NC- Knock on door leads to shooting death

11-1-2003 North Carolina

GREENSBORO -- Thomas Earl Alston told police he was watching television with his girlfriend Thursday night when there was a knock on the door.

The man at the door -- 28-year-old Chester Kendale Lane -- asked Alston, 32, for a ride, then pulled a handgun, Alston told Greensboro police. The pair, who apparently didn't know each other, wound up exchanging gunfire about 9:15 p.m. outside Alston's apartment at 1008-E Rucker St., Greensboro police Sgt. Jane Allen said.

Neighbors in Brevard Park heard eight to 10 gunshots. Lane dropped to the sidewalk, with two gunshot wounds, one to the chest and another in the right thigh, said Dr. Thomas Owens of the state medical examiner's office. Lane, who has Randolph County ties but whose address is unknown, died minutes later at Moses Cone Hospital.

The investigation continues and no charges have been filed while police investigate Alston's claims of self-defense. Allen said once the investigation is completed -- she's not sure how long that will take -- the case will be presented to the district attorney, who will decide if charges should be filed.

Alston could not be located Friday for comment.

Police are checking to see if Lane was involved in a breaking and entering of a nearby house minutes before the fatal shooting. Officers had been called to the Brevard Park neighborhood and heard gunfire when they were taking a report of a man who broke into a house at 3939-A McIntosh St. and shot at two female residents as they ran off to call police.

The women, whose names have not been released by police, were uninjured. A woman at the house Friday said the victims did not want to comment.

Lane is listed on the state's sex offender registry -- with his address listed as unknown -- for being convicted of taking indecent liberties with a 13-year-old girl in Randolph County in 1994. He served 2.5 years in prison for that charge.

N.C. Department of Correction records also show Lane was convicted of possession of cocaine in 1991 and 2001, larceny in 1998, disorderly conduct in 1999, driving while intoxicated in 1992 and 1998, and receiving stolen goods in 1993. He was listed as an absconder from justice because he had not been reporting to his parole officer, as
ordered, on his latest drug charge.

Relatives could not be located Friday for comment.

The case is the city's 29th homicide of the year. ..more.. by Amy Wolfford Staff Writer, News & Record

Geoghan's death voids conviction, prosecutors say

See 2014 article on this murder.

8-27-2003 Massachuettes:

Upsetting victims of clergy sexual abuse, prosecutors who won a guilty verdict against John J. Geoghan for molesting a 10-year-old boy said yesterday his conviction will be erased because the former priest died while appealing the case.

Case law dictates that the court where Geoghan was tried will be ordered to invalidate his 2002 conviction, said Emily LaGrassa, spokeswoman for the Middlesex district attorney's office.

"The Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that if a defendant dies while his appeal is pending, the indictments are to be remanded to the trial court with an order that they be dismissed," she said.

When he was found guilty in the 1992 indecent assault and battery case, Geoghan's conviction was seen as an enormous victory for victims of clergy sex abuse, and a vindication of claims that went unheard for decades. It was his lone conviction, although he had been accused of molesting nearly 150 children during his decades as a priest. He was awaiting trial in another child abuse case.

"The guilty verdict is a symbol which allowed many clients to regain some sort of self-esteem, dignity, and freedom from unnecessary guilt," said Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston lawyer who represents abuse victims. "The victims of John J. Geoghan will be extremely disappointed by the conviction being invalidated. It is another strange twist to a very strange and eerie saga."

Robert Sherman, a lawyer who also represents clergy abuse victims, added: "I think that the technical quirk in the law only serves to revictimize the victims. The satisfaction they received in knowing their complaints were vindicated by a jury now gets nullified by a technicality, and that does no justice to anybody."

Geoghan, 68, was murdered Saturday in his cell at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, allegedly by Joseph L. Druce, a fellow inmate who told investigators he had plotted the killing for at least a month.

Neither Geoghan's death, nor the nullification of his conviction, will have an effect on the civil cases against the church stemming from clergy sexual abuse, said Sherman, but erasing the conviction will be a step back for some victims. The jury's guilty verdict was a first hopeful sign that the legal system was behind the victims of alleged abuse, said William Gately, one of the New England coordinators of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests.

"I'm upset because victims need tangible awareness of the guilt of perpetrators," he said. "The crimes committed by John Geoghan are so profound and so damaging that they warrant a sentence of guilty. The lack of that can create for some a lack of resolution, both in an emotional and legal sense."

David Clohessy, national executive director of SNAP, as the network is called, said in one sense, the invalidation of Geoghan's conviction is "immaterial," but added it could do emotional harm to victims, particularly those yet to come forward.

"On an emotional level, I'm sure many of his victims will feel some degree of hurt and betrayal yet again," Clohessy said. "I also worry about the impact of this kind of news on the countless victims out there who have never reported their victimization to civil or criminal authorities, and who fight the pessimistic view that justice will never be done. My first thought is for some victim, sitting by the phone, deciding whether or not to call the police or prosecutors, and hearing this news and throwing up their hands and saying, `See, what's the use?' "

The conviction on the 1992 molestation, for which Middlesex Superior Court Judge Sandra Hamlin sentenced Geoghan to 9 to 10 years in a maximum-security prison, was an early sign to victims of alleged abuse that justice could be done, Clohessy said.

"It was very important because it shows that no matter how long ago the crime took place, no matter how aggressive the church's defense is, that sometimes, justice can prevail and abuse of kids can be prevented," he said. "Essentially, it helped send the message that regardless of what church leaders do or don't do, the civil authorities are finally beginning to treat abuse by clergy just like abuse by any other person."

But lawyer Eric MacLeish Jr., whose firm represents hundreds of alleged victims of clergy abuse, including some who have made accusations against Geoghan, said the victims to whom he has spoken are "appalled that this man died under these circumstances . . . but no one expressed disappointment over the fact that Geoghan's record has been erased."

"I don't think it means anything," he said. "He's dead, and it's a tragedy that he died [this way], and the Department of Correction has a great deal of explaining to do. I don't understand people who say `We're upset now that it means our allegations are not credible' because a conviction is technically invalidated."

In 1997, the Legislature tried to block the courts from clearing the records of inmates who die before their appeals are heard, after the convictions of John Salvi III were erased following his prison suicide. Salvi shot two women to death when he opened fire in two Brookline women's health clinics in 1994. The legislation, sponsored by then-Senator William R. Keating, now the Norfolk district attorney, passed in the Senate but not the House. Keating did not return phone calls yesterday. Requests for comment left at the home and office of Geoghan's attorney were not returned by last night. ..more.. by Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sex abuse priest killed in prison

2-23-2004 New Jersey:

Geoghan serving sentence for molesting boy in 1991

(CNN) -- Convicted child sex abuser and defrocked Roman Catholic priest John Geoghan died Saturday after he was apparently strangled by a fellow inmate at a Massachusetts prison, according to local officials.

Joseph L. Druce, 37, will be charged with Geoghan's murder, Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte announced.

Druce was serving a life term at the Souza Baranowski Correction Facility in Shirley, Mass., where Geoghan was apparently strangled, according to preliminary indications.

Autopsy results are still pending, Conte said.

Geoghan, 68, was assaulted around noon, then taken by ambulance to nearby Leominster Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:17 p.m., according to a news release from Conte's office.

Druce is being held at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute in Shirley. His case is scheduled to appear before the Worcester Grand Jury in September.

Kelly Nantel, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections , said the suspect was "immediately identified and isolated," following the attack.

The Corrections Department is working with the Worcester County District Attorney's office in the investigation, she said.

The Boston Archdiocese responded to news of Geoghan's death with compassion.

"Upon hearing the news of the tragic death of John Geoghan, the Archdiocese of Boston offers prayers for the repose of John's soul and extends its prayers and consolation to his beloved sister Kathy at this time of personal loss," said Father Christopher Coyne, a spokesman for the Archdiocese.

Last September, the Boston Archdiocese paid $10 million to settle a suit by 86 plaintiffs who said Geoghan sexually assaulted them.

A number of other lawsuits remain pending. Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who represents 147 alleged victims of Geoghan, said at least some of the cases will go forward.

"They would have liked to rather see Father Geoghan complete his sentence in jail, would have rather seen justice served, would have rather seen him involved as a defendant in further criminal trials," Garabedian said.

He called Geoghan's death "eerie" and "unsettling."
'Sordid story'

Notre Dame historian Scott Appleby put the number of "credible accusations" that were leveled against Geoghan during the course of his priesthood at 130.

"He was clearly a troubled soul," Appleby told CNN. "This was clearly a sick man and a predator priest. An icon for the scandal that has rocked the church."

He added, "While some might say, sadly, he got what's coming to him, I think the prevailing feeling is one of sadness for what he did, for the state of his own soul."

"It's a very sordid end to a very sordid story," said Luise Dittrich, communications director of Voice of the Faithful, a lay Catholic support group for survivors of sexual abuse by clergy.

"It's our feeling that a violent act like this does a lot of negative things to the psyche of survivors who are trying to heal and trying to come to peace with what has happened to them. Any kind of violence like this will just stir up pain all over again."

She added, "It's just hideous all around."

Geoghan was found guilty in January 2002 of molesting a boy in a swimming pool a decade earlier and sentenced to nine to 10 years in prison.

More than 130 people have accused him of sexual abuse during his 30-year career in six parishes. Geoghan was defrocked in 1998.

The 2002 verdict pertained only to one case in which he was charged with indecent assault and battery against a 10-year-old boy. The boy was a college student when he testified that Geoghan reached under his swimming suit and grabbed his buttocks while the two were in a pool at the Waltham Boys and Girls Club in 1991. ..Source.. by CNN

Child molester killed in prison!

12-18-2003 Indiana:

PERU, Ind. -- A state prison inmate was suspected of killing another prisoner while both were being treated in the Miami County Correctional Facility's infirmary, authorities said Friday.. The victim, David L. Hensley, 64, of Wardin, Mo., suffered multiple head wounds, state police Detective Michael Tarrah said. Hensley was pronounced dead at the prison about 50 miles north of Indianapolis after being found Thursday evening. ..more.. Associated Press)

Prisoner's death raises questions!

11-13-2003 Illinois:

Linda McDowell doesn't ask you to like her brother. She doesn't ask you to pity his impoverished upbringing. She doesn't ask you to excuse his violent crimes. She doesn't ask you to shed any tears. But she does want you to question his death.

Preston McDowell, 35, died last month at a Peoria hospital from injuries suffered at Pontiac Correctional Center. The Illinois State Police are investigating the death, which followed a scuffle with prison guards.

On Oct. 18, McDowell got into a scrap with another inmate in a cell at the maximum-security prison. Guards interceded, and McDowell ended up at a Pontiac hospital. He was soon transferred to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, where he died a week later. ..more.. by Phil Luciano

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sex offender, 35, battered in prison

10-27-2003

Illinois state officials are investigating whether officers at Pontiac Correctional Center severely beat an inmate last week, the Journal Star reported.

Preston McDowell, a 35-year-old repeated sex offender, has been at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria since Saturday. The hospital would not release any information about McDowell; however, sources said his beating was severe, resulting in multiple injuries. Sergio Molina, chief spokesman for the Illinois DOC, declined to talk in detail about McDowell. However, he did say, "This case is currently under investigation."

Sources told the Journal Star that Illinois State Police have been interviewing officers at Pontiac Correctional Center all week and that criminal charges against an unspecified number of officers are possible.

Sources say McDowell threatened another prisoner, and officers soon swarmed the two inmates. McDowell, who stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds, was repeatedly battered. He was sent to OSF Saint James Medical Center in Pontiac, then transferred to St. Francis.
No one else was injured in the beating. No officers have been suspended.

Pontiac Correctional Center is a maximum-security prison that houses inmates disciplined for infractions while in the custody of the Corrections Department. Some inmates are kept in single cells, while others have one cellmate. All prisoners are confined to cells a minimum of 23 hours a day. Some are allowed an hour of recreation, but troublemakers are kept behind bars around the clock.

Information was unavailable Thursday about McDowell's cell status and in-prison record.

McDowell has been serving time in Pontiac for two crimes. In 1991, he was sentenced in Winnebago County to 15 years' imprisonment for criminal sexual assault with force. In 1994, he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for aggravated battery with great bodily harm. That case was adjudicated in Will County, which at the time hosted two state prisons, and the battery could have occurred in prison.

The corrections web site lists his projected parole date as March 17, 2007. It also states he is on "medical furlough." McDowell's prison record also includes a six-year term for deviate sexual assault in Cook County in 1983.

Illinois State Police declined to discuss the investigation. ..Source.. by Peoria Journal Star

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Inmate's death raises questions

1-1-2004:

Convict feared prisoners were going to carry out `a hit' on him because guards wanted him dead

There's no question about how Preston McDowell lived--his own family describes him as a dangerous and troubled man--but little is known about how he died at Pontiac Correctional Center in October.

The Peoria County coroner lists "lack of oxygen to the brain" as the official cause of death, but provides no other information. The Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois State Police, who are investigating his death, also offer no explanation for how McDowell, an otherwise healthy man with a few years left on a rape sentence, wound up brain-dead in St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. ..Source.. by Rudolph Bush, Tribune staff reporter.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Health Care in Illinois Prisons

There are several well-documented cases of prisoners with severe psychiatric problems or mental retardation being physically abused by prison security staff. One well documented case at Pontiac in which the prisoner, Preston McDowell, was beaten to death by guards at Pontiac CC is still under investigation by the Illinois State Police three and a half years later following the determination by a Peoria County Coroner’s Jury that the death was a result of homicide by the guards.

Unless a prisoner dies as a result of a beating, however, there is no independent review of such beatings. Even in the case of another prisoner at Pontiac CC whose severe beating has been well documented by medical staff, there is no internal or independent outside investigation of the crime. ..more.. by

Three Tehachapi prison inmates, including two serving time for murder, have been identified as suspects in the slaying of an inmate in February.

1-1-2003 Bakersfield, California:

Investigators believe the victim, Raymond William Maxwell, 43, was targeted because he had been convicted of a sex offense and the suspects did not want any sex offenders in their cell block, search warrant affidavits say. ..more..

Sex offender and roommate slain!

Posted in Related Deaths ---- See earlier article about community protests as to Markvardsen and his fight in the courts to get Megan's Law declared unconstitutional, and taken down, but he lost that fight and was ultimately murdered (See below). (Posted in Related Deaths)

10-10-2003 Washington:

COLVILLE, Wash. -- A convicted sex offender and his roommate were shot to death at close range with a shotgun in their remote cabin in the Onion Creek area, officials said. The Stevens County Sheriff's Office on Thursday identified the victims as Russell Charles Markvardsen, 52, and Matthew Lee Raynor, 32. Both lived at the home where their bodies were found Tuesday night.

The men previously lived in a log home that was destroyed in a May 2002 fire that authorities investigated as a possible arson. At the time, the men told The Spokesman-Review newspaper they suspected arson because of possible prejudice against their homosexuality. ..more.. : by Associated Press.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wash. man arrested in killing of gay couple

10-17-2003 Washington:

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. (AP) | Police and sheriff’s deputies arrested a 32-year-old man Saturday in connection with the slayings of two men at their remote cabin in Stevens County. Richard L. Keenum was arrested at gunpoint shortly before noon as he tried to sneak away from the Valley Assembly of God Church in Spokane Valley, Cpl. Dave Reagan of the Spokane County sheriff’s office said.

Police and deputies had been observing the building after receiving information from authorities in Stevens County and Sandpoint, Idaho, about telephone calls made by Keenum from Spokane.

Stevens County authorities had said they had probable cause to arrest the man in connection with the slayings of two men four days before. Russell Charles Markvardsen, 52, and Matthew Lee Raynor, 32, were shot to death at close range with a shotgun in their cabin in the Onion Creek area.

The two men previously lived in a log home that was destroyed in a May 2002 fire that authorities investigated as a possible arson. At the time, the men told the Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane that they suspected arson because of possible prejudice against their homosexuality. ..more.. ALSO: See Google Book

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Washington state prosecutor Jerry Wetle sought the maximum sentence of 67 years, which was handed down last week, for Richard L. Keenum, accused of killing a gay couple in their remote cabin last fall.

COLVILLE, Wash. (AP) — Richard L. Keenum will serve at least 50 years in prison for the execution-style murders of two men in a remote cabin last October. Keenum, 32, insists he found Matthew L. Raynor, 32, and his roommate, 52-year-old Russell C. Markvardsen dead when he arrived to burglarize their home in the Onion Creek area, north of Colville. “I did not kill Russell Markvardsen, and I did not kill Matt Raynor,” Keenum said at his sentencing last week.

A jury convicted Keenum of two counts of first-degree murder earlier this month. Members of Raynor’s family joined prosecutor Jerry Wetle in calling for the maximum sentence of 67 years. Stevens County Superior Judge Rebecca Baker rejected court-appointed defense attorney Lorinda Noble’s request for a minimum sentence of 53 years.

Under state law, Keenum must serve at least 50 years. No motive was suggested for the slayings, but several witnesses said Keenum had made comments about disliking gays. Markvardsen and Raynor were partners. ..Source.. by The Express

MI- Background on Scott Woodring

Posted in Related Deaths

7-8-2003 Michigan:
Scott Alan Woodring, the man who kept police at bay in Fremont, is 40 years old. He is perhaps best known to many in the Fremont area for his stringent anti-government views.

Woodring's family describe him as a "non-violent" member of the Michigan militia and said that he does not trust the government. His family says he prepared heavily for Y2K and has stock piles of food and supplies in the house.

Reports indicate his only income was from a paper route. In 1996 he ran for Dayton Township Supervisor on an anti-government campaign. His family says he is religious and would spend hours studying the bible. His past criminal record includes receiving several tickets for not registering his car.

Late Sunday night authorities tried to serve an arrest warrant for soliciting sex from a minor.

His father was quoted as saying he didn't think his son would come out alive.

State police had said all along they wanted to end the standoff peacefully but were unaware of what Woodring had inside his home as far as weapons or explosives. Police had been engaging in so-called "scare tactics" such as using armored personnel carriers to circle the house, as well as detonation devices to keep their suspect on edge. Helicopters hovered day and night for surveillance and intimidation. Police never ruled out the use of force.

Woodring's family had wanted to negotiate directly with him. They said that's the only way to prevent further bloodshed. ..more.. by WOOD TV

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical Examiner: Woodring shot as many as four times

7-14-2003 Michigan:

New information on the autopsy of Scott Woodring shows he was shot as many as four times. The alleged killer of a Michigan State trooper was shot and killed by police Sunday morning.

According to the Kent County Medical Examiner, the autopsy reveals that Scott Woodring died within seconds after being shot.

Woodring was hit as many as four times, in Dr. Stephen Kohl's early estimate. Twice by a shotgun and once or twice with a rifle. The shot-gun blasts were fatal. One hitting Woodring in the head, the other in the throat. Dr. Cohle says Woodring does have a wound on his arm that is consistent with police reports that say he was turning and raising his rifle towards the officers.

Other information revealed in the autopsy shows that Woodring had apparently been eating. He wasn't emaciated, but there was no food in his stomach at the time of his death.

Monday police revealed more information about the week long search for Woodring. They believe he left the house around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, July 7th. They know that because an officer saw him, but no immediate action was taken.

"At that time we had the original team, that included Kevin Marshall, and were in the process of withdrawing them and inserting a fresh team. And during that confusion is when the call was made that someone was out on the north side," said Inspector Barry Getzen with the Michigan State Police.

Police say Woodring was finally located in Brunswick Sunday morning after he spoke to someone who knew him. That person quickly called police.

Police are now focusing their attention on anyone that may have helped Woodring in his attempt to escape police. If you have any information, you're asked to call 1-800-991-8477. ..more.. by WOOD TV See Also: Target 8 Investigation uncovers new information about deadly standoff in Fremont

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Police Shoot, Kill Michigan Fugitive

7-14-2003 Michigan

FREMONT, Mich. (AP) - A fugitive who slipped away from his home during a deadly police standoff early last week was shot and killed by police Sunday morning, officials said.

Scott Allen Woodring, 40, had been charged with killing Trooper Kevin Marshall during the 40-hour standoff. He had barricaded himself in his rural home July 6 as police attempted to serve a felony arrest warrant.

On Sunday, police received a tip that Woodring was in a vehicle behind a house, about four miles southwest of his Dayton Township home.

When officers arrived and ordered Woodring to remain inside the vehicle, he emerged with an assault rifle and turned toward them, state police inspector Barry Getzen said.

Police would not say how many times officers fired at Woodring, how many times he was hit or who owned the property where he was found.

Woodring was pronounced dead at the scene.

During the earlier standoff at Woodring's home, State Trooper Kevin Marshall was shot four times as he and other officers tried to storm the house July 7. Marshall, a 33-year-old married father of two, died in surgery later that day. Police don't believe Marshall was hit by another officer's fire, Getzen said.

Woodring escaped from the home sometime between July 7, when the team tried to stormed the house, and the afternoon of July 8, when fire swept through the home shortly after police shot a percussion device into the home in an attempt to stun Woodring.

Family members have said Woodring held strong anti-government and anti-authority views. ..more.. by AP

Man shot fatally outside his home: Victim a registered S.C. sex offender!

12-24-2003 North Carolina:
Bleeding from a gunshot wound to the face, a 22-year-old man stumbled into his James Island home early Tuesday, collapsed and died in front of his father, Charleston police said. Bernard Hamilton told police he awoke to gunfire at 12:45 a.m. and heard banging on the front door of his Westwood Drive home, said Lt. Richard Moser.

When he opened the door, he found his son, Tracy Bernard Hamilton, wounded, he said. "His son said, 'I've been shot,' and then he collapsed on the floor and died," Moser said.. Hamilton appeared to have been shot in the driveway of the home, which is in the Westchester subdivision, Moser said. Investigators have no suspects or motive in the slaying, he said. ..more.. : by GLENN SMITH, The Post & Courier Staff

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Carolina Cold Case: Holiday Homicide
12-8-2005 North Carolina:
James Island, SC - Police are questioning if winnings from a card game triggered a holiday homicide. The deadly Christmas-time crime remains unsolved after nearly 2 years. ABC News 4 opens the file of Tracey Hamilton and searches for answers, in tonight's Carolina Cold Case.

His friends called him "Fuddy." Tracey Bernard Hamilton, a loving son...with a son of his own...a child he'll never get to spend Christmas with. "He was a nice kind fella, who helped anybody he could have helped, trusted anybody he could have trust," says his father, Tracey Hamilton Senior. "Christmas is very hard, very hard," says his mother, Wilhelmina Hamilton.

Just two days before the holiday...December 23, 2003, the Hamilton's witnessed the worst night of their lives. Hamilton Sr. remembers hearing a shot in the middle of the night, but he thought it was a firecracker. He never imagined his son had been shot outside his home.

Hamilton was smoking a cigarette with his cousin outside his James Island home on Westwood Drive. Around 12:45 A-M, the two noticed a white honda accord creep past the house. When the car slowly turned around and drove back towards the driveway, concern set in. The car with two black males inside stopped in front of the house.

"One of the assailants exits the vehicle and approaches the two and as he approaches, my witness takes off running to the back of the house, leaving the victim here," recalls City of Charleston Detective Richard Burckhardt. Hamilton was shot in the head and allegedly robbed, but managed to stumble toward the house. His father, Tracey Hamilton Senior, awakened by the noise, went to the front door and found his dying son.

"He just said, they shot me and we hear the footsteps running through the yard and we hear a guy voice," said Hamilton Sr.

Hamilton reportedly attended a card game hours before he was killed. Information about Hamilton winning money in that game leads investigators to believe robbery was the motive. "They knew he was out here at this time and that he had something they wanted...that's what makes the most sense right now," said Burckhardt.

A likely motive to a senseless crime, keeping little Tracy Hamilton from ever knowing his dad. Hamilton's mother can hardly hold back the tears. "It just breaks your heart, every night, some nights you want to cry but you can't cry, it hurts more than people think, somedays you wanna cry some days you just hold it in."

Police want to know who "Fuddy" was playing cards with that December night. It's information that could lead detectives to the killer and bring closure to Tracy Hamilton's family this Christmas. ..more.. by Sarah DeMarco

Deputies get rare break in Sebastopol killing case: Investigation stymied until Graton man turns himself in, implicates boy

6-18-2003 California:
A 9-month-old Sebastopol homicide case that was headed for the unsolved mystery pile apparently was solved Monday after a 28-year-old man turned himself in, saying he wanted to unburden his guilty conscience. Miguel Olvera of Graton walked into the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department asking to speak with a detective about the Oct. 9 stabbing death of Gordon Fowler, 74, who lived just south of Sebastopol. Fowler's slaying had confounded detectives who decided just last week that the case was nearing a dead end. But Olvera told detectives enough to convince them he and a 15-year-old friend were involved in the Sebastopol-area slaying.

Olvera and the juvenile, whose name wasn't immediately available, were arrested on suspicion of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, burglary and car theft. Olvera was held being without bail in the Sonoma County Jail. The boy was at Juvenile Hall. During an interview Tuesday at the jail, Olvera, who was being held in the mental health unit, wept on and off and referred several times to the Ten Commandments. "I feel much better. I wanted to tell the truth ever since the day it happened," he said in Spanish. "Now I sleep much better at night." Olvera's comments during the interview incriminate the 15-year-old in the stabbing while shielding himself from blame, but Detective Dave

Thompson said Olvera implicated himself "quite deeply" with investigators. Investigators declined to discuss Olvera's statements in detail but characterized him as "extremely cooperative" and said he provided enough details to convince them he had first-hand knowledge of Fowler's death. "He said he had done some soul-searching over the past few days and decided to lay it on the table. He said, 'I know the consequences but I want to get this off my chest,'" Thompson said. After telling detectives how Fowler was stabbed, Olvera agreed to surreptitiously record a conversation with the 15-year-old, whom he said he knows only as Marcos, a Graton resident.

With detectives listening in Monday night, Marcos admitted his involvement, investigators said. He was arrested minutes later after a short foot chase, Lt. Bruce Rochester said. From jail, Olvera said he turned himself in to clear his conscience for hiding knowledge of the killing and to ensure Marcos doesn't kill again. He said his other inspiration was his 2-year-old son, whom he says he hopes will forgive him someday for his involvement. "I want to pay for my crime of robbery. But I'm innocent of murder. I don't have it in me to kill," he said. Olvera said he met Fowler, a resident of Sonoma County for 70 years, twice before the killing, the first time 15 days before the stabbing.

Olvera said Fowler and another man approached him on a street corner in Graton and offered him paid work. Assuming it was legitimate housework, Olvera accepted. But when they got to Fowler's house, Olvera said Fowler asked him, "Have you ever had sex with a man?" Olvera said he angrily rejected the advance and a minor scuffle broke out. He said he slugged Fowler, grabbed his wallet from his hand and left. Two days later, Fowler again approached Olvera on a Graton street, this time alone and with a gun, Olvera said. He said he asked Fowler what he wanted and offered to return his wallet, but Fowler told him he wanted Olvera to get him a boy under 18 for sex and he would pay him to do it.

Olvera said he told Fowler he would find a young person for him, "but only to get him to leave me alone. And he did leave." Detectives wouldn't confirm Olvera's account of the meetings but said the account is "not inconsistent" with what they were told. Fowler was registered as a sex offender after a conviction for a low-level sex crime decades ago, Sgt. Greg Contos said. Olvera said he wanted to tell police about Fowler after that incident, and he knew of others in his neighborhood who could vouch for him, but nobody wanted to be a witness because they were only interested in getting work. The next time he saw Fowler, it was the day of the killing. Olvera said he was with Marcos, again in Graton.

Olvera said Marcos urged him to rob Fowler again. Olvera said he resisted the temptation, but Marcos got into Fowler's car and drove off with him. Shortly after, Olvera said a horrible feeling came over him. He ran to Fowler's home, where he found a nervous Marcos exiting with a bloody knife in hand. "What have you done?" Olvera said he asked Marcos. He said Marcos said he killed Fowler. "Are you sure he's dead? Maybe we can still call 911 to help him," Olvera said. "'He's dead. I stabbed him about 30 times,'" Olvera said Marcos told him. Olvera said they panicked and decided to steal Fowler's car to escape. Although Olvera blamed Marcos for the killing, both face the same charges for now.

"We don't see any of this as a plausible defense to mitigate either of these guys' culpability," Sgt. Dave Edmonds said. "We found nothing to suggest this was justified and excusable." After the Oct. 9 slaying, detectives quickly exhausted the few promising leads. They found Fowler's car abandoned in a Sebastopol neighborhood but uncovered no worthwhile evidence inside. Distant relatives of Fowler's who had a history of criminal activity were interviewed in a Wyoming jail but were ruled out, Rochester said. Last week, homicide detectives talked about how it was beginning to look like the case was stalled. Olvera and Marcos never came into the picture before Olvera showed up Monday. Thompson, usually a domestic violence detective, interviewed Olvera because he speaks Spanish.

"It's not every day somebody walks into your office to talk about something of this scale," he said. "We get all kinds of people coming into the office to report all kinds of things, and you never know whether it's legit or not." Olvera may have been able to escape arrest had he not come forward. "There weren't any working leads," Thompson said. "He certainly could've gotten away with it legally, but morally he couldn't." ..more.. : by LORI A. CARTER and DELFIN VIGIL

Lexington Police Investigate Murder Of Convicted Sex Offender

12-6-2003 Kentucky:

Police were investigating the murder of a 78-year-old man found dead in his home Friday night.

Fayette County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve McCrown pronounced Joseph Pilger dead around 7 p.m. An autopsy found the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries, McCrown said.

Pilger, a 78-year-old convicted sex offender and retired catholic priest, was found murdered inside his Lexington home.

Pilger pleaded guilty in the early 90s to sexually abusing five boys he met through the church while working in the western part of the state. That abuse happened in the 1960s.

Neighbors say Pilger had a young man living with him for the last month, but that man's whereabouts now are not known. Pilger's car is also missing.

Police are looking for a suspect. ..more.. by WAVE 3 TV

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Priest Murder Suspect in Court

12-23-2003 Kentucky:

The man charged with the murder of a lexington priest appeared in court today. Jason Anthony Russell, 26, was arrested in Ironton, Ohio last week.

Lexington police obtained an arrest warrant for Russell last week from Fayette County District Court. Russell is charged with the murder of 78-year-old Joseph Pilger, who was found dead in his southeast Lexington home on Dec. 5. The Fayette County Coroner's office ruled Pilger died from multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

Police say Russell had stayed with Pilger at some point, but didn't know if Russell was living with the priest at the time of the murder. Russell, who was convicted in Henderson County in July 1997 of second-degree robbery and first-degree criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, finished a prison sentence on Oct. 13, state Department of Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Lamb said. Police recovered Pilger's car, which was reported missing, on Dec. 5 in the area in southern Ohio near where Russell was arrested.

Pilger pleaded guilty to sexual abuse in 1995 for abusing three brothers and their cousin in 1968 and 1969, when he was their pastor in Morganfield in western Kentucky. The victims were younger than 15 and serving as altar boys at the parish. ..more.. by WKYT TV

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lexington man gets 30 years for killing pedophile priest

10-22-2005 Kentucky:

A Lexington man who fatally beat a retired priest and convicted sex offender with a pickax was sentenced to 30 years in prison after a judge received a letter from four of the cleric's victims.

Fayette Circuit Judge Gary Payne could have given Jason Anthony Russell, 28, life in prison without parole for murdering the Rev. Joseph Pilger, 78. Russell avoided a possible death sentence by agreeing last month to life without parole.

Under the sentence handed down Friday, Russell would be eligible for parole in 25 years.

The judge received a letter from Michael Long, now of Austin, Texas, that said Russell had "done a society a favor" by killing a "pedophile monster that preyed upon innocent little boys while in a position of authority and calling him self a man of God."

Long also wrote on behalf of three relatives who were also molested by Pilger.

"The damage a pedophile inflicts on young children is life-changing and lifelong," Long said in his letter. "The entire emotional and developmental wiring as a child is changed forever. Pedophiles are nothing but human debris. I have, for years, wished to do what Mr. Russell did."

In 1995, Pilger pleaded guilty to abusing four boys in Western Kentucky when he was their pastor during the late 1960s at St. Francis Borgia Roman Catholic Church in Sturgis. In exchange for the confession, prosecutors recommended probation.

Long, who sued Pilger in the early 1990s, wrote that he now regrets not fighting the plea deal.

"If we would have been more adamant about his sentence, we would not be writing you now, and Mr. Russell would not be where he is as well," Long said. "So you see, even now after his death, I still feel guilt."

Pilger was found dead on Dec. 3, 2003.

Russell, who alleges he was sexually abused as a child, had been released from prison about two months before the slaying and lived with Pilger.

Russell has said he decided to kill him after the retired priest offered $5,000 to have sex with Russell's then-6-year-old son. Russell also claims that he had twice walked in on the retired priest masturbating with photos of Russell's son and catalog clippings of other children.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Lou Anna Red Corn objected to the judge's sentence. "You have put us in a situation of knowing our recommendations are meaningless," Red Corn said. "And in a position of making it difficult to make recommendations in the future."

The judge said he agreed with prosecutors that a harsh sentence was appropriate, but not necessarily life in prison. "Knowing the facts, knowing everything involved, at least what little I know, I don't think that is an appropriate sentence," Payne said.

State law does not require judges to abide by recommendations from juries or, in the case of guilty pleas, prosecutors. They frequently accept them, however. ..more.. by Associated Press

---

Man Claims He Killed Lexington Priest In 1993

11-20-2013:

It's been eight years since a man was sentenced to decades in prison for the murder of a former Lexington priest. Now, another man has written a letter to LEX 18, saying the wrong person was convicted.

Andy Turner, who's serving time in Eddyville for writing cold checks, wrote a five-page letter to LEX 18 taking responsibility for the 1993 murder of Joseph Pilger. It's a crime that Jason Russell already admitted to in 2005, and we talked to him right after his guilty plea.

The five page letter that was sent to LEX 18, the Governor's Office, Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson, the Innocence Project and Lexington Police's Homicide Unit, is titled: My Complete Confession.

Lexington Police and Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson confirm they received a copy of Turner's letter and they're looking into it, which is standard procedure.

In the letter, he writes that he had a sexual relationship with Pilger, who also supplied him pills. But when he got the feeling the 78-year-old was cutting him off, he writes that he grabbed a pick axe out of the garage and went back to the TV room. There, he hit Joe in the face, head, stomach and chest. Eight or nine times altogether, and stood there breathing hard realizing what he'd done.

But what makes this a little more complicated, is that Jason Russell, plead guilty to killing Pilger in 2005.He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He claimed he killed Pilger after catching him masturbating to photos of his 6-year old son.

"I have a hatred for people who mess with kids, there's been a lot of sexual abuse throughout my life," Russell said in an interview with LEX 18 just after he plead guilty to the charges.

Turner claims Tussell took the blame because he'd threatened his son. For that, Turner says he's sorry, and it's time for him to come clean.

Larson says to remember that Russell took full responsibility for the crime already and is serving a 30-year sentence for it. ..Source.. by LEX18.com