PASADENA, Texas – Police on Monday filed charges against a Houston man accused of fatally shooting his lover and then attempting to take his own life.
Investigators were called to the scene of the shooting at the Palace Inn Suites in the 5300 block of Spencer Highway in Pasadena on January 3.
According to court documents, the first officer to arrive at the scene found Antonio Castellan, 53, in the driver’s seat of his Dodge Ram pickup truck with a gunshot wound to the head. Next to him was Alicia Matamacias, who was deceased. Police said she’d been shot in the throat.
The responding officer said Castellan was alive and moving when he got there, so he removed a .45 caliber gun from beneath Castellan’s leg.
Investigators said they found two spent shell casings in the vehicle, and the shots were fired from the confiscated weapon.
Police also said they found a flowers and a Valentine’s Day card from Castellan to Matamacias in the truck.
But Matamacias was legally married to another man. When investigators contacted her husband, he said he didn’t know if his wife was having an affair and he was at work when she was killed.
When they examined cell phone records from Castellan and Matamacias, police said they found numerous romantic text messages between the two.
Castellan survived the incident, but with serious injuries.
He’s been charged with murder.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Chicago Ridge, IL: Chicago Ridge man gets longer prison term in wife’s murder
A Chicago Ridge man convicted of slaying his wife, then stashing her body in a closet, was resentenced Thursday to more prison time on the order of the state appellate court.
Peter Golesteanu, now 33, fatally stabbed his wife, Anna Marchon, in their home in the 11100 block of South Ridgeland Avenue in April 2005, less than two months after their wedding on Valentine’s Day 2005.
Judge Jack Hynes convicted him of murder and concealing a homicide after a trial in early 2009 in Cook County Circuit Court in Bridgeview.
Hynes sentenced Golesteanu to 35 years in prison for the murder, plus three years for the concealment. The original sentence was to be served concurrently, meaning each day in prison counted toward both sentences.
But the appellate court ruled earlier this month that the sentence should be consecutive, for a total of 38 years in prison.
Evidence at trial showed Golesteanu killed Marchon after she called him a “piece of s--- alcoholic” and vowed to leave him.
After hiding her body in a closet, Golesteanu went on a two-day cocaine and alcohol binge, watching a Bulls game and eating pizza with his brother, repeatedly going back to sit by his wife’s dead body and touch her dead foot. He later confessed to his parents and police.
Peter Golesteanu, now 33, fatally stabbed his wife, Anna Marchon, in their home in the 11100 block of South Ridgeland Avenue in April 2005, less than two months after their wedding on Valentine’s Day 2005.
Judge Jack Hynes convicted him of murder and concealing a homicide after a trial in early 2009 in Cook County Circuit Court in Bridgeview.
Hynes sentenced Golesteanu to 35 years in prison for the murder, plus three years for the concealment. The original sentence was to be served concurrently, meaning each day in prison counted toward both sentences.
But the appellate court ruled earlier this month that the sentence should be consecutive, for a total of 38 years in prison.
Evidence at trial showed Golesteanu killed Marchon after she called him a “piece of s--- alcoholic” and vowed to leave him.
After hiding her body in a closet, Golesteanu went on a two-day cocaine and alcohol binge, watching a Bulls game and eating pizza with his brother, repeatedly going back to sit by his wife’s dead body and touch her dead foot. He later confessed to his parents and police.
Seminole, OK: Statewide Search For Man Accused In Girlfriend's Death
SEMINOLE, Okla. -- A statewide search is on for a man who police said killed his 24-year old girlfriend in Seminole Thursday afternoon.
Adam Rollins, 28, is suspected of shooting Shiloh Mitchell in the couple's mobile home on Good Hope Road at about 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said Mitchell was shot several times in the chest while the couple's 2-month-old child was inside the home. The baby was not hurt in the incident, according to police.
Deputies said Rollins was last seen in a green 1995 Ford Taurus with a broken passenger's side window and windshield.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact police.
Adam Rollins, 28, is suspected of shooting Shiloh Mitchell in the couple's mobile home on Good Hope Road at about 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said Mitchell was shot several times in the chest while the couple's 2-month-old child was inside the home. The baby was not hurt in the incident, according to police.
Deputies said Rollins was last seen in a green 1995 Ford Taurus with a broken passenger's side window and windshield.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact police.
Salt Lake City, UT: Ex-boyfriend charged in 1986 murder in Salt Lake City
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday charged a man in the cold-case murder of Patricia Ramirez, whose body was found on a hillside above Memory Grove nearly 25 years ago.
Thomas Pennington — who was Ramirez’s ex-boyfriend — is charged with one count of murder in the second degree, a first-degree felony.
Court documents indicate Pennington, now 45, is in custody at the Tipton Correctional Center in Tipton, Mo. Bail has been set at $1 million.
Ramirez, 20, left her residence on the evening of July 8, 1986, and never returned. Her body was found five days later near 700 North Bonneville Boulevard.
Detectives said her skirt was unzipped, her shirt was torn, buttons were missing and her bra was torn in half. One half of the bra was used to strangle her.
Ramirez’s roommate, who filed a missing person report, told police Ramirez had left home to meet three people at the now-defunct Crossroads Mall in downtown Salt Lake City, according to charges.
The roommate told The Tribune at the time that Ramirez went to visit a boyfriend in Clearfield and collect a necklace from him and planned to return to her hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y., the next day. Police have said Ramirez was last seen exiting a bus at 50 S. State Street about 10:15 p.m. on July 8, 1986.
According to charges, police interviewed two witnesses who said they learned Ramirez had been killed when Pennington made statements at a party on the evening of July 8. A third man told police that he drove Pennington and two other men on an errand in which they appeared to dispose of a body.
Thomas Pennington — who was Ramirez’s ex-boyfriend — is charged with one count of murder in the second degree, a first-degree felony.
Court documents indicate Pennington, now 45, is in custody at the Tipton Correctional Center in Tipton, Mo. Bail has been set at $1 million.
Ramirez, 20, left her residence on the evening of July 8, 1986, and never returned. Her body was found five days later near 700 North Bonneville Boulevard.
Detectives said her skirt was unzipped, her shirt was torn, buttons were missing and her bra was torn in half. One half of the bra was used to strangle her.
Ramirez’s roommate, who filed a missing person report, told police Ramirez had left home to meet three people at the now-defunct Crossroads Mall in downtown Salt Lake City, according to charges.
The roommate told The Tribune at the time that Ramirez went to visit a boyfriend in Clearfield and collect a necklace from him and planned to return to her hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y., the next day. Police have said Ramirez was last seen exiting a bus at 50 S. State Street about 10:15 p.m. on July 8, 1986.
According to charges, police interviewed two witnesses who said they learned Ramirez had been killed when Pennington made statements at a party on the evening of July 8. A third man told police that he drove Pennington and two other men on an errand in which they appeared to dispose of a body.
Santa Clarita, CA: Missing Santa Clarita woman murdered; husband is person of interest
MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- An autopsy has revealed that Renata Klein, a missing Santa Clarita woman who was later found dead, had been murdered.
Her husband, 59-year-old Dusan Klein, is now considered a person of interest.
Authorities said the couple spoke to friends June 11, but that was the last time anyone heard from them. Family members reported them missing.
Days later on June 15, Renata Klein's body was found off Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road. Authorities did not reveal how she died but they said her body appeared to have been dumped. Sheriff's officials confirmed Thursday that Reneta Klein was murdered.
Deputies believe Dusan Klein may be driving a 1999 gold Jeep Cherokee with California license plate number 4FLN519. He may be traveling with the couple's black and white cocker spaniel named Cindy.
Along with authorities, the couple's son is hoping for answers in the case.
"This is a tragedy. My mom didn't deserve to go out like this. She was a beautiful, caring woman. Today I'm going to her funeral, and I just need to know something. I need some closure," said Robert Klein.
The couple lived in the 28000 block of Wildwind Road in Santa Clarita. A foreclosure notice is taped on the front door.
Deputies admit the couple's financial background is something they are looking into.
"There were financial problems. In fact, they were due to be evicted from the house on Monday, June 13. So, they went missing on June 11. So, that may have been a factor in what happened. We don't know. That's speculation at this point," said L.A. County Sheriff's Department Lt. John Corina.
Who killed Renata Klein and why remains a mystery, and deputies are hoping her husband can help solve it.
Detectives described Dusan Klein, as 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. Authorities say he speaks with a thick, Czechoslovakian accent that's hard to miss.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at (323) 890-5500.
Her husband, 59-year-old Dusan Klein, is now considered a person of interest.
Authorities said the couple spoke to friends June 11, but that was the last time anyone heard from them. Family members reported them missing.
Days later on June 15, Renata Klein's body was found off Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road. Authorities did not reveal how she died but they said her body appeared to have been dumped. Sheriff's officials confirmed Thursday that Reneta Klein was murdered.
Deputies believe Dusan Klein may be driving a 1999 gold Jeep Cherokee with California license plate number 4FLN519. He may be traveling with the couple's black and white cocker spaniel named Cindy.
Along with authorities, the couple's son is hoping for answers in the case.
"This is a tragedy. My mom didn't deserve to go out like this. She was a beautiful, caring woman. Today I'm going to her funeral, and I just need to know something. I need some closure," said Robert Klein.
The couple lived in the 28000 block of Wildwind Road in Santa Clarita. A foreclosure notice is taped on the front door.
Deputies admit the couple's financial background is something they are looking into.
"There were financial problems. In fact, they were due to be evicted from the house on Monday, June 13. So, they went missing on June 11. So, that may have been a factor in what happened. We don't know. That's speculation at this point," said L.A. County Sheriff's Department Lt. John Corina.
Who killed Renata Klein and why remains a mystery, and deputies are hoping her husband can help solve it.
Detectives described Dusan Klein, as 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. Authorities say he speaks with a thick, Czechoslovakian accent that's hard to miss.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at (323) 890-5500.
Uniondale, NY: Apparent Murder/Suicide in Uniondale
A Long Island couple was found dead in Uniondale Sunday in an apparent murder/suicide, police said at a press conference held at Nassau County Police Headquarters on Tuesday, June 21. According to police, the estranged couple had a history of domestic problems.
The bodies of Camille Pierre, 31, of South Floral Park and Emile Pierre Jr., 36, of Uniondale were found in a Nissan Quest minivan at the intersection of Warwick Street and Arcadia Avenue on June 19, authorities said.
Camille died of a gunshot wound, and Emile died of a self-inflicted fatal gunshot wound, police said.
Police said they do not know for sure what sparked this fatal encounter, but said the couple was having custody problems. The couple had four children together, ranging in age from 14 months to 12 years old.
“That appears to be the motive,” Det. Sgt. John DeMartinis of the Homicide Squad said.
Unlawful encounters were not unusual for the couple, police said. Emile had been arrested numerous times for criminal contempt for an order of protection. His most recent arrest was June 7, DeMartinis said.
“Based on the history of the arrests and of domestic incidence reports, this couple clearly had a tumultuous and contentious relationship,” DeMartinis said.
He reported that alarm was first raised about the whereabouts of the couple in a phone call between Camille and her mother Sunday morning while Camille was headed to work at an assisted-living facility around 6:30 a.m. In the middle of the phone call, the victim’s mother heard, “Please don’t do this to me, BB. I have to go to work.” The call was then terminated, DeMartinis said. BB was Emile’s nickname.
“It’s not long before numerous resources in the Nassau County Police Department are used in this search to find our victim,” DeMartinis said.
After police found Emile’s abandoned car in the parking lot of Camille’s workplace on Merrick Avenue in East Meadow, an aviation squad, a canine squad and detectives were dispatched to search for the missing couple. Police discovered the minivan at around 3 p.m., DeMartinis said.
The couple, DeMartinis said, was not legally separated but living apart.
The bodies of Camille Pierre, 31, of South Floral Park and Emile Pierre Jr., 36, of Uniondale were found in a Nissan Quest minivan at the intersection of Warwick Street and Arcadia Avenue on June 19, authorities said.
Camille died of a gunshot wound, and Emile died of a self-inflicted fatal gunshot wound, police said.
Police said they do not know for sure what sparked this fatal encounter, but said the couple was having custody problems. The couple had four children together, ranging in age from 14 months to 12 years old.
“That appears to be the motive,” Det. Sgt. John DeMartinis of the Homicide Squad said.
Unlawful encounters were not unusual for the couple, police said. Emile had been arrested numerous times for criminal contempt for an order of protection. His most recent arrest was June 7, DeMartinis said.
“Based on the history of the arrests and of domestic incidence reports, this couple clearly had a tumultuous and contentious relationship,” DeMartinis said.
He reported that alarm was first raised about the whereabouts of the couple in a phone call between Camille and her mother Sunday morning while Camille was headed to work at an assisted-living facility around 6:30 a.m. In the middle of the phone call, the victim’s mother heard, “Please don’t do this to me, BB. I have to go to work.” The call was then terminated, DeMartinis said. BB was Emile’s nickname.
“It’s not long before numerous resources in the Nassau County Police Department are used in this search to find our victim,” DeMartinis said.
After police found Emile’s abandoned car in the parking lot of Camille’s workplace on Merrick Avenue in East Meadow, an aviation squad, a canine squad and detectives were dispatched to search for the missing couple. Police discovered the minivan at around 3 p.m., DeMartinis said.
The couple, DeMartinis said, was not legally separated but living apart.
Lake Charles, LA: Lake Charles woman booked with second-degree murder in stabbing death
LAKE CHARLES, La. — A 20-year-old Lake Charles woman has been booked with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a 22-year-old man.
Deputy Chief Mark Kraus said in a news release Jessica Ann Love was arrested in Tuesday night's death of Lawrence Edward Bryant.
Kraus said Bryant was stabbed in the chest and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
He said the stabbing stemmed from a quarrel the two were having in Love's apartment. He said the two were dating.
It was not clear whether Love has an attorney.
Deputy Chief Mark Kraus said in a news release Jessica Ann Love was arrested in Tuesday night's death of Lawrence Edward Bryant.
Kraus said Bryant was stabbed in the chest and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
He said the stabbing stemmed from a quarrel the two were having in Love's apartment. He said the two were dating.
It was not clear whether Love has an attorney.
Saluda, SC: Woman Accused of Killing Husband with Car Arrested
Saluda, SC (WLTX) - A woman in Saluda has been arrested and charged with murder after police say she ran over her husband with her vehicle.
Aretha Rosser has been charged with murder and leaving the scene of an accident of an accident involving death.
Rosser turned herself over to officials at the South Carolina Department of Corrections Thursday afternoon.
Officers found Tony Rosser in the middle of a road near his home at about 8:40 a.m., suffering from massive head and body injuries. Rosser was taken to Self Regional Hospital in Greenwood, where he died at 10:21 a.m.
Police are investigating the possibility that there was a domestic altercation at their home before Tony Rosser's death.
Aretha Rosser has been charged with murder and leaving the scene of an accident of an accident involving death.
Rosser turned herself over to officials at the South Carolina Department of Corrections Thursday afternoon.
Officers found Tony Rosser in the middle of a road near his home at about 8:40 a.m., suffering from massive head and body injuries. Rosser was taken to Self Regional Hospital in Greenwood, where he died at 10:21 a.m.
Police are investigating the possibility that there was a domestic altercation at their home before Tony Rosser's death.
Article: Domestic violence is all about ownership
The Times-Standard recently printed an AP article about a murder/suicide at San Jose State. The story was confusing, called the murders “inexplicable,” and quoting one official saying “no one may ever know what happened.” Police said they had no idea of the motives for the killing. Other press articles labeled it “tragic,” “bizarre,” “random,” and “senseless,” and speculated about a motive for the killings. This type of typical media coverage is extremely frustrating for experts and those knowledgeable about domestic violence.
The story reported that a husband had shot his wife and a male friend of hers as they were getting into a car on the campus. Although the initial reports stated there was “no history of domestic violence,” subsequent coverage revealed that neighbors had called security the week before because of loud noises and sounds of destruction in the couple's apartment.
In fact, this murder/suicide, another that occurred in Dexter, Maine,, and one that occurred in Essex, England, last week, all follow a very similar and common pattern. The motive is control. Batterers usually murder their partners, and sometimes their children, when they have lost access to them, oftentimes when their partner has left them or is about to leave them. Domestic violence is all about ownership -- the batterer believes he is entitled to the services and obedience of his victim -- and that she has no right to leave him. (Although the vast majority of batterers are men and victims are women, battering does occur in lesbian/gay/bisexual/trans relationships, and there are a few cases of men being battered by women.)
There is ample and substantial research that clearly shows that domestic violence homicides can be substantially reduced in a community which institutes a stringent criminal and civil justice response to battering -- automatic arrest, high levels of prosecutions, and a judicial response that jails the batterer when he violates a restraining order, or stops attending a court mandated batterers' program. Usually press coverage quotes criminal justice personnel/university officials who are scrambling to conceal their own errors or lack of action, hence the “senseless,” and “inexplicable” labels.
At Humboldt State University, the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee is seeking funds to expand its coordinated community response to include domestic and dating violence, seeking to implement an approach that promotes survivor safety and assailant accountability.
Because of problematic reporting about domestic violence homicides and suicides, the public is robbed of the opportunity for learning, understanding and opportunities for action. Here in Humboldt County, the Prevention Committee of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council has developed the “Silent Witness” Project, which features life-sized silhouettes of people killed in domestic violence related events each with a name, age, and story. Twenty-five women (one was pregnant), two men, one child, one dog and one cat are remembered, and show in a highly visceral
way that it can and does happen here in our own community.
It is crucial for survivors (and their families, friends and allies) to understand that violence does not end when a woman leaves a battering relationship -- it often escalates. Leaving is the most dangerous time, and carefully crafted safety plans should be put into effect.
Those who are experiencing domestic violence can get help by calling: Humboldt Domestic Violence Services, 443-6042, the North Coast Rape Crisis Team, 445-2881 or WISH in southern Humboldt at 923-4100. Community members who would like to get involved in preventing domestic violence can call the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council at 601-6042.
Susan McGee is the coordinator of the Humboldt County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.
The story reported that a husband had shot his wife and a male friend of hers as they were getting into a car on the campus. Although the initial reports stated there was “no history of domestic violence,” subsequent coverage revealed that neighbors had called security the week before because of loud noises and sounds of destruction in the couple's apartment.
In fact, this murder/suicide, another that occurred in Dexter, Maine,, and one that occurred in Essex, England, last week, all follow a very similar and common pattern. The motive is control. Batterers usually murder their partners, and sometimes their children, when they have lost access to them, oftentimes when their partner has left them or is about to leave them. Domestic violence is all about ownership -- the batterer believes he is entitled to the services and obedience of his victim -- and that she has no right to leave him. (Although the vast majority of batterers are men and victims are women, battering does occur in lesbian/gay/bisexual/trans relationships, and there are a few cases of men being battered by women.)
There is ample and substantial research that clearly shows that domestic violence homicides can be substantially reduced in a community which institutes a stringent criminal and civil justice response to battering -- automatic arrest, high levels of prosecutions, and a judicial response that jails the batterer when he violates a restraining order, or stops attending a court mandated batterers' program. Usually press coverage quotes criminal justice personnel/university officials who are scrambling to conceal their own errors or lack of action, hence the “senseless,” and “inexplicable” labels.
At Humboldt State University, the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee is seeking funds to expand its coordinated community response to include domestic and dating violence, seeking to implement an approach that promotes survivor safety and assailant accountability.
Because of problematic reporting about domestic violence homicides and suicides, the public is robbed of the opportunity for learning, understanding and opportunities for action. Here in Humboldt County, the Prevention Committee of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council has developed the “Silent Witness” Project, which features life-sized silhouettes of people killed in domestic violence related events each with a name, age, and story. Twenty-five women (one was pregnant), two men, one child, one dog and one cat are remembered, and show in a highly visceral
way that it can and does happen here in our own community.
It is crucial for survivors (and their families, friends and allies) to understand that violence does not end when a woman leaves a battering relationship -- it often escalates. Leaving is the most dangerous time, and carefully crafted safety plans should be put into effect.
Those who are experiencing domestic violence can get help by calling: Humboldt Domestic Violence Services, 443-6042, the North Coast Rape Crisis Team, 445-2881 or WISH in southern Humboldt at 923-4100. Community members who would like to get involved in preventing domestic violence can call the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council at 601-6042.
Susan McGee is the coordinator of the Humboldt County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Bangor, ME: Bangor woman arrested, charged with murder in Ohio Street death of her husband
BANGOR, Maine — A local woman has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of her husband, who was found dead at his Ohio Street home on June 13.
Roxanne Jeskey, 48, has been charged in the death of Richard Jeskey. Roxanne Jeskey was arrested shortly before 7 p.m., according to Bangor police Lt. Jeff Millard. She is being held at Penobscot County Jail. Bail conditions and the time and date for her initial court appearance had not yet been set as of late Wednesday night, a jail official said.
Members of Richard Jeskey’s family said they were “shocked and grieved at the loss of our family member” in a statement released by the Police Department.
An autopsy was conducted June 14 at the medical examiner’s office in Augusta.
The medical examiner’s office has not released a cause of death.
Police found Jeskey’s body in his apartment on June 13 and called the death suspicious.
A person police are not identifying called 911 at around 8:35 a.m. June 13 to request an ambulance at the Ledgewood 1 apartment complex at 682 Ohio St., and when rescue crews arrived, they found Jeskey’s body.
Jeskey’s death was the second suspicious death reported in Bangor within a week.
William L. Hall, 29, of Fourth Street was arrested and charged with murder in the June 9 death of Melvin F. Abreu, 28. Hall told police last week that he strangled Abreu and then threw him out of his second story window at 96 Fourth St., according to court documents.
Roxanne Jeskey, 48, has been charged in the death of Richard Jeskey. Roxanne Jeskey was arrested shortly before 7 p.m., according to Bangor police Lt. Jeff Millard. She is being held at Penobscot County Jail. Bail conditions and the time and date for her initial court appearance had not yet been set as of late Wednesday night, a jail official said.
Members of Richard Jeskey’s family said they were “shocked and grieved at the loss of our family member” in a statement released by the Police Department.
An autopsy was conducted June 14 at the medical examiner’s office in Augusta.
The medical examiner’s office has not released a cause of death.
Police found Jeskey’s body in his apartment on June 13 and called the death suspicious.
A person police are not identifying called 911 at around 8:35 a.m. June 13 to request an ambulance at the Ledgewood 1 apartment complex at 682 Ohio St., and when rescue crews arrived, they found Jeskey’s body.
Jeskey’s death was the second suspicious death reported in Bangor within a week.
William L. Hall, 29, of Fourth Street was arrested and charged with murder in the June 9 death of Melvin F. Abreu, 28. Hall told police last week that he strangled Abreu and then threw him out of his second story window at 96 Fourth St., according to court documents.
Winnsboro, LA: No arrests planned in murder/suicide
Funeral services have been set for two victims of a Winnsboro shooting as well as the man police said shot them.
The funeral for Stephanie Love, 17, and her sister, Morgan Love, 18, is at 2 p.m. Friday at Pentecost Tabernacle in Delhi. Visitation is from 5-9 p.m. Thursday at the church.
Morgan Love's obituary lists her name as Morgan C. Stewart.
Burial is in Baskin Cemetery under the direction of Young's Community Memorial Funeral Home.
The Love sisters were shot Monday evening.
Police said they were shot by Patrick Cooper, 18, who then shot himself in front of officers.
Cooper's funeral is at 2 p.m. Saturday at River of Life Church in Winnsboro.
Visitation for Cooper is from
6 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday at Richardson Funeral Home. Burial is in Morning Star Cemetery in Fort Necessity under the direction of Richardson Funeral Home in Winnsboro.
Winnsboro Police Chief Lester Thomas said police were called to the 7200 block of Prairie Road Monday. He said the first officers on the scene found Morgan Love bleeding in the front yard of the residence.
"She had been shot multiple times," Thomas said. He said Cooper was seen standing over Morgan Love with a handgun.
Thomas said as officers arrived and began exiting their vehicle, Cooper shot himself. He said officers then entered the residence and found Stephanie Love with gunshot wounds in her back.
Thomas said Cooper and Stephanie Love were pronounced dead at the scene. Morgan Love died a short time later at Franklin Medical Center.
Thomas could not elaborate on the motive for the shooting. He said Cooper was reportedly dating Morgan Love, the mother of Cooper's child.
Thomas said the house is owned by the Love sisters' mother. He said she was not home. He said no arrests are expected.
Police are still investigating the homicides.
The funeral for Stephanie Love, 17, and her sister, Morgan Love, 18, is at 2 p.m. Friday at Pentecost Tabernacle in Delhi. Visitation is from 5-9 p.m. Thursday at the church.
Morgan Love's obituary lists her name as Morgan C. Stewart.
Burial is in Baskin Cemetery under the direction of Young's Community Memorial Funeral Home.
The Love sisters were shot Monday evening.
Police said they were shot by Patrick Cooper, 18, who then shot himself in front of officers.
Cooper's funeral is at 2 p.m. Saturday at River of Life Church in Winnsboro.
Visitation for Cooper is from
6 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday at Richardson Funeral Home. Burial is in Morning Star Cemetery in Fort Necessity under the direction of Richardson Funeral Home in Winnsboro.
Winnsboro Police Chief Lester Thomas said police were called to the 7200 block of Prairie Road Monday. He said the first officers on the scene found Morgan Love bleeding in the front yard of the residence.
"She had been shot multiple times," Thomas said. He said Cooper was seen standing over Morgan Love with a handgun.
Thomas said as officers arrived and began exiting their vehicle, Cooper shot himself. He said officers then entered the residence and found Stephanie Love with gunshot wounds in her back.
Thomas said Cooper and Stephanie Love were pronounced dead at the scene. Morgan Love died a short time later at Franklin Medical Center.
Thomas could not elaborate on the motive for the shooting. He said Cooper was reportedly dating Morgan Love, the mother of Cooper's child.
Thomas said the house is owned by the Love sisters' mother. He said she was not home. He said no arrests are expected.
Police are still investigating the homicides.
Florence, SC: Lake City man gets 23 years for ex-wife's slaying
FLORENCE, SC --
A Lake City man has been sentenced to 23 years in state prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of his ex-wife in 2008, 12th Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements III said.
Rodney Williams, 53, of Windwright Road, was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the death of 47-year-old Della R. Williams.
At the request of both the victim’s and suspect’s families, Rodney Williams was allowed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, Clements said. The weapon charge was dismissed as part of the plea.
The shooting happened at 9:40 a.m. Sept. 10, 2008, Florence County Coroner M.G. “Bubba” Matthews said.
A family member found Della Williams in the front yard of her home, at 1803 Perry Lane, and Florence County sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene about 11 a.m.
Della Williams died at the scene as the apparent result of gunshot wounds, Matthews said.
Deputies arrested Rodney Williams about 8 hours after the shooting. He had no criminal history before then, Clements said.
Twelfth Circuit Judge Thomas Russo could have sentenced Rodney Williams to as many as 30 years in prison on the manslaughter charge, Clements said.
Rodney Williams’ health problems delayed the proceedings from the time the crime occurred Clements said. He opted to plead guilty to the manslaughter charge Wednesday, before his trial was scheduled to begin Monday, to spare the family further grief.
Clements said Rodney Williams’ three grown children, as well as his former sister-in-law and other members of his family, were present for Wednesday’s “very emotional” proceedings.
A Lake City man has been sentenced to 23 years in state prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of his ex-wife in 2008, 12th Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements III said.
Rodney Williams, 53, of Windwright Road, was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the death of 47-year-old Della R. Williams.
At the request of both the victim’s and suspect’s families, Rodney Williams was allowed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, Clements said. The weapon charge was dismissed as part of the plea.
The shooting happened at 9:40 a.m. Sept. 10, 2008, Florence County Coroner M.G. “Bubba” Matthews said.
A family member found Della Williams in the front yard of her home, at 1803 Perry Lane, and Florence County sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene about 11 a.m.
Della Williams died at the scene as the apparent result of gunshot wounds, Matthews said.
Deputies arrested Rodney Williams about 8 hours after the shooting. He had no criminal history before then, Clements said.
Twelfth Circuit Judge Thomas Russo could have sentenced Rodney Williams to as many as 30 years in prison on the manslaughter charge, Clements said.
Rodney Williams’ health problems delayed the proceedings from the time the crime occurred Clements said. He opted to plead guilty to the manslaughter charge Wednesday, before his trial was scheduled to begin Monday, to spare the family further grief.
Clements said Rodney Williams’ three grown children, as well as his former sister-in-law and other members of his family, were present for Wednesday’s “very emotional” proceedings.
Wilmington Island, GA: Wilmington Island woman indicted in husband's slaying
A Wilmington Island woman was indicted Wednesday on a voluntary manslaughter charge in the slaying of her husband shortly after he returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.
Melaya Carla Sams, 35, caused the death of Michael A. Sams "while acting solely as the result of a sudden, violent and irresistible passion," the Chatham County grand jury determined.
Sams, 36, was shot and wounded at a home in the 100 block of Runner Road on Sept. 4, 2010. He was taken to Memorial University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Sams had just returned from Iraq where he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
Melaya Carla Sams, 35, caused the death of Michael A. Sams "while acting solely as the result of a sudden, violent and irresistible passion," the Chatham County grand jury determined.
Sams, 36, was shot and wounded at a home in the 100 block of Runner Road on Sept. 4, 2010. He was taken to Memorial University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Sams had just returned from Iraq where he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
Worcester, MA: Worcester man charged in assault; wife allegedly killed dog
WORCESTER — A Dixfield Street man has been charged with domestic assault after his wife, who allegedly admitted killing their dog, claimed he punched her in the head.
Peter R. Ahearn, 40, of 47 Dixfield St., was arrested Saturday on charges of assault and battery, according to court records.
Police found Mr. Ahearn sitting on steps in the backyard of his apartment building. Near him was a blue tarp, which police discovered to be wrapped around a dead Siberian husky, according to court records.
When questioned, Mr. Ahearn told officers that he had fought with his wife and then she left, court records said. Police found Mrs. Ahearn at a friend’s house, where she admitted to police that she had killed their dog, and said she wished to harm herself. She then accused her husband of punching her, prompting police to arrest Mr. Ahearn.
It was unclear yesterday whether the dog was killed before or after Mr. Ahearn allegedly struck his wife.
He was arraigned Monday and ordered held on $500 cash bail. His next court date is July 19.
Mrs. Ahearn has not been charged in the dog’s death.
Peter R. Ahearn, 40, of 47 Dixfield St., was arrested Saturday on charges of assault and battery, according to court records.
Police found Mr. Ahearn sitting on steps in the backyard of his apartment building. Near him was a blue tarp, which police discovered to be wrapped around a dead Siberian husky, according to court records.
When questioned, Mr. Ahearn told officers that he had fought with his wife and then she left, court records said. Police found Mrs. Ahearn at a friend’s house, where she admitted to police that she had killed their dog, and said she wished to harm herself. She then accused her husband of punching her, prompting police to arrest Mr. Ahearn.
It was unclear yesterday whether the dog was killed before or after Mr. Ahearn allegedly struck his wife.
He was arraigned Monday and ordered held on $500 cash bail. His next court date is July 19.
Mrs. Ahearn has not been charged in the dog’s death.
Philadelphia, PA: Northeast Philadelphia couple dead in apparent murder-suicide
Michael and Judith Cabry were known as a friendly older couple in their Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood.
If there was a hint of trouble in their household, in the 9500 block of Northeast Avenue, it was not widely known.
About 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, a 16-year-old grandson paid a visit and discovered both of them dead from gunshots to the head. Police found a gun at the scene and said it appeared to be a murder-suicide, with Michael Cabry, 74, having shot his wife, 71, and then himself.
"When the detective came to my door, I couldn't believe it," neighbor Miriam Conway, 82, said. "They were just very, very nice people."
Kathleen Conway, 53, her daughter, said she last saw Michael Cabry a few weeks ago, talking to the trash collectors. He had brought bottled water for the workers. "He was just nice like that," she said.
She also recalled how kind Michael Cabry was when her late father, Jack Conway, struggled with Alzheimer's disease. "As my dad started to get sick, Mr. Cabry was very nice to him," she said.
If there was a hint of trouble in their household, in the 9500 block of Northeast Avenue, it was not widely known.
About 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, a 16-year-old grandson paid a visit and discovered both of them dead from gunshots to the head. Police found a gun at the scene and said it appeared to be a murder-suicide, with Michael Cabry, 74, having shot his wife, 71, and then himself.
"When the detective came to my door, I couldn't believe it," neighbor Miriam Conway, 82, said. "They were just very, very nice people."
Kathleen Conway, 53, her daughter, said she last saw Michael Cabry a few weeks ago, talking to the trash collectors. He had brought bottled water for the workers. "He was just nice like that," she said.
She also recalled how kind Michael Cabry was when her late father, Jack Conway, struggled with Alzheimer's disease. "As my dad started to get sick, Mr. Cabry was very nice to him," she said.
Red Bluff, CA: UPDATE: Murder-suicide suspected in Red Bluff deaths
A 63-year-old Red Bluff woman found in a trailer park this week was strangled to death in what Tehama County sheriff’s investigators believe was a murder-suicide.
“That is our theory based on evidence at the scene and contact with family members and interviews with other people,” Assistant Sheriff Phillip Johnston said today.
An autopsy performed on Rena Detto showed the “cause of death as homicide with the primary cause being strangulation,” the department reported.
Detto’s identity had not been previously released.
Investigators believe James B. Barker, 60, who had been taking care of Detto and lived with her at the Casa Grande Drive residence, killed the woman and then took his own life, possibly by an overdose.
Johnston said there was evidence at the scene that supports that theory.
However, the cause of Barker’s death could not be determined by the autopsy, and until that is completed, Johnston said investigators are not drawing any final conclusions.
“There was no obvious indication at the scene or during autopsy to indicate that Barker’s death was a homicide or of natural causes,” the department reported.
The coroner’s office is waiting for toxicology results to confirm that, the Sheriff’s Department reported. It could be six weeks before those results are available.
The two people had been dead for some time when sheriff’s deputies found them o Monday. They had responded to a a call by a citizen, who reported that Detto and Barker had not been seen for several days.
The date of death was not immediately available, Johnston said.
“It should be noted that the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office is not currently looking for suspects in this case at this time and will be awaiting the final report from the pathologist,” the department reported.
“That is our theory based on evidence at the scene and contact with family members and interviews with other people,” Assistant Sheriff Phillip Johnston said today.
An autopsy performed on Rena Detto showed the “cause of death as homicide with the primary cause being strangulation,” the department reported.
Detto’s identity had not been previously released.
Investigators believe James B. Barker, 60, who had been taking care of Detto and lived with her at the Casa Grande Drive residence, killed the woman and then took his own life, possibly by an overdose.
Johnston said there was evidence at the scene that supports that theory.
However, the cause of Barker’s death could not be determined by the autopsy, and until that is completed, Johnston said investigators are not drawing any final conclusions.
“There was no obvious indication at the scene or during autopsy to indicate that Barker’s death was a homicide or of natural causes,” the department reported.
The coroner’s office is waiting for toxicology results to confirm that, the Sheriff’s Department reported. It could be six weeks before those results are available.
The two people had been dead for some time when sheriff’s deputies found them o Monday. They had responded to a a call by a citizen, who reported that Detto and Barker had not been seen for several days.
The date of death was not immediately available, Johnston said.
“It should be noted that the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office is not currently looking for suspects in this case at this time and will be awaiting the final report from the pathologist,” the department reported.
Santa Ana, CA: Santa Ana woman found dead in Tijuana
SANTA ANA – The body of a 21-year-old Santa Ana woman was discovered in a truck in the downtown area of Tijuana, Mexico, authorities said Wednesday.
Rosa Alicia Rosales Soto was found early Tuesday in the back seat of a green truck parked on H Street, between Second and Third streets, according to a news release from Mexican authorities. Rosales exhibited signs of trauma to the head.
Her estranged husband, Daniel Rangel Lozano, 24, of Santa Ana, turned himself in to Mexican authorities on Tuesday,
Lozano told authorities he lived with his wife in Santa Ana, but they decided to go to Tijuana where he said they went to take their lives, according to El Mexicano newspaper.
On Friday night, Santa Ana police received a call from Rosales' aunt in Chicago, who said she was concerned about her niece who was living in Santa Ana, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
Rosales apparently called her aunt and said her husband was going to kill her and then hung up, Bertagna said.
Officers went to the woman's home in the 2700 block of South Pacific Avenue, but residents told police the woman and her husband moved out two weeks ago, Bertagna said.
The following day, Rosales' aunt called her brother in San Jose, who called police there and filed a missing persons report. On Monday, San Jose detectives got in touch with Santa Ana police and said the couple had two children – a 6-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy - and were involved in a custody dispute, Bertagna said.
"There may have been domestic violence involved," Bertagna said.
On Monday, Lozano's parents went to the police department and said their son left his two children with them and had not returned, Bertagna said.
"We think something is wrong," Lozano's parents told police. "We have not heard from him or their mother."
Santa Ana detectives reviewed video from the U.S.-Mexico crossing and spotted the truck crossing into Tijuana. They contacted Mexican authorities and asked them for help locating the truck.
Homicide detectives are trying to determine whether Rosales was kidnapped and killed here and then transported to Tijuana or if she was kidnapped, driven to Tijuana and killed there, Bertagna said.
"We are investigating to find out what crimes happened here," he said.
Mexican authorities are conducting their own investigation.
Santa Ana detectives are asking the couple's friends, relatives and coworkers to call them with information about where the couple was living and when they were last seen. Detectives can be reached at 714-245-8390.
Rosa Alicia Rosales Soto was found early Tuesday in the back seat of a green truck parked on H Street, between Second and Third streets, according to a news release from Mexican authorities. Rosales exhibited signs of trauma to the head.
Her estranged husband, Daniel Rangel Lozano, 24, of Santa Ana, turned himself in to Mexican authorities on Tuesday,
Lozano told authorities he lived with his wife in Santa Ana, but they decided to go to Tijuana where he said they went to take their lives, according to El Mexicano newspaper.
On Friday night, Santa Ana police received a call from Rosales' aunt in Chicago, who said she was concerned about her niece who was living in Santa Ana, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
Rosales apparently called her aunt and said her husband was going to kill her and then hung up, Bertagna said.
Officers went to the woman's home in the 2700 block of South Pacific Avenue, but residents told police the woman and her husband moved out two weeks ago, Bertagna said.
The following day, Rosales' aunt called her brother in San Jose, who called police there and filed a missing persons report. On Monday, San Jose detectives got in touch with Santa Ana police and said the couple had two children – a 6-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy - and were involved in a custody dispute, Bertagna said.
"There may have been domestic violence involved," Bertagna said.
On Monday, Lozano's parents went to the police department and said their son left his two children with them and had not returned, Bertagna said.
"We think something is wrong," Lozano's parents told police. "We have not heard from him or their mother."
Santa Ana detectives reviewed video from the U.S.-Mexico crossing and spotted the truck crossing into Tijuana. They contacted Mexican authorities and asked them for help locating the truck.
Homicide detectives are trying to determine whether Rosales was kidnapped and killed here and then transported to Tijuana or if she was kidnapped, driven to Tijuana and killed there, Bertagna said.
"We are investigating to find out what crimes happened here," he said.
Mexican authorities are conducting their own investigation.
Santa Ana detectives are asking the couple's friends, relatives and coworkers to call them with information about where the couple was living and when they were last seen. Detectives can be reached at 714-245-8390.
Metamora, IL: Metamora man kills self in domestic dispute
METAMORA – A rural Metamora man shot and killed himself after a domestic dispute with his wife Tuesday night at their home, Woodford County police said.
His identity was being withheld until it would be released by Coroner Tim Ruestman later today.
The man’s wife called 911 on her cell phone from her car, saying her husband had shot at her. Deputies met her at a service station in Metamora and then cordoned off the residence, which is 1 1/2 miles north of Metamora.
The house is one-third mile east of Route 89 on County Road 1600 North. After a SWAT team arrived, police discovered the man dead inside the residence.
His identity was being withheld until it would be released by Coroner Tim Ruestman later today.
The man’s wife called 911 on her cell phone from her car, saying her husband had shot at her. Deputies met her at a service station in Metamora and then cordoned off the residence, which is 1 1/2 miles north of Metamora.
The house is one-third mile east of Route 89 on County Road 1600 North. After a SWAT team arrived, police discovered the man dead inside the residence.
Article: Protests in Calif. over claims of police brutality
This group of activists and community organizers are demonstrating outside an awards event meant to honor members of the Long Beach Police Department.
The Campaign to Stop Police Violence is a community coalition that formed in the wake of the death of Doug Zerby.
Long Beach police officers shot and killed Zerby this past December after officers say they mistook a water nozzle for a gun.
Since the shooting, the community coalition has been holding rallies to build support and to encourage victims of police brutality to come forward.
Campaign officials say their information shows that Long Beach is a national leader in police violence.
Ian Thompson is with the Long Beach Campaign to Stop Police Violence and ANSWER LA.
Thompson says he knows that tough economic times can lead to an increase in crime which can lead to justifiable police action.
But he says police are also looking to target people even when no crime has been committed.
Elizabeth Bustamante is one of those people who say police targeted her family.
Bustamante says Long Beach police officers shot her fiancee John Cabrera more than two dozen times.
At the time police said they were responding to a domestic violence call and that Cabrera was uncooperative.
Bustamente says police had no reason to use deadly force.
The Campaign to Stop Police Violence is a community coalition that formed in the wake of the death of Doug Zerby.
Long Beach police officers shot and killed Zerby this past December after officers say they mistook a water nozzle for a gun.
Since the shooting, the community coalition has been holding rallies to build support and to encourage victims of police brutality to come forward.
Campaign officials say their information shows that Long Beach is a national leader in police violence.
Ian Thompson is with the Long Beach Campaign to Stop Police Violence and ANSWER LA.
Thompson says he knows that tough economic times can lead to an increase in crime which can lead to justifiable police action.
But he says police are also looking to target people even when no crime has been committed.
Elizabeth Bustamante is one of those people who say police targeted her family.
Bustamante says Long Beach police officers shot her fiancee John Cabrera more than two dozen times.
At the time police said they were responding to a domestic violence call and that Cabrera was uncooperative.
Bustamente says police had no reason to use deadly force.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Indianapolis, IN: Police investigate woman's death on city's east side
Indianapolis Metro Police are investigating the death of a woman found in her home on the east side Tuesday morning.
Police received a 911 call about a person down in the 9700 block of East 38th Street around 10:00 a.m. Officers arrived to find a woman dead inside the home.
Investigators are releasing very little information about the case and are still calling it a death investigation. Several friends and family members tell FOX59 they believe the woman's husband killed her, though.
The names of the woman and her husband have not been publicly released.
FOX59 has confirmed with Marion County courts that the woman filed a protective order against her husband Monday. In the order, she claimed to be a victim of domestic violence and feared that her husband would hurt her again.
Family friends told FOX59 they were worried that the woman's husband would try to kill her.
Police said they are waiting on the Coroner to release the woman's name and information on how she died. Since the case is classified as a death investigation, police aren't saying anything about any potential suspects.
Family members said they are concerned because they believe the woman's husband is still on the loose.
This story will be updated as new details emerge.
Police received a 911 call about a person down in the 9700 block of East 38th Street around 10:00 a.m. Officers arrived to find a woman dead inside the home.
Investigators are releasing very little information about the case and are still calling it a death investigation. Several friends and family members tell FOX59 they believe the woman's husband killed her, though.
The names of the woman and her husband have not been publicly released.
FOX59 has confirmed with Marion County courts that the woman filed a protective order against her husband Monday. In the order, she claimed to be a victim of domestic violence and feared that her husband would hurt her again.
Family friends told FOX59 they were worried that the woman's husband would try to kill her.
Police said they are waiting on the Coroner to release the woman's name and information on how she died. Since the case is classified as a death investigation, police aren't saying anything about any potential suspects.
Family members said they are concerned because they believe the woman's husband is still on the loose.
This story will be updated as new details emerge.
Spring, TX: Spring man arrested in wife's strangulation death
Four months after a Spring woman was strangled to death, her husband has turned himself in to Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office detectives.
Investigators met with the District Attorney’s Office Monday and received a warrant of arrest for the victim’s husband, Ryan Lee Sumstad.
Sumstad, 36, surrendered Tuesday and was placed into jail, with bond set at $500,000.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies were dispatched Feb. 21 to a residence in the 25500 block of Many Oaks Drive in Spring involving the investigation of a dead person.
When deputies arrived, a witness at the residence told them she had come to the residence to check on 34-year-old Christie Sumstad. When she arrived, she found the victim dead inside the home.
Sheriff’s Office major crimes detectives and crime scene investigators noted signs of a struggle and initiated an investigation. At the time, Justice of the Peace Edie Connelly ordered an autopsy at the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the examine ruled the death as a “homicide by strangulation.”
The investigation is continuing and anyone who may have information about this case should call Detective David Eason at 936-760-5876.
Investigators met with the District Attorney’s Office Monday and received a warrant of arrest for the victim’s husband, Ryan Lee Sumstad.
Sumstad, 36, surrendered Tuesday and was placed into jail, with bond set at $500,000.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies were dispatched Feb. 21 to a residence in the 25500 block of Many Oaks Drive in Spring involving the investigation of a dead person.
When deputies arrived, a witness at the residence told them she had come to the residence to check on 34-year-old Christie Sumstad. When she arrived, she found the victim dead inside the home.
Sheriff’s Office major crimes detectives and crime scene investigators noted signs of a struggle and initiated an investigation. At the time, Justice of the Peace Edie Connelly ordered an autopsy at the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the examine ruled the death as a “homicide by strangulation.”
The investigation is continuing and anyone who may have information about this case should call Detective David Eason at 936-760-5876.
Lake Village, AR: Lake Village woman charged in husband's death
The Lake Village Police department has charged Kathy Livingston with killing her husband, Bobby.
The incident happened on Saturday, June 18 just before 7:00pm. Lake Village police responded to a shooting call at 3308 South Lake Shore Drive.
Upon arrival, officers entered the home and found both Bobby and Kathy Livingston with gunshot wounds. Mr. Livingston was pronounced dead at the scene. Mrs. Livingston was transported to Chicot Memorial, then later to Jefferson Regional in Pine Bluff. She is listed in fair condition.
Kathy has been charged with first degree murder, in what appears to have been a domestic incident. According to police, Kathy shot her husband and then shot herself.
Arkansas State Police are assisting in the investigation..
The incident happened on Saturday, June 18 just before 7:00pm. Lake Village police responded to a shooting call at 3308 South Lake Shore Drive.
Upon arrival, officers entered the home and found both Bobby and Kathy Livingston with gunshot wounds. Mr. Livingston was pronounced dead at the scene. Mrs. Livingston was transported to Chicot Memorial, then later to Jefferson Regional in Pine Bluff. She is listed in fair condition.
Kathy has been charged with first degree murder, in what appears to have been a domestic incident. According to police, Kathy shot her husband and then shot herself.
Arkansas State Police are assisting in the investigation..
Long Beach, CA: Jury convicts Long Beach man of 1985 murder
A Long Beach man was convicted Tuesday of stabbing his girlfriend's husband to death in Torrance more than 25 years ago.
Janos Kulcsar, 60, who spent all those years in a relationship with his victim's wife, faces the rest of his life in prison for killing 58-year-old Archie McFarland.
Torrance Superior Court jurors deliberated about 2 1/2 hours at the end of the monthlong trial before returning with a verdict finding Kulcsar guilty of first-degree murder.
McFarland's 20-year-old son, Gary, found him bleeding in the family's driveway in the 4000 block of 184th Street just before dawn on Dec. 9, 1985. McFarland was stabbed four times in the chest while standing, and once in the groin after he collapsed, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said.
Kulcsar, prosecutors said, was upset that McFarland's wife, Mary Ann McFarland, had ended their affair and had returned to live with her husband.
Kulcsar was quickly arrested after the killing, but prosecutors cited insufficient evidence in the case and rejected charges. Torrance police reopened the case two years ago and arrested Kulcsar on April 1, 2010.
Mary Ann McFarland testified during a preliminary hearing and at trial that she met Kulcsar at Alpine Village while having troubles with her marriage. Kulcsar persistently asked her to dance, and soon she developed a relationship with him. She left her husband to live with Kulcsar, but soon returned to work things out with her husband.
Kulcsar, however, continued to pursue her. Seven days before the killing, Kulcsar called the McFarland house, but Archie McFarland told him, "Go fly a kite," and hung up on him. Kulcsar called back and said, "Don't you hang up on me. I will get even with you," Lewin said.
The next day, Kulcsar showed up at the McFarland residence again. Mary Ann McFarland found him sitting in the living room with her husband.
"You know I've been seeing your wife," he told his victim.
Mary Ann McFarland, who told Kulcsar their relationship was over, testified that she found a gun in a bag he had brought into the house.
Six days later, Archie McFarland was stabbed. When police arrested Kulcsar, his car was hot and his clothes wet, Lewin said.
Lewin said Kulcsar told inconsistent stories over the years about where he had been.
Despite suspicions surrounding him, Mary Ann McFarland never believed Kulcsar was involved. About six months after the killing, she resumed her relationship with him and moved in with him in Long Beach.
"The wife testified she wanted to believe he was not involved," Lewin said. "She loves him. He takes care of her."
Mary Ann McFarland, who is 15 years older than Kulcsar, was not involved in her husband's killing, Lewin said.
Judge Mark Arnold is expected to sentence Kulcsar to 26 years to life on Aug. 2.
Janos Kulcsar, 60, who spent all those years in a relationship with his victim's wife, faces the rest of his life in prison for killing 58-year-old Archie McFarland.
Torrance Superior Court jurors deliberated about 2 1/2 hours at the end of the monthlong trial before returning with a verdict finding Kulcsar guilty of first-degree murder.
McFarland's 20-year-old son, Gary, found him bleeding in the family's driveway in the 4000 block of 184th Street just before dawn on Dec. 9, 1985. McFarland was stabbed four times in the chest while standing, and once in the groin after he collapsed, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said.
Kulcsar, prosecutors said, was upset that McFarland's wife, Mary Ann McFarland, had ended their affair and had returned to live with her husband.
Kulcsar was quickly arrested after the killing, but prosecutors cited insufficient evidence in the case and rejected charges. Torrance police reopened the case two years ago and arrested Kulcsar on April 1, 2010.
Mary Ann McFarland testified during a preliminary hearing and at trial that she met Kulcsar at Alpine Village while having troubles with her marriage. Kulcsar persistently asked her to dance, and soon she developed a relationship with him. She left her husband to live with Kulcsar, but soon returned to work things out with her husband.
Kulcsar, however, continued to pursue her. Seven days before the killing, Kulcsar called the McFarland house, but Archie McFarland told him, "Go fly a kite," and hung up on him. Kulcsar called back and said, "Don't you hang up on me. I will get even with you," Lewin said.
The next day, Kulcsar showed up at the McFarland residence again. Mary Ann McFarland found him sitting in the living room with her husband.
"You know I've been seeing your wife," he told his victim.
Mary Ann McFarland, who told Kulcsar their relationship was over, testified that she found a gun in a bag he had brought into the house.
Six days later, Archie McFarland was stabbed. When police arrested Kulcsar, his car was hot and his clothes wet, Lewin said.
Lewin said Kulcsar told inconsistent stories over the years about where he had been.
Despite suspicions surrounding him, Mary Ann McFarland never believed Kulcsar was involved. About six months after the killing, she resumed her relationship with him and moved in with him in Long Beach.
"The wife testified she wanted to believe he was not involved," Lewin said. "She loves him. He takes care of her."
Mary Ann McFarland, who is 15 years older than Kulcsar, was not involved in her husband's killing, Lewin said.
Judge Mark Arnold is expected to sentence Kulcsar to 26 years to life on Aug. 2.
East Orange, NJ: East Orange woman shot in murder-suicide was killed, prosecutor says
EAST ORANGE — The East Orange woman shot by her boyfriend before he fatally shot himself last night was in fact killed, contrary to what authorities reported Tuesday, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said this afternoon.
Latoshia Murray, 23, was shot multiple times shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening by Alex Fuller, 29, in the North Grove Street apartment the couple shared with their two sons, aged 3 and 5, the prosecutor’s office said. Murray was pronounced dead at 6:48 p.m. at University Hospital in Newark. She was said to be alive as recently as this morning.
Murray’s sister and her boyfriend; that couple’s newborn; and Murray’s grandmother were also at the home at the time of the shootings, the prosecutor’s office said. No one else was injured.
The prosecutor’s homicide/major crimes task force is continuing its investigation.
The murder-suicide follows by 10 days that of a Hillside married couple, also with children.
On June 11, Richard Lewis, 45, stabbed Trecia Lewis several times and strangled her. Richard Lewis then got in the apartment’s tub and electrocuted himself. The couple left a 15-year-old daughter and an 11-year-son, neither of whom were harmed.
Latoshia Murray, 23, was shot multiple times shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening by Alex Fuller, 29, in the North Grove Street apartment the couple shared with their two sons, aged 3 and 5, the prosecutor’s office said. Murray was pronounced dead at 6:48 p.m. at University Hospital in Newark. She was said to be alive as recently as this morning.
Murray’s sister and her boyfriend; that couple’s newborn; and Murray’s grandmother were also at the home at the time of the shootings, the prosecutor’s office said. No one else was injured.
The prosecutor’s homicide/major crimes task force is continuing its investigation.
The murder-suicide follows by 10 days that of a Hillside married couple, also with children.
On June 11, Richard Lewis, 45, stabbed Trecia Lewis several times and strangled her. Richard Lewis then got in the apartment’s tub and electrocuted himself. The couple left a 15-year-old daughter and an 11-year-son, neither of whom were harmed.
Chula Vista, CA: Father kills 2 sons and himself, Chula Vista police say
Reporting from San Diego -- A distraught father killed his two teenage sons and set fire to the family home before killing himself, Chula Vista police said Tuesday.
The dead were identified as Thomas Fuchs, 49, and his sons Sean, 15, and Kyle, 13.
Police said notes left at the home indicated that Fuchs, a lawyer, committed the murder-suicide. He was reportedly upset about financial problems and a custody battle with his ex-wife, Maria Pe, also an attorney.
Neighbors along the tree-lined street reported smoke coming from the home about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Firefighters quickly doused the flames and found the bodies.
Fuchs' ex-wife arrived at the home on Bonita Verde Drive as fire and police investigators were combing through the burned-out portion of the house. She was led away in a police car.
Tuesday's killings are the third murder-suicide in San Diego County in the last month.
On June 1, police found the bodies of Mary Alvarez, 41; her daughter Angelica, 12, and son Hamid, 11, in their three-story townhome in Chula Vista. Police believe they were strangled by Alvarez's former live-in boyfriend, Alfredo Almonte, 37, who then committed suicide by leaping off a freeway bridge in the Spring Valley area.
A week earlier, a family of four was found dead in the Paradise Hills neighborhood of San Diego. The bodies of the father and two daughters were found in the home's swimming pool, the mother's in the bathtub. Suicide notes, written by the mother and father, indicated that the family was in financial trouble.
Police believe that Alfredo Pimienta, 44, killed his daughters, Priscilla, 17, and Emily, 9, and his wife, Georgina, 38, before killing himself. The medical examiner has yet to announce the cause of death; toxicology tests are pending.
The dead were identified as Thomas Fuchs, 49, and his sons Sean, 15, and Kyle, 13.
Police said notes left at the home indicated that Fuchs, a lawyer, committed the murder-suicide. He was reportedly upset about financial problems and a custody battle with his ex-wife, Maria Pe, also an attorney.
Neighbors along the tree-lined street reported smoke coming from the home about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Firefighters quickly doused the flames and found the bodies.
Fuchs' ex-wife arrived at the home on Bonita Verde Drive as fire and police investigators were combing through the burned-out portion of the house. She was led away in a police car.
Tuesday's killings are the third murder-suicide in San Diego County in the last month.
On June 1, police found the bodies of Mary Alvarez, 41; her daughter Angelica, 12, and son Hamid, 11, in their three-story townhome in Chula Vista. Police believe they were strangled by Alvarez's former live-in boyfriend, Alfredo Almonte, 37, who then committed suicide by leaping off a freeway bridge in the Spring Valley area.
A week earlier, a family of four was found dead in the Paradise Hills neighborhood of San Diego. The bodies of the father and two daughters were found in the home's swimming pool, the mother's in the bathtub. Suicide notes, written by the mother and father, indicated that the family was in financial trouble.
Police believe that Alfredo Pimienta, 44, killed his daughters, Priscilla, 17, and Emily, 9, and his wife, Georgina, 38, before killing himself. The medical examiner has yet to announce the cause of death; toxicology tests are pending.
Bethlehem, PA: Trisha Sadler's murder 'devastating,' advocates for domestic violence victims say
The brutal murder of 29-year-old Trisha Sadler, who police believe was killed and dismembered by her boyfriend, William J. Ward, sparked anger and sadness among domestic violence advocates.
"It is disturbing and it is very hurtful," Heidi Markow, founder of the Beginning Over Foundation, said of the news late last week of Sadler's murder.
View full sizeTrisha Sadler
Sadler's death marked the fifth domestic violence-related killing in the Lehigh Valley in the past year and the third so far this year.
Just last month, Bethlehem police accused Luis Montero of killing Marjorie Reyes in front of two of their children in May on the second floor of her city home. Montero awaits a preliminary in his case.
Markow's sister, Robin Shaffer, was murdered in 2005 by her husband. Markow's foundation works to educate people about domestic violence, empower victims and aid victims and their families.
In a message posted on Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley's website, development director John Toner said the last year capped an extraordinary period of violence against women by the men in their lives.
Despite the killings though, Markow and others say there is hope, and victims can, and do find help and exits from dangerous, abusive relationships.
"There are groups that can help you," Bethlehem Lt. Mark DiLuzio. "You gotta tell someone and you gotta get out of that situation."
Sadler told her co-worker, Crystal Van Gorden just days before her death, police said, to call police if anything ever happened to her. Police said Sadler told Van Gorden about Ward's martial arts knowledge, that he abused her and that she planned to leave him.
Van Gorden contacted police Friday, according to court papers, after Sadler missed two days of work at Wells Fargo.
Markow said Van Gorden did the right thing, even though it was too late.
Police swarmed Sadler's home in the 1800 block of Cloverdale Road and after a six-hour standoff carried Ward from the home.
Sadler was stabbed to death, dismembered and placed into heavy duty trash bags, police said.
Markow said friends and family members of victims often get frustrated with victims' and their failure to break off with abusers or leave dangerous situations and relationships. She said it is easy to forsake victims, but that is what an abuser desires.
"Be there and never turn away," Markow said. "Be there and always show support. Don't ever give up."
DiLuzio said domestic homicides are the most difficult crime to prevent because they are so often crimes of passion and committed inside homes by people known to the victims. He added though that domestic violence situations often follow patterns of escalating violence, and that physical abusers often have backgrounds choked with assaults and other crimes.
Ward, 45, was on probation at the time of his arrest Friday, for an aggravated assault conviction from the 1980s. Police said he has a number of assault and other convictions on his rap sheet from the same time period. The mother of his child, who he lost a custody battle for earlier this year, filed for protection from abuse in Lehigh County in 2009, according to court papers.
"It is the same old story," Markow said. "Prior offenses. Prior assaults. Prior PFAs. It's the same old story."
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, violent crime rates plummeted in the past 30 years, and likewise domestic violence-related killings have decreased, but they remain a large subset of homicides.
DOJ data from 1976-2005 indicates there were three times as many domestic violence homicides than gang-related homicides.
DiLuzio, who has more than 30 years experience in law enforcement, said agencies like Turning Point, hospitals, the courts, police and others have access to counseling, shelters and other means to aid victims. He said an important step, like the one Sadler took with Van Gorden, is to reach out to friends.
"If you are in a violent relationship, confide in your friends. Tell someone what is going on," DiLuzio said. "There are a lot of services available. Confide just in case something happens."
DiLuzio said police may never have known what happened to Sadler, or they may have located her remains weeks later, if Van Gorden hadn't called to alert them.
Reyes' sister, Daisy Nastasi, of Phillipsburg, said she plans to work with Markow's foundation to better educate domestic violence victims. She said her family never would have thought Montero, the father of Reyes' three sons, could have killed her sister, but she saw warning signs.
"They were separated for five years," Nastasi said. "She tried to keep things civil for the kids' sake. He bullied his way into her life."
Montero shot Reyes multiple times in her home in front of two of her sons. Montero then shot himself and implored one of the sons to kill him, police said. According to court papers Montero was angry because Reyes was in another relationship.
Nastasi said the news of Sadler's death brought back memories of her sister.
"I am just once again sick to hear this stuff about domestic abuse," Nastasi said. "It angers me that this continues to go on."
***
In the past year, the following murders tied to domestic violence have occurred in the Lehigh Valley:
Last June Michael Ballard slaughtered ex-girlfriend Denise Mehri, her father, grandfather and a neighbor in Mehri's Northampton home. He was sentenced to death in May.
In September, Barry Soldridge killed his ex-girlfriend, Candice Shuey and her boyfriend, Derek Henry, with a high-powered rifle in Lehigh Township, Northampton County.
Bethlehem police accused Luis Montero of killing Marjorie Reyes in front of two of their children in May on the second floor of her city home. Montero awaits a preliminary in his case.
David Rapoport, a married veterinarian, shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend, Jennifer Snyder, police said, in a rural stretch of Lehigh County in March. Rapoport is slated for trial later this year; Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin is seeking the death penalty.
"It is disturbing and it is very hurtful," Heidi Markow, founder of the Beginning Over Foundation, said of the news late last week of Sadler's murder.
View full sizeTrisha Sadler
Sadler's death marked the fifth domestic violence-related killing in the Lehigh Valley in the past year and the third so far this year.
Just last month, Bethlehem police accused Luis Montero of killing Marjorie Reyes in front of two of their children in May on the second floor of her city home. Montero awaits a preliminary in his case.
Markow's sister, Robin Shaffer, was murdered in 2005 by her husband. Markow's foundation works to educate people about domestic violence, empower victims and aid victims and their families.
In a message posted on Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley's website, development director John Toner said the last year capped an extraordinary period of violence against women by the men in their lives.
Despite the killings though, Markow and others say there is hope, and victims can, and do find help and exits from dangerous, abusive relationships.
"There are groups that can help you," Bethlehem Lt. Mark DiLuzio. "You gotta tell someone and you gotta get out of that situation."
Sadler told her co-worker, Crystal Van Gorden just days before her death, police said, to call police if anything ever happened to her. Police said Sadler told Van Gorden about Ward's martial arts knowledge, that he abused her and that she planned to leave him.
Van Gorden contacted police Friday, according to court papers, after Sadler missed two days of work at Wells Fargo.
Markow said Van Gorden did the right thing, even though it was too late.
Police swarmed Sadler's home in the 1800 block of Cloverdale Road and after a six-hour standoff carried Ward from the home.
Sadler was stabbed to death, dismembered and placed into heavy duty trash bags, police said.
Markow said friends and family members of victims often get frustrated with victims' and their failure to break off with abusers or leave dangerous situations and relationships. She said it is easy to forsake victims, but that is what an abuser desires.
"Be there and never turn away," Markow said. "Be there and always show support. Don't ever give up."
DiLuzio said domestic homicides are the most difficult crime to prevent because they are so often crimes of passion and committed inside homes by people known to the victims. He added though that domestic violence situations often follow patterns of escalating violence, and that physical abusers often have backgrounds choked with assaults and other crimes.
Ward, 45, was on probation at the time of his arrest Friday, for an aggravated assault conviction from the 1980s. Police said he has a number of assault and other convictions on his rap sheet from the same time period. The mother of his child, who he lost a custody battle for earlier this year, filed for protection from abuse in Lehigh County in 2009, according to court papers.
"It is the same old story," Markow said. "Prior offenses. Prior assaults. Prior PFAs. It's the same old story."
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, violent crime rates plummeted in the past 30 years, and likewise domestic violence-related killings have decreased, but they remain a large subset of homicides.
DOJ data from 1976-2005 indicates there were three times as many domestic violence homicides than gang-related homicides.
DiLuzio, who has more than 30 years experience in law enforcement, said agencies like Turning Point, hospitals, the courts, police and others have access to counseling, shelters and other means to aid victims. He said an important step, like the one Sadler took with Van Gorden, is to reach out to friends.
"If you are in a violent relationship, confide in your friends. Tell someone what is going on," DiLuzio said. "There are a lot of services available. Confide just in case something happens."
DiLuzio said police may never have known what happened to Sadler, or they may have located her remains weeks later, if Van Gorden hadn't called to alert them.
Reyes' sister, Daisy Nastasi, of Phillipsburg, said she plans to work with Markow's foundation to better educate domestic violence victims. She said her family never would have thought Montero, the father of Reyes' three sons, could have killed her sister, but she saw warning signs.
"They were separated for five years," Nastasi said. "She tried to keep things civil for the kids' sake. He bullied his way into her life."
Montero shot Reyes multiple times in her home in front of two of her sons. Montero then shot himself and implored one of the sons to kill him, police said. According to court papers Montero was angry because Reyes was in another relationship.
Nastasi said the news of Sadler's death brought back memories of her sister.
"I am just once again sick to hear this stuff about domestic abuse," Nastasi said. "It angers me that this continues to go on."
***
In the past year, the following murders tied to domestic violence have occurred in the Lehigh Valley:
Last June Michael Ballard slaughtered ex-girlfriend Denise Mehri, her father, grandfather and a neighbor in Mehri's Northampton home. He was sentenced to death in May.
In September, Barry Soldridge killed his ex-girlfriend, Candice Shuey and her boyfriend, Derek Henry, with a high-powered rifle in Lehigh Township, Northampton County.
Bethlehem police accused Luis Montero of killing Marjorie Reyes in front of two of their children in May on the second floor of her city home. Montero awaits a preliminary in his case.
David Rapoport, a married veterinarian, shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend, Jennifer Snyder, police said, in a rural stretch of Lehigh County in March. Rapoport is slated for trial later this year; Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin is seeking the death penalty.
Arlington, TN: Jury told boyfriend killed expectant mother, baby
With the birth of her daughter just a month away, teacher Tonya Johnson had the crib and the changing table and the curtains in the baby's room decorated in soft pinks, greens and yellows.
Her daughter's name was to be Greenlea, but neither of them made it to the delivery date in October 2009.
The father, Tarence Nelson, now is on trial on two counts of first-degree murder, accused of killing them both with a single bullet to her right abdomen.
"Tonya Johnson died," state prosecutor Carla Taylor told a Criminal Court jury Tuesday, "and it was too late to save Greenlea. She never made it to this world."
The shooting occurred on the evening of Sept. 25, 2009, at Johnson's home at 5686 Wolf Pack Drive in Arlington. Concerned neighbors entered the house when they peered in the front door and saw her slumped on the living room ottoman.
One neighbor was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher relaying emergency procedures to others who were frantically trying to save mother and daughter. "There was a lot of commotion going on," said Kaye Ingram, who lived across the street.
Nelson, 28, a computer network analyst from Murfreesboro, quickly became a suspect when Johnson's cell phone indicated they had had numerous conversations with one another before the homicide.
Cellphone towers also indicated that Nelson was in close proximity to Johnson's home at the time, according to court records.
Police said neighbors' descriptions of a man who drove up to the house earlier that evening matched Nelson.
Taylor said Nelson had called Johnson from Murfreesboro earlier about coming to Arlington to discuss their relationship, which began several years earlier.
Defense attorney Steve Leffler told jurors there is not enough evidence to find Nelson guilty of first-degree murder.
Nelson was arrested the next day in Murfreesboro and remains in the Shelby County Jail without bond.
Johnson, 36, was a third-grade teacher at Brownsville Road Elementary School.
Her daughter's name was to be Greenlea, but neither of them made it to the delivery date in October 2009.
The father, Tarence Nelson, now is on trial on two counts of first-degree murder, accused of killing them both with a single bullet to her right abdomen.
"Tonya Johnson died," state prosecutor Carla Taylor told a Criminal Court jury Tuesday, "and it was too late to save Greenlea. She never made it to this world."
The shooting occurred on the evening of Sept. 25, 2009, at Johnson's home at 5686 Wolf Pack Drive in Arlington. Concerned neighbors entered the house when they peered in the front door and saw her slumped on the living room ottoman.
One neighbor was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher relaying emergency procedures to others who were frantically trying to save mother and daughter. "There was a lot of commotion going on," said Kaye Ingram, who lived across the street.
Nelson, 28, a computer network analyst from Murfreesboro, quickly became a suspect when Johnson's cell phone indicated they had had numerous conversations with one another before the homicide.
Cellphone towers also indicated that Nelson was in close proximity to Johnson's home at the time, according to court records.
Police said neighbors' descriptions of a man who drove up to the house earlier that evening matched Nelson.
Taylor said Nelson had called Johnson from Murfreesboro earlier about coming to Arlington to discuss their relationship, which began several years earlier.
Defense attorney Steve Leffler told jurors there is not enough evidence to find Nelson guilty of first-degree murder.
Nelson was arrested the next day in Murfreesboro and remains in the Shelby County Jail without bond.
Johnson, 36, was a third-grade teacher at Brownsville Road Elementary School.
LaGrange, NY: Cops identify body of woman whose beau killed himself
The remains of a Bronx woman found dead and set on fire in a Hudson Valley state park were identified Monday, the same day her boyfriend fatally shot himself after trying to flee police in Virginia, authorities said Tuesday.
The body of Jasmine Maxine Nunez, 22, was found by firefighters putting out a brush fire at James Baird State Park in the upstate town of LaGrange on June 12. Her remains were too charred to immediately identify.
Her boyfriend, Andres Ceballos, 26, never let on that anything was wrong until he skipped town.
"I talked to him the day after she was found," said Nunez's sister Melanie, 20. "He sounded so calm."
Family members reported the Mandl-College of Allied Health student missing last weekend after not hearing from her for more than a week, her sister said. They went with cops to the couple's Bronx apartment to find her bags packed.
"She's been trying to leave him for a while now," the sister said. "I feel like he knew she was going to leave him."
On Monday, after Nunez's body was identified by a tattoo, Virginia State Police pulled Ceballos over in Emporia. He ran from his car and shot himself to death.
"At first I was kind of happy," Melanie said. "He took my sister and now he's gone, too. But now there's so many questions unanswered."
The body of Jasmine Maxine Nunez, 22, was found by firefighters putting out a brush fire at James Baird State Park in the upstate town of LaGrange on June 12. Her remains were too charred to immediately identify.
Her boyfriend, Andres Ceballos, 26, never let on that anything was wrong until he skipped town.
"I talked to him the day after she was found," said Nunez's sister Melanie, 20. "He sounded so calm."
Family members reported the Mandl-College of Allied Health student missing last weekend after not hearing from her for more than a week, her sister said. They went with cops to the couple's Bronx apartment to find her bags packed.
"She's been trying to leave him for a while now," the sister said. "I feel like he knew she was going to leave him."
On Monday, after Nunez's body was identified by a tattoo, Virginia State Police pulled Ceballos over in Emporia. He ran from his car and shot himself to death.
"At first I was kind of happy," Melanie said. "He took my sister and now he's gone, too. But now there's so many questions unanswered."
Pageland, SC: Police officer kills man in Pageland
A Pageland, S.C., man was shot and killed by a police officer Tuesday evening after he allegedly killed his wife and refused to drop his weapon, according to law enforcement officials.
The S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating the case, which happened about 6 p.m. in the Chesterfield County town of Pageland.
SLED officials and Chesterfield County authorities say police were called to a house on West Evans Street at North Vine Street to deal with a domestic dispute. When officers arrived, they were confronted by a man with a gun.
A spokesman for SLED says officers repeatedly ordered the man to drop his gun, but he wouldn't. WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner, says relatives of the couple said police also used a stun gun on the man, but to no avail.
At some point during the confrontation, a police officer fired at the man, killing him. Police then learned the man's wife was dead, the victim of a gunshot wound.
SLED is investigating the case, and the names of the two dead people have not been released.
The S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating the case, which happened about 6 p.m. in the Chesterfield County town of Pageland.
SLED officials and Chesterfield County authorities say police were called to a house on West Evans Street at North Vine Street to deal with a domestic dispute. When officers arrived, they were confronted by a man with a gun.
A spokesman for SLED says officers repeatedly ordered the man to drop his gun, but he wouldn't. WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner, says relatives of the couple said police also used a stun gun on the man, but to no avail.
At some point during the confrontation, a police officer fired at the man, killing him. Police then learned the man's wife was dead, the victim of a gunshot wound.
SLED is investigating the case, and the names of the two dead people have not been released.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Page, AZ: Page officer kills man in DV incident
PAGE -- A police officer responding to a domestic violence call shot and killed a well-known Page businessman during a fight Sunday night.
The shooting is believed to be the first officer-involved shooting in Page's 54-year history.
According to information from the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, William Foust, 50, of Page, was pronounced dead at the Page hospital a short time after the shooting. The officer involved, Shawn Wilson, who has five years on the force, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal and an administrative investigation into the shooting.
The shooting happened at 6:16 p.m. on the 800 block of Vista Avenue at B & T Marine, owned by Foust. At about 6 p.m., Page police received a 911 call of a domestic violence incident happening at the business.
Before Wilson arrived, the suspect, Foust, had fled the area. While the officer was talking with the female victim, Foust returned and engaged in a heated argument with the woman.
According to the sheriff's office, Foust was "upset, loud and confrontational with the officer."
Wilson and Foust went outside the business and were soon involved in a physical altercation. Foust, according to the sheriff's office, attempted to gain control of the officer's Taser.
"The officer discharged his service weapon, striking Foust," stated a press release issued by the sheriff's office.
According to information from the police department, Wilson received minor injuries from a physical confrontation prior to the shooting.
Wilson and a second officer who arrived on the scene attempted to save Foust's life while the Page Fire Department responded with medics.
Page police Capt. Ray Varner said that Wilson is on paid administrative leave.
Police Chief Charlie Dennis said during a Monday afternoon press conference that he requested the Coconino County Sheriff's Office to conduct the criminal investigation. Assisting the sheriff's office is a Northern Arizona Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Team led by Lt. Tim Cornelius of the Sheriff's Office.
Dennis said he also contacted Robert Halliday, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and requested investigators from his agency to conduct the internal investigation, and Halliday agreed.
Upon completion of the sheriff's office investigation, the case will be turned over to the Coconino County Attorney's Office for review to determine if criminal charges apply in the case.
PRIOR CONTEMPT ARREST
Foust, who owned B & T Marine with wife Toni, was jailed in December after filing sovereign citizenship status regarding a court matter in Kanab, Utah. Foust was contesting a traffic ticket received July 1 for speeding in Kane County, Utah, when he refused to acknowledge authority in the courtroom.
Foust had made a slew of filings, including an affidavit of political status, Uniform Commercial Code financing statement, a property list, power of attorney, commercial security agreement, indemnity bond, hold harmless and indemnity agreement, non-negotiable security agreement, legal notice and demand definitions, along with a motion to dismiss.
He also refused to provide his birth date to the court, failed to appear and was charged with contempt. His fine for a traffic violation increased from $115 to $1,052. The contempt fine was later reduced to $250.
Page, founded in 1957 by builders of Glen Canyon Dam, has experienced only a few homicides. A night clerk of a motel one block from B & T Marine was killed in 1995, and a transient was beaten to death at Page City Park in February 2008. In 1998, a 40-year-old man died of injuries sustained in a bar fight, with the charge reduced to manslaughter. The city also recorded a murder in 1983, also from a bar fight.
The shooting is believed to be the first officer-involved shooting in Page's 54-year history.
According to information from the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, William Foust, 50, of Page, was pronounced dead at the Page hospital a short time after the shooting. The officer involved, Shawn Wilson, who has five years on the force, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal and an administrative investigation into the shooting.
The shooting happened at 6:16 p.m. on the 800 block of Vista Avenue at B & T Marine, owned by Foust. At about 6 p.m., Page police received a 911 call of a domestic violence incident happening at the business.
Before Wilson arrived, the suspect, Foust, had fled the area. While the officer was talking with the female victim, Foust returned and engaged in a heated argument with the woman.
According to the sheriff's office, Foust was "upset, loud and confrontational with the officer."
Wilson and Foust went outside the business and were soon involved in a physical altercation. Foust, according to the sheriff's office, attempted to gain control of the officer's Taser.
"The officer discharged his service weapon, striking Foust," stated a press release issued by the sheriff's office.
According to information from the police department, Wilson received minor injuries from a physical confrontation prior to the shooting.
Wilson and a second officer who arrived on the scene attempted to save Foust's life while the Page Fire Department responded with medics.
Page police Capt. Ray Varner said that Wilson is on paid administrative leave.
Police Chief Charlie Dennis said during a Monday afternoon press conference that he requested the Coconino County Sheriff's Office to conduct the criminal investigation. Assisting the sheriff's office is a Northern Arizona Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Team led by Lt. Tim Cornelius of the Sheriff's Office.
Dennis said he also contacted Robert Halliday, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and requested investigators from his agency to conduct the internal investigation, and Halliday agreed.
Upon completion of the sheriff's office investigation, the case will be turned over to the Coconino County Attorney's Office for review to determine if criminal charges apply in the case.
PRIOR CONTEMPT ARREST
Foust, who owned B & T Marine with wife Toni, was jailed in December after filing sovereign citizenship status regarding a court matter in Kanab, Utah. Foust was contesting a traffic ticket received July 1 for speeding in Kane County, Utah, when he refused to acknowledge authority in the courtroom.
Foust had made a slew of filings, including an affidavit of political status, Uniform Commercial Code financing statement, a property list, power of attorney, commercial security agreement, indemnity bond, hold harmless and indemnity agreement, non-negotiable security agreement, legal notice and demand definitions, along with a motion to dismiss.
He also refused to provide his birth date to the court, failed to appear and was charged with contempt. His fine for a traffic violation increased from $115 to $1,052. The contempt fine was later reduced to $250.
Page, founded in 1957 by builders of Glen Canyon Dam, has experienced only a few homicides. A night clerk of a motel one block from B & T Marine was killed in 1995, and a transient was beaten to death at Page City Park in February 2008. In 1998, a 40-year-old man died of injuries sustained in a bar fight, with the charge reduced to manslaughter. The city also recorded a murder in 1983, also from a bar fight.
Gwinnett, GA: Updated: Woman kills husband, self in rare case of murder-suicide
Police on Monday have identified the couple who died in a murder-suicide, but they were still trying to determine what led the woman to kill her husband and herself.
Gwinnett County police said Ms. Hyun “Mickey” Ok Yu shot her husband, Mr. Shan Chun Yu, in the head while he was sitting at the computer Saturday night, police spokesman Cpl. Edwin Ritter said.
She then turned the gun on herself.
It was a rare case of murder-suicide: A woman killing her husband.
A family member called police just before 11 p.m. about the shooting inside the home at 6130 Zachery Drive, Cpl. Ritter said.
The 46-year-old husband died at the home and Ms. Ok Yu, 36, died on arrival at Gwinnett Medical Center, Cpl. Ritter said.
A woman shooter in a murder-suicide case was rare.
Gwinnett County police said Ms. Hyun “Mickey” Ok Yu shot her husband, Mr. Shan Chun Yu, in the head while he was sitting at the computer Saturday night, police spokesman Cpl. Edwin Ritter said.
She then turned the gun on herself.
It was a rare case of murder-suicide: A woman killing her husband.
A family member called police just before 11 p.m. about the shooting inside the home at 6130 Zachery Drive, Cpl. Ritter said.
The 46-year-old husband died at the home and Ms. Ok Yu, 36, died on arrival at Gwinnett Medical Center, Cpl. Ritter said.
A woman shooter in a murder-suicide case was rare.
Hughes Springs, TX: Police investigating murder/suicide in ETX
Hughes Springs Police are working a suspected murder/suicide at a home in the 1400 block of East First Street.
Investigators say around 7 o'clock, Stan Nolan went to the home of his estranged wife Kandi Nolan.
She reportedly called 9-1-1, but investigators say the line went dead.
When officers arrived, they found Kandi Nolan dead from a gunshot wound. Stan Nolan was also found in the house with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot from a .38 caliber pistol.
Police say the couple had been estranged for about 3 months, but no protective orders had been filed.
No one else was inside the home at the time, and police say they are not looking for any more suspects.
Kandi Nolan's body has been sent to Dallas for an autopsy.
Investigators say around 7 o'clock, Stan Nolan went to the home of his estranged wife Kandi Nolan.
She reportedly called 9-1-1, but investigators say the line went dead.
When officers arrived, they found Kandi Nolan dead from a gunshot wound. Stan Nolan was also found in the house with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot from a .38 caliber pistol.
Police say the couple had been estranged for about 3 months, but no protective orders had been filed.
No one else was inside the home at the time, and police say they are not looking for any more suspects.
Kandi Nolan's body has been sent to Dallas for an autopsy.
Bell County, TX: Second Victim Of Murder-Suicide Dies
BELL COUNTY (June 20, 2011)—Mary Gonzales Ybarra, 57, who was critically wounded in a shooting on June 13 that left her husband, Emilio Sonen Ybarra, Jr., 57, dead, has also died, authorities said Monday.
Bell County Justice of the Peace Don Engleking pronounced Mary Ybarra dead at 5:10 p.m. Sunday at Scott & White Hospital, to which she was flown after deputies, acting on a phone tip from a relative, found her with a gunshot wound to the head in a camper trailer at 663 S. P. Terry Rd. near Morgan's Point Resort.
Her husband was pronounced dead at the scene.
“All indications are this was a murder suicide,” the Bell County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release Monday.
Authorities, however, are not saying who shot whom.
On April 13, 2010, Emilio Ybarra, who was then a Temple Daily Telegram carrier was taken to Scott & White after he was shot in what police said was a domestic disturbance involving his wife.
Mary Ybarra, whom police identified at the time as his estranged wife, was arrested at the scene.
Officers found Emilio Ybarra in the parking lot of the World Martial Arts Academy at 711 S. 1st St. with a gunshot wound to the upper arm.
He drove there after his wife called him on his cell phone as he ran his regular delivery route, police said, and she was waiting in her vehicle when he arrived.
He was shot after walking up to her vehicle and speaking to her briefly, police said.
He disarmed her and then called 911, police said.
Bell County Justice of the Peace Don Engleking pronounced Mary Ybarra dead at 5:10 p.m. Sunday at Scott & White Hospital, to which she was flown after deputies, acting on a phone tip from a relative, found her with a gunshot wound to the head in a camper trailer at 663 S. P. Terry Rd. near Morgan's Point Resort.
Her husband was pronounced dead at the scene.
“All indications are this was a murder suicide,” the Bell County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release Monday.
Authorities, however, are not saying who shot whom.
On April 13, 2010, Emilio Ybarra, who was then a Temple Daily Telegram carrier was taken to Scott & White after he was shot in what police said was a domestic disturbance involving his wife.
Mary Ybarra, whom police identified at the time as his estranged wife, was arrested at the scene.
Officers found Emilio Ybarra in the parking lot of the World Martial Arts Academy at 711 S. 1st St. with a gunshot wound to the upper arm.
He drove there after his wife called him on his cell phone as he ran his regular delivery route, police said, and she was waiting in her vehicle when he arrived.
He was shot after walking up to her vehicle and speaking to her briefly, police said.
He disarmed her and then called 911, police said.
Leesburg, FL: Leesburg man accused of killing house guest
June 20, 2011|By Arelis R. Hernández, Orlando Sentinel
Jimmie Fowler could barely lift his head to the video screen where a Lake County judge told him he would remain in jail indefinitely to face second-degree murder charges.
With his eyes closed and his hands chained and clasped together, Fowler accepted his fate, requesting a public defender after being accused of shooting a man to death in his Leesburg home Sunday morning.
Lake County Sheriff's Office detectives say the 29-year-old killed 33-year-old Willi Culpepper because he thought he was having an affair with his wife. But for family and neighbors the story is much more complicated: a tale of drugs and dysfunction.
AdvertisementCulpepper's girlfriend, Mary Kollydas, told deputies she saw Fowler retrieve a gun from his bedroom and walk to the living room to open fire on a group of people that gathered for a small party.
According to a Sheriff's Office report, Fowler addressed Culpper with an expletive and shot him in the arm and abdomen. Culpepper asked why he had shot him, saying: "Are you kidding me?"
Deputies said Fowler replied that Culpepper was having an affair with his wife, Ruth Brown. Culpepper died from his injuries at Leesburg Regional Medical Center.
But it is not clear what set Fowler off. His younger brother Todd Fowler, 24, thinks he knows why.
"He has been on a slippery slope for some time with drugs and alcohol," said Todd Fowler, who lives out-of-state but is working in the area. "My brother is not stupid, but this was a stupid decision."
Since he injured his back, Jimmie had been taking prescription drugs for pain but soon he was hooked, Todd said.
On May 3, Jimmie Fowler was charged with fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs using a forged prescription, according to county records. He pled not guilty to those charges and was scheduled to be back in court earlier this month.
Neighbors said the late-night parties were a regular occurrence at 314 Montclair Road, a single-wide mobile home with a large yard strewn with garbage.
"There was too much weirdness going on," said next-door neighbor Chely Crain. "There were cars coming in and out all the time. It was beginning to get bad."
Relatives who live on the same property as Fowler were unwilling to comment but dispute the investigators' account of what happened.
Todd Fowler was told by family that Jimmie Fowler was antagonized by people at the gathering who knew he was under the influence of drugs. They poked fun at him about his marriage troubles, he said.
"He was always out of his mind lately," Todd Fowler said. "I just want to know the truth."
Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. John Herrell said there was no indication Fowler was encouraged or handed a gun, but alcohol was being consumed there. They did not find evidence of drug use, he said.
After the shooting, an investigative report said Fowler fled the area, spoke with his wife and told her he had shot someone. He was located in Eustis and told deputies he threw the gun in the woods behind his home.
Both the victim, Culpepper and Jimmie Fowler have criminal records that include drug charges, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Todd Fowler said he wanted Jimmie Fowler to find the help he himself had solicited to beat his alcoholism.
"I was trying to talk some sense into him," Todd Fowler said. "I knew something was going to happen but nothing like this."
Jimmie Fowler's next court date is scheduled for July 18.
Jimmie Fowler could barely lift his head to the video screen where a Lake County judge told him he would remain in jail indefinitely to face second-degree murder charges.
With his eyes closed and his hands chained and clasped together, Fowler accepted his fate, requesting a public defender after being accused of shooting a man to death in his Leesburg home Sunday morning.
Lake County Sheriff's Office detectives say the 29-year-old killed 33-year-old Willi Culpepper because he thought he was having an affair with his wife. But for family and neighbors the story is much more complicated: a tale of drugs and dysfunction.
AdvertisementCulpepper's girlfriend, Mary Kollydas, told deputies she saw Fowler retrieve a gun from his bedroom and walk to the living room to open fire on a group of people that gathered for a small party.
According to a Sheriff's Office report, Fowler addressed Culpper with an expletive and shot him in the arm and abdomen. Culpepper asked why he had shot him, saying: "Are you kidding me?"
Deputies said Fowler replied that Culpepper was having an affair with his wife, Ruth Brown. Culpepper died from his injuries at Leesburg Regional Medical Center.
But it is not clear what set Fowler off. His younger brother Todd Fowler, 24, thinks he knows why.
"He has been on a slippery slope for some time with drugs and alcohol," said Todd Fowler, who lives out-of-state but is working in the area. "My brother is not stupid, but this was a stupid decision."
Since he injured his back, Jimmie had been taking prescription drugs for pain but soon he was hooked, Todd said.
On May 3, Jimmie Fowler was charged with fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs using a forged prescription, according to county records. He pled not guilty to those charges and was scheduled to be back in court earlier this month.
Neighbors said the late-night parties were a regular occurrence at 314 Montclair Road, a single-wide mobile home with a large yard strewn with garbage.
"There was too much weirdness going on," said next-door neighbor Chely Crain. "There were cars coming in and out all the time. It was beginning to get bad."
Relatives who live on the same property as Fowler were unwilling to comment but dispute the investigators' account of what happened.
Todd Fowler was told by family that Jimmie Fowler was antagonized by people at the gathering who knew he was under the influence of drugs. They poked fun at him about his marriage troubles, he said.
"He was always out of his mind lately," Todd Fowler said. "I just want to know the truth."
Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. John Herrell said there was no indication Fowler was encouraged or handed a gun, but alcohol was being consumed there. They did not find evidence of drug use, he said.
After the shooting, an investigative report said Fowler fled the area, spoke with his wife and told her he had shot someone. He was located in Eustis and told deputies he threw the gun in the woods behind his home.
Both the victim, Culpepper and Jimmie Fowler have criminal records that include drug charges, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Todd Fowler said he wanted Jimmie Fowler to find the help he himself had solicited to beat his alcoholism.
"I was trying to talk some sense into him," Todd Fowler said. "I knew something was going to happen but nothing like this."
Jimmie Fowler's next court date is scheduled for July 18.
Tacoma, WA: Investigators say man stabbed wife to death, then tried to kill himself
A 47-year-old man killed his estranged wife in her home Monday before trying to commit suicide with a knife, Pierce County sheriff’s deputies reported.
When 50-year-old Carol Selland didn’t show up at work or call in sick, concerned co-workers went to check on her about 10:45 a.m.
They called 911 after spotting the husband’s truck parked in the driveway in the 2600 block of 128th Street East.
“They knew she’d been having some trouble, and they were worried about her,” sheriff’s detective Sgt. Jerry Bates said.
Deputies arrived and looked through a window, spotting two bodies lying on the floor. The deputies forced their way into the home after seeing the man open his eyes.
The man was severely injured, apparently by self-inflicted knife wounds, but was combative with deputies.
“He was not cooperative. He wouldn’t drop the knife,” Troyer said. “We had to hit him with a Taser and bean bag gun twice.”
Selland was dead when deputies arrived. She had been stabbed. Her husband was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition Monday. He is expected to survive. Deputies stood guard outside his room.
Deputies were called to the couple’s house at least once last year to investigate a report of domestic violence, and Selland had a restraining order against her husband, Troyer said.
Selland was a family educator for Pierce County.
Several knives were found inside the home.
When 50-year-old Carol Selland didn’t show up at work or call in sick, concerned co-workers went to check on her about 10:45 a.m.
They called 911 after spotting the husband’s truck parked in the driveway in the 2600 block of 128th Street East.
“They knew she’d been having some trouble, and they were worried about her,” sheriff’s detective Sgt. Jerry Bates said.
Deputies arrived and looked through a window, spotting two bodies lying on the floor. The deputies forced their way into the home after seeing the man open his eyes.
The man was severely injured, apparently by self-inflicted knife wounds, but was combative with deputies.
“He was not cooperative. He wouldn’t drop the knife,” Troyer said. “We had to hit him with a Taser and bean bag gun twice.”
Selland was dead when deputies arrived. She had been stabbed. Her husband was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition Monday. He is expected to survive. Deputies stood guard outside his room.
Deputies were called to the couple’s house at least once last year to investigate a report of domestic violence, and Selland had a restraining order against her husband, Troyer said.
Selland was a family educator for Pierce County.
Several knives were found inside the home.
Chili, NY: Witnesses: Kitten Kicked, Killed
Chili, N.Y. - Investigators and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office are investigating an apparent domestic violence incident that may result in animal cruelty charges against Luis Gonzalez, 24, of Rochester.
Gonzalez is already facing charges for burglary, criminal contempt, criminal mischief, and aggravated harassment for the events of June 14.
This all happened at the Chili apartment home of Gonzalez’s ex-girlfriend. When Gonzalez approached the home a friend of his ex-girlfriend’s was reportedly inside and witnessed the kitten’s death.
She told police she saw Gonzalez kick the eight week-old kitten with his shoes on and then watched the kitten strike the wall nearly as high as the ceiling before it fell to the ground motionless.
"When I found out that cat died I cried, I literally cried," Kayla, another friend of Gonzalez’s ex-girlfriend said. 13WHAM News is not identifying the girlfriend for her own safety. "It's terrible it's so sad. Animal cruelty--you just want to cry."
Gonzalez reportedly broke down the front and back door to an apartment home, trying to make contact with his ex at the time. Court documents state that the friend inside the apartment was on the phone with 911 at the time.
Gonzalez is accused of taking the phone from her and breaking it. At one point he turned his attention to the kitten that his ex-girlfriend had recently acquired.
"He comes in, he grabs the kitten, he kicks the kitten up into the ceiling and then the kitten falls on the ground," Kayla said of the events that night.
Court documents state that the friend inside who witnessed this told police that Gonzalez then said, “I told (her) that I was going to (expletive) kill that cat."
Additional court paperwork suggests that Gonzalez left voicemails on his ex-girlfriend’s home and in one he said, "The kitten is dead, I threw it in the pond."
Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Laura Vanderbrook is handling this case and said an investigation into animal cruelty continues. Vanderbrook said it is not uncommon for investigators to find animal cruelty closely tied to abusive relationships; statistics indicate that nearly 70% of battered women report that some level of abuse was also directed at house pets.
"Shockingly, it is something that happens an awful lot,” Vanderbrook said. “We have found that when animals are being abused, it's a people problem; and people are at risk when animals are being abused.
"It's done somewhat as a means to coerce and/or control the victims by the abuser.”
Gonzalez is currently in Monroe County’s Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail and $10,000 bond.
He is due back in Chili Town Court on Tuesday to answer to the charges he faces.
Authorities said that the kitten’s body was recovered and the animal cruelty investigation continues.
Gonzalez is already facing charges for burglary, criminal contempt, criminal mischief, and aggravated harassment for the events of June 14.
This all happened at the Chili apartment home of Gonzalez’s ex-girlfriend. When Gonzalez approached the home a friend of his ex-girlfriend’s was reportedly inside and witnessed the kitten’s death.
She told police she saw Gonzalez kick the eight week-old kitten with his shoes on and then watched the kitten strike the wall nearly as high as the ceiling before it fell to the ground motionless.
"When I found out that cat died I cried, I literally cried," Kayla, another friend of Gonzalez’s ex-girlfriend said. 13WHAM News is not identifying the girlfriend for her own safety. "It's terrible it's so sad. Animal cruelty--you just want to cry."
Gonzalez reportedly broke down the front and back door to an apartment home, trying to make contact with his ex at the time. Court documents state that the friend inside the apartment was on the phone with 911 at the time.
Gonzalez is accused of taking the phone from her and breaking it. At one point he turned his attention to the kitten that his ex-girlfriend had recently acquired.
"He comes in, he grabs the kitten, he kicks the kitten up into the ceiling and then the kitten falls on the ground," Kayla said of the events that night.
Court documents state that the friend inside who witnessed this told police that Gonzalez then said, “I told (her) that I was going to (expletive) kill that cat."
Additional court paperwork suggests that Gonzalez left voicemails on his ex-girlfriend’s home and in one he said, "The kitten is dead, I threw it in the pond."
Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Laura Vanderbrook is handling this case and said an investigation into animal cruelty continues. Vanderbrook said it is not uncommon for investigators to find animal cruelty closely tied to abusive relationships; statistics indicate that nearly 70% of battered women report that some level of abuse was also directed at house pets.
"Shockingly, it is something that happens an awful lot,” Vanderbrook said. “We have found that when animals are being abused, it's a people problem; and people are at risk when animals are being abused.
"It's done somewhat as a means to coerce and/or control the victims by the abuser.”
Gonzalez is currently in Monroe County’s Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail and $10,000 bond.
He is due back in Chili Town Court on Tuesday to answer to the charges he faces.
Authorities said that the kitten’s body was recovered and the animal cruelty investigation continues.
Bellaire, OH: Man Who Ran Into and Killed Bellaire Woman Gets 15 Years
BELLAIRE, Ohio -- Jeffrey Piorkowski, 18, of North Royalton, Ohio, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Summit county Judge Paul Gallagher Monday for Involuntary Manslaughter, Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, Felonious Assault of a Police Officer, Failure to Comply and OVI. Amanda Rosepapa, 22, of Bellaire, Ohio, was struck and killed.
Back on August 21, 2010, a news release states that at 2 a.m., Piorkowski, who was 17 years old at the time, fled from police while arguing with his girlfriend and driving with no headlights. That’s when officials claim he drove his car at a high rate of speed into an area with numerous police officers and others standing following the breaking up of a University of Akron party.
Rosepapa was on campus at the time visiting friends.
Officials claim Piorkowsk’s blood alcohol level was .127, more than the legal limit.
Evidence indicated that Piorkowski was driving in a road rage and threatening to hurt himself and his girlfriend.
Back on August 21, 2010, a news release states that at 2 a.m., Piorkowski, who was 17 years old at the time, fled from police while arguing with his girlfriend and driving with no headlights. That’s when officials claim he drove his car at a high rate of speed into an area with numerous police officers and others standing following the breaking up of a University of Akron party.
Rosepapa was on campus at the time visiting friends.
Officials claim Piorkowsk’s blood alcohol level was .127, more than the legal limit.
Evidence indicated that Piorkowski was driving in a road rage and threatening to hurt himself and his girlfriend.
Fort Worth, TX: FW gunman shoots two women dead in front of children
FORT WORTH — A violent domestic disturbance left a South Forth Worth neighborhood in shock Monday afternoon.
According to police, a man went to a residence in the 7600 block of Chance Boulevard around 12:30 and killed Natasha Robertson, his 29-year-old girlfriend. He then turned the gun on her 30-year-old friend Donille Howard, who also died.
The 47-year-old gunman, who was identified as Darren Clemmons, then shot himself dead. And it all happened in front of the victims' four young children.
Robertson and Clemmons had reportedly been arguing for weeks over some furniture.
"He was just really upset about his stuff. He wanted his stuff out, and the police kept telling him basically he couldn't get it; that he would have to take them to court," one neighbor told News 8.
The victims' friends said the gunman ran into Robertson's home and shot his girlfriend and her friend at close range just inside the front door. Four young children were also inside, but unhurt.
"They said the baby would not leave from by her mama's side," a friend said. "She closed her eyes, she pulled her dress down. She sat there and she said, 'Mama, where are you shot at?'"
Witnesses said Clemmons had been waiting outside the home for hours. Police confirmed they had responded to a disturbance at the address earlier on Monday, but left because no crimes were being committed. Officials would not provide specific information about what happened at the disturbance earlier in the day.
Now family members wish more could have been done.
According to police, a man went to a residence in the 7600 block of Chance Boulevard around 12:30 and killed Natasha Robertson, his 29-year-old girlfriend. He then turned the gun on her 30-year-old friend Donille Howard, who also died.
The 47-year-old gunman, who was identified as Darren Clemmons, then shot himself dead. And it all happened in front of the victims' four young children.
Robertson and Clemmons had reportedly been arguing for weeks over some furniture.
"He was just really upset about his stuff. He wanted his stuff out, and the police kept telling him basically he couldn't get it; that he would have to take them to court," one neighbor told News 8.
The victims' friends said the gunman ran into Robertson's home and shot his girlfriend and her friend at close range just inside the front door. Four young children were also inside, but unhurt.
"They said the baby would not leave from by her mama's side," a friend said. "She closed her eyes, she pulled her dress down. She sat there and she said, 'Mama, where are you shot at?'"
Witnesses said Clemmons had been waiting outside the home for hours. Police confirmed they had responded to a disturbance at the address earlier on Monday, but left because no crimes were being committed. Officials would not provide specific information about what happened at the disturbance earlier in the day.
Now family members wish more could have been done.
Silver City, NM: Man kills girlfriend, self
SILVER CITY - A couple's attempt at reconciliation for the sake of their young son ended tragically Sunday night in a murder-suicide at Los Cerros apartments in Silver City.
Victor Roman, 42, shot and killed his girlfriend, Trudy Huerta, 35, and then turned the gun on himself, according to authorities.
Silver City police were called to the 4200 block of Kiva Place, on a report of shots fired at 8:03 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found Huerta lying on the ground in front Building 1 in the complex with a gunshot wound to the middle of her back, according to a police incident report. Two shell casings of what appeared to be shotguns rounds were located just south of Huerta's body, the report states.
Roman was found nearby sitting in gold Honda with the engine running, slumped over the steering wheel, a gunshot wound to face and a black shotgun resting across his chest, authorities said. Both Huerta and Roman were pronounced dead the scene by EMS.
Silver City police said Huerta was attempting to stop Roman from taking their son from the apartment when the crime occurred.
Huerta had an order of protection against Roman going back to 2001. Huerta had taken out another protection order against Roman but later dropped it saying, "He threatened me if I wouldn't because he was on parole at the time," court documents state.
Roman was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison in May 2003 on five felony charges, said Shannon McReynolds, acting public information with the New
Mexico Department of Corrections. Those charges include: aggravated battery against a household member, breaking and entering, criminal trespassing, resisting or evading an officer, aggravated assault on a peace officer and being a habitual offender. He was released on Nov. 12, 2008, with four years of parole to serve.
Most recently the couple had each filed protection orders against one another in March. On March 19, Huerta was arrested for battery on a household member and on March 24, Roman was charged with violating a protection order.
On May 5, in court documents, Huerta wrote that she wanted to terminate the protection order against Roman because "we are going to go to counseling to get along for my son, our son. He (Victor) is going to get help. We love each other and need to make this work for our family but still need to support his child. We love each other very much!!!"
Huerta drew a big smiley face after the 'very much.'
"We need and Love each other so much and will do anything to be together," she wrote.
On June 7, Huerta's application to dismiss the previous protection order was approved and the charges against Roman were dismissed. The charges against Huerta were dropped the following day.
Huerta leaves five young children, ages 1, 9, 12, 14, and 17. Huerta was employed at Burger King and worked the second shift. Roman worked occasionally for All Glass MD in Silver City.
James Koons, owner of All Glass MD, said he met Roman through his dealings in law enforcement in 1995. Several months ago, Koons hired Roman to do auto detailing and do some other work at his shop.
"He just came and asked if I would give him a chance because no one would hire him because he had been in prison," Koons said. "He was just looking for a legitimate job and I said sure I'll give you a chance."
Koons said Roman was a hard worker, very respectful, and never had an attitude or temper problem. Koons said one day Roman came to work and had some scratches on him and said his girlfriend, Huerta, had assaulted him and Koons advised him to get an order of protection.
"I told him, 'you need to go to El Refugio file a restraining order,'" he said. "She went and filed one in retaliation."
Koons said he also told Roman about another employee who worked for him who was killed in a domestic violence incident in Deming in 2009.
Leonore Holguin-Galloso worked for All Glass MD in Deming for two years before Koons closed that shop. Holguin-Gallosa, 33, was shot and killed by her husband, Manuel Gallosa, 32, who later killed himself.
"I told him that story, and I said when it comes to domestic violence, you never take that lightly. It's very serious," he said. "We feel sad for both families, but most of all for their kids," Koons said. "They shouldn't have been in a relationship with each other because only bad things can happen from domestic violence."
Christine Steele can be reached at (575) 538-5893 ext. 5802.
Victor Roman, 42, shot and killed his girlfriend, Trudy Huerta, 35, and then turned the gun on himself, according to authorities.
Silver City police were called to the 4200 block of Kiva Place, on a report of shots fired at 8:03 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found Huerta lying on the ground in front Building 1 in the complex with a gunshot wound to the middle of her back, according to a police incident report. Two shell casings of what appeared to be shotguns rounds were located just south of Huerta's body, the report states.
Roman was found nearby sitting in gold Honda with the engine running, slumped over the steering wheel, a gunshot wound to face and a black shotgun resting across his chest, authorities said. Both Huerta and Roman were pronounced dead the scene by EMS.
Silver City police said Huerta was attempting to stop Roman from taking their son from the apartment when the crime occurred.
Huerta had an order of protection against Roman going back to 2001. Huerta had taken out another protection order against Roman but later dropped it saying, "He threatened me if I wouldn't because he was on parole at the time," court documents state.
Roman was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison in May 2003 on five felony charges, said Shannon McReynolds, acting public information with the New
Mexico Department of Corrections. Those charges include: aggravated battery against a household member, breaking and entering, criminal trespassing, resisting or evading an officer, aggravated assault on a peace officer and being a habitual offender. He was released on Nov. 12, 2008, with four years of parole to serve.
Most recently the couple had each filed protection orders against one another in March. On March 19, Huerta was arrested for battery on a household member and on March 24, Roman was charged with violating a protection order.
On May 5, in court documents, Huerta wrote that she wanted to terminate the protection order against Roman because "we are going to go to counseling to get along for my son, our son. He (Victor) is going to get help. We love each other and need to make this work for our family but still need to support his child. We love each other very much!!!"
Huerta drew a big smiley face after the 'very much.'
"We need and Love each other so much and will do anything to be together," she wrote.
On June 7, Huerta's application to dismiss the previous protection order was approved and the charges against Roman were dismissed. The charges against Huerta were dropped the following day.
Huerta leaves five young children, ages 1, 9, 12, 14, and 17. Huerta was employed at Burger King and worked the second shift. Roman worked occasionally for All Glass MD in Silver City.
James Koons, owner of All Glass MD, said he met Roman through his dealings in law enforcement in 1995. Several months ago, Koons hired Roman to do auto detailing and do some other work at his shop.
"He just came and asked if I would give him a chance because no one would hire him because he had been in prison," Koons said. "He was just looking for a legitimate job and I said sure I'll give you a chance."
Koons said Roman was a hard worker, very respectful, and never had an attitude or temper problem. Koons said one day Roman came to work and had some scratches on him and said his girlfriend, Huerta, had assaulted him and Koons advised him to get an order of protection.
"I told him, 'you need to go to El Refugio file a restraining order,'" he said. "She went and filed one in retaliation."
Koons said he also told Roman about another employee who worked for him who was killed in a domestic violence incident in Deming in 2009.
Leonore Holguin-Galloso worked for All Glass MD in Deming for two years before Koons closed that shop. Holguin-Gallosa, 33, was shot and killed by her husband, Manuel Gallosa, 32, who later killed himself.
"I told him that story, and I said when it comes to domestic violence, you never take that lightly. It's very serious," he said. "We feel sad for both families, but most of all for their kids," Koons said. "They shouldn't have been in a relationship with each other because only bad things can happen from domestic violence."
Christine Steele can be reached at (575) 538-5893 ext. 5802.
Milwaukee, WI: Woman charged with killing boyfriend
A woman was charged Tuesday in the stabbing death of her longtime boyfriend Thursday on Milwaukee's north side.
Bobbie J. Moore, 28, told police that she went to the kitchen of a north side Milwaukee duplex, grabbed a knife and stabbed Shelton D. Atterberry, 36, at her home in the 2800 block of W. Meinecke Ave., according to a criminal complaint.
The two had been fighting over their relationship, Moore told police. The day before Atterberry was killed, Moore had told him to move out of the house.
Moore told police that when Atterberry arrived at her home Thursday morning, he had broken her television and her computer, according to the complaint. She said she stabbed Atterberry after he started hitting her.
Bobbie J. Moore, 28, told police that she went to the kitchen of a north side Milwaukee duplex, grabbed a knife and stabbed Shelton D. Atterberry, 36, at her home in the 2800 block of W. Meinecke Ave., according to a criminal complaint.
The two had been fighting over their relationship, Moore told police. The day before Atterberry was killed, Moore had told him to move out of the house.
Moore told police that when Atterberry arrived at her home Thursday morning, he had broken her television and her computer, according to the complaint. She said she stabbed Atterberry after he started hitting her.
Santa Ana, CA: Former NFL linebacker on trial for 1994 murder for lover's boyfriend
SANTA ANA — Former NFL linebacker Eric Andrew Naposki had the motive and opportunity to kill his lover's boyfriend in the victim's Newport Beach home in 1994, a prosecutor told jurors Monday in opening statements in his trial.
Naposki and Nanette Ann Packard are accused of killing 55-year-old retiree Bill McLaughlin, who was shot to death by an intruder in his home in a gated community Dec. 15, 1994, to steal the $1.5 million he had in his savings and cash in on a $1-million life insurance policy.
Packard, 45, of Ladera Ranch, will go on trial later for special circumstances murder for financial gain.
Naposki, 44, of Greenwich, Conn., is charged with special circumstances murder for financial gain with a sentencing enhancement for using a gun. He faces life in prison without parole.
"At the end of this case you are going to want to hold this guy accountable, I guarantee it," Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy said.
Naposki's attorney Gary Pohlson deferred his opening statement until he starts presenting evidence in the case. However, it is expected that Pohlson and co-counsel Angelo MacDonald will challenge prosecutors' time line of events the day of McLaughlin's murder to make the case that Naposki couldn't have pulled it off.
Naposki played three games with the New England Patriots in 1988 and one each with the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts in 1989. By 1994 he had fallen on hard times, having gotten fired from a job as a trainer at an athletic club and losing an account for his security company, Murphy said.
Naposki owed his ex-wife thousands of dollars and was driving his father's sport utility vehicle, Murphy said.
However, Naposki's affair with Packard was "progressing nicely" with increasing shows of public displays of affection and trips to meet each other's families, Murphy said. The two were also looking for a $1 million home even though they didn't have any money and Packard had no other source of income other than McLaughlin, Murphy said.
Packard met McLaughlin in 1991 through a classified ad for dating.
"At first it seemed like a good arrangement... Bill was kind of lonely," after his divorce, and McLaughlin was able to pay off $35,000 of Packard's debt, Murphy said.
McLaughlin had built up a comfortable nest egg after selling a company that made a filter for blood and plasma, his daughter Kim Bayless testified.
By 1994 Packard was sporting "a big rock" on her hand, but Bayless testified she couldn't recall the two ever getting engaged.
Key evidence in the trial will be a key to the home and a copy of it made at a hardware store as well as a 9 mm gun authorities say Naposki owned and was traced to the shooting through a special hollow-point bullet that explodes on impact, causing a great deal more damage than a conventional bullet.
Although Naposki was a key suspect following the murder and Packard was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to stealing about $500,000 from McLaughlin before and after his slaying, the case went cold until 2009 when the two were arrested following a revival of the investigation.
Naposki and Packard went to her son's soccer game in Walnut on the evening of the murder with the two of them leaving about 8:20 p.m., Murphy said. Packard went to do Christmas shopping and Naposki was headed to work as a bouncer at the Thunderbird nightclub, near McLaughlin's home.
Meanwhile, McLaughlin was having dinner with his son, Kevin, who was disabled after being hit by a drunken driver. About 9 p.m., the intruder shot McLaughlin six times, with three bullets remaining in the body, Murphy said.
McLaughlin's son, who heard the gunshots and whose speech was permanently slurred by the accident, struggled to tell a 911 dispatcher what happened, Murphy said.
Packard was siphoning off about $4,000 every six weeks from McLaughlin's account in the run up to the murder, Murphy said. But the stealing escalates in the days before and after the shooting, the prosecutor added.
The day before McLaughlin was killed she forged a $250,000 check to herself from his account, and deposited another $75,000 forged check a couple of days after the murder, Murphy said.
Naposki also made conflicting statements about the gun and his relationship with Packard to police during questioning following McLaughlin's death, Murphy said.
Murphy said he will also focus on a notebook Naposki kept that had the license plate of McLaughlin's Mercedes Benz in it.
One of Naposki's former neighbors, Susan Cogar, is also expected to testify that the defendant made threatening comments about McLaughlin.
"The last thing she remembers is him walking away from her smiling saying 'Maybe I did it, maybe I didn't,"' Murphy said.
Naposki and Nanette Ann Packard are accused of killing 55-year-old retiree Bill McLaughlin, who was shot to death by an intruder in his home in a gated community Dec. 15, 1994, to steal the $1.5 million he had in his savings and cash in on a $1-million life insurance policy.
Packard, 45, of Ladera Ranch, will go on trial later for special circumstances murder for financial gain.
Naposki, 44, of Greenwich, Conn., is charged with special circumstances murder for financial gain with a sentencing enhancement for using a gun. He faces life in prison without parole.
"At the end of this case you are going to want to hold this guy accountable, I guarantee it," Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy said.
Naposki's attorney Gary Pohlson deferred his opening statement until he starts presenting evidence in the case. However, it is expected that Pohlson and co-counsel Angelo MacDonald will challenge prosecutors' time line of events the day of McLaughlin's murder to make the case that Naposki couldn't have pulled it off.
Naposki played three games with the New England Patriots in 1988 and one each with the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts in 1989. By 1994 he had fallen on hard times, having gotten fired from a job as a trainer at an athletic club and losing an account for his security company, Murphy said.
Naposki owed his ex-wife thousands of dollars and was driving his father's sport utility vehicle, Murphy said.
However, Naposki's affair with Packard was "progressing nicely" with increasing shows of public displays of affection and trips to meet each other's families, Murphy said. The two were also looking for a $1 million home even though they didn't have any money and Packard had no other source of income other than McLaughlin, Murphy said.
Packard met McLaughlin in 1991 through a classified ad for dating.
"At first it seemed like a good arrangement... Bill was kind of lonely," after his divorce, and McLaughlin was able to pay off $35,000 of Packard's debt, Murphy said.
McLaughlin had built up a comfortable nest egg after selling a company that made a filter for blood and plasma, his daughter Kim Bayless testified.
By 1994 Packard was sporting "a big rock" on her hand, but Bayless testified she couldn't recall the two ever getting engaged.
Key evidence in the trial will be a key to the home and a copy of it made at a hardware store as well as a 9 mm gun authorities say Naposki owned and was traced to the shooting through a special hollow-point bullet that explodes on impact, causing a great deal more damage than a conventional bullet.
Although Naposki was a key suspect following the murder and Packard was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to stealing about $500,000 from McLaughlin before and after his slaying, the case went cold until 2009 when the two were arrested following a revival of the investigation.
Naposki and Packard went to her son's soccer game in Walnut on the evening of the murder with the two of them leaving about 8:20 p.m., Murphy said. Packard went to do Christmas shopping and Naposki was headed to work as a bouncer at the Thunderbird nightclub, near McLaughlin's home.
Meanwhile, McLaughlin was having dinner with his son, Kevin, who was disabled after being hit by a drunken driver. About 9 p.m., the intruder shot McLaughlin six times, with three bullets remaining in the body, Murphy said.
McLaughlin's son, who heard the gunshots and whose speech was permanently slurred by the accident, struggled to tell a 911 dispatcher what happened, Murphy said.
Packard was siphoning off about $4,000 every six weeks from McLaughlin's account in the run up to the murder, Murphy said. But the stealing escalates in the days before and after the shooting, the prosecutor added.
The day before McLaughlin was killed she forged a $250,000 check to herself from his account, and deposited another $75,000 forged check a couple of days after the murder, Murphy said.
Naposki also made conflicting statements about the gun and his relationship with Packard to police during questioning following McLaughlin's death, Murphy said.
Murphy said he will also focus on a notebook Naposki kept that had the license plate of McLaughlin's Mercedes Benz in it.
One of Naposki's former neighbors, Susan Cogar, is also expected to testify that the defendant made threatening comments about McLaughlin.
"The last thing she remembers is him walking away from her smiling saying 'Maybe I did it, maybe I didn't,"' Murphy said.
Rochester, NY: Couple found dead on Clinton Ave. identified
Rochester police today released the names of a couple found dead in their southeast Rochester apartment over the weekend.
The couple’s adult son found his mother, Yonhwa Kim, 47, who had been fatally stabbed in her torso, in the living room of the upstairs apartment, said Rochester Police Officer Stephen Scott.
Wonkyung Seo, 53, was found dead in the attic, according to police. He had apparently hanged himself, Scott said.
The couple’s son, who also lives in the residence, had returned home from work about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, and found his parents dead, Scott said.
Seo and Kim were domestic partners, but it was not immediately clear whether they were married, Scott said.
Investigators will not label the case a murder-suicide until the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office finishes the autopsies, which is expected later today, Scott said.
The couple’s adult son found his mother, Yonhwa Kim, 47, who had been fatally stabbed in her torso, in the living room of the upstairs apartment, said Rochester Police Officer Stephen Scott.
Wonkyung Seo, 53, was found dead in the attic, according to police. He had apparently hanged himself, Scott said.
The couple’s son, who also lives in the residence, had returned home from work about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, and found his parents dead, Scott said.
Seo and Kim were domestic partners, but it was not immediately clear whether they were married, Scott said.
Investigators will not label the case a murder-suicide until the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office finishes the autopsies, which is expected later today, Scott said.
Manayunk, PA: Cops: Woman shot dead by her husband in Manayunk
Neighbors on Markle Street in Manayunk knew Gregory Mitros and his wife, Lynda Karlin-Mitros, as a generally happy couple and couldn't remember when - if ever - an argument between them had gotten out of hand.
As police loaded the 64-year-old woman's body into a van after her husband allegedly shot and killed her yesterday afternoon, many sat on a nearby stoop wiping tears, wondering why an apparent dispute ended with gunfire.
Police said the victim had been shot once in the head, near her left eye, and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics about 4:42 p.m.
Gregory Mitros, 52, called police after the shooting and cooperated with officers while being taken into custody, police said.
Lisa Fletcher, the couple's next-door neighbor, said Gregory, a maintenance supervisor at the University of Pennsylvania, attended a cousin's funeral yesterday only hours before allegedly shooting his wife.
Fletcher said Karlin-Mitros had seemed depressed for years and hadn't been herself lately.
"She's been staying to herself," Fletcher said, adding that she had trouble believing that Gregory had acted out of malice or premeditation.
"There's no way; he loved her too much," Fletcher said. "No matter what happens to him, I know he's going end up in a nuthouse. He won't be able to deal with it."
Karlin-Mitros was retired but once worked for Penn Reels, a manufacturer of fishing equipment, Fletcher said.
Gregory was Lynda's second husband, she said, adding that the couple seemed perfect for each other. "When you looked at them, you knew they belonged together," she said.
Neighbors know Gregory Mitros as a generally nice man who was nearly always smiling and whose salt-and-pepper hair was typically stuffed beneath a Phillies cap.
He had blood on his hands when officers arrived, said Capt. John Cerrone, of the 5th Police District, in Roxborough, but he did not appear to be injured.
Cerrone said a large-caliber gun was recovered from the scene, but he could not elaborate on what type of gun was used in the shooting.
After clearing the scene, officials said it looked as if Karlin-Mitros had been shot while walking down the stairs onto the first floor of the house.
Gregory Mitros was being questioned last night by homicide detectives.
"They're both nice people, great people," said Matt Miller, a neighbor, adding that he never knew of any domestic issues between them and had never seen police at the house. "Everyone's just shocked."
As police loaded the 64-year-old woman's body into a van after her husband allegedly shot and killed her yesterday afternoon, many sat on a nearby stoop wiping tears, wondering why an apparent dispute ended with gunfire.
Police said the victim had been shot once in the head, near her left eye, and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics about 4:42 p.m.
Gregory Mitros, 52, called police after the shooting and cooperated with officers while being taken into custody, police said.
Lisa Fletcher, the couple's next-door neighbor, said Gregory, a maintenance supervisor at the University of Pennsylvania, attended a cousin's funeral yesterday only hours before allegedly shooting his wife.
Fletcher said Karlin-Mitros had seemed depressed for years and hadn't been herself lately.
"She's been staying to herself," Fletcher said, adding that she had trouble believing that Gregory had acted out of malice or premeditation.
"There's no way; he loved her too much," Fletcher said. "No matter what happens to him, I know he's going end up in a nuthouse. He won't be able to deal with it."
Karlin-Mitros was retired but once worked for Penn Reels, a manufacturer of fishing equipment, Fletcher said.
Gregory was Lynda's second husband, she said, adding that the couple seemed perfect for each other. "When you looked at them, you knew they belonged together," she said.
Neighbors know Gregory Mitros as a generally nice man who was nearly always smiling and whose salt-and-pepper hair was typically stuffed beneath a Phillies cap.
He had blood on his hands when officers arrived, said Capt. John Cerrone, of the 5th Police District, in Roxborough, but he did not appear to be injured.
Cerrone said a large-caliber gun was recovered from the scene, but he could not elaborate on what type of gun was used in the shooting.
After clearing the scene, officials said it looked as if Karlin-Mitros had been shot while walking down the stairs onto the first floor of the house.
Gregory Mitros was being questioned last night by homicide detectives.
"They're both nice people, great people," said Matt Miller, a neighbor, adding that he never knew of any domestic issues between them and had never seen police at the house. "Everyone's just shocked."
Knox County, KY: Double Shooting
A woman is dead and a man remains hospitalized following a double shooting Sunday in Knox County, according to Kentucky State Police-Harlan Public Affairs Officer Trooper First Class Walt Meachum.
Police believe Francis Elliott, 54, shot her boyfriend, Randy Hale, 42, seriously injuring him, before she turned the gun on herself, Meachum said.
The couple lived in a one-story brick home along KY 2418 near its intersection with U.S. 25E.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Department initially responded to a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute at the home. Meachum said his post was contacted to assist the sheriff’s department before 8 p.m.
Meachum said Elliott, who was found in a bedroom inside the home, was declared dead at the scene. An autopsy was expected to be completed in Frankfort Monday.
The bedroom had been intentionally set on fire, although Meachum said the fire had extinguished itself by the time police and firefighters arrived.
Hale was flown to the University of Kentucky Medical Center where he remained in serious condition as of late Monday.
Meachum said the Knox County Dispatch Center had received calls before reporting domestic disputes at the home Hale and Elliott shared.
A neighbor, Jean Huling, 66, said Hale owns the Vendor’s Mall and Pawn Shop, located across from his home.
Huling said she has known Hale since he was a baby and that he was raised in the house where he was found shot Sunday.
Although she didn’t know Elliott, Huling said Elliott and Hale had been together for “some time.”
Huling said she first learned about the shootings when her daughter called her after hearing about the shooting on the scanner. Huling said she later saw police and fire trucks parked around Hale’s home and crime scene tape had been draped around the property.
“All we can do now is pray for Randy,” Huling said, adding that it gave her “chills” to think that something so disturbing could happen in an otherwise “quiet” neighborhood.
“He was such a nice young man,” Huling said.
Kentucky State Police Detective Mark Mefford continues to investigate the shootings.
Police believe Francis Elliott, 54, shot her boyfriend, Randy Hale, 42, seriously injuring him, before she turned the gun on herself, Meachum said.
The couple lived in a one-story brick home along KY 2418 near its intersection with U.S. 25E.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Department initially responded to a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute at the home. Meachum said his post was contacted to assist the sheriff’s department before 8 p.m.
Meachum said Elliott, who was found in a bedroom inside the home, was declared dead at the scene. An autopsy was expected to be completed in Frankfort Monday.
The bedroom had been intentionally set on fire, although Meachum said the fire had extinguished itself by the time police and firefighters arrived.
Hale was flown to the University of Kentucky Medical Center where he remained in serious condition as of late Monday.
Meachum said the Knox County Dispatch Center had received calls before reporting domestic disputes at the home Hale and Elliott shared.
A neighbor, Jean Huling, 66, said Hale owns the Vendor’s Mall and Pawn Shop, located across from his home.
Huling said she has known Hale since he was a baby and that he was raised in the house where he was found shot Sunday.
Although she didn’t know Elliott, Huling said Elliott and Hale had been together for “some time.”
Huling said she first learned about the shootings when her daughter called her after hearing about the shooting on the scanner. Huling said she later saw police and fire trucks parked around Hale’s home and crime scene tape had been draped around the property.
“All we can do now is pray for Randy,” Huling said, adding that it gave her “chills” to think that something so disturbing could happen in an otherwise “quiet” neighborhood.
“He was such a nice young man,” Huling said.
Kentucky State Police Detective Mark Mefford continues to investigate the shootings.
Monday, June 20, 2011
North Adams, MA: Mass. man expected to stand trial in wife's deathMass. man expected to stand trial in wife's death
PITTSFIELD, Mass.—A North Adams man facing a murder charge in his wife's death three years ago is expected to stand trial in September.
Eugene Shade's attorney says attempts at plea deals have been unsuccessful in the case, in which the 37-year-old man is charged with murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Shade is charged with strangling his estranged wife, Julie Burdick Shade, in July 2008. She died eight days later from her injuries at Berkshire Medical Center.
Police said Shade told them he "snapped" while discussing their separation. He called 911 and later turned himself in to North Adams police. Authorities have said the couple had two daughters, ages 1 and 3.
Shade appeared in Berkshire Superior Court for a brief hearing last week and was being held without bond.
Eugene Shade's attorney says attempts at plea deals have been unsuccessful in the case, in which the 37-year-old man is charged with murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Shade is charged with strangling his estranged wife, Julie Burdick Shade, in July 2008. She died eight days later from her injuries at Berkshire Medical Center.
Police said Shade told them he "snapped" while discussing their separation. He called 911 and later turned himself in to North Adams police. Authorities have said the couple had two daughters, ages 1 and 3.
Shade appeared in Berkshire Superior Court for a brief hearing last week and was being held without bond.
Springfield, MO: Comstock wrongful-death lawsuit heads to court
Although criminal charges have failed to materialize in the case of a local attorney and book collector's death, a civil wrongful death case is set to go forward next week.
Faith Stocker has sued her mother, Alberta Comstock, claiming she pulled the trigger in the death of Rolland Comstock -- Stocker's stepfather and Alberta Comstock's former husband.
The wrongful death lawsuit is scheduled to begin with a jury trial June 27. On Friday, a hearing is set to iron out the final details before jury selection on the trial's first day.
Rolland Comstock was discovered lying face-up on his dining room floor by his longtime paralegal and friend on July 3, 2007.
He had been shot four times -- twice in the back of the head, once in the face and once in the abdomen.
The criminal case remains an open investigation, despite the fact that it went before a county grand jury earlier this year and failed to result in any criminal charges.
Alberta Comstock was thrust into the spotlight after a search warrant named her and son Michael in a request for DNA samples.
In paperwork asking for the warrant, the sheriff's office described confidential legal and medical paperwork addressed to Alberta Comstock in a black attaché case found in Rolland Comstock's home.
Michael Comstock's DNA had been considered a preliminary match with DNA on a cigarette butt also found in the home.
Both had reportedly told police they hadn't been in the home for months before the incident, and Alberta allegedly had bought a gun the day before her ex-husband's death.
Faith Stocker has sued her mother, Alberta Comstock, claiming she pulled the trigger in the death of Rolland Comstock -- Stocker's stepfather and Alberta Comstock's former husband.
The wrongful death lawsuit is scheduled to begin with a jury trial June 27. On Friday, a hearing is set to iron out the final details before jury selection on the trial's first day.
Rolland Comstock was discovered lying face-up on his dining room floor by his longtime paralegal and friend on July 3, 2007.
He had been shot four times -- twice in the back of the head, once in the face and once in the abdomen.
The criminal case remains an open investigation, despite the fact that it went before a county grand jury earlier this year and failed to result in any criminal charges.
Alberta Comstock was thrust into the spotlight after a search warrant named her and son Michael in a request for DNA samples.
In paperwork asking for the warrant, the sheriff's office described confidential legal and medical paperwork addressed to Alberta Comstock in a black attaché case found in Rolland Comstock's home.
Michael Comstock's DNA had been considered a preliminary match with DNA on a cigarette butt also found in the home.
Both had reportedly told police they hadn't been in the home for months before the incident, and Alberta allegedly had bought a gun the day before her ex-husband's death.
Article: EXCLUSIVE: Kids coping with Murder
Two children's lives were changed forever Wednesday when Robert Liddick shot and killed the mother of his 8-year-old son, Wendy Royer, and her boyfriend, Paul Johnson, whose 18-month-old son was upstairs when the shooting happened.
Johnson's son is with his mother. And Liddick's son is with family members.
" It bothers me, that they have to grow up like that, because they are so young and they are going to grow up one day and understand. But I really hope they'll be able to come from it in the sense that we have," said Sarah Keefer, mother murdered six years ago.
Sarah Keefer is now 18. But she was just 12 when her mother, Kim Keefer, was gunned down at the Highland Elementary School parking lot. Police say Kim's ex-boyfriend pulled the trigger then killed himself. She was there picking up her other daughter Hannah, who is now 12.
" I think it's kind of hard to get through, because you have a parent that's not there for you, but you have other family members that can be that helpful to you," said Hannah Keefer, Sarah's sister.
The sisters use public speaking as a coping mechanism. They also say counseling helped them a lot. Both live with their grandmother and say family plays the biggest role in getting through the nightmare.
" It has been hard. It's hard to see close friends going shopping with mom, see facebook posts, 'oh I'm going to dinner with my mom.' I never got that and it's unfair, but I have to accept it and attempt to make the best of it," said Sarah.
Johnson's son is with his mother. And Liddick's son is with family members.
" It bothers me, that they have to grow up like that, because they are so young and they are going to grow up one day and understand. But I really hope they'll be able to come from it in the sense that we have," said Sarah Keefer, mother murdered six years ago.
Sarah Keefer is now 18. But she was just 12 when her mother, Kim Keefer, was gunned down at the Highland Elementary School parking lot. Police say Kim's ex-boyfriend pulled the trigger then killed himself. She was there picking up her other daughter Hannah, who is now 12.
" I think it's kind of hard to get through, because you have a parent that's not there for you, but you have other family members that can be that helpful to you," said Hannah Keefer, Sarah's sister.
The sisters use public speaking as a coping mechanism. They also say counseling helped them a lot. Both live with their grandmother and say family plays the biggest role in getting through the nightmare.
" It has been hard. It's hard to see close friends going shopping with mom, see facebook posts, 'oh I'm going to dinner with my mom.' I never got that and it's unfair, but I have to accept it and attempt to make the best of it," said Sarah.
Redmond, WA: Jilted woman who allegedly killed her boyfriend by poisoning his drink extradited to U.S. to face murder trial
A woman who allegedly poisoned her boyfriend after he jilted her for another woman has been extradited from Britain to the U.S. to face a murder trial.
Jankira Smith was escorted by U.S. marshalls on the transatlantic flight from London to Kirkland in Washington state after losing a two-year fight against extradition.
The 51-year-old is accused of killing her ex-boyfriend Roger Lewis five years ago by giving him a drink laced with deadly insecticide.
Prosecutors said she was upset when the 56-year-old told her their relationship was over after he met another woman he wanted to marry.
Smith is accused of giving Lewis a bottle of Jägermeister laced with pesticide.
He was found dead at his home in Redmond, Washington, in October 2006.
Thanyarat 'Nina' Sengpharaghanh, 42, the woman he planned to marry, also drank some of the poisoned liquid.
She told police she lost her sight temporarily and was found disorientated at Lewis's home. She later made a full recovery.
According to court documents filed in 2006, Sengpharaghanh said Smith told her to make sure Lewis drank some of the liqueur before she took him to dinner.
Lewis drank a full glass and Sengpharaghanh drank half a glass, according to the court filings.
Sengpharaghanh told investigators she 'almost immediately' felt ill, lost her sight and blacked out.
A friend found Lewis dead on the floor of his condo and Sengpharaghanh, disoriented and blind. She was taken to Evergreen Hospital where doctors found she was suffering from a stroke.
Smith fled to her native Thailand before she could be arrested. Her details were posted on the Interpol website and she was arrested as she attempted to enter the UK in December 2008.
She was held by customs officers on an international arrest warrant.
Police in the Washington State believed she had fled to England after fearing she was about to be arrested in Thailand.
Smith has been charged with first degree murder and is being held in King County jail.
She is due to make a first court appearance on Monday.
Jankira Smith was escorted by U.S. marshalls on the transatlantic flight from London to Kirkland in Washington state after losing a two-year fight against extradition.
The 51-year-old is accused of killing her ex-boyfriend Roger Lewis five years ago by giving him a drink laced with deadly insecticide.
Prosecutors said she was upset when the 56-year-old told her their relationship was over after he met another woman he wanted to marry.
Smith is accused of giving Lewis a bottle of Jägermeister laced with pesticide.
He was found dead at his home in Redmond, Washington, in October 2006.
Thanyarat 'Nina' Sengpharaghanh, 42, the woman he planned to marry, also drank some of the poisoned liquid.
She told police she lost her sight temporarily and was found disorientated at Lewis's home. She later made a full recovery.
According to court documents filed in 2006, Sengpharaghanh said Smith told her to make sure Lewis drank some of the liqueur before she took him to dinner.
Lewis drank a full glass and Sengpharaghanh drank half a glass, according to the court filings.
Sengpharaghanh told investigators she 'almost immediately' felt ill, lost her sight and blacked out.
A friend found Lewis dead on the floor of his condo and Sengpharaghanh, disoriented and blind. She was taken to Evergreen Hospital where doctors found she was suffering from a stroke.
Smith fled to her native Thailand before she could be arrested. Her details were posted on the Interpol website and she was arrested as she attempted to enter the UK in December 2008.
She was held by customs officers on an international arrest warrant.
Police in the Washington State believed she had fled to England after fearing she was about to be arrested in Thailand.
Smith has been charged with first degree murder and is being held in King County jail.
She is due to make a first court appearance on Monday.
Winston-Salem, NC: Man, Estranged Wife Dead After Murder-Suicide in Winston-Salem
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP)— Police said a man and his estranged wife are both dead after a murder-suicide in Winston-Salem.
Shots were heard coming from a home at 5660 Stone Crossing Drive near Country Club Drive just minutes after 2 p.m.
Responding officers found Monika Mittal, 33, shot to death outside the front door of her home, Lt. Rob Cozart with Winston-Salem Police said.
A SWAT team responded to the scene and attempted to communicate with Sandeep Mittal, 42, who was still inside the home.
The SWAT team forced their way inside around 4 p.m. and found Sandeep had fatally shot himself, Cozart said.
Detectives allege Sandeep, who just had a birthday four days ago, shot his estranged wife multiple times before turning the gun on himself.
The couple's 5-year-old daughter was inside the home while the incident took place, Cozart said.
The girl, who was not physically injured, is now in custody of Child Protective Services.
The couple had been living together until about two months ago and were recently going through a domestic dispute, Cozart said.
The street has been closed to traffic as detectives investigate the scene. There was no word as to when it will reopen.
"Our goal is to make sure everyone is safe and stabilize the situation. Most of the residents were asked to stay inside of their homes. Evacuation was not an option at the time," Cozart said.
Police are investigating. No additional suspects are sought in connection with the incident.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call Winston-Salem Police at (336) 773-7700 or Crime Stoppers at (336) 727-2800.
The incident marks the 7th homicide in Winston-Salem in 2011, four more as compared to the same date from 2010.
Shots were heard coming from a home at 5660 Stone Crossing Drive near Country Club Drive just minutes after 2 p.m.
Responding officers found Monika Mittal, 33, shot to death outside the front door of her home, Lt. Rob Cozart with Winston-Salem Police said.
A SWAT team responded to the scene and attempted to communicate with Sandeep Mittal, 42, who was still inside the home.
The SWAT team forced their way inside around 4 p.m. and found Sandeep had fatally shot himself, Cozart said.
Detectives allege Sandeep, who just had a birthday four days ago, shot his estranged wife multiple times before turning the gun on himself.
The couple's 5-year-old daughter was inside the home while the incident took place, Cozart said.
The girl, who was not physically injured, is now in custody of Child Protective Services.
The couple had been living together until about two months ago and were recently going through a domestic dispute, Cozart said.
The street has been closed to traffic as detectives investigate the scene. There was no word as to when it will reopen.
"Our goal is to make sure everyone is safe and stabilize the situation. Most of the residents were asked to stay inside of their homes. Evacuation was not an option at the time," Cozart said.
Police are investigating. No additional suspects are sought in connection with the incident.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call Winston-Salem Police at (336) 773-7700 or Crime Stoppers at (336) 727-2800.
The incident marks the 7th homicide in Winston-Salem in 2011, four more as compared to the same date from 2010.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Article: Domestic violence: It's everyone's problem
WATERVILLE -- The message was loud and clear Friday: Everyone must help stop domestic violence by intervening in abusive situations and reporting them to police.
And since most cases of domestic violence are perpetrated by men, men must take the lead in helping to stop the madness.
Police Chief Joseph Massey and other men told a crowd that gathered Friday outside City Hall that domestic violence is everyone's problem.
The gathering came in the wake of two area domestic violence incidents in the last two weeks that left six dead.
"Domestic violence is not just a police problem, it's all of our problem, It's society's problem," Massey said.
Without help from vigilant family members, friends and co-workers talking to abusers and victims and calling police on every incident, inroads will never be made in curbing domestic violence, Massey said.
If you see someone being abused, intervene -- within reason -- and tell him it is not right, according to Massey. And call police.
"I call on the men individually, collectively: You need to step up to the plate," he said.
Friday's rally outside City Hall, attended by about 75 people, was organized by Karen Heck, co-creator of the nonprofit organization Hardy Girls, Healthy Women.
"My name is Karen Heck and I called this press conference because I'm sick and tired of waking up in the morning to news that more women and children have been killed by men who were supposed to have loved them," she told the crowd.
Amy Lake and her children, Monica and Coty, of Dexter, were killed Monday by Lake's estranged husband, Steven Lake, who then killed himself, according to police. Sarah Gordon of Winslow was killed June 6 by her husband, Nathaniel Gordon, who then killed himself, police said.
Heck invited Massey, City Administrator Michael Roy and other men to speak out and say that good men do not hit, punch, kick, threaten or kill the women and children in their lives.
We must commit to changing the discussion from "why doesn't she leave?" to "why does he abuse?" Heck said.
"Let me be clear: men who love the members of their families do not kill them. No matter how clearly I say that though, our culture chooses not to listen to the voices of women."
Heck said we must stop believing that love has anything to do with a perpetrator's actions and understand that it is, instead, a desire to exercise control and power over a victim.
"I know there are some who will object to the use of the word, 'he' here, but we also must face the fact that 'he' is the perpetrator in nine out of 10 cases of domestic violence and not spend time arguing the fact," she said. "There are female perpetrators, but out of the 11 domestic violence killings just this year in Maine, all of the perpetrators were men."
Roy said the city a few years ago adopted a domestic violence workplace policy and the city provides counseling and opportunities for people to come forward when issues arise.
"We try to do everything we can in the workplace, to make it safer and supportive," he said. "What ultimately matters is that all of us have to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem -- especially men."
Gary Hammond, owner of Hammond Tractor Co., told a story of a former employee, a woman he identified only as "courageous Nancy," who was killed by her selfish, abusive and jealous husband.
Even after the man was unfaithful and sought a divorce, the man would not leave his wife alone, Hammond said.
One day, her husbandasked to go to her house; she was uncomfortable about it and Hammond insisted he go with her, but she declined.
"She, being so strong and independent, refused to let me come," Hammond recalled.
The man went to her home and killed her and then himself, according to Hammond.
Hammond said creating a supportive workplace environment, talking to the person needing help and developing a workplace policy is critical.
"Mostly, you should show them that you care," he said. "If every person can try to do these positive actions, perhaps we, as individuals, can help abused people and maybe start saving their lives."
John Dalton, president and chief executive officer of Inland Hospital, said he was there to speak for more than 600 women who work for the hospital. He said that in his 31 years in the field, there was never a time where there wasn't at least one protective order in place against someone abusing an employee.
Emergency room employees are vigilant when an abusive spouse comes in with a victim, he said.
"We will prosecute. It is zero tolerance and I'm sorry, guys -- this is how it has to be."
Jon Heath, director of Menswork, a batterers' intervention program, said his organization works with those convicted of domestic violence, teaching them to respect women and understand that when men abuse, it is all about meeting their own needs. They must take responsibility for their actions and be held accountable, Heath said. He urged people to speak up when they witness abuse.
In the audience Friday was Mark Tappan, an author and chairman of the education program at Colby College. Tappan said it is important for coaches, parents and others who work with boys to avoid telling them to toughen up or "man up," and instead, help raise them in healthy ways.
Tappan, who works with men and boys, said a lot of research shows that encouraging boys to be tough can turn toxic, with violence being the result.
Men should talk to boys about male entitlement -- which men learn in this culture -- male privilege, control and power -- and about treating women with equality and respect, he said.
A funeral for Amy Lake and her children, Monica and Coty, of Dexter, is at 10 a.m. today at Dexter Regional High School. Steven Lake's funeral was Friday.
Amy Calder -- 861-9247
And since most cases of domestic violence are perpetrated by men, men must take the lead in helping to stop the madness.
Police Chief Joseph Massey and other men told a crowd that gathered Friday outside City Hall that domestic violence is everyone's problem.
The gathering came in the wake of two area domestic violence incidents in the last two weeks that left six dead.
"Domestic violence is not just a police problem, it's all of our problem, It's society's problem," Massey said.
Without help from vigilant family members, friends and co-workers talking to abusers and victims and calling police on every incident, inroads will never be made in curbing domestic violence, Massey said.
If you see someone being abused, intervene -- within reason -- and tell him it is not right, according to Massey. And call police.
"I call on the men individually, collectively: You need to step up to the plate," he said.
Friday's rally outside City Hall, attended by about 75 people, was organized by Karen Heck, co-creator of the nonprofit organization Hardy Girls, Healthy Women.
"My name is Karen Heck and I called this press conference because I'm sick and tired of waking up in the morning to news that more women and children have been killed by men who were supposed to have loved them," she told the crowd.
Amy Lake and her children, Monica and Coty, of Dexter, were killed Monday by Lake's estranged husband, Steven Lake, who then killed himself, according to police. Sarah Gordon of Winslow was killed June 6 by her husband, Nathaniel Gordon, who then killed himself, police said.
Heck invited Massey, City Administrator Michael Roy and other men to speak out and say that good men do not hit, punch, kick, threaten or kill the women and children in their lives.
We must commit to changing the discussion from "why doesn't she leave?" to "why does he abuse?" Heck said.
"Let me be clear: men who love the members of their families do not kill them. No matter how clearly I say that though, our culture chooses not to listen to the voices of women."
Heck said we must stop believing that love has anything to do with a perpetrator's actions and understand that it is, instead, a desire to exercise control and power over a victim.
"I know there are some who will object to the use of the word, 'he' here, but we also must face the fact that 'he' is the perpetrator in nine out of 10 cases of domestic violence and not spend time arguing the fact," she said. "There are female perpetrators, but out of the 11 domestic violence killings just this year in Maine, all of the perpetrators were men."
Roy said the city a few years ago adopted a domestic violence workplace policy and the city provides counseling and opportunities for people to come forward when issues arise.
"We try to do everything we can in the workplace, to make it safer and supportive," he said. "What ultimately matters is that all of us have to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem -- especially men."
Gary Hammond, owner of Hammond Tractor Co., told a story of a former employee, a woman he identified only as "courageous Nancy," who was killed by her selfish, abusive and jealous husband.
Even after the man was unfaithful and sought a divorce, the man would not leave his wife alone, Hammond said.
One day, her husbandasked to go to her house; she was uncomfortable about it and Hammond insisted he go with her, but she declined.
"She, being so strong and independent, refused to let me come," Hammond recalled.
The man went to her home and killed her and then himself, according to Hammond.
Hammond said creating a supportive workplace environment, talking to the person needing help and developing a workplace policy is critical.
"Mostly, you should show them that you care," he said. "If every person can try to do these positive actions, perhaps we, as individuals, can help abused people and maybe start saving their lives."
John Dalton, president and chief executive officer of Inland Hospital, said he was there to speak for more than 600 women who work for the hospital. He said that in his 31 years in the field, there was never a time where there wasn't at least one protective order in place against someone abusing an employee.
Emergency room employees are vigilant when an abusive spouse comes in with a victim, he said.
"We will prosecute. It is zero tolerance and I'm sorry, guys -- this is how it has to be."
Jon Heath, director of Menswork, a batterers' intervention program, said his organization works with those convicted of domestic violence, teaching them to respect women and understand that when men abuse, it is all about meeting their own needs. They must take responsibility for their actions and be held accountable, Heath said. He urged people to speak up when they witness abuse.
In the audience Friday was Mark Tappan, an author and chairman of the education program at Colby College. Tappan said it is important for coaches, parents and others who work with boys to avoid telling them to toughen up or "man up," and instead, help raise them in healthy ways.
Tappan, who works with men and boys, said a lot of research shows that encouraging boys to be tough can turn toxic, with violence being the result.
Men should talk to boys about male entitlement -- which men learn in this culture -- male privilege, control and power -- and about treating women with equality and respect, he said.
A funeral for Amy Lake and her children, Monica and Coty, of Dexter, is at 10 a.m. today at Dexter Regional High School. Steven Lake's funeral was Friday.
Amy Calder -- 861-9247
Sikeston, MO: Sikeston police investigate murder/suicide
SIKESTON, Mo. -- Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide that occurred Friday afternoon at a Sikeston residence and then at a nearby motel.
Kristie Lyn Hill, 30, is believed to have been murdered by her husband, Solomon Moroney Hill, 34, who then turned the gun on himself at a Miner, Mo., motel, according to a news release by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.
Police learned the Sikeston couple had recently undergone a "troubled" separation.
According to the news release, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety received a call of shots fired in around 4:40 p.m. in the 1800 block of Indiana Avenue. Employees of a nearby business told investigators they heard several shots fired and witnessed a vehicle speed away from 1805 Indiana.
Officers entered the home and found a deceased 30-year-old white female who had been shot several times, according to a DPI news release. Southeast Missouri's Major Case Squad was activated and responded to assist with the investigation.
Soon after, an officer located the vehicle seen by witnesses abandoned at a nearby convenience store about a block from the home, according to the release. It was later learned that the vehicle belonged to Kristie Lyn Hill.
Investigators turned their attention on the victim's spouse, Sikeston police said, and located his vehicle at the motel less than two hours after the first gunshots were reportedly heard on Indiana Avenue.
Case squad investigators made their way into the room and found the suspect dead, with a single gunshot wound. The Scott County coroner's office was called in to handle both deaths.
Several officers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and members of the Scott County Sheriff's Department assisted in the investigation and at the crime scenes.
Kristie Lyn Hill, 30, is believed to have been murdered by her husband, Solomon Moroney Hill, 34, who then turned the gun on himself at a Miner, Mo., motel, according to a news release by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.
Police learned the Sikeston couple had recently undergone a "troubled" separation.
According to the news release, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety received a call of shots fired in around 4:40 p.m. in the 1800 block of Indiana Avenue. Employees of a nearby business told investigators they heard several shots fired and witnessed a vehicle speed away from 1805 Indiana.
Officers entered the home and found a deceased 30-year-old white female who had been shot several times, according to a DPI news release. Southeast Missouri's Major Case Squad was activated and responded to assist with the investigation.
Soon after, an officer located the vehicle seen by witnesses abandoned at a nearby convenience store about a block from the home, according to the release. It was later learned that the vehicle belonged to Kristie Lyn Hill.
Investigators turned their attention on the victim's spouse, Sikeston police said, and located his vehicle at the motel less than two hours after the first gunshots were reportedly heard on Indiana Avenue.
Case squad investigators made their way into the room and found the suspect dead, with a single gunshot wound. The Scott County coroner's office was called in to handle both deaths.
Several officers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and members of the Scott County Sheriff's Department assisted in the investigation and at the crime scenes.
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