Dispute Turns Relatively Quiet Neighborhood into Crime Scene

8-25-2012 Massachusetts:

Stockton Police are on the lookout for a man who cops say shot a 68-year-old family friend to death. The victim was a convicted sex offender.

The shooting happened early Saturday morning, with police responding to calls near Dwight Way and N Tuxedo Avenue. During the same shift, officers in Stockton were out on a violent crime sweep.

The only problem is they didn’t come to this area.

“Last night the multi-agency operation was all over the city,” Detective Joe Silva said. “We don’t have that large of a crime issue in that neighborhood,” Silva added.

68-year-old Jesse Jimenez was found shot and killed. His family told FOX40 that an argument broke out between Jimenez and a longtime family friend, 44-year-old James Morales. In the heat of it, they say Morales shot Jimenez, got up, and left.

Police believe the incident is not gang related.

It’s Stockton’s 44th homicide of the year. Compare that to only 26 last year at this same time.

The almost four dozen murders has the community shaken.

“To me it’s like being in an earthquake, but you can’t do nothing about it. You just try to ride through,” a neighbor said.

Police consider Morales armed and dangerous. He drove away from the murder scene in a small, white, 2006 Nissan Altima 4-door, with California plates 5WPB726. ..Source.. by KTXL-TV

Detective Says Pair Admitted To "Humiliation" Of "Old Man" For Allegedly Touching Child Inappropriately

8-21-2012 Georgia:

A city detective testified Tuesday that Jennifer Hatfield-Streeval, 32, and John E Moncier, 28, admitted to carrying out the "humilation" of "an old man" for allegedly inappropriately touching Ms. Hatfield-Streeval's daughter.

However, detective Luke Fuller said he talked with the child and she never mentioned being touched by 76-year-old Garner Isbill in the incident on March 18 at Motel 6, 7300 Lee Highway.

He said Ms. Hatfield-Streeval and Moncier admitted dragging the victim down a set of concrete steps and then stripping and beating him. He was found naked in a pool of blood. He later died in a hospital at Rome, Ga.

General Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell bound charges of criminal homicide, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault to the Grand Jury against the pair. They remain in custody.

Detective Fuller said Ms. Hatfield-Streeval told him that another woman at the scene informed her that Isbill had touched the daughter in a private area while she had gone down the hall to get an extra chair.

He said she stated that she punched him in the face, knocking him down. Then she dragged him out of the room and down the stairs before she and Moncier administered the kicking and stomping.

He said Ms. Hatfield-Streeval said his clothes were taken off to add to the "humiliation."

The detective said he found one of the victim's boots at the scene and it had blood on the sole. He said he inferred that it was also used in the attack.

He said Moncier also gave a statement and acknowledged helping carry out the beating.

The motel manager said he walked up and saw Moncier stomping the victim. He said he dialed 911.

Jody Hughan, girlfriend of Moncier who is pregnant with his child, said after she and Ms. Hatfield-Streeval returned with the chair, the girl told her that "she had been touched by the old man" between her legs. She said she relayed that information to Ms. Hatfield-Streeval and she told her to take the child off and she would "take care of the old man." She said she looked back and saw him being dragged down the stairs.

She said she later saw Moncier kicking the victim. She told him they should leave, and they headed for his brother's house in Cleveland, Tn. But she said they returned to the motel room when Ms. Hatfield-Streeval called and said everything was okay. She said the victim was still lying naked outside the motel when they returned. His clothes had been thrown nearby.

The witness said his face "was demolished" and he was breathing in an odd way.

Formerly of Bryant, Ala., Garner Isbill lived most of his life in Chattanooga and had lived the past year in Resaca, Ga. He was a United States Navy veteran having served during the Korean War.

Ms. Hughan said she knew him as a homeless man who was always drunk.

She said they were all drinking that night. She said another person who was with them, Brian Owings, was passed out on a bed and slept through the whole incident. ..Source.. by The Chattanoogan

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Charges Upgraded To Murder Against Pair After Garner Isbill Dies From Injuries

5-30-2012:

Investigators with the Chattanooga Police Department’s Homicide Unit have added the charge of criminal homicide against Jennifer Hatfield-Streeval, 32, and John E Moncier, 28.

They had previously been arrested for attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault for the assault of 76-year-old Garner Isbill on March 18 at 7300 Lee Highway.

Mr. Isbill succumbed to his injuries last Wednesday.

Police said the couple beat the victim, then dragged him down some concrete steps.

He was found in a pool of blood.

Formerly of Bryant, Ala., Mr. Isbill lived most of his life in Chattanooga and had lived the past year in Resaca, Ga.

He was a United States Navy veteran having served during the Korean War.

Survivors include his two daughters, Yvonne (Jimmy) Trammell, of Resaca and Rhonda Isbill, of Ringgold; sister, Patricia Isbill, of LaFayette; brother, Edward Isbill, of Chattanooga; three grandchildren, Blane (Amber) Parton, Kris (Ashleigh) Parton, and Chelsea Isbill; and two great-grandchildren, Blake Parton and Destinie Parton; and several nieces and nephews.

He was buried at the Chattanooga National Cemetery with his daughter, Pastor Yvonne Trammell, officiating. ..Source.. by The Chattanoogan

New Bern man shot to death in Pennsylvania

6-16-2012 Pennsylvania:

YORK, Pa. — A New Bern man who was wanted by Craven County Sheriff’s Department for failing to report his change of address as a sex offender was shot to death Friday night.

The victim was identified as Kanyleron Travanti McDavid, 29. York police said he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

According to media reports in York, the shooting came after a fight between the two men, involving a woman identified as McDavid’s ex-girlfriend.

York police said McDavid was shot during an altercation with another man, who fled the scene and was still at-large Saturday evening.

An arrest warrant was filed by the Craven County Sheriff’s Office in March against McDavid for failure to report his change of address at 312 Crescent Street in New Bern, according to the New Bern Police Department.

The North Carolina Department of Justice lists Kanyleron Travanti McDavid of Crescent Street in New Bern on its Sex Offenders registry.

The North Carolina Department of Justice website notes convictions in May of 2005 on two counts of indecent liberty with a minor. A convicted offender is required to report any change of address for 10 years.

A York police spokesman said the suspect was Rashaun Bush, 20, last known address in the 400 block of Walnut Street in York. Bush is described as 5-feet, 9-inches tall, medium build with black hair and brown eyes.

Police said he is considered armed and dangerous.

The York police spokesman said detectives would not return to work until Monday.

Police said they were called in at 11:55 a.m. to a home in the 400 block of Walnut Street for a report of a shooting.

Police arrived on the scene and found the victim unresponsive from multiple gunshot wounds. He was on the third floor of a residence in that block.

An obituary notice for McDavid was posted Saturday by Oscar’s Mortuary. ..Source.. by Sun Journal Staff

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New Bern Man Dead in Pennsylvania

6-22-2012 Pennsylvania:

A New Bern sex offender was shot multiple times in York, Pa., where he died from his wounds.

Police said Kanyleron Travanti McDavid, 29, died Friday morning. Investigators said McDavid became involved in an argument with 20-year-old Rahsaun Bush of York -- a dispute that turned fatal.

According to police, Bush was with McDavid's ex-girlfriend, when McDavid went to the woman's home and found the two together. A fight broke out, and police say Bush shot the New Bern native multiple times in the head and torso. Bush fled the scene and is still at large. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Craven County deputies had a warrant out for McDavid's arrest because he failed to notify officers of his change of address. McDavid has two sex offense convictions from 2006, both indecent liberties with a minor.

McDavid spent a year and two months in prison, with his last known address registered as 312 Crescent St., New Bern. Sex offenders must notify authorities of any address changes for 10 years following release. His whereabouts were last verified in January 2012.

The McDavid family will receive friends at the home of Kanshana McDavid 720 First Avenue in New Bern. Funeral arrangements are being made by Oscar's Mortuary, also in New Bern. ..Source.. by Mike Valerio

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U.S. Marshals arrest York homicide suspect in Harrisburg

6-19-2012:

United States Marshals arrested a man in Harrisburg this morning who is a suspect in a York homicide.

Rashaun Bush, 20, of York, was arrested inside a Thornwood Road apartment in Harrisburg after the United States Marshal Service developed information on Bush's whereabouts, marshals said.

Bush is accused of murdering 29-year-old Kanyleron Travanti McDavid. The incident occurred Friday after McDavid went to the home of a former girlfriend in the 400 block of Walnut Street in York and found Bush with his former girlfriend, marshals said. As a fight began between the two men, the woman took her children to another floor of the house where she heard gunshots and saw Bush flee, marshals said.

Police pronounced McDavid dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.

After an arrest warrant was issued charging Bush with criminal homicide, the York County Police Department requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force to locate and arrest the suspect.

Marshals said that Bush tried to flee, but he was arrested without incident.

Bush was taken to York Central Booking to be arraigned. ..Source.. by SHAWN CHRIST, The Patriot-News

Two sex offenders shot dead in Washington

This is to document one (Gary Lee Blanton) of two deaths on this date by the same perpetrator, Patrick Drum (Facebook Account). The story of the other sex offender murdered (Jerry Wayne Ray) is HERE

Note 6-13: See story of this date below "He had obtained names with research he had done with a computer," sheriff's detective Sgt. Lyman Moores said." Accordingly, the registry played a part in these two deaths!

Note: 7-1: Drum, while in jail awaiting prosecution for murder, stabbed another RSO with a makshift instrument.

Note: 12-4-13: See Followup story on Patrick Drum.

6-4-2012 Washington:

PORT ANGELES, Wash. -- A man with a reported hatred of sex offenders was arrested Sunday in Port Angeles for allegedly killing two men, both registered sex offenders.

Patrick Drum, 34, was arrested after a three-and-a-half-hour manhunt in dense woods with the help of dozens of law enforcement officers and a police helicopter.

Victims Jerry Wayne Ray, 56, and Gary Lee Blanton, 28, were found dead from gunshot wounds earlier at two separate houses.

Detectives said evidence from the crime scenes indicated Drum had an animosity toward sex offenders. The Associated Press reported a note was left behind in which Drum stated he hated sex offenders and "it had to be done."

Ray and Blanton were both Level II sex offenders.

The situation began early Sunday when Clallam County Sheriff's deputies found Ray dead in a home at 31 Heuhslein Road.

At the same time, a suspicious person report on Blue Mountain Road between Sequim and Port Angeles led detectives to an abandoned car. Inside the car, detectives said a note tied Drum to Ray's death.

Further evidence pointed officers to a house in Sequim, located at 5011 Sequim Dungeness Way, where Blanton's body was found.

A suspect search was launched, which eventually uncovered Drum in an area near Gellor Road and Blue Mountain Road.

Detectives said Drum knew both Ray and Blanton. Blanton recently moved into the house on Sequim Dungeness Way rented by Drum. ..Source.. by KING 5 News

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Two sex offenders shot dead in Washington

PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Sheriff's Office arrested Patrick B. Drum, 34, of Sequim on Sunday in connection with the murder of two registered sex offenders with whom he was acquainted. Sheriff W.L. Benedict said that according to evidence, Drum had a "particular animus toward sex offenders."

Early Sunday morning, authorities responded to 31 Heuhslein Road, East of Port Angeles. They found Jerry Wayne Ray, 57, dead of gunshot wounds in the woods.

At about the same time, deputies responded to a suspicious person near a house at milepost 6 on Blue Mountain Road, south of State Route 101 between Sequim and Port Angeles. There they found an abandoned car, and in it a note that tied the car's driver, Drum, to the crime scene where Ray was found dead.

Multiple agencies were called in to set up a containment that included a helicopter and a pair of K9 units. Drum was eventually captured in a densely forested area, after a man saw him and reported him to police. He was hiding in a shed.

During the search for Drum, police gathered evidence that led them to a second crime scene. There they found Gary Blanton, 28, dead from gunshot wounds. Blanton rented a room from Drum.

He was captured without incident in a woodshed off Blue Mountain Road after a resident spotted him. Drum had been considered armed and dangerous. Local residents were instructed via a reverse 911 system to stay inside and lock doors and windows.

"Scared, this little community," said Port Angeles resident Maxine King. 'We don`t want anybody like that to invade us. Drum is being held in Clallam County Jail in Port Angeles. ..Source.. by Kirsten Joyce Q13 FOX News Online

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Man suspected in slayings of 2 sex offenders

The Clallam County sheriff says a man suspected of shooting two sex offenders to death left a note saying he hated sex offenders and "it had to be done."

Sheriff Bill Benedict says investigators believe Patrick Drum shot Gary Lee Blanton on Saturday night at a home Drum was renting near Sequim. Blanton was renting a room in the home.

Benedict says Drum then drove to the home of Jerry Wayne Ray in the nearby Agnew area where he was killed.

The sheriff says Drum abandoned a rental car and reports of a suspicious man in the area Sunday led deputies to respond. The note in the car led to the victims and identified Drum as a suspect.

He was tracked and arrested in a wooded area after a 3-hour manhunt that included officers of the Sheriff's Office, U.S. Border Patrol, State Patrol, Port Angeles and Sequim police departments, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state Fish and Wildlife plus a helicopter from the federal Customs and Border Patrol agency, the Peninsula Daily News reported. ..Source.. by DOUG ESSER

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Second body found in Sequim; suspect remains in jail

PORT ANGELES -- Clallam County sheriff's deputies are now saying that two homicides were committed Sunday at separate locations, and that the 34-year-old man they believe committed both killings remains in Clallam County jail today.

Patrick B. Drum is being held for investigation into the slayings of Jerry Wayne Ray, 56, and Gary Lee Blanton, 28, both of whom the Clallam County Sheriff's Office said were Level III registered sex offenders, according to a statement issued by the Sheriff's Office.

Ray's body was found with multiple gunshot wounds at 31 Heuhslein Road in the Agnew area east of Port Angeles, the statement said.

Not long after that discovery Sunday morning, deputies responded to a suspicious-person call on Blue Mountain Road about six miles south of U.S. Highway 101 between Sequim and Port Angeles. There, deputies found an abandoned car with a note that tied the car's driver and suspicious person, Drum, to the Heuhslein Road crime scene, according to deputies.

Following a 3.5-hour manhunt that included officers of the Sheriff's Office, U.S. Border Patrol, State Patrol, Port Angeles and Sequim police departments, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state Fish and Wildlife plus a helicopter from the federal Customs and Border Patrol agency, Drum was captured near Milepost 0.6 on Geillor Road east of Blue Mountain Road.

The area is densely forested with many ravines and wetlands.

During the search for Drum, investigators acted on a tip and Sequim police units entered a residence at 5011 Sequim-Dungeness Way and found Blanton dead of several gunshot wounds.

Investigators said Drum knew both victims and had a "particular animus" toward sex offenders. He recently moved into the Sequim-Dungeness Way house rented by Drum.

More details are expected this afternoon. ..Source.. by Peninsula Daily News

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No bail: WA man accused of killing 2 sex offenders

6-5-2012 Washington:

A Washington man accused of fatally shooting two convicted sex offenders on the Olympic Peninsula indicated he didn't plan to stop with two, a prosecutor told a judge on Monday.

A Washington man accused of fatally shooting two convicted sex offenders on the Olympic Peninsula indicated he didn't plan to stop with two, a prosecutor told a judge on Monday.

Patrick Drum, 34, of Sequim, remained jailed without bail after a Clallam County Superior Court hearing.

A signed note Drum left in a rental car said he hated sex offenders and "it had to be done," the county sheriff said Monday.

Drum was arrested Sunday for investigation of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the weekend deaths of Gary Lee Blanton Jr., 28, and Jerry W. Ray, 56.

The arrested man "had stated his intent not to stop with two victims but to continue as long as he could until he was stopped by law enforcement," County Prosecutor Deb Kelly told Judge George Wood, according to the Peninsula Daily News.

A probable cause statement from the sheriff's office said "Drum also stated that he had intended on driving to Jefferson County where another sex offender resided, with the intent to kill him, too."

"Frankly, I'm concerned about the vigilante aspect," Kelly said.

Kelly told the judge she plans to seek charges of aggravated first-degree murder.

Drum, who yawned repeatedly during the hearing, told the judge he wanted to defend himself.

An aggravated murder conviction would carry the possibility of a death sentence. Wood appointed a lawyer to represent Drum.

A bail hearing was scheduled Wednesday.

A convicted felon, Drum is known to police in Sequim and Port Angeles as well as Clallam County deputies, Sheriff Bill Benedict said. The man served four years for drug-related offenses at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla, the newspaper reported.

At a news conference, the sheriff warned anyone considering continuing the violence.

"Anyone who is interested in taking things into their own hands and deciding to attack sex offenders in the community, we will deal with them very strongly," Benedict said.

Investigators say Drum shot Blanton on Saturday night at a home Drum was renting near Sequim. Blanton was renting a room in the home.

Drum then drove to Ray's home a few miles away where Ray was killed early Sunday morning, Benedict said.

For some reason, authorities say, Drum abandoned a rental car he had been driving and was seen on foot in the remote area of the northern Olympic Peninsula. Reports of a suspicious man in the area Sunday led deputies to respond. They found the car and the note inside that led to the victims and identified Drum as a suspect.

The note was "apologizing to police for what he had done," Benedict said, and it said, "It had to be done."

Drum was arrested after a manhunt involving about 65 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies. Dozens of officers responded to the area, and Drum was tracked down by a dog team and flushed out of a wooded area by a Customs and Border Protection helicopter Sunday.

Drum knew both men were sex offenders. Both were shot multiple times, the sheriff said, adding Drum was armed with a 9mm pistol when he was arrested.

"He took full responsibility for `taking care of some problems,'" Benedict said Monday. ..Source.. by DOUG ESSER

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Vigilante justice is anything but

6-4-2012:

For the record, it didn’t have to be done.

I refer to the fatal shooting of two sex offenders, Gary Blanton and Jerry Ray, on the Olympic Peninsula over the weekend. The Trib report details a brief killing spree allegedly planned and carried out by one Patrick Drum, who left a message inside his abandoned car stating “it had to be done.”

If “it” refers to killing, a highly likely assumption, then I strongly disagree.

This story has already generated comments praising Drum for allegedly killing two people. The reason is clear – when it comes to sex offenders the mob is quick to reach for pitchforks and torches.

It is easy to understand the scorn our society holds for those who prey on the bodies and souls of the most vulnerable among us. When I have been required to interview these sleazy degenerates, the term that would best describe this experience (at least one suitable for newsprint) would be revulsion. Extreme revulsion.

Sure, plenty of people may want to cheer when two felons, convicted of sex crimes, get what their killer considers their due. That, however, is an instinct better left for those species below us on the food chain.

Vigilante killing is a violation of every painful step our society has taken towards a fair judicial process. We are still taking those steps, because obviously our system is not the blind and objective pinnacle of justice to which all men and women can turn. We have a long way to go towards that point, but we have made much progress over the years.

Our criminal justice system views the taking of a life as the consummate expression of inhumanity. Perhaps more to the point, homicide is an act of utter hopelessness. This might be better understood by people who have actually witnessed the act or aftermath of violent death. From that perspective the lifeless form of another human being is a visceral and stark reality. In the case of a homicide scene, the killer’s presence is as palpable as the body itself. It is a shocking and abhorrent image.

Such were my thoughts when I read the article on the Olympic peninsula killings, which included reader comments such as, “the gene pool needs a little cleaning.” The only real message in this piece of misplaced bravado is the depressing sense that life has little value, a theme we typically attribute to third world countries.

Our justice system, for all its faults, is the product of our collective will, and it was created to repudiate this notion. Life is sacred and people deserve a chance to defend themselves from the presumptive judgment of one person.

Now that he has been arrested for homicide, Patrick Drum should consider that fact. ..Source.. by Brian O'Neill

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Two sex offenders shot dead in Clallam County

6-4--20012:

PORT ANGELES – Police in Clallam County say the man accused of killing two sex offenders may have been planning at least one other in a neighboring county.

Clallam County Detective Sergeant Lyman Moores said Patrick Drum, 34, shot and killed the two men at two different homes sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Police said Drum, a convicted felon, was spotted around 6:30 Sunday morning, in an area around Blue Mountain Road near Port Angeles. A homeowner had called police to say Drum was on their porch and acting strange.

The call came around the same time the wife of Gary Blanton called police to say she feared for her husband’s well being. Blanton, a registered sex offender, had recently moved in with Drum.

After a massive manhunt involving dozens of deputies in the dense woods near Port Angeles, police captured Drum. They say he admitted shooting killing Blanton and another registered sex offender named Jerry Ray outside Port Angeles.

Moores said Drum admitted he killed both because of their sex offender status.

"He has made a statement to detectives that these two were sex offenders and that was the motivation," said Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict.

Detectives said Drum intended to kill a third sex offender in Jefferson County, but they gave few clues as to why he chose the men. Detectives were looking for a computer Drum may have recently sold to see if he was researching his victims.

Moores said a rental car, registered to Drum, was found on Blue Mountain Road. It contained an empty box of 9mm bullets and a note expressing he was “sorry for the disturbances.” Police said there were empty 9mm casings near Blanton’s body, and Drum was carrying a 9mm handgun at the time of his arrest.

Neighbors of both the murdered men in the rural part of the Olympic Peninsula were reluctant to say what they thought of the vigilante action, but the county's top cop dismissed any other notion besides cold premeditated murder.

"Anyone who is taking justice in to their own hands and attacking sex offender in this community, we'll take care of them very, very strongly," said Benedict.

Drum has a lengthy criminal history, which includes drugs and assault. He is being held on $2 million bail, pending likely murder charges later this week. ..Source.. by King5 News

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Wife of slain sex offender: 'Nobody has any compassion'

6-5-2012:

The wife of a convicted sex offender who was targeted and killed over the weekend said Tuesday she’s sickened by people who have called the man accused in the crime a hero.

Gary Blanton was one of two sex offenders shot and killed by Patrick Drum in Clallam County, investigators said.

“My husband wasn’t a predator,” Leslie Blanton said. “My husband was the victim of a horrible murder and nobody has any compassion about that. They don’t care.”

In a statement, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said evidence suggested that Drum “had a particular animus towards sex offenders.” Police said Drum wanted to kill more of them.

“My husband’s a good man,” Leslie Blanton said. “He’s been there for us, and now we don’t have him and he’ll never come home.”

She said her and her husband, who was a Level 2 sex offender, have two children who will now never know their father.

“He’s not God,” Leslie Blanton said of Drum. “He doesn’t get to decide when people get to live and die. What kind of hero makes babies victims? ‘Cause that’s what my kids are now.”

Drum remains locked up in the Clallam County Jail. ..Source.. by KIROTV.com

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Man accused of killing sex offenders due in court

6-13-2012: In the morning

The suspect accused of killing two Clallam County sex offenders purely because of their status will be in court Wednesday to answer to charges.

Patrick Drum, 34, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, accused of shooting and killing Gary Blanton and Jerry Ray, both Level Two sex offenders.

Officers said Drum sought out Ray, 56, and Blanton, 29, at their homes. Blanton had recently just moved into a house in Sequim with Drum.

After Drum was arrested in the woods between Sequim and Port Angeles, Clallam County Sheriff's deputies said the convicted felon may have been planning to kill another sex offender in nearby Jefferson County.

Drum has a lengthy criminal history, including drugs and assault. ..Source.. by KING 5 News

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Judge refuses attempted guilty plea in killings

6-13-2012 Washington: In the PM after court:

A Washington man charged with aggravated murder in the shooting deaths of two convicted sex offenders was prevented from pleading guilty Wednesday — although he tried.

"I don't need this court," Patrick Drum, 34, of the Olympic Peninsula town of Sequim, told Clallam County Superior Court Judge Ken Williams. "I'm guilty. I want to plead guilty."

The judge told Drum that under state law, he could not yet accept that plea, the Peninsula Daily News reported (http://is.gd/blJZKl ).

Williams noted County Prosecutor Deb Kelly has said she's considering whether to seek the death penalty. She has another 30 days from Wednesday's arraignment to make that decision.

Aggravated murder is punishable in Washington by either death or life in prison without parole.

Gary Lee Blanton Jr. and Jerry W. Ray were killed in separate shootings earlier this month. The county sheriff has said a signed note Drum left in a rental car said he hated sex offenders and "it had to be done."

Drum's attempted plea surprised both Kelly and Drum's court-appointed lawyer, Karen Unger.

"I don't recall ever having a murder defendant try to plead guilty at an arraignment," said Kelly, who has worked in the county prosecutor's office for 22 years.

Drum told Williams he wanted to represent himself. He said the same thing at an earlier hearing to a different judge, but that judge appointed Unger to represent him. Unger said Drum had not told her about his plan to plead guilty.

A probable cause statement from the sheriff's office, filed earlier with the court, said Drum had stated he planned to drive to nearby Jefferson County and kill another sex offender there.

"He had obtained names with research he had done with a computer," sheriff's detective Sgt. Lyman Moores said Wednesday.

Investigators say Drum shot Blanton, 28, on the night of June 2 at a home Drum was renting. Blanton was renting a room in the home.

Drum then drove to Ray's home a few miles away where Ray, 56, was killed early on June 3, Sheriff Bill Benedict has said.

For some reason, Drum abandoned a rental car he had been driving and was seen on foot in the remote area of the northern Olympic Peninsula. Reports of a suspicious man in the area brought deputies, who found the car and the note inside that led to the victims and identified Drum as a suspect. Drum was arrested later on June 3.

State Corrections Department records show Drum has served time for convictions that include burglary and drug possession. ..Source.. by Palm Beach Post

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Patrick Drum Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murdering Sex Offenders Gary Blanton, Jerry Ray

9-19-2012:

A man who killed two registered sex offenders in Washington this summer, because he said "it had to be done," was sentenced to life without parole for the vigilante murders yesterday.

Patrick Drum, 34, first killed his roommate, 28-year-old Gary Blanton in their Sequim home on June 2. After shooting Blanton, Drum drove to Jerry Ray's house, killing him the following morning.

Witnesses called authorities to report seeing a suspicious man in a wooded area of the Olympic Peninsula. The search turned up a rental car abandoned by Drum and containing a note assuming responsibility for "taking care of some problems," the Associated Press reported.

The note also said "it had to be done," according to Fox News.

Police used dogs to track Drum down, ending a three-hour manhunt. Once captured by officers, Drum told a detective he gunned down the two men "because they were sex offenders," and would have killed more if he hadn't been stopped, NBC News said.

Blanton was found dead inside the padlocked home he shared with Drum. Blanton had been convicted of rape as a teenager. His wife claimed that he'd been falsely convicted for having consensual sex with a freshman when he was a senior in high school, the Sequim Gazette reported.

Ray pleaded guilty in 2002 to raping a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old, the Gazette said.

Drum has a previous criminal record too, including convictions for burglary and drug charges, Reuters reported.

Attention from the killing earned Drum the support of some fans who have stalked the Blantons' home and spat on them, Blanton's wife said, according to KOMO.

“It was never my intent to hurt the families involved," Drum said in court, according to the Peninsula Daily News. "That's like collateral damage."

There was extra security on hand in the courtroom Tuesday to protect Drum, Fox News reported. ..Source.. by Michael McLaughlin

Two sex offenders shot dead in Washington

This is to document one (Jerry Wayne Ray) of two deaths on this date by the same perpetrator, Patrick Drum (Facebook Account).

Note 6-13-12: See story of this date below "He had obtained names with research he had done with a computer," sheriff's detective Sgt. Lyman Moores said." Accordingly, the registry played a part in these two deaths!

Note: 7-1-12: Drum, while in jail awaiting prosecution for murder, stabbed another RSO with a makshift instrument.

Note: 12-4-13: See Followup story on Patrick Drum.

6-4-2012 Washington:

PORT ANGELES, Wash. -- A man with a reported hatred of sex offenders was arrested Sunday in Port Angeles for allegedly killing two men, both registered sex offenders.

Patrick Drum, 34, was arrested after a three-and-a-half-hour manhunt in dense woods with the help of dozens of law enforcement officers and a police helicopter.

Victims Jerry Wayne Ray, 56, and Gary Lee Blanton, 28, were found dead from gunshot wounds earlier at two separate houses.

Detectives said evidence from the crime scenes indicated Drum had an animosity toward sex offenders. The Associated Press reported a note was left behind in which Drum stated he hated sex offenders and "it had to be done."

Ray and Blanton were both Level II sex offenders.

The situation began early Sunday when Clallam County Sheriff's deputies found Ray dead in a home at 31 Heuhslein Road.

At the same time, a suspicious person report on Blue Mountain Road between Sequim and Port Angeles led detectives to an abandoned car. Inside the car, detectives said a note tied Drum to Ray's death.

Further evidence pointed officers to a house in Sequim, located at 5011 Sequim Dungeness Way, where Blanton's body was found.

A suspect search was launched, which eventually uncovered Drum in an area near Gellor Road and Blue Mountain Road.

Detectives said Drum knew both Ray and Blanton. Blanton recently moved into the house on Sequim Dungeness Way rented by Drum. ..Source.. by KING 5 News

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Two sex offenders shot dead in Washington

PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Sheriff's Office arrested Patrick B. Drum, 34, of Sequim on Sunday in connection with the murder of two registered sex offenders with whom he was acquainted. Sheriff W.L. Benedict said that according to evidence, Drum had a "particular animus toward sex offenders."

Early Sunday morning, authorities responded to 31 Heuhslein Road, East of Port Angeles. They found Jerry Wayne Ray, 57, dead of gunshot wounds in the woods.

At about the same time, deputies responded to a suspicious person near a house at milepost 6 on Blue Mountain Road, south of State Route 101 between Sequim and Port Angeles. There they found an abandoned car, and in it a note that tied the car's driver, Drum, to the crime scene where Ray was found dead.

Multiple agencies were called in to set up a containment that included a helicopter and a pair of K9 units. Drum was eventually captured in a densely forested area, after a man saw him and reported him to police. He was hiding in a shed.

During the search for Drum, police gathered evidence that led them to a second crime scene. There they found Gary Blanton, 28, dead from gunshot wounds. Blanton rented a room from Drum.

Apartment Manager Found Dead In National City

5-15-2012 California:

Tenant Called Police After Finding Body

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. -- The manager of a small apartment complex in National City -- a man said to have been a child molester -- was found dead early Tuesday on his door step, with multiple signs of trauma to his upper body, police said.

A tenant of the complex in the 300 block of Norton Avenue told investigators he was walking by and found the victim about 1 a.m., according to National City police.

10News reports the man was found naked with multiple injuries to his upper body.

The victim's 1998 Chevy Suburban was missing, National City police Lt. Jose Tellez told reporters. He described the vehicle as possibly silver, with a California license plate No. 4ANE923.

Police withheld the victim's name, describing him only as being "middle-aged."

Neighbors told 10News the victim was a registered sex offender, picking out the man's photo on the Megan's Law website. Police did not immediately confirm the report.

Megan's Law shows a 54-year-old registered sex offender lives at 319 Norton Ave. According to the website, the man committed a lewd or lascivious act with a child under 14.

The suspect is considered armed and dangerous.

At this time, police do not have a motive for the murder. ..Source.. by 10News.com

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Slain man found naked in doorway of apartment

5-15-2012:

NATIONAL CITY — Police are investigating the stabbing death of a man who was found lying naked in the doorway of his National City apartment early Tuesday.

The apartment belongs to a registered sex offender, Enrique Atilano, 53, but police have not said if he was the slaying victim.

A tenant at the four-unit complex on Norton Avenue off East Fourth Street discovered the body about 1 a.m., said police Lt. Jose Tellez.

The man, who tenants said had been managing the building for the past few weeks, had multiple stab wounds to his upper back and was lying face down in a pool of blood, Tellez said.

Atilano’s 1998 Chevy Suburban was missing from the apartment. It was located in Paradise Hills about 1:30 p.m. on Dissinger Avenue near Kausman Street, Tellez said.

The SUV had been set on fire. Witnesses reported seeing two men hurriedly leaving the vehicle and getting into a white truck, Tellez said.

No further description of the truck nor the men has been released.

Tellez said there were signs of a struggle inside the National City apartment where the victim was found along with bloody clothes and a knife that may have been the murder weapon. Blood was found in every room and smeared on some walls.

Detectives were going door to door in the neighborhood, a mix of single-family homes and apartments, and talking to residents.

About mid-morning, a Toyota sedan was towed away from the apartment.

A woman believed to be the victim’s girlfriend arrived at the apartment just before 7 a.m. and ran past officers and under the yellow police tape to the apartment. Visibly distraught, she was escorted back outside by officers and taken to the police station to be questioned.

Tellez said police had no suspect information and no motive for the killing.

Atilano is listed on the Megan’s Law website as having been convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14. No other information about him was immediately available.

Police have tentatively identified the man who was killed, but his name was being withheld until family could be notified. ..Source.. by Debbi Baker

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Man Accused of Killing Sex Offender Roommate Due in Court

5-29-2012:

CHULA VISTA (CNS) - A National City man accused of stabbing his sex offender roommate to death is scheduled to be arraigned at the South Bay Courthouse Monday.

Joel Gutierrez, 28, is charged with murder in the death of 53-year-old Enrique Atilano, who was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14.

A passerby found a wounded Atilano on his door step in the 300 block of Norton Avenue around 1 a.m. May 15, according to National City police. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Atilano and Gutierrez shared a unit in a four-unit apartment complex, police said. Gutierrez was arrested the next day. The motive for the slaying was unclear. ..Source.. by SanDiego6.com

Two men dead, one hospitalized in Dalton shooting

Posted in Related Deaths

4-12-2012 New Hampshire:

DALTON -- Two men are dead and a third was hospitalized following what law enforcement officials are calling an apparent shooting incident. The incident occurred yesterday at the residence of Wayne Ainsworth at 643 Whitefield Road in Dalton.

A joint press release issued early yesterday evening by N.H. Attorney General Michael A. Delaney, State Police Colonel Robert Quinn, Dalton Police Chief Mario Audit, and Whitefield Police Chief William Colborn said all three men, whose identities have not yet been released, had apparent gunshot wounds. The identities of the men were withheld last night pending notification of family members. Police said autopsies for the two deceased men will be scheduled.

Ainsworth made headlines in January 2010, when he was married to Joseph Besk, an inmate at the Northern NH Correctional Facility in a prison ceremony. At the time Besk was serving a 10-20 year sentence on felonious sexual assault charges. The two men met in prison while Ainsworth was also serving a 10-year sentence, the last five of which was spent in the same cell as Besk. The marriage was believed to be the first same sex marriage in the NH Correctional System.

It is unclear whether Ainsworth or Besk were involved in the Thursday afternoon incident. According to the NH sex offender online registry, both men resided at the Whitefield Road address.

Police said the investigation is still ongoing but there is no reason to believe the public is in danger. ..Source.. by Melissa Grima

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2 men killed at registered NH sex offenders' home

DALTON, N.H.—Two men were shot to death Thursday at a northern New Hampshire home listed on the state's sex offender registry. A third man was injured in the shooting.

Wayne Ainsworth, who lived in the home, was injured and was in stable condition at a hospital, said his sister, Shari Souliere, who was briefed by police. She didn't know who else may have been living in the home, and she wasn't provided with details about what may have transpired, she said.

Investigators didn't release the victims' names or other details about the investigation. But the attorney general's office said there was no threat to the public.

The state's sex offender registry lists two offenders at the address, 54-year-old Ainsworth and 48-year-old Joseph Besk. Both were convicted of aggravated felonious sexual assault. A story by The Berlin Daily Sun says the two married in 2010, while Besk was finishing his prison sentence.

State police were originally alerted around 1:15 p.m. Thursday.

Hours later, crime scene tape blocked the dirt road leading to the home at 643 Whitefield Road, and the attorney general's major crime unit was processing the scene Thursday evening. The attorney general's office said autopsies on the two deceased victims were scheduled. ..Source.. by Boston.com

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Roommate Shot Couple, Then Killed Himself

4-14-2012 New Hampshire:

DALTON, N.H. -- Investigators said it was the third man at the home of a Dalton married couple who fired the shots in what they're calling a murder-suicide.

Killed Thursday afternoon were Joseph Besk, 48, of Dalton, and Christopher Smith, 45.

Surviving is Wayne Ainsworth, 54, of Dalton.

According to a statement issued Friday from the office of the New Hampshire Attorney General, "The cause of Mr. Besk's death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the chest and neck, and the manner of death has been classified as a homicide. The cause of Mr. Smith's death was a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of his death has been classified as a suicide."

The investigation continues and no motive has been given in the incident that took place at the home at 643 Whitefield Road.

Besk and Ainsworth, who met in prison, made news in January 2010 when they were married at the Northern Correctional Facility, in Berlin, in what was likely the first wedding ceremony to take place in a prison since the state's same-sex marriage law went into effect Jan. 1 of that year.

On Friday, Besk's father, John Besk, of Merrimack, said he came to Dalton a month ago to visit his son, who he said was happy and looking for a fresh start in life by returning to school and starting a business.

Also on Friday, Joel White, a lifelong friend of Ainsworth, said Ainsworth has a sharp mind and love of books and has suffered a string of recent tragedies, including the loss of his father, mother and second wife.

Sources said that after the shooting Ainsworth was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon. On Friday, Dartmouth officials said the name of Ainsworth is not on the patient list that authorizes them to disclose patient information.

According to the Associated Press, Ainsworth's sister, Shari Souliere, said on Thursday that Ainsworth is in stable condition.

Both Ainsworth and Besk served prison sentences for convictions of sexual assault against minors and are listed on the New Hampshire Sex Offender Registry. Ainsworth was released in 2006 after serving a 10-year sentence and Besk was released last year after serving 18½ years.

John Besk and White had previously met Smith and both said Smith seemed pleasant and not the type of person who would commit the violence that took place Thursday. John Besk said he saw no signs of any trouble.

"He seemed like the nicest guy in the world," White said of Smith. "It seemed like the last thing you'd expect from him."

Both said Smith came from Maine. White said Smith had been living at the home off and on for several years. John Besk said Smith was a roommate who helped out by paying rent.

"We were shocked," John Besk said upon hearing that his son had been killed. "My daughter and nephew had just talked to him the night before. He was doing real well. He was happy."

Joseph Besk was registering for college courses in Berlin and trying to find a job and get his life back on track, said John Besk.

"He was a good son," said John Besk. "There was no problem when he was a kid. He just made a mistake due to being on drugs. He served 18 and a half years. He paid for it."

John Besk said Joseph Besk has two sons, ages 26 and 21, from a previous marriage.

Ainsworth also has children, a son and a daughter, from his first marriage, said White.

White said Ainsworth's second wife died suddenly several years ago, and in 2010, both his mother and father died, and all, he said, at the same house at which the shooting took place.

"He's lost a lot in a short amount of time," said White.

White, who runs White's Septic Service in Dalton, said he grew up with Ainsworth, whose family has a history in Dalton.

"He lived in South Berwick, Maine, and his parents had a camp on [Dalton] Mountain," said White. "That's how I met Wayne. He has always been really smart."

White said Ainsworth got high marks in high school, and after being sent to prison for what he said was a wrongful accusation, said Ainsworth was instrumental in advancing the prison library in Concord and setting up the prison library in Berlin. After his release, White said Ainsworth took courses at the technical college in Berlin.

White said he hires Ainsworth regularly for jobs and saw him as recently as last week.

"I'm just glad Wayne's alive," White said.

John Besk communicated with his son last week on the telephone.

"He seemed happy and was planning on coming down to visit," said John Besk. "He was doing good and straightening his life out and then this happened." ..Source.. by The Caledonian-Record

Police: Killer accused man of molestation, gunned him down

Posted in Related Deaths

1-26-2012 Washington:

A Des Moines man accused of killing a man after accusing him of molesting children has been charged with murder.

King County prosecutors contend Denzil R. Moore shot Thomas R. Humphries at point-blank range during an argument inside Moore’s pickup truck on Jan. 10. The Des Moines man and a purported accomplice are alleged to have then dumped Humphries’ body at a vacant house in Auburn, where it lay undiscovered for days.

“Moore effectively executed a man,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Don Raz told the court. Moore, 41, has threatened to kill others who know the details of the killing and is believed to have a list of people to kill, the prosecutor added.

A review of court records showed Humphries has not been arrested for or convicted of sex crimes in Washington. He was not listed on the county sex offender registry.

Police learned of the killing just before 11 a.m. on Jan. 14, when a gardener at a vacant Auburn home called 911 to report a body, Detective Buie Arneson told the court.

Mowing the lawn at the home in the 11100 block of Southeast 304th Street, the gardener noticed Humphries in the grass behind the home. When he found the 57-year-old man was dead, he called the police.

Officers responded to the scene and found Humphries partially stripped with his jacket pulled over his face, his pants around his knees and wounds to his torso and head. Two .22-caliber casings were found amid a pile of broken safety glass nearby.

A medical examiner later determined Humphries had been shot three times in the left shoulder; one of the bullets pierced his heart. He was also shot in the back of the head. A fifth round is believed to have struck his belt.

Having identified Humphries by his fingerprints, police contacted a friend of his the following day who said she’d last seen him on Jan. 9, five days before the body was found. At the same time, a King County deputy sheriff notified Auburn police that he had a witness to the killing – Glae M. Roland – in custody.

According to court documents, Roland, 34, told investigators that on Jan. 10 he met up with Moore, whom he knew well, and Humphries at a Goodwill store in Des Moines hoping to get a ride to work. All three climbed into Moore’s GMC pickup and headed toward Roland’s place of employment in Kent.

On the way, though, Moore began accusing Humphries of molesting children, Arneson told the court. As the argument intensified, the detective continued, Moore pulled a .22-caliber pistol and pointed it at Humphries.

Moore pulled into a gas station, Ernie’s Truck Stop, around 2:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. and shot Humphries at once, Arneson continued. Moore then drove from the area with Humphries mortally injured in his passenger’s seat.

Continuing to drive, Moore shot Humphries four more times as Roland looked on from the rear passenger’s seat, according to charging documents.

“Moore told Roland that he needed to call in and say that he would be late because they needed to get rid of the body,” Arneson told the court.

Moore then drove to the vacant home and, with Roland’s help, dumped Humphries’ body on the grass, the detective said in court documents.

Following the killing, Moore tossed some of Humphries’ belongings in the Green River, then spent $5 taken from Humphries at a convenience store, Arneson added.

Police contend the men returned to the house the night after the body was discovered to hide it better.

Gloved and masked, the men found the property had been cleared and that the body was gone, the detective told the court. They searched the area with flashlights and noticed orange spray paint marks left behind by death investigators.

Concerned that police had discovered Humphries, the men repainted the truck and concocted a story they would tell police if arrested, Roland allegedly told investigators.

Having taken Roland’s statement, officers arrested Moore at his Des Moines home. Moore allegedly told police the fabricated story Roland said they rehearsed after finding the body had been removed.

According to charging documents, Moore threatened to kill Roland, his family and at least one woman who learned of the killing if any of them spoke to police.

Jailed on $1 million bail, Moore has been charged with first-degree murder. Roland, who also remains jailed, has been charged with rendering criminal assistance to Moore following the crime. ..Source.. by LEVI PULKKINEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Cause of death determined in Romulus murder investigation

1-9-2012 Michigan:

Victim beaten, cut, suffocated

Romulus police are trying to figure out what happened to a 57-year-old Romulus man.

Frank Jones was found dead inside his home on Springhill Street Saturday morning by his son. Jones was found face down in the bathroom with his hands tied behind his back and a plastic bag over his face. The home had been ransacked, but police said none of the personal items inside the house were missing.

The medical examiner tells Local 4, Jones was beaten, cut and suffocated to death.

After the attack, Jones Ford Mustang was stolen from his driveway, but has since been recovered by Canton Township police. It was found Sunday morning in the parking lot of WalMart in Canton about 10 miles from the victim’s house.

Police are taking a close look at the victim’s car and investigating Jones past. Jones is listed on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for his connection to a child porn case that dates back to 2006.

Anyone with information is asked to call Romulus police at 734-942-8400. ..Source.. by ClickOnDetroit.com

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No arrests in death of Romulus man found bound with a bag over his head

1-9-2012 Michigan:

A 57-year-old man found in his Romulus home with his hands tied behind his back and a plastic bag over his head had been beaten on the head and suffocated, the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office said Sunday.

The victim was tentatively identified as Frank Jones.

Jones is listed on the Michigan sex offender registry under his address in the 15600 block of Springhill, where police said he lived alone. He was convicted of child sexually abusive activity in 2006, according to online records.

Romulus police said they are looking into Jones’ background, but declined to discuss his criminal history today.

Jones' body was found by his son Saturday. Police said the son had been trying to reach him by phone since Wednesday. When the son couldn't reach his father, he went to Jones' house on Springhill and found him facedown in a pool of blood in the bathroom. It's unclear how long he had been there.

Jones had wounds on his face and chest and shoulder areas, police said.

"It appears that there was a struggle in at least three areas of the home based on some evidence that was located," Romulus Police Capt. Derran Shelby said. He declined to say what that evidence was.

Police did not find any signs of forced entry to the home.

A bedroom was ransacked, and personal belongings were thrown around the room, police said. Investigators have not found the man's cell phone or wallet.

His 1999 yellow Ford Mustang convertible also was missing Saturday. Canton police spotted the unoccupied car in the parking lot of a Walmart store on Ford Road about 2 a.m. Sunday, Shelby said.

Surveillance video from the store showed it was parked there about 4:20 p.m. Saturday, Shelby said.

Police plan to obtain a search warrant to look for evidence inside the car today. They also are trying to retrace Jones' final weeks to find out who he was with before his death and what activities he may have been involved in.

"At this point, we're trying to really dig into his background, " Shelby said.

Family members gathered outside Jones' home Sunday. They said they didn't want to comment and asked for privacy.

Anyone with information can call Romulus Police at 734-941-8400. Police also want to hear from anyone who saw his 1999 yellow Ford Mustang convertible in recent days. ..Source.. by Elisha Anderson

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Sex offender found blugeoned to death

1-10-2012 Michigan:

ROMULUS, Mich., Jan. 10 (UPI) -- A Romulus, Mich., man was found suffocated and bludgeoned to death in his home, police say.

Frank Jones' son dialed 911 Saturday night to report discovering his 57-year-old father's body face down in a pool of blood on the bathroom floor of his home. The victim's hands were tied behind his back and his head was covered with a plastic bag. An autopsy showed the cause of death was blunt force trauma.

There were no signs of forced entry.

Romulus Police Capt. Derran Shelby told the Detroit News: "It was a brutal, torturous type of killing. There's nothing that leads me to believe this was random."

Detectives say a motive for the killing may be Jones' status as a convicted sex offender. He served three years in prison for attempting to arrange sex with a Oakland County Sheriff's deputy who was posing as a 14-year-old boy.

"At this point, it's too early to say if that definitely played a part, but it's an avenue we're investigating," Shelby told the Detroit News. ..Source.. by UPI.com

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Romulus police: Man charged in deadly beating

1-13-2012 Michigan:

ROMULUS, Mich. - Romulus police think they have solved the murder of 57-year-old Frank Jones, who on Saturday was found beaten to death in his home.

Michael Sutton, 41, of Canton Township was arraigned Friday on charges of first-degree murder and torture.

"Working backwards using phone records on the subject and the victim, and using search warrants we gained great intelligence," said Romulus Police Chief Robert Dickerson.

Police have not revealed a motive, but based on graphic text messages, they said they think the men had been intimate. They had known each other for about five years.

The medical rxaminer said Jones died of asphyxiation and blunt force trauma. His hands were tied behind his back, and a pillow case was taped over his head, police said.

Investigators said they think Jones drove Sutton to his home and Sutton allegedly stole the car after killing him on Jan. 4.

Three days later, Jones' son found the body in his father's bathroom.

Sutton was arrested Tuesday after a brief foot chase in Canton Township. He's being held on a $1 million dollar cash bond. ..Source.. by Roger Weber, Local 4 Reporter

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Canton Township man is arraigned in friend's slaying

1-15-2012 Michigan:

He is charged with torture, murder; victim found by son

A 41-year-old Canton Township man was arraigned Friday on charges that he killed a 57-year-old man found bound and beaten to death on his bathroom floor last week.

Michael Sutton was arraigned in 34th District Court on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder and torture in the death of Frank Jones.

Police said Jones was found by his son Jan. 7 face-down in a pool of blood at his home on Springhill Street.

Jones' hands had been tied behind his back, and a plastic bag was over his head. The son went to check on his father after he hadn't heard from him in several days.

Police said the killer drove off with Jones' yellow 1999 Ford Mustang, which was found Sunday in a Canton Township Walmart parking lot.

Police Chief Robert Dickerson said evidence found during the investigation led police to Sutton.

Physical evidence, as well as phone and data records, showed that Jones and Sutton had an "intimate relationship," the chief said.

"The suspect knew his victim very well," Dickerson said.

Police don't yet have a motive for the crime, he added.

Bond was set at $1 million. A preliminary exam is scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 25.

Dickerson attributed Sutton's arrest to a collaboration between the Romulus, Canton Township and Michigan State police departments.

"We are very pleased there is a suspect in custody for this violent and senseless murder," state police Capt. Monica Yesh said in a statement.

Jones was convicted in 2006 on child sex abuse charges. For that crime, he served three years in prison. ..Source.. by Candice Williams, The Detroit News

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Acquaintance charged in Romulus man's slaying

1-14-2012 Michigan:

A 41-year-old suburban Detroit man is charged with murder and torture in the slaying of an acquaintance found bound and beaten on his bathroom floor.

Michael Sutton of Canton Township was arraigned Friday in Romulus District Court. He was ordered jailed without bond.

Police say phone records show Sutton and 57-year-old Frank T. Jones shared an intimate relationship. Jones was found Jan. 7 in his Romulus home, southwest of Detroit. His hands were tied behind his back. A pillow case was over his head.

An autopsy revealed he had been beaten.

Jones' son went to the home after not hearing from his father for several days.

Sutton faces a Jan. 25 preliminary examination. The Associated Press could not determine Friday night if he had a lawyer. ..Source.. by mLive.com

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ROMULUS: Police confident they have sole person responsible in homicide

ROMULUS — Residents breathed a sigh of relief after learning there had been an arrest in the death of Frank Thomas Jones, 57.

Michael Sutton, 41, of Canton Township was arraigned before 34th District Magistrate Alan Hindman on Friday on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder and torture.

Bond was set at $1 million. Sutton is being held in the Wayne County Jail.

A preliminary examination of the evidence against him is set for next Wednesday.

Questions have continued in the community as to whether an additional person might have been involved in Jones’ death.

Romulus police Capt. Derran Shelby said Monday morning that he is confident the sole person responsible is in custody. Nevertheless, he said, anything is possible in an ongoing investigation.

Jones was found dead in his house Jan. 7 in the 15000 block of Springhill Street near Middlebelt and Eureka roads.

His son, Joshua Jones, had been trying to reach him for two days and decided to drive to his father’s house to check on him.

According to police, Joshua Jones found his father lying in a pool of blood with his hands tied behind his back and a plastic bag over his head.

Frank Jones’ yellow Ford Mustang was missing from outside the house and was found the next morning by Canton Township police in a Walmart parking lot on Ford Road. Continued... by Jackie Harrison-Martin

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Murder suspect to stand trial

3-22-2012:

Barring a new development, a Canton man accused of torturing and killing 57-year-old Frank Jones of Romulus is set to stand trial in May in Wayne County Circuit Court, authorities have confirmed.

Michael Joseph Sutton, 41, faces life in prison if he is convicted of first-degree murder, felony murder and torture following allegations he killed Jones, whose son found him lying face down in his bathroom Jan. 7 with his hands tied behind his back and his head covered by a plastic bag.

Sutton's trial has been scheduled for May 10 in front of Circuit Judge Timothy Kenny, according to Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Miller.

Sutton was ordered to stand trial during his Feb. 1 preliminary examination in Romulus 34th District Court.

Romulus Police Chief Robert Dickerson has said Jones and Sutton had an “intimate relationship” before Jones was killed. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled blunt force trauma as the cause of death.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Sutton faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Canton authorities have said Sutton lived in the Autumn Ridge apartment complex near Cherry Hill and Lotz roads before his arrest. Police have said Sutton was arrested near his residence after he tried to flee.

A cooperative effort among police agencies led to the arrest.

The day after Jones' body was found in a pool of blood in his bathroom, his Ford Mustang had been found in the Walmart parking lot on Ford Road east of Lotz, Canton Detective Sgt. Dave Schreiner has said.

Sutton was ordered jailed with a $1 million cash bond after his arrest. Romulus police have cited phone records and other evidence they say led to charges against Sutton.

Jones lived in the 15600 block of Springhill in Romulus and was a registered sex offender. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, he had served three years in prison for child sexually abusive material or activity.

Jones had been released from prison in August 2009. ..Source.. by Observer and Eccentric

Is Killing a Child Molester Worth It Even if You Get Caught?

Does not belong in "Related Deaths" no other person killed.

1-6-2012 Florida:

When most people talk about the "perfect crime," they're referring to one where the perpetrator gets away with it. I'd contend there's another definition. What about when you commit a crime against a criminal and get caught, but you walk away with a sense that you did the "right thing"? Confused? Take the case of Christopher Kubiak, a man who just saw his sentence reduced in the killing of a child molester.

Kubiak will spend the next 12 years of his life in prison. But there's that part of me that can't help wondering if his punishment was worth it. Florida prosecutors certainly seem to think so.

Kubiak could have received life in prison for killing his friend Joseph Brignoli, 33, on Super Bowl Sunday in 2011, but instead prosecutors took into account the testimony of a 13-year-old boy who says Brignoli had been sexually abusing him for quite some time, even videotaping the encounters (cops later said they found thousands of images and videos of child porn in the dead man's apartment).

There's also this scary fact: Brignoli -- who was the child's karate instructor -- showed up at the apartment complex where the boy's own father lived earlier in the day on Super Bowl Sunday. He shot off several rounds, apparently as a threat to the child's dad. One stray bullet even killed an innocent bystander. This sounds like one seriously bad dude.

No wonder later that night, back at Brignoli's townhouse, the boy found Brignoli's gun, picked it up, and debated killing his molester. He was afraid for his life! Fortunately, the child couldn't carry through. So Kubiak, who was also hanging out with his pal Brignoli and the child that night, did it for him. Prosecutors say he did it to protect the child.

Was he wrong? Absolutely. Ours is society that depends on people following the law. We have a justice system for a reason.

And yet, I can't help thinking about that kid. How scared must he have been? Here he was being sexual abused by his karate instructor, the type of person he should have been able to trust. And that man had a gun, which he had used that day, right near the boy's home.

If Kubiak had gone to the police, Brignoli might have been hauled off to jail, but that wouldn't make the fear go away for this kid. He could have gotten out on bail. Or he could have been sentenced, and the child would have to wonder what would happen when he finished his term in prison. We've all heard child molesters have one of the highest rates of recidivism among criminals. Even years later, the kid could have been at risk.

And what about a trial? Making that kid recount the horrid details of his abuse would be like making him relive them. Our justice gets so many things right, but the torture that victims endure at the hands of defense attorneys is one of its imperfections.

When a child is being hurt, we tend to do things we wouldn't do otherwise. I can't support killing a man, but I think I understand why Christopher Kubiak has impressed prosecutors enough to give him a break on his sentence.

Do you think prosecutors should show leniency when a child's life is being protected? ..Source.. by Jeanne Sager

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Charges reduced in Tarpon Springs slaying because shooter was protecting a child

1-6-2012 Florida:

Christopher Kubiak faced life in prison if convicted of last year's bloody, execution-style slaying of a martial arts instructor in the driveway of his Tarpon Springs home.

Kubiak, authorities said, had confessed to pumping 18 slugs from an automatic rifle into Joseph Brignoli on Super Bowl Sunday 2011.

But on Thursday, attorneys announced an unusual plea deal that reduced the first-degree murder charge against Kubiak to manslaughter and gave him a 12-year prison sentence instead of life. He will get credit for the 11 months he has already spent in the Pinellas County Jail.

The plea deal, authorities said, was arranged after investigators determined Kubiak, 21, shot 33-year-old Brignoli to protect a child from sexual abuse.

A 13-year-old boy present at Brignoli's home the day of the killing told Tarpon Springs police detectives that Brignoli, his martial arts coach, had sexually abused him on multiple occasions and even videotaped the assaults.

"We felt that, no, you are not justified in taking a life. You should be punished for doing that," Pinellas-Pasco Chief Assistant State Attorney Bruce Bartlett told the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday. "But given the circumstances, there is much mitigation to consider as to why (Kubiak) did what he did."

• • •

As the Super Bowl was wrapping up last Feb. 6, Brignoli's bullet-riddled body was found slumped against his garage door. He had so many wounds — seven shots to his head alone — that blood and brain tissue were splattered across the driveway.

Tarpon Springs detectives quickly tracked down a boy who was seen running from the scene. They soon determined that the boy spent a lot of time at Brignoli's home and that Brignoli had even told people the boy was his son.

Brignoli had recently argued with the boy's real father, who felt Brignoli was obsessed with his son and told him to back off. On the afternoon of Feb. 6, Brignoli went to the Palm Harbor apartment complex where the boy's father lived and fired multiple rounds from an assault rifle in the parking lot.

An errant bullet struck resident Jim Freeman in the face. Freeman, who did not know Brignoli, died about a week later from an accidental overdose of pain medication.

After leaving the Palm Harbor complex, Brignoli picked up his friend Kubiak and told him about shooting the gun at the father's apartment complex. The two then picked up the boy, and all three went to Brignoli's townhome on Flying Fish Lane in Tarpon Springs.

The boy told investigators Brignoli was drunk and berating him that night. The boy reported that Kubiak told him about the apartment incident and that he feared for the boy's safety.

The boy said Kubiak grabbed the AR-15 rifle —the same one used earlier in the drive-by shooting — and handed it to him. The boy pointed the gun at Brignoli, but struggled under the weight of it and dropped it, he said.

As Brignoli and Kubiak wrestled over the gun, the boy ran.

• • •

Kubiak got the rifle, forced Brignoli to his knees and shot him, police said.

Detectives got a search warrant for Brignoli's townhome and soon found disturbing images on his computer. In all, investigators said, they found "thousands" of pictures and videos containing child pornography in Brignoli's home.

"He seemed to have a preference for teens," said Tarpon Springs police Detective William Peters.

Peters declined to verify that the investigation has identified additional children sexually abused by Brignoli.

"Honestly, the only way I can answer that is to say there are several investigations that have spawned out of this, that are being investigated by other agencies," Peters said this week.

• • •

Neither Brignoli's nor Kubiak's family members attended Thursday's court hearing where Kubiak pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter. But a victim advocate read a statement from Brignoli's mother.

"A mother's love never ceases and along with murdering my son, the defendant has also murdered a piece of my heart. … Joe was 33 years old upon his death and he did not deserve to have his entire future taken from him with such brutality," the statement read.

In a phone interview, Kubiak's mother, Amy, said she did not attend the hearing at the request of her son.

At the time of his arrest, Kubiak was barred from the family home because of violent outbursts, she said. Kubiak was arrested at age 13 when he vandalized a school. He spent much of his youth in and out of juvenile detention facilities, Amy Kubiak said. As an adult, he was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, battery on a law enforcement officer and carrying a concealed weapon.

Through tears, Amy Kubiak said Wednesday her "heart is broken" over the entire situation.

"I have to walk with this for the rest of my life, as his mother, with a child I just totally adored," she said. "I have to take this into my life and know my son's a murderer.

"I don't want a child molester anywhere around my children, or around me," she said, "but it wasn't (Christopher's) job to do what he did. He should have just called 911, instead of doing what he did." ..Source.. by Rita Farlow

Authorities say woman stabbed Diamond Bar man to death before dismembering him

6-2-2011 California:

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A prosecutor said Thursday that the head and arms of a slain Diamond Bar man were recovered by police Wednesday in two large flower pots at a Bell Gardens house.

The victim, 63-year-old Samuel Wiggins Jr., was allegedly stabbed to death by his girlfriend, Carmen Montelongo of Riverside, then dismembered, authorities said.

Authorities believe both the killing and the dismemberment may have occurred at Wiggins' Diamond Bar home in the 23700 block of Meadow Falls Drive.

"Probably, but we can't be sure," said David Hidalgo, a supervising deputy district attorney in San Bernardino County.

Montelongo is accused of hiding Wiggins' head and arms in two separate flower pots that she delivered to a relative's home in Bell Gardens. She allegedly buried the rest of his body in the backyard of a relative's home in Ontario.

An autopsy was performed Thursday on Wiggins' remains. Based on the examination, a medical examiner found that Wiggins likely died from multiple stab wounds, said Deputy District Attorney Erica Gallegos, who attended the autopsy.

It also confirmed the body's identity through fingerprints, dentures and unique surgical scars, Gallegos said.

Montelongo was arrested Sunday in Ontario after she allegedly exhumed Wiggins' body in the backyard of a relative's home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue, then loaded the remains into a trash can.

Police arrested her after she wheeled the container about 200 yards through residential streets.

A cousin who lives at the Holmes Avenue address said this week that Montelongo may have buried the body about a month ago during what she said was a gardening project.

Hidalgo said police aren't certain of Montelongo's motive in her alleged killing of Wiggins. But he said it may have been for financial gain.

Montelongo used Wiggins' credit cards after his disappearance and was also in possession of his car, Hidalgo said.

When she was arrested, Montelongo told an officer that the body in the trash can was that of a man who assaulted her, according to a declaration from Ontario police Detective Al Parra contained in Montelongo's court file.

Montelongo's son and daughter were arrested at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of being accessories to Wiggins' killing.

Daniel Ortiz, 25, and Chanel Alicia Ortiz, 26, have not yet been charged by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office, but they may be after police deliver reports to prosecutors about the siblings' alleged crimes, Gallegos said.

Daniel Ortiz allegedly helped his mother deliver the flower pots in early May to a relative's home in the 6700 block of Foster Bridge Road in Bell Gardens. One of the pots contained Wiggins' head, and the other contained his arms, Gallegos said.

Gallegos said she did not know Chanel Alicia Ortiz's alleged involvement.

At Wiggins' home on Thursday, his son, daughter-in-law and neighbors were loading a moving truck with the man's possessions.

His daughter-in-law, Michelle Wiggins, said Wiggins' landlord asked his family members to clear out the home as soon as possible.

Michelle Wiggins said that Samuel Wiggins was retired, and a former serviceman who fought in the Vietnam War.

"He was a good man that didn't deserve this," she said. "He was a great father and father-in-law. He's going to be greatly missed."

Wiggins lived in the Meadow Falls Drive home for at least 10 years, neighbors said.

A woman who lives in the neighborhood said she believes Samuel Wiggins and Carmen Montelongo met through the Internet. She said she was unsure how long they dated, though she said she believed it was a short time.

The neighbor, who asked to remain unnamed, said Montelongo and her daughter also lived in Wiggins' home for a brief period.

Montelongo appeared in West Valley Superior Court on Thursday for a brief hearing in which Deputy Public Defender Rebecca Taft was confirmed as her attorney.

Montelongo's only statement during the hearing was "correct," which she said in response to a question from Judge Michael Libutti about whether she wished to be represented by Taft.

Montelongo is in custody in lieu of $1 million bail. She was handcuffed during the hearing and her legs were shackled.

She wore orange scrubs, which indicate she's being housed in the general population area of West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Taft said during the hearing that she plans to visit Montelongo today. Taft withdrew Montelongo's request at her arraignment Tuesday for reduced bail.

Montelongo is set to return to court Monday. Her children may also be arraigned today or Monday if they are charged in the case, Gallegos said.

Authorities have given conflicting statements as to Montelongo's true name and age.

Montelongo has been identified in some police news releases as Montenegro, but a police spokesman said Wednesday that Montelongo is her true name and Montenegro is an alias.

In mail scattered in the suspect's frontyard in the 6200 block of Indian Camp Road in Riverside, she is identified as Carmen Montelongo. She is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit in San Bernardino County under that name.

Parra identified her as Montelongo in his declaration of probable cause.

Montelongo also uses two different dates of birth - one that makes her 51, and another that makes her 44 - and authorities have given conflicting statements about which they believe is her true age. ..Source.. By Will Bigham Staff Writer

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Money, sex abuse possible motives in trash can body case, says San Bernardino County DA

6-3-2011 California:

Money and sexual abuse are two possible motives investigators are probing in the bizarre case of a Southern California woman charged with stabbing her ex-boyfriend to death, dismembering him and pushing his body parts down the street in a trash can, authorities said.

The San Bernardino County district attorney's office said Carmen Montenegro might have acted for financial gain in the killing of Samuel Wiggins Jr.

Investigators have surveillance video showing Montenegro, 51, using credit and ATM cards belonging to Wiggins after he disappeared on April 20, said David Hidalgo, supervisor of the district attorney's family violence unit. Montenegro also used the 63-year-old Wiggins' car in the days after his disappearance, he said.

Montenegro also told police that she had been sexually abused and authorities are also considering that as a possible motive, Hidalgo said.

Her public defender, Rebecca Taft, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Montenegro has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bail.

Authorities said she also has a criminal history under the name Carmen Montelongo, but charging documents in the current case list her last name as Montenegro.

An autopsy performed Thursday on Wiggins' remains determined he likely died from multiple stab wounds, Deputy District Attorney Erica Gallegos told The Sun of San Bernardino.

It also confirmed the body's identity through fingerprints, dentures and unique surgical scars, Gallegos said.

Montenegro was arrested Sunday at a house in Ontario, a San Bernardino County city 40 miles east of Los Angeles, after neighbors called police to say a woman was dragging what appeared to be body parts down the street in a 30-gallon trash bin.

Police found a torso and legs at the address, which was the home of some of Montenegro's relatives, and later discovered a head and arms in two large flower pots that Montenegro and her son delivered on Mother's Day to another relative's address in Bell Gardens, near Los Angeles.

The body parts all have been identified as Wiggins' and an autopsy was under way Thursday to determine how Wiggins was killed, authorities said.

Montenegro's two adult children were arrested late Wednesday on suspicion of helping their mother dispose of the remains.

Daniel Ortiz, 25, and Chanel Alicia Ortiz, 26, both of Riverside, were stopped in Rancho Cucamonga and could be charged as early as Friday, Hidalgo said.

It was not immediately clear if they had retained attorneys.

"It's hard to comprehend that someone could be so callous and pushing body parts down the street in a trash can like it was nothing," Hidalgo said. "She was desperate and she was looking for people to help her dispose of the body."

Authorities believe Montenegro killed Wiggins at his home in Diamond Bar, in Los Angeles County, and then transported the remains to her relative's home in Ontario, where she buried the body parts. She dug several deep holes and told relatives she was re-doing the garden, Hidalgo said.

Investigators have also discovered carpet at a home in Riverside where Montenegro was renting storage space, Hidalgo said. The carpet was in a large cardboard box that was used to deliver a sofa and is believed to have come from the victim's house, he said.

At some point, Montenegro uncovered the body and put the head and arms in flower pots that were delivered to the Bell Gardens address, he said.

A family member of Montenegro's, Matthew Bell, told The Sun that he saw Montenegro in a hole in the backyard of his grandmother's house on Sunday. He said he also saw her throw body parts in the trash can and that she offered him $5,000 to help dispose of the remains.

Bell said he instead went to call police and that Montenegro followed him with the trash can, still pleading for help.

She was arrested about 200 yards from the home. ..Source.. by Gillian Flaccus

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Money possible motive in US trash can body case

6-3-2011 California:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Money and sexual abuse are two possible motives investigators are probing in the bizarre case of a Southern California woman charged with stabbing her ex-boyfriend to death, dismembering him and pushing his body parts down the street in a trash can, U.S. authorities said.

The San Bernardino County district attorney's office said Carmen Montenegro might have acted for financial gain in the killing of Samuel Wiggins Jr.

Investigators have surveillance video showing Montenegro, 51, using credit and ATM cards belonging to Wiggins after he disappeared on April 20, said David Hidalgo, supervisor of the district attorney's family violence unit. Montenegro also used the 63-year-old Wiggins' car in the days after his disappearance, he said.

Montenegro also told police that she had been sexually abused and authorities are also considering that as a possible motive, Hidalgo said.

Her public defender, Rebecca Taft, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Montenegro has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bail.

Authorities said she also has a criminal history under the name Carmen Montelongo, but charging documents in the current case list her last name as Montenegro.

An autopsy performed Thursday on Wiggins' remains determined he likely died from multiple stab wounds, Deputy District Attorney Erica Gallegos told The Sun of San Bernardino.

It also confirmed the body's identity through fingerprints, dentures and unique surgical scars, Gallegos said.

Montenegro was arrested Sunday at a house in Ontario, a San Bernardino County city 40 miles east of Los Angeles, after neighbors called police to say a woman was dragging what appeared to be body parts down the street in a 30-gallon trash bin.

Police found a torso and legs at the address, which was the home of some of Montenegro's relatives, and later discovered a head and arms in two large flower pots that Montenegro and her son delivered on Mother's Day to another relative's address in Bell Gardens, near Los Angeles.

The body parts all have been identified as Wiggins' and an autopsy was under way Thursday to determine how Wiggins was killed, authorities said.

Montenegro's two adult children were arrested late Wednesday on suspicion of helping their mother dispose of the remains.

Daniel Ortiz, 25, and Chanel Alicia Ortiz, 26, both of Riverside, were stopped in Rancho Cucamonga and could be charged as early as Friday, Hidalgo said.

It was not immediately clear if they had retained attorneys.

"It's hard to comprehend that someone could be so callous and pushing body parts down the street in a trash can like it was nothing," Hidalgo said. "She was desperate and she was looking for people to help her dispose of the body."

Authorities believe Montenegro killed Wiggins at his home in Diamond Bar, in Los Angeles County, and then transported the remains to her relative's home in Ontario, where she buried the body parts. She dug several deep holes and told relatives she was re-doing the garden, Hidalgo said.

Investigators have also discovered carpet at a home in Riverside where Montenegro was renting storage space, Hidalgo said. The carpet was in a large cardboard box that was used to deliver a sofa and is believed to have come from the victim's house, he said.

At some point, Montenegro uncovered the body and put the head and arms in flower pots that were delivered to the Bell Gardens address, he said.

A family member of Montenegro's, Matthew Bell, told The Sun that he saw Montenegro in a hole in the backyard of his grandmother's house on Sunday. He said he also saw her throw body parts in the trash can and that she offered him $5,000 to help dispose of the remains.

Bell said he instead went to call police and that Montenegro followed him with the trash can, still pleading for help.

She was arrested about 200 yards from the home. ..Source.. by WFAA.com