9.04.2008
Blog suspended.
I'm shutting this blog down temporarily while I work on my last year of law school. I'm still taking notes, but don't have the time to maintain the site. I'll leave it up though as an example guide for gender bias and discrimination in reporting on violence against women. Until I return, read carefully, dear reader. And never forget.
1.14.2008
High School Student Stabbed to Death by Ex-Boyfriend & his Wife
Jacksonville, NC - A two-day search for a popular South Carolina high school student ended Saturday with the discovery of the teenager's body in a local river and the arrest of a married couple who police say killed the teen and set her car on fire.
A student spotted the body of Marisha Jeter, 16, as she took photographs near the Broad River. Jeter had been stabbed in the neck, Union County Public Safety Chief Sam White told ABC News.
Jeter, who was president of the junior class at Union County High School and was also a cheerleader, had been last seen Thursday night on her way to McDonald's. She was reported missing early Friday morning by her father, a member of the Union County School Board, after he spent the night driving around looking for her.
Jeter's family told police that Marisha had recently been in touch with Pernell Clayton Thompson, a 20-year-old from neighboring Jonesville, whom she'd been in a relationship with. Thompson had recently married and had a child with another women, Yolanda Lee Thompson, 19.
White said Public Safety officials interviewed the Thompsons individually, both of whom said that they knew nothing about her disappearance.
"He more or less said he didn't know where she was and he would help us find her," White said. "He said that they had a relationship and it went sour, but he didn't give us too much detail."
By Saturday morning, the state police had joined the investigation, and that afternoon, Jeter's body was found about 15 miles from Union at the bottom of a steep river embankment. The photographer used her camera to zoom in and then realized she was looking at a body.
Immediately, police contacted the Thompsons a second time. "We told them during questioning what we found and presented them with information," White said. "They both confessed."
Both were charged in the murder of Jeter and are being held at the Union County Detention Center. They will make their court appearances next week, White said. The pair has apparently never been in trouble with the law before.
Investigators said the fatal confrontation began when Jeter received a text message Thursday evening from Thompson to meet her at the Union YMCA to return a coat. When Jeter arrived, however, she was met by Thompson and his wife, Yolanda, who had discovered that her husband was still communicating with Jeter.
There was a struggle, White said, and Jeter was stabbed in the neck. "They put her in the trunk of her car and drove her car down to Lockhart," he continued, where the body was dumped into the river. The car was driven a few miles down the main road, doused with gasoline and set on fire.
At Union County High School, grief counselors were available and a "comfort area" had been created for Jeter's peers, who returned to school today after the holiday break.
"This is a vibrant, beautiful young lady," Joe Walker, the high school's principal, told ABC News, "with a gorgeous smile and a voice as pretty as anything you've ever heard."
Walker said the impact of the murder could be felt in the hallways this morning. "Students are stunned," he said. "We're just asking the students to be prayerful and mindful."
Couple Charged in Cheerleader's Murder
More from ABCNews
A student spotted the body of Marisha Jeter, 16, as she took photographs near the Broad River. Jeter had been stabbed in the neck, Union County Public Safety Chief Sam White told ABC News.
Jeter, who was president of the junior class at Union County High School and was also a cheerleader, had been last seen Thursday night on her way to McDonald's. She was reported missing early Friday morning by her father, a member of the Union County School Board, after he spent the night driving around looking for her.
Jeter's family told police that Marisha had recently been in touch with Pernell Clayton Thompson, a 20-year-old from neighboring Jonesville, whom she'd been in a relationship with. Thompson had recently married and had a child with another women, Yolanda Lee Thompson, 19.
White said Public Safety officials interviewed the Thompsons individually, both of whom said that they knew nothing about her disappearance.
"He more or less said he didn't know where she was and he would help us find her," White said. "He said that they had a relationship and it went sour, but he didn't give us too much detail."
By Saturday morning, the state police had joined the investigation, and that afternoon, Jeter's body was found about 15 miles from Union at the bottom of a steep river embankment. The photographer used her camera to zoom in and then realized she was looking at a body.
Immediately, police contacted the Thompsons a second time. "We told them during questioning what we found and presented them with information," White said. "They both confessed."
Both were charged in the murder of Jeter and are being held at the Union County Detention Center. They will make their court appearances next week, White said. The pair has apparently never been in trouble with the law before.
Investigators said the fatal confrontation began when Jeter received a text message Thursday evening from Thompson to meet her at the Union YMCA to return a coat. When Jeter arrived, however, she was met by Thompson and his wife, Yolanda, who had discovered that her husband was still communicating with Jeter.
There was a struggle, White said, and Jeter was stabbed in the neck. "They put her in the trunk of her car and drove her car down to Lockhart," he continued, where the body was dumped into the river. The car was driven a few miles down the main road, doused with gasoline and set on fire.
At Union County High School, grief counselors were available and a "comfort area" had been created for Jeter's peers, who returned to school today after the holiday break.
"This is a vibrant, beautiful young lady," Joe Walker, the high school's principal, told ABC News, "with a gorgeous smile and a voice as pretty as anything you've ever heard."
Walker said the impact of the murder could be felt in the hallways this morning. "Students are stunned," he said. "We're just asking the students to be prayerful and mindful."
Couple Charged in Cheerleader's Murder
More from ABCNews
Serial Killer Likely Targeted Isolated Women
Blairsville, GA - A young hiker whose body was found in northern Georgia was probably alive for three days before she died from blunt force trauma to the head, authorities said Tuesday.
She was last seen hiking with her dog on Blood Mountain in Georgia on New Year's Day. Meredith Emerson, 24, was decapitated after her death, an autopsy also found.
That's the same day suspect Gary Michael Hilton, 61, allegedly made a phone call from a pay phone at a convenience store in Cumming, Georgia, where Emerson's black leather wallet containing her identification cards was discovered in a trash bin.
The bin is next to a grocery store parking lot where Ella, Emerson's Labrador mix, was found wandering Friday, according to a criminal warrant. Hilton led investigators to her body Monday in exchange for prosecutors' agreeing to drop consideration of the death penalty against him, according to Union County District Attorney Stan Gunter. When asked whether Hilton, 61, had taken investigators to the location or merely described it, Cagle said, "Both."
Hilton will be charged with one count of malice murder and is set to appear Wednesday in court in Dawson County, Darragh said.
The medical examiner has informed Emerson's family about the details of her death.
State and federal authorities said they are also trying to determine whether Hilton may have been involved in at least three other killings in two neighboring states.
As they grieved, Emerson's family members also expressed some relief that her body was discovered.
"We are glad she's found. This brings some sort of closure for us," Peggy Bailey, Emerson's godmother and spokeswoman for the family, said, according to CNN affiliate WXIA.
Also Monday, federal, Georgia and North Carolina investigators met in nearby Cleveland, Georgia, to compare notes on the Emerson case and a similar case from a few months ago in North Carolina, according to FBI Special Agent Greg Jones.
In the North Carolina case, an elderly couple -- John and Irene Bryant -- disappeared after going for a hike in Mount Pisgah National Forest. Irene Bryant's body was found near the couple's car. John Bryant's body has not been found, but Keenan referred to the case Monday night as a "double homicide."
Investigators have a bank video of a man wearing a yellow jacket -- believed to have belonged to John Bryant -- while using the Bryants' ATM card.
Witnesses who saw Hilton on the trail with Emerson on the day she disappeared said he was wearing a yellow jacket.
Hilton is also the primary suspect in the death of Cheryl Dunlap, 46, whose body was found December 16 in Apalachicola National Forest, southwest of Tallahassee, Florida.
Investigators know Hilton was in the area at the time Dunlap disappeared -- 15 days earlier -- because he encountered a forestry agent who wrote down his vehicle's tag number and ran it through a police database, authorities said. No wants or warrants were found.
Officials: Hiker was alive for days; suspect now faces murder charge
More from CNN
She was last seen hiking with her dog on Blood Mountain in Georgia on New Year's Day. Meredith Emerson, 24, was decapitated after her death, an autopsy also found.
That's the same day suspect Gary Michael Hilton, 61, allegedly made a phone call from a pay phone at a convenience store in Cumming, Georgia, where Emerson's black leather wallet containing her identification cards was discovered in a trash bin.
The bin is next to a grocery store parking lot where Ella, Emerson's Labrador mix, was found wandering Friday, according to a criminal warrant. Hilton led investigators to her body Monday in exchange for prosecutors' agreeing to drop consideration of the death penalty against him, according to Union County District Attorney Stan Gunter. When asked whether Hilton, 61, had taken investigators to the location or merely described it, Cagle said, "Both."
Hilton will be charged with one count of malice murder and is set to appear Wednesday in court in Dawson County, Darragh said.
The medical examiner has informed Emerson's family about the details of her death.
State and federal authorities said they are also trying to determine whether Hilton may have been involved in at least three other killings in two neighboring states.
As they grieved, Emerson's family members also expressed some relief that her body was discovered.
"We are glad she's found. This brings some sort of closure for us," Peggy Bailey, Emerson's godmother and spokeswoman for the family, said, according to CNN affiliate WXIA.
Also Monday, federal, Georgia and North Carolina investigators met in nearby Cleveland, Georgia, to compare notes on the Emerson case and a similar case from a few months ago in North Carolina, according to FBI Special Agent Greg Jones.
In the North Carolina case, an elderly couple -- John and Irene Bryant -- disappeared after going for a hike in Mount Pisgah National Forest. Irene Bryant's body was found near the couple's car. John Bryant's body has not been found, but Keenan referred to the case Monday night as a "double homicide."
Investigators have a bank video of a man wearing a yellow jacket -- believed to have belonged to John Bryant -- while using the Bryants' ATM card.
Witnesses who saw Hilton on the trail with Emerson on the day she disappeared said he was wearing a yellow jacket.
Hilton is also the primary suspect in the death of Cheryl Dunlap, 46, whose body was found December 16 in Apalachicola National Forest, southwest of Tallahassee, Florida.
Investigators know Hilton was in the area at the time Dunlap disappeared -- 15 days earlier -- because he encountered a forestry agent who wrote down his vehicle's tag number and ran it through a police database, authorities said. No wants or warrants were found.
Officials: Hiker was alive for days; suspect now faces murder charge
More from CNN
Man kills Mother of His Child, Gets Away With It Despite Child IDing Him
Pittsburgh, PA - The trial has been canceled for an Allegheny County man accused of killing the mother of his child because prosecutors say they don't have enough evidence to convict him.
The third trial for 49-year-old Ulysses Cager, of Mount Oliver, was to have begun Wednesday. But county prosecutors dismissed homicide and burglary charges against him in the shooting of 26-year-old Tonya Rodgers at her townhouse in the 6800 block of McKinley Court.
Two previous juries had deadlocked and Cager maintained his innocence. County Judge Anthony Mariani signed off on the request to dismiss the charges.
A young mother was shot to death Dec. 23, 2003 while her 4-year-old daughter was home. Tonya Rodgers, 26, was shot around 2:30 a.m. at her townhouse in the 6800 block of McKinley Court. Allegheny County police say the killer kicked in the back door of Rodgers' townhome and shot the woman twice in the back.
Authorities said the couple's 4-year-old daughter hid upstairs during the killing on Dec. 23, 2003. Authorities said the girl told a psychiatric worker, a relative, and a preschool teacher that "Daddy killed Mommy."
Related Links
'Daddy Killed Mommy': Charges Dismissed In Clairton Murder Trial
Daughter Hides While Clairton Woman Is Gunned Down
The third trial for 49-year-old Ulysses Cager, of Mount Oliver, was to have begun Wednesday. But county prosecutors dismissed homicide and burglary charges against him in the shooting of 26-year-old Tonya Rodgers at her townhouse in the 6800 block of McKinley Court.
Two previous juries had deadlocked and Cager maintained his innocence. County Judge Anthony Mariani signed off on the request to dismiss the charges.
A young mother was shot to death Dec. 23, 2003 while her 4-year-old daughter was home. Tonya Rodgers, 26, was shot around 2:30 a.m. at her townhouse in the 6800 block of McKinley Court. Allegheny County police say the killer kicked in the back door of Rodgers' townhome and shot the woman twice in the back.
Authorities said the couple's 4-year-old daughter hid upstairs during the killing on Dec. 23, 2003. Authorities said the girl told a psychiatric worker, a relative, and a preschool teacher that "Daddy killed Mommy."
Related Links
'Daddy Killed Mommy': Charges Dismissed In Clairton Murder Trial
Daughter Hides While Clairton Woman Is Gunned Down
Dad kills 4 Kids by Throwing Them Off a Bridge
Bayou La Batre, AL - A day after reporting his four young children were missing, a shrimp fisherman broke down and confessed that he threw them off an 80-foot-high bridge to their deaths, authorities said Wednesday.
Lam Luong, 37, was charged with four counts of capital murder, and divers searched the murky waters for the bodies of the youngsters, who ranged in age from a few months to 3 years.
Luong had a drug habit and had argued with his wife, Ngoc Phan, before taking the children, said Phan's brother-in-law, Kam Phengsisomboun.
Authorities said they believe Luong then drove on Monday to the two-lane Dauphin Island bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, stopped at the highest part of the span and threw the youngsters over the side.
Luong and his wife reported the children missing Monday. He initially told police that he had given the kids to his girlfriend and that she failed to return them, investigators and family members said.
But authorities said they found holes in his account, and he later changed his story.
Missing and presumed dead were 4-month-old Danny Luong; 1-year-old Lindsey Luong; 2-year-old Hannah Luong; and 3-year-old Ryan Phan. Phan is not the man's biological child, but Luong raised him from infancy, authorities said.
. . . .
Behind his gaze, authorities say Luong is a monster. Luong got a speeding ticket. Court records say he was traveling 80 mph in a 65 mph zone. He's battled cocaine. Authorities say he's also had drug charges out of Biloxi.
Despite those activities, however, neighbors say they never would have imagined Luong doing something so sinister as murdering his four children. For example, Ruth Bryant said, "That's a sad thing to say about our neighborhood. We just didn't know."
Even those close to Luong didn't know. "I was proud of him before he used to do drugs. He got out of it. I was happy, I was like, he's a great daddy, make good money, take care of the family," said Kam Phengsisonboun, a relative of Luong's common-law wife.
When the murder charges surfaced, so did accusations of domestic violence. Family members say Luong's wife started talking, they just wish she would have done it sooner.
Commentary: The bodies of 2 of the 4 have now been found - Danny Luong, 4 months old and Ryan Phan, 3 years. The bodies of Lindsey and Hannah are still missing.
Also, while I appreciate that family members "just wish" she had spoken up about the abuse sooner, the fact that he killed 4 kids and even *her* relatives will still refer to him as "a great daddy" who "make good money, take care of the family" really offends me. If they all hadn't been so supportive of him, maybe she would have asked for help.
Related links
Dad threw 4 tots off bridge after fight, police say
2nd body found in Ala. search for 4 kids
Lam Luong's Family Life
Lam Luong, 37, was charged with four counts of capital murder, and divers searched the murky waters for the bodies of the youngsters, who ranged in age from a few months to 3 years.
Luong had a drug habit and had argued with his wife, Ngoc Phan, before taking the children, said Phan's brother-in-law, Kam Phengsisomboun.
Authorities said they believe Luong then drove on Monday to the two-lane Dauphin Island bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, stopped at the highest part of the span and threw the youngsters over the side.
Luong and his wife reported the children missing Monday. He initially told police that he had given the kids to his girlfriend and that she failed to return them, investigators and family members said.
But authorities said they found holes in his account, and he later changed his story.
Missing and presumed dead were 4-month-old Danny Luong; 1-year-old Lindsey Luong; 2-year-old Hannah Luong; and 3-year-old Ryan Phan. Phan is not the man's biological child, but Luong raised him from infancy, authorities said.
. . . .
Behind his gaze, authorities say Luong is a monster. Luong got a speeding ticket. Court records say he was traveling 80 mph in a 65 mph zone. He's battled cocaine. Authorities say he's also had drug charges out of Biloxi.
Despite those activities, however, neighbors say they never would have imagined Luong doing something so sinister as murdering his four children. For example, Ruth Bryant said, "That's a sad thing to say about our neighborhood. We just didn't know."
Even those close to Luong didn't know. "I was proud of him before he used to do drugs. He got out of it. I was happy, I was like, he's a great daddy, make good money, take care of the family," said Kam Phengsisonboun, a relative of Luong's common-law wife.
When the murder charges surfaced, so did accusations of domestic violence. Family members say Luong's wife started talking, they just wish she would have done it sooner.
Commentary: The bodies of 2 of the 4 have now been found - Danny Luong, 4 months old and Ryan Phan, 3 years. The bodies of Lindsey and Hannah are still missing.
Also, while I appreciate that family members "just wish" she had spoken up about the abuse sooner, the fact that he killed 4 kids and even *her* relatives will still refer to him as "a great daddy" who "make good money, take care of the family" really offends me. If they all hadn't been so supportive of him, maybe she would have asked for help.
Related links
Dad threw 4 tots off bridge after fight, police say
2nd body found in Ala. search for 4 kids
Lam Luong's Family Life
Softball Coach Rapes 14 Y.O. Girl on his Team
Gold Hill, OR - A 31-year-old Jackson County man has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for raping a 14-year-old girl who played on his softball team.
Eric Robert Sell pleaded guilty in October to third-degree rape -- a felony defined under Oregon law as sexual contact with a person who is too young to give consent. He also must register as a sex offender, undergo sex abuse counseling, submit to DNA and lie detector testing, and have no contact with the victim or unsupervised visits with children.
Sell met the victim while coaching the Gold Valley National Little League softball team in Gold Hill.
Sell blamed personal problems that included a drunken driving arrest in July following the death of a family member.
The victim's mother urged the court to give Sell "the strongest punishment" allowed under the law.
Softball coach sentenced for raping Oregon teen
Original Post
Eric Robert Sell pleaded guilty in October to third-degree rape -- a felony defined under Oregon law as sexual contact with a person who is too young to give consent. He also must register as a sex offender, undergo sex abuse counseling, submit to DNA and lie detector testing, and have no contact with the victim or unsupervised visits with children.
Sell met the victim while coaching the Gold Valley National Little League softball team in Gold Hill.
Sell blamed personal problems that included a drunken driving arrest in July following the death of a family member.
The victim's mother urged the court to give Sell "the strongest punishment" allowed under the law.
Softball coach sentenced for raping Oregon teen
Original Post
Man Kills, Mutilates, Cooks Ex-Girlfriend
Tyler, TX - A man killed his girlfriend, then filleted and cooked parts of her body before calling police to tell them what he was doing, authorities said Sunday.
Christopher Lee McCuin allegedly killed his girlfriend and then called police to say he was boiling her body parts.
Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, called 911 on Saturday and told an emergency dispatcher he had killed Jana Shearer, 21, and was boiling her body parts at his mother's home, said Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith.
When authorities arrived at the home, they found Shearer's mutilated body, one ear boiling in a pot of water on the stove and a fork sticking out of some human flesh sitting on a plate on the kitchen table.
Authorities said it was unclear whether McCuin consumed any part of Shearer's body.
"We cannot prove that he did," Smith told The Associated Press. "He was either going to, had been or led us to think that he was doing it."
Authorities believe Shearer, 21, was abducted from her home Friday night and killed. Her death and mutilation was apparently the beginning of a crime spree that also included McCuin allegedly stabbing the boyfriend of his estranged wife and breaking into a business.
Man kills, cooks and possibly eats girlfriend, police say
More from CNN
Christopher Lee McCuin allegedly killed his girlfriend and then called police to say he was boiling her body parts.
Christopher Lee McCuin, 25, called 911 on Saturday and told an emergency dispatcher he had killed Jana Shearer, 21, and was boiling her body parts at his mother's home, said Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith.
When authorities arrived at the home, they found Shearer's mutilated body, one ear boiling in a pot of water on the stove and a fork sticking out of some human flesh sitting on a plate on the kitchen table.
Authorities said it was unclear whether McCuin consumed any part of Shearer's body.
"We cannot prove that he did," Smith told The Associated Press. "He was either going to, had been or led us to think that he was doing it."
Authorities believe Shearer, 21, was abducted from her home Friday night and killed. Her death and mutilation was apparently the beginning of a crime spree that also included McCuin allegedly stabbing the boyfriend of his estranged wife and breaking into a business.
Man kills, cooks and possibly eats girlfriend, police say
More from CNN
Man Kills Wife, Letter She Wrote Warning of the Threat Will Be Used in Prosecution
Elkhorn, WI - A dead woman wanted authorities to investigate her spouse if anything happened to her, according to a letter read to jurors Monday during opening statements at her husband's murder trial.
Mark Jensen, 48, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Julie Jensen, who was found dead of poisoning in 1998 at her home in Pleasant Prairie.
"I pray that I am wrong and nothing happens, but I am suspicious of Mark's suspicious behaviors and fear for my early demise," Julie Jensen said in the letter read in court by Special Prosecutor Robert Jambois.
She had given the letter to a neighbor and told him to give it to police if anything happened to her.
Mark Jensen was charged with first-degree murder in 2002, but legal wrangling over evidence delayed the trial until now.
His lawyers were to make opening statements after Jambois. They claim the 40-year-old woman was depressed and disturbed and poisoned herself to frame her cheating husband.
Jambois said Mark Jensen planned the killing for months, searching the Internet for information on poisoning about two months before his wife's death. The defense has said she did the searches herself in preparation for her suicide.
Jambois said Jensen also failed to take his wife to a hospital, even though she was sick for three days before she died. "As Julie Jensen lay in her bed, desperately ill, her husband knew exactly why she was ill," he said.
Julie Jensen also told police, a neighbor and the teacher of one of her two sons that she suspected her husband was trying to kill her, according to court documents.
Jury hears poisoned wife's letter from the grave
More from CNN
Mark Jensen, 48, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Julie Jensen, who was found dead of poisoning in 1998 at her home in Pleasant Prairie.
"I pray that I am wrong and nothing happens, but I am suspicious of Mark's suspicious behaviors and fear for my early demise," Julie Jensen said in the letter read in court by Special Prosecutor Robert Jambois.
She had given the letter to a neighbor and told him to give it to police if anything happened to her.
Mark Jensen was charged with first-degree murder in 2002, but legal wrangling over evidence delayed the trial until now.
His lawyers were to make opening statements after Jambois. They claim the 40-year-old woman was depressed and disturbed and poisoned herself to frame her cheating husband.
Jambois said Mark Jensen planned the killing for months, searching the Internet for information on poisoning about two months before his wife's death. The defense has said she did the searches herself in preparation for her suicide.
Jambois said Jensen also failed to take his wife to a hospital, even though she was sick for three days before she died. "As Julie Jensen lay in her bed, desperately ill, her husband knew exactly why she was ill," he said.
Julie Jensen also told police, a neighbor and the teacher of one of her two sons that she suspected her husband was trying to kill her, according to court documents.
Jury hears poisoned wife's letter from the grave
More from CNN
1.11.2008
Man Rapes, Murders Girlfriend and Sister, then Rapes GF's Daughter
OMAHA, NE - A man killed two women and left their bodies in the basement of a house, then beat and raped the daughter of one of the victims in the same home, authorities and a relative of the victims said.
Police: Man killed 2 women, beat and raped a third
More from Local News
Fabian Hands, 46, was booked on two counts of homicide and two counts of use of a weapon to commit a felony.
Officers were called to the house in north Omaha Monday night. When they arrived, a 20-year-old woman came out of a bedroom and said she had been sexually assaulted.
Police found the bodies of the woman's 36-year-old mother and 48-year-old aunt in the basement during a search of the house, authorities said. Paramedics pronounced the women dead at the scene.
The woman who reported she had been sexually assaulted was taken to a hospital.
The cousin of the assault victim told Omaha television station KMTV that Hands was the 36-year-old woman's boyfriend. The cousin said the 20-year-old told police that she was beaten and raped after Hands killed her mother and aunt.
Commentary: Notice that he was not charged with forcible rape. as though "use of a weapon to commit a felony" is somehow worse than being raped.Police: Man killed 2 women, beat and raped a third
More from Local News
12.16.2007
Woman, Daughter of Eight, DV Victims, Kidnapped and Shot by Mother's Ex-Boyfriend
Detroit, MI - As her mother lay bleeding from two gunshot wounds and a family friend frantically called police, 8-year-old Alexia Parker lunged at an ex-con who apparently planned to kill them all.
On Tuesday, Alexia was recovering from multiple gunshot wounds, many to the head, in a Detroit hospital, said Aisha Ford, the friend who repeatedly called 911 in a desperate attempt to thwart 29-year-old Kelvin Tillie.
Tillie is being held without bond in the Wayne County Jail on multiple charges, including assault with intent to commit murder, after police said he shot Alexia and her mother, Selietha Parker, around midnight Sunday.
Ford said Alexia lost her right eye and is awaiting an operation and lengthy therapy after the assault at an east side gas station. Parker, who was shot in the head and arm, has been released from the hospital, Ford said.
As brutal as the ordeal was, Ford said she is grateful they are all alive.
She told the Free Press on Tuesday that it all started when she went to pick up Alexia and her mom Saturday so they could spend the night at her house. The Parkers' furnace was out and they needed a warm place to stay.
Ford said she saw a man coming from behind the Parkers' home after she pulled up, but figured it was a repairman. Alexia seemed happy as she stepped out of the house, asking Ford about her son. It wasn't until they were about to pull away that Ford said she realized the man was Tillie, Parker's ex-boyfriend.
"When he entered into my car he entered with the gun showing," Ford said, adding that she asked him, "Why you got that gun around that baby?" Tillie told her not to call the cops, Ford said. "He was like a bomb just ready to explode."
Ford said Tillie ordered her to drive them to 6 Mile. She said he didn't say where, just that she needed to drive. "He just had so much anger, hatred," she said. "I knew I was not going to make it that night if I didn't get out of the car."
At that point, Ford was grateful she drove a gas guzzling Ford Expedition SUV. Although she had put $15 worth of gas into the car, the low fuel light flashed on. Ford said she told Tillie she needed to get some gas right away, and pulled into the Fast Stop gas station on East 7 Mile.
She said Tillie gave her $10 and told her to put $5 worth of gas into the SUV.
But as Tillie went inside the station to pay, she used her cell phone to call9 11 for help. A police report describes a tense situation inside and outside the SUV. After calling for help, Ford tried to stretch out the amount of time it takes to pump less than two gallons of gas. "Hoping the police would arrive" Ford "kept slowly cutting the pump off, trying to stall," the report said.
Meanwhile, it said Tillie was losing his cool.
"She's taking too long. She better hurry up before I start shooting," the report quoted Tillie as saying while Parker begged him to calm him down and "to not do this with her daughter ... in the car."
Playing for more time, Ford took another $5 into the gas station and told the attendant, "I don't need the gas, I'm waiting for the police."
The report says the attendant "dialed 911 three times before connecting with a 911 operator."
Tillie began firing.
After watching her mother get shot, Alexia "jumped into the front seat, trying to protect her mom and stop" Tillie, the police report said. The report added that Tillie "without hesitation, immediately fired six shots into" Alexia who "collapsed, critically injured."
The report says Parker escaped from the car and ran toward the store screaming,"He shot my baby!"
Police showed up just after the shooting stopped and arrested Tillie. They found Alexia "huddled on the floorboard beneath the steering wheel."
Tillie, who was arraigned Monday, faces life in prison if convicted of the charges.
He has previous convictions for assault with intent to rob while armed, home invasion and resisting arrest. He has been on parole since April.
Detroit girl shot multiple times trying to protect mother
More from local news
On Tuesday, Alexia was recovering from multiple gunshot wounds, many to the head, in a Detroit hospital, said Aisha Ford, the friend who repeatedly called 911 in a desperate attempt to thwart 29-year-old Kelvin Tillie.
Tillie is being held without bond in the Wayne County Jail on multiple charges, including assault with intent to commit murder, after police said he shot Alexia and her mother, Selietha Parker, around midnight Sunday.
Ford said Alexia lost her right eye and is awaiting an operation and lengthy therapy after the assault at an east side gas station. Parker, who was shot in the head and arm, has been released from the hospital, Ford said.
As brutal as the ordeal was, Ford said she is grateful they are all alive.
She told the Free Press on Tuesday that it all started when she went to pick up Alexia and her mom Saturday so they could spend the night at her house. The Parkers' furnace was out and they needed a warm place to stay.
Ford said she saw a man coming from behind the Parkers' home after she pulled up, but figured it was a repairman. Alexia seemed happy as she stepped out of the house, asking Ford about her son. It wasn't until they were about to pull away that Ford said she realized the man was Tillie, Parker's ex-boyfriend.
"When he entered into my car he entered with the gun showing," Ford said, adding that she asked him, "Why you got that gun around that baby?" Tillie told her not to call the cops, Ford said. "He was like a bomb just ready to explode."
Ford said Tillie ordered her to drive them to 6 Mile. She said he didn't say where, just that she needed to drive. "He just had so much anger, hatred," she said. "I knew I was not going to make it that night if I didn't get out of the car."
At that point, Ford was grateful she drove a gas guzzling Ford Expedition SUV. Although she had put $15 worth of gas into the car, the low fuel light flashed on. Ford said she told Tillie she needed to get some gas right away, and pulled into the Fast Stop gas station on East 7 Mile.
She said Tillie gave her $10 and told her to put $5 worth of gas into the SUV.
But as Tillie went inside the station to pay, she used her cell phone to call9 11 for help. A police report describes a tense situation inside and outside the SUV. After calling for help, Ford tried to stretch out the amount of time it takes to pump less than two gallons of gas. "Hoping the police would arrive" Ford "kept slowly cutting the pump off, trying to stall," the report said.
Meanwhile, it said Tillie was losing his cool.
"She's taking too long. She better hurry up before I start shooting," the report quoted Tillie as saying while Parker begged him to calm him down and "to not do this with her daughter ... in the car."
Playing for more time, Ford took another $5 into the gas station and told the attendant, "I don't need the gas, I'm waiting for the police."
The report says the attendant "dialed 911 three times before connecting with a 911 operator."
Tillie began firing.
After watching her mother get shot, Alexia "jumped into the front seat, trying to protect her mom and stop" Tillie, the police report said. The report added that Tillie "without hesitation, immediately fired six shots into" Alexia who "collapsed, critically injured."
The report says Parker escaped from the car and ran toward the store screaming,"He shot my baby!"
Police showed up just after the shooting stopped and arrested Tillie. They found Alexia "huddled on the floorboard beneath the steering wheel."
Tillie, who was arraigned Monday, faces life in prison if convicted of the charges.
He has previous convictions for assault with intent to rob while armed, home invasion and resisting arrest. He has been on parole since April.
Detroit girl shot multiple times trying to protect mother
More from local news
Sect. Leader Who Used Religion as Justification for Sexual Assault, Rape of Female Followers Convicted
UT - Polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs faces five years to life in prison when he returns to court this week for sentencing on two counts of rape as anaccomplice.
Earlier this year, a jury in Utah convicted Jeffs, the so-called "prophet" ofthe Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, of two felony counts stemming from his involvement in the arranged marriage of a 14-year-oldfollower to her 19-year-old cousin.
During a week-long trial in September, Elissa Wall testified that Jeffs forced her into an arranged marriage with Allen Steed and told her to give herself tohim "mind, body and soul," despite her objections.
On Tuesday, Jeffs is scheduled to return before Fifth District Judge JamesShumate, who will render the final decision under the broad sentencing range for rape as an accomplice.
The first count stems from Wall's initial sexual encounter with Steed, about three weeks after Jeffs married them in a legally non-binding ceremony in aNevada hotel. The second count covers the time after Wall met with Jeffs and begged him to release her from the marriage, to no avail.
Fundamentalist prophet Warren Jeffs to be sentenced for forcing teen to marry
More from CourtTV
Earlier this year, a jury in Utah convicted Jeffs, the so-called "prophet" ofthe Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, of two felony counts stemming from his involvement in the arranged marriage of a 14-year-oldfollower to her 19-year-old cousin.
During a week-long trial in September, Elissa Wall testified that Jeffs forced her into an arranged marriage with Allen Steed and told her to give herself tohim "mind, body and soul," despite her objections.
On Tuesday, Jeffs is scheduled to return before Fifth District Judge JamesShumate, who will render the final decision under the broad sentencing range for rape as an accomplice.
The first count stems from Wall's initial sexual encounter with Steed, about three weeks after Jeffs married them in a legally non-binding ceremony in aNevada hotel. The second count covers the time after Wall met with Jeffs and begged him to release her from the marriage, to no avail.
Fundamentalist prophet Warren Jeffs to be sentenced for forcing teen to marry
More from CourtTV
Presidential Candidate Helped Parole Serial Rapist, Who Then Raped and Murdered Again
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The case of the rapist, Wayne DuMond, began in 1985, when he was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl. He was later convicted and sentenced to a life term.
In 1996, Huckabee, during his first term as Arkansas governor, expressed support for the parole of DuMond in a letter to him. The Arkansas parole board, which has the final say on such matter, later approved DuMond's parole
Less than a year after his release from prison in 1999, DuMond was accused of raping and murdering Carol Shields, a woman in Kansas City, Missouri. DuMond was convicted of the crime in 2003. He died in prison in 2005.
On Wednesday, the mother of the woman the convict later murdered pledged to campaign against the former Arkansas governor.
Huckabee: Politicization of rape victims' deaths 'heartbreaking'
More from CNN
In 1996, Huckabee, during his first term as Arkansas governor, expressed support for the parole of DuMond in a letter to him. The Arkansas parole board, which has the final say on such matter, later approved DuMond's parole
Less than a year after his release from prison in 1999, DuMond was accused of raping and murdering Carol Shields, a woman in Kansas City, Missouri. DuMond was convicted of the crime in 2003. He died in prison in 2005.
On Wednesday, the mother of the woman the convict later murdered pledged to campaign against the former Arkansas governor.
Huckabee: Politicization of rape victims' deaths 'heartbreaking'
More from CNN
Report: Peterson case warrants seek GPS, 'biological material'
Story Highlights
- Warrant for plastic shavings, blood, bodily fluids, fingernail scrapings, prints
- "In-dash GPS navigation systems," info sought on Drew Peterson's vehicle
- Three state police dive teams search for evidence in Stacy Peterson case
- 23-year-old woman missing, presumed murdered
Fact recap:
Stacy Peterson was last seen October 28 and reported missing by her family the next day. Drew Peterson, a longtime member of the Bolingbrook Police Department until he quit after his wife went missing, has denied any involvement in her disappearance. He has said he believes his wife left him for another man and is alive.
The most recent warrant also sought objects containing or having traces of blue plastic, lead weights, plastic shavings and scuff marks, circular impressions or carpet indentations and any other indication of a plastic or barrel-like object. A nonprofit group helping to search for Stacy Peterson has said police asked them to look for a blue plastic barrel large enough to hide a body.
Authorities also are investigating the death of Peterson's ex-wife, Kathleen Savio, whose body was found in her bathtub in 2004. Her death initially was ruled an accidental drowning. But when Peterson disappeared, the Will County State's Attorney's office opened another investigation into the case and has said it appears her death was a homicide staged to look like an accident
Commentary - Investigators continue to attempt to prove what everyone already know: this guy beat his wife #2 and murdered #3 and #4. Wife #1 must feel like she won the fate lottery at this point.More from CNN
Man Accused of DV Against Son Wanted in DV Case Against Ex-Wife
CORAL GABLES, FL: A man arrested two months ago and accused of hitting his son with a belt is again wanted for questioning by Coral Gables police -- this time for allegedly pushing his girlfriend. His attorney says he is arranging now for his client to speak to police.
Police say Loscar Rodriguez, 30, had already left the apartment the couple shares at 614 Santander Ave. when they arrived Dec. 3 after being called by the victim.
The woman, who is the mother of another child of Rodriguez's, said that Rodriguez pushed her to the ground and grabbed her, said Officer Frank Jackson.
Rodriguez, a bartender in Coconut Grove, was arrested in October after he was accused of using a belt to punish his 8-year-old son for getting bad grades. A school nurse called police after she discovered bruises on the boy's buttocks and legs.
Commentary - Photo attached to the article. Turn him in if you see him.
Man accused of hitting son with belt sought again
More from the Miami Herald
Police say Loscar Rodriguez, 30, had already left the apartment the couple shares at 614 Santander Ave. when they arrived Dec. 3 after being called by the victim.
The woman, who is the mother of another child of Rodriguez's, said that Rodriguez pushed her to the ground and grabbed her, said Officer Frank Jackson.
Rodriguez, a bartender in Coconut Grove, was arrested in October after he was accused of using a belt to punish his 8-year-old son for getting bad grades. A school nurse called police after she discovered bruises on the boy's buttocks and legs.
Commentary - Photo attached to the article. Turn him in if you see him.
Man accused of hitting son with belt sought again
More from the Miami Herald
Seven NJ State Troopers Implicated in Gang Rape of College Student
TRENTON, NJ — It was college night at KatManDu, a sprawling nightclub on the Delaware River here in the shadow of the gold-domed State House, when, the authorities said, a woman from Rider University struck up a conversation with a group of New Jersey state troopers.
After the club closed a few hours later, the student, a female friend from Rider and seven of the troopers met back at the home of one of the officers in a nearby suburb to play pool, according to lawyers and others familiar with the case.
The next afternoon, one of the students showed up at a hospital in a Trenton suburb and filed a police report saying she had been sexually assaulted by several troopers, setting off a criminal investigation that has rocked the State Police and shaken students at the Rider campus in nearby Lawrenceville.
Seven troopers have been suspended with pay as the authorities investigate the accusation. The Mercer County prosecutor, Joseph L. Bocchini Jr., has said the police in Ewing Township received the complaint on Dec. 7; he declined to discuss the status of the case or a timetable for deciding whether to pursue criminal charges.
The prosecutor’s office said that the encounter began on Dec. 6 when the student, 25, was at KatManDu for its Thursday night College Daze, which features $1 beers and entitles any woman with a university identification card to be admitted without paying the $8 cover charge.
According to lawyers and people familiar with the case, a female friend of the student, also from Rider, was talking with a group of about 15 troopers who had dropped in after a holiday party. At closing time, seven officers went off to play pool and the two Rider students drove to meet them there about 3 a.m., the lawyers said.
Sometime later that Friday — prosecutors and the Ewing Township police would not disclose precisely when — the student reported that she had been the victim of a sexual assault by numerous troopers while her friend slept in a nearby room.
The timing was unfortunate: The accusation of assault came the same day that Gov. Jon S Corzine said he would seek an end to years of federal oversight, which was imposed after the force was found to have engaged in racial profiling.
Commentary - "The timing was unfortunate"!?! For who? How inconvenient for the NJ Gov that this poor girl was the victim of a gang rape. How sad that the officers involved are all getting a paid vacation this holiday season. What unfortunate timing. Someone at the Times needs a reality adjustment immediately. Any time a woman is raped, much less gang raped, much, much less gang raped by law enforcement officers who are supposed to protect us, the timing is more than unfortunate.
Accusation of Attack Stuns Police and College
More from the NY Times
After the club closed a few hours later, the student, a female friend from Rider and seven of the troopers met back at the home of one of the officers in a nearby suburb to play pool, according to lawyers and others familiar with the case.
The next afternoon, one of the students showed up at a hospital in a Trenton suburb and filed a police report saying she had been sexually assaulted by several troopers, setting off a criminal investigation that has rocked the State Police and shaken students at the Rider campus in nearby Lawrenceville.
Seven troopers have been suspended with pay as the authorities investigate the accusation. The Mercer County prosecutor, Joseph L. Bocchini Jr., has said the police in Ewing Township received the complaint on Dec. 7; he declined to discuss the status of the case or a timetable for deciding whether to pursue criminal charges.
The prosecutor’s office said that the encounter began on Dec. 6 when the student, 25, was at KatManDu for its Thursday night College Daze, which features $1 beers and entitles any woman with a university identification card to be admitted without paying the $8 cover charge.
According to lawyers and people familiar with the case, a female friend of the student, also from Rider, was talking with a group of about 15 troopers who had dropped in after a holiday party. At closing time, seven officers went off to play pool and the two Rider students drove to meet them there about 3 a.m., the lawyers said.
Sometime later that Friday — prosecutors and the Ewing Township police would not disclose precisely when — the student reported that she had been the victim of a sexual assault by numerous troopers while her friend slept in a nearby room.
The timing was unfortunate: The accusation of assault came the same day that Gov. Jon S Corzine said he would seek an end to years of federal oversight, which was imposed after the force was found to have engaged in racial profiling.
Commentary - "The timing was unfortunate"!?! For who? How inconvenient for the NJ Gov that this poor girl was the victim of a gang rape. How sad that the officers involved are all getting a paid vacation this holiday season. What unfortunate timing. Someone at the Times needs a reality adjustment immediately. Any time a woman is raped, much less gang raped, much, much less gang raped by law enforcement officers who are supposed to protect us, the timing is more than unfortunate.
Accusation of Attack Stuns Police and College
More from the NY Times
12.15.2007
13 of 34 DC Officers Arrested in 2007 for Domestic Violence charges
WASHINGTON, D.C. - 34 members of the D.C. police department were arrested this year on assault, fraud, drunken driving and other charges, the largest number in at least five years.
Although the percentage of officers arrested on the 3,800-member force is small, this year's total is 10 more than last year's. At least five cases involve on-duty conduct, but the majority stem from off-duty activities. Thirteen officers were arrested on domestic violence charges, 10 for drunken driving.
Officer Elijah Shahid was accused of shooting his wife, also an officer, in the leg in August 2006. That case was dropped after his wife declined to testify against him, prosecutors said.
"Once you've embarrassed the department or shown me you don't have integrity, I don't want you back," said Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, who took office a year ago. In most cases, when officers are arrested, their badges and guns are taken away and they are put on desk duty until the charges are resolved. In cases involving drugs or sexual assault, officers typically are barred from the workplace. In traffic offense cases, including drunken driving, officers could be returned to the streets pending outcomes.
Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham, who is in charge of the internal affairs bureau, said the department will start a training program to educate officers about domestic violence and alcohol abuse.
"We are bothered by the fact that there are so many domestic violence and alcohol-related arrests," Newsham said. "The department will take action and have a campaign to inform and train our people to avoid these types of things."
He said all arrested officers are ordered to an employee assistance program for an evaluation. "We anticipate improvement next year," Newsham said.
Commentary - Notice the piece does not directly a address what happens to those charged with DV offenses, despite them compromising ~38% of the arrests, more than any other offense.
D.C. Police Force Has 34 Arrests of Members This Year
More from the Washington Post
Although the percentage of officers arrested on the 3,800-member force is small, this year's total is 10 more than last year's. At least five cases involve on-duty conduct, but the majority stem from off-duty activities. Thirteen officers were arrested on domestic violence charges, 10 for drunken driving.
Officer Elijah Shahid was accused of shooting his wife, also an officer, in the leg in August 2006. That case was dropped after his wife declined to testify against him, prosecutors said.
"Once you've embarrassed the department or shown me you don't have integrity, I don't want you back," said Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, who took office a year ago. In most cases, when officers are arrested, their badges and guns are taken away and they are put on desk duty until the charges are resolved. In cases involving drugs or sexual assault, officers typically are barred from the workplace. In traffic offense cases, including drunken driving, officers could be returned to the streets pending outcomes.
Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham, who is in charge of the internal affairs bureau, said the department will start a training program to educate officers about domestic violence and alcohol abuse.
"We are bothered by the fact that there are so many domestic violence and alcohol-related arrests," Newsham said. "The department will take action and have a campaign to inform and train our people to avoid these types of things."
He said all arrested officers are ordered to an employee assistance program for an evaluation. "We anticipate improvement next year," Newsham said.
Commentary - Notice the piece does not directly a address what happens to those charged with DV offenses, despite them compromising ~38% of the arrests, more than any other offense.
D.C. Police Force Has 34 Arrests of Members This Year
More from the Washington Post
12.03.2007
Taxi Driver Sexually Assaults Woman Taken Home From Bar
MIAMI BEACH, FL - A taxi driver is facing a criminal charge after Miami Beach police say he took a drunken passenger home and sexually assaulted her.
Ilhan Kocak, 42, of Super Yellow Cab, was charged last week with sexual battery, according to a police report released Monday.
Kocak told The Miami Herald the woman is lying. "She invited me upstairs,'' he said in an interview, vowing to fight the charges.
Ilhan Kocak, 42, of Super Yellow Cab, was charged last week with sexual battery, according to a police report released Monday.
Kocak told The Miami Herald the woman is lying. "She invited me upstairs,'' he said in an interview, vowing to fight the charges.
According to an arrest report by Detective Gustavo Sanchez, a Lincoln Road restaurant manager and the woman's friend hailed Kocak on Lincoln Road on Oct. 31. The woman was so intoxicated that she could not give her own address.
Surveillance video of the woman's North Beach apartment showed the cabbie helping her into the elevator -- and returning 45 minutes later, the report said. She woke up the next morning half-naked, the report said.
According to police, Kocak admitted sexual contact with the woman but claimed that she forced herself on him.
Taxi driver accused of sexual assault
More from the Miami Herald
Pregnant DV/Murder Victim had RO System Used Against Her
CHICAGO, IL - It was clear from the detectives' faces that they had come to Theresa Bunn's home with bad news.
Bunn, 21, had been missing since Monday evening, and the pregnant woman's family had hoped hers was not the body found strangled and set ablaze in a garbage bin Monday night, the first of two women found murdered in similarly grisly fashion this week.
Chicago police said detectives had no suspects in Bunn's murder but were talking to people who had "personal relationships" with Bunn.
Police are investigating whether Bunn's murder could be tied to the killing of a second woman, found strangled and set on fire in another dumpster a little more than 24 hours later, 2 miles away, in the 800 block of East 50th Street. That woman, described by sources as black, has not been identified, although police say they have received a number of tips about her possible identity.
Bunn had at least one stormy relationship in her past. She was the target of an order of protection filed in August by a man who accused her of making threatening phone calls to him and his family, saying he was the father of her unborn child and threatening to have him beaten, according to court documents. The man wrote that they had been involved, but that they had not had sexual intercourse. On Sept. 12, Bunn was arrested on charges that she violated the order by allegedly going to the man's home.
Twelve days later, Bunn responded to the man's complaint with a letter, saying the man and his mother were "stalking and harassing" her because she was pregnant with his child.
"I want them to leave me along (sic) they are stressing me out," she wrote. "They are trying to make me lose this baby."
Commentary - More and more frequently, abusers, especially those who have been through the civil restrain system before, are preemptively obtaining R.O.s on thin, contrived, or non-existent evidence to isolate and limit legal options for victims.
1st murder victim identified: City cops canvass worried neighbors
More details from the Chicago Tribune
Bunn, 21, had been missing since Monday evening, and the pregnant woman's family had hoped hers was not the body found strangled and set ablaze in a garbage bin Monday night, the first of two women found murdered in similarly grisly fashion this week.
Chicago police said detectives had no suspects in Bunn's murder but were talking to people who had "personal relationships" with Bunn.
Police are investigating whether Bunn's murder could be tied to the killing of a second woman, found strangled and set on fire in another dumpster a little more than 24 hours later, 2 miles away, in the 800 block of East 50th Street. That woman, described by sources as black, has not been identified, although police say they have received a number of tips about her possible identity.
Bunn had at least one stormy relationship in her past. She was the target of an order of protection filed in August by a man who accused her of making threatening phone calls to him and his family, saying he was the father of her unborn child and threatening to have him beaten, according to court documents. The man wrote that they had been involved, but that they had not had sexual intercourse. On Sept. 12, Bunn was arrested on charges that she violated the order by allegedly going to the man's home.
Twelve days later, Bunn responded to the man's complaint with a letter, saying the man and his mother were "stalking and harassing" her because she was pregnant with his child.
"I want them to leave me along (sic) they are stressing me out," she wrote. "They are trying to make me lose this baby."
Commentary - More and more frequently, abusers, especially those who have been through the civil restrain system before, are preemptively obtaining R.O.s on thin, contrived, or non-existent evidence to isolate and limit legal options for victims.
1st murder victim identified: City cops canvass worried neighbors
More details from the Chicago Tribune
12.01.2007
11 Girls Made Victims of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse as Cop Covered Up for Her Husband
ATLANTA, GA - Atlanta police knew seven years ago that a police sergeant's husband may have been paying young girls for sex and producing child pornography, but failed to investigate the allegations, federal authorities said.
An employee of a photo processing company alerted Atlanta police about Crane in 2000, saying he was concerned about photos he developed for him.
The pictures, including images of the 11 girls believed to be between the ages of 12 and 15, were given to police between 2000 and 2002 by the photo processing company, Nahmias said. They were not turned over to federal authorities, however, until last month.
In 2003, Crane's wife, Atlanta police Sgt. Tanya Crane, "allegedly got a call from an unidentified person at APD headquarters that APD had photographs of her husband engaged in sexually explicit conduct with young girls," said the statement from Nahmias' office.
"Crane's wife said she found some explicit photographs in her house and burned the photographs and negatives."
The allegations are "disturbing," said Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington.
"The alleged actions -- and any purported failure to take action -- will not be tolerated within the Atlanta Police Department," said Pennington, who took office in 2002.
Feds: Porn suspicions ignored; police officer's husband arrested
More from CNN
An employee of a photo processing company alerted Atlanta police about Crane in 2000, saying he was concerned about photos he developed for him.
The pictures, including images of the 11 girls believed to be between the ages of 12 and 15, were given to police between 2000 and 2002 by the photo processing company, Nahmias said. They were not turned over to federal authorities, however, until last month.
In 2003, Crane's wife, Atlanta police Sgt. Tanya Crane, "allegedly got a call from an unidentified person at APD headquarters that APD had photographs of her husband engaged in sexually explicit conduct with young girls," said the statement from Nahmias' office.
"Crane's wife said she found some explicit photographs in her house and burned the photographs and negatives."
The allegations are "disturbing," said Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington.
"The alleged actions -- and any purported failure to take action -- will not be tolerated within the Atlanta Police Department," said Pennington, who took office in 2002.
Feds: Porn suspicions ignored; police officer's husband arrested
More from CNN
11.30.2007
Ex-Boyfriend Kills DV Victim
JACKSON, MI - A tragic end to the search for a missing Mississippi college student. Authorities say the ex-boyfriend of Latasha Norman has led police to her body.
Stanley Dwayne Cole is being charged with murder.
Norman was last seen leaving class on November 13th. The body of the Jackson State University accounting major was discovered Thursday off a sparsely populated road next to some old tires and empty beer bottles. It's not clear how long she had been there.
Authorities say Norman had been the target of attacks in the weeks before her disappearance.
Cole had been facing a simple assault charge for allegedly hitting Norman.
Commentary - That body was not "discovered." HE LED POLICE TO IT. It is not some coincidence that he just happened to be the person who knew where it was. Do not use language to obscure the awful truth. He dumped her body "next to some old tires and empty beer bottles."
Body of Mississippi College Student Found
More from local news
Stanley Dwayne Cole is being charged with murder.
Norman was last seen leaving class on November 13th. The body of the Jackson State University accounting major was discovered Thursday off a sparsely populated road next to some old tires and empty beer bottles. It's not clear how long she had been there.
Authorities say Norman had been the target of attacks in the weeks before her disappearance.
Cole had been facing a simple assault charge for allegedly hitting Norman.
Commentary - That body was not "discovered." HE LED POLICE TO IT. It is not some coincidence that he just happened to be the person who knew where it was. Do not use language to obscure the awful truth. He dumped her body "next to some old tires and empty beer bottles."
Body of Mississippi College Student Found
More from local news
Ex-Police Chief Pleads Guilty To Raping Motorist
SAWYER, OK - A former police chief from a town in southeastern Oklahoma has pleaded guilty to raping a driver after pulling her over.
Coke Douglas Makerney admitted that while he was the chief in Sawyer, he had sex with a woman at an intersection against her will after the traffic stop.
A federal grand jury indicted Coke Douglas Makerney earlier this month on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
Makerney could spend up to life in prison and pay up to $250,000 in fines.
Makerney, 48, entered the guilty plea Thursday.
More from local news
Coke Douglas Makerney admitted that while he was the chief in Sawyer, he had sex with a woman at an intersection against her will after the traffic stop.
A federal grand jury indicted Coke Douglas Makerney earlier this month on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
Makerney could spend up to life in prison and pay up to $250,000 in fines.
Makerney, 48, entered the guilty plea Thursday.
More from local news
Ex-Boyfriend Kills Pregnant DV Victim
BETHANY, OK - Bethany police confirmed that a missing pregnant woman was found Friday morning at a wildlife refuge in northwest Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma state medical examiner said Lauren Barnes, 20, was asphyxiated, and the man accused of killing her allegedly told a friend that he choked her to death. Barnes was found dead on Friday at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge after a weeklong search.
Eric Phan, 20, who turned himself in on Wednesday night, is accused of killing Barnes, who has been missing since Friday. Bethany police believe this case is a homicide. Phan has not been charged with anything yet, but he is being held at the Oklahoma County Jail. Neither Phan nor his attorney are willing to comment about the case yet.
Police said that Phan and Barnes met at Eldon Lyon Park to discuss issues about Barnes' pregnancy relative to paternity. Phan told police that he doesn't believe he is the father; however, police said that Barnes sent a text message to her sister at 8:40 p.m. Friday saying that she was meeting the baby's father.
Mourners Gather To Remember Slain Bethany Woman
More from local news
Eric Phan, 20, who turned himself in on Wednesday night, is accused of killing Barnes, who has been missing since Friday. Bethany police believe this case is a homicide. Phan has not been charged with anything yet, but he is being held at the Oklahoma County Jail. Neither Phan nor his attorney are willing to comment about the case yet.
Police said that Phan and Barnes met at Eldon Lyon Park to discuss issues about Barnes' pregnancy relative to paternity. Phan told police that he doesn't believe he is the father; however, police said that Barnes sent a text message to her sister at 8:40 p.m. Friday saying that she was meeting the baby's father.
Mourners Gather To Remember Slain Bethany Woman
More from local news
Peterson case: Did cops protect one of their own?
Story Highlights
- NEW: Police called 18 times in two years, but Sgt. Drew Peterson never arrested
- Domestic disturbance calls involved third wife, Kathleen Savio, now dead
- Fourth wife Stacy Peterson has been missing since October 28
- Police have named Peterson a suspect in Stacy's disappearance
More From CNN
Man abuses girlfriend by slipping her pills, causing multiple miscarriages
A Wisconsin man is accused of slipping his mistress a pill to cause her to miscarry. CNN's Sunny Hostin video reports.
Commentary - This post is scary for a number of reasons -- (1) because most violence against women and children is committed by intimate partners (2) because so many states, and the federal government, have created a law that if construed improperly could make choosing an abortion a felony murder charge, and (3) because this subhuman used one of the few desperate measure's a woman has to protect her own independence to commit a heinous act.
Man charged in miscarriages
Video Coverage from CNN
Two DV Victims Killed as Abuser Violates Restraining Order, Shooting Them, Himself
COLUMBIA, SC - Willa Beasley's daughters tried to protect their mother from her husband's beatings and the alcoholism that was jeopardizing their family's home and farm. They paid with their lives.
Court documents obtained after Alton Beasley's double murder-suicide this week in Aiken, South Carolina, paint a picture of a troubled man who alternately threatened and hit his wife of 39 years and pleaded with her to return to him.
The marriage of my parents Willa and Alton Beasley has been volatile all of my life," she wrote. "The bruises were noticed in April and never seemed to go away."
Willa Beasley left the couple's home in Aiken at the end of July and moved in with daughter Elizabeth Beasley in Townville.
By September, she started divorce proceedings and got an emergency restraining order against her husband, said her attorney, Thomas Dunaway. The daughters sold some of the family's land to pay the bills.
On Tuesday, the estranged couple were back in court for a divorce hearing. Dunaway said Alton Beasley pushed and shoved his wife and had "a verbal altercation" with the judge. Afterward, law officers had to escort Alton Beasley from the courthouse, the lawyer said.
Dunaway said he had a brief conversation with Willa Beasley and her daughters after the hearing. The three left to have lunch at the home of Alton Beasley's parents, William and Mabel.
Then he showed up.
Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton said Alton Beasley shot Anna Loebsack twice, then wounded family friend Eddie Pruitt, whom Dunaway said hid Willa Beasley before her husband could shoot her.
Elizabeth Beasley, 47, tried to run away, but Alton Beasley followed her to a neighbor's yard. He shot her twice before killing himself, Carlton said.
Slain daughters tried to protect mom from abuse
More from CNN
4.11.2007
Brief Introduction: The Truth is undeniable.
The oppression of women is real. It is reality. And if you don't believe me, just keep checking this blog.
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