Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Orange Park woman, McNair exchanged text messages before shooting
In the hours before Sahel Kazemi shot Steve McNair and killed herself, the two exchanged a series of text messages about her growing money problems and meeting in the early morning of their final day.
Metro Police in Nashville, Tenn., released a report this week on the July 4 murder-suicide of the former NFL quarterback and Orange Park woman. Police said Kazemi shot McNair four times, then shot herself.
The report includes summaries of several interviews, including of the men who found the bodies and another woman who was also dating McNair.
In the text messages, Kazemi was begging McNair to transfer $2,000 into her account so she could pay cell phone and medical bills. On July 3 at 10:05 a.m., she wrote, “Baby I might have a break down im so stressed.”
Later that afternoon, McNair assured Kazemi the money was being transferred to her account.
That evening, McNair, who was married with four children, said he would join her at his condo after his kids fell asleep. He texted Kazemi at 12:38 a.m. to say he was on his way and 14 minutes later, he asked her to open the front door.
The two were found dead about 12 hours later by Carless Neeley, who said he rented the condo for McNair because he was looking for a place to “chill.”
Neeley said he didn’t realize McNair was the dead man in the condo. He first called and texted McNair, then he called another friend who came to the condo. That man, Robert Gaddy, saw the male victim and said, “Oh my God, it’s Steve.” He then called 911.
Neeley said he then left the condo and called a judge whom he knew. The judge told him to go back to the condo and tell police what he knew, which Neeley said he did.
Also interviewed was McNair’s security guard, Chris Wall, who said he was aware of the McNair-Kazemi relationship. He told police “McNair had slowed down seeing Kazemi and was becoming annoyed with their relationship.”
Wall said Kazemi was calling McNair when he was with his wife and children, “and that he was getting tired of her doing so.”
The report also includes an interview with Leah Ignagni, who was also dating McNair at the time of his death. She remembered seeing a woman in a black Cadillac Escalade when Ignagni left McNair’s condo and being followed by that same car to her apartment. Kazemi drove a black Escalade.
Ignagni saw that car several other times parked outside her apartment or circling the block in the week or two before McNair died. She said McNair stayed at her apartment the night of July 2.
Metro Police in Nashville, Tenn., released a report this week on the July 4 murder-suicide of the former NFL quarterback and Orange Park woman. Police said Kazemi shot McNair four times, then shot herself.
The report includes summaries of several interviews, including of the men who found the bodies and another woman who was also dating McNair.
In the text messages, Kazemi was begging McNair to transfer $2,000 into her account so she could pay cell phone and medical bills. On July 3 at 10:05 a.m., she wrote, “Baby I might have a break down im so stressed.”
Later that afternoon, McNair assured Kazemi the money was being transferred to her account.
That evening, McNair, who was married with four children, said he would join her at his condo after his kids fell asleep. He texted Kazemi at 12:38 a.m. to say he was on his way and 14 minutes later, he asked her to open the front door.
The two were found dead about 12 hours later by Carless Neeley, who said he rented the condo for McNair because he was looking for a place to “chill.”
Neeley said he didn’t realize McNair was the dead man in the condo. He first called and texted McNair, then he called another friend who came to the condo. That man, Robert Gaddy, saw the male victim and said, “Oh my God, it’s Steve.” He then called 911.
Neeley said he then left the condo and called a judge whom he knew. The judge told him to go back to the condo and tell police what he knew, which Neeley said he did.
Also interviewed was McNair’s security guard, Chris Wall, who said he was aware of the McNair-Kazemi relationship. He told police “McNair had slowed down seeing Kazemi and was becoming annoyed with their relationship.”
Wall said Kazemi was calling McNair when he was with his wife and children, “and that he was getting tired of her doing so.”
The report also includes an interview with Leah Ignagni, who was also dating McNair at the time of his death. She remembered seeing a woman in a black Cadillac Escalade when Ignagni left McNair’s condo and being followed by that same car to her apartment. Kazemi drove a black Escalade.
Ignagni saw that car several other times parked outside her apartment or circling the block in the week or two before McNair died. She said McNair stayed at her apartment the night of July 2.
Wesson family massacre
The Wesson Family: A facts page
A convicted killer from Missouri has pleaded guilty to killing a family in Pampa, Texas four years ago. Twenty six year-old Levi King (a.) changed his plea this morning in a Lubbock, Tx, courtroom. But King's story started hundreds of miles away near Anderson, Mo.
A relative of 70 year-old Orlie McCool and his 47 year-old daughter-in-law Dawn Burr McCool found them shot to death in a rural Pineville, MO., home on Sept. 30, 2005.
Orlie McCool was shot once with a 9 mm weapon, while Dawn McCool suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Ballistics tests determined that shell casings found at the scene matched a 9 mm Smith and Wesson handgun taken from the home of Scott King, Levi King's father.
In the commission of the McCool's murders, Orlie McCool's red 1995 Dodge Dakota pickup truck was stolen. About 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2005, agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency near El Paso arrested Levi King after stopping a red 1995 Dodge Dakota pickup that was being driven erratically and attempting to re-enter the US from the Mexican side of the border.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Backlogged Rape Kits:
CNN writer Stephanie Chen reports on the rape kit backlog problem plaguing our nation. The man who raped Lavinia Masters when she was 13 years old will never be prosecuted because the DNA results came after the statute of limitations had run. She was raped in 1985 and her rape kit sat idle until 2005. In 2005, the Dallas Police Department re-opened her case and matched the old DNA to samples from a man who was already serving time in prison for unrelated crimes - including sexual assault. Government officials say the reason for the backlog is that crime labs are overwhelmed and underfunded. Victim advocate groups claim that the kits go untested because law enforcement fail to make rape cases a priority. Most cities have large DNA backlogs. In Houston, Texas and Chicago, Illinois, crime labs have about 1,000 rape kits untested. However, some cities make it a priority to test every rape kit, and consider a kit untested for 30 days a backlog. New York City requires every kit to be tested, and has seen its arrest rate jump from 30 to 70 percent since 2003. Victim advocate groups say the best way to get the kit tested is to be persistent, and constantly ask for updates. There is hope that the backlog problem will diminish. In 2004, congress passed the Debbie Smith Act, providing more than a billion dollars to improve DNA testing procedures and reduce backlog.
Victim Wants to Promote Hope:
Sacramento Bee writer Jennifer Garza reports on the survival of Carmina Salcido, whose father attempted to kill her when she was 3 years old. On April 14, 1989, 28-year-old Ramon Salcido, went on a killing spree to murder his wife, two daughters, his mother-in-law, two young sisters-in-law, and his boss. He also shot another co-worker and slashed Carmina's throat. Carmina lay at the county dump for 36 hours, only surviving because her head had fallen forward and kept her airway intact long enough for the blood to congeal and seal it off. In November 1990, Ramon was convicted of murder and other crimes and was sent to death row at San Quentin State Prison. Carmina used to visit her father in prison, but eventually stopped. She says that Ramon never took responsibility for his actions. It has been years since her father's killing spree and Carmina is now writing a book and telling her story, hoping it will inspire other victims to never give up hope. Carmina says, "I think there is a reason I survived and that's to tell my story, to show that people can live through the horrible things that can happen."
Tattoo Photo Among Newly Released Evidence in Caylee Anthony Case
A jailhouse photo taken of a tattoo Casey Anthony got shortly after her daughter Caylee vanished is among new evidence released Friday by prosecutors in the murder case.
Color photos of the duct tape over the toddler's mouth when her remains were found, the shorts she was wearing and the laundry bag her body was placed in also were included in the 1,400 pages of evidence released.
MyFOXOrlando.com reported that a judge granted prosecutors' request to go into the Orange County Jail in Orlando to take photos of the tattoo that reads "La Bella Vida" — which means "Beautiful Life" in Italian.
Anthony got the tattoo on her left shoulder blade on July 3, 2008 — two weeks after Caylee was last seen alive.
It isn't clear how the photo or the tattoo might factor in to the case against Anthony or whether it will be discussed at her trial, now scheduled to start in January.
Anthony, 23, is jailed on first-degree murder charges in Caylee's death. She has insisted that a baby sitter kidnapped her daughter, but police say little she has told them during the investigation has proven to be true.
Investigators have gone to substantial lengths to piece together the timeline of Anthony's activities in the month after her daughter vanished and before the disappearance was reported to police.
Since early in the investigation, the Orange County Sheriff's Office and prosecutors have taken the unusual step of releasing numerous pieces of evidence before the trial.
Detectives interviewed tattoo artist Bobby Williams about the day Anthony came in, MyFOXOrlando.com reported.
"She just wanted nice cursive writing over her shoulder blade," Williams told the station. "She was acting like nothing happened. ... It's definitely strange now that you put two and two together."
Caylee Anthony disappeared in mid-June 2008 but wasn't reported missing by her family until a month later. Her remains were found in December in a wooded area near the Anthony family home in Orlando.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Family Suing After Phoenix Cop Shoots Homeowner Instead of Intruder
Tony Arambula Was Shot Six Times After Calling 911 For Help
When Tony Arambula managed to corner an armed intruder in his son's bedroom he expected police to come to his aid.
Instead, a Phoenix police officer confused Arambula for the intruder and shot him six times before realizing his mistake, a moment captured on the 911 call with a simple "F**k."
Even after realizing their mistake, Arambula said he was treated roughly, being dragged out of the house and transported briefly on the hood of a police car.
Now Arambula, 35, who survived but faces a lifetime of pain, is suing the city of Phoenix and the officers who responded to his house that night.
The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Court, alleges that Phoenix Police Officer Brian Lilly and his on-scene supervisor, Sgt. Sean Coutts, quickly conspired to cover up the mistake, not realizing that 911 was still recording Arambula's call for help.
Lilly has been cleared of any wrong doing by the Phoenix Use of Force Board, but the Arambulas are suing the officer, Coutts, the city of Phoenix, the Phoenix police department and a number of unidentified emergency workers for at least $5.75 million.
When Tony Arambula managed to corner an armed intruder in his son's bedroom he expected police to come to his aid.
Instead, a Phoenix police officer confused Arambula for the intruder and shot him six times before realizing his mistake, a moment captured on the 911 call with a simple "F**k."
Even after realizing their mistake, Arambula said he was treated roughly, being dragged out of the house and transported briefly on the hood of a police car.
Now Arambula, 35, who survived but faces a lifetime of pain, is suing the city of Phoenix and the officers who responded to his house that night.
The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Court, alleges that Phoenix Police Officer Brian Lilly and his on-scene supervisor, Sgt. Sean Coutts, quickly conspired to cover up the mistake, not realizing that 911 was still recording Arambula's call for help.
Lilly has been cleared of any wrong doing by the Phoenix Use of Force Board, but the Arambulas are suing the officer, Coutts, the city of Phoenix, the Phoenix police department and a number of unidentified emergency workers for at least $5.75 million.
Brooke Astor’s Son Found Guilty
At last, the long, ugly Astor trial has at last come to an (ugly) end: A jury has found Anthony Marshall , 85, guilty of swindling his Alzheimer's-ridden mother, socialite Brooke Astor, out of more than $60 million. Marshall was convicted on fourteen of sixteen charges, including grand larceny, conspiracy, and fraud. His lawyer, Francis Morrissey, who allegedly aided the fraud, was also found guilty of conspiracy and forgery. Both men could be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison, but they'll have to wait a little longer to find out what their fate is. The judge set the sentencing for Dec. 8.
According to the Post, Marshall appeared stoic and somber when the verdict was read, while his wife, Charlene, trembled slightly and Morrissey nearly cried.
“What an end," a longtime friend of the Marshall's told the Times. "To be 85 and have this happen is dreadful. It's dreadful at any age.”
That was apparently all the sympathy there was for the pair in the courtroom. In his closing statements, an assistant district attorney read from the Book of Psalms: “Do not cast me away when I am old. Do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”
Gun-toting Pa. soccer mom, husband found shot dead
LEBANON, Pa. — A mother of three who gained national notoriety after she openly carried a loaded handgun to her daughter's soccer game was shot dead along with her husband in what appeared to be a murder-suicide.
Meleanie Hain, 31, and Scott Hain 33, were pronounced dead shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at their 1 1/2-story brick home in Lebanon, a small city about 80 miles west of Philadelphia.
The couple's three children home at the time but weren't hurt, police told the Patriot-News in Harrisburg. They were taken to stay with friends and relatives.
Some neighbors told the Lebanon Daily News they heard or saw the children — a 10-year-old boy and girls aged 2 and 6 — running from the house and screaming "Daddy shot Mommy!" shortly before the 911 emergency center was alerted at 6:20 p.m.
Debbie Mise, who lives nearby, said she heard a strange sound following by the screams of the children.
"I heard something heavy drop or fall, and then right away I heard the kids screaming, but I thought they were playing," Mise said. "It was loud. But it didn't sound like a pop."
Lebanon Police Chief Daniel Wright said Thursday that the case is classified as a "death investigation" involving two adult victims, but that no one outside the home nor any of the children is suspected of killing the couple. Detectives were still at the scene late Thursday morning, he said.
Wright said he did not plan to release any additional information about the case until after Lebanon County Coroner Dr. Jeffrey Yocum conducts autopsies on Friday.
Details about the shootings and what prompted the violence remained unclear Thursday morning.
Neighbor Mark Long said the Hains had been having marital problems for about a week. He said Scott Hain had left home on Tuesday, and Meleanie Hain didn't know where he was, but that he returned Wednesday.
Another neighbor, Brian Witmer, said he saw Scott Hain mowing his lawn around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"There was nothing out of the ordinary," he said. "He didn't seem strange at all."
Scott Hain worked as a parole officer in neighboring Berks County, the News reported. He was formerly a guard at the Camp Hill state prison, according to the newspaper.
Meleanie Hain made headlines after she attended her then 5-year-old daughter's soccer game in a park on Sept. 11, 2008, with her 9mm Glock pistol in plain view holstered on her hip, upsetting other parents.
The county sheriff, Michael DeLeo, revoked her gun-carrying permit nine days later.
Hain successfully appealed the permit revocation, although the judge who restored the permit questioned her judgment and said she had "scared the devil" out of other people at the game.
Hain sued DeLeo in federal court, alleging that he violated her constitutional rights and prosecuted her maliciously when he took the permit away. She said that because of his actions her baby-sitting service had suffered, her children had been harassed and she had been ostracized by her neighbors in Lebanon, which has about 25,000 residents.
DeLeo said at Hain's appeal that he revoked her permit after fielding the parents' complaints. He said he based his decision on a state law that prohibits certain gun permits from being given to anyone whose character and reputation make him or her a danger to public safety.
After Hain sued DeLeo, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which says it tries to reform the gun industry through sensible regulations, offered to defend him for free.
"It is a case that calls out for common sense," Brady Center attorney Daniel Vice said then. "It's ridiculous to bring a gun to a child's soccer game."
A court hearing on Hain's $1 million lawsuit was postponed in May after an attorney in the case was involved in a traffic accident.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)