Saturday, March 31, 2012

Stevens County, WA: In brief: Retired pastor found guilty of killing wife in Stevens County

A Stevens County jury convicted a retired pastor Friday of killing his wife in 2009 after she indicated she was leaving him.

The jury deliberated two hours before finding Craig R. Cosby, 70, guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the Oct. 3, 2009, killing of his wife, 53-year-old Susan M. Cosby. The jury’s verdict also included sentencing enhancements for the use of a firearm and a crime of domestic violence, which carries a potential sentence of life in prison.

Cosby was arrested in the front yard of his home in Marcus, a small town along the Columbia River in northern Stevens County. Investigators found that Cosby shot his wife with 10 bullets from a .40-caliber handgun, Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen said.

Sentencing has been set for April 17. With the conviction, Cosby faces a minimum of 25 years to life in prison.

Gallatin, TN: UPDATE: Jury finds Gallatin woman guilty of reckless homicide after killing husband in 2010

UPDATE: 6:20 p.m.

A Sumner County jury found Joan Richardson guilty of reckless homicide early Friday evening after about four hours of deliberation. Her sentencing hearing was set for June 1. She faces two to four years for killing her husband, David O. Richardson Sr.

Richardson was on trial for first-degree murder, for which she would have faced a sentence of up to life in prison.

Previously reported

A Sumner County jury was deliberating on Friday the fate of a Gallatin woman for the 2010 shooting death of her husband. Fifty-nine-year-old Joan Richardson was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her husband David. O. Richardson Sr.

During the prosecutor’s closing arguments Friday morning, the jury heard the 911 call Richardson made after she shot her husband. He can be heard in the background moaning in pain.

“Joan, Joan, why did you shoot me?” he said on the tape. “Call the doctor.”

During the call, Joan Richardson told the operator, “I was going to kill him. I was going to kill him, so that he won’t be mean to me any more. I’m so sorry David.”

The defense argued that Richardson, who was abused by her husband, was not in a culpable state of mind, meaning that she was not aware of what she was doing and could not be held responsible. If she had planned to kill her husband, she could have done a better job of planning it.

“She wouldn’t even be sitting here if she had that culpable state of mind,” said Richardson’s defense attorney, David Ridings. “She could have gotten away scot-free.”

The prosecution argued Richardson was aware of her actions.

“The proof is clear that Joan Richardson picked up that gun,” said Assistant District Attorney Tara Wyllie. “She picked up that gun with the intention to kill.”

Richardson takes the stand

Joan Richardson took the stand on Thursday. She testified that she did not mean to kill her husband and did not remember much about the incident.

“I don’t remember shooting him,” she said. “I just remember the sound of the gun. I remember the smell (of the gunpowder), and I remember I called 911.”

Richardson testified that she asked him several times for a divorce but he refused.

Lynne D. Zager, a psychologist hired by the defense to evaluate Richardson, said Richardson was in a dissociative state when she shot her husband, and was therefore not responsible for his death. Experts explained a dissociative state is a serious mental state in which a person loses touch with reality and has something commonly called an “out of body experience.”

Zager, who met with Richardson three times between March 2011 and February 2012, diagnosed Richardson with post-traumatic stress disorder, a psychological condition usually brought on by the stress of a traumatic event.

Zager said she could not pinpoint a specific traumatic event that would have caused PTSD but said that the abuse she endured from her husband, as well as previous abuse from her father, brother and a boyfriend growing up, was to blame.

Richardson was being treated for anxiety and depression since 1972 but had never been diagnosed with PTSD. Zager argued that she was not diagnosed with a mental illness because she never talked about the abuse she suffered in her marriage.

A couple of times during her testimony, Richardson addressed her husband’s sister, Susan Addison, who was sitting in the courtroom and said, “Susie, I’m so sorry.”

When she stepped down from the witness box, Richardson, who is out on a $1.5 million bond, walked over to Addison and hugged her.

Gun cocked

The incident occurred on Dec. 16, 2010 at around 1:30 p.m. at their home on University Drive.

According to court testimony, Richardson had made her husband lunch that day, and he fell asleep in a recliner chair in the living room. She then went into their bedroom and grabbed a gun she had inherited from her father. She testified Thursday that she was feeling very lonely and very depressed. She pulled the hammer back on the gun. She said she initially thought about killing herself but instead went into the living room.

Zager said cocking the gun was a significant event. Even though the gun was Richardson’s, Zager said her husband never let her touch it. When she cocked the gun, she realized she didn’t know how to decock it and thought she would get into trouble. Zager argued Richardson was in a dissociative state and therefore had a diminished mental capacity to think rationally.

“Her capacity flickered when she pulled the hammer (of the gun) back,” she said.

Zager said Richardson’s agitated state stemmed from an incident a week before when David Richardson got upset over a pharmacy not getting his prescription order correct and assaulted his wife. He got angry at Richardson, threw the medicine bottle at her, grabbed her by the neck, choked her and then threw her against the dresser and around the room. She hit her head and passed out.

Richardson said that when she awoke, she had a headache and felt like she wanted to throw up. They both agreed that she might have a concussion. Her husband did an online search for advice instead of taking her to the hospital. Richardson ended up staying in bed three days.

Richardson also testified that her husband would hit her, once when she was pregnant, and called her names, such as “idiot” and “stupid.”

After she cocked the gun on that day, she went to the living room and shot her husband once in the abdomen.

PTSD vs. depression

To counter the defense’s main argument that Richardson suffered from PTSD, District Attorney L. Ray Whitley called Dr. Rokeya Farooque, a government psychiatrist who was asked to evaluate Richardson’s ability to stand trial.

Farooque had spoken every day to Richardson for 27 days and had concluded she was fit to stand trial, did not suffer from dissociative states and did not have PTSD, which she said is what some veterans suffer from after witnessing horrific acts of war. She did, however, diagnose Richardson with a moderate form of depression.

When asked what evidence she had to show that Richardson was aware of her actions, Farooque pointed to the fact that Richardson was able to run errands earlier that morning, and that, when they spoke, Richardson told her she shot her husband in the abdomen so he would survive the gunshot. These are not the reasonings of a person out of touch with reality, Farooque argued.

“She wanted him to get help,” Dr. Farooque said. “That’s why she didn’t point to the head or chest. That shows to me she was in touch with reality.”

David Richardson died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center during surgery the same day he was shot.

When asked why she didn’t think Richardson had PTSD, Farooque said she didn’t suffer from signature symptoms of the disorder, including flashbacks, emotional numbness and avoidance of situations that would remind her of the initial trauma.

“It’s lots of problems you have to have to get that PTSD diagnosis,” Farooque said. “I didn’t see or hear any flashback by her. I didn’t see any numbness. I didn’t see any symptoms of PTSD.”

The prosecution also pointed to a phone call Richardson made to her mother from jail, during which Richardson said, referring to the incident, “I thought about it, and I thought about it, and I shot him.”

Richardson faces a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted.

Eagle Point, OR: Authorities Rule Deaths A Murder-suicide

Jackson County sheriff's investigators have closed the case on a murder-suicide reported Sunday in Eagle Point.

Jackson County Medical Examiner Dr. James Olson determined Liesa J. Werner, 53, of Eagle Point, died from a single rifle shot to the chest. The shooting was ruled a homicide, a news release reported.

Eugene A. Koch, 55, from Eureka, Calif., died from a single rifle shot to the chest, in what Olson determined was a suicide.

Investigators say Koch shot Werner Sunday night and then turned the gun on himself.

According to the Sheriff's Department, Koch drove from Eureka and showed up unexpectedly at 5 p.m. at Werner's home in the 2300 block of Butte Falls Highway, about two miles east of Highway 62. He never came back out.

Police said family members told them the two had broken off a long-term relationship recently, which left Koch distraught and suicidal.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Andrea Carlson said the investigation into the case has been closed, though not before detectives looked at it from various angles to determined what happened.

"You want to make sure that it was in fact (a murder-suicide)," Carlson said. "You have to be careful when investigating suicides."

Carlson said the department treats all suicides as potential homicides.

Tifton, GA: Autopsy results released in double murder suicide

A 40 caliber handgun. That's what a Tift County man used to shoot three people and kill himself.

We now have autopsy reports on the victims of that mass shooting early Monday.

43-year old Darrell Ward shot his ex-father in- law in the back, his former mother in law in the head and hand, shot his ex wife several times, then shot himself in the chest.

Tift County coroner Steve Wood says murder suicides are rare in the county but he describes this one as violent and chaotic and says Kayla Peters was lucky to get away.

The mobile home on Innis Road in Omega reflected a night of violence.

"With multiple victims, multiple shots and different parts of the residence it showed a lot of chaos prior to the shooting," said Wood.

Late Sunday night, 43 year old Darrell Ward showed up at his former in laws home with a 40 caliber pistol in hand.

His first target was his former father-in-law. Then, his ex mother in law. "We found Mr. Peters in the Kitchen with a gunshot wound in the back and we found Mrs. Peters on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to the hand and to the head," said Wood.

Ward didn't immediately shoot his ex wife Kayla and instead held her hostage for several hours. By sun-up, he shot her several times, and thinking she was dead he then shot himself in the chest. "We found Mr. Ward in the bedroom laying on the bed with a self inflicted gunshot wound to the chest," he said.

Kayla Peters survived and ran to a neighbors house for help. "She was very lucky to get away..normally they don't," he said.

The coroner says nothing was out of place in the home..there was no sign of a struggle..or any other injuries on the bodies..but the time lapse between the killings stands out.

The GBI has not provided a motive behind this tragic shooting but we do know Ward is a convicted rapist and his divorce to Peters had just been finalized earlier this month.

Darrell Ward's funeral is on Friday and Shirley and James Peters will be buried Sunday.

Kayla Peters brother says she hopes to be out of the hospital and able to attend her parents' funeral.

Annandale, VA: Murder-suicide suspected in father-daughter deaths

A former Fairfax County police sergeant and his 13-year-old daughter died in an apparent murder-suicide, shot as they sat in a sport-utility vehicle in a relative’s Annandale driveway early Monday, Fairfax County police said.

A family member found the bodies of John Jackson, 40, and his daughter, Alexis Jackson, shortly after 1 a.m. outside the brick home in the 3800 block of Forest Grove Drive, where Jackson’s wife had been living with her parents since November.

Jackson and his daughter, of the 5900 block of Summers Lane in Falls Church, are believed to have died between midnight and 1 a.m. Officers were called to the scene about 1:15 a.m., police said.

Fairfax County court records show that Jackson and his wife were going through a bitter divorce last summer but that they dropped the proceedings in January.

Detectives said the evidence points to John Jackson as the shooter, but they were waiting for the state medical examiner to rule on the cause and manner of the pair’s death.

Police declined to discuss a possible motive.

Jackson was a 16-year veteran of the county police force before he resigned in June 2010, said Officer Shelley Broderick, a police spokesman. Broderick said the department could not discuss Jackson’s performance or why he left the force because personnel records are confidential. But those who knew him said he had served with distinction.

Edward J. Nuttall, the former longtime attorney for the Fairfax police officers union, said the incident was “absolutely shocking. He was a hard-working officer, a good supervisor. This one’s hitting a lot of nerves.”

Nuttall said Jackson worked as an undercover narcotics detective early in his career and was promoted to sergeant in 2006. He was last stationed in Mount Vernon.

A 1997 Associated Press article said a county officer named John Jackson saved the life of a choking toddler by performing the Heimlich maneuver at a restaurant.

Police officials would not say whether it was the same John Jackson who died Monday, but they said there were no other officers on the force with that name. Jackson was presented with a Valor Award by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce for saving the child.

The plaudits were in stark contrast to the private life detailed in divorce proceedings. Jackson’s wife filed for divorce in July, alleging that he treated her in a “cruel and abusive manner.”

In an incident in January 2010, she alleged in court papers, her husband made her take off her clothes, drenched them in water and would not let her dress until the next morning. He also brandished a rifle in front of his wife and daughter, according to court papers.

Jackson filed a divorce complaint of his own, saying that his wife had had numerous affairs.

Alexis Jackson was a seventh-grader at Glasgow Middle School in Lincolnia. Grief counselors were at the school Tuesday and will be available for the rest of the week, according to county school officials.

“On behalf of Glasgow Middle School, I have extended our sincere condolences to the family,” Principal Deirdre M. Lavery said in a letter to parents. “A sudden loss like this can have an effect on students. For that reason, we hope that you will listen to your son or daughter as well as discuss with them their feelings and reactions to this tragedy.”

Henrico County, VA: Deaf slaying suspect had also stabbed another woman

A mentally troubled, deaf man charged in Henrico County this week with the stabbing death of his girlfriend had been severely beaten by members of the Bloods street gang in retaliation for a similar knife attack in August 2009 on a female gang member. Darlene R. Babb, 33, a member of the Bloods street gang, was the principal assailant in the beating of Freddie Lee Cephas, who had stabbed her multiple times and later was suspected of setting up a robbery that targeted Babb, according to court records.

Babb was sentenced in September last year to prison for her role in the brutal beating in December 2010 of Cephas, her former boyfriend and the man who had stabbed Babb multiple times in the Highland Park home they then shared. She had refused to cooperate in Cephas' prosecution for the stabbing, leading to a dismissal of charges against him, and the two remained together until sometime around the time Cephas was attacked. He was bound with an electrical cord and repeatedly beaten about the head inside a home on Chamberlayne Avenue in December 2010; he was then transported to Chesterfield County and dumped in a wooded area off Reams Road, his hands and feet still bound.

"It was a miracle he survived," said Ann Cabell Baskervill, an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Richmond who prosecuted Babb and two Bloods accomplices in the attack on Cephas. Babb was convicted of malicious wounding and gang participation, according to court records.

The investigation into the beating established the first hard look by detectives into the G-Shyne Bloods in Richmond, which in the weeks after Cephas' beating began a campaign of murder and retaliation against wayward members and gang pretenders.

Quondell Pringle, a Henrico man who had been selling drugs and falsely claimed Bloods membership, was shot to death in April 2011 off Newbridge Road in eastern Henrico in a case that saw five Bloods members sent to prison, including the reputed gang leader, Merwin Raheme Herbert "Poncho" White.

In May 2011, the gang was behind the execution-style slaying of a man whose body was discovered in Powhatan. The shooter in that case, Joe Lewis Harris III, has been convicted of murder.

"White was the person who ordered the attack on Cephas," Baskerville said. "Because of that case, we had a familiarity with who these gang members were" when the murders in Henrico and Powhatan occurred.

In August 2009, Cephas had held the severely bleeding Babb, who had seven wounds in her left side, at knifepoint and threatened to kill himself if she went to police; he had been angered because she refused to have sex with him, according to court records.

She escaped hours later after persuading Cephas to take her to a local grocery on Fourth Avenue in Highland Park to buy bandages for her wounds.

Cephas, now 37, whose long criminal history has been accompanied by his family's allegations of neglect by mental health and prison officials, sent text messages this week to an aunt, telling her he had stabbed Hazel J. Jackson and that she was dead, according to the aunt and court records.

Henrico police found Jackson's body, with multiple stab wounds to her back, in the bedroom of the rented home where she and Cephas lived just east of the city limits off Osborne Turnpike.

Connie Robinson, Cephas' aunt, said this week that Cephas and Jackson met each other at the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority crisis center several months ago.

Jackson, 53, was a gifted, dedicated former worker for the Urban League of Greater Richmond 25 years ago, according to president Thomas Victory, who is working to collect funds to combat domestic violence in the wake of Jackson's death.

"She was a wonderful person with a beautiful smile and an incredible work ethic," said Victory, who hired Jackson to work for the agency in the mid-1980s. More recently, Jackson had worked with the Federal Aviation Administration, according to Victory.

Jackson had obtained two emergency protective orders against Cephas, in September and October last year. But there is no court record of charges against Cephas in connection with Jackson before the events this week.

"Mr. Cephas held me against my will in my home," Jackson wrote in seeking protection from Cephas on Oct. 12. "He tore my house apart, throwing food all over, dumped trash over my head. … He cut himself and put the blood all over me."

Jackson said Cephas "stated he would burn my house down with me in it if I told anyone what he did or if I tried to leave him."

"Freddie was not taking his medications; I feared for his life and safety," his aunt said this week.

Cephas, whose father was found murdered in the front seat of his car and whose mother died last year, has struggled for years with mental impairments, deafness, criminal behavior and isolation in prison.

"They fill him full of medication and dump him back on the street," said Robinson, referring to corrections and mental-health workers.

The depth of Cephas' difficulty in communicating was evident in a barely coherent letter to a lawyer representing him in November 2009, three months after he had stabbed Babb and faced trial in that case and for probation violations.

"My ex-girlfriend Darlene Babb wilder behavior mean to me for no reason. My ex-girlfriend is aware of my easily anger, made fun of me due my hearing impaired being having a hard times and depression and causing me worst feeling," Cephas wrote.

"My ex-girlfriend got me, she took whole lot of advantaged of my life. If I was not with her, its will never happen to being lock up again."

Cephas is scheduled to undergo a preliminary hearing on the murder charge in Henrico Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in May.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Bridgeport, CT: Cops: Man killed girlfriend with dumbbell

BRIDGEPORT -- A city man fatally bashed his girlfriend's head in with a 10-pound dumbbell because she wouldn't let him commit robberies that would allow him to buy crack cocaine, police said.

Wilson "Junne" Cash, 42, was arraigned Tuesday on one count of murder in connection with the Sept. 27 death of Christine Jeffreys.

Superior Court Judge Earl Richard ordered Cash, who was brought back Monday from Port Chester, N.Y., held in lieu of $1 million bond.

The 46-year-old Jeffreys was found lying face down on the floor of her bedroom in her Madison Avenue apartment. Police said there was blood splatter on the walls and ceiling and a bloody dumbbell was near the body.

According to the warrant affidavit of Detective Chris Borona, a witness later told detectives that on Sept. 27 he had run into Cash, who was looking for some bleach to wash some blood off his hands.

The witness said Cash told him he had just done something "bad," police related.

The affidavit continues that another witness told them that Cash and Jeffreys had been arguing all day because Cash wanted to do robberies so he could buy crack. The witness said Cash later exclaimed: "I'm going to kill that (expletive)! I'm going to bash her (expletive) head in," the affidavit states.

Cash was later arrested in Port Chester, N.Y.

DeLand, FL: Former boyfriend charged in murder of woman near DeLand

Volusia County deputies arrested a former boyfriend in connection with the slaying of a 59-year-old woman found dead in her home north of DeLand earlier this month, a sheriff's spokesman said.

Scott Stuut, 24, was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder and armed burglary for the March 2 killing of Margaret Gee, sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said. Stuut was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail and held without bail.

Davidson said authorities had been building their case against Stuut since Gee was found dead by her tenants in the bedroom of her Melodie Lane home in the Domingo Reyes subdivision north of DeLand.

A couple who rented out part of Gee's home told investigators they left their 19-month-old son in Gee's care while they went out to dinner. When they came back home, they found Gee on her bed with "signs of fresh trauma to her body," according to an arrest affidavit.

Investigators identified Stuut as a person of interest after the couple said he had been kicked out of the home recently, Davidson said.

When investigators questioned Stuut, he said he was in Gee's neighborhood at the time of her death but did not remember much because he had "blacked out," according to the arrest affidavit.

Stuut later said he had knocked on the door of the Melodie Lane home but no one answered. He said he was dropping off cleaning supplies for the couple who reside in the home but the husband and wife said they had told Stuut they would be gone and didn't ask for cleaning supplies, according to the affidavit.

On Tuesday, Stuut confessed to investigators he killed Gee, Davidson said.

Stuut said he knocked on the front door and no one answered, so he entered the residence through the back door and saw a child sleeping in the dining room and proceeded to Gee's bedroom, Davidson said.

Stuut told sheriff's investigators he attacked Gee and when she fought back, he shot her with a handgun. During the initial investigation, authorities found a bullet hole in the bedroom window, the affidavit shows.

Stuut said he killed Gee because she had been verbally abusive toward him and felt she was responsible for his hardships, the affidavit shows.

Gee was well-known by friends for participating in a medieval role-playing group called Shire of Vaca Del Mar, or cow of the sea, in which members take on different personas and try to re-create the history of the Middle Ages and Renaissance era. The DeLand-based group is sanctioned by the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Stella Fullmer, who serves as the group's leader or seneschal, said she had seen Stuut at the some of the group's meetings but he wasn't an active participant. Gee had previously served as the group's seneschal and was known as Honorable Lady Nekhbet Alexandra Selene, after an Egyptian goddess who was the protector of Upper Egypt and its rulers, Fullmer said.

Fullmer said she wasn't "surprised" Stuut had been charged in the killing.

"Hopefully justice will be done," she said.

Port St. Lucie, FL: Port St. Lucie husband, wife dead in apparent murder-suicide

A husband and wife were found dead in their Port St. Lucie home Wednesday after an apparent murder-suicide, police said.


The bodies were found Wednesday morning inside a home in the 1200 block of Southwest Ingrassina Avenue.

Port St. Lucie police said they received a call from the victim's relative saying Bernstein Noel, 59, claimed he shot his 48-year-old wife, Marie Noel.

When officers arrived, nobody answered the door, so they entered the home and found the couple dead on the bed in the master bedroom. Police said they each had bullet wounds to their head.

Family members said the couple was from Haiti and worked in the medical field.

A motive for the apparent murder-suicide is unknown.

Miami, FL:

MIAMI - Detectives were at the scene of a fatal shooting and a stabbing Tuesday morning in Miami-Dade County.

Police said a woman was shot and killed in a home near Southwest 94th Street and 82nd Avenue.

According to investigators, two women described as domestic partners were in the midst of ending a longtime relationship. Just before noon, police said, the women got into an argument. One of the women picked up a knife, and the other picked up a gun, according to investigators.

One of the women, whom friends of the family identified as 48-year-old Maria Linares, was stabbed. She was flown to Kendall Regional Medical Center, where she was in critical but stable condition.

The other woman, who was in her 50s, was found dead from a bullet wound in the home the two women shared.

Police said it is unclear who was the initial aggressor.

Lakeland, FL: Woman Charged In Lakeland Man Ronnie Barnes' Stabbing Death

LAKELAND | Last summer a jury acquitted Natasha Turner of aggravated battery, clearing her of accusations that she slashed her boyfriend with a kitchen knife.

Less than a year later, Turner, 37, finds herself in Polk County Jail again, facing new charges that she stabbed Ronnie Barnes.

This time he died.

Lakeland police arrested Turner on Monday and charged her with third-degree murder in Barnes' death.

A police report said officers found Barnes, 63, dead about 2 a.m. Saturday at St. Luke's Life Center, a group of four-story apartment buildings on West Quincy Street.

Turner told officers she discovered Barnes lying face down in the living room of their apartment. The report says there were obvious signs of a struggle: furniture askew, including a blood-soaked couch, and a knife stored with her clothing and belongings in a closet. The weapon was also bloodied.

Turner and Barnes had argued that night and she attacked him with a knife, the report says, leaving him with wounds to his head, neck, arms and hands. After searching for traces of blood in areas of the apartment, officers found someone had attempted to clean the scene before they arrived.

A witness told detectives Turner had hid a backpack behind a tree in the 700 block of West Adams Street, the report says. Clothing found in the bag belonged to Turner and was covered with blood.

The Polk County Medical Examiner's Office on Monday ruled Barnes' death a homicide.

The police report also says Turner is on probation in connection with a charge of battering an officer.

The latest accusations against Turner are similar to those she was unsuccessfully prosecuted on in 2011.

The report says Barnes told officers they had argued and she grabbed a spoon from the kitchen and stabbed at him, and when that failed to injure him, she stabbed him multiple times with a small knife.

Port Salerno, FL: Port Salerno woman accused of fatally stabbing boyfriend after party

PORT SALERNO — A woman is facing murder charges in the Monday evening stabbing death of her live-in boyfriend, according to a Martin County Sheriff's Office news release.

Deputies on Tuesday charged Arnetha Summers McIntyre, 49, with second-degree murder after responding to a Monday evening call of a stabbing. As of Tuesday, she is being held without bail at the Martin County Jail.

Initially, she was charged with aggravated domestic battery but the charges changed after boyfriend Kenneth Joe Harris, 53, died, a news release states.

About 10:38 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a stabbing at an apartment in the 5000 block of Southeast Lisbon Circle. They found Harris, who had been stabbed once in the upper chest. He was taken to Martin Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries.

A hysterical McIntyre was found lying on the grass with multiple blood stains on her clothes, the arrest report states.

The white pants McIntyre wore had two bloody hand prints on the thigh areas, neighbor Nick Carfi said.

"Mama, I stabbed him!," McIntyre said to a person on her cellphone as rescue crews worked to save Harris. "Mama, I grabbed a knife and I don't know where it is!"

The couple were arguing as they returned home from a party and entered the kitchen, the arrest report states.

McIntyre said Harris was cursing at her, calling her names and pushing her, the report states.

During the argument, Harris went in the laundry room, and she followed him, picking up a 6-inch to 7-inch-long serrated kitchen knife from the stove, report states.

When Harris saw McIntyre had the knife, he told her to move out the way and attempted to push her to the side, the report states. That's when McIntyre swung the blade at him, the report states, and walked away from Harris.

Then she heard Harris call her name and saw that he was bleeding from his upper chest, the release states.

She then called 911.

Neighbor Nick Carfi, 30, said he was lying in bed watching a cable news show when he heard loud, angry voices of a man and woman.

"Then I heard pure silence for like a minute," Carfi said Tuesday afternoon. "There was a lady screaming, "Somebody help me," like I had never heard before. You could hear the desperation in her voice."

Deputies found the knife Tuesday morning while serving a search warrant in the home, the release states.

Article: Jackson County Domestic Violence-Related Deaths At 12

MEDFORD, Ore. -- The recent shootings has made the number of domestic violence-related deaths in Jackson County to 12.

Over the weekend, Kristy Huddleston was found shot to death in her home. A couple in Eagle Point was also found dead as deputies suspect a murder-suicide.

In the past year, Bonnie Payne was strangled to death, Jordan Criado allegedly killed his wife and four children; Jessica Bethany was stabbed to death and Mikayla Upton was shot before her husband then killed himself. Community works says they see a trend in all of those cases.

"There's a thread that runs through all of them that is about power and control. When someone feels like they're losing control over somebody, they'll do whatever it takes to maintain that," says Anna D'Amato, Community Works victim services director.

D'Amato says that's why it's crucial to not only pay attention to the victim, but the perpetrator.

"What are they saying? Or there's something there that you need to be tuned into, and worry about and then maybe report to the authorities," explains D'Amato.

D'Amato also says there are theories that deaths related to domestic violence could be because of the economy but she believes the reason is bigger than that.

"Women are seen as submissive, and less than a man. And until we change that, I don't know if it's ever going to stop," D'Amato states.

Williams Township, PA: Murder arrest brings to light domestic violence

WILLIAMS TWP., Pa. -
Northampton County officials announced an arrest Tuesday in the murder of Mark Werkheiser, who was found dead in his Williams Township home earlier this month.

Now advocates for domestic violence awareness are sounding off about the arrest.

The reason why this has become a domestic violence issue is because the person arrested is Werkheiser's ex-girlfriend and mother of his four children. She is now the focus of a pre-meditated murder case.

"I felt pain and sorrow for the family because I knew that this was going to be a day that would bring them back to that first day that this happened to Mark," said Heidi Markow.

It's a feeling that's all too familiar for Markow. She not only was friends with Mark Werkheiser and his family; she also lost her sister to domestic violence in 2005.

"I was always confident that they would find the person that did this. But for me when you know the person that committed such a horrible ugly crime, it hurts," said Markow.

Tuesday, the Northampton County District Attorney, John Morganelli announced the arrest of Werkheiser's ex, Elizabeth Collazo.

He says Collazo snuck into the house where Werkheiser slept and shot him six times with his own handgun which she had stolen.

"This lady was driven by ill will, hatred, whatever to plan this murder, not spur of the moment," said District Attorney John Morganelli.

As for Markow, she hopes the tragedy will shed more light on the issue of domestic violence.

"With men, until they start coming forward, until they start speaking about it they say domestic violence is a woman's issue, well it's not," said Markow.

Collazo has admitted to the killing. She is due back in court on April 9.

Wayne County, GA: Authorities Say Pregnant Woman Murdered By Husband In Wayne County

WAYNE COUNTY, GA - WSAV-TV --
A Wayne county woman is dead tonight, and police say she was killed by her husband. The couple's two year old was in the home authorities say Bonita King was murdered in. And while that child was not hurt, an unborn baby has died. Authorities are not releasing any information yet on what they think the motive might be in this murder - but they have revealed a few details about the crime...including that Bonita King was pregnant at the time of her murder.

Deputies were called to the home in rural Wayne County around 2:30 Sunday morning by the victim's brother who'd gotten a text message from his sister saying she needed help. When they arrived they say Bonita King was found behind the home. She was dead from an apparent gunshot wound. G.B.I. Agent Mike McDaniel says the man they say shot her - her husband - was still there inside the home as well, “Mr. King, Jeremy King was there - when he saw the deputies arrive, he fled and they saw him flee into the woods and gave chase and then there was a search conducted by the Wayne County Sheriff's Department and the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Unit and within hours they located him and arrested him. Jeremy King is being held in the Wayne County Jail on a murder charge. The couple's two year old son was found unharmed inside the home and is being cared for by relatives.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist in processing what authorities are calling a gruesome crime scene inside that house. Neighbors tell News Three the couple had lived in the home just less than a year and that there was often a lot of traffic to and from the house at the end of a dead-end road. The neighbors also say they heard a gunshot in the wee hours of Sunday morning... but aren't sure if it is connected to the crime because they say guns were often fired on the property. An autopsy on Bonita King was conducted Monday. Agent McDaniel says they hope to be able to release more information on Tuesday.

El Paso, TX: Woman Killed In Northeast El Paso; Husband Arrested

Family and friends say 32-year-old Yanira Caballero was a beautiful woman. Her niece, Priscilla Ramos described her as motherly, adding that there were few days that she didn’t offer her encouraging words to stay in school and make something of herself.

Yanira’s life came to an end this weekend when she was murdered, tied up, and left for dead in a closet inside her duplex apartment along the 5600 block of Threadgill in Northeast El Paso. A neighbor, Raymundo Suarez, who was with family members who went into the home through a window to investigate why no one had seen her in days, said he and several others found her body Monday.

According to police they notified Antonio Brown, Caballero’s husband, that she had been murdered. He never returned to the home. Instead, police found him driving Caballero’s 2005 Nissan Xterra along I-10 in Las Cruces.

Edgard Gonzalez, a childhood friend who grown up alongside Yanira, said the story was bigger than the murder. He said the real travesty is the family she leaves behind: a mother, a 15-year-old daughter, and scores of friends who love her like family. Gonzalez said they weren’t blood relatives, but he loved her like a sister.

“She was always smiling with a happy face,” said Gonzalez. “I know she's up there looking down with that happy face at us...even now I feel her in spirit. Tell her I love her."

Caballero grew up in El Paso’s lower valley. She attended Riverside High School before moving around the country with Brown. The two returned to El Paso roughly two years ago when they began living in their home in Northeast El Paso.

Those who lived nearby said she and her husband would fight, but that they had only heard verbal arguments. She would leave the home for a day or two, but always returned. This time no one heard from her for over three days, and she didn’t turn up at her mother’s home like she usually did.

When family members realized her dogs were left outside they panicked. Caballero is said to have loved her dogs like they were family, and it was peculiar to find them not being taken care of. That’s what caused them to enter the home and find her dead inside.

A warrant for the offense of Murder was obtained for Antonio Brown and his bond was set at $1 million. Brown was placed under arrest and booked into the New Mexico Jail facility on the murder warrant and is awaiting extradition.

Caballero's cause of death is pending autopsy results. This is the sixth homicide of 2012 compared to 12 at this same time last year.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Athens, OH: Couple dead in apparent murder-suicide

An Alderman Road man and his wife are dead from an apparent murder-suicide, which the husband called in to report shortly before killing himself, according to a news release from the Athens County Sheriff's Office.

The couple, who had recently moved to Athens County from Chillicothe, had been served with an eviction notice by deputies last month and then ordered to vacate the residence on Sunday, the sheriff said.

Robert T. Nusser, 68, called 9-1-1 just before 9 a.m. to report a "murder-suicide," adding, "I'm the one that caused it."

Officers who responded found Nusser and his wife, 64-year-old Paulette Nusser, dead from a single gunshot wound each. Robert Nusser was found in a living room chair, and his wife was in bed, according to a release.

Neighbor Nikki Miller, 31, said she heard the officers arrive, and heard them for about a half-hour urging those inside the house to give themselves up.

"They kept hollering for the guy to come out with his hands up," Miller recalled. "For about a half-hour they did that."

Before learning about the double death from a reporter, she said, "I thought everything was OK, because everybody (had) left."

Miller said she knew the Nussers slightly, and that her son had done some work for them, shoveling their driveway. She said she suspected Robert Nusser may have had some emotional problems, because "he went off on my son" on one occasion, when her son went to the Nusser home to ask about a lawnmower. However, she added, the couple "seemed friendly enough."

Monroe, NC: Monroe police investigate possible murder-suicide

Monroe police said they still have many questions about an apparent murder-suicide in which a 70-year-old man left notes saying he’d shot his wife before later turning the gun on himself.
Police said the bodies of Charles and Martha Frech were found late Friday in the couple’s home on Rosa Drive in Monroe. Martha Frech, 65, was apparently shot as she slept in a bedroom, police said.
Investigators found three notes written by Charles Frech in which he stated he’d killed “the love of his life.” It also outlined possible reasons for the shooting, but police are not yet releasing a motive.
Frech later turned the gun on himself, police said.
Police are still trying to learn more about the shooting, including when exactly the couple died and details about possible medical issues Martha Frech was facing, said Sgt. Mike Smith.
He said a friend of Martha Frech visited the home and said Charles Frech was acting “out of character” and would not let her see his wife. The friend reported the incident to a neighbor, who notified police.
The killings shocked Martha Frechs family, including Sally David, Martha’s first cousin from Portland, Ore.
“Those two idolized and loved each other beyond any two people I’ve ever known,” David said. “They were the loves of each other’s life. We are all just kind of numb.”
David said Martha moved to Monroe about 11 years ago with her mother. She and Charles Frech had known each other earlier in life -- “in the 1970s” -- and once dated. They reconnected about eight years ago, she said. and fell in love.
David and her sisters visited with Martha last August in Oregon. “She was the happiest I’d ever seen her. We’d corresponded by e-mail and Facebook and I can’t remember a time when she was happier.” News Researcher Maria David contributed
Copyright 2012 The Charlotte Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Medford, OR: Ore. Man Arrested In Wife's Death

MEDFORD, Ore. -- Sheriff's officers say a Medford, Ore., man has been arrested in his wife's death.

The Medford Mail Tribune reports (http://is.gd/dBtYp8 ) that Jackson County deputies and firefighters found 34-year-old Kristy Huddleston dead with a gunshot wound early Friday in the couple's home. Emergency crews had responded to a 911 call that reported a person bleeding.

Deputies, Oregon State Police and local police agencies fanned out to look for 43-year-old Bourne Huddleston and arrested him at an Eagle Point home for investigation of murder.

He was held without bail in the county jail.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Andrea Carlson says the couple's 10-year-old son had been at their home. He's now in the care of the state Department of Human Services.

Tuscaloosa County, AL: Charges upgraded to murder for man accused of killing wife

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, AL (WBRC)- Charges are upgraded to murder against a Tuscaloosa County husband who claims he accidentally shot and killed his wife in November. Matthew Scott Wightman was originally charged with manslaughter. His wife, 25 year-old Allison Wightman died after being shot with a hunting rifle her husband was handling at the time.

Investigators say Wightman changed his story on how the shooting happened several times. First he said the gun misfired. Later he said he was setting the sight for the upcoming hunting season. Finally, he told authorities he dry fired the weapon at his wife because he thought the gun was unloaded.

There was no evidence the couple were arguing were going through any marital strife. Wightman was re-arrested Sunday after a grand jury indicted him on murder charges. His bond is set at $100,000.

Perth Amboy, NJ: Perth Amboy Man Admits Killing Wife with a Sledge Hammer

Perth Amboy man who admitted to murdering his wife with a sledge hammer will be sentenced to a 30-year prison term May 29 after pleading guilt in court to murder charges and dumping her body in Virginia two years ago.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said that Franklin Camacho Jr., 42, who killed his wife, Leonilda L. Caceres, 45, of 340 Madison Avenue in Perth Amboy, must serve the full 30-year prison term before he can become eligible for parole.

During his court hearing on March 22, Camacho admitted striking the victim numerous times in the head with a mini sledge hammer.

An investigation by Detective Ralph Pineiro of the Perth Amboy Police Department and Investigator Eleazar Ricardo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office led to the arrest of Camacho, who was apprehended on the New Jersey Turnpike by the New Jersey State Police in January, 2010, as he was returning from Virginia.

During a search of Camacho’s vehicle, police recovered the mini sledge hammer, some of the victim’s clothing, and a trash can lid. The victim’s blood was found on the clothing and the lid.

The investigation began after a missing persons report was filed on Ms. Caceres. After obtaining a search warrant, police examined the victim’s apartment.

Authorities in Prince William County, Va., contacted Middlesex

County investigators, after discovering a woman's body, who matched,Ms. Caceres' description, in a trash can at approximately 8 am on January 21, 2010.

An autopsy performed by authorities in Virginia revealed that Ms. Caceres was the victim of a homicide and died from blunt force trauma to her head.

Pittsburgh, PA: Man accused of killing girlfriend’s dog during argument

PITTSBURGH —
A 29-year-old man was arrested Friday morning and is accused of killing his girlfriend’s dog during an argument.

According to police, Laron Jackson is charged with killing his girlfriend’s Shih Tzu outside her Centre Avenue apartment early Friday morning.

Jackson’s girlfriend, who wished to remain anonymous, said he showed up at the apartment around 4:30 a.m. She told police Jackson got violent with her and she ran outside to call police.

Authorities said the victim told officers that when she went back inside her apartment her dog was dead on the living room floor.

Police said they’re not sure how the dog was killed. They believe it was choked or kicked.

“He didn’t deserve that,” the victim said. “I loved him. He was my son. He was all I had.”

A police officer who was a former veterinarian technician tried to revive the dog, but was unsuccessful.

“There was a lot of commotion and a lot of banging. It was horrendous,” a neighbor said. “It was horrible to hear. She cared about that dog.”

Central, UT: Police: Former Marine killed girlfriend, her daughter before turning gun on himself

CENTRAL, Utah — Washington County sheriff's investigators think a former Marine killed his live-in girlfriend and her 5-year-old daughter before turning the gun on himself.

Sheriff's Lt. Rob Tersigni says a preliminary investigation shows 24-year-old Landon Jorgensen shot and killed 25-year-old Adria Parker and her daughter, Eliza Parker, before fatally shooting himself.

Sheriff's Lt. Rob Tersigni says a preliminary investigation shows 24-year-old Landon Jorgensen shot and killed 25-year-old Adria Parker and her daughter, Eliza Parker, before fatally shooting himself.
The three were found dead Thursday in a home in the southern Utah town of Central.

The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News report Jorgensen is a gun enthusiast and former Marine who had a blog, "Guns, Freedom and Politics." He taught a tactical pistol class, and said he was medically discharged from the Marines for back problems.

Investigators were awaiting autopsy results to determine how long the trio had been dead.

Cherokee County, GA: Man charged with killing girlfriend's dog

A Cherokee County man has been charged in the beating death of his girlfriend's dog.

Juan Furlan, 19, was arrested Wednesday after a necropsy report from the University of Georgia indicated that the dog, a chocolate Chihuahua, died of multiple trauma throughout its body, said Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman for the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.

The arrest stemmed from an incident on Feb. 22, when the owner of the dog, Precious Phillips, 18, of Woodstock told Cherokee Marshal's Office investigators that she suspected her boyfriend, Furlan, had killed her dog "Hershey," Baker said.

Furlan's mother returned the dead dog to Phillips and told her that her son killed the dog and threw it into a lake in the Harmony on the Lakes subdivision near Holly Springs, Baker said.

Marshal's officers took Hershey to a local veterinarian, who determined the dog had suffered head trauma, missing teeth, a broken leg and broken ankle, Baker said.

Furlan was arrested on March 5 and charged with theft by taking and abandonment of a dead animal, and was released from the Cherokee County Detention Center on bond. He was arrested again on Wednesday on aggravated animal cruelty charges after the necropsy results from UGA were returned, Baker said. Furlan was released on $11,200 bond.

Burlington, IA: Boyfriend dead at scene after shooting girlfriend

MACOMB — A Macomb woman has survived her gunshot wound in a shooting that killed a Macomb man in Burlington, Iowa.

According to a news release Thursday from Burlington, Jacqueline Williams, 28, has been released from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where she was treated for a single gunshot wound to her head, according to a news release Thursday from Burlington Police Chief Daniel Luttenegger.

Terrell Miller, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, which occurred at about 10:02 p.m. at 165 S. Central St. in Burlington. Preliminary autopsy results by the State Medical Examiners Office indicate he had been shot several times in the head.

The preliminary investigation revealed Williams and Miller, who were "in a relationship," were having an argument while on the front porch of a Burlington residence, reportedly visiting friends.

Police said Miller had a handgun during the argument and shot Williams once in the forehead. They struggled, and Williams gained control of the handgun, allegedly shooting Miller in the head several times.

Police recovered a gun at the scene, and it was sent to a crime lab for analysis.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting the Burlington Police Department in the investigation.

Once all information, reports, examinations and results are collected, the case will be forwarded to the Des Moines County Attorney's Office to be reviewed for any criminal charges.

Lt. Dennis Kramer said Thursday that Williams has not been arrested.

"She's not in custody," said Kramer. "The county attorney will tell us what charges they want to go with once they review the case, or if there are any charges."

A Macomb woman has survived her gunshot wound in a shooting that killed a Macomb man in Burlington, Iowa.

According to a news release Thursday from Burlington, Jacqueline Williams, 28, has been released from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where she was treated for a single gunshot wound to her head, according to a news release Thursday from Burlington Police Chief Daniel Luttenegger.

Terrell Miller, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, which occurred at about 10:02 p.m. at 165 S. Central St. in Burlington. Preliminary autopsy results by the State Medical Examiners Office indicate he had been shot several times in the head.

The preliminary investigation revealed Williams and Miller, who were "in a relationship," were having an argument while on the front porch of a Burlington residence, reportedly visiting friends.

Police said Miller had a handgun during the argument and shot Williams once in the forehead. They struggled, and Williams gained control of the handgun, allegedly shooting Miller in the head several times.

Police recovered a gun at the scene, and it was sent to a crime lab for analysis.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting the Burlington Police Department in the investigation.

Once all information, reports, examinations and results are collected, the case will be forwarded to the Des Moines County Attorney's Office to be reviewed for any criminal charges.

Lt. Dennis Kramer said Thursday that Williams has not been arrested.

"She's not in custody," said Kramer. "The county attorney will tell us what charges they want to go with once they review the case, or if there are any charges."

San Leandro, CA: San Leandro: Man held in woman's stabbing death

A suspect was arrested early Saturday in the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend in San Leandro, police said.

Edgar Alfonso Vasquez, 25, of San Leandro allegedly stabbed Annellie Marie Moreno, who had recently broken up with him, said San Leandro police Sgt. Ted Henderson.Her body was found slumped over in the driver's seat of her family's Chevrolet Traverse parked outside her home on the 300 block of Best Avenue about 4 p.m. Friday, police said.

The woman had been stabbed numerous times and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

A close friend of the woman saw Vasquez stab the victim as he stood outside her vehicle, Henderson said. The suspect was angry that Moreno did not want to get back together, he said.

On Friday night, police found Vasquez's car around the corner from his home on 162nd Avenue in San Leandro and took up positions around the residence, police said. A SWAT team found Vasquez hiding in a bedroom early Saturday, police said. He resisted arrest and was bitten by an Alameda County sheriff's dog, police said. The suspect is being treated at a local hospital while under police guard.

New Orleans, LA: New Orleans police investigate stabbing death of man following domestic dispute

New Orleans police are investigating the stabbing death of a man following a domestic dispute.

Police spokesman Garry Flot tells The Times-Picayune (http://bit.ly/GNEW4V) the 39-year-old man, whose name has not been released, died at a nearby hospital Sunday.

Police spokesman Garry Flot tells The Times-Picayune the 39-year-old man, whose name has not been released, died at a nearby hospital Sunday.
Flot says 31-year-old Monica Pollard was booked with second-degree murder. He described her as the victim's estranged girlfriend.

It wasn't clear if Pollard has an attorney

Bellevue, WA: 'I killed my wife with a hatchet two days ago': 71-year-old husband’s shocking confession to police

A 71-year-old man turned himself in to police two days after he killed his wife with a hatchet while she was sleeping.
James Schumacher told Bellevue, Washington police that he killed his wife Jean on Wednesday morning, locked the door to her bedroom, and only confessed on Friday.
The couple, who had been married for 46 years, had a long history of trouble and his wife Jean filed a protection order against him in 2010.

Neighbors knew that she was afraid of him and she had spoken about how he could be violent.
'She's mentioned that he's hit her and he's thrown her down the stairs,' Brad Dutson told The Seattle Times.
Around the time of the protective order, Jean told one of her neighbors that 'If I end up dead, he did it.'

When he turned himself into local police, Schumacher told him that he was fed up with the verbal abuse of his wife, who had arthritis. The couple have two grown children.
Schumacher only recently moved back into the house after the protective order was lifted last year and the couple was seeing a therapist.

Showing his strange attitude, Schumacher went about his business as if nothing had happened in the days following his murder of his wife.

Mr Dutson said that he spoke with Schumacher on Wednesday, not knowing that he had repeatedly hit his wife with a hatchet just hours earlier.
The two men's properties are separated by a fence, and Schumacher paid him money that he owed Dutson for some repairs. In an odd move, Schumacher gave Dutson more than they had originally agreed upon.
'He said, "Oh don't worry about it. We're gonna be gone for a couple days,"' Mr Dutson said of his conversation with Schumacher.
Dutson said that when he spoke Schumacher in the days following the murder, he never seemed upset or agitated.

The only clue that neighbors had about the troubling situation was their past history, not their outward appearances as they are both described as being quiet and keeping to themselves.
'I just didn't know he was that violent,' neighbor Mary Farrell told KOMO news.
'But I do know he had a drinking problem.
'She was a good friend.'
Schumacher, who was retired and previously worked for both Boeing and U.S. Steel, now faces a charge of first degree murder.

Upper Uwchlan, PA: UPDATE: Husband charged with stabbing wife at Chesco Wawa (video)

UPPER UWCHLAN - A man allegedly stabbed his wife to death at about 11 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Wawa on Ticonderoga Boulevard, according to a press release from the Chester County District Attorney.

James Hvizda was arrested after walking into the Upper Uwchlan Police Department to report that he had just killed his estranged wife, Kimberly, according to the release.

“This was a cold-blooded, preplanned killing,” Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said. “The defendant executed his wife, the mother of his four children, with casual efficiency. Those children are now left without a mother and with a father charged with murder.” James Hvizda met his wife at the Wawa as she was beginning her shift there, according to the release. They had a conversation and walked to his wife’s van, at which point he drew a knife and stabbed her multiple times, the DA said. Kimberly Hvizda was pronounced dead at the scene.

James Hvizda is in custody awaiting arraignment on first-degree murder and related charges. Assisting Upper Uwchlan Police at the scene were Uwchlan, West Pikeland, West Whiteland, and West Vincent police departments as well as Uwchlan Ambulance, Lionville Fire Company, Chester County Detectives, and the Chester County Coroner’s office.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Martha's Vineyard, MA: 1 dead, 1 wounded in Martha's Vineyard shooting

BOSTON—A shooting Friday morning at an estranged couple's home on Martha's Vineyard left the husband dead and his wife hospitalized with gunshot wounds, police said.

The violence erupted shortly before 8 a.m. when the man apparently broke into the West Tisbury home and shot his wife, police said. Investigators identified the couple as Kenneth Bloomquist, 64, and Cynthia Bloomquist, 63.

They said the wife called 911 and police found her in an upstairs bedroom with gunshot wounds to her torso. Police also found her husband upstairs, already dead of apparent gunshot wounds.

Cynthia Bloomquist later underwent surgery at Martha's Vineyard Hospital, where she was in stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe wouldn't say whether the wife shot her husband in self-defense.

But O'Keefe said the investigation so far shows that the wife had access to a small-caliber gun, though her wounds were from a different kind of gun.

The husband's mother, 94-year-old Barbara Bloomquist, was shocked to learn of her son's death. She said he was distressed about separating from his wife of four decades, but she never expected there would be any violence.

She said her son moved out of the couple's home months ago, but that he was hoping to reunite with his wife even though she had a new boyfriend.

Barbara Bloomquist said the couple inherited guns from her late husband years ago, and both took shooting lessons.

"He's been beside himself, so upset at what was happening," she said of her son. "... He had told me, `We're not getting a divorce, just a separation.' But things got worse and worse."

The woman said her son and daughter-in-law were high school sweethearts who married in 1971 by the pond in the backyard of his childhood home. She said the couple led a lovely life together for years, traveling extensively in Europe.

"He may have tried to persuade her to stay or to keep on with their marriage," Barbara Bloomquist told The Associated Press. "He didn't want this separation. He thought they had the best marriage ever."

Cynthia Bloomquist retired after working for decades at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a bachelor's degree, a school spokeswoman said. An online social networking profile says she retired in 2010 as senior associate director of MIT's corporate relations.

Kenneth Bloomquist had an aerial photography business, according to his mother, who said he was a pilot who owned a Cessna plane.

She last talked to her son Thursday, when he said he would visit her at her assisted-living facility in a couple of days.

"I never thought anything like this would happen and I never dreamed I could lose Ken," she said of her only son. "... He was so good to me."

A close neighbor of the couple who heard the gunshots Friday morning said she visited Cynthia Bloomquist after her surgery.

The woman, who asked for her name to be withheld for privacy reasons, said Cynthia Bloomquist told her she was glad to have survived the day.

"Her spirits are up because she's alive and she didn't expect to be," the woman said. "I said, `You've got to be thankful for that, Cindy.'"

The neighbor said Bloomquist was sad about her husband's death.

"She wishes it could have been otherwise," the neighbor said. "... Whatever it was, it was definitely in self-defense."

The Boston Globe reported that Cynthia Bloomquist went to police and sought an emergency restraining order against her husband on March 1, but a judge decided she was in no immediate threat of injury and didn't issue the order.

Brentwood, CA: Pinoy couple found dead in Northern California

BRENTWOOD, California - The Contra Costa County Coroner's Office identified the bodies found in the bedroom of a Brentwood home on Wednesday as that of Filipino couple Christopher Lo, 47, and Joyce Lo, 42.

The SF Gate reported that the couple was going through divorce proceedings, citing court records.

Brentwood police said Christopher fatally shot his wife, before turning the gun on himself inside their home.

Emergency responders pronounced the Lo couple, who were in their 40s, dead on the scene.

The couple's 13-year old daughter reportedly called 911, around 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday, after discovering the bodies in one of the bedrooms.

Police said there is another surviving child who does not live at the home.

Investigators are currently probing the motive for the reported murder-suicide.

Couple’s death shock neighbors

Brentwood is a quiet suburb, an hour away from San Francisco. People living in this upper middle-class Northern California neighborhood said they moved to Brentwood to get away from the city's high crime incidents.

Neighbor Chris Ratfliff said they live in a family-oriented community. “This (crime) doesn't happen every day at all," he said.

“I just feel bad that this had to happen to such a young person like me," said Jessica Jones, a neighbor who attends school with the couple's daughter.

Deny Jones recounted how she would see the Lo couple outside of their home, working in the yard. “I never saw them arguing. But it's hard to know what goes on behind closed doors," she said.

A friend of the couple's daughter, who does not want to be identified, said the Lo couple was going through financial problems.

Another family friend who wished to remain anonymous told Balitang America that the couple was dealing with a domestic dispute reportedly brought about by an alleged infidelity.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Holland, MI: Police: Holland man shoots, kills estranged wife, then self in murder-suicide

Holland Township —
A 34-year-old Holland man and his 32-year-old estranged wife died Thursday night in what police are calling a murder-suicide, said Ottawa County Sheriff's Office Lt. Mark Bennett.
Just before 7 p.m., Aaron Lee Brown came with a gun to where his estranged wife, Jamie Lee Brown, was staying, at her mother's home on the 10,000 block of Adams Street in Holland Township, police said. The couple separated in November, Bennett said.

Detectives were still interviewing people late into the night Thursday. Bennett said the couple had children, but he would not say how many or their ages. He said others were present, with one person outside the home and the rest inside the home when the shooting occurred int the yard.

Bennett declined to say what type of gun was used. He said police arrived on the scene to find the Aaron Brown dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound and Jamie Brown suffering from gunshot wounds to the torso.

She was rushed to Holland Hospital and died about two hours later, Bennett said. Aaron Brown appears to have been living less than 10 miles away, at the Holland home in Allegan County he'd shared with Jamie Brown, police said. Family members told police the two had separated in November, Bennett said. Family members also told police it was not unusual for him to visit the Adams Street home, Bennett said. Aaron Brown had driven to the home Thursday evening; police towed his car from the scene during the investigation.

Forensic autopsies are scheduled to start Friday morning, as the police investigation into the deaths continues.

Jessup, IA: Identities Confirmed: 2 Dead in alleged murder-suicide in Jessup

JESUP, Iowa --- Authorities are investigating what neighbors describe as a murder-suicide, a violent incident that shook the town Wednesday night.
Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Wolfgram would only confirm officers were dealing with a shooting, however. He added there was no reason for the public to be concerned about safety.
Details likely will not be available officially until mid-morning today and then would be released by County Attorney Shawn Harden, according to the sheriff.
Family identified one of the victims as Lindsay Nichols of Evansdale. A 2008 graduate of East High School and an honors student, she is the granddaughter of former Evansdale Mayor Ron Nichols, and daughter of former Evansdale councilman Tom Nichols, a Black Hawk County deputy sheriff.
A man who lives a few doors from the intersection of Stevens and Ninth streets said he heard yelling and then two gunshots. After a few seconds, a third shot rang out.
“It scared me. I’m still shaking,” said the man who declined to give his name.
He said he called 911.
The incident happened about 9 p.m.
Another neighbor said she was returned home from work within minutes of the incident and saw two people on the ground. A large silver pickup with out-of-state license plates was near the bodies.
Adam Cline said he was inside his home about two blocks away and also heard gunshots. He started to walk down the street to see what was going on but backed off when he saw police cars arriving.
An ambulance took one of the apparent shooting victims away. A body remained near the intersection as officers with the Jesup Police Department, Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation blocked off the scene to collect evidence.
Cline and other witnesses said they were told a man (Timothy Glenn Roses) shot his ex-girlfriend, then turned the weapon on himself.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Jacinto City, TX: Jacinto City police: Man threatening girlfriend, her brother with gun accidentally kills self

JACINTO CITY, Texas—A man accidentally shot and killed himself during an altercation with his girlfriend Wednesday night, according to Jacinto City Police.
Police responded to a home on Rumar at Mercury shortly before 10 p.m. and found a 20-year-old shooting victim lying in front of his parent’s home.
Police said the man got into an argument with his girlfriend, who was also living at the home, and decided to kick her out.
The man was throwing the girlfriend’s belongings out on the front lawn when her brother arrived on the scene.
More arguing ensued and the boyfriend went into the house and brought out a shotgun. He was shooting in the air, threatening the girlfriend and her brother, when he accidentally shot himself in the neck area, according to police.
He died at the scene.
No charges have been filed against the girlfriend or her brother.

Chicago, IL: Man torched ex-girlfriend’s Southwest Side home but killed neighbor instead, feds say

A 38-year-old Cicero man was charged with torching a Southwest Side building where his estranged girlfriend lived — a Jan. 14 blaze that killed one of her neighbors.

Juan Adame, also known as “Jaime Garcia,” was charged Wednesday with federal arson in the blaze that killed James Maca in the 4200 block of West 63rd.

Macca, 60, died of carbon monoxide intoxication and inhalation of smoke and soot, officials said. Adame’s ex-girlfriend was not home during the fire.

According to charges released Wednesday, Adame used gasoline to start a fire in the second-floor rear apartment.

His ex-girlfriend told federal agents she had dated Adame since August 2011.

She and Adame argued about her plan to visit a sick relative in Mexico, where Adame knew that she had an ex-boyfriend, authorities said. When the woman got to a home she also had in Indiana on Jan. 14, she found her car and some personal belongings were missing. So she sent text messages to Adame, saying she was leaving for Mexico and wanted nothing more to do with him, authorities said.

The arson charge carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Riverside County, CA: UPDATE: Parents say man killed didn’t have rifle

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a Hemet-area man whose girlfriend said he had shot her Tuesday night, sheriff’s officials said.
Authorities said the deputy fired when he saw the man raise a rifle.

The man’s parents, however, said Wednesday they believed the weapon was a BB gun.
A woman called 911 about 6 p.m. Tuesday, reporting her boyfriend had shot her in the head with a rifle after beating her and threatening to cut her throat with a piece of broken glass, Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Borja said in written statement. She was calling from her home in the 43000 block of East Highway 74 in Valle Vista, east of Hemet.
The woman said her boyfriend, Kenneth Blomberg, 33, threatened to burn her house down and told her that “if deputies arrived, it would be a shootout,” Borja said.
Deputies found Blomberg hiding behind a bush in the backyard of a home a few miles away, in the 43000 block of Acacia Avenue.
Deputies ordered him to drop a rifle he was holding. “He raised the rifle in a threatening manner,” Borja said.

The deputy shot Blomberg once. Cal Fire and AMR paramedics gave first aid at the scene and took him to a hospital, where he died, Borja said.
The girlfriend, whose name was not released, was expected to recover from her injuries.
When Blomberg left his girlfriend’s home, he went to see his parents, Hector and Isabel Blomberg.
The couple said Wednesday afternoon that their son came to their house with a BB gun Tuesday evening, asking for a cigarette. Showing little emotion, they said he did not mention trouble with his girlfriend or that he was hiding from law enforcement.
“We don’t know what’s going on in his mind,” Isabel Blomberg said in a thick Argentinean accent. “He came in acting all crazy. I told him don’t do nothing stupid.”
Minutes later, they said, he went outside and was confronted by police.
The Blombergs were told at 3 a.m. that their son had been killed.
Riverside County sheriff’s officials did not provide clarification about what type of gun Kenneth Blomberg may have had.
Blomberg moved with his parents to Hemet in 1997. He lived in a mobile home off Florida Avenue and worked as a gardener. He had been with his girlfriend for about a year, his parents said.
The family — sitting stoically at their kitchen table Wednesday as they prepared to make funeral arrangements — said they had little information about how Blomberg was killed.
Until they learn more, they said they would not blame authorities for the shooting.
“They had to do their jobs to defend themselves if he did something right there where they had to shoot,” Hector Blomberg said. “We did not see it. We don’t know why.”
Sheriff’s officials would not name the deputy involved in the shooting.
Borja said in an email that the department would assess whether any threat was posed to the deputy before he is publicly identified.
The deputy was placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy, while the shooting is investigated.

Faulkner County, AR: Faulkner County Man Dies after being Stabbed and Shot

A Faulkner County man is dead and another in custody after an apparent domestic dispute turned violent.

The Faulkner County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) says Billy Joe Ewing, who died Tuesday night, told deputies he had been stabbed and shot by Clayton Monsees (pictured), 31, at Ewing's home on Laramie Road.

The FCSO says Ewing was married to Monsees' former wife. The two men reportedly argued at the Ewing home just before 11:30, leaving Ewing with a gunshot wound to the throat and a stab wound to the shoulder. He died of his wounds a short time later.

Ewing's wife and her three children were found in a back bedroom, deputies said. She told them she heard her husband's truck pull up in the driveway, heard his door slam and then heard a gunshot.

After looking outside, she told deputies she saw the men fighting and a knife sticking out of Ewing's shoulder.

Leesville, LA: VPSO investigating deaths of Leesville couple

Leesville, La. —
The Vernon Parish Sheriff's Office is currently investigating an incident where a Leesville resident was killed and her husband allegedly hanged himself.
Christopher E. Gavin, 52, and his wife, Tamara R. Gavin, 33, were found dead in their residence on Stanley Road Wednesday evening.
According to the VPSO, deputies responded to a call at the residence at approximately 11:20 p.m. Wednesday. When they arrived, deputies were advised by a family member that he had stopped by to visit with Christopher Gavin and had been unable to get anyone to respond when he knocked on the door. The family member told deputies that he knew Christopher Gavin was supposed to be home.
Upon looking through a window, the family member observed the Gavin's young child in the living room of the residence unattended. Upon seeing this, the family member went back to the front door, discovered it unlocked, entered the residence and discovered that Christopher Gavin had allegedly hanged himself.
At this point, the family member removed the child from the residence and waited for the VPSO.
Upon receiving this information, deputies entered the residence and confirmed the discovery. VPSO detectives also responded to the scene and, during the processing of the house, discovered a second body, Tamara Gavin, in the garage.
Evidence at the scene indicates that Chrstopher and Tamara Gavin were involved in a domestic dispute, at which time Tamara Gavin was killed. Some time later, Christopher Gavin took his own life.
Both bodies have been sent to the LSU Medical Center in Shreveport for autopsies. The VPSO is continuing to investigate this incident.
The families of Christopher Gavin and Tamara Gavin have asked that their privacy be respected in this tragedy.

Charlotte, NC: Woman charged in weekend stabbing death

Police on Wednesday signed as murder warrant for a woman involved in a weekend stabbing.
Authorities identified the suspect as 42-year-old Maria Dejesus Turcios. She is accused of killing 41-year-old Ricardo Alvarado Torres early Sunday outside an apartment complex in northeast Charlotte.
As of late Wednesday, Turcios was at Carolinas Medical Center, where she was recovering for injuries she sustained during the incident. Police said she would be taken to the Mecklenburg jail once she is discharged. In their initial report, police described Turcios’ injuries as life-threatening.
Police said the suspect and the victim knew one another and that the stabbing resulted from a domestic dispute.
Anyone with information is asked to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a homicide detective, or call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

Waynesboro, TN: Woman dead after husband dreamt he killed her

WAYNESBORO, TN (WSMV) -
A mysterious dream is at the center of a young Middle Tennessee mother's murder. Police found the body of Julie Rayfield in her son's bathroom Monday morning.

Her estranged husband Dennis surrendered himself to police, and it turns out what he thought was a rough night's sleep was more fact than fiction.

There had been problems in Dennis and Julie Rayfield's marriage for some time, but the woman's mother says she had no idea it would end in murder and no idea a bad dream would play such a big part in the case.

"She made you feel like she was your best friend," mother Teresa Pope said.

A single wedding photo and leftover crime tape remind Pope of what was and what went wrong.

"None of us are doing good at all. Not well," she said.

Inside a home north of Waynesboro Sunday night, Julie Rayfield died at the hands of her estranged husband Dennis, according to the Florence Times-Daily.

"They weren't divorced yet. He did not live here since September. He had no business here," Pope said. "He's something. He has a temper."

According to investigators, Dennis Rayfield had a plan. He parked his pickup truck at a church then walked nearly a mile down the road to get to his wife.

"He planned it out. It was all a plan," Pope said.

At the home, investigators said Dennis broke in through a front window and confronted Julie, then shot her in their four-year-old son Gage's bathroom.

All of this took place as the little boy slept on the other side of the house.

"When he broke in, it'd be like her to say, 'Let's go to the other side of the house and talk,' you know. It would be like her to do that," Teresa Pope said.

Detectives say Dennis surrendered to authorities in neighboring Lawrence County after he told his family he dreamt he hurt Julie, then later realized it really happened.

His mother-in-law says she doesn't buy the story and that she will insist on justice for the sake of her only child.

"We had no idea he could do something like this," Pope said. "And there's no doubt in my mind he did it. I mean, there's no doubt in my mind."

Dennis Rayfield is held in the Wayne County Jail facing a murder charge.

The couple's four-year-old son, Gage, is with Julie's parents. They said they will do their best to raise him as their own.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tampa, FL: Florida man allegedly shoots terminally ill wife

TAMPA, Fla. – A Florida man fatally shot his terminally ill wife Tuesday afternoon and then called 911 to report that he had killed her.
Randall Walton Willis, 61, called 911 at around 12:10pm local time and told an operator that he shot his wife because he wanted to end her suffering, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.
Officers arrived at Willis' Tampa home and found him still on the phone with the 911 dispatcher. His wife, 62-year-old Gilda Beth Willis, was dead at the scene.
Randall Willis was taken into police custody, where he told officers he had shot his wife twice, once in the head and once in the chest.
He was booked into jail on a charge of second degree murder with a firearm, the sheriff's office said.
Detectives were investigating Tuesday afternoon and working on obtaining a warrant to search Willis' home.

Gwinnett, GA: Cops: Gwinnett man, 70, strangled wife

A 70-year-old Gwinnett County man remained hospitalized Tuesday afternoon, a day after he strangled his wife and then tried to kill himself, police said.

Officers were dispatched to a home on Summerfield Way, in the Sycamore Crossing neighborhood of Bethesda School Road near Lawrenceville, around 4:30 p.m. Monday for a welfare check after the couple did not show up for a meeting, Cpl. Ed Ritter said Monday evening.

Inside the stucco ranch home, officers found 62-year-old Eva Blatt dead and her husband, Alex Blatt, in medical distress, Ritter said. Police declined to say how the man attempted to kill himself in the apparent homicide and attempted suicide.

Alex Blatt was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center, where he was in critical condition Monday night, Ritter said.

Investigators at the scene Monday planned to execute a search warrant at the home, Ritter said. A motive had not yet been determined, he said Tuesday.

The woman's death, if determined to be a homicide, would be the 11th in unincorporated Gwinnett County this year.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Roseville, MI: Police: Roseville woman killed in road rage crash caused by husband

A Roseville woman involved in a Monday road rage incident with her husband that resulted in her crashing her car appears to have died of a heart condition, Roseville Police said today.

Police said the woman, whose name has not been released, got into a verbal fight with her husband at 11 Mile and Hayes Roads, before he drove off and she followed him. They drove through residential streets, shouting at each other through open windows.

Just before the crash, the man tried to cut his wife off with her car, forcing her into a guide wire holding a telephone pole. Her PT Cruiser suffered minor damage.

Police responded to Troy and Compson Streets, where the 55-year-old woman was unresponsive. Efforts to revive her failed. An autopsy was performed and results released today, with preliminary findings that her death was caused by a cardiac event. Her husband, arrested after the crash, was released from police custody.

Sacramento, CA: Couple who died in Sacramento murder-suicide identified

The Sacramento County coroner has released the names of the couple who died in a weekend murder-suicide.

The husband was identified as Edward Lee Randolph, 28, of Sacramento. His estranged wife was identified as Michelle Kelli Randolph, 28, of Sacramento.

Police said that Edward Randolph killed his wife and wounded the man she was dating early Sunday.

Police said Michelle Randolph was shot to death in a home in the 1600 block of Meadowview Road in south Sacramento. A man also in the home, in his early 20s, was shot in the lower body with non-life threatening injuries.

When police arrived, the male victim identified the woman's estranged husband as the shooter, and he provided police with a description of the husband and his vehicle. Not long after that, police found him driving near the Elk Grove city limits.

Officers from both the Sacramento and Elk Grove Police departments stopped the car at Franklin Boulevard and Sims Road. Before officers approached, Edward Randolph shot himself while still in his car, police said.


Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2012/03/couple-who-died-in-sacramento-murder-suicide-identified.html#storylink=cpy

Pekin, IL: Pekin couple dies in apparent murder-suicide

What their neighbors described as a couple's tumultuous relationship ended with both being found dead Monday morning in an apparent murder-suicide.

Pekin police cordoned off the one-story home at 1800 Fawnridge Lane in the recently developed Deerfield Estates subdivision that neighbors said was the home of Heather and Brent Sidell.

Police said it appears the two people found shot to death inside were the home's residents, but by late afternoon they had not yet formally identified the victims. In a news release Monday evening, Pekin police Public Information Officer Don Jolly said the deceased were a 35-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man.

While murder-suicide also had not yet been designated their causes of death, nobody else was being sought, Jolly said.

"At this time, we believe it was the man" who fired a handgun that was found on the home's floor between his legs, Jolly said.

The woman's body was found in the home's foyer close to the front door, which had at least one bullet hole through it, Jolly said. The man was found about 10 feet behind her, he said. No one else was in the house or apparently living there at the time, he said.

Police were called to the home about 11:30 a.m. by the woman's parents after they could not contact her. Jolly said the man's body could be seen through a small clear-glass panel in the front door, but that the body of the woman, closer to the door, could not.

"Officers responded to the residence on a well-being check. Upon officers' arrival, they were unable to make contact with anyone at the residence. Forced entry was made, and both bodies were discovered," Jolly said in a news release.

While multiple shell casings were found inside, Jolly said an autopsy would be required to determine how many times and where each victim was shot.

The incident is under investigation by the Pekin Police Department, the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit and the Tazewell County Coroner's Office.

"This is just a shame, doggone it!" said next-door neighbor Dennis Livengood.

In January 2010, Heather Sidell obtained an emergency order of protection against her husband, according to court records. It was dismissed for lack of prosecution two months later.

That fit the general time line of domestic troubles between the couple that several neighbors, as they gathered Monday across the street from the Sidell home, said they had observed.

"She kicked him out, but she let him back in," said Maria Eertmoed, who lives across Fawnridge from the home. "There's been a lot of problems over there.

"Last year, the police escorted him out," Eertmoed said. She described an incident in which a police tactical unit came to the Sidells' home in armor and assault weaponry. Jolly said he was not yet aware of previous domestic incidents at the home.

Brent Sidell owned a Dodge Viper, the neighbors said.

"He'd rev it up in the garage real loud," Eertmoed said. "When he'd drive it off, he'd just speed down the street. That wasn't safe for the kids around here."

"We hadn't had any trouble with them, just the (engine) noise," Livengood said.

Monday, March 19, 2012

St. Augustine, FL: Man shot, killed in St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -
A 40-year-old man was shot to death Sunday after an argument that started in the parking lot of a library on Ponce de Leon Boulevard in St. Augustine, police said.

Outside the St. Johns County Public Library, David Blythe, 40, and his girlfriend got into an argument, detectives said. They said he hopped into his car and did reverse doughnuts in the parking lot. Police said he then jumped out of the car and ran down the road on U.S. Highway 1.

Detectives said Blythe tried to hop in another pickup truck, filled with a beach-bound family of four, including two children. Officer Mark Samson, of the St. Augustine Police Department, said the driver ran into the house to get his father, and a gun.

"As they come outside, they see him halfway outside the driver's door of the truck, trying to get the keys in the truck and the girlfriend's saying, 'No, you can't have anything. I've got kids here,' and at that point she feels he tried to take one of the kids out of the truck," Samson said.

The pickup truck driver's father came around the truck and got into a physical altercation with Blythe, Samson said.

"And he is being choked to the ground, almost unconscious by the way the story's being relayed to me," Samson said.

Then, the shooter told police he pulled the trigger, firing a single bullet into Blythe's head, ending a few minutes of pure chaos.

Those involved in the shooting told Channel 4 they're doing OK, but just want some privacy. Close friends of Blythe said his family is in mourning and what happened is something they never would have expected out of him.

Police detained the shooter but said he was being cooperative and didn't appear to have done anything wrong. He has been released.

Warner Robins, GA: DA's Secretary found dead, boyfriend faces felony murder charges Read more: The Warner Robins Patriot - DA s Secretary found dead boyfriend faces felony murder charges

A legal secretary for the Houston County District Attorney’s Office was murdered Sunday. Jessica Wolfe, 27, of Bonaire, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the chest at approximately 2:30am. Officers of the Warner Robins Police Department responded to a residence on Ledford Way in reference to a female not breathing.

Preliminary investigation revealed Wolfe was lying inside the residence with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper torso. She was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Lawmen later arrested Russell Holt, 28, of Warner Robins, on charges of Felony Murder (Family Violence) and Aggravated Assault charges.

Jessica Wolfe's uncle Jeff Wolfe wrote about Russell Holt on his facebook saying he was Jessica Wolfe’s abusive boyfriend. He wrote quote: “This has been a trying day....The emotions are overwhelming when you lose someone at the hand of an abusive boyfriend." Further down he wrote “The man who killed my niece was a probation officer of the law.......Justice will prevail... “

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday and more information will be released when it becomes available.

Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 478.929.6911. Information can also be submitted through TipSubmit by texting the tip to CRIMES (274637) and include keyword WRPD in the body of the text. More information about TipSubmit can be found at WRPolice.org.

Charlotte, NC: 1 dead, woman injured in east Charlotte shooting

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating a fatal shooting in east Charlotte Sunday night.
Officers said a woman is in surgery with potentially life-threatening injuries. One man is dead.
Captain Chuck Henson, with the Hickory Grove Division, said the situation started as a domestic dispute.

Henson arrived at the 5600 block of Sharon Pointe Rd. and knocked on the door.
He said a female opened the door and let him inside.
That’s when a man inside the apartment shot the woman and then himself.
Officers don’t know the condition of the baby or how far along the mother is.

Fayetteville, NC: Fayetteville police: Soldier killed in 'domestic' dispute

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. --
A soldier was shot and killed in his apartment early Sunday, Fayetteville police said.

The victim has been identified as Kevin Moseby, 28. He was declared dead of apparent gunshot wounds, according to police.

Police have charged Duane Brown in connection with the shooting. He was arrested while attempting to seek medical treatment at Cape Fear Valley Hospital for injuries he sustained during an altercation with the victim.

Police said Brown was the ex-boyfriend of Moseby's ex-wife. Moseby and his ex-wife were rekindling their marriage at the time of the shooting, according to authorities.

Brown has been charged with first degree murder and first degree burglary.

Article: Survivors of Spouse Abuse Plead For More Victim Shelters in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Dramatic testimony came today in Philadelphia City Council from women who have suffered through — and escaped from — domestic abuse.

The hearing focused on the limited number of emergency shelters for battered women.

“For myself, I am very lucky to be alive,” said Renee Norris-Jones (at right in photo), among victims of domestic violence who testified before Council’s Public Safety Committee. Her tale of seven years of abuse was echoed by another victim, Lisa Brown (center of photo):

“I felt in my heart, one of us was going to die if I stayed there. One day — I’m not sure how — I ran. I packed only the clothes my children and I had, and left.”

Both women said were it not for emergency shelters, they might not have survived.

But officials with the Philadelphia-based group Women Against Abuse testified that their emergency shelter has only 100 beds, and that last year they turned away 7,700 requests for shelter.

The city itself offers beds for those considered homeless, and does not reserves beds specifically for victims of abuse.

“That in 2012, that we have to ask for additional beds so that a city the size of Philadelphia is in line with other cities — it’s mind-boggling to me,” Norris-Jones told the committee.

A third victim, Angelita Dorsey (at left in photo), pleaded to Council for more.

“I just need you to note the importance of creating more domestic violence shelters,” she said, “because if you don’t, there are going to be more people that are dead.”

The hearing comes a day before a broader Council committee on the impact of cuts in Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget to a wider range of public welfare services.

Tucson, AZ: Domestic-violence suspect is Tasered, later dies

A 46-year-old man died early Sunday after Tucson police Tasered him twice as he fought with them following a chase.
Michael Carbone was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly before 1 a.m., said Sgt. Maria Hawke, a Tucson Police Department spokeswoman. Initial indications are Carbone may have been under the influence of an unknown drug, Hawke said. An autopsy will be performed.
Hawke gave the following account in a written news release:
Police were called about a domestic-violence incident Saturday night in the 3000 block of North Alvernon Way. There, police spoke to a man and a woman through a screen door. The man eventually stepped out and was "verbally argumentative and confrontational with the officers before suddenly running from them."
Officers chased him and notified other officers by radio. He ran into a Circle K at 3155 N. Alvernon Way, near East Fort Lowell Road. He did not respond to police commands and kept arguing before two officers took him to the ground. He fought with officers as more officers arrived.
One officer Tasered the man twice "with limited effect." Police handcuffed the man and took him out of the store. Officers called for Tucson Fire Department paramedics, which is standard procedure when a Taser is used.
The man was uncooperative with paramedics as they tried to get information from him. Paramedics requested help from police to place him down in the parking lot. After he was put on the ground, he "suddenly became unresponsive." His handcuffs were removed as paramedics tried but were unable to revive him.
Officers involved in the incident are Albert Baca, Anissa Lozano, Quan Nguyen, Eric Altman, David Danielson, Russel Southerland, Roland Gutierrez and Jason Ives.
Homicide detectives will investigate Carbone's death.
The Office of Internal Affairs is also investigating, which is standard procedure after in-custody deaths. It will look at officers' response to the incident, including whether training, equipment, supervision and policies were appropriate.