Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Salem, OR: Deputies: Man killed wife then put knife in her hand to claim self-defense

SALEM, OR (KPTV) -
A man is accused of shooting and killing his wife and then putting a knife in her hand to make it look like she tried to attack him first.
Marion County deputies responded to a 911 call in rural south Salem at 12:50 p.m. Monday. Deputies said they found a woman's body at the home on Heckart Lane Southeast.
Investigators said there was a knife in her hand and a gun lying on the floor next to her body.
The woman's estranged husband, David Eaton, 45, called 911. Deputies said he originally claimed his wife came at him with a kitchen knife after an argument about their divorce settlement. He said he shot her in self-defense.
Detectives said Eaton later changed his story and admitted he shot his wife after she backed out of a settlement agreement.
Eaton told investigators after calling 911, he retrieved a knife from a kitchen drawer and placed it in the victim's hand to make it look like she was holding the knife when he shot her.
Eaton also admitted to past incidents where he contemplated killing his wife, according to detectives, including a plan that involved poisoning her.
Eaton was booked into the Marion County Jail and charged with murder.
The 30-year-old victim has not yet been identified. Deputies said they are working to first notify her family in her country of origin, which also has not yet been revealed.

Arlington, TX: Man who killed wife in Arlington gets 40 years


FORT WORTH -- A man who knocked down his estranged wife's door with a sledgehammer and then shot her to death in the back yard of her home pleaded guilty to murder Monday and received a 40-year prison sentence.
Patrick Edward Arnold, 69, was in the process of a divorce with his wife, Linda Kay Arnold, 59, which many characterized as bitter. Arnold asked prosecutors to seek the death penalty in his case, according to Terri Moore, his attorney.
"The way the divorce proceeded made him jump off a cliff emotionally," Moore said. "He was extremely remorseful. If he could have taken it back, he would have."
Kay Arnold, a music teacher in the Arlington school district, was shot on June 10, 2010, in front of her neighbor outside her Arlington home, authorities said. The day before the shooting, Patrick Arnold had been ordered to pay spousal support and his wife's attorney's fees, and faced jail time if he refused.
At the time, Arnold was forbidden by court order from calling, texting or getting within 200 feet of Kay Arnold's home in the 4100 block of Green Acres Circle, or the schools where she worked.
Lloyd Whelchel, the prosecutor, said the plea agreement was reached after speaking to Kay Arnold's daughter.
"He will die in prison," Whelchel said.
State records show that Patrick Arnold received a 30-year prison sentence in 1982 after he was convicted in Dallas County of theft, burglary of a home, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon.
Arnold was released in October 1992, but returned about a year later on a parole violation and served until August 2000, when he was released again on mandatory supervision, records show. His supervision on that case would have ended in April 2013.
After fatally shooting his wife, Arnold drove to the police station, confessed and showed authorities the location of the murder weapon, Moore said.
"He does well in confinement," Moore said. "He does well with order and structure. He's fragile and obviously does not make good decisions."

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/26/4440540/man-who-killed-wife-in-arlington.html#storylink=cpy



Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/26/4440540/man-who-killed-wife-in-arlington.html#storylink=cpy

Plainfield, NJ: Plainfield man charged with killing wife


ELIZABETH — A Plainfield man found unconscious in a detached garage on his property a little more than two weeks ago has been charged with murdering his wife, who was found shot to death inside their home, authorities said Wednesday.
Stephen C. Sutton was released from the hospital Tuesday and transported to Union County Jail’s medical unit, where he was being held on $1 million bail, according to Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.
It was about 4 p.m. on Nov. 12 when police rushed to Plainfield’s Martine Avenue — a peaceful, tree-lined residential street boasting rows of beautiful historic homes near the city’s Sleepy Hollow section — to find Sutton’s 56-year-old wife Jane dead of an apparent gunshot wound. Moments later Sutton was found in his garage and rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Authorities continue to decline to discuss how Sutton was rendered unconscious.
Investigators initially did not identify the suspect or the victim in the case, but neighbors said Sutton and his wife had lived in their home for more than 20 years. The 1916 property last was sold in 1983, according to online tax records.
Little publicly available information about the couple has surfaced in recent weeks beyond online obituaries indicating that their mothers died about six months apart in 2010 and 2011. Neighbors described themselves as being friendly with the pair, but none interviewed by the Courier News said they spoke with the Suttons regularly.
Sutton as of two weeks ago was listed online as a Century 21 Realtor working in Bridgewater, but the Web page outlining his experience and areas of expertise appears to have been scrubbed from his office’s website.

Hampton, VA: Man charged with killing ex-girlfriend in Hampton


HAMPTON - Police say a man killed his ex-girlfriend during an argument Tuesday night in Hampton.
31-year-old Traer Ramon Tisdale has been charged in the Tuesday evening murder of 29-year-old Lekeia Moneke Griffin.
According to police, Griffin was in her car on Mason Street when Tisdale approached. They argued and he shot her around 5:30 p.m., said Cpl. Mary Shackelford.
Griffin drove to the 1200 block of West Avenue for help, according to police. She died at the hospital about an hour later.
Tisdale was arrested early Wednesday and charged with one count each of murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and shooting in an occupied vehicle.

Cincinnati, OH: Thug is jailed for battering his pregnant girlfriend's kitten to death against a wall


A teenager who killed his girlfriend's kitten by battering it against a wall during a furious row has been jailed for six months.
Gerale Witcher, 19, of Westwood, Ohio was fighting with his pregnant girlfriend last month when he grabbed the animal by the tail and swung it repeatedly into the wall before throwing its body out of a window.
When Cincinnati Police arrived at the scene they found the the dead kitten and arrested Witcher.
'He took the kitten by the tail and smashed it against the cement wall and killed it,' Assistant Cincinnati Prosecutor Heidi Rosales told Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Brad Greenberg Monday.
According to Cincinnati.comCincinnati Police Officer Kelly Reindl found the kitten’s dead body thrown outside the girlfriend’s apartment. 
Witcher was charged with domestic violence, cruelty to animals, obstructing official business, disorderly conduct and criminal damaging.


'I’m not a violent person,' Witcher told the judge. 'It wasn’t done on purpose.
'The cat had scratched me which caused me to have a bad reaction,' Witcher said, admitting he needed psychological help.

Salisbury, MD: Police: Man who shot pregnant girlfriend, killed her mom arrested


Police say the man who allegedly shot and stabbed his pregnant girlfriend, wounded her sister and killed their mom has been arrested in Maryland.
Myles Lyons, 19, was wanted for the bloodshed in the 8200 block of Jersey Road in Salisbury, Maryland early Tuesday morning.
The girlfriend, 19-year-old Tyisha Jackson, who is more than eight months pregnant, along with her 17-year-old sister, are hospitalized in critical condition.

The mother of the teens, 39-year-old Lakisha Jackson, is dead.

Lyons was in custody by Tuesday afternoon. Police say he was arrested in Cambridge, Maryland.
Earlier in the day, authorities said Lyons was possibly headed to Camden, New Jersey, where he has relatives.
Investigators say three younger children were at home at the time of the incident - a 2-month-old, a 2-year-old and a 10-year-old.

Cresson, PA: Police: Pa. man killed ex-girlfriend's son with baseball bat


CRESSON, Pa. — A western Pennsylvania man is behind bars for allegedly killing his estranged girlfriend's son with a baseball bat.
Investigators say 50-year-old Gregory Conzo was arguing with his former girlfriend at their home in Cresson, Cambria County when Michael Pcola tried to calm him down.
Conzo allegedly struck Pcola in the head with an aluminum baseball bat. The 37-year-old Pcola died two days later at a hospital.
Police say Conzo wasn't supposed to be at the home because he was out on bail in an assault case involving his ex.
Conzo was arraigned Tuesday on charges including criminal homicide, stalking and aggravated assault. He was held without bail.
Court records don't list an attorney for Conzo.

Swainsboro, GA: Rountree arrested in Thanksgiving death


On Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012 at approximately 10:56 p.m., officers of the Swainsboro Police Department were dispatched to 220 Watson Street in Swainsboro in reference to a domestic dispute.
   Upon arriving on the scene, the first responding officers knocked on the door of the residence and identified themselves as police officers. No person came ot the door of the residence to inform the officers of anything. Swainsboro Police immediately asked for additional assistance and surrounded the home. Other officers arrived on the scene and, after a brief period of time, convinced the male offender located inside the residence, identified as Freeman James Rountree, Jr., age 41, of the Watson Street address, to access entry of the home. At that time, officers found Maegan Salter Rountree, 26, of 314 Elaine Drive in Swainsboro, lying on the floor, unconscious. Rountree was arrested on the scene and transported to Emanuel County Jail. Emanuel EMS was on the scene to render assistance to Mrs. Rountree.
   Mrs. Rountree was announced dead at Emanuel Medical Center a short time later, after her arrival to the hospital. The cause of death appeared to be the direct result of a stab wound located on the victim’s body. Further investigation revealed that the offender and victim were husband and wife. The incident followed an ongoing domestic problem within the home.
   The case remains under investigation by the Swainsboro Police Department.

Hunting Park, PA: Boyfriend 'person of interest' in woman's murder


A manhunt is under way for a murder suspect wanted for killing his girlfriend while her 6-year-old daughter slept in the next room.
Police are searching for 33-year-old Dominique Haynes, a person of interest in Tuesday night's execution-style murder of his girlfriend, Rasheedah Blunt.
Blunt was shot at least five times in the chest, torso and arms, inside the apartment on the 3500 block of Old York Road in the Hunting Park section of the city around 11:30 p.m.
Police found her body on a bed on the second floor front bedroom.

The killing went down in the apartment the two had shared since September.
Neighbors told police they heard a loud domestic argument rage in her second floor apartment, then multiple gunshots, then saw a man fleeing the scene.
Haynes, who has a lengthy criminal record, immediately became the number one suspect.
"He's a live-in boyfriend, he hasn't been seen since. He did not show up for work today and we need to talk to him," Captain James Clark of the Philadelphia Police Department said.
27-year-old Rasheedah Blunt was killed as her 6-year-daughter slept in another room along with a 3-year-old male cousin.
Police say the children did not wake up until they arrived.
Blunt's relatives say they were all last together for a big family meal on Thanksgiving.
Ashley, a shocked, grieving cousin, says Haynes appeared to be a nice guy.
"He gave her everything she wanted. That's why I don't understand why he would do such a thing, to hurt her," Ashley said.
Police say Haynes has been out of jail for less than a year.

Article: Supervisors mark day of remembrance

This year, two people in Solano County lost their lives due to domestic violence and to remember the lives lost, the Solano County Board of Supervisors recently marked Domestic Violence Day of Remembrance.
Much of the decrease in the number of domestic violence deaths can be attributed to an increased multidisciplinary, coordinated response to such cases, officials said. It provides greater resources to victims and survivors.
As part of the supervisor's actions, they recognized one of their own - Supervisor Barbara Kondylis - for being a "tireless advocate for family violence prevention" and awarded the Robin Jenkins Memorial Award in memory of Vacaville resident Vic Jenkin's daughter who was killed by her former fiancé more than four years ago.
Kondylis said she was speechless and surprised with the award, which was presented at the board's regular meeting last week.
"Receiving this on behalf of your daughter's memory is so special to me," she told Jenkins and added that being victimized in the home is an act of terrorism and should be taken just as seriously as other forms of terrorism.
Kondylis' service as a county supervisor is coming to an end since she opted not to run for re-election, however, she said she's not going anywhere and will continue to help.
Having a day of remembrance reminds people that in America, a woman is battered, usually by her intimate partner every 15 seconds, officials said. In 2010, Solano County saw six women killed and in 2011, 10 residents lost their lives to domestic violence.
Solano County is working with LIFT3 Support Group and Domestic Violence Shelter and the Solano Partnership Against Violence to bring awareness to the loss of life and vision of hope for survivors through the Day of Remembrance.
"The holidays have historically proven to be exceptionally dangerous for families who are experiencing additional stress due to job loss, foreclosures and the challenge of meeting financial obligations," said staff in a report to the board. "Additionally, the holidays usually include a higher level of alcohol consumption and more family gatherings, leading to increased anxiety and decreased coping skills. As a result, Solano County may see additional deaths before the end of the 2012 calendar year."
People in need of direct services as a result of domestic and/or family violence, can call and speak to a social worker at 784-7683 or 784-6829 or go to www.solanocounty.com/stoptheviolence. Appointments are encouraged, but drop-ins are welcomed between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Follow Staff Writer Melissa Murphy at Twitter.com/ReporterMMurphy 

Vidalia, GA: Soldier accused in Vidalia murder-suicide

A Third Infantry Division soldier is accused of killing a former soldier, then killing himself. Police said the apparent murder-suicide was the result of a domestic dispute.

Gloria Nichols is heartbroken over the death of her daughter, former Third I.D. solider Miranda Nichols. Miranda Nichols was found dead around 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon in the street outside her mother's house in Vidalia. Investigators said Nichols had an argument with Specialist Samuel Tellu, a petroleum specialist at Hunter Army Airfield.

“Her mother was able to advise us that her and a male subject had got into an altercation, and then she heard a gunshot,” said Det. Cpl. Brad Bradley of the Vidalia Police Department.

Police said Nichols died of a single gunshot wound to the head. A small memorial now marks the crime scene. Authorities searched for their prime suspect, Spc. Tellu, and his white Mercury Mountaineer. The U.S. Marshal’s Service pinged his cell phone. They found Tellu's vehicle in Montgomery County around 8:15 a.m. Sunday. Police said Tellu was inside – dead of a single gunshot wound to the head.

“He was backed in. The seat was laid back and the doors were locked to the vehicle and he was found inside,” said Bradley.

Gloria Nichols said her daughter served about 10 years in the Army and National Guard. She served two tours in Iraq and got out of the Guard earlier this year. She said her daughter started seeing Tellu after she and her husband divorced. 

“Her thing was she didn't want to get in a serious relationship,” Nichols said. “And I don't think he could accept that. That's probably exactly why everything just wound up the way it was. He couldn't take it and he just took her life and his.”

Spc. Tellu served in the Army for two-and-a-half years with the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade. He did one tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.

Socorro, TX: Body of woman found in Juarez linked to possible murder-suicide in Socorro


The body of a woman was found Tuesday afternoon at a trash dump in Juárez. Investigators were trying to determine whether she was a missing Socorro woman being sought by authorities.
Channel 26-KINT reported that the dead woman had characteristics similar to the missing woman and that authorities were working with U.S. law enforcement to determine her identity.
El Paso County sheriff's deputies on Tuesday were investigating a possible murder-suicide that occurred Monday.
Deputies discovered the body of Johnnyray Nevarez about 5 p.m. 
Monday in a vehicle parked off Gas Line Road near Hueco Tanks, a sheriff's spokeswoman said. Detectives think Nevarez shot and killed himself.
Earlier on Monday, police in Socorro received a call from a friend of a Socorro couple, claiming a 27-year-old man spoke of killing his 20-year-old wife, and had planned to dump her body in Mexico before killing himself.
A Socorro spokesman said that police went to the couple's home on Aaker Street and began searching for the couple and a missing vehicle, which was later found.
Officials have not confirmed that Nevarez is the same man sought by Socorro police.

Las Vegas, NV: Police identify man, woman in murder-suicide


The Clark County Coroner’s Office has identified the two people involved in a murder-suicide on Sunday as Dorothy Huss, 87, and Clifford Huss, 86, both of Las Vegas.
Officials said Dorothy Huss died from a gunshot wound to the head, and Clifford Huss died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Metro Police had received reports of a shooting in a residence on the 6400 block of East Tropicana Avenue on Sunday. Dorothy Huss was pronounced dead at the scene; Clifford Huss was transported to Sunrise Trauma Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

Asheville, NC: Asheville-area case likely murder-suicide


ASHEVILLE — A husband and wife found dead in their home on Thanksgiving night had argued frequently in the weeks leading up to their deaths, neighbors say.
The bodies of Michael David Cooper, 39, and Lisa Reanna Cooper, 35, a well-regarded nurse at the Charles George VA Medical Center, were discovered shortly before 11:30 p.m. Thursday at their home at 12 Melissa Court.
Buncombe sheriff’s Lt. Randy Sorrells said the evidence points to a murder-suicide, but authorities were withholding final judgment until autopsy results are returned.
Both victims appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound, Sorrells said, and officers recovered a handgun at the scene.
Autopsies are planned for today or possibly Wednesday, Sorrells said. He said he could not say who fired the fatal shots.
Melissa Court, off Mount Carmel Road northwest of Asheville, is a quiet cul-de-sac where neighbors expressed shock at the deaths.
“It’s absolutely insane,” said Linda Sluggett, who lives two houses down. “This is a real family-oriented community.”
The Coopers had recently moved to the neighborhood from Bakersville. Sluggett said her next-door neighbor, who lives beside the Coopers’ home, had told her of frequent arguments between the two — loud enough that the neighbor could hear them from inside her house.
“She said she could hear them every night, sometime between 2 and 4 a.m.,” Sluggett said.
Sorrells said Buncombe had no official reports of domestic violence involving the two. Mitchell County Sheriff Donald Street, who knows Lisa Cooper’s family, also said he knew of no history of violence between the couple.
Nancy Sparks, of Burnsville, Lisa Cooper’s close friend, said the pair had been married about 10 years and had no children together, though Michael Cooper had three children from a previous marriage. He had worked as a truck driver, but sheriff’s investigators said he was unemployed at the time of his death.
Sparks, who spoke with Lisa Cooper last week, said she knew of no trouble between the couple.
“She never mentioned anything to me about having any kind of problems with him,” she said. “He was very loving and doted on her. It’s just hard to believe.”
Sparks, who’s also a nurse, had known Lisa about a dozen years and had worked with her at the VA Medical Center.
“She was kindhearted and bubbly, just a goodhearted person,” Sparks said. “She was very caring. She loved taking care of people. That was her calling.”
VA Medical Center officials were making counselors available to help staff, volunteers and patients cope with Cooper’s loss.
“Charles George VA Medical Center staff members were deeply saddened to learn of Lisa Cooper’s death,” said David Pattillo, the hospital’s associate director. “She was a dedicated professional who will be sorely missed by the Charles George family and by the countless veterans for whom she provided care.”
Family members are making separate funeral arrangements for Michael Cooper, a Burnsville native, and Lisa Cooper, who’s originally from Bakersville.
Michael Cooper’s funeral is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home in Burnsville.
Arrangements for Lisa Cooper were incomplete at Henline-Hughes Funeral Home in Bakersville.
Family members declined to comment.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Marion, OH: Police suspect suicide in Marion County shooting



MARION — A preliminary investigation suggests the Sunday evening shooting of an armed man by county sheriff’s officers may be a case of “suicide by cop.”
The term describes the act of engaging in a behavior that leads a police officer to respond with deadly force. Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey said officers heard from Byron L. Holveck’s girlfriend, Heather Nightwine, that he told her earlier in the day he was going to “commit suicide by cop.”
Maj. Aaron Corwin and Deputy Michael Wheeler, the two officers involved in the shooting, remain on administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification takes the lead in the investigation.
Officers arrived at the Pleasant Acres mobile home park at 3200 Smeltzer Road after receiving 9-1-1 calls at 10:14 p.m. from Holveck’s girlfriend and neighbors saying shots had been fired during a domestic dispute.
Holveck, 40, had allegedly threatened his girlfriend and a neighbor. Arriving officers found Holveck armed and acting violent.
Authorities later found that Holveck had a Gamo CO2 pellet gun, which closely resembles a Walther PPK semi-automatic handgun.
“It was dark, between two of those narrow homes,” Bailey said.
He said the gun, which officers asked him to drop, was not clearly visible.
“He whipped it around, pointed it at them and charged them,” he said. They shot, striking Holveck.
He was taken to Marion General Hospital then transported to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, where he was pronounced dead.
Nightwine’s daughter was home at the time but not injured.
The sheriff’s office is assisting in the investigation as Bailey said they try to determine what led up to the incident.
Shots had been fired before 9 p.m., but no one had called 9-1-1 until shots were fired again at about 10:14 p.m. Shots were fired both inside and outside of the mobile home.
Investigators heard that Holveck had been drinking earlier in the evening, but Bailey said that hasn’t been confirmed because the autopsy isn’t done yet.
The shooting happened on the anniversary of Holveck’s wife’s death.
“I think that certainly played a role in his acting out,” the sheriff said.
A records check of the Marion County Common Pleas Court showed Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance of Cincinnati had recently filed a case against Holveck stating that he defaulted in payments. He had listed the 1998 Champion manufactured mobile home at Lot 31 as collateral and the mortgage company sought to take possession, saying he owed $19,675.63.
Investigators are waiting on the autopsy, which will tell whether Holveck had any alcohol or drugs in his system. It also will tell how many rounds hit him and from which officer’s weapon.
Bailey, nearing 40 years with the sheriff’s office, said he and Chief Deputy Al Hayden, who had been there for 40 years, cannot remember any other incident during that time in which they had to shoot and kill someone.
Corwin and Wheeler will receive counseling. They may be called back on desk duty if needed but otherwise will remain on leave.
That leaves the sheriff’s office with one major on active duty. It drops the number of officers on road patrol down from 15 to 11.
One officer is on disability leave and another is on special assignment, taking the place of an officer usually assigned to Tri-Rivers Career Center who is out with an injury.
Officers continue to work 12-hour instead of eight-hour shifts to make sure there are enough officers patrolling the county.
Along with BCI, the sheriff’s office had called in the Franklin County Bomb Squad on Monday to look at a metal box in Holveck’s vehicle. Along with calling in BCI, the sheriff’s office had called in the Franklin County Bomb Squad on Monday to look at a metal box in Holvecks’ vehicle. The bomb squad used a robot to remove and x-ray the box, which ended up containing ammunition and a gun cleaning kit.

Memphis, TN: Memphis deaths likely murder-suicide


MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Police in Memphis say two deaths at a mobile home park appear to be a murder-suicide involving a married couple.
Police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said neighbors heard the couple arguing early Friday and then heard gunshots. They found the man and woman lying on the front porch. Emergency medical technicians found that both were dead.
Officials said the man was about 40 years old and the woman was about 26. Their names were not immediately released.
A homicide investigation was opened.

East St. Louis, IL: 'So out of character': ESL murder, suicide has city in shock


 — The 69-year-old man and 66-year-old woman who died in a murder-suicide Thursday in the 700 block of North 75th Street have been identified as Bobby Stewart and Dorothy McCaskill.
East St. Louis Police received a call at 6 p.m. to respond to what they believed was a hostage situation at the couple's residence. Once there, they called in the Illinois State Police SWAT team. The next several hours were intense and police used extreme caution in an attempt to keep the situation from escalating.
Officers were outside the residence for a couple hours before the ISP team arrived. At this point, they still believed they were dealing with a hostage situation.
Once they entered the house they found McCaskill dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Her body was on the first level of the two-story home by the front door. SWAT team members deployed a robot to the second floor.
"They were able to see a man laying face down on the floor. Once they made entry they could see that he was deceased," State Police Capt. James Morrisey said.
Morrisey said it appears Stewart shot McCaskill with a handgun and then used a shotgun to end his life. A motive is not known.
"I am very devastated. Our family is devastated," said Arnold Stewart, the brother of Bobby Stewart.
But the horrific way he ended his life and that of McCaskill's is not something Arnold Stewart said he or anyone who knew him could imagine.
"They went through things in their marriage like anyone else. They're not arguing anymore. They don't have to worry about that. He was good. She was good. Sometimes everybody can't get along.
"They were married for 40 years," Arnold Stewart said.
He said brother was "quiet, but outgoing, too."
He was always at a high school or college football or basketball game and was a helpful person.
"Even though he got burned a lot of the time, he was still always willing to help someone who needed help."
Arnold Stewart said Bobby Stewart was the third of four brothers.
In addition to the boys in the family, Stewart said there are two sisters-in-law.
A sister died previously along with the Stewart's parents.
Bobby Stewart joined the Air Force after graduating from Lincoln High School in East St. Louis.
"He was a military policeman," his brother said.
And, he retired from Illinois Power.
A 44-year-old woman who police said Stewart shot in the leg was his stepdaughter, Arnold Stewart said. Her injuries were not life threatening.
A member of McCaskill's family could not be reached for comment.
Neighbors who knew Bobby Stewart said it was out of character for him to do something like this.
Stewart was described as "a genuine nice guy -- easy going and always had a smile."
Edith Moore, Precinct 20 committeewoman, said Stewart was a lifetime friend.
"He was a genuinely nice, mannerly guy. I was so shocked when I found out the tragic news. I am still shocked because it is so out of character for him," Moore said.
Mayor Alvin Parks called the shooting "tragic."
"It's just tragic when you think about the wonderful time of year we are in, people giving thanks and celebrating with family. To have a family member take another member's life and then his own is just tragic. Our prayers -- the community's prayers -- are with the entire family."
Parks praised the police and medical attendants who responded to the shooting scene.
"We often forget many of the first-responders who were there last night, along with Illinois State Police and all of the other agencies, including our own East St. Louis Police Department," he said.
"Many of them were not officially on duty but had to be called out away from their families. This underscores the need for civilians to appreciate and respect first-responders who do whatever is necessary when they are called to duty."
Contact reporter Carolyn P. Smith at 618-239-2503.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/11/23/2404241/man-shoots-wife-daughter.html#storylink=cpy

Tampa Bay, FL: Hillsborough deputies: Teen kills dad to keep mom from being beaten and choked


PLANT CITY — A teenager defending his mother as his father beat and choked her Saturday night shot and killed him, authorities said.
The shooting happened about 10 p.m. after a small group of family and friends gathered around a bonfire outside a mobile home at 7427 Burnt Barn Ave. in the Antioch area of rural northeastern Hillsborough County, investigators said Sunday.
At some point, Christopher Thorpe, 36, followed his wife, Jill Thorpe, 35, into the mobile home. The two got in an argument, deputies said.
The fight escalated from words to fists and Christopher Thorpe began beating her, moving from the living room to the master bedroom, deputies said.
He was chocking her when their son rushed in. Channing Thorpe, 17, fired several shots from a handgun, deputies said.
At 10:15 p.m., he called 911 to say he had shot his dad, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies found Christopher Thorpe dead in the bedroom. One of the bullets also struck Jill Thorpe in the thigh. She was taken to Lakeland Regional Hospital and later released.
Deputies made no arrests in the case and left Channing Thorpe in his mother's custody.
If the family had a history of domestic violence, it was not evident in documents examined Sunday. Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show no criminal past in the state for the father, mother or son. Hillsborough court records show no domestic violence orders for protection were ever sought. And, until this incident, deputies had not been sent out to the property in at least the past year, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.
The killing stunned Evelyn Thorpe — Christopher Thorpe's mother — who was driving down Sunday from Kentucky.
"I had never, ever seen three people that were so close," Evelyn Thorpe, 64, said. "All three of them did everything together. Everything. I just can't understand it."
She said she had seen her son just two weeks ago when he visited her in Kentucky and did some hunting near her house.
He worked as a quality control inspector for Sensenich Propellers, an aircraft and airboat parts manufacturing company in Plant City.
A neighbor, Bill Dunlap, 60, said he was not aware of any domestic violence issues at the home but said Christopher Thorpe had a temper.
"He was always ready for a confrontation," Dunlap said. "I didn't really like him."
Still, he had helped Dunlap get work years ago at Sensenich and Channing Thorpe started working there after school about a year ago, Dunlap said. Jill Thorpe, he said, manages the Strawberry Hut sandwich shop.
"Chris thought of himself as the ruler of the roost and I guess Jill just got tired of it," Dunlap said. "He thought all women loved him and all women were second-class citizens."
Three others at the bonfire apparently did not witness the shooting. The three were Channing Thorpe's maternal grandmother, who lives there, along with his girlfriend and another friend, the Sheriff's Office said.
The shooting becomes at least the eighth incident in nine years in the Tampa Bay area where a child has stepped in with a weapon to protect a parent from domestic violence.
They include a case in St. Petersburg last year in which a 16-year-old told police he stabbed his stepfather to death to protect his mother. As parents Paula and Otis Wilson Jr. fought, the teen, Derrion Adams, got a knife from a kitchen drawer. He was arrested and faced a charge as a juvenile of manslaughter.
They also include a case in Hillsborough in 1994 in which a 14-year-old boy stabbed and injured his mother's live-in boyfriend, Rudolph Nathan, after the man had demanded money from her and her two sons to support his drug habit and a fight broke out. The boy's name was not released and deputies said he would not be charged.
In the shooting this weekend, the Sheriff's Office will continue to investigate, spokeswoman Debbie Carter said, then hand the case to the State Attorney's Office to decide on any charges.
Times news researcher Natalie Watson and staff writer Rich Shopes contributed to this report.

Jacksonville, FL: Thanksgiving Day murder suspect turns himself in


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — 
A 24-year-old woman was killed in a Thanksgiving Day murder in Northwest Jacksonville.  The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is accusing her ex-boyfriend of shooting her in front of family members.
Rolish Thomas and Calvin Wright, both 24, were arguing Thursday after Thomas said she was breaking up with Wright, according to police.
The two had been in a three month relationship.  They were reportedly fighting over a cell phone.
Police said Wright then fired several shots at Thomas, who was rushed to Shands Jacksonville hospital where she died.
It happened just after noon outside a home in the 1100 block of Almeda Street near West 2nd Street.
Wright was released from prison in April after being convicted on burglary charges.   He reportedly fled the crime scene on foot.
Just after 10 a.m. on Friday JSO sent an email saying that Wright had turned himself in to police.

Bronx, NY: Boyfriend Held In Murder Of Woman Found In Parked Car In The Bronx


NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A man has been charged with the murder of a 22-year-old woman whose body was found in a parked car in the Bronx Saturday morning.
Richard Bloomfield, 40, of the 600 block of Fox Street in the Bronx, was charged late Saturday with murder in the death of Madonna Martin.
Bloomfield confessed to police that he had killed Martin before he was charged, police told 1010 WINS.
Just before 4:30 a.m., police received a 911 call about a woman in a parked white two-door Honda CR-Z at Bruckner Boulevard and Brook Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The woman, Martin, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bloomfield was arrested at the scene, and taken to Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, where he was treated for an injury to his left arm.
The New York Post reported investigators believed Martin was killed in Bloomfield’s apartment, and that he brought her body to the desolate Bruckner Boulevard intersection about half a mile away, where he tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide by slashing his wrists.
The Post reported that Bloomfield was Martin’s boyfriend.

Chicago, IL: Stabbing suspect called Rev. Pfleger in tears


A judge Sunday ordered Demetrius Jackson, 32, of Chicago, to be held without bond in the fatal stabbing of his neighbor Wednesday night.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger said Sunday that Jackson had called him “crying and remorseful” after the stabbing of William Terry, a neighbor who had tried to intervene in a domestic dispute between Jackson and and his wife outside the couple’s Roseland home.
Prosecutor Brad Dickey said Sunday that Jackson had gotten into an argument with his wife about 7:10 p.m. Wednesday at their home in the 10300 block of South Forest Avenue and threatened her with a kitchen knife in front of children, prosecutor Brad Dickey said.
She ran to Terry’s home, where police were called, Dickey said. Terry, 55, and the woman then went back to the Jackson home, and Jackson came outside and confronted them.
Jackson then went back inside and came out threatening Terry with a kitchen knife, Dickey said. When Jackson swung the knife, Terry fell to the ground and Jackson jumped on top of him and stabbed him repeatedly. Jackson fled in a van, police said.
Terry staggered home bleeding and gasping for air and collapsed on his porch, Dickey said. Terry was declared dead about an hour later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office, which ruled his death a homicide.
Jackson worked in the Chicago Public Schools Safe Passage Program through Pfleger’s church, St. Sabina. The program pays employees with grant money to help children get to and from school safely.
Jackson fled the scene in a van, police said. He called Pfleger “crying and remorseful” Thursday morning, Pfleger said.
Pfleger said Jackson told him that Terry had punched him in the face and he stabbed him in a “knee-jerk reaction.” Jackson did not know that Terry had died when he called Pfleger.
Pfleger encouraged Jackson, who was “frightened,” to turn himself in and “let the court decide if it was self-defense.”
“We talked on the phone and he and I prayed together, and at that point he agreed to turn himself in,” Pfleger said.
Jackson surrendered to police at 9:25 a.m. Friday, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said numerous people witnessed the attack, and Jackson confessed to the murder on video.
Jackson was charged with one count of first-degree murder and Judge Edward Harmening ordered him to be held without bond Sunday.

Fairhope, AL: Veteran sheriff's deputy shot to death and partner critically wounded by suspect in domestic violence case


An Alabama deputy sheriff has been fatally shot and another deputy has been critically wounded in a confrontation with a suspect in a domestic violence incident, who was also killed Friday.
The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office said Deputy Scott Ward and his two partners were responding to a report of a Fairhope man acting aggressively toward his family. 
Authorities said deputies encountered the suspect, Michael Jansen, at his mobile home and ‘were engaged in an officer involved shooting’ when they were both gunned down.
This undated photo provided by the Baldwin County Sheriffs Department shows Baldwin County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Ward
Michael Jansen
Heartbreaking: Deputy Scott Ward, left, was responding to a call when Michael Jensen, right, opened fire, killing Ward and injuring another officer 
The deputies were airlifted by helicopter to USA Medical Center in Mobile, where Ward was pronounced dead. The second deputy was listed in critical condition and was undergoing surgery early Saturday.
It all started at 4pm when authorities said the three officers arrived at Jensen's home at 11830 Mallad Lane, AL.com reported. 
As they approached the residence, officials said the suspect pulled a gun and fired at the officers, killing Ward and injuring a second deputy. Their other partner was not hurt.
First aid: Ward and the other injured deputy were airlifted from the scene of the crime by a medical helicopter
First aid: Ward and the other injured deputy were airlifted from the scene of the crime by a medical helicopter
Grieving friends: Law enforcement officials gathered outside USA Medical Center in Mobile where Deputy Ward was pronounced dead and where his partner is undergoing surgery
Grieving friends: Law enforcement officials gathered outside USA Medical Center in Mobile where Deputy Ward was pronounced dead and where his partner is undergoing surgery
Jensen was also shot during the exchange and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
People who knew Ward, a 15-year veteran on the force, described him to Local15 as a good family man who cared deeply for the community he patrolled.

Haines City, FL: Woman charged with manslaughter in her husband’s death.

HAINES CITY — In past years, detectives say, James and Sheree Peters of Haines City have had a tumultuous relationship that often times turned violent and abusive.
Both of them, detectives say, have ended up in the Polk County Jail numerous times on domestic violence charges — against each other. Sheree Peters was arrested in July and September 2010, and this past January, for domestic violence against her husband, while James Peters got arrested in June 2006, September 2009, and last March 2010 for domestic violence against Sheree.
Now, that cycle of abuse, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says, has come to an end. More tragically, they note, it ended with James Peters’ death.
Polk County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives arrested 56-year-old Sheree Peters of 5560 Jennings Road in Haines City, and charged her with one count of manslaughter and one count of tampering with evidence in the death of her husband.
It’s not entirely clear yet what happened, noted Carrie Eleazer, the public information officer for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, since Sheree Peters gave what detectives say were conflicting statements about how her husband died. What is known is that a shotgun and cocaine play a part in this investigation.
It’s also likely, detectives say, that James Peters had been dead for a month before his body was discovered.
The investigation started when family members and a neighbor noticed that he had not been seen for weeks. Concerned, they approached Sheree Peters and asked about him, Eleazer said. But they did not get back a satisfactory response.
James Peters may have been dead for several weeks before relatives found his body, Polk County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives say.

“Sheree told several different stories about where James has been — hunting, or at the VA hospital, or outside working in the yard,” Eleazer noted in her report on the case.
The relatives would eventually go to the Peters residence to check on him. Detectives say on Friday, relatives “confronted Sheree in the front yard of her home and asked about James,” Eleazer noted. “Sheree began acting nervous and then said she had to leave to get gas.”
After she left, the relatives went into the home and made a shocking discovery. They found James Peters’ decomposing body laying on the ground, covered with a sheet.
The relatives contacted the sheriff’s office, and deputies began the hunt for Sheree Peters. She was found at a hotel room in Dundee. Deputies say Sheree also had crack cocaine with her.
She was taken into custody for questioning, and offered conflicting statements to detectives, Eleazer said.
“She has given deputies several different accounts of how James died, saying he was shot while the two of them were struggling with a gun,” Eleazer noted.
Although the suspect told detectives that the gun was still in the house, it was not found after detectives conducted a search there.
So detectives questioned Sheree Peters again about the gun, Eleazer noted, and this time got a different story.
“When asked again where the gun was, she then told detectives she sold the gun for crack cocaine,” Eleazer said.
She was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail, charged with both manslaughter and possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

Alton, ME: In Alton, a murder, a suicide, a mystery


Maine State Police have concluded that a husband stabbed his estranged wife to death and then killed himself with a gunshot last week at a home in the rural Penobscot County town of Alton.
A close friend of the man also was found shot dead, but the exact manner of his death remained a mystery Sunday.
Danielle Folsom Reed, 39, was killed Nov. 19 by Scott Reed, 43, who stabbed her multiple times in the neck and throat in what police characterized as a domestic violence homicide.
Scott Reed died several hours later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The third victim, Scott Reed's close friend Daniel Young, 41, of Bradley, also died from a gunshot wound to the head.
"We're trying to determine whether (Young) was shot by Reed or whether he killed himself,"Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said Sunday. "We still have more interviews to conduct to answer that one question."
Autopsies concluded that both men died of "close-contact gunshot wounds to the head."
The Reeds had been married for five years but had been living apart in recent months, police said. They did not have any children. Scott Reed had been out of state prior to the deaths.
An autopsy revealed Danielle Reed was killed early Monday afternoon inside a home the couple rented. Scott Reed then met up with Young at a restaurant in Bangor. They spent several hours there and returned to Reed's home in Alton about 5:30 p.m.
At 6:52 p.m., Reed phoned a female friend and asked her to meet him at the house. The friend called police at 7:23 p.m., after she discovered one of the bodies in an upstairs bedroom.
Police later found the two other bodies in the same room.
A suicide note written by Scott Reed and described by McCausland as "rambling" was found inside the house.
Police later discovered during interviews with people who knew Scott Reed and Young that both men had talked in the past about committing suicide, McCausland said.
Two guns were found at the home. One was owned by Young, but detectives have yet to determine who owned the second gun.
Scott Reed suffered a severe head injury in a car crash in the past year and was disabled, according to the Associated Press. It also reported that Danielle Reed worked at a restaurant on Mount Desert Island this summer, but most recently was looking for work. Young worked for a mortgage company in Bangor.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Woodbine, MD: Woodbine woman fatally shot; boyfriend charged


WOODBINE, Md. (AP) -  
Maryland State Police have arrested and charged a woman's live-in boyfriend after they say he shot and killed her Sunday during an argument.
 
Police identified the woman as Brittany Warfield, 21 of Woodbine. She was pronounced dead shortly after 9:00 a.m. Monday after she had been shot in the head. 
 
Police arrested William Brueckmann, 26, with first and second degree murder and manslaughter. Brueckmann remains incarcerated in the Carroll County Detention Center. 
 
Police say shortly after 9:30 a.m., Sunday the Sheriff's Office got a 911 call from someone reporting gunshots in a nearby residence during what appeared to be a possible domestic argument. When officers arrived, Brueckmann was found in the backyard of the residence holding Warfield, who was lying on the ground. 
 
Police observed Warfield had sustained what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head. She was flown to Shock Trauma where she later died. 
 
The preliminary information suggests that Brueckmann and Warfield lived together and an apparent argument ensued yesterday morning that resulted in the shooting. 
 
Police say Warfield had been preparing to move out of the apartment. 
 
A handgun was recovered from inside the home, as well as several other long guns.