The Prairie Chicken

Another foot found in Canada!

2011-11-13T19:20:00.000-06:00

Right: This old boot is NOT connected to this case.

Human Foot Found In Sasamat Lake, Canada

British Columbia has been riddled by eight human feet washing ashore in the province and another appendage was found on the shore of Sasamat Lake near Port Moody on Friday, The Vancouver Sun reports.
This is at least the ninth foot discovered in British Columbia since 2007...

Read entire article here: http://www.aol.com/2011/11/09/human-foot-found-in-sasam_n_1086014.html

Also read: Another severed foot found in B.C. waters
and: Two feet that washed ashore in B.C. identified from Seattlepi.com.

This one is a men’s size 12 black Cougar brand hiking boot, found November 7, 2011. Authorities keep saying there is no sign of foul play. Yeah? Please, if my foot is ever detached from my leg, assume there HAS been foul play and work from there.

Charla Nash gets new face after Chimpazee attack

2011-08-11T23:07:00.002-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
August 11, 2011

Right: Charla before
Right below: Charla after

In May of this year, Charla Nash received a full face transplant at Woman’s Hospital of Boston. A team of 30 doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists worked for 20 hours to perform the extremely rare procedure - the third time the surgery had been performed there.

In 2009, Nash was attacked by Herrod's 15-year-old chimpanzee, Travis, after Herrod called and requested her help in getting control of Travis, who was having an "off" day. When paramedics arrived, they found that Travis had ripped off Nash’s entire upper jaw and nose, and had chewed off Nash’s fingers, shredding both of her hands. Travis was killed by police on the day of the attack.

Charla Nash gets new face--New York Times

Chimp attack victim reveals new face for first time--msnbc.com

Warren Jeffs sentenced 8-11-2011

2011-08-11T22:11:00.001-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
August 11, 2011

Texas jury sentences Jeffs to life + 20--Rueters

Prophet to Pedophile--Christian Science Moniter

"Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison for his assault on the 12-year-old. He received a 20-year sentence for the assault on the 15-year-old. The two sentences are to be served consecutively.
In addition to Jeffs, seven other elder members of the FLDS sect have been convicted in Texas trials or pleaded guilty. They have received sentences ranging from six to 75 years. Four more FLDS members are awaiting trial." Christian Science Monitor

It is plain to see that when Jeffs decided to move to Texas it was one of the poorest decisions he could have made. And he claimed to be a prophet--you'd think he'd "know" the laws. One of the talking heads said that Jeffs and his advisers thought the land they bought was not governed by a local police force and that contact with county or state officials would be so sparse that they would not have to spend a lot of time worrying about them.

Below is a link to an article about Utah looking over Jeffs case, hopefully to begin cleaning up their own mess. Arizona, Colorado--are you paying attention? Texas knows how to kick ass and take names. I'm telling you."-)

Warren Jeffs trial evidence to be studied by Utah officials

Warren Jeffs Guilty

2011-08-09T00:08:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
August 8, 2011

Warren Jeffs finally is found guilty of raping two "child brides." The penalty could be up to 119 years, 99 years for sex with the 12 year old and 20 for the 14 year old, if maximum sentences are given to be served consecutively. The judge could be lenient, but we are talking about Texas. The best I believe will be the judge allowing the sentences, what ever they may be, to be served concurrently.

Why would these dimwits choose Texas, anyway? I don't even exceed the speed limit when I'm in Texas. They just don't fool around. There are 400, give or take, people on death row and they actually execute around 15 every year.

Here's hoping for a long sentence for this guy. Life in Texas prison. oh my...

Warren Jeffs trial, July 26, 2011

2011-07-26T23:09:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
July 26, 2011

Having been held in the El Dorado Texas jail for three years, Fundamentalist Mormon leader Warren Jeffs has spent an average of 3K per month on phone calls paid for by phone cards.

Authorities say Jeffs has received money from his followers and that he uses much of it to buy phone time to deliver lengthy and elaborate sermons to disciples in Texas, Utah and Arizona.

According to Schleicher County Sheriff David, Jeffs’ calls indicate that he is still running his church from behind bars.

The Texas accusations arise mainly from a raid conducted by the Texas Rangers on an FLDS ranch a few miles from El Dorado. Authorities took hundreds of children away from the ranch for over two months before allowing them to return.

During the raid, Jeffs' diaries were confiscated, which included photographs of Jeffs kissing very young girls. Some once-trusted aides of Warren Jeffs say he has betrayed his church’s principles and lost their loyalty by openly boasting of relations with girls as young as 12 or 13. “And he’s confessed to doing some very terrible things, including molesting his daughter and sister and others,” said Willie E. Jessop, a former Jeffs associate.

Jeffs is represented by attorney Jeff Kearney.

Jeffs was tried in St. George, Utah, after his arrest in 2006 and he was found guilty on two charges of being an accomplice to rape. The conviction was overturned by an appellate court on a technicality; jury instructions were found to have been faulty. Utah prosecutors decided not to re-try the case.

Jury selection for Jeff’s sexual assault trial began in Texas on Monday. He is charged with two counts of sexual assault on a child and one count of bigamy, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Casey Anthony gets the last laugh

2011-07-17T21:52:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
July 17, 2011

Shortly after midnight, Casey Anthony was released from custody, having served her time for four counts of lying to the police on July 15 and 16, 2008, in the case of her missing/murdered daughter Caylee three years ago.

While I admit I would like one opportunity to bitch slap her, I accept the judicial system, the jury's decision. Would rather Casey does not move to the prairie, but it is a free country.

A question, though. If it is the State of Florida vs. Casey Anthony, why do all of the jurors have to come from the same county? It would seem that in the case of a sequestered jury, the prosecution and defense would both benefit from a state wide draw giving the attorneys more to choose from (meaning no disrespect to the Anthony jury, I'm just sayin'...) more costly I suppose.

Numerous news stations have covered Anthony's release from jail this morning. Obviously most, if not all, of them must have expected a guilty verdict and then sentencing, then a follow-up to prison, and on and on, because that little 2 minute clip has been played and replayed all day long. Good movie day. Now the big question is where did she go? Is she holed up at Chaney Mason's house? At a hotel in Orlando? Did she make the plane to Ohio?

It was reported last week that Zenaida Gonzalez was issuing a civil suit against her and intended to have it served to her prior to leaving jail. Tim Miller with Equusearch is also filing suit to seek reimbursement of 112k that his organization spent searching for little Caylee, when according to Casey's own attorney, Casey knew Caylee was already dead. Leonard Padilla is suing for something, probably reimbursement for what he spent bailing her out of jail, providing round-the-clock security for her. Along with that, the IRS wants 78k to pay the income tax on the 225,000k she received for "licensing photo's" of Caylee.   Jose took the money as payment. Not looking out too well for his client in that sense, huh?

It was said by one of the talking heads that Casey now wants to be a paralegal. It immediately made me thing of what Jesse Grund said about Casey--that she would try to morph herself into what ever was going on around her, that while not particularly religious, she participated in church and prayer meetings with his family, and suddenly she was a fan of his football team. She's had no one but attorneys to talk to for three years so now she wants to be involved in law.   Of course, she'll have to get that GED before she can start school for that. Maybe she can work out something where she's just an imaginary paralegal.

So Casey Anthony has a future after all. Only time will tell if it is a good one. I can't see a reality show in her future, since even Jerry Springer and Vivid Entertainment (XXX rated stuff) pulled their offers. How about the next Survivor series?  Hopefully she will just fade away, never to be heard from again. For narcissists like herself that would be the worst punishment of all. To simply be ignored.

Casey Anthony murder trial--Not Guilty of Caylee's Murder, July 5, 2011

2011-07-05T15:48:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
July 5, 20011

Not Guilty. Just can't wrap my head around which parts of all that defense team crap the jury believed?

All I can say is that they don't know as much as we do about the case. They couldn't and still say not guilty. The jury is told what is allowed for them to be told, I guess.

Today my heart aches for Caylee Marie Anthony, a little girl who would be in the 1st grade this year, she would know all her numbers and abc's, could have been reading already. She and her grandma would be excited as they bought school clothes and supplies.

Where will Casey go now? Back to her parents house? Maybe Grandma Plesea will take her in. After Crystal's testimony, maybe Cindy will kick George out and she and Casey can just duel to the death. Weirder things have happened.

Are you outraged?

Casey Anthony murder trial--rebuttal witnesses--7-1-2011

2011-07-01T19:10:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
July 1, 2011

Sitting back, thinking about the Anthony trial this past month, it is amazing how fast time has gone by, what with it being so long. I'm afraid that little Caylee Marie, shown here at right, just a little girly-girl, is getting lost in all the garbage (no pun intended).

There were the real nuts in the gallery. The crazy lady who yelled out in the courtroom concerning Casey’s guilt, had a total meltdown when facing Judge Perry, and spent one or two nights in the clink. Then just this week some arrogant little pip-squeak with a crush on Casey was photographed covering a yawn with his hands and ending with one finger giving prosecutor Ashton the bird. Why? Six days in jail and $660 something in fines and court costs. Did it really seem like a good idea at the time? Really?

How about the difference between Dr G’s testimony and that of Warner Spitz about the autopsy procedure, and Spitz calling G’s work shoddy because she had not sawed the top off of an empty skull. To me, those are fightin’ words. When you follow these high profile crimes, you’ll usually find that the defense will call in one of this trio of expert medical examiners: Dr. Warner Spitz, Dr. Henry Lee, or Dr. Cyril Wecht. I’ve found them all to be experts for a price. Warner is probably supplementing his retirement with defense cases. He was completely uninformed about the case except for what Baez had asked for—someway to discredit the first autopsy.

And what do you think of Cindy Anthony now? On the day in court when she lied about making the computer searches, one psychologist on a talk show said she had moved her lips in the “dupers delight”, a way of puckering her lips just prior to and after telling a lie. It's true, too, I was watching clips on HLN and sure enough, all through that bevy of lies about the searches she has a peculiar pucker. Then today, when prosecution brought in the president of Gentiva with records that show that she was not only at work, but making entries on the work computer, she kept herself hidden behind the woman sitting in front of her, trying to make herself as small as possible. Maybe there will be other news views. What facial features does she use when she is caught red-handed in a lie under oath with a po'd district attorney and stern judge?

It looks to me like Casey is enjoying her last few days of relative freedom. When will it hit her that everyone is going to go on to something else, while she heads off to jail. It’s not exactly going to be like spring break. Right now she is a star. Everyone knows who Casey Anthony is. Soon, though, she will be a note in the back-pages of the newspaper when she files for appeal, or is denied. Maybe she can entertain herself with imaginary vacations.

But then I’m assuming that she will be found guilty. Lawd knows I have been very wrong before.

Casey Anthony murder trial--the defense rests--6-30-2011

2011-06-30T20:58:00.001-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
June 30, 2011

This afternoon the trial of Casey Anthony for the murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony on June 16, 2008 entered the next step of closing arguments, when defense rested their case in the afternoon session.

It would probably be better for Drane Burdick to present closing arguments for the prosecutions instead of Ashton. While I did see Drane Burdick po'd a couple of times, when Cindy was blatantly lying, contradicting herself and trying to manipulate with that smarmy look she gets, Ashton clearly lets Baez get under his skin. You can tell he'd like to pop him in the nose.

One problem I had from early on was that George, Cindy and Lee were allowed to remain in the court room when they were witnesses themselves. Sure they could have sat at home and watched it all on tru.tv and HLN like I did, but Cindy so obviously changed her story. Lied. There I said it.

Dr. Vass impressed me. And Dr. G. He was the head guy at the Tennessee body farm. She's a famous medical examiner with a TV show. It has to be a very unique kind of person who would choose death for a career. they are needed...just sayin', but anyway... They knew their stuff and were very interested in their work, excited for the chance to share their knowledge. His testimony reflected the most recent findings and publishing. In contrast, Baez brought in a bevy of "expert" witnesses who were, I don't know. Inexperienced? Only partly informed? Paid to read the script? (Dr. Werner Spitz--$5000 per day to say whatever you want--that's pathetic)

Was there any reason to subpoena Crystal Holloway? Was that just one final jab at George's character?

What really frustrates me is, having followed this case so closely for three years, there are sooo many things not brought forward. And what scares me is the very small amount that was actually presented to the jury. That has to be a hard job--prosecutor--to sort out the most important issues and present them in a clear enough progression that 12 peeps can all make sense of. Baez makes defense look simple. Delay, whine, postpone, lie. Maybe he has written a closing argument that will draw all this together to somehow match his opening statements. Ya reckon?

What are your thoughts on the trial?

Casey Anthony murder trial 6-5-2011

2011-06-06T22:04:00.001-05:00

Dr Arpad Vass, the head research scientist at the Tennessee Body Farm testified today about the odor in the trunk carpeting. Vass explained the odor analysis, often leaving Baez looking dazed. He spent a lot of time giving background--he explained the method of scientific experiment used and was obviously excited about his work and enjoyed working. Baez accused him of portraying himself as more educated and experienced and made a bit of a fool of himself by insisting that only a chemist could figure out the smell from data presented. I guess having a Phd in Anthropology, a BA in Administration and AS in Biology plus twenty years experience in decomposition doesn't make him an expert, huh, Baez?

Casey Anthony murder trial 6-4-2011

2011-06-06T21:49:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

June 4, 2011

Awilda McBride was the police officer who went to the tow yard to pick up the trash that had been thrown in the dumpster when George picked up the Pontiac, called to testify to fill a box. They asked her if she smelled anything. She didn’t.
It’s funny how Casey liked to present herself as a young woman who really had it together. Single mother, Valencia student, employed in a great job. Was there ever a time when she realized she could actually do those things? But in lying, she claimed to have made achievements that she didn’t. Her “graduation” for instance. She was short a credit, wasn’t allowed to walk with her class, yet Cindy threw the party anyway. Did that check a box for Casey? Figured that was good enough. Is there a name for that besides narcissistic?

Casey Anthony murder trial 6-3-2011

2011-06-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

June 3, 2011

On Friday, more video tapes of jail conversations were played. The first was Casey with both George and Cindy. She behaved rather well on August 3, telling her parents that she missed them and wanted to come home. She said that keeping her there wasn’t helping anything—and seemed to think they could bail her out.

Another video was played of conversation between Casey and Lee. He was doing his own private investigation and really wanted Casey to understand what her rights were—questioning her about how she hooked up with Jose Baez and indicating that Lee did not trust Baez.

Next the video was played when George had gone to visit Casey by himself. As I said before, what she wanted was for mom and dad to come up with $50k to bail her out. She was sooo sweet to him, fawning and telling him he was a terrific Dad and wonderful Grandpa. She repeated several times that she wanted to be there (home) when Caylee came home. It seemed to me that her demeanor changed a bit after he told her they couldn’t come up with that kind of money. A little colder. I don’t suppose it has ever occurred to her that if she hadn’t run up 45K in credit card charges, they may have been able to help her.

Another video of Casey with Cindy and George during an August 14 visit shows Casey still trying to sniff out money. Never anything about Caylee. This is the one where she throws her little hissy fit

Casey Anthony murder trial 6-2-2011

2011-06-03T00:47:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
June 2, 2011

This morning we heard from Jeff Hopkins, the character who played on and off boyfriend in Casey’s imaginary world. Hopkins testified that he knew Casey from middle school and did actually work at Universal Orlando at one point. He said the last time he worked at Universal was in 2002—not with Anthony and six years before Caylee disappeared. Before this all came down Lee overheard Casey talking to her mother about Jeff Hopkins and Lee said he knew him from high school. Not missing a beat, Casey said it was Jeffrey Michael Hopkins, not the one Lee knew. Hopkins testified he's never dated Anthony, doesn't have a son and has never lived in Jacksonville, as Anthony claimed of the Hopkins she spoke of. So I guess that eliminates the deceased wife, the little boy Zachary and the mother Jules, who incidentally was just married in an impromptu ceremony at the the hospital chapel where she is undergoing cancer treatment. Easy come, easy go.

Yuri Melich was recalled to the witness box. He testified about the morning of July 16, 2008 when Melich and entourage escorted Casey to Universal Studio’s because Casey thought she might have information in her desk, in her office. OSCO had spoken with security explaining the situation and security verified there was no Tom Manly, her manager, or Juliet Lewis, her work bff, and security had allowed them to enter the park because of the situation. Walking and talking confidently , Casey led them through the gate and into a building, down the hall when she finally admitted she did not work there. Melich and another detective Appy something, borrowed a conference room right in that building and the interview was audio taped. On the tape, Melich confronted Casey about all the stories and gave her a good tongue lashing. The Defense had nothing to say.
Leonard Turtora followed Melich. He was the Universal Orlando Supervisor who escorted Casey and Orange County Sheriff detectives around the park when Casey claimed she worked there, and then later admitted that she didn't. Turtora stated that Casey actually did work for Kodak but was terminated when Colorvision replaced Kodak and Casey didn’t apply for a job with the new company. He also verified that Casey’s imaginary friends did not work there either.
For the rest of the day, Casey’s jail house visitor tapes were played, her visits with Lee and her parents back when she still thought she could get something from them. There were four or five, which lasted the afternoon. They were the tapes that have played endlessly on the news for long these three years. They only accentuate how manipulative she is.

That wrapped it up. The jury offered to stay over 10-15 minutes to finish watching the last video. These people are serious. I wonder if they are put up somewhere swanky. Or at least very nice. It would be my luck I’d be sequestered in a no-tell motel with a crusty bedspread and wet carpet.

Casey Anthony murder trial 6-1-2011

2011-06-01T23:36:00.000-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
June 1, 2011

It was a busy day in Judge Perry’s court Wednesday, a full schedule of witnesses and each questioned and dispatched in short order, with only a couple exceptions as you’ll read below.

Amy Huizenga came back this morning and was cross-examined by defense. Judge Perry had decided against allowing the prosecution to bring up the money Casey stole from Amy, which would reveal that Casey had previously pleaded guilty to six felony counts because of the theft. She testified that their friendship was only about five month’s total, and that it was obviously one-sided. She testified that Casey had led her to believe that they were going to room together in the Anthony house which her parents were moving out of. “Sign it over to her.” Then Baez asked her if she was a heavy drinker, if she had ever driven drunk, and asked if she had moved in with Ricardo Morales after July 15, (she did because she had no place to live and no money, both thanks to Casey, but not allowed to be spoken of in front of the jury.) Then the question that chapped me; Baez asked her if she had “gone out” with Jesse Grund after they met in mid-July (she had, but just to compare notes to see if they could figure out where Casey might have taken Caylee.) So in trying to discredit Amy, he tried to make her look like a jealous, drunken whore, picking up Casey’s sloppy seconds, her castoffs. I’d like to box his ears for that. Casey’s friends asked for none of this. They accepted her at face value and were open and accepting of her. What a slap in the face. To make it worse, she was given a subpoena when she left the courtroom Tuesday to return to be a defense witness.

Lee Anthony was up next. Lee’s testimony was consistent with the statements that he gave at the first of the investigation. He said that his mother and sister were very combative on July 15, and that Casey refused to speak to her mother which was why he followed Casey into her room, hoping to get her to tell him. He said there was a jealousy between mother and daughter and Casey told Lee that Cindy had told her several times that she was an un-fit mother. He testified that she told him after a while that her nanny had stolen Caylee and she had not seen her in 31 days, the conversation that was overheard by Cindy which spurred the third 911 call from Cindy to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OSCO). He also relayed the statement from Casey, “maybe I’m just a spiteful bitch.” At one point during a recess they made eye contact and she smiled. Lee did not. While he was not asked today about the allegation by Casey that he had molested her, he was dismissed subject to recall. We will hear more from Lee.

Sheriff’s deputy Rendon Fletcher was called to the stand. Fletcher was a responding officer on July 15, 2008 and was dispatched to the Sawgrass apartments to check out Zanieda Gongalez. After finding the apartment empty, he spoke with the apartment manager and found out that the apartment had been vacant for months.

Sheriff’s deputy Adriana Avecedo was up after lunch. She arrived at the Anthony home on July 15 and after speaking to Corporal Fletcher, Avecedo took Casey to Sawgrass apartments with Casey sitting in the back and giving directions. Casey pointed to the apartment on the second floor apartment 210. Casey was never put in handcuffs, nor was she arrested, as Casey’s lies hadn’t yet started to surface.

Next up was Amanda Macklin is the community manager of Sawgrass apartments. She stated that she did not know Casey Anthony and that there was never a Zenieda Fernandez Gonzales who lived in those apartments.

And moving right along, Prosecution called Reginald Hosey, a OSCO supervisor in charge of the scene at the Anthony home on July 15. Once Sheriffs deputies arrived, the family was separated and each questioned individually. Hosey spoke with Casey early on. She told him that she and her mother were not getting along and that Cindy was making threats to take custody of Caylee from her. Casey did not make much about the kidnapping. Hosey testified, as did Fletcher and Avecedo, that Casey displayed a flat affect, very unemotional and removed from what was going on.

OSCO Detective Yuri Melich was the last witness called on Wednesday. It was a bit boring at first. Melich read the statement that Casey agave him on July 15/16 2008, and after he read it, the actual audio tape of the interview between Melich and Casey was played for the jurors. Casey remained subdued as lie after lie came out of her mouth on the recording. Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth she was so cool.

Then Baez asked him if he ever went by another name, i.e. Dick Tracy Orlando. Melich looked puzzled and stymied by Prosecution objection, Baez pursued, risking the wrath Judge Perry, to enter evidence that Yuri Melich had posted on a popular crime website, webslueths.com under the ID of Dick Tracy Orlando. Baez never shared this discovery with Prosecution (all evidence had a dead-line of December 10) so again, we have to wait for Judge Perry’s ruling on whether it should be allowed or if anything would impeach Melichs character. From the stack of paper Baez handed to Perry, much of it was well wishes from bloggers when Melich broke his leg, Judge Perry told Baez he has until tomorrow morning to show him something “pacific” that showed Melich discussed the case or posts that showed he had a bias toward the defendant. Not a stack of paper. It seems that at one time OSCO had reprimanded him for his involvement with a blog. Baez then beat on him the rest of the day about why there wasn’t a more extensive search of the swimming pool. Of course there are photo’s showing police looking at every inch of the backyard of the Anthony house, but Baez has probably forgotten that.

I wonder if Baez is starting to morph to Casey think. Just throw it all against the wall and see what sticks.

The Judges habit of dropping the s when he says “specific” make is come out “pacific”. This wouldn’t be so irritating if he didn’t say it so much. Just annoying.

It’s also being reported by wesh.com in Orlando that the IRS is dunning Casey Anthony for about $68K. It seems that when Casey and Jose Baez sold Caylee photo’s for $200K+, Baez took it all and didn’t pay tax on her behalf.

Welcome to the grown up world Casey

Casey Anthony murder trial 5-31-2011

2011-06-01T20:24:00.001-05:00

Cindy Anthony Tuesday, May 31
Photo from Orlando Sentinel.com

The Prairie Chicken

May 31, 2011,

On Tuesday, Cindy Anthony took the stand and relived the afternoon and night of July 15, 2008, through the infamous 911 calls to the Orange County Sheriffs Office. Cindy continued telling the story in chronological order, laying out the details of all the lies Casey told her; telling about the intricate details Casey came up with, not only with her imaginary friends, but giving each character family members, pets, jobs, physical descriptions, what they supposedly drove, where they lived. Gave them background stories. While Cindy cried throughout her testimony, during the third taped 911 call, the one where she says the car smells like there has been a dead body in the damn car, she had what appeared to be a close to total breakdown. It was agonizing to watch the degree of suffering that was plain to see (I admit I cried with her for a minute), and what made it all the more eerie was the cold calm demeanor that Casey displayed during her mothers testimony. After the hissy fit she threw on May 28, she was quite stoic, like finally her meds kicked in.

Amy Huizenga ended the days questioning with her account of Casey’s lies. This was a different Amy than I expected although all I had seen of her before was through the party pictures that Casey had taken. After Cindy’s drama in the morning, Amy’s testimony was almost mundane, and will continue tomorrow.

Casey Anthony murder trial 5-28-2011

2011-05-30T03:46:00.001-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

May 28, 2011

Saturday morning, Tony Lazzaro began the day with more testimony, this time describing his last week or so with Casey. The intimate (sexting) messages between him and Casey were edited by Judge Perry as irrelevant (and would only have caused Lazzaro more embarrassment.) Lazzaro said in text messages on July 17 she told him Caylee was with a psycho nanny, even then carrying on the lies. He testified about the phone calls and text messages between the two after Casey’s lies had been exposed on July 15 and ended by expressing how angry, hurt and humiliated he felt by her betrayal. Casey remained mostly stoic throughout his stint on the stand, dabbing at imaginary tears occasionally.

Cindy Anthony was then sworn in. She asked to bring her water and then asked to have the large photo of Caylee taken down to try to keep from crying. At least she wasn’t chewing gum this time. Much of her testimony involved the layout of the house, how many doors led outside, whether the doors were kept locked. After the story of Caylee’s birth and living arrangements, she began with the events of Fathers Day, June 15, 2008, the last day she spent with Caylee when the pair went to visit Cindy’s parents in Mt Dora. (Reference video of Caylee singing “You are my sunshine.”) She went day by day describing each lie Casey had told. Now this was truly “amazing”, the intricate detail that Casey came up with about the trip to Tampa with her imaginary friends, the terrible car accident, the grueling imaginary work schedule, the trip to Jacksonville the imaginary boyfriend and all his kin. Cindy laid it all out to the first break called by Judge Perry.

This is where it became interesting. Cindy walked past the defense table without a glance. Casey stared after her and when she saw George embrace Cindy at the back of the courtroom, Casey threw a real hissy fit. One of her attorneys Dorothy Clay Sims, tried to comfort her but she was pissed. While I cannot read lips, after viewing the video several times, some of her words I made out were, “she’s had three years and nothing…”, “she said she would stand by me…”, and then many more short spurts began with “she” but I lost the rest. Obviously Casey was expecting something entirely different than the truth. Wow. Well, we have two days to think about this.

Cindy returned to the stand, Casey still sniffling, Cindy more composed. She cried periodically at pictures of Caylee, or special memories she spoke of. Her testimony continued about Casey’s stories during the 31 days in question, until court was finally dismissed until Tuesday at 9:00.

Do you think Casey is acting? What with shaking her head when George testified denying he ever molested her and now this temper tantrum thrown at her mother. Could she be schizophrenic as well as a narcissistic sociopath?

Casey Anthony murder trial 5-27-2011

2011-05-29T23:37:00.001-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
May 27,2011

Friday morning testimony began with Mallory Parker, girlfriend/fiancée of Casey’s brother Lee Anthony. I’ll admit my disappointment right away. She had been so quiet and out-of-sight during these long three years and I had hoped she would have some valuable input on something. Anything. According to Parker, Casey was a wonderful, balanced mother to Caylee, which indicates she was either not around much, or she wants to marry into this kooky family so badly she will say anything Lee expects her to say. There is always the possibility that Parker genuinely thought Casey and Caylee had a great relationship. In this case, anything is possible. At the end of her testimony, Baez asked Parker to describe the relationship and Parker replied, “Amazing…” If I’m not mistaken, that is the same thing Scott Peterson said about his wife Lacey after he had murdered her and dumped her in the bay.

William Waters was called next and his testimony was short and sweet, much like his time spent with Casey Anthony. A friend of Amy Huizenga, William met Casey at the July 4 party (reference the pic’s of Casey ‘dressed’ in the US flag.) She spent the night with him, left in the morning then came back and spent the afternoon of July 5. Apparently just a meaningless hookup, but interesting in that she was supposedly madly in love with Tony Lazzaro at the time (Tony was visiting his home in NY.) She was probably called as a state witness just to validate what a skank she was.

Catherine Sanchez testified to the days that Casey’s car was in the Amscot parking lot, and that she had called to have it towed.

Simon Birch was then called to the stand, he is the manager of the company that towed Casey’s car on June 30 and held it in their yard until the Anthony’s came to get it. Birch testified that he escorted George Anthony to the car and experienced smelling a horrendous odor emanating from the interior and trunk of the Pontiac Sunfire. He witnessed the circular discoloration on the floor of the trunk and it was he who threw away the bag of trash that they found there.
George Anthony returned to the stand for the 3^rd time after Simon Birch. Prosecution and Defense walked him through the same story that Simon Birch had just told, about picking up the Pontiac from the tow yard and smelling the smell of death. Baez uses a very irritating tone when he questions George, really trying to make the jury see him as a bad guy, wants to know why HE didn’t call police after he smelled death in the car. Badgering is the only word that fits, picking and poking and asking the same question over and over. Baez accuses George Anthony of distancing himself from evidence.
Back at the Defense table, Baez and Casey appear to have an animated argument. Coming just after Georges testimony, one might be led to think Casey objected to Baez treatment of her father, but who knows. Maybe she wanted chicken for lunch and all she got was crow.

To end the day, Tony Lazzaro was recalled to the stand again, speaking more about his time with Casey, what they did, where they went, what they said, yadda, yadda.

If I recall correctly, Lazzaro told the court on his first day of his testimony that returning to court would be a hardship, because he now lives in Ft Pierce, Florida. Still, this is the third appearance and it looks like he will be first up tomorrow, Saturday. Until then…

Jordan Brown gets another chance at juvenile court

2011-05-28T19:30:00.001-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
May 28, 2011

Jordan A Brown, Wampum, Pennsylvania, the now 13 year old who allegedly shot his fathers fiancee, Kenzie Houk in the back of the head two years ago, will be given another chance to have his case tried in juvenile court instead of the adult court system. Her unborn baby died as a result of her death.

Pennsylvania law allows persons age 11 and above to be tried in adult court for murder charges. Under certain circumstances the case can be referred to juvenile court, one stipulation being the defendant admits his/her guilt. In this case, Jordan Brown has denied killing his future step-mother, causing the judge hearing the case to refuse to reassign the court.

Brown’s attorney, Lourdes Rosado has filed an appeal that Brown was denied his constitutional rights against self-incrimination by being tried in adult court unless there is a confession.

Jordan Brown Hearing goes to Common Pleas Court

Another Chance for Jordan Brown

No go! Jordan Brown, 12, To Be Tried As Adult For Murder

Casey Anthony murder trial 5-26-2011

2011-05-26T19:21:00.001-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

May 26, 2011

As we knew from the end of yesterday’s testimony, Tony Lazzaro was back on the stand. His description of Caylee and her relationship with her mother Casey was given with what seemed to be fond but sad memories of the little girl. He acknowledged that he had told Casey he loved her, and she had avowed the same to him.

Without the jury in court Lazzaro gave a statement about abuse Casey allegedly told him about which involved her brother Lee trying to “feel her up” in the chest area, and that her father had “hit” on her a lot. He said that he took what Casey told him of her father's actions to be discipline and not abuse.

The statement was taped to be used if the proper foundation is later made to enter that testimony and so that Lazzaro will not have to return if and when that happens. Judge Perry will make that determination.

It is almost painful watching Baez fumble his way through defense questioning. It is hard to follow where he is going or what he wants to elicit. As I wrote yesterday, Baez does not seem to understand the rules of admission of evidence and building foundation. He is building a great case for Casey to win another trial—ineffective counsel.

George was back on the hot seat this morning, recalled by Baez, and badgered ruthlessly about the gas cans Casey had stolen from his shed. George admitted that he had placed the duct tape on the round gas can after he got them back from Casey because the cap was missing and he didn’t want gas fumes in the shed. It almost appears that Baez was nipping at George to get him to show his temper.

Baez asked George Anthony to fill in dates on a large calendar with a dry marker, to record the dates that Caylee was reported missing and the date that the gas can incident occurred. It seems like a rather elaborate little game that had no reason or benefit for either side. By the end of George's testimony today it seems Baez was beating around the bush as to why George would call the police about stolen gas knowing Casey probably stole it, but never questioned where Caylee was for a month--never called the police about that. Pointless and unnecessary.

Morales followed George on the witness stand. Now married with one child and living in Illinois, he said he worked at a car dealership when Casey stayed with him. He met her in June 2007, they started being a couple in February 2008, and the relationship was over by the middle of April, 2008. During the time of February through April, Morales said that Casey stayed overnight with him four to five times per week and that Caylee was always with her.

One picture showing a bruise under Caylee’s left eye had been objected to prior to trial, the defense claiming that would prejudice the jury, allowing them to believe the bruise was a result of abuse. Prosecution sneaked it in by asking Morales to identify it as a photo simply showing Casey and Caylee in his bedroom. It was allowed with admonition from Judge Perry that the bruise, as verified by several sources, was simply a toddler mishap, not abuse.

Morales also reported that Casey had confided in him that she had allegedly been abused by her brother.

Morales said that June 10 was the last time he ever saw Caylee, when she left his apartment with Casey that morning. In August of 2008 he sold pictures of Caylee to Globe rag magazine for $4 thousand dollars.

Baez then (with great difficulty) entered the photo, “win her over with chloroform,” that was taken from Morales’ My Space site. He replied that it was simply a joke he had downloaded from a humor site.

Other witnesses of the day included Melissa England, the girlfriend of Troy Brown, a parking valet in downtown Orlando and roommate of Amy Huizenga. England described her as friendly and engaging and showed no sign of distress over a missing daughter when she met her at around the first of July, 2008. She witnessed Casey on her cell phone give an elaborate excuse about why she couldn’t hang with her friends, then hung up and said, 'Oh my God, I'm such a good liar."

Troy Brown then took the stand, followed by Iassen Donov, and Donte Salati, Christopher Stutz, and Matthew Crisp. The questioning followed the same each time, was Casey a loving mother, a kind mother, did you ever see her hit Caylee or neglect her. And each stated they saw no abuse and had no knowledge of what happened to the little girl. All agreed that there was no sign of stress or panic or even concern about Caylee’s whereabouts between June 16 and July 15, 2008. Another round of checking boxes of anyone who ever knew Casey, in my opinion. Nothing really substantial.

Casey managed some tears during Lazzaro's testimony, then hardened to hard-ball stage again once her father took the stand. Melissa England looked beautiful dressed nicely, hair clean and styled, flawless makeup. This has got to be killing Casey. She is now seeing the life she really threw away, it is occuring to her that life has moved on while she sits her pasty butt in jail. You know she wants to know who Ricardo Morales married. When he had a child. Did he marry Amy? Tony and his friends are well on their way to having careers in music and entertainment. And Casey is going nowhere.

Great coverage from baynews9.com

Anthony timeline

Casey Anthony murder trial 5-25-2011

2011-05-25T17:16:00.002-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Prosecution Attorney Frank George questioned for the state. Defense Attorney Jose Baez for the defense.

Cameron Campana was first witness of the day. He attended the school Full Sail in Audio Engineering and was Anthony Lazzaro’s roommate through the time that Casey stayed at Lazzaro’s apartment. He first said he saw Casey frequently with Caylee, then without Caylee. Campana inquired about Caylee and Casey told him she was “with the nanny.” Testimony wrought from both sides was fairly mundane, marking a box, in my opinion, of touching everyone remotely involved.

Nathan Lezniewicz took the stand next. Lezniewicz was also a student at Full Sail and was a roommate of Lazzaro’s as well. He was at the apartment on July 15, 2008, when Cindy Anthony and Amy Huizenga arrived to confront Casey about Caylee’s whereabouts. After Casey left with her mother, he spoke with Lee when he showed up to get Casey’s computer and backpack, and also there through the police search of the apartment about an hour after Lee left. He thought Casey a normal, talkative, happy person overall. Upon cross, Defense Attorney Jose Baez asked where Casey parked when at Lazzaro’s, 50 ft from their cars or right next to theirs. Lezniewicz answer was that she always parked within a few cars from their own. A lead in to the smell in the car, I believe.

Clint House followed Lezniewicz on the stand. House was apparently Lazzaro’s best friend and fellow student at Full Sail in Recording Arts. He lived at the apartment from April 2008 through the end of June. He stated that he saw Caylee four or five times and that the baby never stayed over at the apartment. Upon cross, Baez asked a bevy of questions pertaining to Casey
Anthony’s being a “good mother”. At one point Baez seemed to be indicating that others had access to Casey’s laptop. House said that although Casey cooked and cleaned and tried to inject herself into the Fusion management, taking out the trash at the apartment was left to House or Lazzaro. Another lead in, I believe, as to why Casey would have their trash in her trunk. Hmmm-let’s see, should we put it in the dumpster, or Casey’s trunk? Phishaw.

Maria Kissh was witness number four this morning. She was the girlfriend of Clint House and had met Casey through House. He had told her Casey was “the girl Tony was seeing at the time.” She recalled calling on House pre-date one evening and Caylee answered the door. Casey stayed in the bedroom while Caylee was out on the balcony with others. When they began to leave, Kissh was leery of leaving Caylee out there by herself. Casey came out and told Caylee to get her shoes on, Kissh helped her put them on and tied them for her and that was the first and last time she saw her. Described by Kissh as an acquaintance, Casey told her the “event planner at Universal” story and told her she paid $400 per week for the “nanny.” Kissh recounted the hot body contest at Fusion on June 20, of which she did not personally enter. Baez elicited that Kissh and House rode in Casey’s back seat to Fusion and smelled nothing wrong in the car. Then he indicated through questioning that perhaps Kissh was jealous that Casey was staying at the apartment around her boyfriend House. Kissh said she didn’t care, Casey was with Lazzaro.

In my view, the first three witnesses of the day, Campana, Lezniewicz, and House establish that they found Casey cool, confident and relatively normal before and after Caylee’s death on June 16. I was impressed that the young men were very intelligent, articulate and did not embellish their testimony. They gave facts as they remembered them and seemed completely unrehearsed, as did Maria Kissh even though Kissh was not as impressed with Casey’s mothering skills as the male roommates had been.

It now occurs to me that the hot body contest at Fusion was only four days after Caylee died.

Afternoon session, Defense again asks to have the shovel testimony thrown out as irrelevant, now that he has claimed the baby drown. Judge Perry denied the request and notes the objection (for appeals court after she’s convicted).

Brian Burner was first on the stand after the lunch break with his shovel evidence, a next door neighbor of the Anthony family since 2005. He saw Casey’s car backed into the garage on June 17, and again on June 18 when she backed in and borrowed the shovel. He spoke with police on June 17 and again on June 30, when he told them about the shovel.

Jamie Realander and Erica Gonzalez testified after Burner, both were shot girls at Fusion Ultra Lounge on Fridays and verified previous testimony that Casey had no change in demeanor before and after Caylee had died. One news anchor on HLN called it a “parade of shot girls.” There was no real substance to their testimony—only that she was “protective” of the shot girls from groping drunks. Whatever that proves.

Anthony Lazzaro was next on the stand and the witness I was particularly waiting for. He met Casey on Facebook and they met in person at the end of May. He discussed their dating history, short in itself as he had only known her face to face for three weeks when Caylee died. Several lunches, swim dates, etc., with Caylee, though no over nights. Lazzaro verified the “job at Universal” story, and was told by Casey that Caylee stayed with either her mother or a nanny named Zani.
It was established that on June 16 at 7:54 pm he was with her at the Blockbuster Video store. The next day he skipped school to spend the day in bed with Casey. They went their ways on the 18^th, he to school and she to the Anthony house, where she borrowed the shovel from Burner.

He explained the incident with the gas cans, that Casey assured him it was her house and okay if he broke the lock on the shed. He did not see inside the trunk when she put them in. That was June 20. I thought I saw a shadow cross his face when he mentioned the trunk, as though maybe he had wondered, himself, whether Caylee had been in the trunk then. Lazzaro also discussed picking her up from the Amscot parking lot, car broken down because it was out of gas and Casey carrying groceries apparently from the Anthony house.

Baez was not able to complete his questioning of Lazzaro, so tomorrow we will start the day with Tony Lazzaro again, with Baez introducing testimony on Casey’s night mares and sweats and having seen her crying in the dark watching the Fathers Day video Cindy had sent her of Caylee visiting her PaPa in the nursing home. If my esp holds...

Can’t say I was much impressed with the Baez defense today and have to wonder why one of the more experienced attorneys don’t step in on some of the questioning when Baez is obviously floundering. He was repeated unprepared and doesn’t seem to understand the admission of evidence.
How is Baez going to explain the duct tape around her little head?

I also wondered what was going through Casey's mind when Maria Kissh was testifying. She looked beautifully put together in a professional skirt suit and low heels, hair clean and styled, very lovely and articulate, probably every thing Casey liked to think about herself. And there Casey sat in her school-marm poofy-sleeved blouse and silly sideburns with her elven ears sticking out. Hey--It's my blog, I can be catty if I want...

Casey Anthony murder trial 5-24-2011

2011-05-24T17:09:00.001-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

May 24, 2011

We expected an explanation of some sort. The crazy thing is how deep and wide a hole has been dug.

The day started out with a precise timeline, day by day, from June 16 to July 15, 2008. Linda Burdick was not over dramatic and methodically followed Casey's actions wrapping up the prosecutions opening statement in about two and a half hours.

Defense attorney Jose Baez began his opening statements. He declared that, "Caylee Anthony died on June 16, 2008, when she drown in the backyard swimming pool." Not only does the defense state that George Anthony was present and somehow involved in the hiding of Caylee's body, but that he had raped his daughter repeatedly when she was younger, and that she was so traumatized by the abuse and afraid of her father that she followed everything he told her regarding the death of Caylee. It was incredible watching how stoic he and Cindy Anthony were as they sat in the back row of the gallery listening to these accusations.

Still trying to slay the messenger, Baez brought up Roy Kronk again, the hapless meter reader who found Caylee Maries remains in the woods.

Then first witness of the day is George Anthony. The state rather delicately asked him the pertinent questions allowing him to deny he abused Casey in any way and that he had nothing to do with, including knowledge of Caylee Marie's death.

Baez began his cross examination of George and at times he seemed to be taunting George with his arrogant manner of questioning. The state objected to almost every question, most of the objections were sustained (the judge agreed with the objection).

I admire George's ability to answer those questions from Baez as stoically as he did, considering the fact that just this morning Baez accused him of some horrible actions. At about 4:30 George appears to be trying to control his emotions. He began to break down when a side bar was called and Baez wrapped it up with some milder questions and shortly court was dismissed.

Throughout the day, Casey went from being weepy to stone cold. No wonder she said she didn't want her parents there. Or maybe she thought that George loved her sooo much that he'd sacrifice himself to save her--like Perry Mason's courtrooms where Mason's orations could push the perpetrator, who was always in the gallery, to jump up mid-speech and admit guilt. "I can't take it anymore, I did it!"

It's obvious that today George's heart was totally broken, if it hadn't been already. Will he now turn his back on her? Why wasn't Lee in the courtroom?

The problem with her defense overall, as I see it, is that IF Caylee was accidentally drown in the pool, why wouldn't Casey have come up with before trial so she would have a shot at involuntary manslaughter, or some lower offense. But now--when her trial has begun for 1st degree Capital Murder, she comes up with this? It's almost laughable, if it wasn't so sad.

Anthony Timeline

Casey Anthony opening statements preamble

2011-05-24T10:18:00.000-05:00

A quick note this morning while watching opening statements.

Vinnie Politan, news anchor for HLN News is in the courtroom twittering his court side comments all through the trial.

Catch him at: http://twitter.com/#!/VinniePolitan

I've already caught some things that I missed in my detail timeline, nothing big so far--some shopping trips, couple other details.

I'll be back at the end of the day with my unique thoughts at the end of the day.

Casey Anthony murder trial

2011-04-28T09:42:00.008-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

April 28, 2011

As Casey Anthony's trial for the murder of her two year old daughter Caylee Marie approaches, the plan is to cover it daily. To be very clear, I believe Casey Anthony is guilty of callously killing her little girl; if my jaded comments will offend you, you might want to read elsewhere. They are all purely my own opinion.

Caylee would be five years old now, starting 1st grade in the fall. A beautiful little life was wasted because her selfish, self-centered mother didn't want to bother with her anymore. Because she hated her mother she refused to relinquish custody to her. As Casey Anthony's grandmother Shirley Pleasea said, "maybe she hated her mother more than she loved her daughter."

For the past several weeks, there have been daily court hearings where the defense attorneys are attempting to keep various damaging evidence from the trial. If there is a reasonable explanation for these items, why try to exclude evidence? Why not just explain?

I have to also say, if you are watching the pre-trial motions, notice Casey's demeanor. She is intelligent and right now she see's herself as an equal with her attorney's. Watch her at the defense table, fussing with her clothes and hair. Grinning at her lawyers as though they are in on a private joke. She is loving all the attention. The whole world is looking at her and she seems to be having the time of her life. Reality will set in once the prison doors lock behind her. I can't wait until it occurs to her that the attention is over and the prison is forever, and that no one really cares. She will be forgotten, as it should be.

We will see come May 9

Military charges sergeant in HIV cases, Wichita Kansas

2010-09-22T19:49:00.006-05:00

September 21, 2010
ksn.com
Right: David Gutierrez via http://www.smokinggun.com/
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McConnell Air Force Base Military charges sergeant in HIV cases involving sex/swinger clubs
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WICHITA, Kansas -- A sergeant at McConnell Air Force Base has officially been charged for allegedly having unprotected sex with multiple people in Wichita without telling them he HIV positive.
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Tech. Sgt. David Gutierrez is accused of one charge with 11 specifications of aggravated assault, one charge of violating an order on multiple occasions, one charge of indecent acts on multiple occasions, one charge with 10 specifications of adultery and one charge of obstructing justice...
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Read entire article here
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It is peculiar that local news has kept this story very quiet other than when the initial story broke. The story is reported, but as though it simply involved "multiple partners, not the sex club/swinger party business. The following reports are national and a bit more revealing. Investigators allege he participated in at least 21 Wichita-area sex parties called "swinger" events from January 2009 until this past July, according to the affidavit.
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Air Force Swinger in HIV probe
Sergeant Charged With Not Telling "Swingers" Partners About HIV Status
HIV positive American airman David Gutierrez faces jail over ...
Air Force Sergeant May Have Exposed Others to HIV at "Swinger" Sex ...

Portland architect admits to being part of international child porn network

2010-09-21T21:26:00.004-05:00

Portland architect admits to being part of international child porn network Right: Paul E Pavlock, Portland, Oregon

Oregonlive.com

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Emily E. Smith, The Oregonian

Paul E. Pavlock, a Portland architect who pleaded guilty Tuesday to downloading pornographic videos of children was one of at least 85 players in a global network of collectors in the United States and at least 19 foreign countries. Paul E. Pavlock, 44, faces a maximum penalty of just under nine years in prison (?) when he is sentenced Nov. 19 in Washington County Circuit Court, Attorney General John Kroger announced.

Kroger described Pavlock as a player in the distribution of vast amounts of child pornography by untold numbers of people. "These ... are giant networks of individuals," he said, "some of them producing the images and distributing them, others receiving the images and then passing them on to other people."..."It's like dropping a pebble into a pool," Kroger said. ...Pavlock alone possessed nearly 10,000 images and videos, which depicted at least 135 children...Pavlock is an active member and volunteer at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Southeast Portland...A man connected to Pavlock, 46-year-old Portlander Michael S. Price, was caught in a separate child pornography investigation. Price was sentenced in February to 45 days in jail and five years of probation for his conviction on two counts of encouraging child sexual abuse.

read entire article here

Kyron Horman, missing over three months

2010-09-19T16:59:00.003-05:00

CBSnews.com
September 16, 2010

Kyron Horman Update: Special Task Force to Take Over Investigation

PORTLAND, Ore. (CBS/KOIN) Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton announced Wednesday that a special task force will take over the ongoing investigation of missing Oregon boy Kyron Horman...[and] said the investigation has reached a "critical phase," according to CBS affiliate KOIN.

"It's time to scale this down," said Staton. "We've reached the point - the info we've gathered, resources we've dedicated - we've narrowed it down to a scope...I'm very confident and feel very comfortable continuing the investigation in the manner we outlined," said Staton..."

Police have yet to identify a suspect in the second-grader's disappearance, but appear to have focused much of their attention on the boy's step-mother, Terri Horman. After Kyron went missing, the boy's father, Kaine Horman, divorced Terri.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Tip Line at 503-261-2847.

Sheriff Staton said during his 9-16 interview "...He said he had seen no evidence that indicated Kyron was not alive. When asked if people would be shocked to find out what they know, Staton took a long silence. "I know I'm taking a long pause on that, I have to think through that answer. I think there are things that come out of this investigation that will surprise you, that you'll think about later on when it's over. We have a knowledge of things we don't want to know about ... of things we wish we didn't know," he added.

I'm posting these articles from a child sex abuse ring that was investigated and "ended" last year in Newberg, Oregon, a little town about 30 miles from Kyron's school, about a 50 minute drive through Portland. My question is, for each of the four arrested, how many were not?

Police arrest four in Newberg 'sex abuse ring':

Details of this story are still emerging, but you can read more about this story here, here and here...All of these individuals are facing multiple charges in connection with the case. OregonLive.com lists the charges against the suspects...In addition to the photo and evidence found on the computer of 14 and 15 year old girls being abused, police also uncovered images showing a 4 year old being abused as well... That child is being taken care of at a child abuse “assessment center” at this time...The 4-year-old will go before a grand jury.

The Newberg Oregon Sex Abuse Ring, thought to now have been disbanded, was discovered when an ad was posted on CraigsList...The suspects are all facing enough charges that they will never be free again...I’m guessing that child abusing pedophiles who force their underage victims to have sex with a dog, as well as multiple adults aren’t going to fare well in prison...

Darrin Daily has been arrested in connection related to allegations of a sex abuse ring organized on Craigslist. The Newberg, Oregon sex abuse ring came to light after a 15 year old girl told police that Daily had given her marijuana and alcohol and then engaged in sexual activities with the girl. One computer image discovered was of a 14 year old victim having sex with multiple adults as well as Daily’s dog. Daily was arrested on September 11, 2009, and since that time more and more details have emerged and multiple arrests have been made.

Thirty-one-year-old Alisa Nice, of McMinnville, made her first court appearance in Yamhill County Court. She is facing sex abuse charges.

The three other men accused of responding to the Craigslist ad and taking part in the sex abuse are Patricio Moreno, 43, of Forest Grove; Robert D. Thompson, 34, of Portland; and David Garcia, 41, of McMinnville. They also were jailed in Yamhill County, although Garcia posted bail.

Does Terri Horman have any connection to any of these people? Is that where Kaine believes Terri got the 350K?

Graphic details emerge on Newberg 'sex abuse ring'
By KATU.com and News Wires October 7, 2009

Alicia Debolt Great Bend, Kansas

2010-09-02T11:02:00.003-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
September 2, 2010

CBS/KWCH
Alicia DeBolt Update: Attorney General "Confident" Charges Will Be Filed

GREAT BEND, Kan. (CBS/KWCH) Kansas Attorney General Steve Six told reporters outside a District Court Monday that he is "confident murder charges will be filed," in the tragic death of Kansas teenager Alicia DeBolt, according to The Wichita Eagle.
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Six's comments came shortly after a hearing for 36-year-old Adam Longoria, who is a "person of interest" in the murder of the14-year-old whose body was found severely burned Aug. 24 in an asphalt plant in central Kansas.
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Longoria was charged with one count of Vehicle Burglary and one count of Theft of property...in connection with a 2002 white Ford Explorer that was reported stolen from...the asphalt plant where DeBolt's body was found, according to CBS affiliate KWCH...
Longoria, also known as "Rocco,"... Another hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7.
Complete Coverage of Alicia DeBolt on Crimesider.

The police version of "bait and switch," charge him with the theft to keep him locked up until all the loose ends are tied on the murder/kidnapping/possibly rape charges. Luckily for him, Kansas prisons now are air-conditioned and heated--most of them...

Alicia DeBolt Missing: Body Found Near Rural Kansas Town Amid ...
Body identified as Alicia DeBolt - gbtribune.com News

Hasanni Campbell's foster dad remains chief suspect in disappearance

2010-08-25T21:32:00.004-05:00

August 25, 2010

By Terry McSweeney and Alan Wang
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OAKLAND, CA (KGO) -- One year ago 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell was first reported missing. Oakland police say the prime suspect is still the child's foster father, 39-year-old Louis Ross...
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A year to the day after the child was reported missing by his foster father at a shoe store on College Avenue in Oakland, and after the distribution of more than 10,000 fliers with Hasanni's picture and heavy media coverage, there is no trace of the boy...
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Ross failed an FBI polygraph. E-mails were discovered where Ross told the boy's foster mother he wanted to abandon the cerebral palsy victim at a BART station. Ross and Campbell were arrested for murder, then released for lack of evidence...
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The couple had a child together and moved to Arizona where they broke up. Ross is now in Maryland, but Campbell is still in Arizona -- a single mother looking for a job...

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A group of supporters still remain committed to finding Hasanni, Ross and Campbell have stopped talking to them and since being released from jail, they have made no effort to help find the boy themselves.

read entire article here

also read:

OPD Name Suspect in Hasanni Campbell Case NBC Bay Area

Rally to keep Hasanni Campbell case alive

Peru not buying Joran van der Sloot bullshit

2010-08-25T16:13:00.004-05:00

aol.com

Expert: Peruvian Court Won't Toss van der Sloot's Confession

(Aug. 24) -- ...Some in the media speculate that if van der Sloot's confession is thrown out, van der Sloot could walk free. But an international defense expert doesn't believe the judges will even consider throwing out the confession.

"There's not a chance in hell," said Michael Griffith, senior partner at the International Legal Defense Counsel.

"The judges live there, and the people know who the judges are. You see where I'm going? This won't be thrown out...even without the confession," Griffith said, "they have plenty of independent evidence."

Van der Sloot, a longtime suspect in the disappearance of U.S. teen Natalee Holloway, is accused of the May 30 slaying of Stephany Flores....

The Dutchman confessed, then later retracted, saying he was arrested without a warrant and was not provided with an official translator, which he says caused confusion during questioning. Van der Sloot also said his laptop was improperly searched."All this with the intention of pressuring me to accuse [myself] of homicide," the Dutch native said in the complaint, obtained by the Peruvian news program "24 Hours..."

In June, Superior Court Judge Wilder Casique Alvizuri spent nearly a week examining the evidence in the case before ruling that van der Sloot's claim that his habeas corpus rights had been violated was "unfounded..."

Alicia Debolt missing, Great Bend, Kansas

2010-08-24T19:16:00.004-05:00

The Prairie Chicken August 24, 2010

Great Bend police search for missing girl, 14

GREAT BEND, Kansas – Great Bend police are searching for a 14-year-old girl who’s been missing for a couple of days. Alicia Debolt, 14, was last seen leaving her home Saturday night in a small, black SUV. She was wearing blue jean shorts, a grey sweatshirt with a Jayhawk emblem and white tennis shoes.

ksn.com

KBI: Body found in investigation of missing teen, ID not confirmed

GREAT BEND, Kansas – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, investigating the disappearance of a missing teen, says an unidentified body has been found in the Great Bend area. Positive identification on the body is pending, but officials say the investigation into the disappearance of Alicia Debolt, 14, continues...Tamar Conrad, Alicia’s mother, says Alicia has been missing since Saturday night, when she was picked up by a 19-year-old man that family members call a friend... ksn.com

Update on Mitrice Richardson

2010-08-15T10:27:00.007-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

August 15, 2010

Below is the 60-page internal review of the circumstances surrounding the arrest and release of Mitrice Richardson and LASD (Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept) response to her subsequent disappearance.

Los Angeles Office of Independent Review Report

It is filled with crap like the two tidbits below:

"...Inside her car, deputies found no money or credit cards that could be used to pay Ms. Richardson's restaurant bill. Without any means of paying her bill, the restaurant manager placed her under a private citizen's arrest and demanded that deputies take custody of her..."

and

"Without additional information as to whether or not deputies saw a cell phone in Ms Richardson's car, the facts surrounding Ms. Richardson's lack of access to her cell phone can not be more completely discussed at this point..."

It's a big long cover-your-ass report that is filled with denials and finger pointing (up to and including Mitrice's 91-year-old great grandmother.) Its 60 pages of "see, the deputies did nothing wrong, it was the restaurant, the family, the victim herself." Where is the line between doing nothing wrong and negligence?

I also ran across this web page for Geoffrey's Malibu and was quite interested in the review section. It has some current nasty comments regarding Mitrice, and then reading back for several years there are bad review after bad review, mostly about the snarky staff and manager. And food preparation and taste not in conjunction with the price.

Mitrice Richardson's life comes to tragic end

2010-08-13T18:10:00.004-05:00

Right: Mitrice Richardson

The Prairie Chicken

August 13, 2010

On Monday, August 9, a County employee looking for marijuana fields ready to

harvest found the skelatal remains of Mitrice Richardson in a brushy ravine reportedly 2 1/2 miles from where she was last seen in the Monte Nido neighborhood on Piuma Rd, off Cold Canyon Rd. She was positively identified through dental records.

Best regards to her family and friends.

Search for Mitrice richardson comes to end

No signs of foul play in Mitrice Richardson’s death, authorities say

Mitrice Richardson’s Father Wants Deputies to Take Lie Detector Test

Has Mitrice Richardson been found?

2010-08-11T18:54:00.007-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
August 11, 2010

from examiner.com national

Bones found in Malibu Canyon may be linked to missing Los Angeles woman

On Monday, park rangers in a remote area of Malibu Canyon found what appeared to be human remains.

Authorities are now investigating the find and trying to determine if the bones found belong to missing Los Angeles woman Mitrice Richardson...

read entire article here

The Prairie Chicken
August 11, 2010

Unfortunately I feel that even though the found body has not been positively identified as Mitrice, she has been found.

The upcoming days will tell the tale, but I want to know where she was found. How far away from the back porch where she was last seen was her body?

In the last few weeks I was appalled that LA and Malibu 'officials' were playing up so hard the alleged sightings of Mitrice in Las Vegas. They ignored her father when he thought he saw her there early on, yet when a man she hadn't seen in years said he saw her, law enforcement behaved as though that solved the case!

Of course Mr. Richardson's report was made long before he and Matrices mother filed suit against the LA County for a barrage of offenses.

There is a deputy sheriff officer that knows exactly what happened to her, in my opinion.

If this is Mitrice, my heart goes out to her family, as it has since she disappeared. My wish is that they have the stamina and resources to hold the city of Malibu responsible to the very end.

I hope the Geoffrey's' staff feel their part of the responsibility. If they had accepted her Grandmothers credit card over the phone, none of this would have happened. I pay over the phone and Internet every day. Geoffrey's saw a black woman acting odd and their deep set prejudice kicked in. Do they realise that this woman would be alive right now if they had shown a little compassion and reason?

All statements in this post are the personal opinion of the author of this blog.

Santiago tells Texas jury he didn't starve 3 children

2010-07-26T21:45:00.004-05:00

ap via msnbc.com

July 26, 2010

DALLAS — A man accused of keeping three emaciated children locked in the bathroom of a Dallas hotel for as long as nine months told a jury Monday that the starving youngsters refused to eat the meals he prepared for them.

The children were gaunt and filthy when they were found by police in July 2009 in a hotel alongside a busy Dallas highway. A doctor who treated them described the children as having sunken cheeks and flaky skin and said they emitted a repugnant odor.

Alfred Santiago, who took the stand in his own defense, said he gave the children breakfast and lunch each day...

Alfred Santiago said his former girlfriend repeatedly told him that she was responsible for her three children. He said he was "careless" in not notifying authorities of their condition. He also said it was Abneris' idea to keep her children locked in a bathroom..

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Her trial is scheduled to begin after his ends. The former couple share a last name but were not married...

read entire article here

and from dallasnews.com
and here: Jurors weep as boy describes months locked in motel bathroom
Uncle: Children looked like Holocaust victims

Adam Herrman missing, Valerie and Doug Herrman charged with theft

2010-07-07T18:39:00.008-05:00

Right: hopefully where the Herrmans end up.

July 7, 2010

BY TIM POTTER
The Wichita Eagle

via kansas.com

Doug and Valerie Herrman walked out of the Butler County Jail on Wednesday afternoon after they were booked on charges of felony theft...

Left: Fourth-grade photo of Adam Herrman released by the Butler County Sheriff's Department 01/05/2009. Herrman was last seen in 1999 when he was 11 or 12 years old. An investigation is proceeding in the case.

EL DORADO — The adoptive parents of Adam Herrman, who disappeared from his Towanda home at age 11 more than a decade ago, were charged today with felony theft.

The charges are related to the alleged fraudulent receipt of over $50,000 in government assistance for Adam's care, according to Butler County Attorney Jan Satterfield.

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Doug and Valerie Herrman each posted a $50,000 bond. The couple voluntarily went to the Butler County Jail in response to warrants that were issued against them.

Charges were filed today to avoid questions of whether the five year statute of limitations on the charges has expired. The Herrmans allegedly cashed the last adoption state subsidy check on July 8, 2005, according to Satterfield, six years after Adam's disappearance.

The boy disappeared in 1999, but Butler County authorities didn't learn of Adam's disappearance until late 2008.

"This is not the beginning and end. This is just the beginning for the Herrmans," said Satterfield of the charges. Adam would be 23 if he were still alive.

Thank you Jan. Sincerely. Don't let them slip through the cracks. What about the Internal Revenue Service? If they cashed those adoption checks and claimed them as dependents, I'd bet they claimed him on their federal taxes as well.

Read entire article here

More on Joran

2010-06-26T12:46:00.004-05:00

Does anyone know why Beth Twitty no longer broadcasts with Greta van Susteran? I about fell off of my chair when I actually saw her talking on Nancy Grace one evening. Holy Moly. Maybe it was an old clip from 2005.

Van der Sloot's Mom: Maybe He Missed a Chance to Become an Actor

The mother of Joran van der Sloot -- who police say is a confessed killer -- says her son is no monster and suggests that he missed his calling as an actor.

In an interview with Dutch news station The Telegraph, obtained by ABC News, Anita van der Sloot talks about her reaction to people saying her son is guilty, saying, "As a mother, you don’t want to hear things like 'He's a serial killer or he’s a monster,' because he is not. I don’t have that image of him, so it's very hard to hear that."

As the ABC report points out, the accusations started not with the death of Stephany Flores in Peru but in Aruba after the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in 2005. While Joran has never been officially charged, he remains the prime suspect in that ongoing investigation...

Over the course of the next few days, more details emerged. "My husband told me Natalie's family and uncle, mother -- with police -- had already come to the door," she says. "There had been a lot of yelling ... He thought these things should be discussed at the police station."

The situation confused her, she says, because "Joran had always been friendly with girls, why would this happen now? Why would he do something to a girl? So I didn't believe that, that he could hurt a girl in some way. As a mother, I was convinced he was incapable of it."...

"Then I thought if you lied because of this, then stop now because it's very hurtful for the parents," she says. "I felt so much for parents of Natalee. I could not imagine how it could be to lose a child, even if it was still thought that she ran away. I wanted to do everything to help."

As Joran's story changed, multiple times, his convincing tales led her to believe he had a talent for theatrics. "Maybe he missed a chance to become an actor," she says. "Maybe that should have been a role in his life ... I can hardly believe that he can fake this."

To the parents of his alleged victims, she says, "If they’d be here right now, I'd cry with them and give them a big, big hug."

The parents of Stephany Flores were quoted by ABC news saying they appreciate Mrs van der Sloot's words of support, but they worry this is all part of a scheme to create some sort of insanity defense.

Joran 's lawyer intends to appeal the rejection . If van der Sloot is convicted , he can be prisoned between fifteen and 35 years .

Joran van der Sloot denies Judge an interview

2010-06-21T17:15:00.005-05:00

Prairie Chicken
June 21, 2010

It appears Joran van der Sloot, Dutch student turned career criminal, today refused to give his confession to Judge Carlos Morales Cordova. The judge arrived at Miguel Castro Castro for the required meeting at 10:00am and left the prison at 11:20, when Joran refused to speak. Note: this was not a suggested get-together--he is required to make a formal statement to the judge.

"My client did not make statement before the judge, because we await the result of habeas corpus. Here we say that it has violated due process because he had no attorney (during police questioning) and they looked at his laptop without a warrant, among other things," said the lawyer to the AFP news agency.

Van der Sloot , 22 , it was stated in the newspaper Dutchman De Telegraaf, police say he only admitted to having killed the girl because Police had promised to extradite him to Holland.

Of the murder of Stephanie Flores says Van der Sloot : "I am framed . How exactly is it all gone, I'll tell you later . My lawyer focuses first on any procedural irregularities that have been made . I did not need to sit here ."

The entire matter was conducted in a confidential manner and the judge filed a report which stated that the defendant refused to answer questions , according to judicial sources.

Van der Sloot will stay in a separate corridor of the jail where four thousand prisoners are incarcerated. According to the Dutchman, rats creep at night through a toilet in his cell. However, the Dutchman has a very comfortable cell per Peruvian concepts. He has his own mattress and eats the same food as the prison director and guards. What's a rat or two?

I think he just stepped on his pee-pee again. He just pissed off the one person who holds Joran's future in his hand.

Joran van der Sloot

2010-06-21T12:57:00.005-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
June 21, 2010

Today we wait with bated breath to hear which version of the "truth" Joran van der Sloot decides to tell to Lima Superior Court Judge Juan Buendia. I have no doubt he will have a story, but which one?

He told arresting officials in Chile that two intruders came in his room and killed Stephany when he went to get coffee and breakfast pastry.

That is also the scene he was trying to set up when he left the room for a few minutes, then asked a hotel employee to open his room for him. I believe he wanted the employee to find Stephany beaten and bloody, so he could stand there with the cups and say, no I'm clean, see, no blood, couldn't have been me. But instead, the employee simply unlocked the door and stepped back.

What could van der Sloot have been thinking when the plan didn't work? When he realized that the security camera was only a couple of meters from his door? Since he carried the story to Chile with him, I am guessing he was taking a chance that the cameras were not operating.

Lots of businesses put camera's in place to deter theft, but they aren't hooked up to anything, or they tape over every so often, destroying any images, to save the cost of a few tapes.

I have to tell you I am very impressed with Peru. Last night Dateline showed even more video--of Stephany cashing in before they left the casino, and another of Stephany before she entered the casino. To call Lima "third world" hardly seems appropriate.

And the gentle nature of most Peruvians was exhibited when Nancy Grace asked Stephany's father via telephone if he and the family was calling for the death penalty (not that Nanc would instigate blood letting...) Her father responded, "no, here we have no death penalty," and said it with a genuine show of support and respect for the laws of Peru.

There is much speculation as to why Mama van der Sloot hasn't flown to be by Joran's side. In fact, speaking of the devil, Nancy Grace ridiculed her about how to buy airline tickets: "you pick up the phone, you dial the airline, etc..." The Mrs. has never appeared too sharp, if you know what I mean, but when the Aruban reporter told ole' Nanc that mama was trying to figure out how to get tickets, I'm pretty sure she meant that the van der Sloots are low on funds.

Once Paulus died, she lost his income and now is making it on a teachers pay. According to newscasts, the family had depleted their savings five years ago paying off lawyers (and probably judges and any witnesses as well.)

She gave a statement to a Netherland news source that she wouldn't be going to Peru, but staying on Aruba. Good for her. Why should she run out to a country where she doesn't know the language, or have any friends, or know where to stay, or what the procedures and customs are there. What if she got over there and was taunted like Joran was when they took him to jail? She may have been overindulgent with her son, but she loves him.

It seems like early on in the Natalee Holloway case, mama van der Sloot said Joran had been in counseling in for his temper, so she is not in total denial. While she still believes Joran to be innocent of Holloways disappearance, she said it appears very clear that he is responsible for the death of Flores.

But you know what? This guy is 22 years old. That is SO young. What could have made this p.o.s. a murderer at such a young age and to completely ruin the life laid out before him? He is smart, evidently charming (altho I don't see it) and with a good education he could have done anything.

One more thing about Nancy Grace. Of course, she is following this case closely and Jean Casarez from tru.tv is in Lima reporting live every day. But Nancy must have been told that she is not allowed to speak rudely to Jean. I thought it was odd at first that Jean was escaping the wrath, but towards the last of the week it was obvious. Nancy is almost shooting smoke rings out of her nose, but is still quite polite to Jean. On Friday, she even waited until Jean was no longer on the line, then said to one of her whipping boys "What Jean just said is total BS." tsk.

Police issue questionnaire asking about Kyron Horman's stepmother, vehicle

2010-06-18T14:44:00.004-05:00

Oregonlive.com
Helen Jung, The Oregonian
Friday, June 18, 2010
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The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is distributing a flyer showing photos of Kyron Horman's stepmother and the type of pick-up truck she is believed to have driven on the day the 7-year-old disappeared from his school.
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A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office declined to answer questions about the flyer or whether Kyron's stepmother, Terri Moulton Horman, is considered a person-of-interest in the investigation...
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authorities are asking students, teachers, parents and anyone who was at Skyline School...to answer the questions, which can be viewed here.
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Police ask that people return the questionnaire on Sunday, between 9 am and 7 pm to Skyline School.
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I sure was hoping it wouldn't lead to this.

Pondering the disappearance of Kyron Horman

2010-06-17T19:57:00.005-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

June 17, 2010

This kids smile goes right to my heart. He is adorable.

But anyway, trying to figure out what happened the day that Kyron disappeared from Skyline Elementary School in Portland Oregon has been confusing at least. It would help if the police could be a little more specific as to what, if any theory they are looking at. Or even speculating.

I looked through the articles for the first week and came up with a timeline of sorts. Not so much a timeline as a list of what happened as given by others that saw Kyron and his step-mom Terri Horman:

Who’s who, a very incomplete list as of 6 June, 2010:

MCSO= Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office—PPB=Portland Police Bureau

Captain Jason Gates of the Multnomah County sheriff's office spokesperson?

Ben Keefer, principal of Skyline Elementary School, at 11536 N.W. Skyline Blvd, Portland Oregon.

Kristina Porter, Kyron's teacher

Gina Zimmerman, the president of the school's PTA, also parent.

Kaine Horman, Kyron's father

Terri Moulton Ecker Horman, Kyron’s step-mother
.

Desiree McCullough Horman, Kyron’s mother

Carol Moulton, step-mom’s mother and Kyron's grandmother.

June 4, 2010, Friday

Portland Public Schools spokesman Matt Shelby said Kyron Horman was at school Friday.

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They arrived sometime after the school opened about 8 a.m., went to his classroom, dropped off his coat and backpack.

Terri Horman, Kyrons stepmother, took Kyron to a science fair at the school Friday morning, where they walked through a number of classrooms looking at displays.

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Parent Gina Zimmerman, the president of the school's parent teacher association, was at the school for the science fair and saw Kyron pose for the photo Terri Horman took of him in front of his science display on red-eyed tree frogs.

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His stepmother, Terri Horman, left at 8:45.

Tanner Pumala, Kyron's classmate, said he last saw his friend at about the same time (as when Terri left, at 8:45) when Kyron told him he was headed to look at another student's science project.

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"He walked by the hallway and I'm like, 'Hi, Kyron,' and he's like, 'Hi. I'm going to go see this cool one. It's electric.' I'm like, 'Alright, bye.' And that's the last time I saw him," Tanner said. "He never did make it back to class."

According to the sheriff’s office, the stepmother saw the boy walking toward his classroom at 8:45 as she left the building but officials with Portland Public Schools said Horman’s teacher never saw him in class which started at 10 a.m. The teacher marked him absent.

What happened after that is unclear.

But these are additional reports from various sources that I find interesting:

Carol Moulton said the kids were supposed to report to their classes and be divided into small groups of a few students each. Each group was supposed to tour the science fair with a chaperone. Afterward, when they returned to their classes for roll call, Kyron wasn't there, she said. He apparently was not in any group and no one noticed.

In another report Zimmerman said everyone went into their classroom for the science fair and broke into parent-led groups of four or five. She wasn’t sure what group Kyron was in, but she said the last time she saw him was at 8:45, when the groups began going from class to class.

Again, according to the sheriff’s office, the stepmother saw the boy walking toward his classroom at 8:45 as she left the building but officials with Portland Public Schools said Horman’s teacher never saw him in class which started at 10 a.m. The teacher marked him absent.

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Kyron's backpack and jacket were found in his classroom. The children pointed out to the teacher that Kyron was missing and she never called his parents.

Kristina Porter, Kyron's teacher has said that Terri Horman had previously told her that Kyron had an upcoming appointment but Porter didn't remember the date. She said she assumed he was at that appointment, having seen him with his step-mom that morning.
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When Kyron didn’t get off the bus in the afternoon, his parents called police.

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Gates said Saturday that police received a 9-1-1 call at 3:45 Friday afternoon.

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Portland Public Schools spokesman Matt Shelby said two teachers saw Kyron with his stepmother and thought the two left school together.

Nora Schreiber, a Skyline parent and volunteer, said the school has three main entrances and one secure exit. Two of the doorways are near the main office and are monitored, while a third on the north side of the school is not. Kyron's classroom is adjacent to that door, which opens onto a rear parking lot.

I've heard it is now a criminal investigation. That can't be good.

Melissa Huckaby sentenced to life without parole

2010-06-14T18:11:00.007-05:00

Right: Melissa Huckaby 14-06-2010

Tracy Press
By Jaclyn Hirsch
June 14, 2010

STOCKTON — Melissa Huckaby was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole this morning for the murder and kidnapping of 8-year-old Tracy girl Sandra Cantu last year.

Huckaby avoided the death penalty after she unexpectedly pled guilty to the murder and kidnapping last month.

She wrote a personal apology note to Sandra's mother, which the judge said would be handed over after the sentencing...

Left: beautiful Sandra

The rape charges and other allegations that Huckaby poisoned another girl months before Sandra’s death were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

Huckaby also denied that she sexually assaulted Sandra during her sentencing hearing.--wth?

Read entire article: Tracy Press - Huckaby sentenced speaks about murder for much more info.

Details emerge after Huckaby sentenced

Following today’s sentencing of Melissa Huckaby to life in prison without parole for the murder of Sandra Cantu, the prosecutor in the case released a timeline and details about Sandra’s kidnapping and death....

According to prosecutors, by the time Sandra’s mother, Maria Chavez, called police to report Sandra missing at 7:53 p.m. March 27, 2009, the 8-year-old girl had already been killed and her body disposed of by Huckaby...

The report says Sandra’s body, which was found inside a black Eddie Bauer suitcase, was pulled 10 days later from the same irrigation pond where a man and his wife had reported seeing Huckaby...

On March 28, police received a handwritten note that read: “Cantu locked in stolin suitcase thrown in water onn Bacchetti Rd. & Whitehall Rd witness” (sic). ...

When Clover Road Baptist Church was searched on April 6, 2009, police found a rolling pin with blood on it that contained Sandra’s DNA, according to Testa's report...

Alprazolam (Xanax), a form of the muscle relaxant anti-anxiety drug benzodiazepine, was found in Sandra’s body. Bottles of alprazolam were also found in Huckaby’s purse and home.

Read more: Tracy Press - Breaking News Details emerge in Sandra Cantu s death

Also read:
Melissa Huckaby and the Unthinkable Sex Object Huffington Post
Sandra Cantu news: Melissa Huckaby sentenced to life, asks slain ...
Melissa Huckaby Gets Life for Killing 7-Year-Old - CBS News

Joran van der Sloot new video 2

2010-06-14T12:01:00.002-05:00

(Frecuencia Latina)--

testing my embed tools.

Joran van der Sloot: What the Dutch have to say

2010-06-12T12:48:00.007-05:00

Do not miss this video:
Joran van der Sloot simuló como coartada no tener llaves del cuarto donde asesinó a Stephany Flores video is in spanish, but watch anyway...

Joran alleen in cel uit angst voor moord

The Prairie Chicken
12 June 2010

.
Just a note--the Dutch translation for van der Sloot is "of the ditch", which makes me smile every time I read it. In the Netherland news agencies, he is called Joran of of the ditch.
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When van der Sloot was transferred from Miguel Castro Castro to the Palace of Justice, he got a head of rotten lettuce thrown at his head. In the heat of the battle, I wish I could come up with stuff like that. There is always something rotten in my frig. Note to self... van der Sloot now admits that he lured Stephany Flores to his room to play Internet poker after he was filmed on security tape with her both in the Atlantic City casino and in the lobby and hallway of this hotel. Now he says he broke Stephany's nose with the elbow shot, then strangled her while she was still stunned from the facial blow. I still have to wonder how he managed to dislodge her eye with a right hook, elbow to the nose and strangle to the neck.

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Afterwards he stole her change purse and drove away in her jeep. He stole money with a value of almost 250 euro (? 5,000 US dollars do not equal 250 euros), and two credit cards. The murder in conjunction with robbery can warrant the longest sentence allowed in Peru, life in prison. It is still unclear when its process starts...
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For five long years the Holloway family has suffered the lost of their daughter Natalee, an American on a group senior high school vacation. van der Sloot was never charged. He was never condemned, for lack of proof...
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Now Joran wants to admit to the murder of Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005. He is hoping that this will buy him a ticket back to the Netherlands where faces are a bit more friendly to him. I imagine Aruba will send a couple of guys over to Lima to interview him--but we must remember that as late as last week, the Aruban officials contended that there is no evidence that a crime ever happened at all.
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I'm afraid he now has to play the cards that were dealt to him. I can picture him cowering at Castro Castro. It's a much different visual than he being the big man, beating the hell out of small women, taking what he wants. Killing them.
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But the Netherlands/Aruba still consider him a golden son, for some odd reason. Maybe it's just anti-American sentiment. But if Aruban officials don't think a crime has been committed in Aruba, why would they want to fly all the way to Peru? To hear yet another version?
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One website (above) I read complained that it was cruel and inhumane to make Joran stand in front of the Peruvian press and let them photograph him to their hearts content. Check out the look on his face. He is pissed. He is not used to being treated with such a lack of respect. Poor Joran.

Joran van der Sloot: His Confession, or How can Dutch dweeb cause such international outrage?

2010-06-12T10:22:00.009-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
June 12, 2010
.
La confesión de Joran van der Sloot: “La tomé por el cuello y la estrangulé”
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The above link is the Spanish version of today's article in Peru's El Comercio.pe, which gives a bit more detail about Joran van der Sloot's confession to police concerning the homicide of Stephany Flores Ramirez in room 309 of the Hotel TAC.
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According to “90 Seconds” noticieron (news station), the admission was offered by the Dutch citizen in the presence of an appointed counsel and with the aid of a translator who transferred the questions to him from the authorities in his own language. In agreement with the narration, van der Sloot and Flores Ramirez entered his room about 5:30 a.m. of day 30 May after playing in the Atlantic City casino.
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As van der Sloot recounted, he suggested to Stephany that they could play poker on the Internet and for that reason they went to his room. Then - he says he received an e-mail that said “I am going to kill you mongolito (retard)”, which referred to the murder of Natalee Holloway, the young American whom he also admits to have assassinated in Aruba in 2005.
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Next, van der Sloot spoke to Stephany about the case and he told her they had stopped investigating the crime. She - according to Joran - had a strong reaction and he gave her a blow with his fist on the left side of her head. The Dutchman states that he reacted by hitting her with an elbow, leaving Stephany “in a faint”. He said in addition that the reaction of Stephany affected him so much that he took her by the neck with the two hands and strangled her “in the space of a minute”.
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Later, van der Sloot left the hotel in Stephany's SUV, but after leaving the vehicle parked in Furrow, he approached a taxi that took him to Ica and another taxi took him to Arica. According to his testimony, he told both taxi drivers that "they" were accusing him wrongly of murder.
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Both of the taxi drivers are under investigation for having aided van der Sloot in leaving the country.
.

"mama!"

Joran van der Sloot moments after rotten lettuce was lobbed at his head. You have to love the passion of the Latinos!

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Joran van der Sloot: "Temo que me maten en la cárcel" ("They will kill me in jail!)
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The confessed killer of Stephany Flores Ramirez is afraid that he will be killed in prison for revenge.
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The coward is asking to plead to a sentence in Aruba in an attempt to escape the Peruvian prison system. He has offered to give up the location of the remains of Alabama student Natalee Holloway and while his motive has not been announced, it's my belief that he is hoping for a prison sentence in Aruba with his fathers old cronies and his mother to bring him cookies. Then in the mean time, Daddy's lawyer friends could figure out what to do with Peru.
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Dutchman asked to plead to sentence in Aruba: The Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot expressed fear that "they" will kill him after being committed in the penitentiary of maximum security Miguel Castro Castro. “I do not want to be imprisoned in Peru. I am scared...”, said between sobs during the confession to Police. He is also said to have cried and wailed on the telephone with his mother, claiming he was badgered into making a confession.
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van der Sloot was transferred in an ambulance to the carceleta of Palace of Justice under much security and with a great amount of journalists.
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Please forgive my rough translation

Joran van der Sloot New Hotel TAC Video!

2010-06-12T08:31:00.007-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
June 12, 2010

Joran van der Sloot simuló como coartada no tener llaves del cuarto donde asesinó a Stephany Flores video is in spanish, but it's worth a thousand words...

In the above video, just released by El Comercio.pe, Joran van der Sloot is caught on the security camera of the Hotel TAC before his much publicized exit from the hotel.

At 8:35 am, 30 May, AFTER Stephany Flores had been beaten to death, van der Sloot leaves his room with two empty disposable cups. He hesitates before he actually closes the door tight, engaging the lock.

He then seemingly pretends to be just returning and performs some phony knocks on the door as though trying to gain entrance. I can say the knocks are phony because, at times, his fist does not even touch the door. About here is where he spots the camera.

He then leaves the scene but returns two minutes later with a hotel employee who uses a pass key at 8:39 am to open the door.

The employee simply pushes the door lightly and backs away, instead of entering to find the melee' inside the room.
.

Finally, the Dutchman entered to the room where Stephany Flores body was, ate his breakfast, then left the country.

Was Joran trying to manipulate the hotel employee into finding the body? Was his idea to claim someone must have killed her when he left the room for coffee? He has already changed clothes.

Jordan A Brown, 11, to be tried as adult for murder

2010-06-11T21:17:00.004-05:00

Lawrence County Judge Dominick Motto on Monday, March 29, 2010 ordered the now 12-year-old boy to be tried as an adult.

AP via foxnews.com

March 29, 2010

NEW CASTLE, Pa.
Jordan A Brown, a Pennsylvania boy who was 11 when he allegedly killed his father's pregnant fiancee with a shotgun will be tried as an adult in the death of both the woman and the 8 month fetus. Jordan Brown is charged...in the death a year ago of 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk and the unborn boy in their western Pennsylvania farmhouse.

Lawrence County Judge Dominick Motto on Monday ordered the now 12-year-old boy to be tried as an adult. Per Pennsylvania law he could be convicted of anything from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder and could face up to life in prison...

A psychiatrist for the prosecution had argued the boy wasn't likely to be rehabilitated in juvenile court.

read entire article here

Boy faces adult trial in death of Pa. woman, fetus
A judge's ruling that a 12-year-old boy will be tried as an adult on charges of fatally shooting his father's pregnant fiancee is an unprecedented move, an advocate for defense attorneys says.
Joe Mandak AP March 30, 2010. This article has a bit more detail about the proceedings.

The disgrace of Arlington National Cemetery

2010-06-11T18:12:00.003-05:00

Army inquiry finds 211 graves mishandled at Arlington Cemetery
cnn.com

By Mike Mount, Senior Pentagon Producer
June 11, 2010

Washington (CNN) -- Potentially hundreds of American veterans and their family members who were laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery were misidentified or mislocated...the investigation culminated in a change in leadership at the historic cemetery that has been home to U.S. veterans since 1864.

...Army investigators found a "lack of established policies and procedures, a failure to automate records, and long-term systemic problems..."

Arlington National Cemetery

Veterans' graves mislabeled at Arlington Cemetery, officials say

Misplaced Graves At Arlington National Cemetery Affect All

What about the other national cemeteries?‎

Can't we do anything right? It just does not seem too hard to make a note of who went in each grave and mark the location. It's not rocket science.

Joran van der Sloot's tangled web...

2010-06-08T18:35:00.006-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
June 8, 2010

livinginperu.com
This from Isabel Guerra, reporter
Joran van de Sloot's confession may be a strategy to lighten his sentence for murdering Stephany Flores, says criminal defense attorney Mario Amoretti. In opinion of Amoretti, van der Sloot may be trying to convince the authorities that he had not planned to murder Flores, but did it because of an emotional overreaction, because he got mad at her when he found her searching for his background. In this scenario, he could be sentenced to six years of imprisonment, and could apply for benefits and be released in three years for good conduct.

However, if prosecution can prove that the crime was premeditated, his sentence could range between 15 and 35 years. That's why it is very important to verify and check facts with the casino, to find out exactly how much money did each one won and lost that night...

According to Peruvian newspaper La Republica, Van der Sloot told police: "I did not want to do it. The girl intruded into my private life. She had no right. I went to her and I hit her. She was scared. We argued and she tried to escape. I grabbed her by the neck and I hit her."

Additionally, the correspondent in Colombia of the Netherlands ANP agency, Wies Ubags, confirmed to Peruvian press that Colombia is sending two homocide detectives to interrogate van der Sloot in the disappearance of two young women in the two days before he landed in Lima. These women were patrons of casinos on the nights of their vanishings, and van der Sloot did attend several casinos while his staying in Bogota.

The Columbia of the Netherlands, Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANP) is the largest news agency in the Netherlands.

U.S. prosecutors say $15,000 was transferred to a Dutch bank account in his name on May 10. He arrived in Peru four days later, his visit coinciding with the runup to a June 2-5 Latin America Poker Tour tournament with a $930,000 prize pool.

And just another personal note while listening to Nancy Grace screech at the camera tonight... Joran did not go 'fetch' coffee for Stephany. He had a dead girl in his room and had been up all night. He showered, shaved, changed clothes then had two cups of coffee to wake himself up. He needed to get out of the country. The story that she snooped in his laptop is bullchit.

If he was using the ruse of a computer for sale to get her to his room, as I speculated in my last post, he would need to explain her prints/dna on the computer once the police confiscated it.

Remember how he made sure he was in class the day after Natalee died, so as not to raise suspicion? And remember his stories about how Natalee 'wanted it'--trying to blame the victim?

Joran Van Der Sloot Asks to See His Mother Check out this webpage with lots of stuff re Joran.

Kyron Horman, missing from school in Portland, Oregon

2010-06-08T14:37:00.006-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
June 8, 2010

Kyron Horman was last seen on Friday, June 4, 2010 inside Skyline Elementary school at 9 a.m. That day the school hosted a morning science fair and afternoon talent show. Authorities launched an intensive search and investigation into his disappearance that afternoon when Kyron did not get off of his bus, and continued through the weekend to no avail.

Some 1,200 tips reaching into Washington state have been called in. At the same time, he expressed frustration that some people have called in nonsensical tips, making jokes.

Law Enforcement previously reported that Kyron's stepmother, Terri Moulton Horman, was the last to see the boy about 8:45 a.m. as he walked to his classroom. The two had attended a science fair, where Kyron posed for the photo now shown on the missing fliers and news media.

Investigators now say Kyron was last seen at 9 a.m. inside the school, but declined to say by whom or where.

Missing Kyron Horman Facebook
Kyron Horman search attracts 1,200 tips, but still no sign of the Portland second-grader
Kyron Horman search turns up no new clues, investigators say today

Joran van der Sloot: Sloppy serial killer?

2010-06-08T13:56:00.004-05:00

The Prairie Chicken

June 8, 2010

What a mess the "most hated man in the world" has gotten him into this time. It's all over the news, so there is no reason really to get you caught up, but thought I'd provide a few good links for the latest.

We hear this morning that Joran van der Sloot has confessed to the murder of Stephany Flores, a lovely Peruian student from a well-known family. According to van der Sloot, he went to get coffee and when he came back she was accessing his computer and viewing his files on Natalee Holloway. He said "I didn't WANT to kill her. She intruded into my private life." hmmm.

Before I post the links, I have a few observations to throw out there, of course. While his story sounds quite feasible, he told 27 different versions of Holloway's death, and still hasn't come clean. Either Peruvian interrogation is much more effective than that of Aruba or this is the first of many stories.

Now, why would a young woman who is openly gay go to a hotel (and a very cheap one) with a man she had just met? After seeing the video of van der Sloot and Flores entering his room that morning I doubt there was any sexual promise in it.

What we know is that Stephany had won $5000 that night, while Joran lost a few hundred. Her father has said he gave her $1000 for a new computer--was in her 3rd year of business college and worked for the family business.

What Joran knew by the end of the night was that this young woman had $6000 in her pocket and was looking to buy a computer. I suggest that he lured her into his room under the pretense of having a laptop to sell with the intention of raping her, robbing her, and leaving her dead.

He obviously changed clothes afterward, and after seeing the enter/exit video, he apparently shaved as well before he took off for Chile. Pretty cold blooded.

Joren van der Sloot confesses murder in Peru

Van der Sloot to attend re-enactment, Peruvian authorities say ...

Details of the Alleged Van der Sloot-Holloway Extortion Revealed

June 14 trial date set for Drew Peterson in Savio death

2010-05-24T10:45:00.005-05:00

Jury selection to start then in ex-Bolingbrook cop's murder case

May 22, 2010

By DAN ROZEK

Staff Reporter
.

Drew Peterson will stand trial beginning June 14 for murder in the 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, a Will County judge ordered today.

.
Judge Stephen White ordered jury selection to begin that day for the 56-year-old former Bolingbrook cop, who's charged with drowning Savio in her bathtub during their bitter divorce.

Peterson, who remains jailed, has denied any involvement in her death — which initially was ruled accidental — or in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who remains missing...

Still to be decided: whether the judge will allow the jury to hear that hearsay evidence — statements that other witnesses say were made by Savio and Stacy Peterson.

also read:

Drew Peterson eager for trial after a year in solitary : "guess he thinks he getting out..."

The Changing Face Of The Drew Peterson Legal Team

Drew Peterson's Harley is sold

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/19/illinois.drew.peterson.hearsay/index.html : Stacy Peterson had disturbing things to say about her husband, Drew

Anthony Hopkins Sentenced to Life Plus 51 Years in death of wife Arletha, stored in freezer

2010-05-24T10:08:00.005-05:00

wkrg.com

by Steven Norris
Thu, May 20, 2010

Mobile, AL - Anthony Hopkins, the traveling preacher convicted of killing his wife and stuffing her body in a freezer, was handed the maximum sentence for his conviction: Life plus another 51 years.

Anthony Hopkins was found guilty on April 9 for the murder of Arletha Hopkins, and also for the rape of his stepdaughter. Hopkins was arrested almost two years ago in July 2008, after Arletha's body was found in a freezer at the family's home on Rylands Street.

He was taken into custody while preaching at a revival in Jackson, AL. Investigators believe Arletha's body had been hidden for more than three years.

also read:

Murderer US evangelist is evil of worst kind, according to prosecutors

Preacher Convicted in Murder of Wife - Stored Body in Freezer

Hopkins receives life imprisonment

It has taken a long time for Hopkins to be dealt his sentence. For a while there was not a word written about the case. Its a good thing he's a "man of god". whew, that'll save his soul, huh?

60 percent of Americans support medical marijuana

2010-04-23T23:33:00.002-05:00

KSN
ksn.com
April 23, 2010

WICHITA, Kansas – Supporters of medical marijuana told a house panel it’s a good substitute for pain relief prescriptions on the market now. A new poll from the Associated Press and CNBC shows that it’s a feeling that millions across the U.S. share – marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes.

"The poll suggests that Americans are in favor of marijuana for medicinal purposes,” said Trish Regan with CNBC. “In fact, 60 percent told us that. Also, the majority of Americans, better than 70 percent, tell us that they believe that there's some medicinal benefit to marijuana."

Democratic Representative Gail Finney from Wichita introduced a bill this year that would allow marijuana be used legally for medical purposes.

"There are people that silently use marijuana for their pain and for their comfort and I don't think they should be criminalized for it,” Finney said.Some even say medical marijuana could help solve state budget problems.

That poll showed between $16 billion and $20 billion in new revenue nationwide from taxing marijuana. Right now, 14 states allow it, but that poll shows that it’s still a topic Americans feel strongly about.

“One-third of the country is saying, ‘Yes, we should legalize pot for any reason, recreational, medicinal, you name it,’ and 55 percent of Americans say, ‘We're still not sure,’” Regan said.

Many lawmakers in Kansas are in that camp. Representative Scott Schwab, a Republican from Olathe said it “has no benefit for pain management.”Finney’s bill stalled in committee and is dead for this legislative session.

read entire article here

Labs To Analyze Haleigh Cummings Evidence

2010-04-20T19:17:00.005-05:00

wesh.com
April 20, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. --
.
Evidence collected during a search for Haleigh Cummings along the St. Johns River in Putnam County has been sent for analysis, officials with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said...
.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement assisted in the search, but an expert said the FDLE laboratory is usually called to analyze physical evidence, which includes human remains or items found near a body.
.
The University of Florida was also at the search. The same expert said UF specializes in body evidence, which includes analyzing any bones or body parts that are discovered...
.
read entire article here
.
Law Enforcement authorities still hold to the statement that no remains have been found.
I wonder if they are Croslin cousins too. just kidding. At least Leonard Padilla wasn't there, so they more than likely aren't chicken bones. I wonder if the bones that were found were attached to the cinder blocks that were removed from the river.
.
It was mentioned early on that there were cinder blocks stacked about 50 feet from the house, on the property of the rented Cummings trailer, and that was where the block holding open the door had probably come from. Cinder blocks can be matched by manufacture mark, or by examining the composition of blocks themselves--measuring the ratio of concrete to coal ash & remnants. Maybe even the composition of the concrete.

Helplessly hoping they have found her so her spirit can rest...

Judge Strickland disqualifies himself from Casey Anthony case!!

2010-04-19T21:05:00.005-05:00

OMG

Chief Judge Belvin Perry, known for being no-nonsense, will handle Casey Anthony’s case

The Orlando Sentinel

orlandosentinel.com

April 19, 2010

The man who arguably became Central Florida's most recognized judge — without ever making public comment about the case that thrust him into the national spotlight — left some piercing, parting words for Casey Anthony's defense attorneys on Monday.

In an order granting Anthony's request for him to step down from the case, Orange County Circuit Judge Stan Strickland wrote: "At its core, defense counsel's motion accuses the undersigned of being a ‘self-aggrandizing media hound.' Indeed. The irony is rich."

Anthony's defense team filed a motion late Friday asking Strickland to disqualify himself from her first-degree murder case because of a "personal relationship" he has with a blogger who has been critical of their client...

According to the defense's motion, Anthony feared she wouldn't get a fair trial because of the relationship between Strickland and blogger Dave Knechel — known online as "Marinade Dave."
In his order, Strickland noted that he did talk to the blogger in court — with a TV camera rolling, microphones on, and in front of the attorneys.

Strickland wrote that he recently began looking at Internet material and blogs to get an idea of what people are saying about the case, which is relevant to the defense's motion for change of venue...

read entire article here--much more

Judge Strickland recuses himself from Anthony case

STRICKLAND STEPS DOWN: Read His Order Judge Appointed

The latest on the new search for Haleigh Cummings

2010-04-15T12:06:00.003-05:00

The cousin denies the allegations. The search for Haleigh Cummings continues.
Orlando Sentinel
orlandosentinel.com
April 15, 2010

The grandmother of Misty Croslin told The Florida Times-Union that she received a phone call from Croslin's brother in jail last weekend. He told her that a cousin, who now lives in Tennessee, took 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings in February 2009, according to Jacksonville.com. The cousin denies it.
read entire article here

Cousin vs. cousin over Haleigh Cummings' disappearance
The Florida Times-Union
jacksonville.com
April 14, 2010

Last weekend, a grandmother said, she had to decide which of her grandsons to believe about what happened to Haleigh Cummings.

The first grandson, Hank “Tommy” Croslin Jr., called from jail saying his cousin entered the Satsuma trailer with a knife that night in February 2009 and left with 5-year-old Haleigh.

The other, Joseph Overstreet, says he’s sorry for what the family is going through but swears he didn’t hurt the girl.

Ultimately, Flo Hollars says, she immediately called authorities, spurring a revived search for Haleigh and a quick trip by Putnam County detectives to Nashville, Tenn., to interview Overstreet...

Near the end of their news conference, a reporter told Overstreet she spoke with his grandmother. Immediately, he clenched his fists and walked away from the cameras. His mother followed to console him. She came back a few minutes later, alone.
EXCELLENT, INFORMATIVE ARTICLE by writers Jim Schoettler, Kate Howard, Dana Treen.
read entire article here

Ex-FBI Agent: I've Solved Haleigh Case

Misty Croslin Seen At Haleigh Search Site
wkmg local 6
clickorlando.com
April 14, 2010

Misty Croslin, the last person to see Haleigh Cummings before she disappeared in February 2009, was spotted Wednesday at the scene of a search for evidence in the case...

It was unknown what investigators were saying to Croslin at the dock, but from their body language, it appeared intense as they pointed to the murky water. At one point, Croslin covered her face with her hands as detectives spoke to her. She spent only a few minutes at the dock before a female detective slowly walked her back to an unmarked patrol car.
read entire article here

Authorities in Tennessee Question Misty Croslin's Relative About Haleigh's Disappearance

2010-04-14T07:05:00.008-05:00

April 14, 2010
firstcoastnews.com
Patricia Jimenez and Jackelyn Barnard
fcn writers
.
NASHVILLE, Tn. -- ...Misty Croslin's cousin, Joe Overstreet, was interviewed late Tuesday night.
.
The 20-year-old lives in Nashville, Tennessee...
.
His mother, who...is Misty Croslin's aunt, told First Coast News Tuesday...that "my son is at home not doing anything, not bothering anyone and people continue to bother him."
.
...Overstreet spent the Tuesday evening with family and friends. Then around 11:30 p.m. his attorney, Shawn Sirgo, showed up. The two talked...and then left in his attorney's car.
.
First Coast News followed the two to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in Nashville.
Overstreet and his attorney were escorted inside. Less than 45 minutes later, Overstreet was out and on his way back home...Sirgo says his client is innocent.

read entire article here

also read:
Lead brings new search for Haleigh on St. Johns
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23145771/index.html very interesting video of former FBI agent Steve Brown who has been working with Crystal Sheffield and claims to have solved the case on Monday. I hope he has. .
.
Now, I'm not defending Misty, but I must point out:
.
Even in the early interviews Misty gave, she says quite a few times that Joe could be responsible. At the beginning in an interview with Matt Lauer in front of the tent camp, she said "no, I'm not at all sure he had nothing to do with it."
.
She said he had been there that day with Tommy, she said he had been a criminal all his life.
.
Misty said he had "tried to mess with her when she was 13."
.
It was she that brought up the original and second stolen gun stories, and the "dream" of seeing Joe in the doorway with Haleigh.
.
Plus, Chelsea said he had taken her van that night, parking it differently than she had left it and that he slept in his clothes, which was unusual for him.
.
It was law enforcement that kept saying he was cleared.
.
In a jail phone call with her mom she says "I've told them all I know and they just don't listen."
.
Add in the fact that he left the morning that the news was breaking that Haleigh was missing. Planned or not, it seems odd he would leave at that time--like he didn't want to be interviewed--and did indeed avoid that until authorities in Tennessee interviewed him.
.
The problem for Misty as I see it is, who knew which statements were true, when she couldn't tell the same story twice?
.
Another report from a neighbor of the current search at Shell Harbour Way, east of 309, was that LE is asking if anyone has information on a 1990's Chrysler van...
.
And who drove a 1990's Chrysler Town & Country minivan?

.Right: a map from Google Earth that shows the area of the current search in proximity to 130 Magnolia St, Satsuma, a house that Hank Sr and Lisa Croslin were owners of until February of 2009. It is .3 miles. The entire Croslin family would have been familiar with that boat dock.

St. Johns River search connected to missing girl Haleigh Cummings

2010-04-13T18:21:00.003-05:00

Tip In Haleigh Case Prompts River Search

news4jax.com

April 13, 2010

SATSUMA, Fla. -- Deputies from four counties and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were searching the St. Johns River south of Satsuma Tuesday, and authorities confirmed the search is connected to the Haleigh Cummings investigation.

Putnam County Sheriff's Office Lt. Johnny Greenwood said the search was prompted by one of over 5,000 leads received by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office since the then-5-year-old girl disappeared from her bed in her father's mobile home 14 months ago.

read entire story here

According to television news reports this evening, there was a box found and removed from the river and that family members on both maternal and paternal sides were summoned by Putnam County Law Enforcement.

Casey Anthony Document Dump April, 2010

2010-04-11T14:41:00.004-05:00

The Prairie Chicken
April 11, 2010

Below I've pasted some links to the letters so loudly hailed in the past week between Casey Anthony and Robyn Adams in the early months of Casey's incarceration at the Orange County jail.

Casey writes in an immature 'double-bubble' script that makes it hard to read at times. Any of the good information is in the links below, but what I noticed in reading through her letters was that when Jesse Grund was interviewed, he told Yuri Melich that Casey would morph into what ever person she needed/wanted to be.

He said that when she was with him and trying to win over his parents she was heavy with faith and gods love. With Tony she was totally into hip-hop or screech or what ever that music is called now.

Here--knowing Robyn is religious--Casey goes on and on like a Sunday School teacher. She says she wants to start an RV ministry together and travel the country, those two and Robyn's kids. But then she also says they should get a house together, where Casey's #1 must have is a king size bed, and then there is the sport's bar Casey wants to open.

So, Jesse is right. Casey was trying hard to morph into Robyn's world, but the materialism gave her away.

Also hilarious was Casey complaining about the clothes her mother brought her. Her mom has no control over how fat Casey's ass is getting. She probably expects some new items. Maybe some spring ensembles.

I still want to see Mallory Parker's interview. The fact that she has not been mentioned at all tells me she is one the prosecutions secret/surprise witness. Mark my word.

news4jax.com:
LETTERS: 1 2 3 4 5
READ REPORT: Part 1 Part 2

orlandosentinel.com:
READ IT NOW: Casey Anthony letters (PDF)
READ IT NOW: Casey Anthony letters continued (PDF)
Transcript of Joy Wray's interview in Casey Anthony case (pdf)
Transcript of Tony Rovinksy's interview in Casey Anthony case (pdf)
Psychologists: Jailhouse letters offer insight into Casey Anthony’s life behind bars
Casey Anthony jailhouse letters started with a wave

clickorlando.com:
April 9, 2010: Calls From Anthony's Pen Pal
April 8, 2010: Details Of Anthony Jail Friendship Surface
April 7, 2010: FDLE: Casey Used Chloroform To Get Caylee To Sleep
April 5, 2010: Judge Denies Anthony's Witness Request

Parents of Mitrice Richardson continue to pressure Malibu Sheriff's Department about inconsistent stories, stonewalling and failing to investigate

2010-04-03T20:13:00.009-05:00

Booking Cage Video of Missing Woman Generates New Family Concerns

Mother Demands Information on Deputy Apparently Exiting Station When She Did

April 1, 2010

Malibu Surfside News

malibusurfsidenews.com page 7

Malibu--Mitrice Richardson, 24, disappeared after a Malibu restaurant incident led to her being booked on two misdemeanor charges at the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station on Sept. 16, 2009.

Richardson, a Cal State Fullerton honors graduate, was released from Lost Hills shortly after midnight the next day with no money or cell phone. Her purse was in her impounded car in the Malibu tow yard...

For six months, those in charge of the LA County Sheriff's office at Lost Hills have been caught in several blatant lies, one being that there was no video of Mitrice Richardson that night at the station. In the excerpt below we find a very BIG lie--not only was there video, but:

"On Monday, March 29, Latrice Sutton Mitrice's mother, and her close friend and the young woman’s college mentor, psychologist Ronda Hampton, were among the small group shown an
approximately two-hour tape, the existence of which was first adamantly denied by the LASD, but is now reluctantly acknowledged.

In a conference call with the Malibu Surfside News on Tuesday, Sutton contended that the video 'supports her theory that [sheriff’s] officers could very likely be involved in my daughter’s disappearance.'

She says, 'Two minutes after the jailer walked back from letting Richardson out the station’s side door, an officer in uniform went outside the station.' Sutton thinks he might have offered
her a ride back to her car, but...'

...Another aspect of the viewing that disturbs Sutton is that she says she was told by Lt. Michael Rosson, now the lead LASD investigator on the case, that the reason her daughter had to be taken to Lost Hills is she had no identification, but the booking slip indicates she had her California’s driver license that was returned to her after the booking process was completed.

But what the women describe...that was spotted by Sutton’s nephew, Jonathan Sutton, 'Who noticed that as the tape finished rolling and everyone’s attention was focused on Rosson, a
uniformed deputy can be seen exiting the station right after Richardson left.'
.

They asked that the tape be shown again, and those present say, 'There is no doubt that is what is on the tape minutes after [Richardson] was released.' Since that is not a shift time change, they are interpreting this ominously.

Sutton is now aggressively asking that the arresting deputies and all personnel at the station that night be investigated. Hampton added there appear to be what she calls 'blips' in the tape, which she thinks indicate editing.
.

The videographer...was not allowed to film the video with his equipment."

http://www.findmitrice.info/

http://www.bringmitricehome.org/

Dr. Ronda Hampton 951-660-8031;

LAPD Homicide Lt. Charles Knolls
and Detective Steven Eguchi
at 213-486-6900.

Silvia Hernandez, Casey Anthony's 'mule' in Orange County jail, suspended

2010-04-02T21:49:00.006-05:00

The Orlando Sentinel
orlandosentinel.com
April 2, 2010
.
...Corrections employee Silvia Hernandez was suspended with pay on March 22, although an Orange County Jail spokesman declined to give the reasons for the action. WFTV-Ch. 9 is reporting that Hernandez was suspended because she helped Anthony and another inmate communicate through letters...
.
In March, Hernandez was interviewed as part of the Anthony case, according to documents released by the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office.
.
...A judge banned the release of the letters until at least next week to give her defense attorneys time to review them and prepare any objection to making them public.
.
read entire article here
.
Casey Anthony case: Texas EquuSearch attorney will be at Monday’s hearing
Report: Woman who claims affair with Casey Anthony’s father attempts suicide
Searcher: Casey Uninterested In Caylee Hunt
.
Part 1 Documents released March 23, 2010
Part 2 Documents released March 23, 2010

Kayleah Wilson, 12, Missing Since Sunday from Greeley Colorado

2010-04-02T19:04:00.003-05:00

Kayleah Wilson, Not Seen Since Sunday When She Went to a Birthday Party
abcnews.go.com
April 2, 2010
Authorities Say They Are Re-Interviewing People Who Might Have Information About Kayleah's Whereabouts
By EMILY FRIEDMAN
.
The FBI has joined the search for a missing 12-year-old Colorado girl who vanished on her way to a friend's birthday party. The agency sent 15 detectives to Greeley, Colo., to look for Kayleah Wilson, Dave Joly of the Denver field office said. "When it involves a child, we're there," Joly said, adding that the Greeley Police Department requested the extra help and expertise...
.
Kayleah was reported missing by her mother, April Wilson, when she never came home Sunday evening from a birthday party that was supposed to end by 7 p.m. Police, who have few leads, say Kayleah never made it to the birthday party.
.
"We do not believe Kayleah ran away. There is nothing to indicate she did." Authorities are also reportedly questioning the 17-year-old boyfriend of Kayleah, of whom her mother told ABCNews.com she did not approve...Kayleah's ex-boyfriend is being questioned but is cooperating with police and has not been named a person of interest.
.
Kayleah, who is in sixth grade at Brentwood Middle School, was last seen wearing a white-and-pink shirt over a white tank top, blue jeans and white and red shoes. She is described as being 5 feet 1 inch, and approximately 145 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.
.
Wilson said her daughter left at 3:40 p.m. Sunday for the party, which was just a few blocks away...
.
The eight-block area where Kayleah would have walked to get to the party is well-populated and safe, according to authorities, who are still looking along side a busy highway that runs behind her home.
.
Wilson said her daughter is a typical preteen who has a crush on one of the singers from the folk band Celtic Thunder. On the morning of the day she disappeared, Wilson said her daughter had gone to church with her and had been happy during a lunch at a local restaurant with her grandmother...
read entire article here
.
Kayleah Wilson case: Police, FBI plan update this afternoon‎
Kayleah Wilson case: Outpouring of support on Facebook page‎
National Center for Missing Children & Exploited Children--PHOTO

June 14 trial date set for Drew Peterson in ex-wife Kathleen Savio death

2010-03-29T20:51:00.002-05:00

Jury selection to start then in ex-Bolingbrook cop's murder case
February 23, 2010
By DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter
.
Drew Peterson will stand trial beginning June 14 for murder in the 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, a Will County judge ordered today.
.
Judge Stephen White ordered jury selection to begin that day for the 56-year-old former Bolingbrook cop, who's charged with drowning Savio in her bathtub during their bitter divorce
Peterson, who remains jailed, has denied any involvement in her death — which initially was ruled accidental — or in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who remains missing...

Peterson trial: June 14; jury selection under way

Melissa Huckaby's hearing postponed until May 10 for rape/murder of Sandra Cantu

2010-03-29T20:30:00.003-05:00

The Tracy Press

by Cassie Tomlin

March 29, 2010

STOCKTON — A judge today postponed a hearing until May 10 to suppress and dismiss evidence in the case of Melissa Huckaby, accused of killing her 8-year-old Tracy neighbor Sandra Cantu.

...Huckaby’s public defender, Samuel Behar, is expected to ask Judge Linda Lofthus to throw out some evidence against Huckaby because Tracy detectives might have violated her rights prior to her arrest last year. Yeah, lets protect the murders rights.

On May 10, Lofthus will set a date for the hearing. Sandra went missing March 27 last year from Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park, where she lived. Ten days later, her body was found in a suitcase in a dairy pond.

Huckaby, 29, who appeared in court today with a short haircut, is charged with kidnapping, rape and murder. District Attorney Thomas Testa said he agreed with the postponed hearing as long as the October trial date isn’t affected...

Aja Johnson body found along with kidnap/murderer Lester Hobbs

2010-03-29T20:01:00.004-05:00

kcbd.com

March 29, 2010

Video from kcbd.com:
Suspects car found in Amber Alert case for Aja Johnson of Oklahoma
.
GERONIMO, OK (KCBD) - New developments in the search for a 7-year-old girl from Geronimo, Oklahoma.
.

Oklahoma authorities believe they have found the suspect vehicle Aja Johnson was last seen in.

The car was found at Lake Thunderbird, which is a rural area near Norman.
.

Right now, Jessica Brown with the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation said there are two bodies that have been found in and near the vehicle...
.

Tonya Hobbs, Aja's mother, filed a protective order against Hobbs just months before she was murdered herself at the hands of Hobbs.

The documents indicate that Lester Hobbs threatened to kill her children with a hammer. It now appears Lester used a hammer to kill Tonya...

Car, bodies found in Aja Johnson case NewsOK.com

March 29, 2010

Car, bodies found in Aja Johnson case

NORMAN — A car sought since a 7-year-old girl and her mom's estranged husband disappeared from Comanche County in January has been found at Lake Thunderbird, authorities said today.

It appears there were bodies present in the car, Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown told The Oklahoman earlier in the day...

The car was found in a field near a heavily wooded rural area just north of SE 108 and State Highway 9. Brown confirmed the car was the 1992 Toyota Paseo owned by Tonya LeAnn Hobbs, who was found slain Jan. 24 in Geronimo...
.

J.J. Johnson, Aja's father, said an OSBI agent visited his house just before 6 p.m. and told him two bodies had been found. The agent could not confirm that one of them was his daughter.
Watching television coverage today from the scene, however, Johnson said he saw a pink and blue jacket he'd purchased for his daughter — and knew she was dead...

Mike Akins, Inman, Kansas police chief, faces trial on child sex charges

2010-03-29T12:22:00.008-05:00

hutchnews.com

via Kansas.com

March 29, 2010

MCPHERSON, Kan. - A judge has determined there is enough evidence to try a central-Kansas police chief on charges he molested four children.

Thirty-eight-year-old Mike Akins Jr. appeared Friday in McPherson County District Court for a preliminary hearing...
.

Two of the children testified during the hearing Friday that Akins touched them inappropriately.
.

Akins occasionally shook his head "no" during the testimony.
.

The mother of the alleged victims dated Akins, but testified the relationship turned sour. She said she eventually obtained a protection-from-stalking order.
Information from: The Hutchinson News, http://www.hutchnews.com/

McClatchy Regional News

March 28, 2010

McPHERSON — The former Inman police chief is headed for trial on charges he molested four children. Mike Akins Jr., 38, appeared Friday in McPherson County District Court for a preliminary hearing on 19 criminal counts alleging he sexually abused three girls and one boy, ages 9 to 14, between December 2008 and December 2009, while he was police chief...
.

Retired Sedgwick County District Court Judge Ronald Innes, who presided over the hearing, found probable cause to proceed to trial, saying the evidence "shows a course of conduct" by Akins. read more here

Casey Anthony's Letters Prompt Investigation

2010-03-19T22:35:00.006-05:00

wesh2.com
March 19, 2010
.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Orange County corrections officer faces disciplinary action for shuffling secret notes between Casey Anthony and another inmate.
.
Anthony allegedly wrote 50 letters to another inmate that amounted to more than 250 pages in her own handwriting...
.
Prosecutors alleged Anthony was somehow able to exchange the letters with Robyn Adam... According to court documents there are 258 pages believed to be handwritten by Anthony...
.
...sources said Anthony made several statements in the letters that prosecutors will try to use against her in her upcoming murder trial...
.
Adams pleaded guilty to drug charges and was sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison. Besides the letters, court papers indicated investigators have interviewed her twice in the last 30 days.
.
According to sources, Adams' statements about what Anthony told her will also be useful to the prosecution.
.
read entire article here

what I like about this the best, is that every time anyone tries to tell her anything, Casey Anthony cuts them off with a quick "Oh, I know." She thinks she knows everything, and yet she let her own ego get the better of her--has to brag about herself. In her own handwriting. Can't wait to find out what all she has to say. Cheeseball. really pathetic.

Other Anthony news:

March 19, 2010: Judge Declares Casey Anthony Indigent
.
March 10, 2010: 9 CDs Of DNA Evidence Released In Casey Case
.
March 16, 2010: Alleged Anthony Affair Reveals Intensity Of Case

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco Denies Anna Nicole Smith Estate’s Claim To Millions

2010-03-19T21:42:00.005-05:00

KTVU.com

March 19, 2010

Bay City News

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the estate of Anna Nicole Smith was not entitled to a single cent of the millions left behind by her late husband, oil magnate J. Howard Marshall.

.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that federal courts must honor a decision in which a probate court in Texas found that Marshall did not intend to leave her any money...

.
Howard Marshall had given Smith $6 million in gifts but didn't make additional provisions for her in his will. Smith claimed that Marshall's son, Pierce Marshall, improperly influenced him.

.
Texas probate court ruled against Smith after a five-month jury trial.

.
But Smith raised the issue again in a federal bankruptcy court in Los Angeles after she filed for bankruptcy in 1996. A bankruptcy judge awarded her $450 million, later reduced by a federal district judge to $88 million.

.
In Friday's ruling, the federal appeals court said the Texas probate court decision should be treated as the conclusive ruling in the dispute because "it is the earliest final judgment on matters relevant to this proceeding." That makes no sense. It most certainly was NOT the final judgment, and why would you use the earliest one?

.
The decision could be appealed to an expanded 11-judge panel of the appeals court and to the U.S. Supreme Court. And you can bet the farm that unless the Bar boots Stern, he will appeal this to the very end of his life. He has put--what? 15 years into this case, counting on his big payout of 6%. Even though Anna and Pierce are both dead, he'll carry it on in the guise of doing it "for Dannielynn." And I find it extremely odd that Stern's name is nowhere to be found in the ktvu.com article.

.
...lawyer for Smith's estate was not immediately available for comment.

The only lawyer still working on it is Howard K Stern, who of course, is having legal problems of his own right now, so, no, he probably is not available for comment.

read entire article here

Charla Nash; Officer Who Killed Travis the Chimp Speaks to Times

2010-03-17T22:09:00.002-05:00

Thu, Feb 25, 2010

nbcconneticut.com

Everyone knows the story of Travis the 200-pound chimp – a beloved pet turned violent. It’s been over a year now since Travis mauled Charla Nash, his owner Sandra Herold’s friend...

The Connecticut story quickly became a national story. In November, Nash first revealed her face on Oprah...

But a big part of the story has been left out of the media buzz. Earlier this month, the police officer who had to shoot and kill Travis the chimp was denied compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder because compensation is only awarded to an officer who has to kill a human. ...

read NBC article here

Read the story in its entirety here: After Shooting Chimp, a Police Officer’s Descent

also read:

No Stress Compensation for Cop Who Shot Chimp

City Paid Bills for Cop Who Shot Chimp: AP

SRS re Linda Gillen seeks dismissal of lawsuit filed by grandparents

2010-03-16T02:04:00.006-05:00

Brooklyn on the left before she was murdered, with
her mother and brother.

Mar. 11, 2010
BY TIM POTTER
The Wichita Eagle
via kansas.com
.
Coffeyville couple sues SRS worker after granddaughter's beating death
.
The state's child-welfare agency is asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Kansas social worker, Linda Gillen, of failing to protect a 23-month-old Coffeyville girl who was beaten to death.
.
The lawsuit hasn't shown that the social worker, Linda Gillen's actions "were so egregious or outrageous as to be considered conscience-shocking," say papers filed Wednesday by an attorney for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
.
In January, the maternal grandparents of Brooklyn Coons — Larry and Mary Crosetto — filed a lawsuit accusing the social worker, Linda Gillen, of gross negligence, saying she didn't protect their granddaughter from being beaten to death by her father's meth-addicted girlfriend.
.
The lawsuit accuses SRS social worker Linda Gillen of not taking measures to remove Brooklyn and her brother from a dangerous household after the maternal grandparents repeatedly brought forward concerns about injuries to Brooklyn. Gillen failed to act because of a "pre-existing grudge" involving actions the Crosettos took years earlier in their adoption of Brooklyn's mother, Angela Crosetto Coons, the lawsuit says.
.
But SRS attorney Danny Baumgartner argued in the court papers filed Wednesday that Gillen "merely investigated a report of abuse and neglect," that Brooklyn was not in state custody and that Gillen "had no duty to intervene." Baumgartner said Gillen is "entitled to qualified immunity."
.
The Kansas Attorney Generals Office prosecuted the girlfriend, Melissa Wells Coons. Brooklyn died on Jan. 20, 2008. The girlfriend later married Brooklyn's father. On Dec. 30, 2009, a judge sentenced Melissa Wells Coons to life in prison for the murder of Brooklyn. Brooklyn's father, Randy Coons, has been charged with aggravated child endangerment...
.
The SRS attorney argued in the response filed Wednesday that Gillen, as the social worker, "had to balance the interests of looking into the report of child abuse (which she did) with the interests of the father in being with his children. It is exactly what the law states should be done and that is what she did."
.
...In an interview in January, Larry Crosetto said that Gillen "was aware there was a situation in that home. She didn't investigate and find out what the situation was."
.
"What we hope to do is get SRS to act in these situations... and prevent it from happening to another family," Crosetto said.
.

Read more here
.
So..."had to balance the interests of looking into the report of child abuse...
with the interests of the father in being with his children..."
.
Is is me or does that not make sense?
.
and this: Gillen "merely investigated a report of abuse and neglect," that Brooklyn was not in state custody and that Gillen "had no duty to intervene." Baumgartner said Gillen is "entitled to qualified immunity." But read the timeline below, previously posted by kansas.com and ksn.com and The Prairie Chicken:
.
The lawsuit provides this timeline:
.
In the fall of 2007, the Crosettos started seeing bruises on Brooklyn, and their granddaughter
received medical treatment twice for suspicious injuries.
.
On Nov. 5, 2007, school officials told Gillen, the SRS social worker, that Christian had bruising that looked suspicious, the lawsuit says..
.
Nov. 6, 2007, Larry Crosetto tried to reach Gillen about the bruising, but got no return call, so he tried to contact her again on Nov. 14, 15 and 16, eventually reaching her on Nov. 20. Gillen said she had interviewed a school official, the children's father, his girlfriend and Christian...
.
The situation got worse..
.
On Dec. 10, 2007, the lawsuit says, Crosetto called Gillen again because the "bruising and marks were beginning to escalate...
.
On Dec. 12, 2007, Crosetto sought help from school officials. "Their position was that SRS had taken control of the situation and it was out of their hands," the lawsuit says..
.
On Sunday Dec. 23, the Crosettos' doctor noticed bruises on Brooklyn's face while she was at church, and he thought SRS should be notified. The doctor recommended that Larry Crosetto have another doctor examine Brooklyn the next day.
.
On Dec. 24, the second doctor saw the girl, called police and sent a letter to the Coffeyville SRS office asking that "they investigate the situation and get back to him.".
.
Gillen did not respond to the letter, the lawsuit says. But that same day the doctor called police, a Coffeyville police officer took a report from Crosetto in the doctor's office and said he would contact the prosecutor's office when it opened after the holiday, Crosetto said..
.
"I was under the understanding that the Police Department was trying... to intervene, that the roadblock was SRS," Crosetto said..
.
The grandparents met with Linda Gillen at her office on Dec. 28, [begging her to act to protect their grandchildren, with no resulting actions on Gillen's part.]
.
And then the worst happened. On Jan. 17, 2008 — 20 days after the Crosettos expressed their fears to Gillen — Coffeyville police responded to a 911 call about Brooklyn. She was unresponsive, and she was in the care of Wells. Police saw head trauma and bruises..
.
Doctors found that Brooklyn's brain was bleeding as a result of her being struck on the head, and she had brain damage from being shaken, the lawsuit says..
.
The day after the 911 call, it says, police put three other children from the home of Wells and Randy Coons into protective custody because of "deplorable" living conditions and because of the fatal injuries to Brooklyn..
.
The lawsuit says that the Police Department didn't take more steps to protect Brooklyn and the other children before Jan. 18, 2008
.
The lawsuit argues that Linda Gillen's "conduct increased the danger to (Brooklyn) from the meth addicted girlfriend."
.
Does anyone have a photo of Linda Gillen?

Kent Joseph Gockel, St Marys, Kansas, accused of stealing $890,000 from mother

2010-03-15T23:47:00.004-05:00

ksn.com

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A St. Marys man has been charged with stealing more than $890,000 from his mother's trust funds. Prosecutors say Kent Joseph Gockel was charged Thursday with 11 counts of bank fraud stemming from actions in 2008.

Federal prosecutors say Kent Gockel started taking care of his mother's trust funds in 2002 after his father died...

what a jerk...read entire article here

Jordan A Brown, 11, faces grown up murder charges

2010-03-11T13:28:00.006-06:00

CNN.com

Posted February 10, 2010

(CNN) -- In February 2009, her 4-year-old daughter found 26-year-old Kenzie Houk in her bed with a bullet though her head. She was eight months pregnant.

The search for her killer ended with the most surprising murder suspect residents had ever seen: 11-year-old Jordan Brown, the son of the victim's fiancé.

He is one of the youngest suspects in the country to be charged with homicide, legal experts say. There are two counts of homicide, one covering the fetus.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges in May.

In Pennsylvania, there is no lower limit for the age someone can be charged as an adult with criminal homicide. If convicted, Jordan, now 12, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The question of age is being raised in the Supreme Court this year where the practice of sentencing young people younger than 14 to life in prison without parole is being challenged.

After nearly a year of silence, Jordan's family, friends and attorney are bringing attention to the case...This month, they will launch the Jordan Brown Trust Fund to raise money for his defense.

A decertification hearing, requesting the judge move the case to the juvenile system, began this month. A decision on whether the case will be tried in the juvenile system or adult courts will likely be made in March, attorneys say.
.

The suspect's father has not publicly discussed the case, and CNN has been unable to reach him for comment...

read entire article here

Cameron Brown will stand trial for third time for death of daughter Lauren Keys

2010-03-09T20:38:00.006-06:00

Below: Cameron Brown, Right: Lauren Keys
By Denise Nix Staff Writer

The Daily Breeze
dailybreeze.com

Posted: 01/28/2010

Denise Nix: your coverage of this case has been exemplary. Thank you for not letting this little girl be forgotten. Janet

A judge on Thursday, January 28, refused to dismiss charges against Cameron Brown, who already has stood trial twice for the Rancho Palos Verdes cliff death of his 4-year-old daughter, Lauren Keys.

"I believe there should be a third trial in this case, and there will be," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said following a heated hearing.

Pastor also refused to set bail for Brown, 49, who has remained in jail for more than six years.
Brown's attorney, Pat Harris, argued in written motions and during the hearing that the entire case should be dismissed or, in the alternative, the first-degree murder charge dropped.

Read the argument

.
...Hum also argued that dismissing the case out of fairness to Brown was the "antithesis" of what is fair.

"The defendant shouldn't have murdered his 4-year-old daughter and then he wouldn't be in this position," Hum said in response to Harris' argument that Brown will have to spend "years" in jail awaiting another trial.

Hum called it "offensive" for the defense to argue that another trial would be a waste of court resources.

"If we're not gonna use our money on cases like this, what are we going to use our resources on?" Hum replied. EXCELLENT!

...Lauren died during a court-ordered visit with her father when they went on a "walk" from Abalone Cove to Inspiration Point.

Brown said she slipped while throwing rocks over the 120-foot drop, but gave inconsistent statements and, prosecutors believe, acted suspiciously in the hours, days and weeks following Lauren's death.

Hum maintains that Brown, an airline baggage handler, threw or pushed the little girl because he was quarreling with [hated] Key-Marer and felt burdened by [was totally pissed off about]child support payments.

Harris indicated to Pastor that the ruling will be appealed. An appeal will likely include a stay of the case until a decision is made.

Harris, an attorney with Geragos & Geragos, also said he did not believe his firm, which has gone through a drastic downsizing recently, would remain on the case.

Firm principal and high-profile attorney Mark Geragos represented Brown during the first trial, and Harris agreed to do the second on appointment from the court.

Brown likely will be given a public defender, who Harris predicted will take a year or two to become familiar enough with the evidence to handle the trial.

William Moore pleas guilty to murder of Carol Mould

2010-03-09T00:02:00.009-06:00

BY Ron Sylvester
The Wichita Eagle
via kansas.com

March 3, 2010

Click here to see the video in full screen or to e-mail to a friend.

EL DORADO - After Bill Moore calmly pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing an Andover woman five years ago, Doug Mould talked of the wife and mother he and his three children lost.

“There is no closure in these sorts of situations,” Mould said of the loss of his wife, Carol, in a violent attack in their home...

Moore, 56, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder.

Had he gone to trial, Moore faced first-degree murder and life in prison.

...Moore could face nearly 13 years when he returned for sentencing May 10.

Mould, 46, was found dead in her burning house, just off K-254, on Sept. 22, 2004...

Then last May 20, paramedics received a call that Moore was suicidal at his home. “I killed Carol Mould,” Moore told paramedic Dom Domebo...

During his confession, Moore said that he knew Mould because their sons served together in Boy Scouts. Moore said he went to her house hoping to have sex with her.

Under the plea agreement, Moore will not be able to appeal his sentence...
.
Butler County Attorney Jan Satterfield’s decision to offer Moore the plea...
.
So what will Butler County Attorney Jan Satterfield decide what to do about the disappearance of Adam Herrman? It is pretty clear that Valerie Herrman killed him, and Doug Herrman has kept his yap shut all these years.
.
If Carol Mould's murderer can walk in 13 years, will Satterfield even bother to charge the Herrmans? Could it be she's scared to proceed? Valerie Herrmans own family is willing to testify against her. What's stopping the filing of charges?
.
Maybe we need to just wait until Satterfield can get voted out and replaced by someone who knows the job. My own opinion.

Donald Wacker denied parole--kidnapped and murdered Nancy Shoemaker

2010-03-08T23:09:00.007-06:00

The Wichita Eagle

via kansas.com

Mar. 06, 2010
Parole denied for girl's abductor

BY HURST LAVIANA

.
Donald Wacker, one of two men imprisoned for the 1990 abduction and murder of 9-year-old Nancy Shoemaker will remain in prison for at least eight more years, the Kansas Parole Board said in a ruling released this week...

.
In its ruling, the board concluded that Wacker did not have an adequate parole plan and that he "continues to demonstrate high risk."...

.
Nancy was kidnapped on July 30, 1990, after walking a block and a half to a Phillips 66 station...
Wacker was convicted of helping Doil Lane kidnap Nancy, then driving her to Sumner County, where Lane raped and strangled her.
.

Lane, 49, was convicted of murder, rape and aggravated kidnapping, and sentenced to life without parole for 66 years. He is serving a life sentence in Texas for a similar crime there.
Wacker, who was sentenced to 15 years to life for kidnapping, was denied parole twice before, in 1999 and 2004...

.
During Wacker's last public comment session in October, the parole board was presented with the signatures of more than 30,000 people who were opposed to Wacker's release.

So, here we read that Wacker helped Doil Lane, who was Nancy Shoemakers killer. But why would a fully functional person follow the lead of a mentally retarded guy? That's what Lane claims, anyway, and it bought his way off of Death Row in Texas for little Bertha's murder. His sentence was commuted to life in prison a few years back. He says he colors all day every day. I can't muster up any sympathy for the guy though. He was smart enough to plan the rape and murder not one, but two little girls. I guess being retarded doesn't make him any less mean.

Wichita man pays crack dealer with Monopoly money

2010-03-08T23:02:00.003-06:00

ksdk.com

March 8, 2010

NBC -- Police in Wichita, Kansas are investigating an odd crime that involves drugs, assault and Monopoly money.
.

It started as a routine traffic stop in a Wichita neighborhood Thursday evening.
When police pulled over the car they found a 33-year-old man bleeding from the head and telling an unusual story.
.

The victim said a couple of weeks ago he bought several hundred dollars of crack-cocaine with Monopoly money and now the dealer was ready for pay back.
.

"The man from whom he had bought the drugs was upset and invited him over to his house and upon arrival struck him in the head several times with a handgun and other people jumped into the fray," said Gordon Bassham with the Wichita Police Department.

.
The victim was able to get away and escape serious injury.

.
At this point police say he's being uncooperative.
.

Despite the unusual circumstances, officers still want to arrest the attacker...

Friends and Family Allege Susan Powell Was Abused by Husband Josh Powell

2010-03-08T21:23:00.005-06:00

abcnews.go.com

Missing Mom's Family and Friends Unite Against Joshua Powell
By Lisa Fletcher,

Mary-Rose Abraham and

Kate McCarthy

ABC News

Feb. 17, 2010

Friends and family members of a missing Utah woman, Susan Powell, say the young mother was abused by her husband and question why Joshua Powell has not done more to help the investigation...
.

"We can say, without reservation, that Susan was a victim of domestic abuse within her own home," Gifford said.
.

The 28-year-old mother of two young boys has been missing since Dec. 6, 2009, but Joshua Powell, 34, has refused to help in the investigation and remains the only person of interest.
.

Gifford said Jennifer Graves, Joshua Powell's sister, and her husband recently visited Joshua in Washington state, where he now lives, to spend time with the children. But when Graves confronted her brother about his wife's disappearance, Joshua asked her to leave his house.
.

Tuesday, Graves publicly questioned her brother's behavior on the "Dr. Phil Show," saying she hopes he did not commit a crime but "the truth is going to come out eventually."
.

also read from ABC News:
Missing Mom's Family Launches Media Blitz
WATCH: Missing Mom Mystery Twist
WATCH: Campaign to Bring Missing Mom Home
.

...At a press conference Monday to announce a foundation in Susan Powell's name, her friends and family said it wasn't until they spoke to each other that they put together what they believe are the missing pieces of Susan Powell's life.

.
Some alleged that Joshua would not let his wife have her own car key and she had to get permission from him to use the family vehicle.
.

One said he knew of an episode of physical violence and another said Joshua would frequently change the pin numbers on their bank accounts so Susan would not have access to their money.
Gifford said, "people who were in the house with firsthand knowledge" knew that Joshua Powell would purposefully undermine his wife's parenting in front of their children.
.

"He would go in and get the boys out of bed and say things like, 'Mommy's so mean for making you go to bed, come on out of bed,'" Gifford said.
.

Joshua Powell and his attorney have refused to comment directly on the latest allegations.
In an e-mail to ABC News, his attorney said he believes supporters of Joshua Powell are preparing a response to the "untrue allegations."...

I hope we DO hear his side of these allegations. I read somewhere that when Law Enforcement came to search the van a second time, Josh turned ghostly pale. I think he thought they were coming to arrest him. All along he has seemed too bizarre--from the very first story of camping at midnight in freezing weather and forgetting what day it was. Moving out of state. But it's spring, and if he did kill her and leave her body somewhere in the woods, she'll be found. I'll enjoy seeing his pale little pansy ass locked up.

Wow. Am I getting sinister?

Casey Anthony has $112,000 in legal fees . . . and a trial date

2010-03-08T18:21:00.006-06:00

Casey Anthony’s attorneys have already spent more than $100,000; trial date set for May 2011

By Amy L. Edwards, Orlando Sentinel
4:42 p.m. EST, March 8, 2010

Casey Anthony has run up $112,000 in fees for two of her attorneys and is asking the state to declare her indigent so the state will help pay for her expenses, according to court filings made public Monday...

In an affidavit signed last week, Anthony estimated fees for defense attorney Andrea Lyon, a professor at DePaul University in Chicago who is renowned for her work in death-penalty cases, at $22,500. She said the fees for Kissimmee lawyer Jose Baez total $89,454.83.
Anthony is accused of killing her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony, in 2008.
In their motion, Lyon and Baez stated Casey Anthony doesn't have sufficient funds to pay costs associated with her defense.
.

Lyon represents Anthony pro bono and has not received any fees, the motion said. Lyon has incurred costs for transcripts, travel and investigation.

March 8, 2010
Casey Anthony case: Defense wants party pictures of client barred from trial

By Sarah Lundy,

Orlando Sentinel

March 5, 2010 Article
Casey Anthony case: Defense wants state to cover costs

By Susan Jacobson,

Orlando Sentinel

Feb 23, 2010

wesh2.com

Anthonys Could Lose Family Home to foreclosure

ORLANDO, Fla. --
The home where Casey Anthony's parents live in east Orange County is in foreclosure...
.

Bank of America filed the foreclosure notice on the home on Monday. Bank officials said the Anthonys are eight months behind on their $785-per-month mortgage and owe a total of $120,978.27 including fees.
.

Trial set for Brian David Mitchell, charged in Elizabeth Smart case deemed competent

2010-03-08T14:37:00.005-06:00

March 1, 2010

washingtimes.com

By Mike Stark and Paul Foy

ASSOCIATED PRESS
.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A federal judge on Monday ruled that the man charged in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart is competent to stand trial, paving the way for him to face charges nearly eight years after the girl was snatched from her bedroom.

U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball wrote in a 149-page ruling that Brian David Mitchell, 56, "does not presently suffer from a mental disease or defect that impedes his rational and factual understanding" of the proceedings against him.

.
A court hearing is scheduled on March 26 to set a trial date...

October 2009

abcnews.go.com

Elizabeth Smart Says Brian David Mitchell Raped Her Daily
By EMILY FRIEDMAN and BARBARA PINTO

SALT LAKE CITY Oct. 1, 2009

Elizabeth Smart, the Utah girl snatched from her bed and later found alive in 2002, has been allowed to give testimony today against kidnapper Brian David Mitchell in his competency hearings...
.

Smart, who is now 21 and a senior at Brigham Young University, testified that during the ordeal, she was raped frequently, sometimes 3-4 times a day. Smart said that the assaults were frequent and that she was rarely able to defy her attacker, causing friction with Barzee:
“Wanda would get very upset with him,” said Smart. “She’d say ‘All you do is lust after her.’”
Smart said “There wasn’t an actual 24-hour period he wasn’t able to rape me.”...
.

aolnews.com

Elizabeth Smart's Kidnapper Pleads Guilty in Related Case

February 2010

(Feb. 9) -- Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper, Wanda Barzee, pleaded "guilty but mentally ill" in a Utah court on Monday to charges tied to the attempted kidnapping of Smart's 15-year-old cousin in 2002. Barzee also agreed to testify against her estranged husband, Brian David Mitchell.

According to court documents and police reports, Barzee and Mitchell attempted to abduct Smart's cousin on July 24, 2002, about seven weeks after Smart's kidnapping. The couple allegedly planned to hold the two girls together but were scared off when the girl's 18-year-old sister awoke.... Last year, Barzee, 64, entered a guilty plea to federal charges in connection with Smart's abduction in exchange for a 15-year federal prison term.

Sentencing in Barzee's case is scheduled to take place May 19...

Lester Hobbs, Aja Johnson's suspected abductor can survive on little money and food

2010-02-27T22:46:00.004-06:00

By Ron Jackson

The Oklahoman
Published: February 25, 2010

newsok.com

LAWTON - Lester William Hobbs, 7-year-old Aja Johnson's suspected abductor, is a man who can survive in the shadows of society, investigators said during a press conference today.

Through hundreds of interviews, investigators said, they have uncovered the portrait of a drifter who can hustle money in pool halls, work on cars and sustain himself on pocket change. Now, more than a month after Aja's disappearance, they are again pleading for the public's help...

Goss revealed for the first time that investigators think Tonya was beaten to death with a hammer and that Aja likely witnessed the killing "lying by her mother's side on a sofa," inside his recreational vehicle...

Goss said his team has not received one concrete lead on Aja, Lester Hobbs or Tonya Hobbs' white 1992 Toyota Paseo, which they think Lester Hobbs was driving when he left the RV.

"Hobbs can survive on very little money 20 bucks here; 20 bucks there," Goss said. "In fact, his needs seem to be met with only cigarettes, liquor, and very little food. He is a self-taught automobile mechanic and will offer to do minor repairs for little money. He has worked in the past in small automotive garages and as a mechanic in service stations...

Investigators said Hobbs likes to change his appearance with the use of hair dyes and hair growth, but there are two physical characteristics he can't easily hide: Tattoos and a broken nose. Hobbs has the word "ROSE" tattooed across the top of the fingers of his right hand and "LOVE" tattooed across the top of the fingers of his left hand.

Aja Johnson case: Car driven by Lester Hobbs may have been spotted ...

Aja Daniell Johnson Missing: Does New Video Show Mother's Killer ...

Aja Johnson With Lester Hobbs, Now Charged With Murder - ABC News

Defense: Phillip Garrido hears "angels' voices"

2010-02-27T22:23:00.005-06:00

February 25, 2010

cnn.com

(CNN) -- Phillip Garrido, a California sex offender suspected of abducting Jaycee Dugard in 1991 and keeping her captive for 18 years is suffering from "serious mental illness," defense attorneys say in court papers. "It appears that Phillip Garrido has been hearing [the] voices of angels for years," said documents filed Wednesday in El Dorado County Superior Court.

The court papers dispute prosecutors' asserting that Garrido is a "master manipulator" who is still trying to influence his victim...

Garrido, 58, and his wife, Nancy, are charged with 29 felony counts in the kidnapping...

Both Phillip Garrido, who was a registered sex offender on parole at the time of his arrest in August, and Nancy Garrido have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them...

read article here this guy just doesn't give up. he thinks it's his constitutional right to correspond with his victim.
.

also read:

Prosecutor disputes Dugard suspect's jailhouse apology letter
Officers 'missed numerous opportunities' in Dugard case
Jaycee's journal: 'I want to be free'

Letalvis Cobbins receives additional sentences

2010-02-27T21:41:00.003-06:00

February 27, 2010
knoxnew.com

KNOXVILLE - A Knox County judge today added 100 years to murderer Letalvis Cobbins' life without parole sentence.

The additional time was for crimes committed leading up the deaths of Knox County couple Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23, in January 2007.

...The decision came after a hearing to determine whether Cobbins should receive additional punishment for crimes that preceded the deaths of the University of Tennessee student and her boyfriend, a trim carpenter...

Cobbins had testified at his own trial that Eric Boyd and Davidson killed Chris Newsom. Boyd is in a federal prison for carjacking Channon Christians vehicle.

Cobbins was convicted of their deaths and of kidnapping and robbing them and of raping Christian...was the first of four defendants to be tried in the case.

Davidson has been sentenced to death. Suspect George Thomas was sentenced to life without parole. Suspect Vanessa Coleman faces trial in May.

read article here
Photo's from knoxnews.com: Letalvis 'Rome' Cobbins face…

Also read:

Cobbins faces victims’ families at hearing
Cobbins' sentencing hearing delayed
Gun evidence can be used in Coleman's trial, judge rules

Drew Peterson Hearsay Hearing Concludes

2010-02-22T11:57:00.006-06:00

right: Kathleen Savio

Three weeks and more than 70 witnesses later, pretrial hearing for Drew Peterson comes to close

chicagotribune.com

DON BABWIN

Associated Press Writer
February 19, 2010
.
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A hearing for Drew Peterson ended Friday night with the same question it began with a month ago: Is there enough evidence to convince a judge that the former police officer may have killed his third and fourth wives to keep them from testifying before a jury?

In dramatic closing statements after the last of more than 70 witnesses testified, prosecutors portrayed Peterson as a cold-blooded killer who took the lives of Kathleen Savio in 2004 and Stacy Peterson three years later to keep them from getting his money."They are killed so they can't take the witness stand in a divorce proceeding," said Will County Assistant State's Attorney John Connor.

But defense attorneys said the case against Peterson is built on lies...

...Friday's closing statements marked the first time prosecution said outright they believe he killed Stacy Peterson...

"Mr. Peterson's wives are two-for-two in predicting their own murders," he said.

White did not say when he would rule on the hearsay, but he did say he would order the ruling sealed until a jury is selected. He explained that he didn't want his decision to influence potential jurors.

read entire article here

Brodsky originally declared they had 30 defense witnesses, waiting in the wings to testify on Drew's behalf. They ended up calling three.

also read:

Attorney testifies in Drew Peterson hearing

Savio was murdered, state pathologist testifies

Pathologist: Savio's death an accident

Misty Croslin at arraignment

2010-02-19T15:26:00.009-06:00

right: Misty in Chains

jacksonville.com

By Dana Treen

February 19, 2010

PALATKA — As Misty Croslin stood before a judge in shackles and chains Thursday to face seven drug trafficking charges, a California bounty hunter was offering her a way out of jail in an exchange of information...

.
...bounty hunter Leonard Padilla said he was willing to pay a bond he estimated at $135,000 to get her out. The deal...“It’s got to lead me to Haleigh.”

...Padilla wants to question Croslin, then decide if he will arrange a bond.
.

On jail tapes with her mother Lisa, Misty Croslin is adamant that she be bonded out before they talk. That's not going to fly. Leonard was stung on that by Casey Anthony.

Padilla said he also has been helping Croslin’s parents and bought a 2001 Ford Taurus for her father, who is not working and says notoriety from Haleigh’s case has kept him from getting a job. Padilla said he also gave Hank Croslin money to meet expenses.
.

Croslin was arraigned on seven charges of trafficking Thursday and was brought to the courtroom in a blue jail uniform and with cornrows in her hair. Two of the charges were new, and could increase the bail. She faces an additional trafficking charge in St. Johns County.
.

...She looked somber during the appearance, wearing waist chains and handcuffs. Investigators from Haleigh’s case stood in the back of the courtroom during the hearing...

In another twist Thursday, Croslin’s mother, Lisa, was arrested on a warrant as she left the courthouse following an earlier hearing. The charge stems from an incident at the Palatka Walmart around Christmas, Hank Croslin Sr. said of his wife.

.
Lisa Croslin is charged with grand theft after a purse was reported stolen to the Palatka Police Department, authorities said. She was released on bail later in the day, according to Putnam County Sheriff’s Office jail records...

read entire article here

Good grief. What is wrong with these people?

They act without any apparent thought of consequences--is it a sense of entitlement or contempt for others who have dish soap?--mother and son are habitual thieves, Tommy is a burglar.

Not one seems to understand the concept of working a job to pay the bills, to be responsible to not only family but their community.

On the Croslin jailhouse tapes Tommy and Misty each try to get THEIR phone and commissary accounts padded and bail posted ahead of the other. They sound like they are 10 and 12, fighting over whose turn it is to sit in the front.

In Tommy's communications he constantly puts his wants over the needs of his wife and kids. He told his wife Linsey not to spend the income tax refund to buy beds for the boys, in case he could bond out. wth? He told her they could get money from her grandparents.

And both Tommy and Misty have spent many dollars on the phone telling their parents and sibling Timmy to spend their income tax refunds to get them out. No one works at all. It's really mind-boggling how selfish Tommy and Misty are. And then their mama likes a five-finger discount as well.

So, Padilla. He bought Hank and Lisa a 3K used car, which I'm sure is wired for sound, if not video. He also gave them money for "expenses" and is reportedly willing to help them get a place to live, which I would also suspect to be bugged. He's given Lisa a cell phone, a nice one "like Chelsea's". You can bet that has a nifty GPS device activated, and a detail monthly report with the bill. (If I remember correctly, Drew Peterson could pull up a website at any time and see where his missing wife's cell phone was, geographically--he could completely track her movement.)

If Padilla is doing this because his heart is in the right place, more power to him. But I suspect he really enjoys seeing his face on television.