Saturday, October 29, 2011

James S. Gillette Jr.




COLUMBIA CTY, Ga. -- A shooting at a crowded party has left one person dead and investigators searching for several suspects.

Deputies were called to the Belair Conference Center on Jimmie Dyess Parkway just before midnight Saturday evening. They found several hundred people inside attending a party.

Several fights broke out and the DJ stopped the music to ask people to leave, Columbia County Capt. Steve Morris said in an e-mail Sunday.

Dispatchers also told News 12 they received several 911 calls from people reporting fights at the location and could hear screaming in the background.

"We saw all the lights," witness Leroy Pete told News 12's Cleo Greene. He was staying at a hotel right across from the center, but said no adults were present at the party.

"I thought it was a fight, I didn't know it was shooting," he said.

As people started leaving, witnesses say a man named "DQ" was threatening to start shooting in the parking lot. Several shots were heard and party employees asked people to come back inside for their safety.

19-year-old James S. Gillette Jr. of Augusta collapsed inside the front entrance as he walked inside, Morris said.

Family members tell News 12 Gillette was working at the conference center during the party and was trying to get guests into the building. He was pronounced dead at MCG Health and an autopsy is scheduled for Sunday or Monday.

"He was there doing his job he was not a part of this," Annettea Mills said about her nephew. "My nephew tried to save those children, and he ended up getting shot in the stomach and he died on the scene."

About a minute later, more shots were heard in the parking lot, Morris said. Witnesses told News 12 they heard three "pops" and started running.

At least two ambulances left the scene with patients inside.

More than eight police cars were at the center and deputies used crime scene tape to seal off the area between several hotels and a Waffle House.

Investigators believe there were multiple shooters and they left the scene in at least two cars. Deputies were looking for a blue or dark gray minivan with two donut spares on the rear tires along with a silver Toyota or Impala with a broken passenger window covered with a white trash bag also with a donut spare on a rear tire.

The victim's aunt has a message. "Stop shooting each other ... you're killing good kids," Mills said.


Murderers:

Austin Wayne Maudsley



Marana police have charged two juveniles in the March 11 murder of 16-year-old Austin Wayne Maudsley.

Santos Angel Hernandez, 15, and Dante Ishmael Solomon, 17, were processed this morning into the Pima County Jail as adults on first-degree murder and robbery charges. During their interviews, the suspects admitted their involvement in the incident, said Marana police chief Terry Rozema.

Maudsley was last seen March 11 at the Ora Mae Harn Park in Marana, where he and other family members were watching his sister play baseball. He left the park with Hernandez and Solomon, and made contact with his family by cell phone that night at 7:30.

The family returned to the park later that night to look for the 16-year-old but did not find him. The next morning, Maudsley's mother contacted the Marana Police Department. She was transferred to the Pima County Sheriff's Department because the family resides in an unincorporated area of the county.
Since Maudsley had left the park voluntarily and the family hoped he would return home soon, a decision was made to wait until that Monday morning, March 14, to file a runaway report with the PCSD.

Maudsley's body was found March 18 by a man walking his dog in the field directly south of the Marana Police Department, near the park and the suspects' residences in the 13000 block of N. Lon Adams.

Due to the state of the body, police were unable to immediately determine the cause of death, gender or identity. Maudsley was identified three days later, on March 21, using dental records supplied by the family.

According to police, the 16-year-old had left the park March 11 with Hernandez and Solomon, with whom he was acquainted and with whom he appeared to have encountered by chance that night. All three had prior run-ins with the police.

The suspects told police they went to Solomon's home on the pretext of getting something. Leaving Maudsley outside, the suspects allegedly obtained two knives from inside the house; they then led Maudsley to the field on a false pretense. Once there, Maudsley was stabbed multiple times, according to the autopsy report. The juveniles took Maudsley's wallet and then left him in the field, according to police.

Police belief the juveniles murdered Maudsley because he had disrespected them that night as well as on a previous occasion. Chief Rozema would not elaborate due to the ongoing investigation.

Rozema credited tips from the community and hard work by his department in achieving the arrests.
"We will continue to foster those relationships to keep the community safe," he told reporters at a press conference on March 25, adding his department "will not allow and accept crime to take root in our community."

Murderers:

Gerald Rabon



BONITA SPRINGS — A trial date has been postponed for one of the pair of siblings accused of taking part in a robbery and fatal shooting at a San Carlos Park convenience store last year.

A 20-year-old store clerk working the night shift, Gerald Rabon, was shot in the head during the Aug. 25, 2007 robbery at a Pik-N-Run gas station. He died from his injuries several days later. Rabon, a Fort Myers resident, was a graduate of Cypress Lake High School, and he had taken part in the Explorers program with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, a law enforcement training program.

An investigation report in the case shows that Rabon tried to fight off the two people who rushed into the store with a gun that night.

The robbery was caught on the store’s surveillance video, and two Fort Myers residents who had been in jail before — Iris Moreland and her brother Chad Moreland — were arrested Aug. 26, 2007.

Iris Moreland had been out of jail for about a month at the time of the shooting, and she had been arrested multiple times, often on drug-related charges.

Both Iris Moreland, 28, and Chad Moreland, 25, were indicted last October on charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Iris Moreland had been scheduled to face trial in November, but that date was pushed back as the siblings appeared together in a hearing room Tuesday afternoon at the Lee County courthouse in Fort Myers.

David Brener, her public defender, had requested a confession expert in her case, which the court appointed. Brener told the judge he would be filing a motion to suppress parts of a long statement Moreland gave based on the expert’s views.

Circuit Judge Ed Volz set Iris Moreland’s next court date for Dec. 9.

Chad Moreland’s next court date will be Feb. 17, 2009. He could face the death penalty if convicted. The state is not seeking the death penalty in Iris Moreland’s case.

Murderers:


Kasey Ragan



A young student from Northwestern State University was killed Thursday morning and police have arrested who they believe is responsible.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, the Natchitoches Police Department responded to a call of a shooting on the Highway 1 Bypass at the CP-Tel parking lot.

"Right before the shooting there was a fight between two groups of people," said Detective Brad Walker, Natchitoches Chief Investigator. "One group had the suspect in it and some of his friends and the other had the victim and some of her friends."

Officers responded to that call and found 20-year-old Kasey Ragan of Natchitoches, a psychology major and honor roll student at NSU, unresponsive with a single gunshot would to the throat.
Ragan was pronounced dead shortly after.

Police believe that 25-year-old, Jeremy Osborn of Natchitoches, pulled the trigger during that fight.
"She was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time and I don't know if she was the intended victim or not," said Detective Walker. "Or, if it was a random shooting due to the fight, due to agitation.  That will, of course, come out in the investigation."

Osborn turned himself in early Thursday afternoon to the Natchitoches Police Department.  He's being held without bond on one count of second degree murder.

Police say right now they don't have a motive as to why Ragan was shot, but they are going to continue to investigate until they find one.

Friends say they're sorry they lost such a great person to such a horrible crime.

"Kasey was always the lively one.  Everyone knew when she entered the room.  No matter where she was, even if she didn't know you, she would come up and introduce you and you knew who she was immediately," said Whitney Irvin, a friend of Ragan's. "Overall, she was a great person.  She was very friendly, very personable and everyone got along with her."

Now, with Osborn behind bars, police are hoping to find out what really happened.

Murderer:

Conor W. Reynolds



SPRINGFIELD – The Cathedral High School graduation on Friday provided a joyous ceremony for students, families and staff, mixed with solemn moments in memory of slain classmate Conor W. Reynolds.

The commencement, conducted at the Cathedral auditorium, was preceded by a fire alarm and brief evacuation, was punctuated by song and encouraging speeches and closed with a presentation of diplomas to 122 graduates and one diploma presented to the Reynolds family. “It was a special day,” graduate Stefan Audet said immediately after the graduation. “I think remembering Conor was the right thing to do here. We worked so hard this year after a huge loss, and especially to get this far.

It was mixed feelings: both sad and happiness.” Reynolds, a school soccer star, was stabbed to death March 13, during a large birthday party for one of his classmates. Charged with murder was Eric B. Denson, 20, of Springfield, who has pleaded innocent and is being jailed without right to bail, pending trial.

Murderer:

Nathan Romo



LORENA - Waco Police say they have two men in custody in connection with the shooting death of a Lorena football player.

Police say the two men are 28-year-old Willie Contreras of Waco and 17-year-old Leonard Trey Nino of Lorena.

Nino turned himself into police Friday and Contreras was arrested by U.S. Marshals and Waco Patrol Officers around noon.

Nathan Romo was shot in the head on the night of March 8th at Guthrie Park in Waco.

He was reportedly there to meet up with someone he had an earlier argument with.

Romo was taken off of life support three days later.

Murderers:


Corey Brooks



Prosecutor Donna Elder has one mission over the next few days: to prove Keion Griffin fired the bullet that killed CCU student Corey Brooks in May 2008.

During the first day of testimony, Elder called several witnesses to describe how a scuffle between two groups of young men led to the shooting. The picture painted was one that seems senseless. A fight over a parking spot. Teenagers with a gun. A 20-year-old dead.

Elder established for the court what led up to the events, and the witnesses kept getting back to the one central impetus: a parking spot.

According to the prosecution and its witnesses, Corey Brooks was staying with friends that Memorial Day weekend at the home of Josh Hughes on 3rd Avenue North.

Brooks and his buddies were down for a few days to grill out, hang out and drink, one of his friends said.

On the night of May 25, the group of young men, mostly college students, headed to the boulevard for a night out on the town. They returned sometime after midnight to find a group of women in a car parked in the yard of that home. They wanted to park there. Brooks' friends told them no.

Prosecutors allege that's when another group walked up which included 19-year-old Keion Griffin, 19-year-old Demario Stukes, and a 16-year-old juvenile.

Griffin and Stukes, prosecutors and witnesses said, pressed the issue about the parking spot. A scuffle broke out. Voices rose. Corey Brooks, the story goes, came down from the home's porch to break up the fight.

The witnesses told the court that one of the young men struck Brooks on his head with a gun. The juvenile, who pleaded guilty to being a minor in possession of a pistol, took the stand Monday and turned state's witness.

The juvenile testified he brought a gun from his mother's house that night "just to bring it." He said he gave it to Stukes.

According to his testimony, Stukes must have given the gun to Griffin sometime later because it was Griffin, the juvenile claimed, that hit Brooks with the pistol. But Griffin didn't stop there, the juvenile said. Once Brooks was on the ground, according to the juvenile, Griffin shot Brooks once in the back.

The juvenile said all three teenagers ran from the scene, and that he took the gun and put it back under his mother's bed. But the juvenile said he worried. He said it was a "dirty gun" and that he needed to dispose of it. He said he threw it in a trash can a couple of days later.

Five days after Brooks died, all three men were in custody. Griffin and Stukes were charged with murder. The juvenile was not charged in connection to the murder.

Griffin's defense attorney, James Galmore, wondered why the juvenile wasn't charged when it was, in fact, the juvenile who brought the gun that night. Galmore claimed the juvenile made "a deal" with police and prosecutors. Galmore said the juvenile agreed to give up evidence in return for leniency. Therefore, Galmore said, the juvenile has motive to say what prosecutors want him to say.

Prosecutors countered that the juvenile told police Griffin was the shooter five days before the any deal was made and before the juvenile told them where the alleged murder weapon could be found.

After the juvenile wrapped up his testimony, the jury was released for the day while the court took care of some housekeeping measures.

Testimony is scheduled to resume at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday.

No trial date has yet been set for Demario Stukes.

Murderers: 

Friday, October 28, 2011

Kelli O'Laughlin



Police are questioning a man in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old girl who was found by her mother Thursday afternoon in their Indian Head Park home, authorities said.

Police found signs of forced entry at the home in the 6300 block of Keokuk Road and suspect Kelli O'Laughlin's death may have been the result of a burglary gone bad, a source said.

Police took the man into custody in Chicago late Thursday and were still questioning him, sources said. No charges have been filed, but prosecutors are in contact with investigators, a law enforcement source said.

Indian Head Park Police Chief Frank Alonzo was asked about a possible suspect during a brief news conference this afternoon and would only say, "That's under investigation."

Alonzo did say police believe Kelli came home from school between 4:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Thursday and "confronted what we believe was a burglary." She was later found by her mother.

The police chief said officers have been able to draw up a sketch of a person of interest based on a description from a witness. It depicts a black male, 25 to 35 years old, medium build, wearing a hoodie and a dark sweatshirt. There was some kind of pattern on his back, Alonzo said.

He said there had been six or seven burglaries in the town about a month ago, and those cases have been closed with three arrests.

"We're going to work our hardest to bring this person to justice," Alonzo said. "We're giving it everything we have.

"Our sympathy goes out to the family," he added. "This is a tragedy for a young person to walk into their home and have this happen."

Alonzo's remarks were the first extended public comments from police about the case. Earlier today, neighbors said they were angry over the lack of information and not knowing if their children were at risk.

Donna Yelnick, 44, who was going around the neighborhood tying white garbage bags as ribbons around trees and light poles, said: "We're starting to get a little upset that police aren't telling us what's going on."

She said her daughter, a junior at Lyons Township High School, "is really scared. It's got to be hard for kids to process."

Carmen Lopez, 45, who lives two blocks from the O'Laughlin residence, said "we have the right to know what's happening in our neighborhood," adding that her first-grade daughter spent a sleepless night.

Pat Sector, 45, said her 11-year-old daughter "went to school in tears this morning."

She noted the slaying occurred near a park where neighborhood children play. "I'm very angry about this," she said.

Paris Hale, 15, and her mother, Mollie, also were hanging white ribbons throughout the neighborhood this morning in honor of Kelli. Paris is a sophomore at Kelli's school.

"We decided it'd be a way to help out and honor her," Paris said. "She was really cute and friendly and had a lot of friends. She loved tennis and traveled a lot."

Parent Kate Brodlo, who lives near the slain girl, joined them. Brodlo said Kelli graduated from LaGrange Highlands Elementary School, where her four children also attend.

"Dropoff (at the school) this morning was really hard," she said. "A lot of parents and children were crying."

Lyons Township High School District 204 was not holding classes today, but grief counselors and social workers were available at the school's south campus, 4900 S. Willow Springs Road, Western Springs.

Officials said the facility was only open to students, parents and staff today to make it as welcoming as possible for those who need support.

Students who showed up this morning were were ushered in by side doors by staff. Students began arriving in groups of two or three, many in sweatpants and sweatshirts – silent as they entered the building. LTHS support staff was stationed in the library and prepared to see students either individually or in groups.

This morning, friends of Kelli mourned her on Facebook.

"I cant even tell you how much i am going to miss you," one friend posted. "we have been through so much together and i hate that i didnt even get to say goodbye. you were always my friend kelli. we were the kellis. i remember all kinds of memories we had together. from crummy mummy jokes to me spilling nail polish on your carpet."

Another:

"It was a pervildge being your friend, neighbor and anything else! You helped with so mch being truthful and helpful. A beautiful soal like yours shouldnt have been killed. Your in heaven with no doubt! I will alseay smile thinking of you! ♥ rest in peace"

And one more:

"I remember in Gym, and it was the last day of flagfootball, and she brought in the black paint stuff, and she put it all over her face. ahha. She was such a sweet and happy girl. RIP Beautiful girl♥"



Kaylee Alvarez




A driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, driving under the influence, hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license after crashing into a family in a crosswalk in Long Beach.  The parents were pulling their two children, ages one and two, in a trailer when the vehicle struck them.

The wagon was caught in the wheel-well of the vehicle and was drug for a block.  The driver stopped the car and the boy and part of the wagon was dislodged, but after the vehicle sped away the one-year-old daughter was drug for another mile.  Even as pedestrians and other drivers screamed at the driver to stop, he kept going.  The baby, Kaylee Alvarez was pronounced dead at the scene.

The description of the parents reactions, as related by the Long Beach Press-Telegram are heart-breaking for their candor and sadness:

"They guy hit us and he didn't even stop," Alvarez said. "I was going crazy looking for my kids."

Kaylee Alvarez was dragged about another mile until the driver stopped at his residence near the corner of Wilton Street and Redondo, neighbors said.

"He dragged my little girl. I wanted to run, but I was in shock," Alvarez said.

"I know he's a father and I feel bad for his family," Alvarez said of Dinkins. "But I don't understand why he didn't stop. It's like he didn't have a heart."

Almost equally shocking is the reaction of the driver, allegedly Neely Lejon Dinkins.

A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said the driver pulled into the driveway of his residence, said, "I think I hit a baby," and ran in the front door.

Neighbors said a police officer shined a flashlight underneath the SUV and discovered the tiny body with pieces of the red plastic wagon. The baby was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Alvarez family has set up an account at the Wescom Credit Union for those who wish to donate for Kaylee's funeral expenses. The account number is 708248.

Elizabeth Ennen



Elizabeth Ennen, Missing Since Jan 5, Found Dead in Lubbock, Texas

15-year-old Elizabeth Ennen, who had gone missin gon January 5, has been found dead in Lubbock County, Texas. Elizabeth Ennen was last seen on CCTV footage from the Carriage House Motel  getting shoved into a motel room  by Humberto Maldonado Salinas Jr.

Humberto Maldonado Salinas Jr. Held in Elizabeth Ennen Disappearance

Humberto Salinas has been held in Lubbock County Jail for aggravated kidnapping; police are preparing to charge Salinas for the murder of Elizabeth Ennen.

Elizabeth Ennen was babysitting Humberto Maldonado Salinas Jr's children on the night of her disappearance. Salinas was a friend of Ennen's mother. Salinas claims to have returned Elizabeth Ennen to her home at 1am on January 5, but her mother said that Ennen never returned from the babysitting job.

Murderer:


Thomas Ray Horvath


In Loving Memory Of Thomas Ray Horvath Thomas Horvath 19 went to be with the Lord early Wednesday morning due to a gun shot wound. He'll be deeply miss from his family and friends. Please Stop The Violence!! No sentencing date has been set. Investigators say Horvath, 19, was shot once in the head and once in the abdomen at the Raintree Apartments off 16th Avenue SW back in April. The shooting occurred after a group of people got into a scuffle. Police say the incident actually began somewhere else on the southwest side and then ended up at that apartment complex. Horvath died the next morning at Mercy Medical Center. 
 
Murderer:

Jonathan Foster



HOUSTON -- A woman has been charged with capital murder in the death of a 12-year-old Houston boy whose badly burned body was found in a ditch this week following his Christmas Eve disappearance.

Mona Yvette Nelson, 44, was arrested Wednesday. She remained in jail Thursday on no bond. Court records did not list an attorney. 

Police say Jonathan Foster, who had been left home alone, was kidnapped from his home on Christmas Eve before being killed and burned.

"Mona Nelson has made what investigators call a self-serving statement, which places her with Jonathan. However, she has not admitted to killing him," Houston police spokesman Kese Smith told the Houston Chronicle. "She is the only suspect."

Homicide investigator Mike Miller said investigators believe Nelson took the boy to her home, where she likely killed him and burned his body.

Miller said that while a search of Nelson's home turned up an "incredible amount of evidence," investigators are still trying to determine a motive.

Jonathan's mother, Angela Davis, said she'd met Nelson only once, on the night of her son's disappearance.
Nelson was friends with Davis' roommate and the boy's frequent babysitter, Sharon Ennamorato, who described Nelson as a friend who used to work in maintenance at an apartment complex across the street from the home.

Davis had moved into the home with Ennamorato on Dec. 14, after she and Jonathan's stepfather split up. Both Davis and Ennamorato had to work on Friday morning, so Foster was to stay home alone till his mother was expected to return in the early afternoon.

While at work that morning, a colleague told Davis her son had called the office and was asking for Ennamorato's number.

Then a woman called back, saying it was an emergency. Davis said that by the time she made it to the phone, the line was dead.

Concerned, Davis called the house phone repeatedly as she drove there, she said. Someone picked up just minutes before she pulled up around 2 p.m.

She said when a woman answered, Davis asked to speak to her son. She heard a woman say: "Is your mama's name Angela?" she said.

And she heard Jonathan say: "Yes ma'am, my mama's name is Angela." Then the phone went dead.

When she opened the door moments later, cartoons were still on the TV, and a game was up on the computer screen. She called for her son, but got no answer.

"The only thing missing in this house is his tan T-shirt with a guitar on it, a pair of jeans, his white sneakers and his black stuffed cat that my grandmother made him," Davis said. "There was no struggle."

Davis said that Nelson stopped by the house that night, telling her that she had come to the house that morning looking for Ennamorato, and that Jonathan had answered the door wearing no shirt, and it seemed like someone was in the house with him.

Court records show that in 1984, Nelson was charged with aggravated robbery. She later pleaded guilty in exchange for 10 years' probation. Her probation was revoked in 1991 and she was sent to prison. The newspaper reports that it was unclear from court records how long she spent in prison.

Murderer:

   

Alicia Dyches



OLAR, SC (WIS) - A man charged with killing a teenage Bamberg County store clerk screamed profanities at members of the victim's family during his bond hearing on Wednesday.

Moments before a judge denied bond for 20-year-old Michael Daniels, the sister of 19-year-old Alicia Dyches broke down in court and wailed, "I hope he pays."

"F--- you," Michaels responded, before repeating the insult.

Authorities say Daniels went into the Tiger Express convenience store in Olar near closing time Monday night, killing Dyches and wounding another employee and a store customer.

Bamberg County Sheriff Ed Darnell says Daniels lived near the store. Dyches' father Mark says Daniels harassed his daughter in the weeks before the killing.

"He took from me the most important thing in my life," said a devastated Mark Dyches.

Dyches recalls talking to his daughter three hours earlier. "I had just got off the phone with her at 8:15, she called me last night and said she was coming by when she got off work," said Dyches. "I sat up and waited. I texted her. She never texted back. I got a call after saying she had been shot. I got there. It was too late."

Dyches' 53-year old coworker, Dwight James Williams, and 17-year-old customer Kenneth Utz were also shot in the incident. Utz and Williams are recovering at area hospitals.

Investigators took Daniels into custody about 30 minutes after the incident and charged him with murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and numerous other charges.

Investigators say Daniels was trying to rob the place. Dyches says Daniels had been harassing Alicia for weeks. "I think he was trying to hit on my daughter, trying to get her to talk to him but she wasn't interested," said Dyches.

Dyches says both he and Alicia filed reports stating Daniels was threatening his daughter. Investigators say Alicia didn't complete the process of getting a restraining order.

"There's a hole in our heart that can't be filled," said Dyches' aunt, Margurita Gurbbs. "She didn't deserve being killed. She was just doing her job."

Flowers lie at the store where Dyches was killed. She had only worked there for about four months, doing a job many in the small town saw her doing day in and day out.

"She always had a smile on her face," said Patricia Fail. "When I walk in the store I'm still gonna see Alicia with a smile on her face. It's gonna be hard for me to go in and know she's not gonna be here."

Daniel's mother is also taking it hard. "I love him. I'm gonna stand by him through everything," said Virginia Williams. "It wasn't really the son I knew, because it's like something is going on in his head. I can't understand it."

"I'm sorry it happened to all the families," Virginia Williams continued. "I can't say that I know what they're going through but I sympathize because I lost a child also."

Tragedy in this small town that hasn't seen a murder in 30 years. "If you wanted to walk to the store from work or get in the car and go to the store to get a drink, you kinda have a second thought about that now," said Patricia Fall.

Now Dyches is planning a funeral for his daughter he loved so much. "She was my best friend and I need her," said Dyches.

Murderer:

Derick and Gage Greene



BIDDEFORD: A controversial Biddeford man known for his involvement in town politics and lawsuits will be arraigned today on two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of two young brothers.

An eyewitness said Rory Holland shot Gage Greene in the chest and then shot Derek Greene twice in the back during a confrontation in front of Holland's house early Tuesday morning.

Kurtis White said the shootings occurred in front of him as he bicycled up South Street. Gage Greene, 19, and Holland ''were arguing over something,'' White said.

Holland pulled a gun from his pants and ''shot (Gage) in the chest,'' White said. ''When I went to see if Gage was OK, he put the gun on me. Then Derek came from across the street.''

White said Derek Greene, 21, turned around when he saw the gun, but that Holland shot him twice in the back.

Police said they received calls around 1 a.m. from neighbors on South Street reporting gunshots, and arrived to find the Greene brothers lying in the street. Holland, 55, was in his house and refused to come out, they said, so a SWAT squad was called.

Police said Holland surrendered around 6 a.m., but they are releasing few details about the shootings.
Neither victim was armed, said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

The Greene brothers were taken to Southern Maine Medical Center, where both died shortly after arrival.

Holland and Derek Greene had an altercation about six weeks ago, and Greene was arrested on assault charges and ordered to stay away from Holland.

A two-time mayoral candidate with a criminal record, Holland has been a combative figure in Biddeford for more than two decades, racking up a long list of crimes and allegations, filing suits against the city and being victimized by racial slurs -- Holland is black -- that were spray-painted on the fence in front of his home.

As a convicted felon, Holland would be unable to own a handgun legally. McCausland said police are investigating how he obtained the weapon he allegedly used.

Many neighbors and residents said they weren't surprised by what transpired Tuesday.

''I've always said it's going to take a tragedy to wake the state up to him, and that's what's happened,'' said Paul Burgess, who has lived across the street from Holland for five years. ''It seems like this guy is untouchable. It wouldn't surprise me to see him get out of this.''

Burgess said he called police about Holland several times, including an incident this year in which he said Holland was using a leaf blower to send trash from his yard into the street. Police rarely did anything in response to the complaints, Burgess said.

''They were afraid he was going to sue the police department,'' he said. ''They would arrest him and he would sue them.''

Calls seeking a response from Biddeford Police Chief Roger P. Beaupre and a spokeswoman were not returned.

Biddeford police also declined to release details of a May 12 incident involving Derek Greene and Holland, saying it is part of the investigation into the shooting.

A friend of Greene's -- who also was charged in that altercation -- said Greene had asked him to come along when he went to confront Holland about an earlier dispute.

Elijah Copeland said Greene had struck Holland before police arrived on the scene. Copeland also said police originally handcuffed Holland, but after Greene struck Holland again, Greene and Copeland were arrested.

Because of that incident, Copeland said he suspected Holland as soon as he heard his friend had been shot.

''I knew it was Rory straight out,'' said Copeland, who said he was told that Holland ''was going to gun us all down, everybody that hanged on this block.''

Copeland said he never heard Holland make a threat directly, ''but we got the message'' from others.
Copeland and others said the brothers didn't represent a threat to Holland. Both Greene brothers were about 5 feet 8 inches tall and slightly built, Copeland said. Holland's driver's license lists him as 6 feet 4 inches and 235 pounds.

Friends said the Greene brothers moved to Biddeford about two years ago. Derek Greene was convicted of terrorizing in August 2006 and sentenced to 180 days in jail, suspended. He also was convicted of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer in December 2007, ordered to make restitution and fined $200. Last December, he was charged with burglary of a motor vehicle.

Wendy Foster said she took in Gage Greene, a friend of her son's, last winter when he had nowhere to stay. She said he was trying to make a living working with a roofer, but it had been hard in recent weeks because of the horrible weather.

''He was like my own, pretty much,'' she said.

Residents of the area said they have had frequent clashes with Holland. A man who runs an Internet service provider business near Holland's house said he got a protection-from-abuse order filed against Holland three years ago.

''He'd be hanging out here'' outside the building, ''just being obnoxious to our customers,'' said Roland Lawler, who runs XpressAmerica. ''I think he liked the attention.''

Lawler said he's not surprised that Holland has been charged in the shooting.

''This has been building up for years,'' he said. ''Everybody has a story about Rory.''



They wouldn't harm a fly. They had great hearts.''

Justin Libby said he employed Derek and Gage two years ago as workers in his paving business.
''They were good workers, who never complained. They will be missed,'' Libby said.

Wendy Foster organized the vigil. Foster said she took Derek into her home last winter because he needed a place to live and because her son was one of Derek's best friends.

''I wanted everyone who knew Gage and Derek to have the chance to be here. I wanted to show respect to their family because they are grieving right now,'' Foster told the crowd.

''I didn't know them personally, but I do know their mom. I'm a mother and I know how hard it must be to lose two sons,'' said Missy Diffin of Biddeford. Diffin has a five-year-old daughter. ''They did not deserve to die.''

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Jamie Mason



An illegal immigrant whose car knocked down and killed a 12-year-old boy following a drinking spree has finally been thrown out of Britain more than five years after the tragedy.

Aaron Chisango was deported back to his native Zimbabwe.

A UK Border Agency source today confirmed to the Express&Star that Chisango has been returned to Africa.

The move came as a huge relief to long suffering relatives of Jamie Mason, who was knocked down while crossing Cannock Road in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, on January 8, 2005.

Jamie’s mother Hayley Leighton said today: “This is some kind of justice for Jamie but if the Immigration Department had done its job properly five years ago he would still be here now. Chisango should have been deported before the incident happened.”

His sister Tracy, now aged 36, from Lower Prestwood Road added: “I am still very bitter about what happened but I am delighted to see the back of him. Now Jamie can rest in peace.”

The Wednesfield High School pupil, who lived with his mother and step father Steve in Blackwood Avenue, Wednesfield, was crossing the road to reach Tracy when he was hit by a black Rover 620 driven by Chisango.

The Zimbabwean should have left the country three months earlier.

Chisango, now aged 32, had neither UK driving licence nor insurance, had been drinking whisky the night before.

A charge of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink was dropped because lawyers said there was no enough evidence to prove that he was driving without due care and attention at the time and that his actions resulted in the boy’s death.

Murderer:


Tyler J. Binsted



Tyler J. Binsted, a 19-year-old student at Virginia Commonwealth University was found shot to death March 27, 2008 morning in Byrd Park.

Police responded to reports of a shooting in the 600 block of South Sheppard Street. They found Binsted, a student from Mount Jackson in Shenandoah Valley, who had been shot in the back after a robbery near the Byrd Park tennis courts.

Binsted, a sophomore sculpture major at VCU, was walking in the park with his 21-year-old girlfriend when they were approached by two males, one armed with a gun. It was sometime after midnight. Hours earlier, they'd played tennis near this same spot.

Binsted and his girlfriend were robbed of their car keys. They were standing there when the robbers told them to get in the trunk. Binsted put his hand on the lid and closed it shut. He said, "We're not doing that," as reported by his girlfriend.

In the thin light of night near the tennis courts, the stand-off seemed to dissipate. The couple already had given up all they had, she said.

"We thought it was over with," Binsted's girlfriend said. They started to walk away, then broke into a run.

But a shot rang out and Binsted fell to the ground.

Binsted's girlfriend tried to flag down a car to help her dying friend, a frightening new chapter evolved.

The assailants had driven off in her car after the shooting; then her car loomed into view again and a male with a gun suddenly approached her. "I think they had come back to kill me," she said.

She ran to the rear of a second car she had stopped seconds earlier, grabbed at the back door and jumped in.

She had escaped. But the driver refused to help other than to take her away. His cell phone didn't work, he said.

She got out at Cary Street and Boulevard and ran west on Cary. A man whose name she doesn't know let her use his cell phone. Moments later, she watched an ambulance pass her on Cary, headed to Binsted.

The suspects fled in Binsted's car, a navy blue Honda Accord, with Virginia license plate PHA 787. Police described the suspects as black males, between 14 and 17 years old, who were last seen driving toward South Richmond by the Boulevard Bridge.

Published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on 3/27/2008 and 3/28/2008.

**********************************

UPDATE:

The Richmond Police have in custody one of the suspects, Howard Reed Scott III, 17, of the 1500 block of Silver Avenue in South Richmond off Jefferson Davis Avenue. The second suspect is a juvenile.

Published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on 3/29/2008.

*********************************

OBITUARY:

A funeral for Binsted is scheduled Monday, March 31, 2008, near his hometown of Mount Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley. His twin brother is flying home from studies in Europe. An older sister is flying home from out West.

His father, Thomas Binsted, a Marine and formerly a logger and ranch hand in Montana, said yesterday he is trying to understand how such a thing could happen to a family that sought the quiet and stillness of the Shenandoah Valley.

The family has asked that contributions be made to the SPCA in Woodstock or to the music department of Stonewall Jackson High School. There will be a memorial service Sunday at the school, where Binsted was a soccer star, highly regarded student and violin virtuoso.

The funeral Monday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Jerome begins at 11 a.m., with burial to follow in the church graveyard.

Published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on 3/29/2008.

Morgan Harrington



Virginia State Police say the release of a composite sketch of a possible suspect linked to the Morgan Harrington investigation has led to 50 new tips in the case.

Investigators would like to thank the public for coming forward and say the tips have come in the form of phone calls and emails from across the country.

Those investigators are now going through those tips and scrutinizing the information provided.

According to retired FBI Criminal Profiler Greg McCrary, the new forensic tie is a big step forward, but only if police are able to identify its owner.

He says this connection likely means Morgan's killer is a serial rapist who preys on strangers and the Fairfax victim was likely not the first and if he remains on the loose, Harrington won't be the last. Someone who abducts and sexually assaults a stranger typically won't stop until they are stopped.

"They don't stop at just one or two," McCrary says. "So we've got a five-year period here where we really don't know what happened but I can't believe that this guy was perfectly well-behaved for five years."

McCrary says there are likely other women out there who may been the victim of an attempted rape or an attempted abduction by this man that have never reported the crime. Their identification could be the next step in this case.

McCrary says, "Especially women who have had any attempt to grab them, pull them, stalk them."

Women who perhaps know someone with violent tendencies with a connection to the Fairfax and Charlottesville areas and perhaps someone who has committed lesser crimes. McCrary says it's common that violent felons also commit property crimes.

Having a forensic tie helps, but investigators need more. McCrary says, "The challenge now is to find a viable suspect to find someone to match that sample but you're going to know him when you find him."

McCrary says more often than not composite sketches are not accurate and as a result can rule out suspects they shouldn't. Nevertheless the connection tells police and the public more about Morgan's killer. McCrary says, "This is a really significant development and does bring some new hope that this case will be resolved successfully."

UPDATE 7/1/10 11:45 p.m.

CBS 6 spoke Thursday night with the man who owns the Albemarle County farm where Morgan Harrington's body was found.

David Bass says that while he's glad police have a new lead in this case, he doesn't recognize the sketch of the possible suspect.

That suspect has been linked to both Harrington's murder and a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax. Investigators have long said that they believe that whoever killing Harrington is familiar with the rural area where her body was discovered.

UPDATE 7/1/10 6:34 p.m.

Virginia State Police have released a composite sketch of the man they believe may have been involved in the disappearance and murder of 20-year-old Morgan Harrington.

Investigators say evidence found in the investigation into Harrington's death matches evidence recovered after a Northern Virginia woman was abducted and sexually assaulted in 2005.

Virginia State Police say this is a major stop in the investigation and they are going public with the picture to get more eyes on the case in hopes of making an identification.

Corinne Geller with Virginia State Police says, "Ultimately we're going to find the person responsible for Morgan's death and we're going to take that person to court and bring that person to justice."

Authorities are remaining vague about what the forensic link is to protect the integrity of the case, but Morgan's father Dan Harrington spoke to CBS 6 and he believes DNA found on his daughter's clothing or on her body that is the link between the two cases.


This latest development is giving police and the Harrington's new hope for finding Morgan's killer. Morgan's mother, Gil Harrington says, "The likelihood of an arrest and a conviction increased astronomically. It's no longer just a matter of testimony, it's hard evidence."

Here is the news release from Virginia State Police:

STATE POLICE ASKING FOR PUBLIC'S HELP IN IDENTIFYING ASSAULT SUSPECT LINKED TO MORGAN HARRINGTON HOMICIDE

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  State and local investigators are pursuing a forensic connection between the disappearance and death of Virginia Tech student, Morgan Harrington, and an unsolved 2005 abduction and sexual assault in the City of Fairfax. Investigators are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect in the Fairfax case based on a composite sketch of the man.

Forensic evidence recovered during the course of the Harrington investigation has confirmed the link to the City of Fairfax assault. In September 2005, a Fairfax woman was abducted and sexually assaulted and City of Fairfax Police detectives were able to create a composite sketch based on the victim's description of the suspect. However, the suspect may have changed his appearance over the course of the past five years.

Harrington, 20, of Roanoke, Va., went missing from the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville during a Metallica concert on the night of Oct. 17, 2009. Her remains were discovered Jan. 26, 2010, by the landowner of Anchorage Farm in southern Albemarle County. The skeletal remains were located in a field on the 700-acre property. Morgan Harrington's death is being investigated as a homicide.

Shayla Johnson



Shayla Johnson used to date one of the two men now charged with killing her, family members said.

The same day the 19-year-old woman was shot and killed at her home on Lenore Street, Dion Lanier - one of two men arraigned Monday on charges in connection with her death - was on the front porch, hanging out with her younger brother, said her mother, Lori Black.

She added that Johnson and Lanier dated for a few months about two years ago.

Neighbors said Johnson was shot multiple times Friday night in front of the house.

No one else was home at the time.

Black said she had gone to her boyfriend's home that night to plan a camping trip that was supposed to begin Saturday. Johnson was supposed to go on the trip, Black said.

At a hearing in 54A District Court, Lanier, 18, and another man, Walee al-Din, 21, both of Lansing, were arraigned on charges that include murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and conspiracy to commit home invasion.

Black said she has never met al-Din.

Judge Louise Alderson ordered Lanier and al-Din to be held without bond at the Ingham County Jail. Both requested court-appointed attorneys.

Preliminary hearing

A preliminary hearing, which determines if there is enough evidence for a trial, is set for Aug. 5.

Police arrested three men in connection with the incident. A third man is expected to be arraigned today on similar charges, Lansing police Lt. Noel Garcia said. More arrests are possible, Garcia said.

Three guns used

According to the felony complaint read aloud Monday in court, three guns were used during the incident - two handguns and an AK-47 assault rifle. The men went to the house to steal money and/or a controlled substance, according to the complaint.

More than a dozen of Johnson's friends and family were in the courtroom, as well as friends and family of both Lanier and al-Din. The suspects' friends and family left the courthouse before the State Journal could seek comment.

Additional Facts

What's next

A third suspect arrested in connection with Friday's fatal shooting of 19-year-old Shayla Johnson is expected to be arraigned today. Police say more arrests are possible.

Murderers:


Krystal Jean Baker



Police have not revealed many details of the crime, or specified how the suspect's DNA ties him to the murder.

Back on March 5, 1996, investigators say Krystal Jean Baker, 13, was seen leaving her grandmother's Texas City house. She was said to be walking to a friend's house in Bayou Vista. That same afternoon, a body was found under the Trinity River Bridge in Chambers County without any identification. The girl was reported missing that evening, and the Texas City Police Department began their investigation.

On March 18(this year,) police revealed a possible match between the missing girl and the body found. It was a match that was later confirmed.

Later, a DNA match lead to the arrest of the suspect.
Offender Name: KEVIN EDISON SMITH
Age:45
Race:African American
Gender:Male

Baker's body was found in March 1996 beneath a bridge in Chambers County. She had been strangled, investigators said.


TEXAS CITY, Texas - For the last 14 years, Jeanie Escamilla could only see her daughter's face in photos.

"If I had any wishes right now, I wish I could wake up out of this nightmare and hold my little girl in my arms," Escamilla says.

In 1996 Escamilla's daughter, Krystal Baker, was kidnapped in Texas City.

The 13-year-old was strangled.

Her body was dumped by the Trinity River Bridge in Chambers County.

For nearly a decade and a half, no one was arrested.

But armed with DNA evidence, authorities arrested Kevin Edison Smith on his 45th birthday Wednesday at his job in Jefferson County.

Texas City Police Captain Brian Goetschius says Smith was surprised by the arrest.

"He appeared calm and it didn't appear he had any idea we were coming to arrest him,’ Goetschius says.

The development came after some of Krystal's family members feared her murder would forever remain a mystery.

Investigators say a recent arrest of Smith in Louisiana allowed them to make a DNA match.
But they won't say why that arrest was made or what Smith's been doing for the past 14 years.
While Krystal's family still has countless questions, they believe the most important one has been answered.

"I'm really thankful right now, cause God has really blessed us by finding this man. This is a miracle," Escamilla says.

Julia Wooten



HOPKINS CO., KY - The mayor of Earlington, KY posted bond for a man charged with murder in the death of an 18-year-old girl.  

Earlington Mayor Mike Seiber posted the $20,000 cash bond for 33-year-old John Hamilton. 

Hamilton is accused of driving drunk and hitting 18-year-old Julia Wooten with his car in September.  Investigators said Hamilton fled the scene, but later returned and was arrested.  He was indicted for murder last week. 

Mayor Seiber called Hamilton a "lifelong friend," and said what happened was a tragic accident.  Seiber said Hamilton will accept responsibility for his actions. 

Hamilton is scheduled to be in court again on November 2nd. 

Murderer:

Katelind Caudill



Last week, Melvin Keeling, 43, a black pedophile "minister" in a Baptist church, went on a rampage in the Midwest and murdered three innocent women, one of them a shy, pretty 13-year-old white teenager who was cooperating with police in a child sex abuse investigation against him.

Numerous complaints had been filed against Keeling, a minister in the Tri-State Baptist Church, for twice raping and otherwise inflicting "gross sexual imposition" on a friend of Katelind Caudill, 13, who lived with her grandmother next door to the savage monster.

Katelind, wishing to help her friend - Keeling's oldest stepdaughter - first confronted Keeling with his crimes and then allowed herself to be interviewed by Ohio child sex abuse investigators when they came into the quiet, middle-class neighborhood gathering information on the black predator, three years after the first complaint was lodged against him.

Although the police were not able to find Keeling after their visit to Katelind and her grandmother, he somehow learned of their presence in the neighborhood. The next day, he armed himself and walked into the Caudill residence - through an open door which had been left unlocked to admit Katelind's aunt, expected to arrive later in the day - where he brutally shot Katelind twice through the head in her bedroom.

In another part of the house, Katelind's grandmother heard the shots and raced into the bedroom, where she found her granddaughter dying in a pool of blood. A frantic 911 call was made to the police, who arrived minutes later, but by then, Katelind was already dead. 

You can listen to the distraught grandmother's heart-wrenching 911 call, which lasted for six minutes, by clicking HERE. (The sound file is 2.8 MB in size and will open in your Windows media player. The download will take a few seconds on a fast cable internet connection, or a few minutes on a fast telephone internet connection.)

After brutally murdering Katelind, Keeling drove off in a van and soon became the subject of an intense manhunt. Meanwhile, police revealed that Katelind's help in the investigation against the murderous black pedophile had been "minimal" at best and that he had gained nothing by ending her life.
At her junior high school, Katelind was remembered as a shy, sweet girl who liked to play basketball, who never bothered anyone and who had always believed in doing the right thing and in helping her friends. Her family said that her desire to help was the reason for her brutal and senseless murder.
"She was just trying to help," said one relative.

"She had the heart of an angel," said one of her friends. "She was one of those people who didn't talk a lot; she was very shy.... She believed in treating others the way she wanted to be treated. Some of us didn't get a chance to thank her for the nice things she did for us."
A few days later, Keeling surfaced again, with lethal results, when he walked into an Indiana convenience store and, in broad daylight, viciously shot dead its two female clerks - Kendora Furr, 38, and Lisa Kendall, 29 - after they refused to give him cash and cigarettes. Both victims were mothers with small children.

Kendall died on the spot and Furr on her way to the hospital, after another customer discovered the carnage. A video surveillance tape, the details of which have not yet been released, was provided to police.

"She was the best," said 10-year-old Conner Kendall of his murdered mother.
Shortly after the Indiana murders, the van used by the fugitive was found. In it was a "to do" list which included the note: "Get a gun."

At last report, Keeling has not been apprehended. But at least four witnesses have reported seeing him around the Warren County, Ohio courthouse where he would have been charged with his pedophile crimes, and police remain on high alert for the vicious black murderer. The Caudill family is also wary of another encounter with him; many have refused to give their last names to the media.

Keeling deserted his wife and three small children years ago. But in an interview with reporters, his mother-in-law praised him to the skies as a good father. "The children, they love their daddy."

What should all of us learn from Katelind's tragic murder and the other murders perpetrated by the black "reverend" Melvin Keeling?

In the first place, we should learn that any kind of personal involvement with blacks is potentially dangerous, even potentially lethal. Katelind would still be alive today had it not been for her friendship with her future murderer's stepdaughter. (Unfortunately, at least one of Katelind's young relatives, her cousin Isaac, would be a classic "wigger" if not for his articulate English, which he prefers to the imbecilic Ebonics favored by many of his kind. In his baggy clothes, gold necklaces, hoop earrings and backwards baseball cap, Isaac looks as though he wishes to adopt the very culture which resulted in his cousin's murder.)
Secondly, we should learn that, generally speaking, even blacks in positions of authority cannot be trusted to act peaceably and responsibly. This rule applies with equal force to blacks who call themselves Christians and affect the title of "reverend," like the Reverend Al Sharpton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Thirdly, we should learn that the establishment media will never attack a black authority figure in the same way that it will attack a white one. Melvin Keeling was a "minister" who was raping his own stepdaughter, and who has now murdered three innocent persons, including a teenaged girl. And yet the national media has all but ignored his many crimes, whereas we can be sure that if he had been a white, right-wing, "fanatic" Christian Coalition conservative - a figure whom the media loves to hate, despite the fact that conservative white Christians are among the most law-abiding and responsible people in America - we would never hear the end of it.

Lastly, and most importantly, we should learn that the establishment media does not give a damn for whites murdered, raped and robbed by savage black criminals. Such murders, rapes and robberies are a daily occurrence in the United States - a black is 2,000 times more likely to murder a white than the other way around - but the carnage is deliberately swept under the rug not only by "journalists" but also by the court system and "entertainment" industry.

When a white is murdered by a black, it is merely an unimportant street crime, perhaps excusable because the savage black murderer is a "victim of a racist society, lashing out at his oppressors." 

Perhaps he was "called the N-word." Or perhaps, like the black criminals of New Orleans, he was a "father trying to feed his family." But in the those rare instances when a white kills a black, often as a matter of self-defense, it is instantly a "hate crime" worthy of scrutiny as a example of "American racism" for at least the next half-century.
Can one imagine the media frenzy if Katelind Caudill had been a black teenager killed while cooperating with police in the investigation of a murderous white pedophile minister? We would never hear the end of it. She would be the subject of endless speeches and memorials and movies and television. But because Katelind was white and her murderer is black, her heroism - sadly misguided - is being intentionally buried by the left-wing media.

There is no way to save America from moral and spiritual destruction - which will lead to physical destruction - unless right-wing righteous Gentiles are prepared to lead a massive civil disobedience revolt against the traitors destroying this once great nation.

If we are willing to mobilize now, it is not too late to save America. For the sake of America, Israel and the West, we hope and pray that we can motivate G-d-fearing American patriots to act.
In your heart, you know we're right. And in your guts, you know they're nuts.

Murderer:

The Wichita Massacre

 

 

The Wichita Massacre

On September 9, Reginald Carr and his brother Jonathan go on trial for what has become known as the Wichita Massacre. The two black men are accused of a weeklong crime spree that culminated in the quadruple homicide of four young whites in a snowy soccer field in Wichita, Kansas. In all, the Carr brothers robbed, raped or murdered seven people. They face 58 counts each, ranging from first-degree murder, rape, and robbery to animal cruelty. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

The only survivor of the massacre is a woman whose identity has been protected, and who is known as H.G. In statements to police and in testimony at an April 2001 preliminary hearing, the 25-year-old school teacher offered horrible details of what happened on the night of Dec. 14, 2000. That evening, a Thursday, H.G. went to spend the night at the home of her boyfriend, Jason Befort. Mr. Befort, 26, a science teacher and coach at Augusta High School, lived in a triplex condo with two college friends: Bradley Heyka, 27, a financial analyst, and Aaron Sander, 29, who had recently decided to study for the priesthood.

When H.G. arrived with her pet schnauzer Nikki around 8:30 p.m., her boyfriend Mr. Befort was not there, but the two roommates were. A short time later, Mr. Sander’s former girlfriend, Heather Muller, a 25-year-old graduate student at Wichita State University who worked as a church preschool teacher, joined them. At about 9 p.m., H.G. went to her boyfriend’s ground-floor bedroom to grade papers and watch television. Mr. Befort came home from coaching a basketball practice around 9:15, and at 10:00, H.G. decided to go to bed. Before joining H.G in bed, Mr. Befort made sure all the lights in the house were turned off and all the doors were locked. Mr. Sander was sleeping on a couch in the living room while his former girlfriend slept in the second ground-floor bedroom. Mr. Heyka slept in a room in the basement.

Shortly after 11 p.m., the porch light came back on, to the surprise of Mr. Befort, who was still awake. H.G. says that seconds later she heard voices, then shouting. Her boyfriend cried out in surprise as someone forced open the door to the bedroom. H.G saw “a tall black male standing in the doorway.” She didn’t know how the man got into the house, and police investigators have not said how they think the Carrs got in. She says the man, whom she later identified as Jonathan Carr, ripped the covers off the bed. Soon, another black man brought Aaron Sander in from the living room at gunpoint and threw him onto the bed. H.G. saw that both men were armed. She said they wanted to know who else was in house, and the terrified whites told them about Mr. Heyka in the basement and Miss Muller in the other ground-floor bedroom. The intruders brought them into Mr. Befort’s bedroom.

“We were told to take off all of our clothes,” says H.G. in her testimony. “They asked if we had any money. We said: ‘Take our money ... Take whatever you want.’ We didn’t have any (money).”
The Carrs, however, were not at that point interested in money. They made the victims get into a bedroom closet, and for the next hour brought them out to a hall by a wet bar, singly or in pairs for sex. In the closet-perhaps 12 feet away from the wet-bar area-the victims were under orders not to talk. H.G. says that when the Carrs heard whispering they would wave their guns and shout “Shut the fuck up.”

The Carrs first brought out the two women, H.G and Heather Muller, and made them have oral sex and penetrate each other digitally. They then forced Mr. Heyka to have intercourse with H.G. Then they made Mr. Befort have intercourse with H.G, but ordered him to stop when they realized he was her boyfriend. Next, they ordered Mr. Sander to have intercourse with H.G. When the divinity student refused, they hit him on the back of the head with a pistol butt. They sent H.G. back to the bedroom closet and brought out Miss Muller, Mr. Sander’s old girlfriend. H.G. testified she could hear what was going on out by the wet bar, and when Mr. Sander was unable to get an erection one of the Carrs beat him with a golf club. Then, she says, the Carr brothers “told [Aaron] that he had until 11:54 to get hard and they counted down from 11:52 to 11:53 to 11:54.” The deadline appears to have brought no further punishment, and Mr. Sanders was returned to the closet. The Carrs then forced Mr. Befort to have intercourse with Heather Muller, and then ordered Mr. Heyka to have sex with her. H.G. says she could hear Miss Muller moaning with pain.

The Carrs asked if the victims had ATM cards. Reginald Carr then took the victims one at a time to ATM machines in Mr. Befort’s pickup truck, starting with Mr. Heyka. While Reginald Carr was away with Mr. Heyka, Jonathan Carr brought H.G. out of the closet to the wet bar, raped her, and sent her back to the closet. Reginald Carr returned with Mr. Heyka, and ordered Mr. Befort to go with him. Mr. Heyka was put back in the closet but said nothing about his trip to the ATM machine. Mr. Sander asked Mr. Heyka if they should try to resist, assuming they would be killed anyway, but Mr. Heyka did not reply. While Reginald Carr was away with Mr. Befort at the cash machine, Jonathan Carr ordered Heather Muller out of the closet and raped her.

When Reginald Carr returned with Mr. Befort, H.G. volunteered to go next. Mr. Carr let her put on a sweater, but nothing else, and said he liked seeing her with no underwear. He ordered her to drive the truck to a bank, and told her not to look at him as he crouched in the back seat. “I asked him if he was going to hurt us and he said, ‘No,’” she says. “I said, ‘Do you promise you’re not going to kill us?’ and he said, ‘Yes.’”

H.G. got money from the cash machine and adds, “On the way back, he said he wished we could’ve met under different circumstances. He said I was cute, and we probably would’ve hit it off.” When the two got back to the house, Reginald Carr raped H.G. and ejaculated in her mouth. Jonathan Carr raped Miss Muller again, and then he raped H.G. one more time. Afterwards, the intruders ransacked the house looking for money. They found a coffee can containing an engagement ring Jason Befort had bought for his girlfriend. “That’s for you,” he told H.G., “I was going to ask you to marry me.” That is how H.G. learned her boyfriend planned to propose to her the following Friday, Dec. 22.

At one point, says H.G., Reginald Carr “said something that scared me. He said ‘Relax. I’m not going to kill you yet.’”

The Final Ride
 
The Carrs led the victims outside into the freezing night. At midnight it had been 17.6 degrees, and there was snow on the ground. The Carrs let the women wear a sweater or sweatshirt, but they were barefoot, and naked from the waist down. The men were marched into the snow completely naked. The Carrs tried to force all the victims into the trunk of Aaron Sander’s Honda Accord, but realized five people would not fit, and made only the men get into the trunk. Reginald Carr ordered H.G. to join him in Mr. Befort’s truck, and Jonathan Carr drove the Accord with the three men in the trunk and Miss Muller inside. As Mr. Carr drove her off, H.G. noted the time: It was 2:07 a.m., three hours since the ordeal began.

After a short drive, both vehicles stopped in an empty field. Reginald Carr ordered H.G. to go sit with Miss Muller in Mr. Sander’s car. A moment later, she saw the men line up in front of the Honda. In her testimony H.G. said, “I turned to Heather and said, ‘They’re going to shoot us.’”

The Carr brothers ordered H.G. and Miss Muller out of the car. Miss Muller stood next to Mr. Sander, her former boyfriend, while H.G. stood beside her boyfriend, Mr. Befort. The Carrs ordered them to turn away and kneel in the snow. “As I was kneeling, a gun shot went off,” says H.G. “[Then] I heard Aaron [Sander]... I could distinguish Aaron’s voice. He said, ‘Please, no sir, please.’ The gun went off.”

H.G. heard three shots before she was hit: “I felt the bullet hit the back of my head. It went kind of gray with white like stars. I wasn’t knocked unconscious. I didn’t fall forward. Then someone kicked me, and I had fallen forward. I was playing dead. I didn’t move. I didn’t want them to shoot me again.”

As H.G. lay in the snow, the Carrs drove off in Jason Befort’s pickup, running over the victims as they left. H.G. says she felt the truck hit her body, too.

“I waited until I couldn’t hear any more,” she says. “Then I turned my head and saw lights going. I looked at everyone. Everyone was face down. Jason [Befort] was next to me. I rolled him over. There was blood squirting everywhere, so I took my sweater off and tied it around his head to try and stop it. He had blood coming out of his eyes.”

In the distance, H.G. saw Christmas lights. Barefoot and naked, with a bullet wound in the head, she managed to walk more than a mile in the freezing cold, through snow, across a field and construction site, around a pond, and through the brush, until she reached the house with the lights. She pounded frantically on the door and rang the doorbell until the young married couple who lived there woke up. “Help me, help me, help me,” she pleaded. “We’ve all been shot. Three of my friends are dead.” (At the time, H.G. thought her boyfriend was still alive.)

The couple wrapped H.G. in blankets, and reached for the phone to dial 911, but she would not let them call. She was afraid she would die, and wanted to tell what had happened. She described the attackers and what they did, as the couple listened in amazement at her courage and determination. Only when she was sure they knew her story did she let them call the police. Still thinking she would die, she asked them to call her mother-”Tell her I love her”-and her boyfriend’s parents. She was worried about the children she teaches, and kept wondering “Who’s going to take care of the kids in school?”

When the police arrived they questioned H.G. briefly before paramedics took her to the hospital. From her description of Mr. Befort’s truck, they were able to get the license plate number from the vehicle’s registration records, and put out an alert. As dawn broke, radio and television stations were broadcasting the plate number.

H.G. did not know that after the Carrs shot her friends they drove back to the triplex and loaded Mr. Befort’s truck with everything of value they could find. They also committed their final killing. The police found H.G.’s pet schnauzer Nikki lying in a pool of blood on a bed, probably shot.

By 7:30 a.m., police had a report that the missing truck was outside a downtown apartment building, and that a black man had been carrying a television set up to one of the apartments. The police moved in to seal off the area. Two officers knocked on the door of the apartment, and after several minutes a white woman named Stephanie Donly opened the door. She was Reginald Carr’s girlfriend, and shared her apartment with him. Police caught Mr. Carr as he tried to slip out a window.

The police learned from Miss Donly that Reginald’s brother Jonathan was driving a late model Plymouth Fury. Shortly after 12:00 p.m. they found the car parked outside a house in a black part of town. Jonathan Carr was there with his girlfriend of a few days, Tronda Green. He bolted when he saw the police, but was caught after a short chase. Fewer than 12 hours after the murders, Reginald and Jonathan Carr were both in custody.


Other Victims
 
That night’s quadruple murder was only the most gruesome of a series of Carr brother attacks. Late on the night of Dec. 7, 2000-just one week earlier-Andrew Schreiber, a 23-year-old white man, stopped at a Kum and Go convenience store in East Wichita. Reginald and Jonathan Carr forced themselves into his car at gunpoint and made Mr. Schreiber drive to various ATM machines and withdraw money. “I was just hoping if I did what they said, they’d let me live,” he says. The two split up, and one followed in another car as they made him drive to a field northeast of town. There they pistol-whipped him, dumped him out of the car, and fled in the other vehicle after shooting out Mr. Schreiber’s tires.

Four days later, the Carrs tried to hijack 55-year-old Linda Walenta’s SUV while she sat in it in the driveway of her suburban East Wichita home. The Carrs were looking for an SUV in which to drive people at gunpoint to ATMs. They thought they could keep their victims out of sight in a large vehicle as they drove through town. One of the brothers approached Mrs. Walenta, apparently asking for help of some kind. She was suspicious because she thought a car had been following her, and rolled her window down just a little to hear what he was saying. He stuck a gun sideways into the opening, and shot her several times as she tried to drive away. Mrs. Walenta, a cellist in the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, survived the shooting but was paralyzed from the waist down. She was able to help police in their investigation, but died of her wounds three weeks later, on January 2, 2001.

Wichita police confirmed the Carr link to all the crimes when a highway worker found a black .380 caliber Lorcin semi-automatic handgun along Route 96, a highway near the soccer field where the massacre took place. The Kansas state crime lab confirmed that it was the weapon used to kill Mrs. Walenta and H.G.’s friends, and to shoot out the tires of Andrew Schreiber’s car. No one knows what other crimes the brothers may have committed, but they certainly appeared guilty of these.

The Carr trial is scheduled to start on Sept. 9, but has been delayed by defense maneuvering. On June 13, Judge Paul Clark denied a motion to move the trial out of Sedgwick County. The defense cited a poll showing 74 percent of Sedgwick County residents thought the Carrs were either “definitely guilty” or “probably guilty,” and argued the brothers could not get a fair trial in Wichita. However, no trial has been moved from Sedgwick County in more than 40 years, and this one will stay.

The defense wanted separate trials because the lawyers for each brother will try to blame the crimes on the other. The lawyers argued they will both be trying to help convict the other brother, so it will be like having two prosecutors for each defendant. Prosecutor Nola Foulston pointed out that many people accused of committing crimes together are tried together, and since the trial is expected to last a month and involve 70 witnesses, two trials would be too much expense and inconvenience.

Jonathan Carr’s lawyers also tried to get him declared unfit to stand trial, but on April 8, 2002, Judge Clark reviewed the reports of two mental health experts, and ruled him competent. The reports are under seal, so the grounds for the motion are not known.

If the Carr brothers’ lawyers do try to blame each other’s client, the jury will learn that both have long criminal records. Jonathan Carr’s appears to be under seal but at least parts of his brother’s are public. In 1995, Reginald Carr was sentenced to 13 months in prison for theft. He was also ordered to serve six months each for aggravated assault and subverting the legal process. In 1996, he was sentenced to 28 months on a drug charge. He was paroled on March 28, 2000, but that November was booked for drunk driving. A few days later he was back before a judge, charged with forgery and parole violation. Police mistakenly let him out six months early on Dec. 5, 2000, just two days before he robbed and beat Andrew Schreiber, and started his week of crime. Had police followed correct procedures Jason Befort, Bradley Heyka, Aaron Sander, Heather Muller and Ann Walenta would probably still be alive.


“Has No Bearing”
 
Although the perpetrators are black and all their victims white, the Wichita police have dismissed race as a motive. Prosecutor Foulston says the Carr brothers chose their victims at random, not because they were white, and that the motive was robbery. “It reasonably appears that these were isolated incidents where individuals ... were chosen at random ... a random act of violence,” she says. “The fact that the defendants and victims happen to be of different races has no bearing. Let’s just look at the underlying crimes.” The Wichita media consistently downplayed the racial angle.

However, as news of the crimes spread across the Internet, many people began to wonder if the Carrs would be charged with hate crimes. In fact, it does not appear that Mrs. Foulston or police investigators even looked for a possible racial motive. According to the testimony of the April 2001 preliminary hearing, in which prosecutors determined whether they had enough evidence to support charges, Mrs. Foulston never asked H.G. or Andrew Schreiber if the brothers used racial slurs, or expressed hatred of whites.

It is true that Reginald Carr had a white girlfriend, and it may be that the race of the victims was unimportant to him. At the same time, Jonathan Carr wore a FUBU sweatshirt, a brand popular with black rappers that is said to stand for “For Us, By Us.” Some blacks wear FUBU clothing as a statement of black solidarity if not outright rejection of whites.

Louis Calabro of the European American Issues Forum (EAIF) and a former San Francisco police lieutenant, has written to Mrs. Foulston describing the FBI’s guidelines for suspecting a hate crime when perpetrator and victim are of different races. Among them are excessive violence, a pattern of similar attacks, and the cold-bloodedness of an execution-style killing. Combined with the torture of forcing people naked into a freezing night, and the degradation the Carrs put their victims through, there is ample reason at least to suspect a racial motivation.

Of one thing we can be certain: If whites had done something this horrible to blacks, it would be universally assumed the crime was motivated by racial hatred. From the outset, police and prosecutors would have investigated the friends, habits, reading matter, and life history of each defendant. If either had ever uttered the word “nigger,” had a drink with a Klansman, or owned a copy of American Renaissance, this would be discovered and brandished as proof of racial hatred. In the Carr case, there appears to have been no investigation at all. Instead of searching for possible racial animus, the authorities have simply declared there was none.

Mrs. Foulston dodges the racial question by pointing out that Kansas does not have a hate crime statute, but the state does specify harsher penalties for bias crimes. Given that the Carr brothers face the death penalty, this is a moot point, but Mrs. Foulston has made no attempt to apply these provisions.

Mrs. Foulston knows some whites are pushing for a hate crimes investigation, and wants to keep the proceedings secret. She moved to close the court for the preliminary hearings, saying “we’d have to let the Aryan Nations come in here if they decided they had an interest.” At one hearing, reporters heard one of Mrs. Foulston’s aides tell the judge that the press are “interlopers,” and the public has no “substantial interest” in the case. Fortunately, Judge Clark recognizes the public’s right to observe the proceedings, and opened them to the public. He did, however, agree to Mrs. Foulston’s motion for a gag order on all lawyers, investigators and witnesses. The order also prevents release of many records that normally would be public, including the EMS records, the reports on Jonathan Carr’s mental competence, and records of police interviews. Mrs. Foulston says secrecy is necessary to ensure the Carrs get a fair trial, but what is in notes of police interviews, for example, that is so inflammatory it could prejudice the public? Evidence of racial hatred, perhaps?

Mrs. Foulston did not ask for a gag order in the case of another quadruple homicide in Wichita just eight days before the Carr brothers’ massacre. The DA’s office says that case, in which murderers and victims were black, did not generate nearly as many requests for public records, but in an open society, the more interest the public shows in information the more available it should be. Mrs. Foulston’s secrecy has led critics to accuse her of covering up evidence of racial animus. EAIF’s Mr. Calabro believes the assaults and murders “were racially motivated crimes that the DA and city of Wichita have no interest in pursuing.” Del Riley, a white Wichita resident who has followed the case, says of his reaction to the DA’s secrecy, “I wouldn’t call it outrage, but I’d call it suspicion. This gag order upsets me.”

Once again, we can be certain that if the racial cast of characters were reversed, there would be no attempt to close the court, and the media coverage-virtually absent in this case-would be deafening. A white-on-black crime of this kind would be front-page news for days, and would probably prompt official condemnation from the President and Attorney General on down. As we know from the reaction to the murder of James Byrd, dragged to death behind a truck, a crime of this sort committed by whites against blacks would put the nation into an official state of near hysteria.

What if the cast had been all-white? It would still have been national news. In 1959, drifters Dick Hickock and Perry Smith murdered the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. Like the Wichita case, it was a home invasion, apparently motivated by robbery. Even without spectacular sexual cruelty, the Clutter killings were front-page news and the story was immortalized in Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood. Had the Wichita case involved whites only, the heroics of H.G. alone would have ensured wide coverage. She would have become a national hero, part of the folklore of strong womanhood.
What if perpetrators and victims had all been black? Some in the media would have promoted the heroism of the woman who lived to tell of the crime, but others would have stayed away from the story because such savagery reflects badly on blacks.

When blacks commit outrages against whites, media executives not only downplay black misbehavior but believe they must protect whites from “negative stereotypes” about blacks. If they must report such crimes, they are likely to link them to editorials calling for tolerance, and pointing out that the criminals were individuals, not a race. When whites commit outrages against blacks there are no such cautions; white society at large is to blame.

The Carr brothers’ crimes were treated to a virtual media blackout. The Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times appear to be the only major non-Kansas dailies ever to mention the story. Their articles briefly described the facts of the case, and then focused on Internet discussions among whites who thought the Carr brothers were hate criminals. The Associated Press ran stories on the crimes, but they do not appear to have been picked up outside of Kansas. Within the state, the media dutifully promoted Mrs. Foulston’s categorization of the crimes as “random.” The networks, of course, were silent.

Were it not for the Internet, the Wichita story would have disappeared. It was only in chat-rooms and on web pages that the crimes had a national audience. Several sites, such as www. NewNation.org and www.JeffsArchive. com, have posted newspaper articles about the crimes. The main paper that covered the case, the Wichita Eagle, stores older articles in a fee-charging archive, so these sites are virtually the only way the public can learn about the massacre.

It will be surprising if the trial itself gets national coverage. Kansas permits television in courtrooms, but so far, the Court TV cable channel shows little interest in the case despite e-mail requests to its website at www.CourtTV.com. The Wichita Eagle will probably offer restrained coverage.

he police and media reactions to these crimes-a refusal to think about race, draw larger conclusions, or even express outrage-are typical of today’s whites, and in stark contrast to the sustained fury we could expect from blacks if the races were reversed.

Not even the acknowledged error that resulted in Reginald Carr’s early release seems to upset many people. Bradley Heyka’s father is angry, saying he is “appalled a mistake like this could lead to such severe consequences for so many people,” but Aaron Sander’s father is passive. “It is unfortunate this happened, but we have to learn to get past that and let those things go and get on with our life,” he says. “We can’t deal with how things should have been or could have been, we can only deal with today.”

There were even more cloying sentiments at the funerals of the young victims. At Jason Befort’s service on Dec. 21, 2000, Rev. James Diecker told the congregation their attitude towards the killers should be that of Jesus on the cross, when he said “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” He went on to call for “a victory of love over hate ... a victory of mercy over justice.”

At Heather Muller’s funeral, Rev. Matthew McGinness struck the same note, saying, “We must be like Christ, who forgave his enemies.” He told the congregation Heather’s mother felt the same way, and had told him, “Heather would want us to pray for her murderers, and Heather was probably praying for them at the moment of her death.”

To what extent does this turn-the-other-cheek mentality explain why five whites failed to fight back against two attackers? Three of the whites were young men, surely capable of serious resistance, and there must have been several opportunities for it. When one of the Carrs was out at an ATM machine with a woman, it meant there were three white men in the house with a lone assailant. While the man was busy raping a woman, how difficult would it have been to overpower him?

At some point is must have become obvious the Carrs intended to kill all witnesses. They could have had nothing else in mind when they marched the group into the snow, and tried to stuff all five into the trunk of a car. There was no more money to be had from ATM machines. All that was left was to make sure no one could testify against them.

Why, therefore, did five young whites-men or women-kneel obediently in the snow to be shot one by one? Were their spirits completely broken from hours of humiliation? Were they so stiff from cold they could hardly move? Or had they simply been denatured by the anti-white zeitgeist of guilt that implies whites deserve whatever they get? One does not wish to think ill of the dead, but these three men showed little manliness.

It is worth noting that in the home of three young Kansas men there does not appear to have been a single firearm. No doubt these men believed what they have been told: that guns are nasty things, best left in the hands of the police, who will always be there to protect us. H.G., who is clearly a woman of great determination, testified that at one point, when she was on her hands and knees and one of the Carr brothers was unzipping his pants, he laid a silver automatic pistol on the floor two feet away from her. She thought about making a grab for it but realized she had no idea how to operate a gun, and instead submitted to rape and attempted murder. Had she known how to use a weapon, her four friends might be alive today.

As for the question of hate crimes, racially conscious whites would see bias charges as at least some level of official outrage at the shocking crimes committed by these two blacks against a series of exclusively white victims. It is natural for whites to assume that behavior so vicious and odious must have been driven by consuming hatred. Most whites cannot imagine treating another human being the way the Carrs treated their victims unless there were some terrible underlying animus. Moreover, it is probably safe to assume that if the races were reversed it could only have been a crime of racial hatred, and this is probably why so many whites are furious at authorities who have been so quick to rule out bias.

However, it may be a mistake to project white sensibilities onto blacks. It may be that trial testimony or unsealed documents will show a clear racial motive, but it is also possible no evidence of racial hatred will ever come to light. It may also be that the Carr brothers are incapable of analyzing and describing their own motives with enough intelligence to make it possible for others to judge them.
The angry whites do not seem to realize that what happened on the night of Dec. 14 may be only a particularly brutal expression of the savagery that finds daily expression in American crime statistics and African tribal wars. It may very well be that the Carr brothers are so depraved they can commit on a whim brutalities that whites can imagine only as the culmination of the most profound and sustained hatred. This view, along with whatever it may say about blacks as a group, is the one the Wichita authorities have tacitly endorsed — and they may be correct. It is a far darker view of the Carr brothers to assume that this is simply the way they are, that they can commit unspeakable acts without any special motivation, that the Wichita Massacre was nothing more than two black men on a tear that went wrong.