This blog is now our ARCHIVE, any new deaths will be posted in our NEW Blog.

However our work has not ended, we are continuing in our new blog HERE. One of several changes is, that we will no longer track foreign deaths. In our new blog we will focus on making statistics easier to understand and report from. Nothing is gone from this blog, it is still here for folks to see. All the work of past years is now folded into this report: Sex Offender Laws: Collateral Consequences - Killings and Murders. We urge folks to see that Lawmakers get that report. Hopefully changes in laws can be made which will PROTECT registrants and their families. We want to thanks those that have alerted us to articles we may have missed, and hope folks continue to do so in the future. If you have been following this blog, we URGE YOU, to follow the NEW BLOG to keep up to date on what is happening across the U.S.. For now have a great day and a better tomorrow. eAdvocate

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Commenting Policy Our blogs address the varying stages of a sex offender's circumstances: LifeBefore a conviction LifeDuring (prosecution for offense) LifeAfter when folks are back in the community Life in Civil Commitment Or after death (Murders, Suicides, and Related Deaths blogs) If your comment is within those realms, and of a reasonable size sticking to the Topic of the Post, except as noted below, it most likely will be posted,. Who May Comment: Since our blogs are intended for adult education, we will not post comments made by minors, and if we learn a comment has been posted by a minor, it will be removed. Thanks. WARNING: Some folks are not permitted to use the Internet (State registration laws or if under supervision and so restricted), if you are one of those folks please do not post comments. We do not want you to get into trouble. LINKS: If you post a comment which includes a link (URL) to somewhere else on the Internet, that link CANNOT be a tiny or other shortened link, ( Shortened or tiny links WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Folks that visit this blog need to know where a link takes them before clicking on that link. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy on links.). Respect: Comments are moderated and those that violate respect, in any way, or comments that could place this blog in legal jeopardy somehow, will be rejected. Comments that attack anyone will be ignored. It's that simple. Personal Information: It is not our policy to post personal information, and will reject a comment if it -in any way- points to where a person lives, or contains facts of crimes they may have committed. Personal stories are not appropriate for Post comments, please do not post such, as we will not post them. There are many laws which reference personal information and we do not intend to knowingly violate them. We do review every comment submitted and make a decision as to posting. Comments and Courts: Just in case folks haven't noticed, blogger comments are being prosecuted in courts. So you might want to see some we have saved for your review HERE and HERE. Folks should not underestimate the reach of the courts. Also remember, this is a place on the Internet, and the Internet has a memory and other folks will see what you post, today and into the future. PS: Since we do have a life please do not expect weekend comment updating. For the most part we update comments in the middle of the night, when Internet traffic is lowest. For now, have a great day and a better tomorrow. (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were)

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Privacy & the Internet We regard privacy and anonymity as one of our most important functions. We do not rent, sell or in any way exchange information about e-mail addresses of visitors or volunteers. The Internet, by virtue of technology, raises privacy concerns which individual websites and blogs cannot address. This policy does not cover privacy concerns related to your presence on the Internet. This policy covers information which visitors and volunteers present to this website. This site does not gather visitor's personal information. We do keep an incremental counter of our visitors. We do advise you, that there are companies and programs which have the ability to monitor Internet users when they are on a particular website. This site does not place cookies on your computer. However, visitors should know, that our sites are on a public Host Computer, and that host may or may not write cookies to your computer. What the host site does is not under our control. The only information sent to your computer is, information you select to read from our pages of information, which is sent to your computer. Your browser may or may not keep that information for a period of time. Contact the vendor of that browser for further information about that browser's operation. (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were) Copyrights Our blogs are protected by U.S. and International Copyright laws. The materials made available here cannot be reproduced, copied, or duplicated, on paper, disk or electronically, or by any other means without prior written consent. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, any of the materials, in whole or in part. You may not upload, post, reproduce or distribute such content protected by copyright, or other proprietary right, without getting permission of the copyright owner. All materials from our blogs are available for personal informational, educational, humanitarian and noncommercial use only. All Content is copyrighted, by the original author, or as a collective work under the U.S. copyright laws. "Fair Use" governs our resources, links, cited articles or works, should an original author request removal please contact us and we will remove it within a reasonable period, allowing for holidays and such. Fair Use: This site may contain copyrighted material or links the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of political, medical, scientific, economic, social justice issues, and for humanitarian purposes. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the information for research and educational purposes. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were) Resources and Links ** Web Site Resources ** Within our sites are direct links to other websites on the Internet which you can reach by clicking on links. Those sites contain information and may also endorse or advertise products. The presence of such link to other websites, should not be understood to mean we have any affiliation with them. We do not endorse, control or approve external information or products they may advertise, nor do we guarantee the accuracy of their information. However we are selective of whom we link to, and believe in their principles at the time we link to them. Your use of that information is voluntary, and before reliance on it, we suggest you perform your own independent review, to decide appropriateness for your purposes. Often we will cite case law and link to court decisions. Our main legal case sources are FindLaw.com Leagle.com and we are grateful for them, and wish them to have all credit for their work. When we cite cases from other sources (say State Court Appellate cases or others) we will name them to give them credit. Attribution & Copyrights of Other Authors' Works: In articles that we write or comment on, it is always our policy to credit authors. We carefully evaluate all web sources that we use and want those authors to receive recognition for their work. If we have erred, we would appreciate anyone bringing that to our attention so we may again evaluate that source and make corrections or deletions. ** Web Site Submissions ** We are always looking for ways to enhance our sites. However we are responsible for site content, excluding ** Web Site Resources ** therefore we conditionally accept submissions and reserve the right to review them. After review, we may decide not to include the submission or to change it before inclusion. Our "Mission and Deeper Purpose" govern our decisions. Please follow "Attribution & Copyrights of Other Authors' Works" on anything submitted. We thank visitors for submissions that enhance our sites. We do not reimburse visitors for submissions, and appreciate those who wish to make our sites better for the benefit of all visitors. (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were) Mission In our blogs we provide information about sex offender topics. We cover topics, issues, pending and historical court cases; and consequences facing, adult and juvenile sex offenders, in prison and LifeAfter in society. Current issues, sex offender registries, recidivism, dangerousness, risk assessment tools, therapy, civil commitment, subtle vigilantism, harassment and discrimination are all covered. Also other community concerns related to sex offender issues, and the United Nations human rights issues. These blogs are an advocacy central repository of information about sex offender issues, founded under Project Anonymity. Accordingly, we do not reveal any information about visitors or volunteers. The information found on these sites is not "Legal Advice." If anyone needs legal advice, please seek local legal counsel where you live, as those lawyers know local laws best. Our information comes from many folks, professionals and nonprofessionals of many fields, ex-offenders, their friends and family, and research we do on issues and concerns raised. While our advocacy keeps folks updated, it is intended to be educational for criminal justice and mental health professionals, and public policy decision makers, as well as offenders and their families and friends. Our mission of education and elimination of sexual abuse is accomplished through our deeper purpose, see below. It is our intent to create a respectful environment for understanding and healing, "a Discussion-Safety-Zone for related topics" while preserving our "Visitors' Zones-of-Privacy" and to interact without judgment. Today far too many communities fail to create these safety-zones! (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were) Deeper Purpose Our deeper purpose centers around the spirit and fundamental meaning of the United Nations, Declaration of Human Rights. We believe laws that have been -and are being enacted- to control previously convicted sex offenders, violate both the spirit and intent of the Declaration of Human Rights, as we have identified under each Article of that document. While recognizing past acts of these offenders, we do not condone or try to justify them. These acts are embedded in emotional history. For healing to begin society, victims, the offenders and their families must create an environment conducive to healing and restoration. Such an environment has followed every major war, and today society needs to rebuild itself; creating a LifeAfter Sex Abuses one case at a time. Unfortunately many folks believe in the hatred, the vindictiveness, the further retribution, the "separate them from us" colonizing the sex offender; societal relagation. This isolationism -a division of sorts- is precisely what perpetuates abuses. Society fails to recognize this. Today's laws are perpetuating isolationism preventing healing, and eroding fundamental rights of everyone. Our deeper purpose leans toward exposing myths and misconceptions, and revealing what masks truths about sex offenders. We foster understanding, promotion of healing and stop the witch-hunting of sex offenders that causes folks to isolate, which furthers the cycles of abuse. Society in general, buried in hatred, is unaware of what is happening in the name of public safety. The hysteria caused by misinformation about sex offenders is fueling vigilantism, harassment, protests, media frenzy, and the feel-good legislation. This drives the untreated sex offender underground into deeper isolation and triggers cycles of abuse. Society feels it should, divide and isolate themselves from sex offenders. However, that act perpetuates the abuse cycle. Many psychiatrists and other professionals have recognized this. So our deeper purpose is to show society the errors caused by misinformation, and to integrate sex offenders into mainstream society, rather than isolate them to a place where sex abuses occur. We are a "Human Rights" Advocacy website. Advocating for the LifeAfter offender and their "Zones of Associations," family, friends, associates, and many others who through life's circumstances cross paths with former offenders. Registries, community notification laws and other laws affect them as well. (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were)

This blog is now our ARCHIVE, any new deaths will be posted in our NEW Blog.

However our work has not ended, we are continuing in our new blog HERE. One of several changes is, that we will no longer track foreign deaths. In our new blog we will focus on making statistics easier to understand and report from. Nothing is gone from this blog, it is still here for folks to see. All the work of past years is now folded into this report: Sex Offender Laws: Collateral Consequences - Killings and Murders. We urge folks to see that Lawmakers get that report. Hopefully changes in laws can be made which will PROTECT registrants and their families. We want to thanks those that have alerted us to articles we may have missed, and hope folks continue to do so in the future. If you have been following this blog, we URGE YOU, to follow the NEW BLOG to keep up to date on what is happening across the U.S.. For now have a great day and a better tomorrow. eAdvocate

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Commenting Policy Our blogs address the varying stages of a sex offender's circumstances: LifeBefore a conviction LifeDuring (prosecution for offense) LifeAfter when folks are back in the community Life in Civil Commitment Or after death (Murders, Suicides, and Related Deaths blogs) If your comment is within those realms, and of a reasonable size sticking to the Topic of the Post, except as noted below, it most likely will be posted,. Who May Comment: Since our blogs are intended for adult education, we will not post comments made by minors, and if we learn a comment has been posted by a minor, it will be removed. Thanks. WARNING: Some folks are not permitted to use the Internet (State registration laws or if under supervision and so restricted), if you are one of those folks please do not post comments. We do not want you to get into trouble. LINKS: If you post a comment which includes a link (URL) to somewhere else on the Internet, that link CANNOT be a tiny or other shortened link, ( Shortened or tiny links WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Folks that visit this blog need to know where a link takes them before clicking on that link. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy on links.). Respect: Comments are moderated and those that violate respect, in any way, or comments that could place this blog in legal jeopardy somehow, will be rejected. Comments that attack anyone will be ignored. It's that simple. Personal Information: It is not our policy to post personal information, and will reject a comment if it -in any way- points to where a person lives, or contains facts of crimes they may have committed. Personal stories are not appropriate for Post comments, please do not post such, as we will not post them. There are many laws which reference personal information and we do not intend to knowingly violate them. We do review every comment submitted and make a decision as to posting. Comments and Courts: Just in case folks haven't noticed, blogger comments are being prosecuted in courts. So you might want to see some we have saved for your review HERE and HERE. Folks should not underestimate the reach of the courts. Also remember, this is a place on the Internet, and the Internet has a memory and other folks will see what you post, today and into the future. PS: Since we do have a life please do not expect weekend comment updating. For the most part we update comments in the middle of the night, when Internet traffic is lowest. For now, have a great day and a better tomorrow. (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were)

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Privacy & the Internet We regard privacy and anonymity as one of our most important functions. We do not rent, sell or in any way exchange information about e-mail addresses of visitors or volunteers. The Internet, by virtue of technology, raises privacy concerns which individual websites and blogs cannot address. This policy does not cover privacy concerns related to your presence on the Internet. This policy covers information which visitors and volunteers present to this website. This site does not gather visitor's personal information. We do keep an incremental counter of our visitors. We do advise you, that there are companies and programs which have the ability to monitor Internet users when they are on a particular website. This site does not place cookies on your computer. However, visitors should know, that our sites are on a public Host Computer, and that host may or may not write cookies to your computer. What the host site does is not under our control. The only information sent to your computer is, information you select to read from our pages of information, which is sent to your computer. Your browser may or may not keep that information for a period of time. Contact the vendor of that browser for further information about that browser's operation. (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were) Copyrights Our blogs are protected by U.S. and International Copyright laws. The materials made available here cannot be reproduced, copied, or duplicated, on paper, disk or electronically, or by any other means without prior written consent. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, any of the materials, in whole or in part. You may not upload, post, reproduce or distribute such content protected by copyright, or other proprietary right, without getting permission of the copyright owner. All materials from our blogs are available for personal informational, educational, humanitarian and noncommercial use only. All Content is copyrighted, by the original author, or as a collective work under the U.S. copyright laws. "Fair Use" governs our resources, links, cited articles or works, should an original author request removal please contact us and we will remove it within a reasonable period, allowing for holidays and such. Fair Use: This site may contain copyrighted material or links the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of political, medical, scientific, economic, social justice issues, and for humanitarian purposes. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the information for research and educational purposes. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were) Resources and Links ** Web Site Resources ** Within our sites are direct links to other websites on the Internet which you can reach by clicking on links. Those sites contain information and may also endorse or advertise products. The presence of such link to other websites, should not be understood to mean we have any affiliation with them. We do not endorse, control or approve external information or products they may advertise, nor do we guarantee the accuracy of their information. However we are selective of whom we link to, and believe in their principles at the time we link to them. Your use of that information is voluntary, and before reliance on it, we suggest you perform your own independent review, to decide appropriateness for your purposes. Often we will cite case law and link to court decisions. Our main legal case sources are FindLaw.com Leagle.com and we are grateful for them, and wish them to have all credit for their work. When we cite cases from other sources (say State Court Appellate cases or others) we will name them to give them credit. Attribution & Copyrights of Other Authors' Works: In articles that we write or comment on, it is always our policy to credit authors. We carefully evaluate all web sources that we use and want those authors to receive recognition for their work. If we have erred, we would appreciate anyone bringing that to our attention so we may again evaluate that source and make corrections or deletions. ** Web Site Submissions ** We are always looking for ways to enhance our sites. However we are responsible for site content, excluding ** Web Site Resources ** therefore we conditionally accept submissions and reserve the right to review them. After review, we may decide not to include the submission or to change it before inclusion. Our "Mission and Deeper Purpose" govern our decisions. Please follow "Attribution & Copyrights of Other Authors' Works" on anything submitted. We thank visitors for submissions that enhance our sites. We do not reimburse visitors for submissions, and appreciate those who wish to make our sites better for the benefit of all visitors. (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were) Mission In our blogs we provide information about sex offender topics. We cover topics, issues, pending and historical court cases; and consequences facing, adult and juvenile sex offenders, in prison and LifeAfter in society. Current issues, sex offender registries, recidivism, dangerousness, risk assessment tools, therapy, civil commitment, subtle vigilantism, harassment and discrimination are all covered. Also other community concerns related to sex offender issues, and the United Nations human rights issues. These blogs are an advocacy central repository of information about sex offender issues, founded under Project Anonymity. Accordingly, we do not reveal any information about visitors or volunteers. The information found on these sites is not "Legal Advice." If anyone needs legal advice, please seek local legal counsel where you live, as those lawyers know local laws best. Our information comes from many folks, professionals and nonprofessionals of many fields, ex-offenders, their friends and family, and research we do on issues and concerns raised. While our advocacy keeps folks updated, it is intended to be educational for criminal justice and mental health professionals, and public policy decision makers, as well as offenders and their families and friends. Our mission of education and elimination of sexual abuse is accomplished through our deeper purpose, see below. It is our intent to create a respectful environment for understanding and healing, "a Discussion-Safety-Zone for related topics" while preserving our "Visitors' Zones-of-Privacy" and to interact without judgment. Today far too many communities fail to create these safety-zones! (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were) Deeper Purpose Our deeper purpose centers around the spirit and fundamental meaning of the United Nations, Declaration of Human Rights. We believe laws that have been -and are being enacted- to control previously convicted sex offenders, violate both the spirit and intent of the Declaration of Human Rights, as we have identified under each Article of that document. While recognizing past acts of these offenders, we do not condone or try to justify them. These acts are embedded in emotional history. For healing to begin society, victims, the offenders and their families must create an environment conducive to healing and restoration. Such an environment has followed every major war, and today society needs to rebuild itself; creating a LifeAfter Sex Abuses one case at a time. Unfortunately many folks believe in the hatred, the vindictiveness, the further retribution, the "separate them from us" colonizing the sex offender; societal relagation. This isolationism -a division of sorts- is precisely what perpetuates abuses. Society fails to recognize this. Today's laws are perpetuating isolationism preventing healing, and eroding fundamental rights of everyone. Our deeper purpose leans toward exposing myths and misconceptions, and revealing what masks truths about sex offenders. We foster understanding, promotion of healing and stop the witch-hunting of sex offenders that causes folks to isolate, which furthers the cycles of abuse. Society in general, buried in hatred, is unaware of what is happening in the name of public safety. The hysteria caused by misinformation about sex offenders is fueling vigilantism, harassment, protests, media frenzy, and the feel-good legislation. This drives the untreated sex offender underground into deeper isolation and triggers cycles of abuse. Society feels it should, divide and isolate themselves from sex offenders. However, that act perpetuates the abuse cycle. Many psychiatrists and other professionals have recognized this. So our deeper purpose is to show society the errors caused by misinformation, and to integrate sex offenders into mainstream society, rather than isolate them to a place where sex abuses occur. We are a "Human Rights" Advocacy website. Advocating for the LifeAfter offender and their "Zones of Associations," family, friends, associates, and many others who through life's circumstances cross paths with former offenders. Registries, community notification laws and other laws affect them as well. (Please use your browser's back button to return to where you were)

Benton County Man Found Strangled in Cell

12-8-2012 Arkansas:

Matthew Scheile, 22, was found strangled in his cell at 1 a.m. Saturday morning in the Cummins Unit in Grady, Ar., the Department of Corrections said.

Scheile was serving a 48-month prison term for failure to register as a sex offender in Benton County. Corrections department spokesman Shea Wilson said Scheile, who was from West Fork and lived previously in Rogers, was originally convicted of sexual indecency with a child in 2010 in Cleburne County and sentenced to five years’ probation.

He was sentenced June 13, 2012 and was eligible for parole on March 15, 2013. Wilson said Scheile was Level 3 sex offender, which means police consider him a high risk to offend again.

Scheile’s cellmate, Robert Holland, 44, told prison officers that he strangled Scheile with a bed sheet Friday night and covered Scheile with a sheet to cover the crime, corrections spokesman Shea Wilson said. Holland is serving a life sentence for capital murder for shooting his parents in 1991 in El Dorado. ..Source.. by 5NewsOnline

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Prison inmate at Cummins reportedly strangled by cell mate

12-10-2012:

The Arkansas State Police are continuing their investigation into the death of an inmate at the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction who was allegedly strangled by his cell mate.

Matthew Scheile, 22, was found covered with a sheet in his bunk after his cell mate Robert Holland, 44, stopped a guard making rounds at 1 a.m. Saturday, department spokeswoman Shea Wilson said.

Holland reportedly told the guard he had strangled Scheile with the sheet at about 11 p.m. Friday, then covered up Scheile to conceal the incident.

Wilson said Holland was serving life without parole after being convicted of capital murder in Union County and came to the ADC on Nov. 12, 1991.

Scheile was serving a 48 month sentence from Benton County for failure to register as a sex offender. He was assigned to the ADC on June 22, and would have been eligible to apply for parole on March 15, 2013.

When the state police investigation is completed, it will be turned over to 11th Judicial District-West Prosecuting Attorney S. Kyle Hunter, who is prosecutor for Jefferson and Lincoln counties. ..Source.. by Ray King

Candler death ruled a homicide

11-28-2012 North Carolina:

CANDLER — Buncombe County investigators have determined that a man found dead in a wooded area last week is the victim of a homicide, Lt. Randy Sorrells said Tuesday.

The Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in learning more about the death of Thomas Curtis Reese, 29, who was visiting the Asheville area from Florida.

“Sheriff’s investigators have talked with witnesses who saw Reese and companions in the West Asheville and Candler area prior to his death,” Sorrells said. “The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who had any contact with Thomas Reese or may have seen him in the Asheville area to please call investigators.”

Residents cleaning up their property on Carrion Lane in Candler found the body around 11:45 a.m. Friday near the edge of their property line and called authorities. The Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and later deemed it a “a suspicious death investigation,” but declined to discuss the condition of the body when it was found.

Family members of Reese could not be reached for comment.

An autopsy was performed Monday, but Sorrells declined to release the cause of death. He also declined to talk about other details of the investigation, including whether authorities had a suspect. He said investigators were not aware of any disturbance in the area before the call from residents.

Seeking info

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Walt Thrower at 250-4449 or Crimestoppers at 255-5050.

Reese had a criminal history. He was a registered sex offender in Florida. He was convicted of sexual battery on a girl younger than 16 in June 2001, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

He committed burglary and grand theft in November 1999, according to online records from the Florida Department of Corrections. He was also charged with resisting an officer with violence in September 2000 and attempted burglary in January 2001.

He was incarcerated twice, according to online records. He was in prison from July 2001-January 2003 and again from December 2003-May 2010. ..Source.. by Citizen-Times.com

Homeless Sex Offender Dies; Van Amasses Tickets

This post documents the death of Faamamalu Casey mentioned at the end of this story.

While the article is about the death Thomas Craig who died in the van he has his own post elsewhere in the Murders blog, as does Nicolas Chaykovsky also mentioned at end of story.

12-11-2010 California:

While passing the Caltrain station earlier this week, one of the men we'd interviewed for our story on homeless sex offenders last year flagged us down. He'd said no one had seen Thomas Craig, another one of our sources in the story, for several weeks. Now the Ford Windstar that Craig slept in parked on Bluxome Street had been gathering parking tickets, and our informant speculated the worst: "I think he died in there. I told the fire department, but they just laughed it off."

The consequences of Jessica's Law have been sinister to Craig and others to say the least: Since the law mandates that sex offenders must live 2,000 feet away from a park or school, in San Francisco, their only option is to not have a residence at all. The parole department currently mandates that they remain homeless.

While the city mulls a change to how the law is enforced locally, the paroled offenders continue to sleep in vans parked in lots and alleys, in homeless drop-in centers, or in doorways. Law enforcement experts say the instability makes it more likely the sex offenders will re-offend. In Craig's case, he had been convicted of forced oral copulation with a minor, though he always insisted he'd been framed. He did tell us about how the sex offenders were no longer allowed to enter a program for parolees at Walden House since it was too close to a school.

The complications from Jessica's Law abound. Yet a man dying inside his van and lying undiscovered for weeks seemed to be taking the macabre circumstances up a notch.

We checked on the minivan various times this week and, yep, it had been pegged with three different tickets for parking during street cleaning since mid-November. On Wednesday, a pink notice that the city was going to tow the van appeared. The sheets that Craig usually hung inside for a modicum of privacy were still up. We knocked and there was no answer. The county jail said he wasn't in custody, and the medical examiner said they had no record of him.

Finally today, we met our informant at the Caltrain station again. "He died." But not in the van.

A call to the medical examiner cleared things up: Craig had checked into St. Francis Hospital.

on Nov. 14, saying he had lung cancer. His condition declined at the hospital until he died at 2 p.m. on Nov. 18, likely due to multiple organ failure from cancer.

This will be the third person made homeless by Jessica's Law to die that SF Weekly has learned of this year. First, Nicolas Chaykovsky died in February from a heart attack, with his case manager speculating it was living on the streets that did him in. Faamamalu Casey died of a heart attack on May 27, according to the medical examiner.

Craig's van, meanwhile, is still slated to be towed. Apparently a handful of the homeless guys stored their stuff in there. Since no one has a key, they're all going to lose their possessions now. "Can't inherit the car," our informant, who sleeps under a nearby highway, said with a wry chuckle. "He's gone. I hate to say it." ..Source.. by Lauren Smiley

2 arrests in sex assault suspect murder

12-2-2010 Missouri:

(KMOV) -- News 4 sources confirm a man found shot to death Tuesday at Route 66 State Park near Eureka was the owner of a south St. Louis comic book store and suspect in the rape of a 13-year-old.

Police found the car owned by Kenneth McClure, 57, Wednesday morning in south St. Louis.

That car was seen in the area of where McClure's body was discovered.
McClure was supposed to be in court Tuesday morning for a hearing related to his rape charge, but he did not show up.

A State Park Ranger found McClure's body on the ground in an area near where Highway 44 and the Meramec River meet at Route 66 state park. He was shot in the back of the head.

Police are still looking for the shooter. ..Source.. by KMOV News4

UPDATE 12-2: News 4: 2 arrests in sex assault suspect murder

(KMOV) -- News 4 has learned 2 suspects have been arrested in the murder of Kenneth McClure.

His body was found Tuesday at Route 66 State Park near Eureka. McClure, 57, was the owner of a south St. Louis comic book store and suspect in the rape of a 13-year-old.

St. Louis County police say the two suspects were arrested Wednesday morning and booked on 1st degree murder charges and armed criminal action. The charges were taken under advisement by the St. Louis County Prosecutor's office and the suspects were released from custody.

McClure was supposed to be in court Tuesday morning for a hearing related to his rape charge, but he did not show up.

A State Park Ranger found McClure's body on the ground in an area near where Highway 44 and the Meramec River meet at Route 66 state park. He was shot in the back of the head.

Man found dead in St. Louis County was arrested for rape in October

ST. LOUIS • A man found dead in St. Louis County Tuesday was charged earlier this year in a statutory rape case and had been arrested after a standoff with police in October, a relative said.

The man's nephew identified the shooting victim found by St. Louis County police at Route 66 State Park as Kenneth McClure, 57, of St. Louis. His body was found a few hours after he missed an appearance in the court case against him.

McClure was involved in a standoff with police Oct. 28 after they showed up at the comic book shop he operated to arrest him on charges of statutory rape, assault and unlawful use of a weapon. He was accused of sex with a 13-year-old girl.

McClure had a weapon when police showed up at Legends Comics and Sports Cards, in the 5800 block of Hampton Avenue. He put the gun to his head at one point but later surrendered to police. He was charged with resisting arrest.

St. Louis County Police on Wednesday afternoon confirmed Kenneth McClure was the man found at the state park.

St. Louis police said a car seen leaving the park and found later in the city is linked to McClure. They said the license plate belonged to McClure, though they said it didn't appear the plate matched the car. McClure's nephew said McClure had recently put the plate on the Camaro to move the car from storage.

Police found the body at Route 66 State Park, near the Meramec River and Interstate 44, while responding to a call of shots fired about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The area is at the entrance of the old Times Beach community. A ranger saw the older-model, dark-colored Chevrolet Camaro leaving the area. St. Louis County police said the car was the victim's.

The man, who appeared to be in his 50s, had been fatally shot. A ranger found the body under a bridge on the north outer road, according to Rick Eckhard, spokesman for the St. Louis County police.

Police on Wednesday morning recovered the Camaro. The car was discovered after 6 a.m. Wednesday at Juniata Street and Ohio Avenue.

McClure posted bond and was released from jail Nov. 4. He was scheduled to appear in Judge Michael Stelzer's court Tuesday morning on the charges against him.

Just before the 9 a.m. hearing, McClure called his attorney, Jim Pree, and said he had car trouble, Stelzer said. They waited, but when he still didn't show up, Stelzer issued a warrant for his arrest.

"This is the first time I was waiting for a client and I found out he was murdered while I was waiting," said Pree.

McClure was the "nicest guy you'd want to meet," Pree said, and professed his "absolute, complete innocence," in the sex case.

His nephew, Everett "Sonny" McClure III, 30, said the last time he spoke to his uncle was shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday, when his uncle called him telling him to go to the comic book store to check on the alarm system that had been tripped. Everett McClure said he assumed his uncle was calling from the courthouse. When Everett McClure arrived at the store, he found a note from his uncle instructing him on how to sell the Camaro. The salutation in the note said, "Love you stay strong for me."

He said he found out later Tuesday afternoon that his uncle was likely the man found dead in the state park near Eureka.

"I feel like I got cheated out of my goodbye," Everett McClure said. "To get the last chance to say goodbye, to say how I felt."

Everett McClure said police questioned him at St. Louis County Police headquarters for nine hours before releasing him.

The charges against McClure in the case stem from incidents between June 2008 and June 2009, according to court documents. He was accused of sex with the girl, pointing a gun at her, and hitting her with a back scratcher and a fly swatter, all in the 5800 block of Hampton. That's where the comic shop is located and also where McClure lived. ..Source.. by FROM STAFF REPORTS

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[UPDATE] Kenneth McClure: Man Killed at Route 66 Park Was Comic Shop Owner Accused of Raping Teen

12-2-2010:

Update: St. Louis County police have questioned two people on suspicion of killing McClure. Otis Richmond, 32, and Angel Scheibel, 25, live in the 3400 block of Juniata in south St. Louis, just down the street from where McClure's Camaro was discovered yesterday.

The two were arrested and booked early Wednesday and later released. The St. Louis County prosecutor's office is determining whether or not to file charges of first-degree murder and armed-criminal action. Their mugshots appear below. ..Source.. by Chad Garrison

Inmate killed in prison fight

11-7-2012 Ohio:

A former Massillon man serving a life sentence for raping a young girl was killed Tuesday night during a fight with his cellmate at the Mansfield Correctional Institution.

No charges have been filed in the case, which is being investigated by the Ohio Highway Patrol and the state’s Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Authorities say Robert Parr, 62, was unresponsive when security guards found him inside his cell at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday. He was rushed to Mansfield MedCentral Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:59 p.m. by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, said Lt. Anne Ralston, Highway Patrol spokeswoman. An autopsy is expected to be performed today, a Coroner’s Office spokesman said.

The suspect’s name is being withheld because he has not been charged, Ralston said. There is no timetable for the completion of the investigation. The Highway Patrol handles all criminal investigations on state-owned property. Ralston said the agency is cooperating with the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office on the case.

“We are gathering all the information and processing evidence,” she said.

The cellmate was the only other person in the cell with Parr. No details of the incident are being released due to the pending investigation, Ralston said.

JoEllen Smith, public information officer for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, declined to comment on the status of the other inmate involved in the altercation.

“We’re not releasing anything. This is both a criminal and an administrative investigation to make sure officers were conducting their appropriate rounds,” Smith said.

Smith said corrections officers are required to complete rounds every 30 minutes on staggered intervals. Mansfield is rated a closed security prison, one step lower than a maximum security facility. The prison houses 2,500 inmates.

Parr, formerly of 514 Tremont Ave. SW, pleaded guilty to two first-degree felony rape charges in March 2007 in Stark County Common Pleas Court, according to court records. Parr received a life sentence but was eligible to apply for parole after serving 10 years. Judge Charles Brown also designated Parr a sexual predator. Parr was charged with sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl between August 2002 and September 2006 at a home in Canton. ..Source.. by Corrections Special Ops

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OH inmate dies after fight with cellmate

MANSFIELD, Ohio (AP) - Authorities say an inmate has died after a fight with his cellmate at a prison in northern Ohio.

The State Highway Patrol said Wednesday that staff at the Mansfield Correctional Institution found 62-year-old Robert Parr in his cell shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday. Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Anne Ralston says Parr was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead about an hour later.

The cause of death has not been released.

Ralston says no details of the fight have been released and no charges have been filed. She says the cellmate was the only other person in the cell with Parr.

Ralston says Parr entered the prison in 2007 after his conviction on rape charges. He was serving a sentence of 10 years to life. ..Source.. by WFMJ.com

Big Bend murder suspect says brother sexually assaulted him

11-7-2012 California:

A Big Bend man who told sheriff's investigators he shot his younger brother twice in the back of the head with a .22- caliber rifle because he had been sexually assaulting and abusing him was formally charged with murder Wednesday.

His alleged co-conspirator was arraigned on identical charges stemming from the fatal shooting early Saturday morning of Sonny Moss Potts, 27.

Noah Ryan Potts, 28, and co-defendant Colin Horn Kennedy, 25, pleaded not guilty through their attorneys to felony counts of murder and conspiracy during their arraignments in Shasta County Superior Court.

A Shasta County sheriff's summary of the case filed with the court said Noah Potts told detectives his younger brother got out of prison about a year ago and has sexually assaulted him on a few occasions since.

Potts said his brother would pin him against a wall and grab his genitals against his will, the sheriff's report said.

He told deputies that on the night of the shooting Sonny Potts gave him a hug, grabbed his genitals and told him that he would be his "b---h" for the night.

The Record Searchlight does not identify sexual assault victims under normal circumstances. The newspaper is reporting Noah Potts' allegations of abuse because they are at the heart of his case and potentially central to any defense.

According to the sheriff's summary, Noah Potts told detectives he and Kennedy had hatched a plan to kill his brother while they were out poaching deer.

"Noah told us when they went out looking for deer (and) Kennedy made comments about 'cleansing the (Native American) reservation' of rapists, child molesters and the like," the sheriff's report said. "Noah told us when they got back to the residence he and Kennedy both knew that they were going to kill Sonny Potts."

Noah Potts said he went into the house several times trying to "get the courage" to shoot his brother, but could not do so.

Kennedy, who was outside the residence, told him it was OK if he did not have the heart to shoot Potts, the sheriff's report said, adding that Kennedy told him to stay in his vehicle and that he would do it.

However, the report said, Potts later got out of the vehicle and went inside the house.

Potts said he found Kennedy sitting with his brother and all of them began to smoke methamphetamine, the report said.

At one point, the report said, Kennedy asked his friend, "Are we going to do it?" without getting a reply from him.

But shortly afterward Noah Potts shot his brother in the back of his head with a rifle that Kennedy had loaded beforehand and he then fired a second shot from only inches away as his brother was lying facedown, the sheriff's report said.

Deputies have said they went to the house about a quarter-mile north of the Pit Stop store in Big Bend in eastern Shasta County after getting reports of a gunshot victim around 4:48 a.m.

When deputies arrived, they found Sonny Potts inside the home, dead of gunshot wounds.

Both Kennedy and Noah Potts were later arrested.

Despite protests Wednesday from Redding defense attorney Elliot Burick that Potts was not arraigned within a required 48-hour time period, retired Superior Court Judge Richard McEachen declined to consider a verbal motion to dismiss the case and continued with the arraignment.

McEachen set a Nov. 21 preliminary hearing for both defendants.

An attorney from the Shasta County Public Defender's Office was appointed to represent Kennedy.

According to electronic court records, Sonny Potts has served time in prison for assault and drug offenses and was sentenced last year to three years in prison for false impersonation.

A petition to revoke his parole was filed in August.

According to electronic court records, authorities arrested Kennedy on a warrant out of Missouri in May. But the records do not specify the nature of the warrant, though he was extradited in June.

Noah Potts' criminal history includes arrests for public intoxication, interfering with emergency personnel, obstructing police officers and petty theft.

Potts is being held in Shasta County jail in lieu of $2.1 million bail, while Kennedy is in custody there in lieu of $2 million bail. ..Source.. by Jim Schultz

Court documents: homicide victims found lying in bed, shot in head

Posted in Related Deaths

11-8-2012 North Carolina:

Clyde and Ida Valentine were found lying in the bed of a back bedroom of her northern Charlotte home last week, dead from gunshot wounds to the head, according to a search warrant obtained by the Observer on Thursday.

Still, police have not said who they believe is responsible for the deaths. Clyde Valentine had tape over his mouth. Police say the case is classified as a death investigation and spokeswoman Officer Jessica Lawrence said investigators were not looking for a suspect.

Authorities said a man called police on Nov. 1 and said he’d found his parents’ bodies in the home on Swift Arrow Lane. The search warrant identified that man as Malcolm Valentine, who came to his the house after his girlfriend said she couldn’t get anyone to come to the door.

Records show the Valentines had divorced in 2004, and Clyde Valentine had remarried three years ago.

Officers at the scene told reporters they believe the deaths were domestic-related. But they would not comment about whether the deaths were related to child sex charges filed against Clyde Valentine earlier this year.

Clyde Valentine was arrested in June on three felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. In September, he was charged with one count of statutory rape. He was expected to appear in court Nov. 13 on the charges.

Detectives said during the summer that the charges against Clyde Valentine involved a relative, and not a student at Phillip O. Berry Academy where he once taught electronics. ..Source.. by Cleve R. Wootson Jr.

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Man found dead with wife had protection order against family member

A day after Clyde Valentine and his wife Ida were found in their home neighbors are still wondering what happened.

"It gave me goose bumps just to hear about it," said neighbor Darcy Farman.

The bodies were found Thursday inside the home on Swift Arrow Lane by the couple's son.

Details of trouble inside that home are starting to unravel.

A source confirmed to Eyewitness News that Clyde Valentine had a domestic violence protection order against a family member who was not his wife Ida.

Channel 9 also learned the protection order is probably related to an ongoing criminal case against Clyde Valentine.

Clyde Valentine was facing charges and accused of sex acts against a child.

Eyewitness News discovered the list of accusations against him dated back to 2003. He was fired, just Tuesday from his teaching job with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

A source told Eyewitness News the domestic violence protection order was issued after a family member was accused of assaulting Clyde Valentine. Channel 9 learned the fight may have been linked to the child sex allegations against him.

Police are not calling that family member a suspect in the deaths of Clyde and Ida Valentine.

Police are not saying how the Valentines died and they aren’t naming any suspects.

Neighbors said they want answers for the sake of the family and to make sure they are safe as well. ..Source.. by Tina Terry

Gunman in cop shooting faced sex charges

11-1-2012 California:

Philip Martin Hernandez was supposed to be in Riverside County Monday being arraigned on charges of having sex with a minor. Instead, he set off on a violent rampage across San Diego County that came to a deadly end Wednesday night when he was killed in a shootout with police.

By all indications, the crime spree was the final act of a desperate man whose life had unraveled over the past year. The 40-year-old divorced former firefighter had lured a teenage girl into a sexual relationship, filed for bankruptcy, lost his National City condo to foreclosure, quit his job at Cal Fire, and recently moved into an Escondido apartment with his mother and sister.

During a 17-hour span Monday, police say Hernandez shot a man in Hillcrest and an off-duty San Diego police officer at an ATM in Escondido, set three vehicles on fire in San Diego and Chula Vista, and robbed pedestrians.

“It’s difficult to address at this point what set him off,” said San Diego police Capt. Terry McManus. “We don’t know definitively what was going on in his mind.”

A multiagency task force of officers, arson investigators and forensic technicians quickly assembled and worked around the clock to pinpoint the gunman.

San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdowne praised their tireless efforts and collaboration that solved the case within 72 hours.

“None of this could have happened by itself. ... It was each person in each agency who all put a piece of this together,” Lansdowne said at a news conference Thursday, while flanked by brass from Escondido and Chula Vista police and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

An 18-year-old woman, Cindy Altamirano Garcia, was taken into custody during Wednesday night’s shootout between police and Hernandez. She faces one count of carjacking in connection with the crime spree and is expected to be arraigned Monday.

In a jailhouse interview with 10News Thursday, Garcia said her relationship with Hernandez began when she was 16, and that she was the victim in his sex abuse case.

Court records show Hernandez had filed for divorce from his wife in 2010, although they’d been separated since 2001. His ex-wife and their 17-year-old daughter have been living in Greece.

According to Riverside County prosecutors, Hernandez befriended an unnamed teenage girl at a National City park, then manipulated her into a sexual relationship. Hernandez paid her $600 a month.

He made it clear to the girl that he would not give her money or help her “poor” family unless she complied, said John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

She agreed to move to an apartment in Blythe with him in April. A month later, she reported the relationship to Blythe police, saying Hernandez had become overly possessive of her, and she didn’t want to live there any longer, Hall said.

Then, in July, he ended his 10-year career at Cal Fire in Blythe. No details were released about his resignation.

Riverside County prosecutors filed a complaint against him Aug. 14 on four felony counts of sex with a minor. A $10,000 warrant was issued for his arrest.

Jail records show Hernandez was arrested Oct. 19 in Mission Valley by San Diego police on the sex charges. He posted bail and was ordered to appear in Blythe for his arraignment Monday, but he failed to show.

A Riverside County judge issued a $20,000 warrant for his arrest.

Instead of going to court, police said, Hernandez set his pickup on fire about 2 a.m. in Mission Bay. The windshield was riddled with bullet holes.

About 45 minutes later, he shot a man on Upas Street on the edge of Balboa Park in Hillcrest, leaving the victim critically wounded.

Then at 9 a.m., Hernandez robbed a man at gunpoint in a Mission Valley parking lot. He was wearing a jacket labeled “police.”

About 12:15 p.m., he held up off-duty San Diego police Officer Les Stewart, who was using an ATM in Escondido. After the thief took the officer’s wallet and saw his police identification, he shot Stewart in the back of the head.

The round grazed the officer’s head. Stewart, 57, has been released from the hospital and is in good condition. He is a 27-year veteran of the San Diego force.

About an hour after the shooting, Hernandez and a female accomplice, both wearing vests labeled “police,” are suspected of then carjacking a man at the College Grove Center in Oak Park, a neighborhood in east San Diego. The getaway car used earlier in the day — a Ford Crown Victoria — was found burned there.

The Suzuki Aerio hatchback he carjacked was found burned up in Chula Vista later Monday night.

Investigators quickly linked all the crimes together, and by Tuesday had zeroed in on Hernandez as their prime suspect.

On Tuesday afternoon, police raided his mother’s Escondido apartment on Broadway near El Norte Parkway, where he had been living, but the officers didn’t stay long, neighbors said.

Investigators conducted surveillance on numerous possible locations where Hernandez may be hiding and learned he may be driving a white van. The description was given to patrol officers everywhere to be on the lookout.

The van had been posted for sale on Craigslist on Oct. 27. The Spring Valley owner was asking $2,700 for the cargo vehicle with no rear seats and a three-section roof rack.

About 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, a patrol officer spotted the van on National Avenue, Capt. McManus said.

The officer began to follow the van south to Cesar E. Chavez Parkway, then they turned left onto Harbor Drive. Several other officers also began to follow, and the van driver pulled over on his own, McManus said.

“Immediately when that van stopped, he exited with what is believed to be a high-powered rifle, directed the rifle at officers and began firing upon them,” McManus said.

As the three officers fired back, Garcia got out of the van. She was ordered to walk backward toward the officers, and she was taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Hernandez started walking forward slowly, out of the officers’ line of sight. He collapsed about 20 feet in front of the van.

Officers yelled at him, but got no response. A police dog was brought in but also failed to get a response from the driver, and finally tactical officers approached him and found that he was dead, McManus said.

Both Hernandez and Garcia were wearing police-type vests.

“No officers were injured — that’s great news for us,” McManus said.

Police recovered a small arsenal in the van, including handguns, rifles and ammunition.

Investigators remained at the scene Thursday morning, directly across the street from the Harbor Drive trolley station, collecting evidence and measuring the trajectory of the bullets, which had riddled the van.

A patrol car was also hit by gunfire. One bullet struck the car’s windshield in the top center, and both tires on the driver’s side were flattened.

“In the end, it came to three police officers who were assaulted and attacked by the suspect who had larger weapons than they did,” Chief Lansdowne said. “They didn’t run from danger. They stood tall, and they ran to danger because their purpose was to bring these people to justice.” ..Source.. by Debbi Baker, Kristina Davis, Pauline Repard

Kidnapping suspect dies after chase

11-6-2012 Michigan:

A suspect in a kidnapping and sexual assault died after crashing during a police chase Tuesday, according to Michigan State Police at the Mt. Pleasant Post.

The dead man is identified as Robert Lee Mongar of Cadillac.

According to a statement from troopers, Mongar reportedly physically and sexually assaulted a female acquaintance in Wexford County, then tied her up, put her in her vehicle and drove south.

She managed to escape and run into a gas station near Stanwood when Mongar stopped for fuel. The victim was still restrained, but store employees helped her.

Mongar sped off, but a state trooper spotted the vehicle, which did not stop. Instead, he fled into deeply forested Newaygo County.

The chase led down a dirt road, and troopers said Mongar drove the car off the road where the road curved, and hit a large stand of mature trees. There was no indication the driver tried to brake or make the turn, troopers said.

Mongar was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no immediate word on the condition of the victim. ..Source.. by Morning Sun

Neighbors, family shocked at shooting death of 92-year-old Flint man

10-30-2012 Michigan:

FLINT, MI -- Police continue to investigate the shooting death Oct. 30 of a man believed to be the oldest homicide victim in recent memory.

Iris Gardner, 92, heard a knock on his door around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday at his home on Race Street near Myrtle Avenue, police said. When he opened the door, someone shot him once in the torso and fled the scene, police said. Police have no suspect information.

Flint Police Capt. T.P. Johnson said he can't remember an older homicide victim in his 27 years with the department.

"Obviously he was no threat to anyone," he said. "This was a random act of violence that did not have any rhyme or reason to it."

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Gardner was one of the older homicide victims he's heard of during his time as prosecutor.

"It's terrible, just terrible," Leyton said. "It's very difficult to imagine how a 92-year- old was a threat to anyone."

Gardner's niece, Joann Cooper, 55, of Flint, said her family is shocked that her uncle would die that way.

"I never figured he would get gunned down in his own house," she said. "One part is anger, and the other part is grieving. It's like two emotions wrapped into one."

Detective Robert Dunham said police have very little information to go on and that the crime is disturbing.

"The worst thing about the whole thing is the people that did it aren't talking," he said. "They are out running the streets. If they are willing to kill a 92-year-old, who wouldn't they kill?"

Cooper said her uncle grew up during the Great Depression in a small town in Georgia. He would talk about being so poor that he had to walk to school in his bare feet during the winter, she said.

He came to Flint in the 1950s or 1960s and worked as a supervisor at a junkyard for 30 years, Cooper said. In his older age, he still remained active, continuing to drive, walk around in the neighborhood and do yard work, family said.

"If you would have saw him, you would have thought he was still 78," Cooper said.

He was a World War II veteran and a big fan of the Detroit Tigers who was excited about the team's recent playoff run.

Gardner did have a brush with the law. He was on the state sex offender registry for a 1993 conviction of misdemeanor criminal sexual conduct, fourth degree, according to records. He served 90 days in the Genesee County Jail. Cooper said his family maintains that he was innocent, and his accuser later recanted her story.

Neighbor Elois Thames, 26, said Gardner was a friendly man. She was upset that he would die in a violent manner.

"It's just senseless, he didn't bother anybody," she said.

Cooper said Gardner did not have any children and was the last surviving member of his siblings. Funeral arrangements are being handled at Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home.

In the meantime, his family will continue to grieve his death.

"It's like somebody ripped out your heart and took it," Cooper said. ..Source.. by David Harris

Alameda County inmate suspected of killing cell mate in Folsom State Prison

10-19-2012 California:

FOLSOM, Calif. — A convicted sex offender from Contra Costa County was found dead in his prison cell in Folsom this week and his cell mate, a convicted murderer from Alameda County, was suspected Friday of killing him, according to prison officials.

Correctional officers found the 51-year-old inmate from Contra Costa County unresponsive in his cell at California State Prison, Sacramento, just after 9 p.m. Wednesday when prisoners were being counted.

The inmate, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin, was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later.

The prison's investigative services unit was investigating the death as a homicide, officials said Friday.

Prison officials also said that the man had been in prison since Dec. 10, 2001, and was serving a 25-year-to-life sentence from Contra Costa County for assault with the intent to commit a specific sex act.

They said the 46-year-old suspect has been in state prison since Nov. 9, 1986, and was serving a 17-year-to-life sentence from Alameda County for second-degree murder.

The suspect was being housed in the prison's administrative segregation unit that week pending the completion of the investigation.

Prison officials said California State Prison, Sacramento, houses about 2,600 inmates and employs more than 1,700 staff members.

They said it primarily houses maximum-security inmates serving long sentences and those who have proved to be management problems at other institutions. ..Source.. by KTVU.com

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Contra Costa County inmate killed in prison identified

10-23-2012:

A convicted sex offender from Contra Costa County who was killed in an apparent homicide in his state prison cell in Folsom last week has been identified as 51-year-old Raymond Johnston.

Lt. Tony Quinn, of California State Prison-Sacramento in Folsom, said correctional officers found Johnston unresponsive in his cell just after 9 p.m. Wednesday as prisoners were being counted.

Quinn said medical staff responded immediately and tried to resuscitate Johnston but he was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later.

Quinn said the prison's investigative services unit is investigating Johnston's death as a homicide because there were "obvious signs of trauma" on him, although he declined to elaborate or disclose a cause of death.

He said Johnston's cellmate, a 46-year-old convicted murderer from Alameda County, is suspected of killing Johnson but he declined to release the cellmate's name because of concern that the cellmate could be targeted in prison.

Quinn said the suspect has been in state prison since Nov. 9, 1986, and is serving a sentence of 17 years to life for a second-degree murder conviction in Alameda County.

The suspect is being housed in the prison's administrative segregation unit pending the completion of the investigation.

Quinn said Johnston had been in prison since Dec. 10, 2001, and was serving 25 years to life after being convicted in Contra Costa County of assault with the intent to commit a sex act.

Prison officials said California State Prison-Sacramento houses about 2,600 inmates and employs more than 1,700 staff members.

Quinn said it primarily houses maximum-security inmates serving long sentences and those who have proved to be management problems at other institutions.

He said about 85 percent of the inmates are serving life sentences, and that many have engaged in acts of violence while serving time at other prisons.

Quinn said, "We have some pretty nasty fights here" but that homicides are uncommon, although there were two murders last year. ..Source.. by Bay City News Service

Death Of Convicted Sex Offender Under Investigation In Otero County

10-14-2012 Colorado:

The body of a registered sex offender was found inside a home outside La Junta Friday night, prompting officials to begin an investigation into the circumstances around his death.

Byron Griffy, 76, was a funeral home director in Fowler, Colo. prior to his 2011 arrest for sexually assaulting a child. Court records indicate Griffy pleaded guilty to the charge, and was sentenced in May of this year. He was put on strict sex offender probation.

The Otero County Sheriff's Office is investigating Griffy's death as suspicious, but will not say if they believe his death is related to his sex assault conviction. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation assisted in processing the scene.

The Sheriff’s Office says an autopsy is scheduled for early next week by the El Paso County Coroner's Office. ..Source.. by KKTV.com

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Cause of death released, family of Byron Griffy want him remembered for his lifelong kindness

New details today in the death of a Fowler man.

We've learned that Byron Griffy died from a gunshot wound to his head.

We spoke to those at the Otero County Sheriff Office who are investigating along with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Family members found Byron Griffy dead in a home on his farm one day before his 76th birthday.

"The circumstances surrounding the gunshot wound are still pending," said Otero County Sheriff Chris Johnson.

Griffy did plead guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child several months ago, but his family says too much focus has been placed on that.

"My sisters and I would like you to know that our father was a caring, compassionate, love man who spent his life taking care of others in their time of need," said Amy Griffy, Byron Griffy's youngest daughter.

Many in Fowler told us they always admired Griffy and do not believe he was guilty.

"God knows it," said JH McCuistion, a close friend of Griffy. "He knows the truth of this whole thing, and I feel the same way God does."

Close friends believe he only pled guilty for a lesser charge, so he would be able to see his family more often.

"There will never be anybody to change my mind that Byron Griffy was one of our greatest men to help in our community of Fowler," said McCuistion.

Griffy was described around town as a funeral director who was so giving, those who couldn't afford a funeral had one for free.

He was also President on the school board for many years and always sent a lot of flowers to people in town.

"I had a little surgery a time or two," said McCuistion. "You know, I didn't even tell him I was going to have it, but he found out and he brought me a plant."

Sheriff Johnson says nothing at this time connects Griffy's death to his recent plea.

"We're still investigating," said Sheriff Johnson. "It's still early in the investigation. We're talking to a lot of people." ..Source.. by Lacey Steele

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Man Pleads Not Guilty In Murder Of Convicted Sex Offender

5-3-2014:

A Canon City man has pleaded not guilty in death of a convicted sex offender.

Anthony Wright, 43, will go to trial in September for the 2012 death of former funeral home director Byron Griffy. An autopsy showed Griffy died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Griffy, 76, was a funeral home director in Fowler, Colo. prior to his 2011 arrest for sexually assaulting a child. Court records indicate Griffy pleaded guilty to the charge, and was sentenced in May the following year. He was put on strict sex offender probation.

He was found shot to death five months later.

Wright has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder on Thursday. He is out on a $250,000 bail. Wright will go to trial in September.

Wright and Griffy knew each other through the funeral home business. ..Source.. by KKTV.com

Montana State Prison has 2 suspects in murder of inmate

10-8-2012 Montana:

An inmate at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge was found murdered Sunday evening, authorities reported Monday.

Investigators have two suspects in connection with the death of Danny Lee Hartford. Hartford, 53, was found dead in a cell of a housing unit in the high-security portion of the prison at about 8:10 p.m.

Investigators didn’t release how Hartford was killed, because the investigation continued, according to Linda Moodry of the Montana Department of Corrections.

Hartford was last seen alive during a head count Sunday at about 6 p.m., Moodry said. The two suspects in Hartford’s death are fellow inmates in the prison.

Moodry didn’t release the identities or the status of the suspects.

Moodry described the block of the prison where Hartford was killed as housing offenders at various levels. It’s between the maximum-security and low-security blocks, she said. It houses some general population prisoners and those transferring to the lower-level security block of the prison, she said.

The unit where Hartford was killed is monitored by prison staff and security cameras. However, Moodry said the prison doesn’t have cameras in all the cells at the prison.

“They (the prisoners) are monitored and watched, but unfortunately things like this can happen,” Moodry said.

The last homicide reported at the prison was in September 2011. Shaun Morrison, 30, is accused of beating, choking and cutting another inmate with a weapon fashioned from razor blades. Morrison has pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide and is scheduled for trial in November.

Hartford was serving 30 years probation from 1997 on two counts of sexual assault out of Lewis and Clark County. He violated the terms of his probation and was ordered to prison in 2010.

The investigation is being handled by the Montana Department of Corrections, the Powell County sheriff’s office and the county attorney’s office. ..Source.. by JOHN GRANT EMEIGH

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Montana prison officials investigate homicide

Officials at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge are investigating the death of an inmate as a homicide.

An investigation into the death of Danny Lee Hartford, 53, is ongoing, according to a news release from the Department of Corrections.

Hartford's body was found about 8:10 p.m. in a cell of a housing unit in the high-security portion of the prison. Two inmates are suspects in the death.

Hartford was sentenced to 30 years probation in 1997 on two counts of sexual assault out of Lewis and Clark County. He violated conditions of his probation and a judge ordered him to prison in 2010.

Prison officials did not say how Hartford died. The investigation is being handled by the Montana Department of Corrections, Powell County sheriff’s office and the county attorney’s offices.

The last homicide reported at the prison was in September 2011. Shaun Morrison, 30, is accused of beating, choking and cutting another inmate with a weapon fashioned from razor blades. Morrison has pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide and is scheduled for trial in November. ..Source.. by BillingsGazette