Justin Murphy and Nate Robson / The Citizen | Posted: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 3:30 am | (1)
Auburn resident Ryan Brahney is escorted into Cayuga County Court Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to stabbing former girlfriend Bridget Bell to death earlier in the day. Auburn police said Brahney and Bell had a history of domestic violence leading up to Monday's arrest.
Police accused Ryan Brahney, 39, of repeatedly stabbing 29-year-old Bridget Bell with a knife after breaking into her apartment at 115 Olympia Terrace.
Authorities first heard of the incident through a 1:14 a.m. 911 call made by a family member living with Brahney at 128 VanAnden St. in Auburn, said Lt. Shawn Butler of the Auburn Police Department.
Butler would not identify the family member, but said the person was alarmed by Brahney’s demeanor and was worried about Bell.
Police went to the Olympia Terrace apartment and found Bell’s body in a downstairs room, he said. Upstairs, the couple’s 3-year-old son, Finn Brahney, was sleeping and unharmed.
Officers were dispatched simultaneously to 128 VanAnden St., where they found Brahney and arrested him without incident, Butler said. It appears that the incident had already taken place when the 911 call came in.
Police have responded to domestic violence calls involving the couple prior to Monday, Butler said.
In August, Brahney was issued a “refrain from” order of protection, which allowed him to have contact with Bell and his child but cautioned him against harassment, Butler said.
Brahney was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for first-degree assault after severely beating a man with a baseball bat when he was 23 years old.
During a 1995 drug dispute on Fort Street in Auburn, Brahney struck the man in the face repeatedly, breaking every bone in his face, according to The Citizen’s archives.
“I think Mr. Brahney is a very dangerous man and nearly beat the victim to death,” former Cayuga County District Attorney James Vargason said at the time. “The attack was vicious and violent.”
He was released to parole on four different occasions but was recommitted each time for violations: twice for using cocaine, once for attempting to forge a drug test sample and once, in 2009, for releasing two pit bulls on his parole officers, according to state parole records.
Also in 2009, Brahney was convicted of assault after breaking Bell’s jaw and preventing her from calling 911, according to the district attorney’s office.
He was released for good in March after maxing out the original five- to 15-year sentence.
Brahney had a pending domestic violence case in local family court for allegedly violating an order of protection July 6 by getting into an argument with Bell and breaking a table.
“They had a history of domestic violence, and this was probably just another tragic domestic homicide,” Butler said. “Unfortunately that’s becoming too common here.”
Brahney pleaded not guilty in Cayuga County Court Monday to second-degree murder, first-degree criminal contempt and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies.
Additional charges are pending, Butler said.
Judge Thomas Leone also granted custody of Brahney and Bell’s child to Colleen Bell, Bridget Bell’s mother, and remanded Brahney to jail without bail.
Attorney Michele Driscoll, who represents 3-year-old Finn Brahney, said the mother and son were afraid of Brahney. Colleen Bell added that on several occasions Finn said he did not want to visit his father.
Brahney opposed the custody decision in court and blamed Bell’s family for problems in their relationship.
“That’s furthest from the truth,” Brahney said, referring to Driscoll’s comments. “I go down to see him every day ... They (Bell’s family) don’t belong with my son. They are going to ruin him. They already ruined him.”
In court, Brahney had bandages on both wrists and hands, and wore booties similar to medical scrubs on his feet. Butler said police believe Brahney’s hands were injured during the crime, but would not elaborate. Brahney’s clothing and shoes were also seized as evidence.
Defense attorney Jon Strods, who represented Brahney at Monday’s arraignment and in family court, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Brahney’s mother, Betty Brahney, answered the door at 128 VanAnden St. Monday morning but declined to comment.
Ted and Tanya Hastings live across the street from Bell and said they were good friends with her and Brahney for many years.
Tanya Hastings said Bell was a good person and a good mother.
“She was very outgoing and a lot of fun to be with,” Tanya Hastings said.
She described the 3-year-old boy as “energetic” and “awesome.”
According to Ted Hastings, Bell and Brahney dated on and off for about three years, going back to the birth of their son.
Brahney told Hastings he was attending anger management classes, and realized he had a problem with violence.
“Honest to God, Ryan had a good side to him when they weren’t fighting,” he said. “He had a real good side to him.”
The Hastings and others warned Bell to stay away from Brahney.
“We’ve all talked to her,” Ted Hastings said. “She stayed away from him as far as we know, but he kept coming around and coming around. She’d talk to us and say, ‘Man, he’s going to hurt me.’ She was afraid of him.
The Hastings had Bell and Brahney together at their home Saturday night just hours before the alleged murder.
Brahney told Ted Hastings that he was upset and that he and Bell were fighting again, Hastings said, but there was no indication of what would happen later that night.
“The problems they had, I don’t know,” Hastings said. “The whole thing’s just senseless.”
Bell worked most recently in the restaurant at Skaneateles Country Club.
Lynne Sweet, the club’s food and beverage manager, called her “a great employee, loved by members and staff alike.”
The investigation into Bell’s death is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Douglas Parker at 255-4726 or the Auburn Police Department at 253-3231.
Brahney is the third person to be charged with a domestic related murder this year in Cayuga County. Michael Gallow, of Scipio, was sentenced to 22-years to life in prison for shooting his father, Bernard Gallow, to death during an argument at their family home in March.
Auburn resident David McNamara was charged with strangling or suffocating former girlfriend Katie Socci to death in June. That charge was dismissed last week after a judge ruled that the district attorney’s office violated his right to testify at a grand jury hearing. That decision will either be appealed or the case will be re-presented to the grand jury for another indictment. McNamara remains in custody though, as he is serving a five-year prison sentence for giving drugs to a friend.
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Midland, MI: Isabella County man jailed in wife's death
Posted: Monday, November 21, 2011 11:37 am
A Weidman man is jailed on an open murder charge after a domestic dispute and the disappearance of
his wife and son over the weekend, the Isabella County Sheriff's Office reports.
Sheriff Leo Miodus]ewski reports that Jason Lant] Fish, 35, was arrested early this morning in
connection with the killing of his wife, Stephanie Rochelle Fish, 34. Her body was found at their
North Rolland Road home. It appears that she was shot.
The Michigan State Police Crime Lab was called to the home to collect evidence, and an autopsy for
Stephanie Fish will be scheduled for today or Tuesday.
Deputies sei]ed a .22-caliber rifle as possible evidence in the case.
Deputies had been searching for Stephanie Fish and the couple's 4-year-old son, Brody, since Sunday.
They were last seen about 7:30 p.m. Friday, the same day the husband and wife became involved in a
domestic dispute. Stephanie Fish and Brody were the subject of an Amber Alert over the weekend,
according to the sheriff's office. At the time, Jason Fish was wanted as a person of interest.
Sunda\, Jason Fish and Brody were found safe in Genesee County after a traffic stop made as a result
of the Amber Alert. They were taken back to Isabella County to speak with investigators. The child is
staying with a family member.
A Weidman man is jailed on an open murder charge after a domestic dispute and the disappearance of
his wife and son over the weekend, the Isabella County Sheriff's Office reports.
Sheriff Leo Miodus]ewski reports that Jason Lant] Fish, 35, was arrested early this morning in
connection with the killing of his wife, Stephanie Rochelle Fish, 34. Her body was found at their
North Rolland Road home. It appears that she was shot.
The Michigan State Police Crime Lab was called to the home to collect evidence, and an autopsy for
Stephanie Fish will be scheduled for today or Tuesday.
Deputies sei]ed a .22-caliber rifle as possible evidence in the case.
Deputies had been searching for Stephanie Fish and the couple's 4-year-old son, Brody, since Sunday.
They were last seen about 7:30 p.m. Friday, the same day the husband and wife became involved in a
domestic dispute. Stephanie Fish and Brody were the subject of an Amber Alert over the weekend,
according to the sheriff's office. At the time, Jason Fish was wanted as a person of interest.
Sunda\, Jason Fish and Brody were found safe in Genesee County after a traffic stop made as a result
of the Amber Alert. They were taken back to Isabella County to speak with investigators. The child is
staying with a family member.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Article: Domestic killings up as 2011 heads into holidays
By: Scott McCabe | 11/20/11 8:05 PM
Examiner Staff Writer Follow Him @Scott_McCabe
The violence could be about to get worse. Studies have shown that stress associated with holidays increases domestic disputes and domestic violence. Prolonged time with the family, buying gifts or trying to make the perfect meal are added stressors.
Mix in alcohol and drugs, and you've got a recipe for family violence.
Hannah Sassoon, Montgomery County's domestic violence coordinator, said she sees more severe abuse toward the end of the year, especially in cases where there's been a breakup or a woman has had to flee the relationship.
"The idea of a family separating during the holiday becomes more traumatic," Sassoon said. "It becomes harder to deal with for people under a great deal of stress."
Domestic trouble in D.C.
• Metropolitan Police Department received more than 31,000 domestic violence-related calls in 2010 -- about 1 every 17 minutes.
• 5,465 people received help at the District's domestic violence intake centers in 2010, up 15 percent from 2009.
• In 2010, the number of 18-to-21 year olds getting social services related to domestic violence increased by almost 25 percent.
Sources: MPD and D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence
That appears to have been the case for Tawanna Barnes-Copeland. The 41-year-old Georgetown University Hospital employee was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Shawn Davis, last December after she asked him to take care of her apartment while she spent Thanksgiving in North Carolina.
Davis, 37, admitted to being hurt by their breakup, and friends said he had previously smashed the headlights and taillights of Barnes-Copeland's car, flattened her tires and sent her angry texts.
She had not reported the incidents to law enforcement officials, police said.
On Dec. 7, Barnes-Copeland was found dead in her bed with 10 stab wounds to the chest and neck.
Barnes-Copeland, like many victims of domestic violence that turned deadly, had never reported any of the incidents to law enforcement.
Related story
On Thanksgiving, think of the victims of domestic violence
"Silence is deadly," Sassoon said.
Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this month. Davis admitted that he was angry that Barnes-Copeland still called him and asked him for favors, yet she did not want to be in a relationship with him. He faces a maximum of life in prison.
Studies show that incidents of domestic violence in the United States go up 22 percent on Thanksgiving, 17 percent on Christmas, 32 percent on New Year's Eve and 19 percent on New Year's Day.
Sarah Jones, of the Family Crisis Center in Prince George's County, said incidents of violence go up during the entire yuletide season, not just on the actual holidays.
"Money is short, bills have to be paid," Jones said. "People go to [the] store and see people happily buying things that they can't afford. It pushes some people over the limit."
smccabe@washingtonexaminer.com
Examiner Staff Writer Follow Him @Scott_McCabe
The violence could be about to get worse. Studies have shown that stress associated with holidays increases domestic disputes and domestic violence. Prolonged time with the family, buying gifts or trying to make the perfect meal are added stressors.
Mix in alcohol and drugs, and you've got a recipe for family violence.
Hannah Sassoon, Montgomery County's domestic violence coordinator, said she sees more severe abuse toward the end of the year, especially in cases where there's been a breakup or a woman has had to flee the relationship.
"The idea of a family separating during the holiday becomes more traumatic," Sassoon said. "It becomes harder to deal with for people under a great deal of stress."
Domestic trouble in D.C.
• Metropolitan Police Department received more than 31,000 domestic violence-related calls in 2010 -- about 1 every 17 minutes.
• 5,465 people received help at the District's domestic violence intake centers in 2010, up 15 percent from 2009.
• In 2010, the number of 18-to-21 year olds getting social services related to domestic violence increased by almost 25 percent.
Sources: MPD and D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence
That appears to have been the case for Tawanna Barnes-Copeland. The 41-year-old Georgetown University Hospital employee was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Shawn Davis, last December after she asked him to take care of her apartment while she spent Thanksgiving in North Carolina.
Davis, 37, admitted to being hurt by their breakup, and friends said he had previously smashed the headlights and taillights of Barnes-Copeland's car, flattened her tires and sent her angry texts.
She had not reported the incidents to law enforcement officials, police said.
On Dec. 7, Barnes-Copeland was found dead in her bed with 10 stab wounds to the chest and neck.
Barnes-Copeland, like many victims of domestic violence that turned deadly, had never reported any of the incidents to law enforcement.
Related story
On Thanksgiving, think of the victims of domestic violence
"Silence is deadly," Sassoon said.
Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this month. Davis admitted that he was angry that Barnes-Copeland still called him and asked him for favors, yet she did not want to be in a relationship with him. He faces a maximum of life in prison.
Studies show that incidents of domestic violence in the United States go up 22 percent on Thanksgiving, 17 percent on Christmas, 32 percent on New Year's Eve and 19 percent on New Year's Day.
Sarah Jones, of the Family Crisis Center in Prince George's County, said incidents of violence go up during the entire yuletide season, not just on the actual holidays.
"Money is short, bills have to be paid," Jones said. "People go to [the] store and see people happily buying things that they can't afford. It pushes some people over the limit."
smccabe@washingtonexaminer.com
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sanford, FL: Couple found dead in Sanford home
Updated: Saturday, 12 Nov 2011, 7:31 PM EST
Published : Saturday, 12 Nov 2011, 7:16 PM EST
By Valerie Boey
FOX 35 News
Sanford, Florida-It was just before midnight when neighbors on Bullion Loop in Sanford, got a rude awakening, "I was sleeping and the police came and knocked on the door. My grandson Cory says, get up get up, gotta get out of the house and we were stunned. So we threw our clothes on and went to my daughter's across the street."
Janice Landfair and her daughter Debbie wondered what was happening in the house across the way. Officers say they heard a gun shot and then evacuated neighbors, "We saw the cops in shooting position, they made us go out through the garage all bent down. We thought someone was on the loose." But inside this home, cops discovered 41 year old Bryan Coffin and his 43 year old wife Rocio dead, "Oh my God it was horrifying, scary. It was horrifying."
Investigators say they had been to the couple's home before, on a domestic violence call, "We have one documented DV incident from several months ago we're looking into that." Cops tell us, they were shot to death, but won't say if it was a murder suicide, "This is really shocking."
Janice and Debbie say, they were a nice couple who were friendly to their neighbors, "He'd always says to me hi Jancie how are you? And I'd wave to him and he would cut the lady's grass across the street and was always very pleasant. His wife would walk the dogs. Never heard any problems always friendly."
Neighbors say the wife was upset about something but wouldn't say what. Deputies are still trying to determine why the shooting occurred.
Published : Saturday, 12 Nov 2011, 7:16 PM EST
By Valerie Boey
FOX 35 News
Sanford, Florida-It was just before midnight when neighbors on Bullion Loop in Sanford, got a rude awakening, "I was sleeping and the police came and knocked on the door. My grandson Cory says, get up get up, gotta get out of the house and we were stunned. So we threw our clothes on and went to my daughter's across the street."
Janice Landfair and her daughter Debbie wondered what was happening in the house across the way. Officers say they heard a gun shot and then evacuated neighbors, "We saw the cops in shooting position, they made us go out through the garage all bent down. We thought someone was on the loose." But inside this home, cops discovered 41 year old Bryan Coffin and his 43 year old wife Rocio dead, "Oh my God it was horrifying, scary. It was horrifying."
Investigators say they had been to the couple's home before, on a domestic violence call, "We have one documented DV incident from several months ago we're looking into that." Cops tell us, they were shot to death, but won't say if it was a murder suicide, "This is really shocking."
Janice and Debbie say, they were a nice couple who were friendly to their neighbors, "He'd always says to me hi Jancie how are you? And I'd wave to him and he would cut the lady's grass across the street and was always very pleasant. His wife would walk the dogs. Never heard any problems always friendly."
Neighbors say the wife was upset about something but wouldn't say what. Deputies are still trying to determine why the shooting occurred.
Cape Coral, FL: Man pleads guilty to girlfriend's murder
CAPE CORAL, FL -
A 32-year-old man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his live-in girlfriend Shannon Sweet in March 2009.
In court, when the state asked Matthew Gullett if he admitted to killing his girlfriend Shannon Sweet by strangling her, he gave a three word answer.
"Yes I do," said Gullett.
In exchange for Gullett's plea of guilty to manslaughter and grand theft charges, he will serve ten years in prison and ten years probation.
The judge held off sentencing so the victim's family could be in the courtroom to address the court and the defendant.
He will be sentenced November 29th.
BACKGROUND:
On March 24 at 10:38 a.m., a Honda traveling west on College Parkway drove across the concrete median into the eastbound lanes and struck a 2004 Lexus.
The Florida Highway Patrol identified the Honda's driver as Matthew Gullett. He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital, but left before his treatment was complete.
Several days later, on March 30, 2009, neighbors contacted the Cape Coral Police Department about a foul odor coming from Gullett's home, 4921 Coronado Parkway.
Inside, police discovered the body of Shannon Sweet, Gullett's live-in girlfriend.
Gullett then stole a Cadillac from a man getting gas at a local gas station.
The Cadillac was located at a hotel in Muskingum County Ohio several days later, on April 3.
When Gullett left his hotel room, deputies from the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office confronted Gullett. A struggle ensued and Gullett was shot.
Gullett was extradited to Lee County to face second degree murder charges.
A 32-year-old man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his live-in girlfriend Shannon Sweet in March 2009.
In court, when the state asked Matthew Gullett if he admitted to killing his girlfriend Shannon Sweet by strangling her, he gave a three word answer.
"Yes I do," said Gullett.
In exchange for Gullett's plea of guilty to manslaughter and grand theft charges, he will serve ten years in prison and ten years probation.
The judge held off sentencing so the victim's family could be in the courtroom to address the court and the defendant.
He will be sentenced November 29th.
BACKGROUND:
On March 24 at 10:38 a.m., a Honda traveling west on College Parkway drove across the concrete median into the eastbound lanes and struck a 2004 Lexus.
The Florida Highway Patrol identified the Honda's driver as Matthew Gullett. He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital, but left before his treatment was complete.
Several days later, on March 30, 2009, neighbors contacted the Cape Coral Police Department about a foul odor coming from Gullett's home, 4921 Coronado Parkway.
Inside, police discovered the body of Shannon Sweet, Gullett's live-in girlfriend.
Gullett then stole a Cadillac from a man getting gas at a local gas station.
The Cadillac was located at a hotel in Muskingum County Ohio several days later, on April 3.
When Gullett left his hotel room, deputies from the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office confronted Gullett. A struggle ensued and Gullett was shot.
Gullett was extradited to Lee County to face second degree murder charges.
Green Bay, WI: Green Bay man charged in death of girlfriend
Updated: Thursday, 10 Nov 2011, 5:20 PM CST
Published : Thursday, 10 Nov 2011, 12:08 PM CST
GREEN BAY - A Green Bay man has been charged with 1st-degree reckless homicide in the death of his girlfriend.
Roy Tidwell, 28, was arrested after a two month investigation.
His girlfriend, 26-year-old Christina Bischoff, was found dead August 28th.
Police were called to their apartment on the 600-block of Ashland Ave. on the city's west side.
When authorities got they got there, they were let in by Tidwell.
He led police to the bathroom, where authorities say Bischoff was laying on the floor.
According to the criminal complaint the couple often argued.
It goes on to say, that Tidwell told authorities he found Bischoff dead and handed them what appeared to be a suicide note.
Authorities say the scene was set up to make it look like Bischoff hanged herself.
However an autopsy showed Bischoff died of a drug overdose.
“We've been gathering evidence and examining statements, and also with Mr. Tidwell's statement. In the event, Mr. Tidwell's account of the event is not consistent with the final autopsy results or with the other statements we took in during this investigation,” said Lt. Andy Lewis, Green Bay Police Department.
There were three children in the apartment. The couple's 10-month-old son, 3-year-old son and Bischoff's 9-year-old son from a previous relationship lived at the apartment.
Tidwell is also facing a misdemeanor charge for obstruction. In court Thursday, his bond was set at $250,000 cash.
Published : Thursday, 10 Nov 2011, 12:08 PM CST
GREEN BAY - A Green Bay man has been charged with 1st-degree reckless homicide in the death of his girlfriend.
Roy Tidwell, 28, was arrested after a two month investigation.
His girlfriend, 26-year-old Christina Bischoff, was found dead August 28th.
Police were called to their apartment on the 600-block of Ashland Ave. on the city's west side.
When authorities got they got there, they were let in by Tidwell.
He led police to the bathroom, where authorities say Bischoff was laying on the floor.
According to the criminal complaint the couple often argued.
It goes on to say, that Tidwell told authorities he found Bischoff dead and handed them what appeared to be a suicide note.
Authorities say the scene was set up to make it look like Bischoff hanged herself.
However an autopsy showed Bischoff died of a drug overdose.
“We've been gathering evidence and examining statements, and also with Mr. Tidwell's statement. In the event, Mr. Tidwell's account of the event is not consistent with the final autopsy results or with the other statements we took in during this investigation,” said Lt. Andy Lewis, Green Bay Police Department.
There were three children in the apartment. The couple's 10-month-old son, 3-year-old son and Bischoff's 9-year-old son from a previous relationship lived at the apartment.
Tidwell is also facing a misdemeanor charge for obstruction. In court Thursday, his bond was set at $250,000 cash.
Lapeer County, MI; Man arrested in connection with girlfriend's death
Posted: Nov 17, 2011 10:57 AM EST
Updated: Nov 17, 2011 6:29 PM EST
By Brandon Allendorfer, Internet Managing Editor - email
LAPEER COUNTY, MI (WNEM) -
Michigan State police say they have arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman in Lapeer County.
Authorities say 20-year-old Andrea Eilber, of Otisville, was found dead early Wednesday morning at a Mayfield Township home where she was house-sitting.
Her family notified officers about her disappearance late Tuesday night when they did not hear from her.
The woman's car was found early Wednesday morning in a parking lot at the Lapeer State Game Area on Five Lakes Road.
A 19-year-old man is in custody in connection to the homicide and is being lodged at the Lapeer County Jail.
Authorities said the two were dating and worked at a Kroger together.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the Lapeer Michigan State Police post at 810-664-2905.
Updated: Nov 17, 2011 6:29 PM EST
By Brandon Allendorfer, Internet Managing Editor - email
LAPEER COUNTY, MI (WNEM) -
Michigan State police say they have arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman in Lapeer County.
Authorities say 20-year-old Andrea Eilber, of Otisville, was found dead early Wednesday morning at a Mayfield Township home where she was house-sitting.
Her family notified officers about her disappearance late Tuesday night when they did not hear from her.
The woman's car was found early Wednesday morning in a parking lot at the Lapeer State Game Area on Five Lakes Road.
A 19-year-old man is in custody in connection to the homicide and is being lodged at the Lapeer County Jail.
Authorities said the two were dating and worked at a Kroger together.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the Lapeer Michigan State Police post at 810-664-2905.
Salisbury, VT: Salisbury man dead after domestic dispute
By Matt Henson - bio | email
"We are all in shock," Carla Lafountain said.
Lafountain was referring to the death of her daughter's boyfriend, 52-year-old Gerald Woodburn, known to most as Dusty. He reportedly committed suicide during an intense encounter with police early Thursday morning at their home in Kamperville Park in Salisbury.
"Dusty made us that centerpiece for the table the other day," Lafountain said.
Her daughter, Laurie Lafountain, and Woodburn became involved in a heated argument late Wednesday night. He reportedly became enraged after reading a text message conversation his girlfriend was having with another man.
"I knew they were kind of on the outs," Carla Lafountain said.
As the argument continued to escalate, Lafountain ran up the street to her parents' house to dial 911. She returned to the home with her two brothers. That's when the gunfire rang out.
"When the trooper tried to interview the victim and Woodburn, the victim conveyed to the troopers Woodburn had a gun. Woodburn then raised the gun pointing it at the troopers. At this time, one of the troopers fired a single round at Woodburn. At this time, troopers lost sight of Woodburn as he retreated further into the residence," Vt. State Police Col. Tom L'Esperance said.
At that point, the troopers and Lafountain's two brothers ran out of the home. Laurie Lafountain stayed inside, but came running out a short time later after Woodburn reportedly shot himself.
"She observed him on the floor of the kitchen, that he was probably dying at that point if not dead. The troopers were unsure at that point what his status was other than he still had a weapon and they set up a perimeter," L'Esperance said.
At that time, the state police tactical team evacuated two other apartments within the house.
"Intimidating a bit to see all the police in tactical gear," said Rick Venne, one of the evacuees. "We all had to evacuate single file out of the house where we would meet another officer who would escort us then away from the scene."
After police were unable to reach Woodburn for several hours, they entered the home and found Woodburn dead in the kitchen. Lafountain's family is still trying to come to the terms with what happened.
"He made me a deer, but I couldn't have it until he glued it he said. He made it out of white birch for Christmas," Carla Lafountain said.
L'Esperance would not identify the trooper who fired the shot. He says state police policy prohibits releasing the name for 24 hours. That trooper and another trooper who was inside the home at the time of the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave for 3 days, which is standard protocol following incidents like this.
"We are all in shock," Carla Lafountain said.
Lafountain was referring to the death of her daughter's boyfriend, 52-year-old Gerald Woodburn, known to most as Dusty. He reportedly committed suicide during an intense encounter with police early Thursday morning at their home in Kamperville Park in Salisbury.
"Dusty made us that centerpiece for the table the other day," Lafountain said.
Her daughter, Laurie Lafountain, and Woodburn became involved in a heated argument late Wednesday night. He reportedly became enraged after reading a text message conversation his girlfriend was having with another man.
"I knew they were kind of on the outs," Carla Lafountain said.
As the argument continued to escalate, Lafountain ran up the street to her parents' house to dial 911. She returned to the home with her two brothers. That's when the gunfire rang out.
"When the trooper tried to interview the victim and Woodburn, the victim conveyed to the troopers Woodburn had a gun. Woodburn then raised the gun pointing it at the troopers. At this time, one of the troopers fired a single round at Woodburn. At this time, troopers lost sight of Woodburn as he retreated further into the residence," Vt. State Police Col. Tom L'Esperance said.
At that point, the troopers and Lafountain's two brothers ran out of the home. Laurie Lafountain stayed inside, but came running out a short time later after Woodburn reportedly shot himself.
"She observed him on the floor of the kitchen, that he was probably dying at that point if not dead. The troopers were unsure at that point what his status was other than he still had a weapon and they set up a perimeter," L'Esperance said.
At that time, the state police tactical team evacuated two other apartments within the house.
"Intimidating a bit to see all the police in tactical gear," said Rick Venne, one of the evacuees. "We all had to evacuate single file out of the house where we would meet another officer who would escort us then away from the scene."
After police were unable to reach Woodburn for several hours, they entered the home and found Woodburn dead in the kitchen. Lafountain's family is still trying to come to the terms with what happened.
"He made me a deer, but I couldn't have it until he glued it he said. He made it out of white birch for Christmas," Carla Lafountain said.
L'Esperance would not identify the trooper who fired the shot. He says state police policy prohibits releasing the name for 24 hours. That trooper and another trooper who was inside the home at the time of the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave for 3 days, which is standard protocol following incidents like this.
Glouchester County, PA: Man charged with murder in Glouco stabbing
A 42-year-old man was charged Friday in the fatal stabbing of a Gloucester County woman with whom he had a history of domestic violence, officials said. The Prosecutor's Office said the killing Thursday night of Kim Barnum, 43, was the first homicide in the county this year.
Officers with the prosecutor's fugitive unit, assisted by local police and K-9 teams, found Mark Holloway in an abandoned trailer in the Colonial Estates mobile home park in Monroe Township. Barnum was killed in her apartment on Fries Mill Road in the Birches section of Washington Township
Officers with the prosecutor's fugitive unit, assisted by local police and K-9 teams, found Mark Holloway in an abandoned trailer in the Colonial Estates mobile home park in Monroe Township. Barnum was killed in her apartment on Fries Mill Road in the Birches section of Washington Township
Chesterfield Yownship, MI: Man convicted of lesser murder charge in killing of wife
A jury found a Chesterfield Twp man guilty of 2nd degree murder in the brutal killing of his wife. The verdict followed a two day trial and five hours of deliberations.
The trial was brief because there was no question that Leonart Nazarko, 43, killed his wife Andoneta, 41, during a domestic quarrel. The only real issue was Nazarko’s state of mind, which would determine the appropriate crime and corresponding sentence.
The murder occurred on December 5, 2009 at the couple’s home on Dove Lane near Gratiot and Cotton, in the presence of the couple’s two sons, now 13 and 18.
According to the younger child, the victim had told her husband the day before that she wanted a divorce.
The testimony of the children indicated that an argument ensued the following day in which Nazarko began acting out, kicking appliances and throwing things on the floor. It ended only after he had fatally stabbed his wife in the back.
The trial was brief because there was no question that Leonart Nazarko, 43, killed his wife Andoneta, 41, during a domestic quarrel. The only real issue was Nazarko’s state of mind, which would determine the appropriate crime and corresponding sentence.
The murder occurred on December 5, 2009 at the couple’s home on Dove Lane near Gratiot and Cotton, in the presence of the couple’s two sons, now 13 and 18.
According to the younger child, the victim had told her husband the day before that she wanted a divorce.
The testimony of the children indicated that an argument ensued the following day in which Nazarko began acting out, kicking appliances and throwing things on the floor. It ended only after he had fatally stabbed his wife in the back.
Middletown, NJ: Lincroft Man Arrested and Charged with Murdering His Wife
Patrick F. Allen is being held on $1.5 million bail, pending a court appearance on Monday
By Elaine Van Develde
A Middletown husband and father is being held on $1.5 million bail after being charged late Friday with the murder of his wife, who was found dead at their home in the Lincroft section of the township hours earlier.
Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Richard Incremona said Patrick F. Allen, 44, of 1457 West Front Street "was arrested and charged with one count of murder in the death of his wife, Kimberly Allen, also 44.”
Incremona said Kimberly Allen was found dead at the couple's home when police responded to a 9-1-1 call made at 11:47 on Friday morning. The prosecutor did not say who made the call.
The Middletown Township Police Department and the Major Crimes Unit of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office launched a joint investigation upon arrival at the scene; and investigators were seen leaving the property with evidence bags in hand at about 3 p.m.
Patrick Allen was arrested at Middletown Township Police Headquarters late Friday evening, Incremona said. He did not say whether Allen had been at the home when police first arrived.
Patrick Allen’s bail was set at $1.5 million by Judge Anthony Mellaci Jr., Incremona said, with no 10 percent option, which means that in order to be released until his initial appearance in court, he must come up with the entire amount.
“He is currently lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution,” Incremona said. “Unless he makes bail, he will be there until his initial appearance on Monday. Next, there will be a Grand Jury presentation of the case in the near future.”
Incremona declined to provide details on the manner of Kimberly Allen's death, saying only that an autopsy was being conducted Saturday.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the lead detectives: Dan Sullivan, of Middletown police (732-615-2255); or Ed Hennelly, of the Prosecutor’s Office (1-800-533-7443).
By Elaine Van Develde
A Middletown husband and father is being held on $1.5 million bail after being charged late Friday with the murder of his wife, who was found dead at their home in the Lincroft section of the township hours earlier.
Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Richard Incremona said Patrick F. Allen, 44, of 1457 West Front Street "was arrested and charged with one count of murder in the death of his wife, Kimberly Allen, also 44.”
Incremona said Kimberly Allen was found dead at the couple's home when police responded to a 9-1-1 call made at 11:47 on Friday morning. The prosecutor did not say who made the call.
The Middletown Township Police Department and the Major Crimes Unit of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office launched a joint investigation upon arrival at the scene; and investigators were seen leaving the property with evidence bags in hand at about 3 p.m.
Patrick Allen was arrested at Middletown Township Police Headquarters late Friday evening, Incremona said. He did not say whether Allen had been at the home when police first arrived.
Patrick Allen’s bail was set at $1.5 million by Judge Anthony Mellaci Jr., Incremona said, with no 10 percent option, which means that in order to be released until his initial appearance in court, he must come up with the entire amount.
“He is currently lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution,” Incremona said. “Unless he makes bail, he will be there until his initial appearance on Monday. Next, there will be a Grand Jury presentation of the case in the near future.”
Incremona declined to provide details on the manner of Kimberly Allen's death, saying only that an autopsy was being conducted Saturday.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the lead detectives: Dan Sullivan, of Middletown police (732-615-2255); or Ed Hennelly, of the Prosecutor’s Office (1-800-533-7443).
Walhalla, SC: Police say Oconee County woman killed daughter's boyfriend, then shot self a day later
WALHALLA, S.C. — Authorities have closed their investigation into two deaths after determining that a 42-year-old woman first killed her daughter's teen boyfriend at an Oconee County boat ramp and then herself.
The Anderson Independent-Mail reports (http://bit.ly/s7rdv0 ) that deputies used tests to confirm that Laura Gray killed 19-year-old Tylor Garren Stewart a day before using the same gun to kill herself.
Authorities say Stewart was found dead at a boat ramp in October, shot once in the back.
The next day, investigators went to the Pickens home of Stewart's girlfriend to gather information. While officers were there, Gray — the girlfriend's mother — went to the bathroom and shot herself.
Deputies say Stewart's parents told authorities Gray was having a relationship with the teen.
The Anderson Independent-Mail reports (http://bit.ly/s7rdv0 ) that deputies used tests to confirm that Laura Gray killed 19-year-old Tylor Garren Stewart a day before using the same gun to kill herself.
Authorities say Stewart was found dead at a boat ramp in October, shot once in the back.
The next day, investigators went to the Pickens home of Stewart's girlfriend to gather information. While officers were there, Gray — the girlfriend's mother — went to the bathroom and shot herself.
Deputies say Stewart's parents told authorities Gray was having a relationship with the teen.
Wantagh, NY: LI woman accused of killing ex, dumping body
WANTAGH, N.Y. — A lawyer for a Long Island woman accused of stabbing her ex-husband, then dumping his corpse off a parkway, says she was a victim of spousal abuse.
The body of 58-year-old Walter Boland was discovered by a jogger Friday near a recreational path alongside the Wantagh State Parkway.
State Police announced Saturday that they had arrested Boland's 56-year-old ex-wife, Nancy. She is charged with manslaughter.
Her lawyer, David Besso, called Walter Boland "an abuser" and said the couple had been to court previously accusing each other of domestic violence.
Authorities said Boland was stabbed once in the abdomen during a fight at the couple's home late Wednesday.
He never got medical attention, and died Thursday.
Police said Nancy Boland loaded his body into a car and dumped it early Friday
The body of 58-year-old Walter Boland was discovered by a jogger Friday near a recreational path alongside the Wantagh State Parkway.
State Police announced Saturday that they had arrested Boland's 56-year-old ex-wife, Nancy. She is charged with manslaughter.
Her lawyer, David Besso, called Walter Boland "an abuser" and said the couple had been to court previously accusing each other of domestic violence.
Authorities said Boland was stabbed once in the abdomen during a fight at the couple's home late Wednesday.
He never got medical attention, and died Thursday.
Police said Nancy Boland loaded his body into a car and dumped it early Friday
Las Vegas, NV: Three found dead in car in west valley
BY JESSICA FRYMAN
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Nov. 19, 2011 | 2:55 p.m.
An infant child and its mother are dead in a double murder-suicide at the hand of the woman's ex-boyfriend.
Jesse Saldivar, 48, killed toddler Sabrina Saldivar, aged just three, and her mother Veronica Erazo-Alderado, 30, in Las Vegas, Nevada, police said.
All three were found dead in the man's vehicle near Sunset Road and Hualapai Way on Friday night, Las Vegas police said. Police say Veronica Erazo and her three-year-old daughter Sabrina were murdered by Sabrina's father and Veronica's ex-boyfriend.
Officers had carried out a welfare check for the woman about 8:40 p.m. Friday after she did not show up for work at a local hospital. The woman's boyfriend, who called officers, had concern that she may have been injured, police said. Police went to the woman's ex-boyfriend's house in the 7700 block of Mocorito, near Hacienda Avenue and Buffalo Drive, where she was supposed to drop off her child.
No one answered the door, so they looked in a window and found excessive blood.
Police obtained a search warrant for the house along with a description of vehicles for the suspect and victim.
Homicide detectives determined that the mother and child were likely shot and killed at the home before her ex-boyfriend put their bodies in his vehicle and drove to the west valley where he shot himself, police said.
Their identities are being withheld pending family notification, and the investigation is ongoing.
Contact Jessica Fryman at jfryman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Nov. 19, 2011 | 2:55 p.m.
An infant child and its mother are dead in a double murder-suicide at the hand of the woman's ex-boyfriend.
Jesse Saldivar, 48, killed toddler Sabrina Saldivar, aged just three, and her mother Veronica Erazo-Alderado, 30, in Las Vegas, Nevada, police said.
All three were found dead in the man's vehicle near Sunset Road and Hualapai Way on Friday night, Las Vegas police said. Police say Veronica Erazo and her three-year-old daughter Sabrina were murdered by Sabrina's father and Veronica's ex-boyfriend.
Officers had carried out a welfare check for the woman about 8:40 p.m. Friday after she did not show up for work at a local hospital. The woman's boyfriend, who called officers, had concern that she may have been injured, police said. Police went to the woman's ex-boyfriend's house in the 7700 block of Mocorito, near Hacienda Avenue and Buffalo Drive, where she was supposed to drop off her child.
No one answered the door, so they looked in a window and found excessive blood.
Police obtained a search warrant for the house along with a description of vehicles for the suspect and victim.
Homicide detectives determined that the mother and child were likely shot and killed at the home before her ex-boyfriend put their bodies in his vehicle and drove to the west valley where he shot himself, police said.
Their identities are being withheld pending family notification, and the investigation is ongoing.
Contact Jessica Fryman at jfryman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.
Anderson, SC: Man charged with fatal shooting of girlfriend
ANDERSON — James Walter Metz III was charged Friday with killing his girlfriend of eight years, Holly Michelle Ford.
She was killed Thursday night at the couple’s house on Chestnut Boulevard in Anderson.
Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown said Ford, 34, died of a gunshot wound to the face.
Sheriff’s spokesman Chad McBride said Metz used a handgun to shoot Ford. McCown said Ford showed no other injuries and said nothing in the home indicated there had been a struggle between the couple.
Authorities have not said how many shots were fired.
Metz is charged with murder and with possessing a weapon during a violent crime.
Sheriff John Skipper said the couple were apparently involved in a dispute just before the shooting, which happened about 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Skipper said Metz was at the house when deputies arrived and was taken into custody.
Metz, 49, was charged late Friday afternoon and is in the Anderson County jail awaiting a Saturday morning bond hearing.
She was killed Thursday night at the couple’s house on Chestnut Boulevard in Anderson.
Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown said Ford, 34, died of a gunshot wound to the face.
Sheriff’s spokesman Chad McBride said Metz used a handgun to shoot Ford. McCown said Ford showed no other injuries and said nothing in the home indicated there had been a struggle between the couple.
Authorities have not said how many shots were fired.
Metz is charged with murder and with possessing a weapon during a violent crime.
Sheriff John Skipper said the couple were apparently involved in a dispute just before the shooting, which happened about 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Skipper said Metz was at the house when deputies arrived and was taken into custody.
Metz, 49, was charged late Friday afternoon and is in the Anderson County jail awaiting a Saturday morning bond hearing.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Bedford Park, IL: Gunman kills himself at FedEx warehouse in Bedford Park
November 17, 2011 (BEDFORD PARK, Ill.) (WLS) -- Police say the gunman who killed himself at a FedEx warehouse in Bedford Park was looking for his wife. Neither she nor other employees were injured.
Related Photos
Gunman dead at suburban FedEx warehouse
View all 6 photos
Benyamin Robinson, 28, forced his way past security at the home delivery terminal of the FedEx warehouse in the 5100-block of West 73rd Street in the southwest suburb around 8 a.m. Armed with a revolver, witnesses say Robinson, last known to live in Chicago, yelled for his wife and then fired several shots.
Oneal Howell said he doesn't know what led his son to violence.
Related Content
STORY: Intelligence Report: Who was FedEx shooter?
RAW VIDEO: Bedford Park police news conference to discuss shooting
"What he did was out of frustration. I don't know what was bothering him," Howell, gunman's father, said. "Some people are open about it. And others keep it in. When you keep it in and it bubbles over, anything can happen."
Investigators said Howell's wife, Kenyata Kinsey, filed for divorce, but then retracted. Initial calls at 8 a.m. were for a domestic situation, but they escalated.
"At 8:04 a.m. we started getting calls from FedEx employees that shots were fired," the Bedford Park Police Chief Daniel Godfrey said.
"It was just chaotic. People running, nobody really knew. It was just surreal," Michael Georgeff, FedEx driver, said.
"I did not see the guy, because he had on a gray hoodie, but he was running -- maybe a mile behind us -- and shooting in the air when we got outside," Altis Kelly, FedEx package handler, said.
"We were just running outside, I heard multiple shots, about three, four shots. That's when me and him just ran out of there," Jeff Luna, FedEx driver, said.
"From what we understand, it was people stuck in the building with the shooter. We were just praying they're alright. But we did hear somebody got shot. We don't know who," John Colapietro, FedEx driver, said.
During those tense moments, the plant was evacuated and searched by SWAT team members from Bedford Park and seven or eight nearby agencies. Once the gunman was surrounded, Robinson shot himself in the head, police said.
"They discovered the shooter inside a vehicle with self-inflicted gunshot," Chief Godfrey said. "The only injured was the shooter."
The Bedford Park police chief said the shooter's children were located safe. He said there was no indication of prior domestics and the couple's last known address was in Chicago.
All of the FedEx employees were accounted for by 9:45 a.m., when sources told ABC the "incident is over."
Related Photos
Gunman dead at suburban FedEx warehouse
View all 6 photos
Benyamin Robinson, 28, forced his way past security at the home delivery terminal of the FedEx warehouse in the 5100-block of West 73rd Street in the southwest suburb around 8 a.m. Armed with a revolver, witnesses say Robinson, last known to live in Chicago, yelled for his wife and then fired several shots.
Oneal Howell said he doesn't know what led his son to violence.
Related Content
STORY: Intelligence Report: Who was FedEx shooter?
RAW VIDEO: Bedford Park police news conference to discuss shooting
"What he did was out of frustration. I don't know what was bothering him," Howell, gunman's father, said. "Some people are open about it. And others keep it in. When you keep it in and it bubbles over, anything can happen."
Investigators said Howell's wife, Kenyata Kinsey, filed for divorce, but then retracted. Initial calls at 8 a.m. were for a domestic situation, but they escalated.
"At 8:04 a.m. we started getting calls from FedEx employees that shots were fired," the Bedford Park Police Chief Daniel Godfrey said.
"It was just chaotic. People running, nobody really knew. It was just surreal," Michael Georgeff, FedEx driver, said.
"I did not see the guy, because he had on a gray hoodie, but he was running -- maybe a mile behind us -- and shooting in the air when we got outside," Altis Kelly, FedEx package handler, said.
"We were just running outside, I heard multiple shots, about three, four shots. That's when me and him just ran out of there," Jeff Luna, FedEx driver, said.
"From what we understand, it was people stuck in the building with the shooter. We were just praying they're alright. But we did hear somebody got shot. We don't know who," John Colapietro, FedEx driver, said.
During those tense moments, the plant was evacuated and searched by SWAT team members from Bedford Park and seven or eight nearby agencies. Once the gunman was surrounded, Robinson shot himself in the head, police said.
"They discovered the shooter inside a vehicle with self-inflicted gunshot," Chief Godfrey said. "The only injured was the shooter."
The Bedford Park police chief said the shooter's children were located safe. He said there was no indication of prior domestics and the couple's last known address was in Chicago.
All of the FedEx employees were accounted for by 9:45 a.m., when sources told ABC the "incident is over."
Charleston, WV: Man convicted of killing woman
A jury deliberated for less than an hour Thursday before finding Gregory Gathers guilty murdering Renee Nevarez last year in North Charleston.
Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson sentenced Gathers, 48, to life in prison. The sentence took into account the murder conviction, plus Gathers' 1988 conviction for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said.
"We are grateful that Judge Nicholson gave the max for a man who devastated a family and refused to accept responsibility for such a savage attack," Wilson said.
She said the jury deliberated for about 45 minutes before handing down the verdict in Charleston County General Sessions Court.
The 53-year-old Nevarez was beaten and cut while arguing with Gathers in her home, authorities said.
According to Assistant Solicitors Culver Kidd and Adam Young, who prosecuted the case, Gathers and Nevarez had a relationship in which he gave her crack cocaine in exchange for sex.
After spending the evening of June 7, 2010, with Nevarez in her home, Gathers began to suspect that she had stolen about $400 from him. He began to beat and torture her in an attempt to recover his money.
Gathers punched her in the face and head until she died. At some point, he used a kitchen knife and cut slits into her eyelids. Gathers never recovered his money, and it was never found by law enforcement who searched the home.
"Though Gathers admitted to killing Nevarez, he tried to make it her fault," Kidd said after the trial. "Some of the pictures of the victim were so gruesome that the judge couldn't allow the jury to see them. Fortunately, the jury was able to see through Gathers' lies and hold him accountable for his brutality."
Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson sentenced Gathers, 48, to life in prison. The sentence took into account the murder conviction, plus Gathers' 1988 conviction for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said.
"We are grateful that Judge Nicholson gave the max for a man who devastated a family and refused to accept responsibility for such a savage attack," Wilson said.
She said the jury deliberated for about 45 minutes before handing down the verdict in Charleston County General Sessions Court.
The 53-year-old Nevarez was beaten and cut while arguing with Gathers in her home, authorities said.
According to Assistant Solicitors Culver Kidd and Adam Young, who prosecuted the case, Gathers and Nevarez had a relationship in which he gave her crack cocaine in exchange for sex.
After spending the evening of June 7, 2010, with Nevarez in her home, Gathers began to suspect that she had stolen about $400 from him. He began to beat and torture her in an attempt to recover his money.
Gathers punched her in the face and head until she died. At some point, he used a kitchen knife and cut slits into her eyelids. Gathers never recovered his money, and it was never found by law enforcement who searched the home.
"Though Gathers admitted to killing Nevarez, he tried to make it her fault," Kidd said after the trial. "Some of the pictures of the victim were so gruesome that the judge couldn't allow the jury to see them. Fortunately, the jury was able to see through Gathers' lies and hold him accountable for his brutality."
Porterville, UT: Police investigate possible murder-suicide
PORTERVILLE, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Police are investigating the deaths of two people found dead in a Morgan County home.
According to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, family members contacted police after repeated attempts to contact the couple for more than three days. When deputies arrived, they found a man and a woman dead on the living room floor.
Family members and deputies found Grant Wadman, 57, and Marilee Wadman, 43, dead in their home at 390 W. Handscrabble Road on Thursday.
There were also bullet holes in some windows in the home. Investigators do not believe the shots came from outside.
Police are treating the case as a murder-suicide, though they don't know the details of how the two people died.
Morgan County Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Lee says that over the past few years they have responded to several calls at the home, including domestic disputes.
According to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, family members contacted police after repeated attempts to contact the couple for more than three days. When deputies arrived, they found a man and a woman dead on the living room floor.
Family members and deputies found Grant Wadman, 57, and Marilee Wadman, 43, dead in their home at 390 W. Handscrabble Road on Thursday.
There were also bullet holes in some windows in the home. Investigators do not believe the shots came from outside.
Police are treating the case as a murder-suicide, though they don't know the details of how the two people died.
Morgan County Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Lee says that over the past few years they have responded to several calls at the home, including domestic disputes.
Roseville, MN: Roseville officers shoot, kill man in domestic call
Two Roseville police officers shot and killed a man Thursday night after he confronted them with a handgun.
Police called by woman being choked and shot man when he confronted them with a handgun.
Police Chief Rick Mathwig said dispatchers got a call at 8:22 p.m., apparently from a woman who was being choked and could not talk. Officers went to the apartment building in the 600 block of Larpenteur Avenue and walked up to the second-floor landing. When they opened a door into the building's hallway, he said, they were immediately confronted by a man with a handgun.
Both officers opened fire with their guns; both hit the man, killing him, Mathwig said. The building was evacuated after the incident and residents were kept warm on a Metro Transit bus.
Since February 2010, Roseville police have been called six times to the apartment where the woman lived with the man and her son. The calls included one for violation of an order for protection, three for a mentally disturbed person, one for a noise complaint, one for a 911 hang-up and, finally, Thursday night's call.
Mathwig said the woman and her son were at police headquarters Thursday night. The chief said he didn't know if the woman and the suspect were married but they had a "significant relationship."
PAT PHEIFER
Police called by woman being choked and shot man when he confronted them with a handgun.
Police Chief Rick Mathwig said dispatchers got a call at 8:22 p.m., apparently from a woman who was being choked and could not talk. Officers went to the apartment building in the 600 block of Larpenteur Avenue and walked up to the second-floor landing. When they opened a door into the building's hallway, he said, they were immediately confronted by a man with a handgun.
Both officers opened fire with their guns; both hit the man, killing him, Mathwig said. The building was evacuated after the incident and residents were kept warm on a Metro Transit bus.
Since February 2010, Roseville police have been called six times to the apartment where the woman lived with the man and her son. The calls included one for violation of an order for protection, three for a mentally disturbed person, one for a noise complaint, one for a 911 hang-up and, finally, Thursday night's call.
Mathwig said the woman and her son were at police headquarters Thursday night. The chief said he didn't know if the woman and the suspect were married but they had a "significant relationship."
PAT PHEIFER
Houston, TX: HPD: Man accused of fatally shooting pregnant girlfriend and her dog
by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:39 AM
Updated yesterday at 12:41 AM
HOUSTON – A man was accused of fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend and her dog Thursday night in northeast Houston, Houston police said.
The shooting happened at about 7 p.m. in the 2200 block of Noble.
Neighbors said they heard gunfire and came outside and saw the woman laying in the front yard. The neighbors said the woman was pregnant and was living with her boyfriend.
The victim’s dog was also shot and killed, police said.
The man was taken into custody after he returned to the scene and placed a blanket over the woman’s body, police said.
khou.com
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:39 AM
Updated yesterday at 12:41 AM
HOUSTON – A man was accused of fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend and her dog Thursday night in northeast Houston, Houston police said.
The shooting happened at about 7 p.m. in the 2200 block of Noble.
Neighbors said they heard gunfire and came outside and saw the woman laying in the front yard. The neighbors said the woman was pregnant and was living with her boyfriend.
The victim’s dog was also shot and killed, police said.
The man was taken into custody after he returned to the scene and placed a blanket over the woman’s body, police said.
Carmel. NY: NY man kills man who dined with his estranged wife
CARMEL, N.Y. — A man whose estranged wife went to dinner with his co-worker waited in the bushes for the man to come home, then shot him to death before killing himself in front of the distraught woman, police said Thursday.
The men had worked together for years in the Town of Carmel Highway Department and both lived in the hamlet of Mahopac, 45 miles north of New York City, Carmel police Chief Michael Johnson said.
He said that on Wednesday night, Michael Boccardi, 47, waited near the home of 56-year-old Michael Purdy. When Boccardi's wife drove up and dropped Purdy off after their dinner together, Boccardi "came out of the nearby foliage" and fired several shots at Purdy, Johnson said. Purdy was killed by a bullet to the head, the chief said.
Boccardi then jumped into his wife's car and ordered her to drive away, the chief said. The woman, distraught over what she'd seen, tried to speak to Boccardi, but he turned the pistol on himself and shot himself in the head, Johnson said.
The chief said he didn't know if Purdy had been dating Boccardi's wife, only that they were together Wednesday night.
He said he knew both men and described Boccardi as "a level-headed, calm guy."
"I'm taken aback," the chief said.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Boccardi used a Glock semi-automatic pistol that was legally registered to him.
The men had worked together for years in the Town of Carmel Highway Department and both lived in the hamlet of Mahopac, 45 miles north of New York City, Carmel police Chief Michael Johnson said.
He said that on Wednesday night, Michael Boccardi, 47, waited near the home of 56-year-old Michael Purdy. When Boccardi's wife drove up and dropped Purdy off after their dinner together, Boccardi "came out of the nearby foliage" and fired several shots at Purdy, Johnson said. Purdy was killed by a bullet to the head, the chief said.
Boccardi then jumped into his wife's car and ordered her to drive away, the chief said. The woman, distraught over what she'd seen, tried to speak to Boccardi, but he turned the pistol on himself and shot himself in the head, Johnson said.
The chief said he didn't know if Purdy had been dating Boccardi's wife, only that they were together Wednesday night.
He said he knew both men and described Boccardi as "a level-headed, calm guy."
"I'm taken aback," the chief said.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Boccardi used a Glock semi-automatic pistol that was legally registered to him.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
South Evans, IL: Man Gets 70 Years for Kiling Girlfriend, Slashing Infant
McKerry Coleman slashed baby's throat, stabbed girlfriend two years ago
Tuesday, Nov 15, 2011
A 20-year-old man was sentenced to 70 years in prison Tuesday for slicing his infant’s throat, then choking and stabbing his girlfriend to death in a jealous rage after she received phone calls from another man.
McKerry Coleman was convicted Oct. 14 by a Cook County jury of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for the Nov. 30, 2009, attack in the 6700 block of South Evans.
Coleman was sentenced Tuesday to 70 years in prison -- 45 years for the murder of his girlfriend and 25 for the attempted murder of the baby, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.
Tanisha Edwards was killed when Coleman, her boyfriend, became upset that she was talking to another man on the phone. Both were home with their 7-week-old son when they began to argue about the call, prosecutors said.
When Edwards got yet another call from a man, Coleman, who was holding the infant in his arms, grabbed a knife and sliced his child’s neck, breaking the knife’s handle. He threw the baby to the ground and grabbed Edwards, beating her on the ground, court records said.
Edwards’ two brothers were home at the time and ran to get help, but it was too late. Coleman grabbed another knife and stabbed Edwards in the head and throat, killing her. Neighbors called police after seeing Coleman run away.
Edwards died several hours later, but the child survived.
Coleman turned himself him and gave a video statement confessing to what he did, prosecutors said.
Tuesday, Nov 15, 2011
A 20-year-old man was sentenced to 70 years in prison Tuesday for slicing his infant’s throat, then choking and stabbing his girlfriend to death in a jealous rage after she received phone calls from another man.
McKerry Coleman was convicted Oct. 14 by a Cook County jury of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for the Nov. 30, 2009, attack in the 6700 block of South Evans.
Coleman was sentenced Tuesday to 70 years in prison -- 45 years for the murder of his girlfriend and 25 for the attempted murder of the baby, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.
Tanisha Edwards was killed when Coleman, her boyfriend, became upset that she was talking to another man on the phone. Both were home with their 7-week-old son when they began to argue about the call, prosecutors said.
When Edwards got yet another call from a man, Coleman, who was holding the infant in his arms, grabbed a knife and sliced his child’s neck, breaking the knife’s handle. He threw the baby to the ground and grabbed Edwards, beating her on the ground, court records said.
Edwards’ two brothers were home at the time and ran to get help, but it was too late. Coleman grabbed another knife and stabbed Edwards in the head and throat, killing her. Neighbors called police after seeing Coleman run away.
Edwards died several hours later, but the child survived.
Coleman turned himself him and gave a video statement confessing to what he did, prosecutors said.
Tampa, FL: Vincent Brown found guilty of killing his girlfriend
Vincent Brown found guilty of killing his girlfriend
PhotosVideo
The penalty phase of Brown's trial is set to begin Saturday. The jury can recommend life in prison or death by lethal injection.
Related
Prosecution rests case
Police did not respond to call
Listen to 911 call
Missing woman's car found
Jennifer Denise Johnson and her daughter, Je'Neiyce Brown.
By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 16, 2011
Updated: November 16, 2011 - 12:01 PM
TAMPA --
A Hillsborough County jury has convicted Vincent Brown of first degree murder in the kidnapping and killing of Jennifer Johnson, his on-again, off-again girlfriend, three years ago.
Brown, 41, also was found guilty of kidnapping as the jurors took only minutes today to reach their verdict. Prosecutors said Johnson called 911 after being placed in her car trunk, and she later was strangled and dumped in an abandoned Lakeland house.
Closing arguments in the death penalty case wrapped up Tuesday morning. Jurors met Tuesday afternoon but did not reach a verdict until this morning.
"I'm glad he got what he had coming to him," said Johnson's mother, Alma Dorsey Johnson, after hearing the jury's verdict this morning.
She said Brown was jealous: "If he couldn't have her, he didn't want anybody else to have her."
Alma Johnson said her granddaughter, the slain woman's only child, turned 5 years old Sunday.
"There's nothing I can do," Alma Johnson said of her daughter's death. "She's in heaven now."
Prosecutor Jalal Harb told jurors Brown was the last person to call Johnson, the last person to be seen with her alive and the first person to be seen with her car after her disappearance.
Harb said evidence points to Brown as the person who killed Johnson.
On Nov. 14, 2008, Brown and Johnson were spotted together at a Tampa nightclub. At about 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 15, Johnson called 911 and said she was in her car trunk.
Three days later her body was found in the garage of the abandoned house.
Bags covered her face and were tied tightly around her neck. She died by being deprived of oxygen, according to a medical examiner.
Harb said witnesses' testimony proves Brown had "animosity" toward Johnson.
Phone records indicate Brown called Johnson more than 20 times Nov. 14, and that he called her phone twice after she was slain, Harb said.
After the slaying, Plant City police changed how they handle 911 calls. Their department's policy in place at the time required officers to respond to 911 calls made only from land lines. Because Johnson placed the call from a cell phone, officers were not required to respond.
Johnson's family and friends said Brown was physically and verbally abusive to her throughout much of their relationship. They encouraged Johnson to stop seeing Brown and move on with her life.
"You couldn't beat a dog that bad," said Johnson's uncle, Washi Dorsey, 50.
"It's never too late to get out" of an abusive relationship, said Ruth Chico, a friend of Johnson's since childhood.
jpoltilove@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7691
PhotosVideo
The penalty phase of Brown's trial is set to begin Saturday. The jury can recommend life in prison or death by lethal injection.
Related
Prosecution rests case
Police did not respond to call
Listen to 911 call
Missing woman's car found
Jennifer Denise Johnson and her daughter, Je'Neiyce Brown.
By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 16, 2011
Updated: November 16, 2011 - 12:01 PM
TAMPA --
A Hillsborough County jury has convicted Vincent Brown of first degree murder in the kidnapping and killing of Jennifer Johnson, his on-again, off-again girlfriend, three years ago.
Brown, 41, also was found guilty of kidnapping as the jurors took only minutes today to reach their verdict. Prosecutors said Johnson called 911 after being placed in her car trunk, and she later was strangled and dumped in an abandoned Lakeland house.
Closing arguments in the death penalty case wrapped up Tuesday morning. Jurors met Tuesday afternoon but did not reach a verdict until this morning.
"I'm glad he got what he had coming to him," said Johnson's mother, Alma Dorsey Johnson, after hearing the jury's verdict this morning.
She said Brown was jealous: "If he couldn't have her, he didn't want anybody else to have her."
Alma Johnson said her granddaughter, the slain woman's only child, turned 5 years old Sunday.
"There's nothing I can do," Alma Johnson said of her daughter's death. "She's in heaven now."
Prosecutor Jalal Harb told jurors Brown was the last person to call Johnson, the last person to be seen with her alive and the first person to be seen with her car after her disappearance.
Harb said evidence points to Brown as the person who killed Johnson.
On Nov. 14, 2008, Brown and Johnson were spotted together at a Tampa nightclub. At about 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 15, Johnson called 911 and said she was in her car trunk.
Three days later her body was found in the garage of the abandoned house.
Bags covered her face and were tied tightly around her neck. She died by being deprived of oxygen, according to a medical examiner.
Harb said witnesses' testimony proves Brown had "animosity" toward Johnson.
Phone records indicate Brown called Johnson more than 20 times Nov. 14, and that he called her phone twice after she was slain, Harb said.
After the slaying, Plant City police changed how they handle 911 calls. Their department's policy in place at the time required officers to respond to 911 calls made only from land lines. Because Johnson placed the call from a cell phone, officers were not required to respond.
Johnson's family and friends said Brown was physically and verbally abusive to her throughout much of their relationship. They encouraged Johnson to stop seeing Brown and move on with her life.
"You couldn't beat a dog that bad," said Johnson's uncle, Washi Dorsey, 50.
"It's never too late to get out" of an abusive relationship, said Ruth Chico, a friend of Johnson's since childhood.
jpoltilove@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7691
Chatham, NC: Pittsylvania County woman makes plea in boyfriend killing
By: DENICE THIBODEAU
Published: November 16, 2011
CHATHAM — Donna Michelle Barley, the Pittsylvania County woman charged with killing her boyfriend, Michael Brann Terry, pled guilty to second-degree murder in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court Wednesday morning.
Barley, 43, was accused of stabbing Terry, 28, to death on April 17, 2010, during an altercation at their home on Howerton’s Bottom Road.
A jury trial for first-degree murder was scheduled for this week; instead, Commonwealth Attorney David Grimes and Barley’s attorney, James Martin, worked out a plea agreement on Tuesday.
According to the Medical Examiner’s report on file in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court, Terry was stabbed twice, once in the left thigh and once in the chest. The wound to his chest cut the right ventricle to his heart. He also had blunt force injuries to a finger, his face and his right thigh.
In an interview after the plea agreement was accepted by Circuit Court Judge Charles Strauss, Grimes said Terry was expected to claim she killed Terry in self defense.
“She claimed there was a fair amount of domestic violence, including that night,” Grimes said. “But I’m not aware of any times police were called.”
Grimes said Barley did show some signs of injury the night of the incident, including a black eye and some marks on her head, and also showed signs of substance abuse.
Grimes said Barley claimed she and Terry went out that night, returning home at about midnight. Terry went to sleep and Barley went back out again with a friend to buy drugs in Danville. She arrived back home at about 4 a.m., Grimes said.
“She was still visibly intoxicated at 6 a.m. when police got there,” Grimes said.
Asked what the state sentencing guidelines are for second-degree murder, Grimes declined to speculate on what length sentence Barley might receive, noting that the guideline worksheets take many factors into account.
According to Virginia law, Barley could have faced life in prison if she was convicted of first-degree murder. For second-degree murder, the law calls for an imprisonment that can range from a minimum of 20 years to life.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 21 in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court.
Thibodeau reports for the Danville Register & Bee.
Published: November 16, 2011
CHATHAM — Donna Michelle Barley, the Pittsylvania County woman charged with killing her boyfriend, Michael Brann Terry, pled guilty to second-degree murder in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court Wednesday morning.
Barley, 43, was accused of stabbing Terry, 28, to death on April 17, 2010, during an altercation at their home on Howerton’s Bottom Road.
A jury trial for first-degree murder was scheduled for this week; instead, Commonwealth Attorney David Grimes and Barley’s attorney, James Martin, worked out a plea agreement on Tuesday.
According to the Medical Examiner’s report on file in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court, Terry was stabbed twice, once in the left thigh and once in the chest. The wound to his chest cut the right ventricle to his heart. He also had blunt force injuries to a finger, his face and his right thigh.
In an interview after the plea agreement was accepted by Circuit Court Judge Charles Strauss, Grimes said Terry was expected to claim she killed Terry in self defense.
“She claimed there was a fair amount of domestic violence, including that night,” Grimes said. “But I’m not aware of any times police were called.”
Grimes said Barley did show some signs of injury the night of the incident, including a black eye and some marks on her head, and also showed signs of substance abuse.
Grimes said Barley claimed she and Terry went out that night, returning home at about midnight. Terry went to sleep and Barley went back out again with a friend to buy drugs in Danville. She arrived back home at about 4 a.m., Grimes said.
“She was still visibly intoxicated at 6 a.m. when police got there,” Grimes said.
Asked what the state sentencing guidelines are for second-degree murder, Grimes declined to speculate on what length sentence Barley might receive, noting that the guideline worksheets take many factors into account.
According to Virginia law, Barley could have faced life in prison if she was convicted of first-degree murder. For second-degree murder, the law calls for an imprisonment that can range from a minimum of 20 years to life.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 21 in Pittsylvania County Circuit Court.
Thibodeau reports for the Danville Register & Bee.
El Cajon, CA: Man Accused Of Killing Ex-Wife To Stand Trial
Tim Danielson, 63, Charged In Death Of Ming Qi
POSTED: 5:13 am PST November 16, 2011
UPDATED: 8:32 pm PST November 16, 2011
EL CAJON, Calif. -- A man accused of gunning down his ex-wife in their Lakeside home and then trying to commit suicide by asphyxiating himself with carbon monoxide must stand trial on a murder charge, a judge ruled Wednesday.
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Timothy Ralph Danielson, 63, is charged in the June 13 death of 48-year-old Ming Qi.
Deputy District Attorney Michael McCann has alleged that Danielson shot Qi six times after they argued about a man she'd been dating.
El Cajon Judge Herbert Exarhos ruled that prosecutors produced enough evidence at today's preliminary hearing to order Danielson to stand trial. A Superior Court arraignment was set for Jan. 12.
At Danielson's arraignment in June, McCann said the defendant was attempting to kick Qi out of the house when the killing occurred.
The defendant and his ex-wife -- who were married from 2006 to 2008 -- both lived in the home but had separate bedrooms, the prosecutor said. A neighbor said Qi had recently moved back in with her ex-spouse for financial reasons.
Following the shooting, Danielson didn't call 911 but instead took Qi's body up to his bedroom and used a generator to try to kill himself with carbon monoxide, McCann said.
Sheriff's deputies were called to the home on New Bedford Court about 4:45 a.m. June 13 by a woman who said her brother-in-law had sent her an email saying that he had killed his wife and was about to kill himself.
Defense attorney Paul Pfingst said Danielson was minutes away from death when deputies found him and administered first aid.
If convicted, Danielson faces 50 years to life in prison.
POSTED: 5:13 am PST November 16, 2011
UPDATED: 8:32 pm PST November 16, 2011
EL CAJON, Calif. -- A man accused of gunning down his ex-wife in their Lakeside home and then trying to commit suicide by asphyxiating himself with carbon monoxide must stand trial on a murder charge, a judge ruled Wednesday.
» Sign Up For Breaking News Alerts
» Like Us On Facebook
Timothy Ralph Danielson, 63, is charged in the June 13 death of 48-year-old Ming Qi.
Deputy District Attorney Michael McCann has alleged that Danielson shot Qi six times after they argued about a man she'd been dating.
El Cajon Judge Herbert Exarhos ruled that prosecutors produced enough evidence at today's preliminary hearing to order Danielson to stand trial. A Superior Court arraignment was set for Jan. 12.
At Danielson's arraignment in June, McCann said the defendant was attempting to kick Qi out of the house when the killing occurred.
The defendant and his ex-wife -- who were married from 2006 to 2008 -- both lived in the home but had separate bedrooms, the prosecutor said. A neighbor said Qi had recently moved back in with her ex-spouse for financial reasons.
Following the shooting, Danielson didn't call 911 but instead took Qi's body up to his bedroom and used a generator to try to kill himself with carbon monoxide, McCann said.
Sheriff's deputies were called to the home on New Bedford Court about 4:45 a.m. June 13 by a woman who said her brother-in-law had sent her an email saying that he had killed his wife and was about to kill himself.
Defense attorney Paul Pfingst said Danielson was minutes away from death when deputies found him and administered first aid.
If convicted, Danielson faces 50 years to life in prison.
Whiteville, NC: Columbus Co. woman pleads guilty to killing her boyfriend
WHITEVILLE, NC (NEWS RELEASE) -- On November 10, 2011 Mattie Kelly plead guilty to 2nd Degree Murder and 1st Degree Burglary in Columbus County, North Carolina.
Ms. Kelly received a sentence of 314-472 months in the Department of Corrections.
This plea is a result of a crime that occurred on August 6, 2010 in Chadbourn, North Carolina. On August 8,
2010, Officer Jeremy Lewis with the Chadbourn Police Department was patrolling South Brown Street around
4:45 a.m. While patrolling, Officer Lewis saw a black female standing on the sidewalk flagging him down.
Officer Lewis stopped his vehicle and approached the female, Mattie Kelly. At that time, Ms. Kelly told the
officer that she had just killed her boyfriend. Ms. Kelly then told the officer the name of her boyfriend, Edward Jerome Jackson, and the location of his body.
Officer Lewis remained with Ms. Kelly while other officers responded to the address given by Ms. Kelly. The
officers responding to the victim’s home found Edward Jerome Jackson deceased in the location given by Ms.
Kelly. During an interview with officers, Ms. Kelly admitted to killing Mr. Jackson with a hatchet in his home on August 6, 2010. Ms. Kelly also informed the officers of the location of the murder weapon.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Chris Gentry.
Ms. Kelly received a sentence of 314-472 months in the Department of Corrections.
This plea is a result of a crime that occurred on August 6, 2010 in Chadbourn, North Carolina. On August 8,
2010, Officer Jeremy Lewis with the Chadbourn Police Department was patrolling South Brown Street around
4:45 a.m. While patrolling, Officer Lewis saw a black female standing on the sidewalk flagging him down.
Officer Lewis stopped his vehicle and approached the female, Mattie Kelly. At that time, Ms. Kelly told the
officer that she had just killed her boyfriend. Ms. Kelly then told the officer the name of her boyfriend, Edward Jerome Jackson, and the location of his body.
Officer Lewis remained with Ms. Kelly while other officers responded to the address given by Ms. Kelly. The
officers responding to the victim’s home found Edward Jerome Jackson deceased in the location given by Ms.
Kelly. During an interview with officers, Ms. Kelly admitted to killing Mr. Jackson with a hatchet in his home on August 6, 2010. Ms. Kelly also informed the officers of the location of the murder weapon.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Chris Gentry.
Kansas City, KS: KC man accused of killing estranged wife
By CHRISTINE VENDEL
Anthony K. Perkins told police he wasn’t at his estranged wife’s home when she was beaten and strangled there in June.
But DNA tests showed otherwise, according to court records released Wednesday to support a second-degree murder charge against Perkins, 48.
Jackson County prosecutors accused him of killing Sheree Y. Perkins, 50, inside her Kansas City home in the 1500 block of East 51st Street.
Although Sheree Perkin’s relatives had waited months for news of a break in the case, Wednesday’s charge didn’t provide the comfort that they expected.
“I’m not as ecstatic as I thought I would be,” said her son, Tyrone Watson-Ferguson. “What’s been done, cannot be reversed.”
Sheree and Anthony, who was known by his middle name of Keith, had separated several weeks before the killing, police said. Keith had moved in with another woman in the 1800 block of Monroe Avenue, according to court records.
On June 4, Sheree was with a friend who said Keith had been texting Sheree and the two had argued over money. The friend told police she overheard a phone call after they left the casino about 2:50 a.m. in which Keith said he was at Sheree’s home. Sheree responded: “I told you not to come to the house,” according to court records.
Sheree also called her daughter and told her not to go inside their house because Keith was there, the records said. Sheree dropped her friend off; Sheree’s daughter went to a friend’s home.
The daughter called Sheree between 3 a.m. and 3:45 a.m. but could not reach her. The daughter drove to the house, found the door unlocked and saw signs of a struggle inside. She retreated and called police, who arrived just after 4 a.m. and found Sheree’s body in the basement. Her tank top had been ripped off her body and her eyeglasses were broken.
Keith told police he went to Sheree’s house to have sex with her but that she never came home. He said he showered, got tired of waiting after about 30 minutes and walked home, which was about five miles away.
But DNA from the torn tank top matched Keith, according to court records. Police also found blood on Keith’s sock, shorts and tank top that matched Sheree, the records said.
Prosecutors said Keith was free on an appeals bond for a felony drunken-driving conviction at the time of the slaying. Police arrested him Tuesday at his job. He was in jail Wednesday night without bond.
Watson-Ferguson said his mother had scrapes with the law when she was younger and served several years in prison. But once she was released, she worked two jobs while attending college full-time, and she challenged her son and daughter to pursue their degrees.
Sheree earned a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees, and worked as a tutor, said Watson-Ferguson, 32, who is attending Park University. His 19-year-old sister is attending Northwest Missouri State University.
Watson-Ferguson said his mother married Keith about nine years ago, but the relationship was volatile. Sheree tried to shield her children from her problems with Keith, Watson-Ferguson said.
“But she had finally gotten up the strength to move on,” he said. “She was ready to end it, for sure.”
Watson-Ferguson expects to graduate in May. He wishes his mother could be there.
“I still don’t sleep much,” he said. “I lay there and think about how she passed away alone in the basement of her home. But then, I try to think of the good side — that she’s in heaven and she can’t be hurt anymore.”
To reach Christine Vendel, call 816-234-4438 or send email to cvendel@kcstar.com.
Anthony K. Perkins told police he wasn’t at his estranged wife’s home when she was beaten and strangled there in June.
But DNA tests showed otherwise, according to court records released Wednesday to support a second-degree murder charge against Perkins, 48.
Jackson County prosecutors accused him of killing Sheree Y. Perkins, 50, inside her Kansas City home in the 1500 block of East 51st Street.
Although Sheree Perkin’s relatives had waited months for news of a break in the case, Wednesday’s charge didn’t provide the comfort that they expected.
“I’m not as ecstatic as I thought I would be,” said her son, Tyrone Watson-Ferguson. “What’s been done, cannot be reversed.”
Sheree and Anthony, who was known by his middle name of Keith, had separated several weeks before the killing, police said. Keith had moved in with another woman in the 1800 block of Monroe Avenue, according to court records.
On June 4, Sheree was with a friend who said Keith had been texting Sheree and the two had argued over money. The friend told police she overheard a phone call after they left the casino about 2:50 a.m. in which Keith said he was at Sheree’s home. Sheree responded: “I told you not to come to the house,” according to court records.
Sheree also called her daughter and told her not to go inside their house because Keith was there, the records said. Sheree dropped her friend off; Sheree’s daughter went to a friend’s home.
The daughter called Sheree between 3 a.m. and 3:45 a.m. but could not reach her. The daughter drove to the house, found the door unlocked and saw signs of a struggle inside. She retreated and called police, who arrived just after 4 a.m. and found Sheree’s body in the basement. Her tank top had been ripped off her body and her eyeglasses were broken.
Keith told police he went to Sheree’s house to have sex with her but that she never came home. He said he showered, got tired of waiting after about 30 minutes and walked home, which was about five miles away.
But DNA from the torn tank top matched Keith, according to court records. Police also found blood on Keith’s sock, shorts and tank top that matched Sheree, the records said.
Prosecutors said Keith was free on an appeals bond for a felony drunken-driving conviction at the time of the slaying. Police arrested him Tuesday at his job. He was in jail Wednesday night without bond.
Watson-Ferguson said his mother had scrapes with the law when she was younger and served several years in prison. But once she was released, she worked two jobs while attending college full-time, and she challenged her son and daughter to pursue their degrees.
Sheree earned a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees, and worked as a tutor, said Watson-Ferguson, 32, who is attending Park University. His 19-year-old sister is attending Northwest Missouri State University.
Watson-Ferguson said his mother married Keith about nine years ago, but the relationship was volatile. Sheree tried to shield her children from her problems with Keith, Watson-Ferguson said.
“But she had finally gotten up the strength to move on,” he said. “She was ready to end it, for sure.”
Watson-Ferguson expects to graduate in May. He wishes his mother could be there.
“I still don’t sleep much,” he said. “I lay there and think about how she passed away alone in the basement of her home. But then, I try to think of the good side — that she’s in heaven and she can’t be hurt anymore.”
To reach Christine Vendel, call 816-234-4438 or send email to cvendel@kcstar.com.
Brockton, MA: Mass. man pleads guilty to killing wife, daughter
November 15, 2011
BROCKTON, Mass.—A Brockton man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the strangling deaths of his wife and 9-year-old daughter four years ago.
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Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said 46-year-old Mark Benoit entered the pleas on Tuesday in Brockton Superior Court and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Forty-one-year-old Cindy Benoit and Sarah Benoit were found dead in bed at home March 22, 2007. Prosecutors said Mark Benoit told police he choked them with his hands because he was depressed.
Mark Benoit also cut his own neck, wrists and ankles and said he killed Sarah because he meant to kill himself. Prosecutors said he left a four-page note with his wife's body blaming her, drugs, society and the loss of two babies for his despair. The couple also had a son, then 18.
BROCKTON, Mass.—A Brockton man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the strangling deaths of his wife and 9-year-old daughter four years ago.
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Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said 46-year-old Mark Benoit entered the pleas on Tuesday in Brockton Superior Court and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Forty-one-year-old Cindy Benoit and Sarah Benoit were found dead in bed at home March 22, 2007. Prosecutors said Mark Benoit told police he choked them with his hands because he was depressed.
Mark Benoit also cut his own neck, wrists and ankles and said he killed Sarah because he meant to kill himself. Prosecutors said he left a four-page note with his wife's body blaming her, drugs, society and the loss of two babies for his despair. The couple also had a son, then 18.
Bond Hill, OH: Man admits to fatally shooting girlfriend
A Bond Hill man admitted Wednesday he
shot and killed a woman, but because it
was accidental he will go to prison for two
years for it.
Donald Gordon, 38, pleaded guilty to
reckless homicide and a weapons charge
stemming from the April 25 fatal shooting
of Janece Murell, 19.
"It was an accident. That's why he wasn't
charged with murder," said Gordon's
attorney, Clyde Bennett II. Bennett said
Murell was Gordon's girlfriend.
The maximum prison sentence for the
charges was 10 years.
Authorities reported Gordon pointed a
9mm handgun at her, apparently unaware
there was a bullet in the gun's chamber,
and shot her in the shoulder, killing her.
Bennett said there is an agreed sentence of
two years which will be imposed by
Hamilton County Common Pleas Court
Judge John "Skip" West at the Dec. 14
hearing. A cocaine possession charge
against Gordon was dismissed.
shot and killed a woman, but because it
was accidental he will go to prison for two
years for it.
Donald Gordon, 38, pleaded guilty to
reckless homicide and a weapons charge
stemming from the April 25 fatal shooting
of Janece Murell, 19.
"It was an accident. That's why he wasn't
charged with murder," said Gordon's
attorney, Clyde Bennett II. Bennett said
Murell was Gordon's girlfriend.
The maximum prison sentence for the
charges was 10 years.
Authorities reported Gordon pointed a
9mm handgun at her, apparently unaware
there was a bullet in the gun's chamber,
and shot her in the shoulder, killing her.
Bennett said there is an agreed sentence of
two years which will be imposed by
Hamilton County Common Pleas Court
Judge John "Skip" West at the Dec. 14
hearing. A cocaine possession charge
against Gordon was dismissed.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Russellville, TN: Man indicted for murder after girlfriend’s shooting
By Tom Smith
Senior Staff Writer
A man who claims his live-in girlfriend shot herself as they argued in January has been indicted on a murder charge.
Franklin County Courthouse officials said Jason Dewayne Green, 35, 325 Oak Hills Drive, Russellville, was indicted for murder during the October grand jury session.
Green is accused of killing Shay Nicole Ledlow, 27.
Ledlow died Jan. 30 at Green’s residence, where they were living together. Authorities said the two had been seeing each other on and off for several months.
Reports indicate Ledlow was shot once in the mouth with a .44-caliber pistol. Law enforcement agents testifying during a preliminary hearing in April said Green called 911 operators after the shooting. They said Green reported he and Ledlow argued and she shot herself on a dare.
Investigators said physical evidence from the scene does not match a suicide theory.
Testimony during the preliminary hearing revealed the angle at which Ledlow was shot would have required her to use her left hand, and she was right-handed. Investigators said she was holding a cigarette in her right hand at the time of her death. When deputies arrived at the scene, Ledlow was found face down in the living room floor and the cigarette was still between the fingers of her right hand, authorities said.
The case was investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.
During the preliminary hearing, ABI investigator Rodney Knight said when he walked into the room he noticed things that were not consistent with the story Green told investigators.
“It looked as if she had shot herself (while) lying on the ground,” Knight said during the hearing. “With her small hands, it would have been virtually impossible for her to fire this gun single-handed.”
Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said the case is scheduled for arraignment Jan. 4 and it could be placed on the February trial docket.
Murder is a Class A felony and is punishable by 10 years to life in prison if convicted.
Green is being held in the Franklin County Jail. His bail was revoked for a driving under the influence charge and other charges, including theft charges involving stolen vehicles found at a auto salvage yard he and his father operate.
Tom Smith can be reached at 256-740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.
Senior Staff Writer
A man who claims his live-in girlfriend shot herself as they argued in January has been indicted on a murder charge.
Franklin County Courthouse officials said Jason Dewayne Green, 35, 325 Oak Hills Drive, Russellville, was indicted for murder during the October grand jury session.
Green is accused of killing Shay Nicole Ledlow, 27.
Ledlow died Jan. 30 at Green’s residence, where they were living together. Authorities said the two had been seeing each other on and off for several months.
Reports indicate Ledlow was shot once in the mouth with a .44-caliber pistol. Law enforcement agents testifying during a preliminary hearing in April said Green called 911 operators after the shooting. They said Green reported he and Ledlow argued and she shot herself on a dare.
Investigators said physical evidence from the scene does not match a suicide theory.
Testimony during the preliminary hearing revealed the angle at which Ledlow was shot would have required her to use her left hand, and she was right-handed. Investigators said she was holding a cigarette in her right hand at the time of her death. When deputies arrived at the scene, Ledlow was found face down in the living room floor and the cigarette was still between the fingers of her right hand, authorities said.
The case was investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.
During the preliminary hearing, ABI investigator Rodney Knight said when he walked into the room he noticed things that were not consistent with the story Green told investigators.
“It looked as if she had shot herself (while) lying on the ground,” Knight said during the hearing. “With her small hands, it would have been virtually impossible for her to fire this gun single-handed.”
Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said the case is scheduled for arraignment Jan. 4 and it could be placed on the February trial docket.
Murder is a Class A felony and is punishable by 10 years to life in prison if convicted.
Green is being held in the Franklin County Jail. His bail was revoked for a driving under the influence charge and other charges, including theft charges involving stolen vehicles found at a auto salvage yard he and his father operate.
Tom Smith can be reached at 256-740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.
Charlestown, WV: Fight Over Girlfriend Ends in Murder
A woman, her boyfriend, her ex-boyfriend and a gun turned out to be a deadly combination Tuesday morning in Charleston.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A woman, her boyfriend, her ex-boyfriend and a gun turned out to be a deadly combination Tuesday morning in Charleston.
One of those men is dead, and the other has been charged with murder.
“It started as an argument over a girl,” Charleston Police Sgt. Bobby Eggleton said.
Police say Donald Raines shot Jerry Baldwin several times at a house along Mary Street just after 2 a.m. Tuesday.
“The shooter lives there, and the girlfriend lives next door,” Eggleton said.
Police say Raines saw his ex-girlfriend coming home with Baldwin. An argument started, and seconds later it became a crime scene.
“I've lived on this hill 50 years,” Michael Todd, a neighbor, said.
Todd has seen a lot over the years, but says this is too close for comfort.
“It's getting pretty close to home,” Todd said. “You're not safe in the day time. You're not safe at night.”
In this case, Baldwin is the one who wasn't safe. He spent the morning in surgery, fighting for his life.
Raines was charged with malicious wounding and immediately posted bond, but then Baldwin died.
Raines was arrested a second time and charged with murder. He is in the South Central Regional Jail.
UPDATE 11/15/11 @ 10:50 a.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Charleston Police say a man who was shot early Tuesday morning has died.
Sgt. Eric Hodges says Jerry Baldwin, 35, of Charleston, died at a local hospital.
Baldwin was shot multiple times with a .9mm handgun about 2 a.m. at a home on Mary Street.
Donald "Dub" Troy Raines II, 36, of Charleston, was arrested a short time after the shooting and admitted to police that he shot Baldwin.
Raines II was initially charged with malicious wounding, but since Baldwin has passed away, Raines II is now charged with murder.
Police say the shooting appears to be domestic related.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest with this story.
UPDATE 11/15/11 @ 7:50 a.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man from Charleston is in critical condition after a shooting was reported early Tuesday morning.
The shooting happened about 2 a.m. at 414 Mary Street.
Police were called to the home for a possible shooting. According to a news release, when officers arrived they found Jerry Wayne Baldwin, 35, of Charleston, with a gunshot wound.
Baldwin was taken to CAMC General and is now listed in critical condition following surgery.
Donald "Dub" Troy Raines II, 36, of Charleston, was arrested a short time later.
According to the criminal complaint, Raines shot Baldwin multiple times with a 9mm handgun. Raines told police he shot Baldwin after having his Miranda Rights read to him.
According to the news release, the shooting appears to be domestic related.
Raines was arraigned in Magistrate Court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was charged with malicious wounding.
ORIGINAL STORY
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Charleston police are on the scene of a shooting on Mary Street.
It happened just after two Tuesday morning in the 400-block of Mary Street, outside a home.
Kanawha County 911 dispatchers tell WSAZ.com one person was shot.
The location and severity of the victim's injuries are unknown at this time.
Dispatchers say the gunman has not yet been found by police.
Police and EMS crews are on the scene.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A woman, her boyfriend, her ex-boyfriend and a gun turned out to be a deadly combination Tuesday morning in Charleston.
One of those men is dead, and the other has been charged with murder.
“It started as an argument over a girl,” Charleston Police Sgt. Bobby Eggleton said.
Police say Donald Raines shot Jerry Baldwin several times at a house along Mary Street just after 2 a.m. Tuesday.
“The shooter lives there, and the girlfriend lives next door,” Eggleton said.
Police say Raines saw his ex-girlfriend coming home with Baldwin. An argument started, and seconds later it became a crime scene.
“I've lived on this hill 50 years,” Michael Todd, a neighbor, said.
Todd has seen a lot over the years, but says this is too close for comfort.
“It's getting pretty close to home,” Todd said. “You're not safe in the day time. You're not safe at night.”
In this case, Baldwin is the one who wasn't safe. He spent the morning in surgery, fighting for his life.
Raines was charged with malicious wounding and immediately posted bond, but then Baldwin died.
Raines was arrested a second time and charged with murder. He is in the South Central Regional Jail.
UPDATE 11/15/11 @ 10:50 a.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Charleston Police say a man who was shot early Tuesday morning has died.
Sgt. Eric Hodges says Jerry Baldwin, 35, of Charleston, died at a local hospital.
Baldwin was shot multiple times with a .9mm handgun about 2 a.m. at a home on Mary Street.
Donald "Dub" Troy Raines II, 36, of Charleston, was arrested a short time after the shooting and admitted to police that he shot Baldwin.
Raines II was initially charged with malicious wounding, but since Baldwin has passed away, Raines II is now charged with murder.
Police say the shooting appears to be domestic related.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest with this story.
UPDATE 11/15/11 @ 7:50 a.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man from Charleston is in critical condition after a shooting was reported early Tuesday morning.
The shooting happened about 2 a.m. at 414 Mary Street.
Police were called to the home for a possible shooting. According to a news release, when officers arrived they found Jerry Wayne Baldwin, 35, of Charleston, with a gunshot wound.
Baldwin was taken to CAMC General and is now listed in critical condition following surgery.
Donald "Dub" Troy Raines II, 36, of Charleston, was arrested a short time later.
According to the criminal complaint, Raines shot Baldwin multiple times with a 9mm handgun. Raines told police he shot Baldwin after having his Miranda Rights read to him.
According to the news release, the shooting appears to be domestic related.
Raines was arraigned in Magistrate Court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was charged with malicious wounding.
ORIGINAL STORY
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Charleston police are on the scene of a shooting on Mary Street.
It happened just after two Tuesday morning in the 400-block of Mary Street, outside a home.
Kanawha County 911 dispatchers tell WSAZ.com one person was shot.
The location and severity of the victim's injuries are unknown at this time.
Dispatchers say the gunman has not yet been found by police.
Police and EMS crews are on the scene.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest.
San Bernardino, CA: Man, Estranged Wife Dead in Murder-Suicide
Couple's children now staying with relatives, police say.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KTLA) -- A 37-year-old man went to his estranged wife's home Tuesday morning and shot her to death before taking his own life, police officials said.
Police officers responded to a 9-1-1 call just before 8:15 a.m. at a home in the 1300 block of E. Hardt Street. The 9-1-1 caller told dispatchers that two adults were "down" inside the home.
When police arrived, they found Yao Nhaw Pak, 37, and Ammalin Bilavarn, 31, lying on the floor of the home. Both had sustained gunshot wounds to the upper body, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner's Office.
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Pak and Bilavarn were married but separated, San Bernardino police officials said. Pak allegedly went to Bilavarn's house and shot her. He then turned the gun on himself.
Paramedics pronounced both dead at the scene.
The couple had two "school-age" children who are now staying with relatives, police officials said.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KTLA) -- A 37-year-old man went to his estranged wife's home Tuesday morning and shot her to death before taking his own life, police officials said.
Police officers responded to a 9-1-1 call just before 8:15 a.m. at a home in the 1300 block of E. Hardt Street. The 9-1-1 caller told dispatchers that two adults were "down" inside the home.
When police arrived, they found Yao Nhaw Pak, 37, and Ammalin Bilavarn, 31, lying on the floor of the home. Both had sustained gunshot wounds to the upper body, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner's Office.
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Pak and Bilavarn were married but separated, San Bernardino police officials said. Pak allegedly went to Bilavarn's house and shot her. He then turned the gun on himself.
Paramedics pronounced both dead at the scene.
The couple had two "school-age" children who are now staying with relatives, police officials said.
York, VA: Va man arrested in wife's death
Posted: Nov 16, 2011 6:05 AM EST
Updated: Nov 16, 2011 6:05 AM EST
YORK, Va. (AP) - A Williamsburg man has been charged in the July death of his 49-year-old wife whose body was found in a vacant subdivision lot.
Media outlets report 60-year-old Barton Dale Trevillian was arrested Tuesday on a first-degree murder charge.
The body of Kuan-Yu Trevillian was found July 10 in the Williamsburg area nearly 10 miles from her home. Her husband had reported her missing a day earlier.
Barton Trevillian is being held without bond in the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.
Updated: Nov 16, 2011 6:05 AM EST
YORK, Va. (AP) - A Williamsburg man has been charged in the July death of his 49-year-old wife whose body was found in a vacant subdivision lot.
Media outlets report 60-year-old Barton Dale Trevillian was arrested Tuesday on a first-degree murder charge.
The body of Kuan-Yu Trevillian was found July 10 in the Williamsburg area nearly 10 miles from her home. Her husband had reported her missing a day earlier.
Barton Trevillian is being held without bond in the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Kansas City, MO: Man charged in 3 shooting deaths in Kansas City
A Kansas City man is charged with killing his estranged girlfriend, her cousin and her cousin's wife during a rampage Friday night.
Jackson County prosecutors say 46-year-old Derek Hubbard was charged Monday with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, robbery and three counts of armed criminal action.
He's accused of killing his girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, who refused his demand to leave an apartment with him on Friday. He then allegedly shot Brown's cousin, Anthony C. Richardson, who was trying to protect Brown, and Richardson's wife, Mary Richardson.
Mary Richardson's teenage son and another witness escaped.
Hubbard fled in Brown's car before surrendering to police Sunday at police headquarters.
Court records do not indicate that Hubbard has an attorney.
Jackson County prosecutors say 46-year-old Derek Hubbard was charged Monday with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, robbery and three counts of armed criminal action.
He's accused of killing his girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, who refused his demand to leave an apartment with him on Friday. He then allegedly shot Brown's cousin, Anthony C. Richardson, who was trying to protect Brown, and Richardson's wife, Mary Richardson.
Mary Richardson's teenage son and another witness escaped.
Hubbard fled in Brown's car before surrendering to police Sunday at police headquarters.
Court records do not indicate that Hubbard has an attorney.
Washington County, WV: W.Va. man charged with murder said Hagerstown woman shot herself
WASHINGTON COUNTY— A West Virginia man charged with first-degree murder in the June 10 fatal shooting of a Hagerstown woman initially told police that ex-girlfriend Heather Harris shot herself twice in the head, according to a videotaped statement played Monday during a suppression hearing in Washington County Circuit Court.
“I’m coming down the hallway and I hear this bang,” Randy Houston McPeak, 44, of 346 Homestead Lane, Berkeley Springs, W.Va., said in a taped interview with Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Greg Alton. McPeak then told Alton that Harris tried to stand up, picked up the gun she had dropped after the first shot “and she puts it to her head ... and it went off.”
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Defense attorney D. Benson Thompson III is seeking to keep statements McPeak made to deputies and a detective from being used in his trial, which is to begin Dec. 6. Thompson is also asking that items seized in a search of McPeak’s car not be allowed into evidence.
Harris, 37, died five days after being shot in her home at 1606 Dual Highway. McPeak called her cellphone at least 15 times that day and sent eight text messages, with Harris replying three times, according to the bill of particulars filed by the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Shortly before noon on June 10, McPeak, who earlier left his workplace at the Washington County Department of Water Quality, called a friend telling her, “I did it, I did it, she’s dead,” according to charging documents.
That woman eventually went to Harris’ home, spoke briefly with McPeak and called 911, charging documents said. That initial call was made at 2:48 p.m., Detective Casey Barnes testified.
The county’s Special Response Team was able to get Harris out of the house at 7:30 p.m., and McPeak surrendered at 10:01 p.m., Barnes testified.
McPeak parked his work vehicle at a restaurant down the street from Harris’ home, leaving his personal vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, at the department office near Williamsport, court documents said. The car was towed to the sheriff’s office impound lot June 10 and was searched June 22 after Barnes obtained a search warrant, she testified.
Court documents show a .380-caliber handgun was found in his car and Barnes testified Monday that .25-caliber ammunition and a holster were also found in the Jetta. The gun found at Harris’ house after McPeak surrendered was a .25-caliber Beretta, she testified.
Thompson said during his cross-examination of Barnes that McPeak has “steadfastly denied” taking a gun to Harris’ home on June 10.
Deputy 1st Class Josh McCauley, who acted as the crisis negotiator during the standoff, testified he was in contact with McPeak by telephone during the standoff. McPeak at first told him Harris was not injured but did not want to speak with authorities, he testified.
Once outside the residence, McPeak told him “Heather Harris committed suicide in front of him,” McCauley testified.
Once in custody, McPeak was taken to the sheriff’s office by Deputy 1st Class Jay Mills, who testified that he turned on a television camera in the patrol car that was facing toward the back seat. While being driven to the sheriff’s office, McPeak could be heard talking about Harris shooting herself.
Alton conducted the hourlong interview at the sheriff’s office. It was played before Circuit Judge John H. McDowell on a laptop computer at the bench, and the interview could not be heard from the gallery until Deputy State’s Attorney Joseph Michael connected a pair of remote speakers.
Alton could be heard telling McPeak that he did not believe Harris shot herself because of the nature of her injuries. McPeak’s responses could not be heard, and Thompson and Michael declined to answer questions about the statement after the hearing adjourned for the day.
Thompson, who noted during the hearing that police fired twice at McPeak during the standoff, questioned witnesses about possible inducements, promises or threats made to gain McPeak’s cooperation, whether he had been formally charged at the time of the interview and whether all of McPeak’s legal options had been explained to him.
The witnesses testified there had not been inducements, promises or threats, and Alton testified McPeak was in custody, but formal charges had not been filed at the time of the interview.
The statement of probable cause filed June 11 stated that “McPeak admitted he shot Harris twice. McPeak stated after that he shot Harris the first time, she fell to the floor. McPeak stated Harris was lying on the floor when he fired the second shot into the back of her head. McPeak stated he fired the second shot because Harris ‘was suffering.’”
Harris was shot once in the left temple with the bullet exiting her right cheek and once in the back of her head, the charging document said.
Michael said the state concluded presenting its evidence Monday. McDowell adjourned the hearing and asked Michael and Thompson to schedule a date to conclude the hearing.
“I’m coming down the hallway and I hear this bang,” Randy Houston McPeak, 44, of 346 Homestead Lane, Berkeley Springs, W.Va., said in a taped interview with Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Greg Alton. McPeak then told Alton that Harris tried to stand up, picked up the gun she had dropped after the first shot “and she puts it to her head ... and it went off.”
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Defense attorney D. Benson Thompson III is seeking to keep statements McPeak made to deputies and a detective from being used in his trial, which is to begin Dec. 6. Thompson is also asking that items seized in a search of McPeak’s car not be allowed into evidence.
Harris, 37, died five days after being shot in her home at 1606 Dual Highway. McPeak called her cellphone at least 15 times that day and sent eight text messages, with Harris replying three times, according to the bill of particulars filed by the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Shortly before noon on June 10, McPeak, who earlier left his workplace at the Washington County Department of Water Quality, called a friend telling her, “I did it, I did it, she’s dead,” according to charging documents.
That woman eventually went to Harris’ home, spoke briefly with McPeak and called 911, charging documents said. That initial call was made at 2:48 p.m., Detective Casey Barnes testified.
The county’s Special Response Team was able to get Harris out of the house at 7:30 p.m., and McPeak surrendered at 10:01 p.m., Barnes testified.
McPeak parked his work vehicle at a restaurant down the street from Harris’ home, leaving his personal vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, at the department office near Williamsport, court documents said. The car was towed to the sheriff’s office impound lot June 10 and was searched June 22 after Barnes obtained a search warrant, she testified.
Court documents show a .380-caliber handgun was found in his car and Barnes testified Monday that .25-caliber ammunition and a holster were also found in the Jetta. The gun found at Harris’ house after McPeak surrendered was a .25-caliber Beretta, she testified.
Thompson said during his cross-examination of Barnes that McPeak has “steadfastly denied” taking a gun to Harris’ home on June 10.
Deputy 1st Class Josh McCauley, who acted as the crisis negotiator during the standoff, testified he was in contact with McPeak by telephone during the standoff. McPeak at first told him Harris was not injured but did not want to speak with authorities, he testified.
Once outside the residence, McPeak told him “Heather Harris committed suicide in front of him,” McCauley testified.
Once in custody, McPeak was taken to the sheriff’s office by Deputy 1st Class Jay Mills, who testified that he turned on a television camera in the patrol car that was facing toward the back seat. While being driven to the sheriff’s office, McPeak could be heard talking about Harris shooting herself.
Alton conducted the hourlong interview at the sheriff’s office. It was played before Circuit Judge John H. McDowell on a laptop computer at the bench, and the interview could not be heard from the gallery until Deputy State’s Attorney Joseph Michael connected a pair of remote speakers.
Alton could be heard telling McPeak that he did not believe Harris shot herself because of the nature of her injuries. McPeak’s responses could not be heard, and Thompson and Michael declined to answer questions about the statement after the hearing adjourned for the day.
Thompson, who noted during the hearing that police fired twice at McPeak during the standoff, questioned witnesses about possible inducements, promises or threats made to gain McPeak’s cooperation, whether he had been formally charged at the time of the interview and whether all of McPeak’s legal options had been explained to him.
The witnesses testified there had not been inducements, promises or threats, and Alton testified McPeak was in custody, but formal charges had not been filed at the time of the interview.
The statement of probable cause filed June 11 stated that “McPeak admitted he shot Harris twice. McPeak stated after that he shot Harris the first time, she fell to the floor. McPeak stated Harris was lying on the floor when he fired the second shot into the back of her head. McPeak stated he fired the second shot because Harris ‘was suffering.’”
Harris was shot once in the left temple with the bullet exiting her right cheek and once in the back of her head, the charging document said.
Michael said the state concluded presenting its evidence Monday. McDowell adjourned the hearing and asked Michael and Thompson to schedule a date to conclude the hearing.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Austin, TX: Apparent Murder Suicide Attempt in Texas Has Ties to Western New York
By Kyla Igoe
November 14, 2011
Updated Nov 14, 2011 at 7:06 PM EST
Austin, TX (WKBW)- Early Sunday Morning, Deputies with the Hays County Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Wild Rose Drive in Hays County, near Austin, Texas. Police discovered two people inside with gunshot wounds. 40-year-old Lara Joseph was declared deceased on the scene. Her husband, 47-year-old Leonard Joseph was transported to the University Medical Center - Brackenridge for treatment. According to officials in Newstead, New York, Leonard Joseph was a volunteer firefighter with the Newstead Fire Company for close to 5 years before moving to Texas in 2009. Police are not commenting further, but said they are not looking for suspects at this time. No one else was inside the home at the time of the incident. As of Monday evening, the 47-year-old remains in the hospital, his condition is unknown at this hour.
November 14, 2011
Updated Nov 14, 2011 at 7:06 PM EST
Austin, TX (WKBW)- Early Sunday Morning, Deputies with the Hays County Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Wild Rose Drive in Hays County, near Austin, Texas. Police discovered two people inside with gunshot wounds. 40-year-old Lara Joseph was declared deceased on the scene. Her husband, 47-year-old Leonard Joseph was transported to the University Medical Center - Brackenridge for treatment. According to officials in Newstead, New York, Leonard Joseph was a volunteer firefighter with the Newstead Fire Company for close to 5 years before moving to Texas in 2009. Police are not commenting further, but said they are not looking for suspects at this time. No one else was inside the home at the time of the incident. As of Monday evening, the 47-year-old remains in the hospital, his condition is unknown at this hour.
Hempfield Township, PA: Police: Man Beat, Killed Girlfriend Over Beer, Noodles
Posted: 6:41 pm EST November 13, 2011
Updated: 6:08 pm EST November 14, 2011
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A Westmoreland County man killed his girlfriend during a drunken argument over a lack of beer and his refusal to eat some noodles she cooked for him, state police said Monday.
Keith Allen Kruel, 38, of Wendel, was being held in the Westmoreland County Jail without bond on a charge of criminal homicide.
State troopers in Greensburg announced Kruel's arrest Monday in the death of Tina Marie Ohler, 40, at the Elkart Street home they shared in Herminie.
Kruel pushed the mother of two into a door jamb, then kicked her in the chest after she became upset because they were out of beer and he refused to eat the noodles after a night of bar-hopping, police said. Kruel fell asleep on the couch and found Ohler unresponsive and called a relative who then called 911 shortly before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.
Kruel told police that he and Ohler were both intoxicated when they returned home from drinking at several bars sometime after midnight, police said in a probable cause affidavit.
Kruel told police that Ohler tried to hit him but missed because she was upset there was no beer in the house. Ohler then agreed to make him noodles while he lay down on the couch, but "Kruel stated that when the noodles were done he told Ohler he didn't want to eat them at which time Ohler got angry," police said.
Police believe Ohler then threw a bowlful of noodles at the wall or onto the floor, prompting the argument during which Kruel told police he pushed Ohler from behind, causing her to hit her head on the doorway. When Ohler grabbed his leg, Kruel said he then kicked her either in the head area or the chest.
Kruel told police he saw Ohler on her knees struggling to breathe properly and that he mentioned calling an ambulance, but she refused before he fell asleep on the couch.
Police said they found dried blood on Ohler's nose, mouth and hands and a bruise just below her right breast. Blood was also found on two different kitchen doorways, and at various points on the carpet leading from the living room to the couple's bedroom. Police said they also found spots of blood on a pair of Kruel's jeans that were hung over the back of a chair in the bedroom.
"It was a horrific scene. There was a significant amount of blood and this woman was beaten to death. She died from trauma from the beating," said Trooper Stephen Limani.
Ohler’s mother, Noreen Wolfe, said her daughter dated Kruel for 10 years. Wolfe said Kruel beat her daughter consistently through their relationship and she recently had her face reconstructed.
Wolfe told Channel 11 News she wants Kruel to "get the chair" because he's an awful man. She said she doesn't want any other family to go through this.
"She doesn't deserve what she got," said Wolfe. "I hope he gets the chair. He is a mean, nasty person and I don't what no one else going through this."
The Westmoreland County Coroner conducted an autopsy late Monday morning. The report showed that Ohler died from blunt force trauma of the head and compression injuries of the chest and abdomen.
Kruel was arraigned and jailed by a district judge. Judges cannot set bond for people accused of criminal homicide, an umbrella charge that means police accuse somebody of criminally causing the death of another.
At trial, a person charged with the crime could be convicted of anything ranging from involuntary manslaughter – which is a criminally negligent killing -- to first-degree, or premeditated, murder.
Greensburg state police spokesman Trooper Steve Limani said Kruel was at the scene when police arrived Sunday morning and questioned at the barracks until he was formally arrested and charged hours later.
Updated: 6:08 pm EST November 14, 2011
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A Westmoreland County man killed his girlfriend during a drunken argument over a lack of beer and his refusal to eat some noodles she cooked for him, state police said Monday.
Keith Allen Kruel, 38, of Wendel, was being held in the Westmoreland County Jail without bond on a charge of criminal homicide.
State troopers in Greensburg announced Kruel's arrest Monday in the death of Tina Marie Ohler, 40, at the Elkart Street home they shared in Herminie.
Kruel pushed the mother of two into a door jamb, then kicked her in the chest after she became upset because they were out of beer and he refused to eat the noodles after a night of bar-hopping, police said. Kruel fell asleep on the couch and found Ohler unresponsive and called a relative who then called 911 shortly before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.
Kruel told police that he and Ohler were both intoxicated when they returned home from drinking at several bars sometime after midnight, police said in a probable cause affidavit.
Kruel told police that Ohler tried to hit him but missed because she was upset there was no beer in the house. Ohler then agreed to make him noodles while he lay down on the couch, but "Kruel stated that when the noodles were done he told Ohler he didn't want to eat them at which time Ohler got angry," police said.
Police believe Ohler then threw a bowlful of noodles at the wall or onto the floor, prompting the argument during which Kruel told police he pushed Ohler from behind, causing her to hit her head on the doorway. When Ohler grabbed his leg, Kruel said he then kicked her either in the head area or the chest.
Kruel told police he saw Ohler on her knees struggling to breathe properly and that he mentioned calling an ambulance, but she refused before he fell asleep on the couch.
Police said they found dried blood on Ohler's nose, mouth and hands and a bruise just below her right breast. Blood was also found on two different kitchen doorways, and at various points on the carpet leading from the living room to the couple's bedroom. Police said they also found spots of blood on a pair of Kruel's jeans that were hung over the back of a chair in the bedroom.
"It was a horrific scene. There was a significant amount of blood and this woman was beaten to death. She died from trauma from the beating," said Trooper Stephen Limani.
Ohler’s mother, Noreen Wolfe, said her daughter dated Kruel for 10 years. Wolfe said Kruel beat her daughter consistently through their relationship and she recently had her face reconstructed.
Wolfe told Channel 11 News she wants Kruel to "get the chair" because he's an awful man. She said she doesn't want any other family to go through this.
"She doesn't deserve what she got," said Wolfe. "I hope he gets the chair. He is a mean, nasty person and I don't what no one else going through this."
The Westmoreland County Coroner conducted an autopsy late Monday morning. The report showed that Ohler died from blunt force trauma of the head and compression injuries of the chest and abdomen.
Kruel was arraigned and jailed by a district judge. Judges cannot set bond for people accused of criminal homicide, an umbrella charge that means police accuse somebody of criminally causing the death of another.
At trial, a person charged with the crime could be convicted of anything ranging from involuntary manslaughter – which is a criminally negligent killing -- to first-degree, or premeditated, murder.
Greensburg state police spokesman Trooper Steve Limani said Kruel was at the scene when police arrived Sunday morning and questioned at the barracks until he was formally arrested and charged hours later.
Spartanburg County, SC: Double Murder Suspect in Hospital Following Chase and Shooting
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC --
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a triple shooting that occurred on Sunday afternoon at 490 Rosedale Drive.
Two of the victims are dead and one was air lifted to the hospital.
According to Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, around 12:30 Sunday afternoon Jefferson Perry shot and killed his wife Barbra Perry. He then walked across the street shot and killed his neighbor and brother-in-law Donald Stephens.
Wright says that Perry then shot Donald’s Wife Gloria Stephens. She was air lifted to the hospital and is expected to be okay.
Heather Pace (their granddaughter) ran for help and a nearby deputy heard the commotion and responded.
A chase then began between the deputies and Perry, who was driving an older model silver Buick.
Sheriff Wright gave the orders to stop him when they had the opportunity.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol assisted Spartanburg County and was able to stop Perry. He wrecked on I-85 at Mile Marker 92 in Cherokee County near Gaffney.
Sheriff Wright said Perry got out of his vehicle, loaded a weapon, then aimed it at the deputies. A Spartanburg County Deputy shot Perry one time.
Perry is expected to be okay.
Sheriff Wright says that deputies responded to Perry’s address on Friday but a report was not taken.
Traffic was backed up for several miles on Interstate 85 Sunday afternoon, but traffic cleared by the evening hours. Witnesses said the neighborhood was quiet and peaceful before this incident.
SLED investigators are looking into the shooting, which is standard procedure any time law enforcement uses a weapon.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a triple shooting that occurred on Sunday afternoon at 490 Rosedale Drive.
Two of the victims are dead and one was air lifted to the hospital.
According to Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, around 12:30 Sunday afternoon Jefferson Perry shot and killed his wife Barbra Perry. He then walked across the street shot and killed his neighbor and brother-in-law Donald Stephens.
Wright says that Perry then shot Donald’s Wife Gloria Stephens. She was air lifted to the hospital and is expected to be okay.
Heather Pace (their granddaughter) ran for help and a nearby deputy heard the commotion and responded.
A chase then began between the deputies and Perry, who was driving an older model silver Buick.
Sheriff Wright gave the orders to stop him when they had the opportunity.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol assisted Spartanburg County and was able to stop Perry. He wrecked on I-85 at Mile Marker 92 in Cherokee County near Gaffney.
Sheriff Wright said Perry got out of his vehicle, loaded a weapon, then aimed it at the deputies. A Spartanburg County Deputy shot Perry one time.
Perry is expected to be okay.
Sheriff Wright says that deputies responded to Perry’s address on Friday but a report was not taken.
Traffic was backed up for several miles on Interstate 85 Sunday afternoon, but traffic cleared by the evening hours. Witnesses said the neighborhood was quiet and peaceful before this incident.
SLED investigators are looking into the shooting, which is standard procedure any time law enforcement uses a weapon.
Reading, PA: Reading man killed, two wounded in late-night shooting
A 21-year-old man was killed and two other people were injured early Sunday when a gunman opened fire as people were leaving a city bar that was closing for the night, Reading police said.
The Berks County coroner's office identified the victim as 21-year-old Ramon Rosario-Evangelista of the 600 block of North 12th Street.
An autopsy was done Sunday night, but Deputy Coroner Gretchen Weyandt said that information on the cause and manner of death was being withheld at the request of city police.
Police also would not release the names and addresses of the two people injured in the shooting but identified them as Rosario-Evangelista's 21-year-old girlfriend and a 31-year-old man who had accompanied Rosario-Evangelista to the bar.
Reading police Sgt. John M. Solecki said police were interviewing neighbors and witnesses and studying security-camera images to try and identify the gunman.
According to Solecki:
Two men got into a fight as patrons were the bar at 10th and Elm streets about 2 a.m. One pulled a gun and fired six or seven shots in different directions.
Rosario-Evangelista was found dead in the 900 block of Elm Street.
Investigators said the gunman got into a car at Moss and Elm streets and left the area heading north.
The Berks County coroner's office identified the victim as 21-year-old Ramon Rosario-Evangelista of the 600 block of North 12th Street.
An autopsy was done Sunday night, but Deputy Coroner Gretchen Weyandt said that information on the cause and manner of death was being withheld at the request of city police.
Police also would not release the names and addresses of the two people injured in the shooting but identified them as Rosario-Evangelista's 21-year-old girlfriend and a 31-year-old man who had accompanied Rosario-Evangelista to the bar.
Reading police Sgt. John M. Solecki said police were interviewing neighbors and witnesses and studying security-camera images to try and identify the gunman.
According to Solecki:
Two men got into a fight as patrons were the bar at 10th and Elm streets about 2 a.m. One pulled a gun and fired six or seven shots in different directions.
Rosario-Evangelista was found dead in the 900 block of Elm Street.
Investigators said the gunman got into a car at Moss and Elm streets and left the area heading north.
Kansas City, KS: Suspect arrested in triple homicide
Man taken into custody is the boyfriend of one of the victims, Kansas City police say.
By CHRISTINE VENDEL
The Kansas City Star
Kansas City officers on Sunday arrested a suspect in a triple homicide that left three relatives dead in an apparent domestic violence attack on Friday night.
Police plan to submit their case file to prosecutors today for possible charges in the slayings, which were among a half dozen in Kansas City on Friday and Saturday.
The suspect in the triple homicide is the boyfriend of one of the victims, police said. Police did not identify that victim on Sunday but said she was the cousin of Anthony C. Richardson, 50, a childhood friend of Police Chief Darryl Forté. Richardson was killed along with his wife, Mary Richardson, 53.
The cousin was visiting the Richardsons’ home in the 2400 block of Lister Avenue about 10:15 p.m. Friday when the boyfriend showed up and walked inside. He sat down with his girlfriend and the Richardsons and talked for a while, police said, before allegedly pulling a gun and shooting them. He then allegedly drove away in his girlfriend’s car.
There were two witnesses in the home, including a teenage child of the Richardsons, but neither heard exactly what was said before the shooting, according to investigators. Police described the suspect’s relationship with his girlfriend as volatile and abusive.
Forté said he had still talked to Richardson regularly. Forté had even planned to drop off a love seat and washing machine at the Richardsons’ home Friday night but decided to wait until the next morning after hooking up his trailer.
Police arrested the suspect, in his late 40s, Sunday afternoon. He declined to talk to investigators.
The killings were among six that occurred within 10 hours Friday and early Saturday in Kansas City.
Less than two hours before the triple homicide, firefighters found a man’s body in a burning home in the 5400 block of East 28th Street. Police said evidence at the scene led them to believe the death was a homicide. Police didn’t release his name or any additional details.
About eight hours after the triple killing, police were called to the scene of a double homicide. On Sunday, police identified those victims as Claude L. Carson, 52, and Alphonso Nicholson, 42.
Nicholson’s mother, Ethel Shelton, said her son was visiting someone in the 2500 block of Benton Boulevard when an argument broke out and he was shot. She didn’t know Carson or what sort of dispute led to their killings.
Shelton last talked to Nicholson a few days ago when he called for a “home remedy” for a cold. He wanted to help a friend feel better, she said.
Nicholson had three siblings, one of whom called Shelton at 7:38 a.m. Saturday to tell her about the shooting. She said she hopes police can find some of the witnesses who scattered after the shooting.
“God willing,” she said, “some answers will come out.”
Police said they were making good progress in the homicides, which they believe are unrelated.
To reach Christine Vendel, call 816-234-4438 or send email to cvendel@kcstar.com.
By CHRISTINE VENDEL
The Kansas City Star
Kansas City officers on Sunday arrested a suspect in a triple homicide that left three relatives dead in an apparent domestic violence attack on Friday night.
Police plan to submit their case file to prosecutors today for possible charges in the slayings, which were among a half dozen in Kansas City on Friday and Saturday.
The suspect in the triple homicide is the boyfriend of one of the victims, police said. Police did not identify that victim on Sunday but said she was the cousin of Anthony C. Richardson, 50, a childhood friend of Police Chief Darryl Forté. Richardson was killed along with his wife, Mary Richardson, 53.
The cousin was visiting the Richardsons’ home in the 2400 block of Lister Avenue about 10:15 p.m. Friday when the boyfriend showed up and walked inside. He sat down with his girlfriend and the Richardsons and talked for a while, police said, before allegedly pulling a gun and shooting them. He then allegedly drove away in his girlfriend’s car.
There were two witnesses in the home, including a teenage child of the Richardsons, but neither heard exactly what was said before the shooting, according to investigators. Police described the suspect’s relationship with his girlfriend as volatile and abusive.
Forté said he had still talked to Richardson regularly. Forté had even planned to drop off a love seat and washing machine at the Richardsons’ home Friday night but decided to wait until the next morning after hooking up his trailer.
Police arrested the suspect, in his late 40s, Sunday afternoon. He declined to talk to investigators.
The killings were among six that occurred within 10 hours Friday and early Saturday in Kansas City.
Less than two hours before the triple homicide, firefighters found a man’s body in a burning home in the 5400 block of East 28th Street. Police said evidence at the scene led them to believe the death was a homicide. Police didn’t release his name or any additional details.
About eight hours after the triple killing, police were called to the scene of a double homicide. On Sunday, police identified those victims as Claude L. Carson, 52, and Alphonso Nicholson, 42.
Nicholson’s mother, Ethel Shelton, said her son was visiting someone in the 2500 block of Benton Boulevard when an argument broke out and he was shot. She didn’t know Carson or what sort of dispute led to their killings.
Shelton last talked to Nicholson a few days ago when he called for a “home remedy” for a cold. He wanted to help a friend feel better, she said.
Nicholson had three siblings, one of whom called Shelton at 7:38 a.m. Saturday to tell her about the shooting. She said she hopes police can find some of the witnesses who scattered after the shooting.
“God willing,” she said, “some answers will come out.”
Police said they were making good progress in the homicides, which they believe are unrelated.
To reach Christine Vendel, call 816-234-4438 or send email to cvendel@kcstar.com.
Fort Bend, TX: Fort Bend County man held in wife's stabbing death
By ROBERT STANTON, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Updated 07:42 p.m., Sunday, November 13, 2011
A Fort Bend County man is being held in connection with his wife's stabbing death at their home late Saturday, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the home in the 14000 block of Hubenak Road, just southwest of Needville, about 7:30 p.m. to find the victim in front of the home with multiple stab wounds, investigators said. She died at the scene.
The victim's husband, Sherman Jones, 50, who also sustained stab wounds, was treated at Oakbend Medical Center and transported to the Fort Bend County Jail, where he remained Sunday, said Bob Haenel, spokesman at the sheriff's office. He has been charged with murder.
Jones' wife, Saffaria Kay Jones, 30, was found lying on the lawn in front of the home with stab wounds. She died at the scene.
One of the Joneses' sons ran to a neighbor's home, telling them his mother was being assaulted and to call for help. Four children, age ranges from 6 to 11, were present in the house during the incident, according to police.
robert.stanton@chron.com
Updated 07:42 p.m., Sunday, November 13, 2011
A Fort Bend County man is being held in connection with his wife's stabbing death at their home late Saturday, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the home in the 14000 block of Hubenak Road, just southwest of Needville, about 7:30 p.m. to find the victim in front of the home with multiple stab wounds, investigators said. She died at the scene.
The victim's husband, Sherman Jones, 50, who also sustained stab wounds, was treated at Oakbend Medical Center and transported to the Fort Bend County Jail, where he remained Sunday, said Bob Haenel, spokesman at the sheriff's office. He has been charged with murder.
Jones' wife, Saffaria Kay Jones, 30, was found lying on the lawn in front of the home with stab wounds. She died at the scene.
One of the Joneses' sons ran to a neighbor's home, telling them his mother was being assaulted and to call for help. Four children, age ranges from 6 to 11, were present in the house during the incident, according to police.
robert.stanton@chron.com
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Marietta, GA: Police: Marietta couple found dead in murder-suicide
MARIETTA — Friends of a couple discovered dead in their Marietta home Wednesday said they were shocked to hear police call it a murder-suicide.
Maryellen Cano, 32, and Wilbur “Sonny” Carl South, 28, were found dead at their home on Springdale Drive after Cano’s father met with Marietta Police on Wednesday night to report that he hadn’t heard from his daughter in two days. Police went to the home and discovered Cano’s red Chevrolet Silverado with a Fulton County tag still in the driveway, but no one answered the front door.
After getting permission from the property owner, police entered the home, where they found Cano and South shot to death.
Marietta Police Officer David Baldwin said South shot Cano and then killed himself, though he did not know how many shots were fired or how long the two had been dead.
William Kuhn, South’s best friend, has known him for more than four years. They started fighting in mixed martial arts together about four years ago.
Kuhn said he last spoke to South, who was known to friends as “Sonny,” on Monday through text messages.
“We talked about some fights that were on TV over the weekend, asked him if he saw them, just usual things,” he said. “Nothing seemed bad.”
Kuhn said Cano and South had fights but that he never imagined that his best friend would kill his girlfriend, and then turn the gun on himself.
“They had a pretty volatile relationship …. they had one domestic dispute that was reported, and that’s pretty much it,” Kuhn said. “Everything seemed like it was going well, but that’s why it was pretty shocking.”
The two had been together for a little over two years, he said, and moved into the Marietta home about six months ago after living in an apartment together on and off in Alpharetta.
“They’ve been kind of laying low since the domestic dispute,” he said. “They have been very docile in their relationship, almost like they were not wanting anyone to know that they were back together.”
Kuhn also said that he didn’t remember the two ever fighting or arguing in public either. The domestic dispute, which he said was reported as a simple battery charge, happened about eight months ago, when South pushed Cano during an argument in their Alpharetta home. She called police.
Kuhn said he learned of the death from South’s father around 4 a.m. Thursday.
“His dad was very, very distraught … very upset,” he said. “They had just repaired their relationship in the last year or so. His dad helped him out when he was financially hurting. His father had just visited him about two weeks ago, too. So he got a chance to see him before he died.”
Dave Oblas, a fight promoter at Wild Bill’s in Atlanta, said he had been friends with the couple for about four years.
“They had their fights, but no one saw this coming,” he said.
Oblas said he last saw Cano on Saturday night at Wild Bill’s.
“She was very upbeat, as usual,” he said. “She was there supporting a friend from South Carolina, helping her out in the corner.”
He couldn’t remember when he had last seen South, whom he described as “extremely nice — out of the ring.”
“As soon as you put in him the ring, he was like Mike Tyson, he would switch from a nice guy to a fighter in a second,” Oblas said, adding that Cano was the same way.
“She was a normal girl with an average background. The only unique thing about her was that she enjoyed punching girls in the face,” Oblas said with a laugh. “Most fighters are the nicest people you’ll ever meet. The stereotype that fighters are violent people couldn’t be any farther from the truth.”
Oblas added that Cano was undefeated over four bouts and was an excellent fighter. She had been training for fights for a little more than two years and been training in Jiu-Jitsu for nearly five.
He said South was pretty good as well, fighting nearly 10 fights, with a record of 5-5.
“I don’t think he was technically as good as she was, but he was an animal in the ring,” he said.
Neighbors of the couple who were home Thursday morning said they rarely saw them and had actually never met Cano or South.
One neighbor, who has lived in the area for about 15 years but declined to give her name, said she would only see South outside every few days walking his dogs in the backyard.
“They never came outside,” she said. “I only saw (South) once or twice. I haven’t seen the girl in the a long time.”
She said that police knocked on her door and asked her a few questions before contacting the homeowner and discovering that the two were dead inside.
The only “unusual” thing that the neighbor noticed on her street recently was an unknown person who she actually saw walking up and down the street sometime Saturday.
“I remembered this morning that I did see somebody walking up the street Saturday,” she said. “He went up to their door.”
She said the stranger talked to someone at Cano and South’s door, but she was not sure if it was one of them the stranger spoke to because she could not see their face.
Milton Dickson, another Springdale Drive resident, said he never saw the two in or around their home either, or even driving. He did not know what happened next door until approached by a Journal reporter as his home.
“I got home around 2 (p.m. Wednesday), and there was a cop car down there, but it didn’t have its lights on,” he said. “I also saw someone from animal control.”
Dickson, who has lived in his home for 30 years, said crime wasn’t exactly “high” in the area, but he has been broken into four or five times since he moved into his home in the 1970s.
Cobb County Animal Control was called to pick up Cano and South’s pets, two pit bulls and a Shih Tzu, which were all unharmed and will be held at the shelter for a “crisis hold,” said Don Bruce, facility operations manager.
In 1996, Marietta firefighters rescued 92-year-old Nila Jordan from the same home. Jordan was an invalid confined to her bed and trapped in a fire in the home.
Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Police Marietta couple found dead in murder suicide
Maryellen Cano, 32, and Wilbur “Sonny” Carl South, 28, were found dead at their home on Springdale Drive after Cano’s father met with Marietta Police on Wednesday night to report that he hadn’t heard from his daughter in two days. Police went to the home and discovered Cano’s red Chevrolet Silverado with a Fulton County tag still in the driveway, but no one answered the front door.
After getting permission from the property owner, police entered the home, where they found Cano and South shot to death.
Marietta Police Officer David Baldwin said South shot Cano and then killed himself, though he did not know how many shots were fired or how long the two had been dead.
William Kuhn, South’s best friend, has known him for more than four years. They started fighting in mixed martial arts together about four years ago.
Kuhn said he last spoke to South, who was known to friends as “Sonny,” on Monday through text messages.
“We talked about some fights that were on TV over the weekend, asked him if he saw them, just usual things,” he said. “Nothing seemed bad.”
Kuhn said Cano and South had fights but that he never imagined that his best friend would kill his girlfriend, and then turn the gun on himself.
“They had a pretty volatile relationship …. they had one domestic dispute that was reported, and that’s pretty much it,” Kuhn said. “Everything seemed like it was going well, but that’s why it was pretty shocking.”
The two had been together for a little over two years, he said, and moved into the Marietta home about six months ago after living in an apartment together on and off in Alpharetta.
“They’ve been kind of laying low since the domestic dispute,” he said. “They have been very docile in their relationship, almost like they were not wanting anyone to know that they were back together.”
Kuhn also said that he didn’t remember the two ever fighting or arguing in public either. The domestic dispute, which he said was reported as a simple battery charge, happened about eight months ago, when South pushed Cano during an argument in their Alpharetta home. She called police.
Kuhn said he learned of the death from South’s father around 4 a.m. Thursday.
“His dad was very, very distraught … very upset,” he said. “They had just repaired their relationship in the last year or so. His dad helped him out when he was financially hurting. His father had just visited him about two weeks ago, too. So he got a chance to see him before he died.”
Dave Oblas, a fight promoter at Wild Bill’s in Atlanta, said he had been friends with the couple for about four years.
“They had their fights, but no one saw this coming,” he said.
Oblas said he last saw Cano on Saturday night at Wild Bill’s.
“She was very upbeat, as usual,” he said. “She was there supporting a friend from South Carolina, helping her out in the corner.”
He couldn’t remember when he had last seen South, whom he described as “extremely nice — out of the ring.”
“As soon as you put in him the ring, he was like Mike Tyson, he would switch from a nice guy to a fighter in a second,” Oblas said, adding that Cano was the same way.
“She was a normal girl with an average background. The only unique thing about her was that she enjoyed punching girls in the face,” Oblas said with a laugh. “Most fighters are the nicest people you’ll ever meet. The stereotype that fighters are violent people couldn’t be any farther from the truth.”
Oblas added that Cano was undefeated over four bouts and was an excellent fighter. She had been training for fights for a little more than two years and been training in Jiu-Jitsu for nearly five.
He said South was pretty good as well, fighting nearly 10 fights, with a record of 5-5.
“I don’t think he was technically as good as she was, but he was an animal in the ring,” he said.
Neighbors of the couple who were home Thursday morning said they rarely saw them and had actually never met Cano or South.
One neighbor, who has lived in the area for about 15 years but declined to give her name, said she would only see South outside every few days walking his dogs in the backyard.
“They never came outside,” she said. “I only saw (South) once or twice. I haven’t seen the girl in the a long time.”
She said that police knocked on her door and asked her a few questions before contacting the homeowner and discovering that the two were dead inside.
The only “unusual” thing that the neighbor noticed on her street recently was an unknown person who she actually saw walking up and down the street sometime Saturday.
“I remembered this morning that I did see somebody walking up the street Saturday,” she said. “He went up to their door.”
She said the stranger talked to someone at Cano and South’s door, but she was not sure if it was one of them the stranger spoke to because she could not see their face.
Milton Dickson, another Springdale Drive resident, said he never saw the two in or around their home either, or even driving. He did not know what happened next door until approached by a Journal reporter as his home.
“I got home around 2 (p.m. Wednesday), and there was a cop car down there, but it didn’t have its lights on,” he said. “I also saw someone from animal control.”
Dickson, who has lived in his home for 30 years, said crime wasn’t exactly “high” in the area, but he has been broken into four or five times since he moved into his home in the 1970s.
Cobb County Animal Control was called to pick up Cano and South’s pets, two pit bulls and a Shih Tzu, which were all unharmed and will be held at the shelter for a “crisis hold,” said Don Bruce, facility operations manager.
In 1996, Marietta firefighters rescued 92-year-old Nila Jordan from the same home. Jordan was an invalid confined to her bed and trapped in a fire in the home.
Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Police Marietta couple found dead in murder suicide
Winston-Salem, NC: 6-year-old Winston-Salem girl, father killed in possible murder-suicide
Winston-Salem, N.C. — A 6-year-old girl and her father have been killed in what Winston-Salem police are investigating as a murder-suicide.
He says Morris and his wife were estranged and that the couple was discussing the custody of their daughter.
Police say 6-year-old Iza Lily Morris and 32-year-old Derek Morris each suffered a single gunshot wound. Their bodies were found Thursday afternoon inside their home.
Police Lt. Rob Cozart says authorities aren't looking for a suspect. He says Morris and his wife were estranged and that the couple was discussing the custody of their daughter.
Forsyth County tax records show the house where the bodies were found is owned by Derek and Sarah Morris.
He says Morris and his wife were estranged and that the couple was discussing the custody of their daughter.
Police say 6-year-old Iza Lily Morris and 32-year-old Derek Morris each suffered a single gunshot wound. Their bodies were found Thursday afternoon inside their home.
Police Lt. Rob Cozart says authorities aren't looking for a suspect. He says Morris and his wife were estranged and that the couple was discussing the custody of their daughter.
Forsyth County tax records show the house where the bodies were found is owned by Derek and Sarah Morris.
Fairfield, CA: Solano County Sheriff's Investigate Roadside Murder-Suicide
FAIRFIELD—
Solano County Sheriff’s deputies, along with officers from the California Highway Patrol, witnessed a murder-suicide in Fairfield Thursday afternoon.
Deputies responded to a 911 call about a disturbance with a gun between two people inside a car on Chadbourne Road.
Once deputies and CHP officers found the car, a white Cadillac, they heard a gunshot and saw a muzzle flash inside. Moments later, they heard a second shot and saw a second flash. The car then slowly rolled to a stop on the side of the road.
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Officers found both occupants, 25-year-old Erica Dominguez and 35-year-old Enrique Preciado dead inside the car. The gun was found in possession of Preciado.
The Solano County Sheriff’s Department will continue to investigate.
Solano County Sheriff’s deputies, along with officers from the California Highway Patrol, witnessed a murder-suicide in Fairfield Thursday afternoon.
Deputies responded to a 911 call about a disturbance with a gun between two people inside a car on Chadbourne Road.
Once deputies and CHP officers found the car, a white Cadillac, they heard a gunshot and saw a muzzle flash inside. Moments later, they heard a second shot and saw a second flash. The car then slowly rolled to a stop on the side of the road.
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Officers found both occupants, 25-year-old Erica Dominguez and 35-year-old Enrique Preciado dead inside the car. The gun was found in possession of Preciado.
The Solano County Sheriff’s Department will continue to investigate.
Pittsburg, CA: Victim, suspected gunman in murder-suicide ID'd
(11-11) 05:48 PST Pittsburg, Calif. (AP) --
Authorities have identified the family members they say were killed by a Pittsburg man before he took his own life as the man's wife and her elderly parents.
Police say 40-year-old Jason Aube shot and killed his wife, Cynthia Tiburcio-Aube, and his wife's 65-year-old mother and 73-year-old father early Thursday morning. The parents' names have not been released.
They say Aube contacted police and told them he had killed members of his family. He also allegedly threatened to kill himself on the call.
Pittsburg police Lt. Ron Raman says officers found four people dead inside the home after trying unsuccessfully to contact Aube when they arrived.
Aube was apparently distraught over financial problems, which included a foreclosure notice on the couple's home. Police say he posted a suicide note on Facebook before the shootings.
Authorities have identified the family members they say were killed by a Pittsburg man before he took his own life as the man's wife and her elderly parents.
Police say 40-year-old Jason Aube shot and killed his wife, Cynthia Tiburcio-Aube, and his wife's 65-year-old mother and 73-year-old father early Thursday morning. The parents' names have not been released.
They say Aube contacted police and told them he had killed members of his family. He also allegedly threatened to kill himself on the call.
Pittsburg police Lt. Ron Raman says officers found four people dead inside the home after trying unsuccessfully to contact Aube when they arrived.
Aube was apparently distraught over financial problems, which included a foreclosure notice on the couple's home. Police say he posted a suicide note on Facebook before the shootings.
San Juan, Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Man Is Brain Dead After Store Shooting
Police in Puerto Rico say a man who shot his ex-girlfriend in front of her three small children is brain dead after attempting suicide.
Police said in a statement Saturday that 45-year-old Nelson Crespo Feliciano shot himself in the head after the attack inside a busy grocery store but survived. Authorities said he shot 26-year-old Jenifer Toro Hurtado in the mouth, back and stomach at a grocery store in the northern coastal town of Aguadilla on Friday.
Police said Toro is expected to undergo surgery soon.
Police said in a statement Saturday that 45-year-old Nelson Crespo Feliciano shot himself in the head after the attack inside a busy grocery store but survived. Authorities said he shot 26-year-old Jenifer Toro Hurtado in the mouth, back and stomach at a grocery store in the northern coastal town of Aguadilla on Friday.
Police said Toro is expected to undergo surgery soon.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Camden, SC: SC police investigate suspected murder-suicide
CAMDEN, S.C. -- The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office is investigating what deputies believe is a murder-suicide involving a man and his estranged wife.
Sheriff Jim Matthews says two bodies were found at the home on Wednesday after police received a 911 call from the husband's sister.
County Coroner Johnny Fellers identified the two as 47-year-old Nancy Patricia Stone, who lived at the home, and 44-year-old Reginald Stone.
Matthews says the two were married but estranged, and that Reginald Stone had sent a letter to his sister saying he planned to kill his wife and then himself.
Investigators found a handgun, shell casings and bullet fragments at the home.
Matthews says Nancy Stone is survived by a 14-year-old daughter.
Sheriff Jim Matthews says two bodies were found at the home on Wednesday after police received a 911 call from the husband's sister.
County Coroner Johnny Fellers identified the two as 47-year-old Nancy Patricia Stone, who lived at the home, and 44-year-old Reginald Stone.
Matthews says the two were married but estranged, and that Reginald Stone had sent a letter to his sister saying he planned to kill his wife and then himself.
Investigators found a handgun, shell casings and bullet fragments at the home.
Matthews says Nancy Stone is survived by a 14-year-old daughter.
Clayton, MO: Man found guilty of killing wife at Creve Coeur hospital
CLAYTON • A jury on Wednesday found Christopher Colletta guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for stabbing his wife to death in 2010.
Mary Colletta, 30, was fatally stabbed on the top deck of the garage at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, now known as Mercy Hospital St. Louis, on Aug. 3, 2010.
The St. Louis County Circuit Court jury could have returned a verdict on a second-degree murder charge, which would have allowed Colletta a shorter prison term and the possibility of parole. But the panel, after deliberating for less than two hours, convicted him on the more serious charge that the crime was premeditated, which will send Colletta to prison for life. Formal sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
After hearing the verdict, the victim's parents, Mike and Sylvia Daniels, held each other in the hallway outside the courtroom and cried. Sylvia Daniels clutched her daughter's photograph.
"We're going to mourn her forever," she said, "but knowing we do not have to worry about him is going to help."
Colletta said on the witness stand he "snapped" during an argument last year with his wife and stabbed her 18 times after handing her divorce papers. But he also said he then "blanked out" and couldn't remember actually killing her.
"When I came to, I was standing over her," Colletta, 40, testified. "And she was still holding the divorce papers in her hand. And that's when I freaked out. I panicked. I wished I would have stayed. I panicked and ran."
Defense attorneys Robert and Jolene Taaffe asked the jury to consider whether Colletta's actions reflected the cool and deliberate elements needed for a first-degree murder conviction.
"If he so desperately wanted to get back with her, why would he sit around and deliberately plan her murder?" Jolene Taaffe said during closing arguments.
Taaffe said after the jury reached its verdict that she had tried to show Colletta "didn't reflect upon what he was doing and that he snapped in a rage and killed the woman he loved."
But Prosecutor Stephen O'Brien said nearly everything about the case - the number of stab wounds, Colletta bringing the knife to the garage, and his previous statements to friends that he wanted to kill her - proved deliberation. "Why did he kill her?" O'Brien asked. "He couldn't live without her."
Colletta's mother and aunts said after the verdict that the whole case was a "terrible tragedy."
"We suffer the loss of both of them," said one of Colletta's aunts, Toni Luttrell. "We will be praying for her family and her children as well." Both Colleta and his wife had children but not together.
Colletta admitted that he waited at the garage for his wife for more than an hour before she got off work as a CT scan technologist. He said he wanted to give her the divorce papers and some clothes that she had asked him to return.
A large knife happened to be in the bag with the clothes and divorce papers, he testified. He said he had put it there a few days before because she had told him her boyfriend had a gun and he wanted a weapon for protection in case of trouble.
Surveillance video does not show the killing but it does show Christopher Colletta waiting. He used 62 seconds to leave his vehicle, stab her, return and drive away, according to testimony.
Colletta testified that the two argued about various family members, and that he "snapped" after she said that she had sex with a boyfriend in her car and the Colletta house and that she "loved it."
On cross-examination, O'Brien questioned whether it was possible in that time frame for Colletta to walk 75 feet to his wife's car, have such an involved argument her, stab her 18 times, and then walk back to his own car.
The defendant said that after the murder he was "devastated" and thought about killing himself. He drove away from the scene, tossing the knife out of the car along Interstate 270. Relatives found him that evening at a yacht club his uncle managed in St. Charles, and turned him in to police.
Detectives quickly learned that the couple had separated and that Mary Colletta, whom her family prefers to call Mary Daniels, had obtained a restraining order against him the month before.
Christopher Colletta described the last few months of the relationship as volatile, saying that the couple argued, would get back together, and argue again. He testified that he didn't want to get a divorce.
"You wanted her back, didn't you?" O'Brien asked during cross-examination.
"Absolutely. I love her," Colletta replied.
"You love her?" O'Brien questioned.
"Absolutely," Colletta responded. "With all my heart."
Patrick M. O'Connell of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Mary Colletta, 30, was fatally stabbed on the top deck of the garage at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur, now known as Mercy Hospital St. Louis, on Aug. 3, 2010.
The St. Louis County Circuit Court jury could have returned a verdict on a second-degree murder charge, which would have allowed Colletta a shorter prison term and the possibility of parole. But the panel, after deliberating for less than two hours, convicted him on the more serious charge that the crime was premeditated, which will send Colletta to prison for life. Formal sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
After hearing the verdict, the victim's parents, Mike and Sylvia Daniels, held each other in the hallway outside the courtroom and cried. Sylvia Daniels clutched her daughter's photograph.
"We're going to mourn her forever," she said, "but knowing we do not have to worry about him is going to help."
Colletta said on the witness stand he "snapped" during an argument last year with his wife and stabbed her 18 times after handing her divorce papers. But he also said he then "blanked out" and couldn't remember actually killing her.
"When I came to, I was standing over her," Colletta, 40, testified. "And she was still holding the divorce papers in her hand. And that's when I freaked out. I panicked. I wished I would have stayed. I panicked and ran."
Defense attorneys Robert and Jolene Taaffe asked the jury to consider whether Colletta's actions reflected the cool and deliberate elements needed for a first-degree murder conviction.
"If he so desperately wanted to get back with her, why would he sit around and deliberately plan her murder?" Jolene Taaffe said during closing arguments.
Taaffe said after the jury reached its verdict that she had tried to show Colletta "didn't reflect upon what he was doing and that he snapped in a rage and killed the woman he loved."
But Prosecutor Stephen O'Brien said nearly everything about the case - the number of stab wounds, Colletta bringing the knife to the garage, and his previous statements to friends that he wanted to kill her - proved deliberation. "Why did he kill her?" O'Brien asked. "He couldn't live without her."
Colletta's mother and aunts said after the verdict that the whole case was a "terrible tragedy."
"We suffer the loss of both of them," said one of Colletta's aunts, Toni Luttrell. "We will be praying for her family and her children as well." Both Colleta and his wife had children but not together.
Colletta admitted that he waited at the garage for his wife for more than an hour before she got off work as a CT scan technologist. He said he wanted to give her the divorce papers and some clothes that she had asked him to return.
A large knife happened to be in the bag with the clothes and divorce papers, he testified. He said he had put it there a few days before because she had told him her boyfriend had a gun and he wanted a weapon for protection in case of trouble.
Surveillance video does not show the killing but it does show Christopher Colletta waiting. He used 62 seconds to leave his vehicle, stab her, return and drive away, according to testimony.
Colletta testified that the two argued about various family members, and that he "snapped" after she said that she had sex with a boyfriend in her car and the Colletta house and that she "loved it."
On cross-examination, O'Brien questioned whether it was possible in that time frame for Colletta to walk 75 feet to his wife's car, have such an involved argument her, stab her 18 times, and then walk back to his own car.
The defendant said that after the murder he was "devastated" and thought about killing himself. He drove away from the scene, tossing the knife out of the car along Interstate 270. Relatives found him that evening at a yacht club his uncle managed in St. Charles, and turned him in to police.
Detectives quickly learned that the couple had separated and that Mary Colletta, whom her family prefers to call Mary Daniels, had obtained a restraining order against him the month before.
Christopher Colletta described the last few months of the relationship as volatile, saying that the couple argued, would get back together, and argue again. He testified that he didn't want to get a divorce.
"You wanted her back, didn't you?" O'Brien asked during cross-examination.
"Absolutely. I love her," Colletta replied.
"You love her?" O'Brien questioned.
"Absolutely," Colletta responded. "With all my heart."
Patrick M. O'Connell of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Tampa, FL: Boyfriend charged in fatal shooting
Updated: Thursday, 10 Nov 2011, 5:21 AM EST
Published : Thursday, 10 Nov 2011, 5:21 AM EST
TAMPA - A Tampa man is accused of gunning down his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend Wednesday night, police say.
Officers arrested 33-year-old Damien Michael Townes and charged him with second-degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Charon Shaw outside a Tampa home.
It happened around 10 p.m. at 315 E. Woodlawn Ave.
Police say 911 dispatchers received a call from Townes’ girlfriend, Leah Waring, saying there was an incident involving her ex-boyfriend.
After hanging up the phone, police say she called again, screaming “get your hands off me” into the phone and crying.
Officers responded, and when they arrived on scene, they found Shaw in the front lawn.
He had suffered several gunshots to his upper body. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital where he died from his injuries.
Published : Thursday, 10 Nov 2011, 5:21 AM EST
TAMPA - A Tampa man is accused of gunning down his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend Wednesday night, police say.
Officers arrested 33-year-old Damien Michael Townes and charged him with second-degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Charon Shaw outside a Tampa home.
It happened around 10 p.m. at 315 E. Woodlawn Ave.
Police say 911 dispatchers received a call from Townes’ girlfriend, Leah Waring, saying there was an incident involving her ex-boyfriend.
After hanging up the phone, police say she called again, screaming “get your hands off me” into the phone and crying.
Officers responded, and when they arrived on scene, they found Shaw in the front lawn.
He had suffered several gunshots to his upper body. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital where he died from his injuries.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Harlem, NY: Police Arrest Woman in Harlem Stabbing Death
HARLEM — Police arrested Emma Cornelius on Tuesday, charging her with manslaughter in the stabbing death of her 37-year-old boyfriend inside her Harlem apartment Monday night, NYPD officials said.
Cops responded to a call at her third-floor apartment at 119 W. 137th St. at about 9:35 p.m. and found Christopher Joseph, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn stabbed once to the torso, the NYPD said. He was taken to Harlem Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Joseph and 28-year-old Cornelius had a child together, police said.
A neighbor said that Cornelius pounded on his door after 9 p.m. Monday, begging to use his phone.
"She said, 'Call the cops. My boyfriend's hurt, he hurt himself.'" said the 23-year-old man, who asked that his name not be used. "I handed her my phone."
"She said he hurt himself. She never said how," he added.
A man was stabbed to death inside 119 W. 137th St., Nov. 7, 2011. (DNAinfo/Sonja Sharp)
He said he followed Cornelius into the hallway as she called 911, and saw Joseph slumped against the doorway of her apartment, with blood seeping from a wound on his left side.
"He was unconscious. When I saw him, he was slouched up on the wall. I saw blood on his left side," the neighbor said. "[There was] a rag covering it. You could see blood on the rag."
The neighbor added that Joseph was "still breathing the whole time before the ambulance came — it sounded like a snore."
He said Cornelius was told by the 911 dispather to lay the stabbed man down on the floor. "I stepped in and helped her," he said.
Another neighbor, Quincy Jones, 36, said the victim went by the nickname "Brooklyn" and was "a good, calm guy, stays to himself."
Jones added: "Every time I seen him, he's with his family."
He said the couple had a baby daughter together, who he said was taken away by officials Monday night.
The city's Administration for Children's Services did not immediately return phone calls.
Cops responded to a call at her third-floor apartment at 119 W. 137th St. at about 9:35 p.m. and found Christopher Joseph, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn stabbed once to the torso, the NYPD said. He was taken to Harlem Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Joseph and 28-year-old Cornelius had a child together, police said.
A neighbor said that Cornelius pounded on his door after 9 p.m. Monday, begging to use his phone.
"She said, 'Call the cops. My boyfriend's hurt, he hurt himself.'" said the 23-year-old man, who asked that his name not be used. "I handed her my phone."
"She said he hurt himself. She never said how," he added.
A man was stabbed to death inside 119 W. 137th St., Nov. 7, 2011. (DNAinfo/Sonja Sharp)
He said he followed Cornelius into the hallway as she called 911, and saw Joseph slumped against the doorway of her apartment, with blood seeping from a wound on his left side.
"He was unconscious. When I saw him, he was slouched up on the wall. I saw blood on his left side," the neighbor said. "[There was] a rag covering it. You could see blood on the rag."
The neighbor added that Joseph was "still breathing the whole time before the ambulance came — it sounded like a snore."
He said Cornelius was told by the 911 dispather to lay the stabbed man down on the floor. "I stepped in and helped her," he said.
Another neighbor, Quincy Jones, 36, said the victim went by the nickname "Brooklyn" and was "a good, calm guy, stays to himself."
Jones added: "Every time I seen him, he's with his family."
He said the couple had a baby daughter together, who he said was taken away by officials Monday night.
The city's Administration for Children's Services did not immediately return phone calls.
Murrietta, CA: Jury Selection Begins for Trial of Man Accused of Knifing Girlfriend to Death
MURRIETA - Jury selection got under way today for the murder trial of a Pala man accused of raping and repeataedly stabbing his 27-year-old fiancee at a Temecula mall, where he was subdued by a Riverside County sheriff's sergeant who allegedly caught him in the act.
Mickey David Wagstaff, 27, could face life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a sexual assault in the Feb. 12, 2009, death of Elizabeth Kellenbarger Amirian.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Mandio this morning summoned 150 prospective jurors for screening as to their qualifications and availability. More prospects are expected to be screened tomorrow, with opening statements possible before week's end.
Wagstaff is being held without bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
The defendant allegedly raped Amirian while she was locked in his Toyota Previa in a parking garage at The Promenade mall. The couple had reportedly been arguing about marriage plans and whether it was appropriate to have sex Advertisement
[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] before exchanging vows.
Sheriff's investigators and prosecutors allege Wagstaff forced the victim to stay with him during the two days leading up to the assault, driving to different locations before finally arriving in Temecula. At one point, the defendant allegedly bound the woman's ankles to keep her from running away.
Moments after the alleged rape, a sheriff's sergeant -- in response to a request by mall security -- approached Wagstaff's vehicle and tapped on the window to check on the welfare of the occupants.
Sgt. Keith Knotek testified during a December 2009 hearing that when Wagstaff saw him standing there, the defendant took out a knife and began plunging it into Amirian.
Knotek said he smashed a window and deployed a Taser to stop the attack, which lasted more than a minute.
Amirian, who was stabbed 39 times in the head, back and neck, died at the scene.
Wagstaff's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Renee Rupp, argued that her client panicked when he saw the law enforcement officer and had not planned to kill his fiancee.
Mickey David Wagstaff, 27, could face life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a sexual assault in the Feb. 12, 2009, death of Elizabeth Kellenbarger Amirian.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Mandio this morning summoned 150 prospective jurors for screening as to their qualifications and availability. More prospects are expected to be screened tomorrow, with opening statements possible before week's end.
Wagstaff is being held without bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
The defendant allegedly raped Amirian while she was locked in his Toyota Previa in a parking garage at The Promenade mall. The couple had reportedly been arguing about marriage plans and whether it was appropriate to have sex Advertisement
[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] before exchanging vows.
Sheriff's investigators and prosecutors allege Wagstaff forced the victim to stay with him during the two days leading up to the assault, driving to different locations before finally arriving in Temecula. At one point, the defendant allegedly bound the woman's ankles to keep her from running away.
Moments after the alleged rape, a sheriff's sergeant -- in response to a request by mall security -- approached Wagstaff's vehicle and tapped on the window to check on the welfare of the occupants.
Sgt. Keith Knotek testified during a December 2009 hearing that when Wagstaff saw him standing there, the defendant took out a knife and began plunging it into Amirian.
Knotek said he smashed a window and deployed a Taser to stop the attack, which lasted more than a minute.
Amirian, who was stabbed 39 times in the head, back and neck, died at the scene.
Wagstaff's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Renee Rupp, argued that her client panicked when he saw the law enforcement officer and had not planned to kill his fiancee.
Smith County, MS: 3 Shot To Death In Smith County
Sheriff Investigates What Is Believed To Be Murder-Suicide
POSTED: 4:14 pm CST November 9, 2011
UPDATED: 4:20 pm CST November 9, 2011
SMITH COUNTY, Miss. -- The Smith County Sheriff's Department was at the scene Wednesday of what investigators believe to be a murder-suicide.
John Kalahar, of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said three family members were found shot to death at a home on Highway 35 South. Kalahar said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Sheriff's Department in the case.
Those killed have been identified as Oree Thorton, his wife, Ethel Thorton, and son Anthony Thorton, Kalahar said.
POSTED: 4:14 pm CST November 9, 2011
UPDATED: 4:20 pm CST November 9, 2011
SMITH COUNTY, Miss. -- The Smith County Sheriff's Department was at the scene Wednesday of what investigators believe to be a murder-suicide.
John Kalahar, of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said three family members were found shot to death at a home on Highway 35 South. Kalahar said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Sheriff's Department in the case.
Those killed have been identified as Oree Thorton, his wife, Ethel Thorton, and son Anthony Thorton, Kalahar said.
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