife's Death Resumes
Cristi Hall, 47, died of drowning in June 2007 at 1209 Belle Road in Calimesa, according to court records. She also had head lacerations and bruises on her body, a pathologist determined. Blair Christopher Hall, 52, is charged with murder.
By Guy McCarthy | Email the author | May 9, 2011
The retrial of a former San Bernardino police detective accused of first-degree murder in the death of his 47-year-old wife in Calimesa resumed Monday in Riverside.
Cristi Lynne Hall died of drowning in June 2007 at 1209 Belle Road in Calimesa, according to court records. She also had head lacerations and bruises on her body, a pathologist determined.
Blair Christopher Hall, 52, faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted, according to court officials. His first trial on suspicion of murder ended with a hung jury a year ago, when a third of the 12-member jury voted for acquittal.
Blair Hall remains free on $350,000 bail.
Prosecutors contend that Blair Hall killed his wife "to reap the money paid by her life insurance policies," according to court records.
The following is from a prosecutors' court brief:
At 6:38 a.m. June 7, 2007, paramedics were dispatched to 1209 Belle Road in Calimesa in Riverside County. A neighbor, Lindsay Patterson, called 9-1-1 and reported seeing Blair Hall holding a woman under the water of a small hot tub in the backyard of the home, according to prosecutors.
Blair Hall's daughter also called 9-1-1 from 1209 Belle Road.
When paramedics and deputies arrived, they found Blair Hall performing CPR on his 47-year-old wife, Cristi Hall. She was in full arrest and never showed any signs of life, according to prosecutors. She was pronounced dead a short time later at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning.
A pathologist determined the cause of Cristi Hall's death was drowning. She also had a laceration on the top of her head and a laceration on the back of her head. She had five rib fractures, and bruises and other injuries on her back, hands, arms, elbow, torso and face, according to prosecutors.
Blair Hall had several scratches on his body, and DNA under his wife's fingernails "definitively matched" Blair Hall's DNA, according to prosecutors.
Blair Hall's attorneys contended during trial last year that Cristi Hall slipped, hit her head and drowned.
Blair Hall has maintained he is innocent, and his perspective is backed by his and Cristi Hall's three daughters, and members of Cristi Hall's family. Blair and Cristi Hall were married nearly 30 years.
Blair Hall worked for the San Bernardino Police Department from 1982 to 1994, and he took medical retirement after being shot in one leg. He then worked briefly as police chief in two Idaho towns.
In February 2000, Blair Hall was convicted in Idaho for misuse of public monies by a law enforcement officer.
Prosecutors alleged he embezzled about $19,000 from a police fund and he was sentenced to seven years in prison, according to Riverside County court records. The sentence was suspended, probation was granted, and Blair Hall served one year in jail. He completed probation in 2005, according to prosecutors.
Blair Hall was working as a private investigator in Yucaipa at the time of his wife's death.
Jury selection in the retrial was expected to begin Monday or Tuesday. Opening statements were expected on Thursday.
By Guy McCarthy | Email the author | May 9, 2011
The retrial of a former San Bernardino police detective accused of first-degree murder in the death of his 47-year-old wife in Calimesa resumed Monday in Riverside.
Cristi Lynne Hall died of drowning in June 2007 at 1209 Belle Road in Calimesa, according to court records. She also had head lacerations and bruises on her body, a pathologist determined.
Blair Christopher Hall, 52, faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted, according to court officials. His first trial on suspicion of murder ended with a hung jury a year ago, when a third of the 12-member jury voted for acquittal.
Blair Hall remains free on $350,000 bail.
Prosecutors contend that Blair Hall killed his wife "to reap the money paid by her life insurance policies," according to court records.
The following is from a prosecutors' court brief:
At 6:38 a.m. June 7, 2007, paramedics were dispatched to 1209 Belle Road in Calimesa in Riverside County. A neighbor, Lindsay Patterson, called 9-1-1 and reported seeing Blair Hall holding a woman under the water of a small hot tub in the backyard of the home, according to prosecutors.
Blair Hall's daughter also called 9-1-1 from 1209 Belle Road.
When paramedics and deputies arrived, they found Blair Hall performing CPR on his 47-year-old wife, Cristi Hall. She was in full arrest and never showed any signs of life, according to prosecutors. She was pronounced dead a short time later at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning.
A pathologist determined the cause of Cristi Hall's death was drowning. She also had a laceration on the top of her head and a laceration on the back of her head. She had five rib fractures, and bruises and other injuries on her back, hands, arms, elbow, torso and face, according to prosecutors.
Blair Hall had several scratches on his body, and DNA under his wife's fingernails "definitively matched" Blair Hall's DNA, according to prosecutors.
Blair Hall's attorneys contended during trial last year that Cristi Hall slipped, hit her head and drowned.
Blair Hall has maintained he is innocent, and his perspective is backed by his and Cristi Hall's three daughters, and members of Cristi Hall's family. Blair and Cristi Hall were married nearly 30 years.
Blair Hall worked for the San Bernardino Police Department from 1982 to 1994, and he took medical retirement after being shot in one leg. He then worked briefly as police chief in two Idaho towns.
In February 2000, Blair Hall was convicted in Idaho for misuse of public monies by a law enforcement officer.
Prosecutors alleged he embezzled about $19,000 from a police fund and he was sentenced to seven years in prison, according to Riverside County court records. The sentence was suspended, probation was granted, and Blair Hall served one year in jail. He completed probation in 2005, according to prosecutors.
Blair Hall was working as a private investigator in Yucaipa at the time of his wife's death.
Jury selection in the retrial was expected to begin Monday or Tuesday. Opening statements were expected on Thursday.
Lexington, SC: Lexington man charged with fatally stabbing his estranged wife
By JOHN MONK, jmonk@thestate.com
A 54-year-old Lexington man will be charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of his estranged wife whose body was found Monday at her home on South Lake Drive near Lexington.
William Russell Constance, 54, of 157 Weaver Drive, Lexington is being detained in Georgetown County by law enforcement. Lexington County deputies are on route with an arrest warrant on murder charges, said Sheriff Jimmy Metts.
The warrant alleges that Constance stabbed Margaret Earline Constance, 52, of 1659 South Lake Drive, Lot C., about 25 times at her home.
Murder suspect William Russell Constance
- Lexington County Sheriff's Dept.
Detectives have recovered the knife used to kill her.
The motive remains under investigation, Metts said in a press release.
At the time he was taken into custody by Georgetown city police, William Constance was driving his estranged wife’s 2002 Buick sedan, Metts said.
Law officials had broadcast a national alert to be on the lookout for her car after her body was found Monday night.
Shortly after noon Tuesday, a city of Georgetown police officer who checked the Buick’s license tag took Constance into custody.
Deputies discovered the body Monday night after the victim’s sister called the sheriff’s department and asked them to go by. The sister had been unable to reach the dead woman.
Detectives arriving at the house shortly before 8 p.m. found the doors locked. The landlord used a key to let the deputies in. She was found on the floor in the master bedroom.
Corner Harry Harman said an autopsy showed that Constance was killed sometime on Sunday. He has ruled the death a homicide.
Reach Monk at 803-771-8344.
A 54-year-old Lexington man will be charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of his estranged wife whose body was found Monday at her home on South Lake Drive near Lexington.
William Russell Constance, 54, of 157 Weaver Drive, Lexington is being detained in Georgetown County by law enforcement. Lexington County deputies are on route with an arrest warrant on murder charges, said Sheriff Jimmy Metts.
The warrant alleges that Constance stabbed Margaret Earline Constance, 52, of 1659 South Lake Drive, Lot C., about 25 times at her home.
Murder suspect William Russell Constance
- Lexington County Sheriff's Dept.
Detectives have recovered the knife used to kill her.
The motive remains under investigation, Metts said in a press release.
At the time he was taken into custody by Georgetown city police, William Constance was driving his estranged wife’s 2002 Buick sedan, Metts said.
Law officials had broadcast a national alert to be on the lookout for her car after her body was found Monday night.
Shortly after noon Tuesday, a city of Georgetown police officer who checked the Buick’s license tag took Constance into custody.
Deputies discovered the body Monday night after the victim’s sister called the sheriff’s department and asked them to go by. The sister had been unable to reach the dead woman.
Detectives arriving at the house shortly before 8 p.m. found the doors locked. The landlord used a key to let the deputies in. She was found on the floor in the master bedroom.
Corner Harry Harman said an autopsy showed that Constance was killed sometime on Sunday. He has ruled the death a homicide.
Reach Monk at 803-771-8344.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Trenton, FL: Trenton man indicted for murder in death of girlfriend
By Karen Voyles
Staff writer
Published: Monday, May 9, 2011 at 7:42 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, May 9, 2011 at 7:42 p.m.
A Trenton man has been indicted for first-degree murder in the strangulation death of his girlfriend.
Gary “Andy” Andrew Sullivan, 34, of 6430 NW 170th St. was arrested in mid-April and charged with murdering Summer Lynn Keller, 31.
The Levy County Sheriff’s Office said Sullivan called deputies on April 8 to report finding his girlfriend hanging from a tree after the couple had argued.
In a news release about Keller’s death, the Sheriff’s Office said statements from witnesses, inconsistent statements by Sullivan and evidence, including an autopsy report, did not support Sullivan’s version of events. Although Sullivan was indicted for the strangulation death of Keller, officials, including State Attorney Bill Cervone, have not said how she was strangled. Investigators previously said the instrument used to hang Keller was not the cause of her death.
Cervone also said he would not seek the death penalty in the case.
Staff writer
Published: Monday, May 9, 2011 at 7:42 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, May 9, 2011 at 7:42 p.m.
A Trenton man has been indicted for first-degree murder in the strangulation death of his girlfriend.
Gary “Andy” Andrew Sullivan, 34, of 6430 NW 170th St. was arrested in mid-April and charged with murdering Summer Lynn Keller, 31.
The Levy County Sheriff’s Office said Sullivan called deputies on April 8 to report finding his girlfriend hanging from a tree after the couple had argued.
In a news release about Keller’s death, the Sheriff’s Office said statements from witnesses, inconsistent statements by Sullivan and evidence, including an autopsy report, did not support Sullivan’s version of events. Although Sullivan was indicted for the strangulation death of Keller, officials, including State Attorney Bill Cervone, have not said how she was strangled. Investigators previously said the instrument used to hang Keller was not the cause of her death.
Cervone also said he would not seek the death penalty in the case.
San Diego, CA: DA: Man Beat These Dogs to Death
Multiple felony animal abuse charges have been filed against a man accused of killing his girlfriend’s three dogs, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Patrick Caleb Land, 25, pleaded not guilty Monday to three counts of felony animal cruelty for allegedly killing Jackie, a nine-year old white Shepard mix; Pikanik, a four-year old black and tan mixed breed; and Josh, a Great Pyrenees and Golden Retriever mix.
The defendant is accused of beating one the dogs to death in September and two more dogs in October. In both cases, investigators say he called his girlfriend at work and told her he found the dogs dead in a bedroom.
Two of the dogs died from severe trauma and "appear to have been brutally beaten while being restrained with something over their heads to keep them quiet and unable to bite defensively," according to the veterinarian who performed necropsies on the dogs.
The younger dog suffered the most severe injuries, according to investigators. They say it suggests he struggled more and was harder to silence.
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Land allegedly told investigators that he was trying to put eye medication in Jackie's eyes when the dog snapped at him. He said he kicked the dog a few times.
He also said he kicked Pikanik a few times when the dog tried to attack him.
Investigators say Land had long scratches on his arms the day the dogs died and he explained them by saying he'd fallen into the bushes.
San Diego County Animal Services investigated the deaths after the owner became suspicious.
"Our investigators did an outstanding job in this difficult case," said Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson. "DNA found underneath one of the dog's nails gave us evidence that the defendant committed these crimes."
Land was arrested in North Carolina and extradited to San Diego.
"This is a particularly brutal and disturbing case of animal cruelty," District Attorney Dumanis said. "Our office's prosecution of animal cruelty cases like this one should send a strong message that we will not tolerate animal abuse in our community."
Land faces up to four years and four months in prison if convicted. He’s being held on $250,000 bail.
Patrick Caleb Land, 25, pleaded not guilty Monday to three counts of felony animal cruelty for allegedly killing Jackie, a nine-year old white Shepard mix; Pikanik, a four-year old black and tan mixed breed; and Josh, a Great Pyrenees and Golden Retriever mix.
The defendant is accused of beating one the dogs to death in September and two more dogs in October. In both cases, investigators say he called his girlfriend at work and told her he found the dogs dead in a bedroom.
Two of the dogs died from severe trauma and "appear to have been brutally beaten while being restrained with something over their heads to keep them quiet and unable to bite defensively," according to the veterinarian who performed necropsies on the dogs.
The younger dog suffered the most severe injuries, according to investigators. They say it suggests he struggled more and was harder to silence.
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DA: Man Beat
These Dogs to Death
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Allegedly Beat to Death
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Land allegedly told investigators that he was trying to put eye medication in Jackie's eyes when the dog snapped at him. He said he kicked the dog a few times.
He also said he kicked Pikanik a few times when the dog tried to attack him.
Investigators say Land had long scratches on his arms the day the dogs died and he explained them by saying he'd fallen into the bushes.
San Diego County Animal Services investigated the deaths after the owner became suspicious.
"Our investigators did an outstanding job in this difficult case," said Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson. "DNA found underneath one of the dog's nails gave us evidence that the defendant committed these crimes."
Land was arrested in North Carolina and extradited to San Diego.
"This is a particularly brutal and disturbing case of animal cruelty," District Attorney Dumanis said. "Our office's prosecution of animal cruelty cases like this one should send a strong message that we will not tolerate animal abuse in our community."
Land faces up to four years and four months in prison if convicted. He’s being held on $250,000 bail.
San Jose, CA: San Jose police: 69-year-old man run over, killed by girlfriend
By Sean Webby swebby@mercurynews.com
Posted: 05/09/2011 05:21:09 PM PDT
Updated: 05/09/2011 09:16:03 PM PDT
A 69-year-old San Jose man was run over and killed by his 67-year-old girlfriend as she drove away from his house following an apparent argument, according to police.
Police said the death of Li Jiang Wu on Sunday may have been an accident. But they expect to forward the case to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office for a review.
Police were called to the 1600 block of Pala Ranch Circle at 10:16 a.m. to find Wu in the street with a major head injury.
The couple was reportedly arguing. The woman, who was not immediately identified by police, began to drive away in her 1992 Lexus. Wu tried to stop her, grabbed on to the "mirror area" and was pulled underneath the vehicle. The woman drove away.
Someone called the woman to tell her what had happened and to return, which she did, police said.
When she arrived, the woman was interviewed by police and then released.
Wu was pronounced dead at the hospital at 1:32 p.m.
Contact Sean Webby at 408-920-5003
Posted: 05/09/2011 05:21:09 PM PDT
Updated: 05/09/2011 09:16:03 PM PDT
A 69-year-old San Jose man was run over and killed by his 67-year-old girlfriend as she drove away from his house following an apparent argument, according to police.
Police said the death of Li Jiang Wu on Sunday may have been an accident. But they expect to forward the case to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office for a review.
Police were called to the 1600 block of Pala Ranch Circle at 10:16 a.m. to find Wu in the street with a major head injury.
The couple was reportedly arguing. The woman, who was not immediately identified by police, began to drive away in her 1992 Lexus. Wu tried to stop her, grabbed on to the "mirror area" and was pulled underneath the vehicle. The woman drove away.
Someone called the woman to tell her what had happened and to return, which she did, police said.
When she arrived, the woman was interviewed by police and then released.
Wu was pronounced dead at the hospital at 1:32 p.m.
Contact Sean Webby at 408-920-5003
Greer, SC: Greer Woman Sought in Boyfriend's Murder
By Fred Cunningham
Greenville County Sheriff’s deputies are looking for a woman who they say murdered her boyfriend in Greer before his remains were found in Woodruff.
Warrants charge Elvira Lynn Seay – also known as Elvira Robinson – with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in the death of Juan Luis Tafoya-Gonzalez.
Seay, 46, is accused of killing Tafoya-Gonzalez, possibly at a home on Anderson Ridge Road in Greer. Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office investigators say the victim’s body was found on Prince Caldwell Road in Woodruff on May 3. He was shot multiple times.
GCSO investigators say they have evidence that links Seay to the murder. The couple lived at a home on Anderson Ridge Road for nearly a year according to deputies.
Seay is white, approximately 5’5” and weighs 200 pounds. GCSO investigators provided a picture of the suspect with dark hair, but they believe she now has sandy brown to blondish hair.
If you have information, you’re asked to call Greenville County Crime Stoppers at 23-CRIME or the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
Greenville County Sheriff’s deputies are looking for a woman who they say murdered her boyfriend in Greer before his remains were found in Woodruff.
Warrants charge Elvira Lynn Seay – also known as Elvira Robinson – with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in the death of Juan Luis Tafoya-Gonzalez.
Seay, 46, is accused of killing Tafoya-Gonzalez, possibly at a home on Anderson Ridge Road in Greer. Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office investigators say the victim’s body was found on Prince Caldwell Road in Woodruff on May 3. He was shot multiple times.
GCSO investigators say they have evidence that links Seay to the murder. The couple lived at a home on Anderson Ridge Road for nearly a year according to deputies.
Seay is white, approximately 5’5” and weighs 200 pounds. GCSO investigators provided a picture of the suspect with dark hair, but they believe she now has sandy brown to blondish hair.
If you have information, you’re asked to call Greenville County Crime Stoppers at 23-CRIME or the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
Durham, NC: Ex-boyfriend charged in woman's death
Ex-boyfriend charged in woman's death
DURHAM -- Police have charged a man with killing his former girlfriend, who was found in her North Durham apartment last week.
Silvestre Alvarad Chaves, 25, of Liberty Street was arrested Wednesday in Memphis, Tenn., on unrelated charges, Durham police said Monday. Chaves was in Tennessee on Monday.
He is accused of killing Crystal Gigliotti, 21, who was found in an apartment at 4524 Newby Drive, near Horton Road and North Duke Street, shortly before 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Police have not disclosed how Gigliotti was killed, but said from the beginning they thought she knew her attacker.
Police said Chaves was not the father of a child who was found in the apartment unharmed.
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DURHAM -- Police have charged a man with killing his former girlfriend, who was found in her North Durham apartment last week.
Silvestre Alvarad Chaves, 25, of Liberty Street was arrested Wednesday in Memphis, Tenn., on unrelated charges, Durham police said Monday. Chaves was in Tennessee on Monday.
He is accused of killing Crystal Gigliotti, 21, who was found in an apartment at 4524 Newby Drive, near Horton Road and North Duke Street, shortly before 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Police have not disclosed how Gigliotti was killed, but said from the beginning they thought she knew her attacker.
Police said Chaves was not the father of a child who was found in the apartment unharmed.
Get the biggest news in your email or cellphone as it's happening. Sign up for breaking news alerts.
Tustin, CA: Woman charged with killing husband, shooting son in Mother's Day incident
May 9, 2011 | 3:47 pm
A Tustin-area woman was charged Monday with killing her husband and wounding her son before the gun was wrestled away from her by her 9-year-old son during a Mother's Day shooting rampage, officials said.
Annamaria Magno Gana, 41, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon and charged Monday with felony murder and attempted murder with sentencing enhancements.
Gana allegedly shot Antonio Potenciano Gana, 72, to death and wounded her 16-year-old son, said sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino. The incident took place in an unincorporated neighborhood north of Tustin.
When Orange County sheriff’s deputies responded to the shooting in the 18400 block of Manning Drive, the woman's 9-year-old son was holding what investigators suspect was the murder weapon -- “a high-powered handgun,” according to Amormino.
The young boy, according to prosecutors, had wrestled the gun from his mother.
Authorities said the woman had fired a bullet into the ceiling of a bedroom. When her husband and their 16-year-old son ran into the bedroom in response to the gunshot, she turned the gun on her husband and shot him in the chest, authorities say.
She allegedly shot her 16-year-old son as he attempted to escape.
A Tustin-area woman was charged Monday with killing her husband and wounding her son before the gun was wrestled away from her by her 9-year-old son during a Mother's Day shooting rampage, officials said.
Annamaria Magno Gana, 41, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon and charged Monday with felony murder and attempted murder with sentencing enhancements.
Gana allegedly shot Antonio Potenciano Gana, 72, to death and wounded her 16-year-old son, said sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino. The incident took place in an unincorporated neighborhood north of Tustin.
When Orange County sheriff’s deputies responded to the shooting in the 18400 block of Manning Drive, the woman's 9-year-old son was holding what investigators suspect was the murder weapon -- “a high-powered handgun,” according to Amormino.
The young boy, according to prosecutors, had wrestled the gun from his mother.
Authorities said the woman had fired a bullet into the ceiling of a bedroom. When her husband and their 16-year-old son ran into the bedroom in response to the gunshot, she turned the gun on her husband and shot him in the chest, authorities say.
She allegedly shot her 16-year-old son as he attempted to escape.
Orlando, FL: Orlando couple die in DeBary murder-suicide
BY EILEEN ZAFFIRO-KEAN AND DINAH VOYLES PULVER, STAFF WRITER
May 10, 2011 12:05 AM Posted in: West Volusia Tagged: murder-suicide
Investigators comb through the scene in DeBary where they say a husband killed his wife before he turned the gun on himself. He later died at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. (N-J | Dinah Voyles Pulver)
DEBARY -- A quiet DeBary neighborhood erupted in gunfire Monday afternoon when a man shot and killed his wife on his mother's front lawn.
Volusia County sheriff's officials said Louis Vasquez, 27, shot his wife, Linda Latoya Vasquez, 22, with a handgun and then shot himself in front of his mother's home at 39 Catalina Drive. He died a short time later after being taken by sheriff's helicopter to Halifax Health Medical Center.
The couple lived in Orlando, but neighbors said Vasquez grew up in DeBary and attended Deltona High School.
Deputies said a 9-1-1 call about 5:35 p.m. Monday reported two people had been shot in the front yard of 39 Catalina Drive.
When deputies and paramedics responded, they said they found the dead on the ground, and her husband nearby, injured but still alive.
Louis Vasquez was transported by a sheriff's helicopter to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. He died after arriving.
The owner of the home where the shooting occurred is Esther E. Holt, according to Volusia County property appraiser records. Holt could not be reached for comment Monday night.
The murder weapon, a handgun, was found at the scene, deputies said.
Several neighbors said they heard a single gunshot, then three shots in rapid succession, then a final shot. Some neighbors said they saw the man and woman lying in the front yard.
A woman who lives across the street from where the shooting happened said she saw the final moments of the fatal drama. Carolyn Carter said she saw the woman holding a phone, and the man screaming at her to hang up.
"He raised the gun and fired at her," Carter said. "Then I saw him turn the gun on himself. ... I'm pretty shaken up."
Others who live in the neighborhood, which they say is normally very quiet and safe, heard and saw things they didn't fully understand in the moments after the shooting.
"We were home, and my husband was watering the flowers in our backyard," said Julia Signore, who lives near where the murder took place. "My husband heard the gunshots and he thought it had something to do with dogs he saw running through the yards. Then a helicopter landed almost in our backyard and they took one body away."
Helen Charland also lives across from the site of the shooting and was rattled by what unfolded on her street. One moment there was calm, the next two people were lying in front of her neighbor's house and a cavalry of law enforcement and emergency medical vehicles moved in.
"I just about fainted. I was really getting scared," said Charland, who thought the woman who lives at 39 Catalina Drive had been shot. "I said 'I can't believe someone would hurt her.' I felt a loss right away. The police told me to go back in the house. I didn't know what to expect. It was like a raid."
May 10, 2011 12:05 AM Posted in: West Volusia Tagged: murder-suicide
Investigators comb through the scene in DeBary where they say a husband killed his wife before he turned the gun on himself. He later died at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. (N-J | Dinah Voyles Pulver)
DEBARY -- A quiet DeBary neighborhood erupted in gunfire Monday afternoon when a man shot and killed his wife on his mother's front lawn.
Volusia County sheriff's officials said Louis Vasquez, 27, shot his wife, Linda Latoya Vasquez, 22, with a handgun and then shot himself in front of his mother's home at 39 Catalina Drive. He died a short time later after being taken by sheriff's helicopter to Halifax Health Medical Center.
The couple lived in Orlando, but neighbors said Vasquez grew up in DeBary and attended Deltona High School.
Deputies said a 9-1-1 call about 5:35 p.m. Monday reported two people had been shot in the front yard of 39 Catalina Drive.
When deputies and paramedics responded, they said they found the dead on the ground, and her husband nearby, injured but still alive.
Louis Vasquez was transported by a sheriff's helicopter to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. He died after arriving.
The owner of the home where the shooting occurred is Esther E. Holt, according to Volusia County property appraiser records. Holt could not be reached for comment Monday night.
The murder weapon, a handgun, was found at the scene, deputies said.
Several neighbors said they heard a single gunshot, then three shots in rapid succession, then a final shot. Some neighbors said they saw the man and woman lying in the front yard.
A woman who lives across the street from where the shooting happened said she saw the final moments of the fatal drama. Carolyn Carter said she saw the woman holding a phone, and the man screaming at her to hang up.
"He raised the gun and fired at her," Carter said. "Then I saw him turn the gun on himself. ... I'm pretty shaken up."
Others who live in the neighborhood, which they say is normally very quiet and safe, heard and saw things they didn't fully understand in the moments after the shooting.
"We were home, and my husband was watering the flowers in our backyard," said Julia Signore, who lives near where the murder took place. "My husband heard the gunshots and he thought it had something to do with dogs he saw running through the yards. Then a helicopter landed almost in our backyard and they took one body away."
Helen Charland also lives across from the site of the shooting and was rattled by what unfolded on her street. One moment there was calm, the next two people were lying in front of her neighbor's house and a cavalry of law enforcement and emergency medical vehicles moved in.
"I just about fainted. I was really getting scared," said Charland, who thought the woman who lives at 39 Catalina Drive had been shot. "I said 'I can't believe someone would hurt her.' I felt a loss right away. The police told me to go back in the house. I didn't know what to expect. It was like a raid."
Milwaukee, WI: Man sentenced to 10 years in prison after wife's death
e-mail print By Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel
May 9, 2011
A 45-year-old Milwaukee man, whose wife's body was found floating in Lake Michigan in 2009 about a month after he reported her missing, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison.
Myesha Haynes, 28, was discovered half-naked about 140 feet from shore near 1500 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive on May 13, 2009. She had been shot in the chest. Melvin Ray House had reported Haynes missing on April 15.
In March 2010, House was charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Last week, in the midst of a nonjury trial before Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Kevin Martens, House pleaded guilty to an amended charge of negligent handling of a dangerous weapon and being a felon in possession of a gun.
On Monday, Martens sentenced House to five years in prison for each offense, to be served consecutively, followed by five years of extended supervision after his release. House was credited for 434 days he has spent in jail since his arrest.
According to the criminal complaint: In April 2009, Haynes moved in with friends Terry and Rita Lee, saying she wanted to divorce House because he repeatedly had beaten her and threatened her with a gun. On April 11, House came to pick up Haynes so she could get her belongings, then return. Before she got in House's van, she gave the friends the phone numbers of House's relatives and her debit card and PIN number, saying if anything happened to her, she wanted them to have her money, not House. The friends never heard from her again.
Haynes' brother, Juan Garcia, told police that at the couple's residence near N. 28th St. and Juneau Ave., Haynes was gathering belongings when House accused her of trying to steal jewelry. An argument broke out, and Garcia and another friend left because Garcia was afraid of violating probation. House later told Garcia that on the way back to the house where Haynes was staying, she jumped out of his van near S. 35th St. and National Ave. and ran.
Investigators found that Haynes had been shot four times with a .32 caliber gun, like one House was known to have. They also found the sneakers Haynes had been wearing April 11 in House's car.
May 9, 2011
A 45-year-old Milwaukee man, whose wife's body was found floating in Lake Michigan in 2009 about a month after he reported her missing, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison.
Myesha Haynes, 28, was discovered half-naked about 140 feet from shore near 1500 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive on May 13, 2009. She had been shot in the chest. Melvin Ray House had reported Haynes missing on April 15.
In March 2010, House was charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Last week, in the midst of a nonjury trial before Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Kevin Martens, House pleaded guilty to an amended charge of negligent handling of a dangerous weapon and being a felon in possession of a gun.
On Monday, Martens sentenced House to five years in prison for each offense, to be served consecutively, followed by five years of extended supervision after his release. House was credited for 434 days he has spent in jail since his arrest.
According to the criminal complaint: In April 2009, Haynes moved in with friends Terry and Rita Lee, saying she wanted to divorce House because he repeatedly had beaten her and threatened her with a gun. On April 11, House came to pick up Haynes so she could get her belongings, then return. Before she got in House's van, she gave the friends the phone numbers of House's relatives and her debit card and PIN number, saying if anything happened to her, she wanted them to have her money, not House. The friends never heard from her again.
Haynes' brother, Juan Garcia, told police that at the couple's residence near N. 28th St. and Juneau Ave., Haynes was gathering belongings when House accused her of trying to steal jewelry. An argument broke out, and Garcia and another friend left because Garcia was afraid of violating probation. House later told Garcia that on the way back to the house where Haynes was staying, she jumped out of his van near S. 35th St. and National Ave. and ran.
Investigators found that Haynes had been shot four times with a .32 caliber gun, like one House was known to have. They also found the sneakers Haynes had been wearing April 11 in House's car.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Georgetown, TX: Suspect dead after triple homicide Suspect shoots wife, in-laws in Williamson Co.
Updated: Monday, 09 May 2011, 5:50 AM CDT
Published : Monday, 09 May 2011, 3:13 AM CDT
Shermayne Crawford
Chrissy Mazzone
Georgetown (KXAN) - A man police said shot and killed his wife and her parents died running away from police Sunday night.
Williamson County Deputies tell KXAN that the wife was in the process of divorcing her husband and had moved in with her parents in Georgetown.
The first 911 call came in at 10:30 p.m. just West of Georgetown city limits at 306 Harbor Drive. Witnesses in the home said the husband shot and killed his wife and parents inside the home.
"This is the first triple homicide that I can remember in many many many years," said Sgt. John Foster, Williamson County Sheriff.
Several other people were inside the home when the shooting happened, including a one year old child. The suspect left the home in a vehicle after the shootings. One witness gave police a description of the car the suspect was driving.
DPS troopers and Round Rock police officers were able to track down the suspect and began a pursuit on Interstate 35. Police set up spike strips to try to stop the driver in the McNeil area. Police said the suspect saw the spikes and rammed into a Round Rock police officers car. The suspect died on impact. The officer was uninjured.
Inside the vehicle DPS troopers discovered the shotgun police say he used in the scene along with several rounds of ammunition.
Police have not released the name of the victims or the suspect.
Published : Monday, 09 May 2011, 3:13 AM CDT
Shermayne Crawford
Chrissy Mazzone
Georgetown (KXAN) - A man police said shot and killed his wife and her parents died running away from police Sunday night.
Williamson County Deputies tell KXAN that the wife was in the process of divorcing her husband and had moved in with her parents in Georgetown.
The first 911 call came in at 10:30 p.m. just West of Georgetown city limits at 306 Harbor Drive. Witnesses in the home said the husband shot and killed his wife and parents inside the home.
"This is the first triple homicide that I can remember in many many many years," said Sgt. John Foster, Williamson County Sheriff.
Several other people were inside the home when the shooting happened, including a one year old child. The suspect left the home in a vehicle after the shootings. One witness gave police a description of the car the suspect was driving.
DPS troopers and Round Rock police officers were able to track down the suspect and began a pursuit on Interstate 35. Police set up spike strips to try to stop the driver in the McNeil area. Police said the suspect saw the spikes and rammed into a Round Rock police officers car. The suspect died on impact. The officer was uninjured.
Inside the vehicle DPS troopers discovered the shotgun police say he used in the scene along with several rounds of ammunition.
Police have not released the name of the victims or the suspect.
Austin, TX: Officer-Involved Shooting in SE Austin
By Ian Crawford
Enlarge image
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo (file photo) says one person is dead after an officer involved shooting early Monday in SE Austin
Photo by KUT News
Austin Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Southeast Austin this morning. The incident happened about 1:00 in an apartment complex on Burton Drive. Police Chief Art Acevedo says a 29-year-old Hispanic man was reportedly trying to shoot his way into the apartment of an ex-girlfriend.
"One of the officers, as he engaged the suspect, in fear for his life, ended up shooting several rounds from a shotgun, striking the suspect," Acevedo told KUT News early this morning.
That suspect later died at University Medical Center-Brackenridge.
The officer, identified only as being Hispanic, as well, has been placed on paid administrative leave. Acevedo says the ex-girlfriend, another man and a toddler inside the apartment weren't injured in the gunfire.
The chief said police car video and audio were recording. The camera was not able to capture the shooting, but that the sound from the incident was recorded. Police are still investigating the shooting.
Enlarge image
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo (file photo) says one person is dead after an officer involved shooting early Monday in SE Austin
Photo by KUT News
Austin Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Southeast Austin this morning. The incident happened about 1:00 in an apartment complex on Burton Drive. Police Chief Art Acevedo says a 29-year-old Hispanic man was reportedly trying to shoot his way into the apartment of an ex-girlfriend.
"One of the officers, as he engaged the suspect, in fear for his life, ended up shooting several rounds from a shotgun, striking the suspect," Acevedo told KUT News early this morning.
That suspect later died at University Medical Center-Brackenridge.
The officer, identified only as being Hispanic, as well, has been placed on paid administrative leave. Acevedo says the ex-girlfriend, another man and a toddler inside the apartment weren't injured in the gunfire.
The chief said police car video and audio were recording. The camera was not able to capture the shooting, but that the sound from the incident was recorded. Police are still investigating the shooting.
Grifton, NC: Trial for double murder begins
By Michael AbramowitzThe Daily ReflectorMonday, May 9, 20110 Comments | Leave a
A Winterville man whose IQ barely meets the state threshold for execution faces the death penalty as his double homicide trial begins today.
Shelton Darell Mills, 33, is accused in the Aug. 26, 2007, shooting death of his former girlfriend, Cylvonnia Preddy, and Robert Bizell at Preddy's home at 648 Dawson Road in Grifton. The two were shot numerous times — Preddy as she was talking with a 911 operator, according to Pitt County prosecutors.
Several motions and examinations have been pursued on Mills' behalf by his appointed attorneys, William Gerrans and Allen Foster, both of Goldsboro, and earlier by attorney Jon Nuckolls of Greenville, who withdrew from the case after serving as counsel for two years.
Superior Court Judge W. Russell Duke Jr., at a 2010 hearing denied the defense request to have Mills disqualified from the death penalty because of significant intellectual and developmental retardation.
Mental retardation is defined by state statute as significantly subaverage intellectual functioning at an IQ of 70 or below, existing concurrently with significant limitations in communication, self-care, social skills, health and safety, and work and leisure skills, both of which were manifested prior to the age of 18 and at the present time, Duke found.
The most recent test, administered in October 2009 by Durham psychologist James H. Hilkey, produced an IQ of 71 for Mills, according to court documents.
Tested in fifth grade, findings indicate, Mills achieved an IQ score of 73. While incarcerated in state prison in 1995 on an unrelated charge, Mills scored 75 on an IQ test that did not meet statutory standards but was admitted by Duke.
Mills was indicted in November 2007 on one count of burglary and one count each of the first-degree murder of Preddy and Bizell.
On the morning of the shootings, Mills spoke with State Bureau of Investigation agents J.C. Rea and E.D. Smith, first at the Winterville Police Department, then at the SBI's Greenville office, according to court documents. They knew he had dated Preddy and had recently had contact with her.
Rea noticed what appeared to be blood splatter on Mills' blue jeans. While talking, Mills asked Rea, “Am I going to die?”
He asked Rea if he could guarantee that he would not get the death penalty, to which Rea replied, “No.”
Mills asked Rea if he thought he needed a lawyer. Rea told Mills that it was up to him and reminded him of his constitutional right to remain silent and to have a lawyer present, court findings indicate. Mills replied that he wanted to talk with investigators.
Mills told detectives he went to Preddy's house to see her and was met at the door by Bizell, whom he described to them as “the boyfriend.” Mills said he told the boyfriend he wanted to talk with Preddy and stepped into the house as Bizell went to the bathroom to get her, records state.
Mills then told Rea he couldn't talk about it anymore. When Rea asked Mills where the gun was, Mills told him he wanted a lawyer before he would talk about the gun, at which point the agents concluded the interview. While Mills' family members waited in the lobby, agents told him he was being charged with two open counts of murder.
Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Robb noted in discovery documents that Preddy had dated Mills about a year before her death, had been calling and harassing Preddy weeks before, causing her to change her phone number.
Robb asserted that Mills had been calling her to inform her when she had guests at her house and what vehicles he saw there. She also said Mills broke Preddy's cellphone and had been riding past her home a week before her death, then told her he was “going to get her.”
Mills' growing aggression motivated Bizell to move closer to Preddy's home, Robb said.
After 32 months at the Pitt County Detention Center, Mills was ordered transferred in May 2010 to an undisclosed state prison. He was returned to PCDC last week for the trial.
Court documents indicate that fees paid to Mills' attorneys and other costs paid through the North Carolina Indigent Defense Fund have amounted to $242,503.74
A Winterville man whose IQ barely meets the state threshold for execution faces the death penalty as his double homicide trial begins today.
Shelton Darell Mills, 33, is accused in the Aug. 26, 2007, shooting death of his former girlfriend, Cylvonnia Preddy, and Robert Bizell at Preddy's home at 648 Dawson Road in Grifton. The two were shot numerous times — Preddy as she was talking with a 911 operator, according to Pitt County prosecutors.
Several motions and examinations have been pursued on Mills' behalf by his appointed attorneys, William Gerrans and Allen Foster, both of Goldsboro, and earlier by attorney Jon Nuckolls of Greenville, who withdrew from the case after serving as counsel for two years.
Superior Court Judge W. Russell Duke Jr., at a 2010 hearing denied the defense request to have Mills disqualified from the death penalty because of significant intellectual and developmental retardation.
Mental retardation is defined by state statute as significantly subaverage intellectual functioning at an IQ of 70 or below, existing concurrently with significant limitations in communication, self-care, social skills, health and safety, and work and leisure skills, both of which were manifested prior to the age of 18 and at the present time, Duke found.
The most recent test, administered in October 2009 by Durham psychologist James H. Hilkey, produced an IQ of 71 for Mills, according to court documents.
Tested in fifth grade, findings indicate, Mills achieved an IQ score of 73. While incarcerated in state prison in 1995 on an unrelated charge, Mills scored 75 on an IQ test that did not meet statutory standards but was admitted by Duke.
Mills was indicted in November 2007 on one count of burglary and one count each of the first-degree murder of Preddy and Bizell.
On the morning of the shootings, Mills spoke with State Bureau of Investigation agents J.C. Rea and E.D. Smith, first at the Winterville Police Department, then at the SBI's Greenville office, according to court documents. They knew he had dated Preddy and had recently had contact with her.
Rea noticed what appeared to be blood splatter on Mills' blue jeans. While talking, Mills asked Rea, “Am I going to die?”
He asked Rea if he could guarantee that he would not get the death penalty, to which Rea replied, “No.”
Mills asked Rea if he thought he needed a lawyer. Rea told Mills that it was up to him and reminded him of his constitutional right to remain silent and to have a lawyer present, court findings indicate. Mills replied that he wanted to talk with investigators.
Mills told detectives he went to Preddy's house to see her and was met at the door by Bizell, whom he described to them as “the boyfriend.” Mills said he told the boyfriend he wanted to talk with Preddy and stepped into the house as Bizell went to the bathroom to get her, records state.
Mills then told Rea he couldn't talk about it anymore. When Rea asked Mills where the gun was, Mills told him he wanted a lawyer before he would talk about the gun, at which point the agents concluded the interview. While Mills' family members waited in the lobby, agents told him he was being charged with two open counts of murder.
Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Robb noted in discovery documents that Preddy had dated Mills about a year before her death, had been calling and harassing Preddy weeks before, causing her to change her phone number.
Robb asserted that Mills had been calling her to inform her when she had guests at her house and what vehicles he saw there. She also said Mills broke Preddy's cellphone and had been riding past her home a week before her death, then told her he was “going to get her.”
Mills' growing aggression motivated Bizell to move closer to Preddy's home, Robb said.
After 32 months at the Pitt County Detention Center, Mills was ordered transferred in May 2010 to an undisclosed state prison. He was returned to PCDC last week for the trial.
Court documents indicate that fees paid to Mills' attorneys and other costs paid through the North Carolina Indigent Defense Fund have amounted to $242,503.74
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Chippewa Falls, WI: Trial starts next week for man accused of killing ex's boyfriend
William F. Vollbrecht is accused of fatally shooting Christopher Farmer in May 2010 in the town of Lafayette. Vollbrecht's murder trial begins Monday.
Posted: Friday, May 6, 2011 10:22 pm
By Chris Vetter Chippewa Falls News Bureau | 0 comments
CHIPPEWA FALLS — William F. Vollbrecht admits he killed Christopher Farmer in his sleep last year in the town of Lafayette, but his lawyer is expected to argue alcohol clouded Vollbrecht's judgment during that act.
Vollbrecht, 33, is accused of fatally shooting Farmer on May 13 and is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, which carries a mandatory life in prison sentence. His trial begins Monday.
Vollbrecht also is charged with strangulation and suffocation of his ex-girlfriend, Tammy Clark, and armed burglary. The trial could last the week. Vollbrecht has pleaded not guilty.
At a hearing last month, Vollbrecht's attorney, Steve Kohn of Milwaukee, informed Judge Steven Cray that Vollbrecht intends to testify, and he indicated that Vollbrecht's memory of that night is fuzzy because of alcohol consumption.
"There is certain conduct he doesn't remember at all or isn't clear about," Kohn said at that hearing.
At a hearing in March, Kohn said Vollbrecht appeared to be intoxicated when he was interviewed by authorities after the shooting. Kohn said he won't contest to that footage being used at the trial.
"I think it is important for the jury to see and hear that video," he said at the hearing.
A toxicology report in the court file shows that Vollbrecht's blood alcohol level was 0.183 after the shooting — more than twice the legal limit — and that Vollbrecht didn't consume any alcohol between the time of the shooting and the time he was arrested.
Assistant district attorney Roy Gay wrote a brief to the court that indicates the state will reject the idea that Vollbrecht was too intoxicated to be aware of his actions.
After the shooting, Vollbrecht reportedly "jumped onto the Farmer bed and asked the victim, ‘Who's laughing now, mother (expletive),' " Gay wrote. "Such evidence is relevant as to Mr. Vollbrecht's state of mind and as to his intent to commit first-degree intentional murder."
In another court document, Gay indicated there was a previous confrontation between Vollbrecht and Farmer prior to the shooting during which Vollbrecht threatened Farmer.
Neither Kohn nor Chippewa County District Attorney Jon Theisen has spoken to the media about the case recently. But Theisen's earlier comments indicate he believes Vollbrecht killed Farmer because of a relationship dispute.
"The factual scenario is that Mr. Vollbrecht could not have a relationship with a woman that he wanted," Theisen told Cray at a hearing after Vollbrecht was arrested in May 2010. "He was willing to use a firearm, making him a dangerous person."
Kohn said Vollbrecht does not plan a defense based upon a mental disease claim. Vollbrecht, who has attempted suicide in the past year while in the Chippewa County Jail, is being watched carefully in the jail's holding area, Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk said.
Shooting, struggle
Vollbrecht killed Farmer after a day-long drinking spree, records show.
According to court records:
After a day of drinking alcohol on May 13, 2010, Vollbrecht pulled up to Clark's home at 20430 70th Ave. in the town of Lafayette and fired a shot from his Winchester rifle at 11:30 p.m. Seeing that Clark wasn't there, Vollbrecht drove to Farmer's nearby home.
Vollbrecht entered the home and went to the bedroom, where he found Farmer sleeping with Clark.
Vollbrecht told authorities he "dropped to his knees and felt like he was going to start crying." He then stood up and shot Farmer once in the neck, killing him in his sleep.
Clark was awakened by the gunshot. She wrestled the gun from Vollbrecht and brought it outside. Vollbrecht was choking Clark when authorities arrived at the scene.
The gun was recovered on the lawn outside the house. Vollbrecht was taken into custody without incident.
The Vollbrecht case marks the third murder trial in Chippewa County this year. In January Shane Hawkins admitted to stabbing and killing Jason Grau in Chippewa Falls. Three months later William A. Ball admitted to shooting and killing Kyle Ryba in Boyd.
Both Hawkins and Ball were convicted. Ball subsequently killed himself.
Vetter can be reached at 715-723-0303 or chris.vetter@ecpc.com
Posted: Friday, May 6, 2011 10:22 pm
By Chris Vetter Chippewa Falls News Bureau | 0 comments
CHIPPEWA FALLS — William F. Vollbrecht admits he killed Christopher Farmer in his sleep last year in the town of Lafayette, but his lawyer is expected to argue alcohol clouded Vollbrecht's judgment during that act.
Vollbrecht, 33, is accused of fatally shooting Farmer on May 13 and is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, which carries a mandatory life in prison sentence. His trial begins Monday.
Vollbrecht also is charged with strangulation and suffocation of his ex-girlfriend, Tammy Clark, and armed burglary. The trial could last the week. Vollbrecht has pleaded not guilty.
At a hearing last month, Vollbrecht's attorney, Steve Kohn of Milwaukee, informed Judge Steven Cray that Vollbrecht intends to testify, and he indicated that Vollbrecht's memory of that night is fuzzy because of alcohol consumption.
"There is certain conduct he doesn't remember at all or isn't clear about," Kohn said at that hearing.
At a hearing in March, Kohn said Vollbrecht appeared to be intoxicated when he was interviewed by authorities after the shooting. Kohn said he won't contest to that footage being used at the trial.
"I think it is important for the jury to see and hear that video," he said at the hearing.
A toxicology report in the court file shows that Vollbrecht's blood alcohol level was 0.183 after the shooting — more than twice the legal limit — and that Vollbrecht didn't consume any alcohol between the time of the shooting and the time he was arrested.
Assistant district attorney Roy Gay wrote a brief to the court that indicates the state will reject the idea that Vollbrecht was too intoxicated to be aware of his actions.
After the shooting, Vollbrecht reportedly "jumped onto the Farmer bed and asked the victim, ‘Who's laughing now, mother (expletive),' " Gay wrote. "Such evidence is relevant as to Mr. Vollbrecht's state of mind and as to his intent to commit first-degree intentional murder."
In another court document, Gay indicated there was a previous confrontation between Vollbrecht and Farmer prior to the shooting during which Vollbrecht threatened Farmer.
Neither Kohn nor Chippewa County District Attorney Jon Theisen has spoken to the media about the case recently. But Theisen's earlier comments indicate he believes Vollbrecht killed Farmer because of a relationship dispute.
"The factual scenario is that Mr. Vollbrecht could not have a relationship with a woman that he wanted," Theisen told Cray at a hearing after Vollbrecht was arrested in May 2010. "He was willing to use a firearm, making him a dangerous person."
Kohn said Vollbrecht does not plan a defense based upon a mental disease claim. Vollbrecht, who has attempted suicide in the past year while in the Chippewa County Jail, is being watched carefully in the jail's holding area, Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk said.
Shooting, struggle
Vollbrecht killed Farmer after a day-long drinking spree, records show.
According to court records:
After a day of drinking alcohol on May 13, 2010, Vollbrecht pulled up to Clark's home at 20430 70th Ave. in the town of Lafayette and fired a shot from his Winchester rifle at 11:30 p.m. Seeing that Clark wasn't there, Vollbrecht drove to Farmer's nearby home.
Vollbrecht entered the home and went to the bedroom, where he found Farmer sleeping with Clark.
Vollbrecht told authorities he "dropped to his knees and felt like he was going to start crying." He then stood up and shot Farmer once in the neck, killing him in his sleep.
Clark was awakened by the gunshot. She wrestled the gun from Vollbrecht and brought it outside. Vollbrecht was choking Clark when authorities arrived at the scene.
The gun was recovered on the lawn outside the house. Vollbrecht was taken into custody without incident.
The Vollbrecht case marks the third murder trial in Chippewa County this year. In January Shane Hawkins admitted to stabbing and killing Jason Grau in Chippewa Falls. Three months later William A. Ball admitted to shooting and killing Kyle Ryba in Boyd.
Both Hawkins and Ball were convicted. Ball subsequently killed himself.
Vetter can be reached at 715-723-0303 or chris.vetter@ecpc.com
Whiteville, NC: Woman killed when hit by boyfriend's car
WHITEVILLE - A 22-year-old Bladenboro woman was killed early Saturday when she was struck by her boyfriend's car, according to the Highway Patrol.
Kristy Nicole Yarbrough, 22, of Pecan Street, was sitting on Old Stake Road near Chadbourn when she was hit by a 2000 Hyundai driven by Mitchell Monroe Ransom II, also 22, at about 1:05 a.m. Saturday, said Trooper K.D. Ivey.
The couple had been drinking at a party nearby, Ivey said. Witnesses there said Yarbrough left on foot because Ransom wasn't ready to leave at the same time, the trooper said.
Ransom left about 15 minutes later to look for her, according to the trooper. He drove north, turned around and hit Yarbrough while heading back south, Ivey said.
It was foggy and Ransom said he didn't see Yarbrough before hitting her, according to the trooper. Ivey said the damage to the car and Yarbrough's injuries indicated she was sitting when she was hit. Yarbrough died at the scene, Ivey said.
Ransom, who lives on Lennon Drive in Bladenboro, was charged with felony death by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and driving while impaired, Ivey said. He was placed in the Columbus County Jail with bail set at $55,000.
Kristy Nicole Yarbrough, 22, of Pecan Street, was sitting on Old Stake Road near Chadbourn when she was hit by a 2000 Hyundai driven by Mitchell Monroe Ransom II, also 22, at about 1:05 a.m. Saturday, said Trooper K.D. Ivey.
The couple had been drinking at a party nearby, Ivey said. Witnesses there said Yarbrough left on foot because Ransom wasn't ready to leave at the same time, the trooper said.
Ransom left about 15 minutes later to look for her, according to the trooper. He drove north, turned around and hit Yarbrough while heading back south, Ivey said.
It was foggy and Ransom said he didn't see Yarbrough before hitting her, according to the trooper. Ivey said the damage to the car and Yarbrough's injuries indicated she was sitting when she was hit. Yarbrough died at the scene, Ivey said.
Ransom, who lives on Lennon Drive in Bladenboro, was charged with felony death by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and driving while impaired, Ivey said. He was placed in the Columbus County Jail with bail set at $55,000.
Florence Township, OH: Troopers say Elyria man killed himself after pulling gun on lawman, the fleeing
FLORENCE TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- An Elyria man was found dead in a wooded area Friday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot following a manhunt by police from two counties.
Police searched the area after the man pulled a gun on a State Highway patrolman who stopped to help him on the Ohio Turnpike near the Vermilion exit.
The Erie County Sheriff's office identified the dead man as Delbert Sheppard, 26, who lived on Hunter's Crossing.
State Highway Patrol Captain Chris Zurcher said preliminary information is that Sheppard was involved in a domestic dispute with his estranged wife on Thursday, which may have triggered the events.
Zurcher said about 11:50 a.m. Friday, a trooper saw a disabled car on the berm of the Turnpike and a man walking toward it.
"He stopped, got out of his car to offer assistance when the man pulled a gun on him," said Zurcher. "The man kept saying, 'Don't do it' when the trooper reached toward his own gun. The trooper dove behind his patrol car and pulled his gun, but when he looked up he saw the man running toward Angling Road in Florence Township."
Dispatchers for the Eric County Sheriff's office received two cellular calls from motorists driving on the Turnpike reporting that a man was pointing a gun at the trooper.
Police from Lorain and Erie counties searched for the gunman. They received a tip that a man fitting his description was walking along Ohio 60, near Darrow Road, in Vermilion Township. Once again, he ran from police.
Police then added police dogs to their search. Eventually, they heard a gunshot. Minutes later, they found the man's body. Police said Sheppard had shot himself in the head.
Police searched the area after the man pulled a gun on a State Highway patrolman who stopped to help him on the Ohio Turnpike near the Vermilion exit.
The Erie County Sheriff's office identified the dead man as Delbert Sheppard, 26, who lived on Hunter's Crossing.
State Highway Patrol Captain Chris Zurcher said preliminary information is that Sheppard was involved in a domestic dispute with his estranged wife on Thursday, which may have triggered the events.
Zurcher said about 11:50 a.m. Friday, a trooper saw a disabled car on the berm of the Turnpike and a man walking toward it.
"He stopped, got out of his car to offer assistance when the man pulled a gun on him," said Zurcher. "The man kept saying, 'Don't do it' when the trooper reached toward his own gun. The trooper dove behind his patrol car and pulled his gun, but when he looked up he saw the man running toward Angling Road in Florence Township."
Dispatchers for the Eric County Sheriff's office received two cellular calls from motorists driving on the Turnpike reporting that a man was pointing a gun at the trooper.
Police from Lorain and Erie counties searched for the gunman. They received a tip that a man fitting his description was walking along Ohio 60, near Darrow Road, in Vermilion Township. Once again, he ran from police.
Police then added police dogs to their search. Eventually, they heard a gunshot. Minutes later, they found the man's body. Police said Sheppard had shot himself in the head.
Mill Creek, UT: Boyfriend may have beaten woman for 10 hours before she died, police say
Published: Friday, May 6, 2011 5:16 p.m. MDT
By Pat Reavy, Deseret News
MILLCREEK — A woman found dead in her apartment Thursday may have been beaten for 10 hours before dying, police say.
James Rafael Sanchez, 23, who was taken into custody following a three-hour standoff with police Thursday, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Friday for investigation of aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping.
Police believe Sanchez assaulted his girlfriend, Angela Michelle Jenkins, 44, "to the point of a loss of consciousness and to where she could not breathe," according to the Unified Police Department.
See both photos | Click to enlarge
Salt Lake County Jail
James Sanchez
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Sanchez was Jenkins' live-in boyfriend, according to jail records. He told detectives after his arrest that he and Jenkins started arguing about 8 p.m. Wednesday. During the argument, Sanchez "pulled the victim's hair, slapped, kicked, backhanded, bit and choked her," a police report states.
The abuse continued for 10 hours, until approximately 6 a.m. Thursday, when "the victim lost consciousness and quit breathing," according to the report.
The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office determined that Jenkins died from multiple blunt force trauma and strangulation, said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal.
Thursday, officers were called twice to Jenkins' apartment, 2230 E. 3300 South, once about 6 a.m. on a report of a domestic dispute and again at 10:20 a.m. when a man, believed to be Sanchez, called 911 from a nearby 7-Eleven and said paramedics were needed at the apartment because a woman inside was not breathing, the report states.
Interviews with witnesses led police to 1743 E. Gregson Ave., where Sanchez had fled to a friend's house. After learning there were weapons inside the home, a SWAT team surrounded the home and eventually talked Sanchez into surrendering.
According to one associate, Sanchez "confessed he had recently assaulted the victim," and "he believed he may have killed her," the report states.
He was taken Thursday night to a local hospital for what officials called a "previous medical condition." He was released Friday and booked into jail.
Investigators said Sanchez had a history of domestic violence with Jenkins. A week ago, detectives believe Jenkins was beaten and held against her will by Sanchez, Hoyal said. It was after that incident that Jenkins told another tenant to call police if he ever heard her being assaulted, according to the report.
In 2006, Sanchez was found guilty of car burglary, a class A misdemeanor. He was put on probation, but violated probation and had several warrants issued for his arrest for probation violation and failing to appear to subsequent hearings. He was eventually sentenced in 2008 to about nine months in jail with credit for time served, according to Utah State Court records.
In 2008, a felony theft by receiving stolen property charge was dismissed, court records indicate.
In 2009, Sanchez pleaded guilty to an amended charge of attempted drug possession, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor criminal mischief. He was sentenced to a year in jail, according to court records.
By Pat Reavy, Deseret News
MILLCREEK — A woman found dead in her apartment Thursday may have been beaten for 10 hours before dying, police say.
James Rafael Sanchez, 23, who was taken into custody following a three-hour standoff with police Thursday, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Friday for investigation of aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping.
Police believe Sanchez assaulted his girlfriend, Angela Michelle Jenkins, 44, "to the point of a loss of consciousness and to where she could not breathe," according to the Unified Police Department.
See both photos | Click to enlarge
Salt Lake County Jail
James Sanchez
From the archive
SWAT officers arrest man wanted in East Millcreek killing – May 5, 2011
Payson couple accused of breaking into multiple homes – April 29, 2011
Man shot during police standoff in Riverton – Feb. 16, 2011
Three arrested in fake ID ring – Jan. 27, 2011
Salt Lake man charged with kidnapping – Oct. 28, 2010
Sanchez was Jenkins' live-in boyfriend, according to jail records. He told detectives after his arrest that he and Jenkins started arguing about 8 p.m. Wednesday. During the argument, Sanchez "pulled the victim's hair, slapped, kicked, backhanded, bit and choked her," a police report states.
The abuse continued for 10 hours, until approximately 6 a.m. Thursday, when "the victim lost consciousness and quit breathing," according to the report.
The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office determined that Jenkins died from multiple blunt force trauma and strangulation, said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal.
Thursday, officers were called twice to Jenkins' apartment, 2230 E. 3300 South, once about 6 a.m. on a report of a domestic dispute and again at 10:20 a.m. when a man, believed to be Sanchez, called 911 from a nearby 7-Eleven and said paramedics were needed at the apartment because a woman inside was not breathing, the report states.
Interviews with witnesses led police to 1743 E. Gregson Ave., where Sanchez had fled to a friend's house. After learning there were weapons inside the home, a SWAT team surrounded the home and eventually talked Sanchez into surrendering.
According to one associate, Sanchez "confessed he had recently assaulted the victim," and "he believed he may have killed her," the report states.
He was taken Thursday night to a local hospital for what officials called a "previous medical condition." He was released Friday and booked into jail.
Investigators said Sanchez had a history of domestic violence with Jenkins. A week ago, detectives believe Jenkins was beaten and held against her will by Sanchez, Hoyal said. It was after that incident that Jenkins told another tenant to call police if he ever heard her being assaulted, according to the report.
In 2006, Sanchez was found guilty of car burglary, a class A misdemeanor. He was put on probation, but violated probation and had several warrants issued for his arrest for probation violation and failing to appear to subsequent hearings. He was eventually sentenced in 2008 to about nine months in jail with credit for time served, according to Utah State Court records.
In 2008, a felony theft by receiving stolen property charge was dismissed, court records indicate.
In 2009, Sanchez pleaded guilty to an amended charge of attempted drug possession, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor criminal mischief. He was sentenced to a year in jail, according to court records.
Dalton, GA: Dalton woman charged with murder In death of ex-husband
Mark Millican
markmillican@daltoncitizen.com
A Dalton woman is charged with murder and abandonment of a body in the death of her ex-husband, former Dalton resident John Patrick Hade, authorities said.
Loretta Ivey, 48, of Abigail Street, called Loretta Hade in a Gilmer County Superior Court bill of indictment, was arrested in Dalton on Tuesday, said Kimberly Williams, agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) office in Cleveland.
Ivey is charged with malice murder, aggravated assault, concealing a death and abandonment of a dead body in an incident that allegedly occurred near Ellijay, according to the indictment.
Her husband, Shawn Glenn Ivey, 35, of Rabun County and formerly of Gilmer County, was arrested on Sept. 13 and charged with murder after the GBI received a tip he was involved in the death of Hade, 53, of Ellijay. Hade was a resident of Dalton and Tunnel Hill for around 30 years, a family member said.
“This will conclude the arrests in this case,” Williams said on Friday. “At one time there were no more arrests pending, but after a review of the case and getting through the process with Mr. Ivey, a Gilmer County grand jury handed down the indictment last week.”
District Attorney Joe Hendricks Jr. of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit called Hade’s death and the arrests of Shawn Ivey and Loretta Ivey “one of the most bizarre cases I’ve ever seen,” but did not elaborate on Friday. Shawn Ivey pleaded not guilty in Gilmer County Superior Court in January. He is tentatively set to go to trial in July, Hendricks said.
He said Loretta Ivey is being held in the Pickens County Detention Center in Jasper without bond. Shawn Ivey is being held in Gilmer County.
In the malice murder count, the indictment alleges that “as co-conspirators” Shawn Ivey and Loretta Ivey “with malice aforethought (caused) the death of (Hade) by striking the victim’s head with a blunt object.” The accusation states the murder took place sometime between July 1 and Aug. 10 of 2007.
In the concealment and abandonment counts, the grand jury charged that the Iveys concealed Hade’s body “in a wooded and overgrown area.”
The skeletal remains of Hade were found on the eastern side of Fort Mountain on Sept. 8 near the Murray-Gilmer line after a search by the sheriff’s offices from Gilmer County and Murray County, the state Department of Natural Resources and the GBI. A missing person’s report had not been filed with any law enforcement agency, the GBI said.
Williams said Loretta Ivey is “the current wife of Shawn Ivey and an ex-wife of John Hade. She was married to both.”
markmillican@daltoncitizen.com
A Dalton woman is charged with murder and abandonment of a body in the death of her ex-husband, former Dalton resident John Patrick Hade, authorities said.
Loretta Ivey, 48, of Abigail Street, called Loretta Hade in a Gilmer County Superior Court bill of indictment, was arrested in Dalton on Tuesday, said Kimberly Williams, agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) office in Cleveland.
Ivey is charged with malice murder, aggravated assault, concealing a death and abandonment of a dead body in an incident that allegedly occurred near Ellijay, according to the indictment.
Her husband, Shawn Glenn Ivey, 35, of Rabun County and formerly of Gilmer County, was arrested on Sept. 13 and charged with murder after the GBI received a tip he was involved in the death of Hade, 53, of Ellijay. Hade was a resident of Dalton and Tunnel Hill for around 30 years, a family member said.
“This will conclude the arrests in this case,” Williams said on Friday. “At one time there were no more arrests pending, but after a review of the case and getting through the process with Mr. Ivey, a Gilmer County grand jury handed down the indictment last week.”
District Attorney Joe Hendricks Jr. of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit called Hade’s death and the arrests of Shawn Ivey and Loretta Ivey “one of the most bizarre cases I’ve ever seen,” but did not elaborate on Friday. Shawn Ivey pleaded not guilty in Gilmer County Superior Court in January. He is tentatively set to go to trial in July, Hendricks said.
He said Loretta Ivey is being held in the Pickens County Detention Center in Jasper without bond. Shawn Ivey is being held in Gilmer County.
In the malice murder count, the indictment alleges that “as co-conspirators” Shawn Ivey and Loretta Ivey “with malice aforethought (caused) the death of (Hade) by striking the victim’s head with a blunt object.” The accusation states the murder took place sometime between July 1 and Aug. 10 of 2007.
In the concealment and abandonment counts, the grand jury charged that the Iveys concealed Hade’s body “in a wooded and overgrown area.”
The skeletal remains of Hade were found on the eastern side of Fort Mountain on Sept. 8 near the Murray-Gilmer line after a search by the sheriff’s offices from Gilmer County and Murray County, the state Department of Natural Resources and the GBI. A missing person’s report had not been filed with any law enforcement agency, the GBI said.
Williams said Loretta Ivey is “the current wife of Shawn Ivey and an ex-wife of John Hade. She was married to both.”
Madison, WI: Man Who Killed Family for Not Converting to Islam Sentenced to Life
May 07, 2011 04:25 PM EDT
2 people recommend this | comments: 2
In Madison, Wisconsin, James A. Larry went on a rampage. He killed his family because they refused to convert to Islam. Last year, Larry took the lives of his mother, his pregnant wife, infant son and two nieces, all because his wife would not convert.
What happened was, Larry had become a Muslim while in jail in Wisconsin on a weapons charge. He came home to Chicago, in Marquette Park, with the intent of killing them all because his wife and her family refused to convert along with him. Assistant State's Attorney Jim McKay said, "He was upset at his wife and their family — he felt disrespected that they would not join his religion. It didn't matter if they were young or old, pregnant or not. He wanted them dead."
And so, last year, on April 14, in the wee hours of the morning, the massacre began. The newly-converted Muslim fanatic went through the house and first shot his mother, Leona Larry, while she slept on a sofa in the living room. He then methodically continued his sick killing spree, murdering his 19-year-old pregnant wife, Twanda Thompson, his 7-month-old son named Jihad, a three-year-old niece and a 16-year-old niece. He shot his 13-year-old nephew, Demond Larry, in the face, but the boy survived. He then tried to shoot a man living in the basement, but thankfully, the gun didn't fire.
A 12-year-old niece who was upstairs heard the commotion, saw her dead relatives, and ran out of the house. Larry tried to chase her down and fired at her but missed. The traumatized girl made it safely to her mom's. James Larry is truly a sick, sick man. Not only was he already convicted on a weapons charge, he was somehow able to get his hands on a gun after getting released from jail.
Now, Larry apologized in court and last month he pleaded guilty to the charges. He will now serve life in prison for the murders and attempted murders with no chance for parole. This is an example of our justice system finally working the way it should. No reduced sentence for cooperating with authorities, no leniency for remorse was forthcoming. It's a good thing Illinois has a moratorium on the death penalty, because if it were still in effect, James Larry would have certainly been a great candidate
2 people recommend this | comments: 2
In Madison, Wisconsin, James A. Larry went on a rampage. He killed his family because they refused to convert to Islam. Last year, Larry took the lives of his mother, his pregnant wife, infant son and two nieces, all because his wife would not convert.
What happened was, Larry had become a Muslim while in jail in Wisconsin on a weapons charge. He came home to Chicago, in Marquette Park, with the intent of killing them all because his wife and her family refused to convert along with him. Assistant State's Attorney Jim McKay said, "He was upset at his wife and their family — he felt disrespected that they would not join his religion. It didn't matter if they were young or old, pregnant or not. He wanted them dead."
And so, last year, on April 14, in the wee hours of the morning, the massacre began. The newly-converted Muslim fanatic went through the house and first shot his mother, Leona Larry, while she slept on a sofa in the living room. He then methodically continued his sick killing spree, murdering his 19-year-old pregnant wife, Twanda Thompson, his 7-month-old son named Jihad, a three-year-old niece and a 16-year-old niece. He shot his 13-year-old nephew, Demond Larry, in the face, but the boy survived. He then tried to shoot a man living in the basement, but thankfully, the gun didn't fire.
A 12-year-old niece who was upstairs heard the commotion, saw her dead relatives, and ran out of the house. Larry tried to chase her down and fired at her but missed. The traumatized girl made it safely to her mom's. James Larry is truly a sick, sick man. Not only was he already convicted on a weapons charge, he was somehow able to get his hands on a gun after getting released from jail.
Now, Larry apologized in court and last month he pleaded guilty to the charges. He will now serve life in prison for the murders and attempted murders with no chance for parole. This is an example of our justice system finally working the way it should. No reduced sentence for cooperating with authorities, no leniency for remorse was forthcoming. It's a good thing Illinois has a moratorium on the death penalty, because if it were still in effect, James Larry would have certainly been a great candidate
Corpus Christi, TX: Vigil Held For Woman Killed In Shooting
Posted: May 7, 2011 10:21 PM by Melissa Schroeder - mschroeder@kristv.com
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Family and close friends held a candlelight vigil tonight for one of the women killed in a shooting this week.
18-year old Vivianna Amaya, 21-year old Virginia Rodela and 26-year old Marisela Ybarra were killed inside a car on Agnes Street Wednesday night.
Investigators arrested 21-year old Jacob Gonzalez for the crime.
Police say he had an on-again, off-again relationship with one of the victims and they believe the shooting was a result of domestic violence.
Tonight, a small group of people gathered at the same place that just days ago an accused gunman took one of their own.
Virgina Rodella or Gina as her friends called her was just 21 years old.
Her sister, Nicole Valdez, said, We had a lot of fun she was a great person, everybody loved her."
Saturday night, friends and family held a candlelight vigil to reflect on a life gone too soon.
At the vigil everyone wrote a message on a cup and put a candle inside.
Some friends brought flowers and wore t-shirts with Gina's name and photo.
They say it's going to take a long time to heal from this terrible tragedy.
Valdez said, "It hurts really, really bad, like it doesn't even feel true. We're going to have to take it day by day."
If you would like to follow Melissa Schroeder's news updates on Facebook, "friend" her here.
CORPUS CHRISTI -- Family and close friends held a candlelight vigil tonight for one of the women killed in a shooting this week.
18-year old Vivianna Amaya, 21-year old Virginia Rodela and 26-year old Marisela Ybarra were killed inside a car on Agnes Street Wednesday night.
Investigators arrested 21-year old Jacob Gonzalez for the crime.
Police say he had an on-again, off-again relationship with one of the victims and they believe the shooting was a result of domestic violence.
Tonight, a small group of people gathered at the same place that just days ago an accused gunman took one of their own.
Virgina Rodella or Gina as her friends called her was just 21 years old.
Her sister, Nicole Valdez, said, We had a lot of fun she was a great person, everybody loved her."
Saturday night, friends and family held a candlelight vigil to reflect on a life gone too soon.
At the vigil everyone wrote a message on a cup and put a candle inside.
Some friends brought flowers and wore t-shirts with Gina's name and photo.
They say it's going to take a long time to heal from this terrible tragedy.
Valdez said, "It hurts really, really bad, like it doesn't even feel true. We're going to have to take it day by day."
If you would like to follow Melissa Schroeder's news updates on Facebook, "friend" her here.
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