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

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

Sheriffs office releases name of homicide victim

9-24-2012 New York:

KILL BUCK — The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office late Sunday morning released the name of the deceased in a Friday night shooting at a Route 417 residence in the Hamlet of Kill Buck.

Henry Francis Ackley, 58, of 6263 Route 417, was killed around midnight Friday at the hands of a still-unidentified gunman. Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb told the Times Herald his department was following up on leads around the Olean area on Sunday.

It was unclear if a motive or any other circumstances surrounding the alleged shooting had been determined.

“We’ll be looking into persons of interest in (Olean) here Sunday — around the city I should say,” Sheriff Whitcomb said outside the New York State Troopers Barracks in Olean around 11 a.m. Sunday. “But we are releasing the identity of the victim.”

The sheriff formally announced the wrongful death was indeed a homicide involving a firearm. He was unable to provide further details, however, as they could potentially compromise the investigation.

“We’re just confirming there was a homicide at that address sometime before midnight on Friday night,” Sheriff Whitcomb said. “We’re aggressively pursuing leads.

“Any of the other details of what exactly we’re working on, we’re keeping those close to the collar right now. Just for the continuity of the investigation, we’re being careful about what we release.”

When asked if he could say how close law-enforcement agencies were to making an arrest, Sheriff Whitcomb wouldn’t venture a guess.

“I hope we’re close,” he said. “I’m optimistic.”

Mr. Ackley’s neighbor told a Times Herald editor Saturday afternoon the deceased was a helpful neighbor who often kept to himself.

“He would do anything for you,” said the neighbor, who spoke on a condition of anonymity. “If I needed help with anything, he’d help.”

Authorities said the homicide is not believed to be connected to Mr. Ackley’s 1986 conviction for a sex offense.

According to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Mr. Ackley was convicted of first-degree sodomy, a class B felony, in 1986. He was released from Orleans Correctional Facility in 1991 on parole. He is not listed on the state Sex Offender Registry, which is reserved for Level 2 and 3 offenders — those considered a higher risk to the community.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office at (716) 938-9191. ..Source.. by Kelsey Boudin Olean Times Herald

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Homicide victim was a registered sex offender

The man shot and killed late Friday in this Cattaraugus County hamlet has been identified as 58-year-old Henry F. Ackley, sheriff's officials reported.

The shooting death occurred shortly before midnight at a home on Route 417.

Sheriff's officials have released no other information on the killing but The Buffalo News confirmed through state prison records that Ackley served about six years at the Orleans Correctional Facility for a 1985 first-degree sodomy conviction in Cattaraugus County.

Because of that conviction, Ackley was a state-registered sex offender who had to alert police agencies about his home address and if he planned to move. Whether his killing was related to his criminal history was a topic the Sheriff's Office would not discuss.

Ackley's last obligations to the state prison system over his conviction expired in December 1994, records show. ..Source..

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

Paralyzed Chicago Heights man shot, killed during argument

7-31-2012 Illinois:

A paralyzed Chicago Heights man who was a registered sex offender and had an extensive criminal record was shot and killed Monday night during an argument at his home, police said.

Kevin Allison, 42, was found slumped in his wheelchair in the driveway of his home in the 500 block of Concord Court with a single gunshot wound in his head, police said.

Allison was pronounced dead at 9:44 p.m. at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A source said Allison had been arguing with people when someone shot him.

No one was in custody as Tuesday. The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force is assisting in the investigation.

According to the Illinois State Police sex offender information website, Allison was convicted of aggravated criminal sex abuse/bodily harm in Cook County when he was 27. His victim was 38 years old.

And court records show he had an extensive criminal record dating to 1991.

Some of the past charges included aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, battery, resisting a police officer, criminal trespassing, assault and robbery. He served time in jail for several offenses, according to court records. He was charged with battery and resisting arrest June 25.

Neighbors on Tuesday didn’t deny that Allison had his problems and, as one said, “a tough life.”

But several agreed with neighbor and friend Emma Edmond, who called Allison “a good man and didn’t deserve this.”

Edmond said Allison was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot about 15 years ago. She’s floored someone would shoot a man in a wheelchair.

“This should have never happened,” she said.

Allison, nicknamed Kevo, moved into the Beacon Hill neighborhood from Harvey three years ago, she said.

“He brought a lot of joy to Concord,” she said. “Kevo, there was something special about him. You know, he talked a lot of (trash) but he didn’t mean no harm.”

“I used to take him to the medical supply place to get him things for his wheelchair. I used to go grocery shopping for him. I used to cook for him. I used to give him cold water when he’d be riding through here. He called me Mama Emma,” she said.

“I don’t know why, but I took to him. If he was out here getting into it with some person, I could tell him, ‘Kevo, shut your ... mouth. Get your [butt] home.’ And he would listen to me,” Edmond said. “But I wasn’t there (Monday) night. I was in the house watching TV.”

Latrisha Bell said she last saw Allison shortly before he died.

“I walked him down (to his house) and 15 minutes later, I heard one pop and I saw all the cops flying down the street,” Bell said. ..Source.. by y STEVE METSCH Sun-Times Media

Man who found Hanahan victim 'knew something wasn't right'

7-17-2012 South Carolina:

Hanahan — Roy Ray Bennett had been a victim of crime before.

Last week, a man was arrested on forgery charges after $10,000 worth of checks were cashed in Bennett's name.

And Bennett had been accused of crime, too.

He recently learned that prosecutors were pursuing a trial in his 2009 child pornography arrest.

But Bennett's son doesn't know why anyone would want to hurt the man, known by residents of his Otranto neighborhood as “Mr. Ray.” The retiree and Army veteran was found dead in his bed about 1 p.m. Sunday, his limbs bound with duct tape and a bag over his head, according to the person who discovered his body.

“Who kills a 71-year-old man?” Tim Bennett, a 47-year-old Columbia resident, said outside his father's home Monday. “I was just hoping he died in his sleep.

“I found out he was murdered instead. I thought he had passed peacefully.”

The Hanahan Police Department released few additional details Monday about the city's first homicide this year. Berkeley County Coroner Bill Salisbury said an autopsy Monday morning did not immediately indicate how he died and that toxicology tests might shed light on that.

Detectives found no sign of forced entry at Bennett's home at 2 Lombardi Lane and were still looking for his Toyota Tacoma pickup, which was thought to be stolen after the killing.

A neighbor who borrowed Bennett's lawn mower Sunday morning told The Post and Courier that he became suspicious when he spotted two men inside Bennett's Toyota. The neighbor said the men, who had been living with Bennett for a short time, scrambled back inside the house.

When the neighbor returned with the mower and to check on Bennett, he saw several empty bottles of alcohol on a counter. He walked through an unlocked door and found Bennett's body on the bed.

“He was a nice man, but he didn't let people take his truck,” said the neighbor, who cited fear of retribution in asking that his name be withheld. “I knew something wasn't right, but I didn't expect to find him in the state he was.”

Hanahan police Lt. Michael Fowler would not “confirm or deny” the account about how Bennett's body was found and said investigators still were looking for the Toyota. They intended to question several people but had developed no firm suspects, Fowler said.

At the request of the local police force, the State Law Enforcement Division was helping to run down leads and interview Bennett's acquaintances.

Neighbors said they recently saw several people from outside the community visiting the home. Some might have been staying there.

“There was a lot of traffic in and out of that house, but I can't go into details,” Fowler said. “Some of those people, we are desperately interested in talking to.”

Previous cases

Police officers knew of Bennett, though they did not visit the home frequently, according to Fowler.

An officer last spoke with him Friday, when Bennett said prosecutors were continuing to pursue the 2009 charge of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

That case was based on SLED agents' discovery of “visual materials” on his computer that showed children engaged in sex, according to a 2009 news release. He was accused of downloading and distributing the porn.

In letters to neighbors, he defended himself by saying someone else had put the images on his computer and used a peer-to-peer network to share them, according to his son.

On Friday, the Hanahan officer visited his house to follow up on an arrest that the North Charleston Police Department made July 10 in which a man was accused of forging 13 of Bennett's checks and cashing $9,800 worth.

The man, 39-year-old Harry Shane Dupree of Vine Street in Goose Creek, told police that a woman would forge Bennett's signature on the checks, then give them to Dupree to cash.

But Bennett refused to tell authorities about the activity because of his history with that woman, according to Dupree's statements to the police.

“(The woman) had been a neighbor of (Bennett),” Dupree said, according to an incident report. “While she was a child, (Bennett) had supposedly taken advantage of her that was criminal in nature.”

Fowler, the Hanahan lieutenant, would not say whether Bennett's past was connected to his slaying.

“The officer went there because someone was writing bad checks,” Fowler said. “But he ended up not wanting a report.”

'Had no enemies'

Though they were aware of the allegations against him, neighbors knew Bennett as a caring man who often would lend his possessions, such as power tools.

He was a skilled woodworker. He constructed much of his own furniture from cedar.

Children living in houses along his tree-lined, dead-end street often went for a swim in his backyard pool, including 18-year-old Cody Buehrer.

“If anyone here needed anything, he was the one who did it,” said Buehrer, a next-door neighbor of Bennett's for seven years. “This cul-de-sac is losing a good man.”

A native of Raleigh, Bennett graduated from North Carolina State University in the 1960s, his son said. He then spent two years in the Army, a requirement of his involvement with the school's ROTC program.

After serving a tour in Germany during the Vietnam War, he moved to Hanahan with his wife and only child. The couple later divorced.

He worked his entire career as an electrical engineer at the MeadWestvaco paper plant in North Charleston, where he retired during the last decade.

“He kept to himself, but he liked piddling in the yard and the garden. That was his life,” said his son, who last saw Bennett on Christmas, when they ate sugar cookies and exchanged gifts. “He always had his garden of tomatoes and corn.”

Tim Bennett said his father's Sunday newspaper had been retrieved from the yard and was on his living room couch, where he read it religiously each week. Nothing in the house seemed disturbed, though his wallet was missing.

“I'm just in a numb state right now,” Tim Bennett said. “He had no enemies.” ..Source.. by Andrew Knapp

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Hanahan homicide victim was charged for child porn in 2009

7-14-2012 South Carolina:

HANAHAN, S.C. (WCIV) -- A person is dead in the Otranto area of Hanahan, and police investigators believe foul play was involved.

The victim has been identified as 71-year-old Roy Bennett. An autopsy will be conducted today to determine the cause of death. Officials say his body was found by a neighbor.

ABC News 4 spoke with Lt. Fowler with Hanahan Police this morning who said Bennett was killed between 6:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday morning.

Fowler says investigators continue to believe that Bennett knew the suspect because there was no sign of struggle. He says there were many people coming and going from the house.

According to SLED records, Bennett was charged with felony first degree sexual exploitation of a minor back in April of 2009. SLED filed those charges when investigators reported they found pornographic images of minors on Bennett's computer.

Fowler does not believe the suspect in Bennett's death was connected to the 2009 incident.

The Berkeley County Coroner's Office released a statement Monday saying an autopsy was conducted and the results are pending.

"We will be awaiting the results of toxicology test before a final cause of death can be determined," said Coroner Bill Salisbury.

Police have asked for the public's help in this investigation by locating a 2009 Toyota Tacoma taken from the home. The truck is Silver and has a license tag number of CBP-692.

Lt. Fowler said the homicide is the first in Hanahan for 2012. ..Source.. by WCIV.TV

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Arrests made in Hanahan killing

7-20-2012:

Roy Bennett may have been killed over money.

Hanahan police arrested three people Thursday night in connection with the 71-year-old's death, saying that's what drove them to go to his home over the weekend.

Brittany Lynn Swagner, 24; Robert Andrew McFadden, 24; and Robert Randolph Clark, 39, are charged with murder, according to Lt. Michael Fowler of the Hanahan Police Department.

Police believe Bennett was killed Sunday, between 6:30 a.m., when he picked up his newspaper from his Lombardi Lane home, and 1 p.m., when a neighbor found him dead in his bedroom.

The three accused in Bennett's slaying were living in area motels and didn't have permanent residences, Fowler said. They're being held in the Berkeley County jail and are scheduled for a bond hearing at 11:30 a.m. today.

Goose Creek police also will charge McFadden with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, Fowler said.

Additional charges may follow, Fowler said, as police continue their investigation.

McFadden was spotted in surveillance footage abandoning Bennett's 2009 Toyota Tacoma in the Goose Creek Walmart parking lot and walking toward a nearby Murphy USA gas station, Fowler said.

The State Law Enforcement Division scoured the truck for clues Wednesday and found fingerprints, and investigators examined surveillance video from Walmart and the gas station.

McFadden ditched the pickup in the far reaches of the Walmart camera's range, Fowler said, but police analyzed the gas station's footage Thursday and were able to capture “a really good view” of him.

A North Charleston police officer recognized McFadden in that image and knew where he hung out, Fowler said. He was arrested and helped lead police to Swagner, then to Clark.

“Everything really got rolling after we found that truck,” Fowler said.

From interviews, police also learned that the three took guns from Bennett's home, and Fowler said Clark and McFadden stole duct tape from Walmart before Bennett's death.

The neighbor found Bennett's body with duct tape around his arms and legs and a bag over his head after he returned a lawn mower he had borrowed.

Fowler said late Thursday that police are confident that they have found the three people who were at Bennett's home in the Otranto neighborhood Sunday. They haven't ruled out the possibility of other related arrests.

“The real work has just begun,” Fowler said. “It's entirely conceivable that once they realize they're charged with murder that they might be forthcoming with even more information.”

Early in their search, investigators said they hadn't found signs of forced entry in Bennett's home, leading them to think he knew his killers.

Fowler said police think Clark and Bennett knew each other “in some form or fashion.”

All three knew that Bennett had money, and police say that was the trio's motive.

Bennett's money had been exploited previously, authorities said.

On July 10, a North Charleston man was charged with forging 13 checks totaling nearly $10,000 in his name. He worked with a woman who was not charged. She was “supposedly blackmailing” Bennett over an incident from her childhood, according to a police report.

Bennett “had supposedly taken advantage of her (in a way) that was criminal in nature,” the report said.

Whether those cases are related is not clear. “We haven't made any connection as of yet to North Charleston's arrest last week,” Fowler said.

Bennett was charged in 2009 with second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He was accused of downloading and distributing child pornography and had been recently told that prosecutors were pursuing a trial.

An autopsy Monday didn't indicate how Bennett died, and toxicology tests are still pending. Those usually take two to three weeks to complete, said Berkeley County Coroner Bill Salisbury. ..Source.. by Thad Moore

Arlington death investigated as manslaughter

7-12-2012 Washington:

ARLINGTON -- Detectives believe the death of an Everett-area man in Arlington last month could be a potential case of manslaughter.

Martin Pickett, 48, died after some kind of altercation in a parking lot in the 16800 block of Smokey Point Boulevard, police said.

A passerby spotted Pickett's body about 5:30 a.m. June 30.

He was lying in a pool of blood, and appeared to have a serious head wound, according to a search warrant filed recently in Cascade District Court.

Pickett and two other homeless men had been hanging out in the lot the night before he was found, court papers show.

Police dispatchers received a 911 call for a noise complaint in the area about 11 p.m., Arlington city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said Wednesday.

A patrol officer responded and told the men they could not drink in public and that they needed to quiet down. The men agreed to do so, and the officer left.

Detectives have interviewed the two other men who were there that night, Banfield said.

They believe Pickett had been involved in some sort of struggle with one of them, Nial G. Harris, 52, shortly before Pickett died.

No arrests have been made in the case. Investigators are awaiting autopsy and toxicology reports from the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office. Those reports likely will shed light on the circumstances surrounding Pickett's death.

Pickett had significant criminal history in Snohomish County dating back to 1982.

As an adult, he had seven felony and 27 misdemeanor convictions. Most of the misdemeanors were for unlawful camping, trespassing and possessing drug paraphernalia.

He also was supposed to register as a sex offender for a first-degree rape conviction in 1987.

Pickett had been arrested in Marysville as recently as April, when prosecutors alleged that he assaulted a woman after they were drinking together underneath a bridge.

They alleged that Pickett struck the woman in the head with a rock after she declined his sexual advances. ..Source.. by Rikki King, Herald Writer

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

Body found in cemetery identified as sex offender

6-14-2012 Michigan:

We now know the identity of a man found dead Thursday morning in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Around 7:15 a.m. a person walking along a path through the cemetery found the body near the intersection of Eastern and Hall Street SE.

Tracing a license plate of a vehicle near the body, WZZM 13 has learned the man is Robert Shields, 67. He was a registered sex offender living in Omega Life Alternatives, a halfway house on Eastern Avenue about half a mile north of the cemetery.

Records show Shields was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in Newaygo County in 1981. In 1999, Shields was convicted in Kent County of one count of second-degree sex assault involving a victim younger than 13. He was released from jail in January 2011.

Police say Shields was lying next to a grave stone and they also found a van registered in his name near his body. The scene was marked off with crime tape Thursday morning and investigators used several cones marking evidence of some sort.

Authorities have yet to confirm the body's identity to the media or release the circumstances surrounding his death. They tell WZZM 13 the death is "suspicious." ..Source.. by Chris Zoladz, Multi-Media Producer, WZZM 13

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Police: Man found dead in Oak Hill Cemetery died of multiple stab wounds

Robert Louis Shields, the man found dead this morning in Oak Hill Cemetery, died of multiple stab wounds and police are investigating the case as a homicide.

Shields, 67, was found by a walker in the cemetery about 7:15 a.m. and police found his van parked on the south side of the grounds this morning.

In a release issued late today, police named Shields as the victim. But he was identified earlier in the day as the victim by officials at Omega Life Alternatives, a halfway house at 722 Eastern Avenue SE where Shields had lived for a little more than a month.

Shields is a registered sex offender and was released from prison in January 2011 after spending several years behind bars for a 1999 sex assault against a 7-year-old.

Oak Hill Cemetery, at Eastern Avenue SE and Hall Street, is not far from the halfway house.

Eric Price, a manager at Omega Life Alternatives, said he believed Shields had been out with his girlfriend Wednesday evening.

He was supposed to return for an 11 p.m. curfew, but did not.

Price was told that Shields' girlfriend was in the hospital, but it was unclear why.

Police released no other details about who may have stabbed Shields or how the van ended up in the cemetery. ..Source.. by John Tunison

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Body found in cemetery identified as sex offender

We now know the identity of a man found dead Thursday morning in Oak Hill Cemetery.

The Executive Director of Omega Life Alternatives says the victim is 67-year old Robert Shields. A resident at the transitional home. "Last night was the first night he broke curfew, we knew something was wrong," says Price. He says Shields moved-in a month ago. "We mentor guys who have been in trouble with the law or they don't have family or may have made mistakes in general."

Sheilds had been in prison off and on for criminal sexual conduct since 1981. He was released early last year and had been working as a maintenance man before he moved to Omega Life. "And everything he put his hand to, he saw that needed fixed-up, he did it, so he was kind and generous."

Just after 7am someone walking at Oakhill Cemetery discovered shields body near a grave. Grand Rapids police taped off a large portion of the cemetery and marked potential evidence with cones.

Captain Eric Payne says, "Well, just because of the size of the cemetery, we want to make sure we're not missing anything. it's a large area to process."

Because of the injuries to shields body, police are investigating the death as a suspicious death. At Omega Life, Price says although he didn't know Shields very long, it's sad to hear. "No matter what they've done in the past, you hate seeing tragedy like that." ..Source.. by Chris Zoladz

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Girlfriend held in GR cemetery stabbing

6-14-2012:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A woman is being held in the stabbing of a 67-year-old man found dead early Thursday morning by a jogger along a path through Grand Rapids' Oakhill Cemetery.

On Thursday evening, Grand Rapids police announced they had ruled the death of Robert Louis Shields a homicide.

Authorities said he was stabbed multiple times.

Christina Miller is being held in the Kent County Jail in connection with the case, 24 Hour News 8 confirmed.

Jail records indicate Miller was charged on two counts of obstructing police, one count of providing false information, and one count is failure to obey instructions on Friday.

No arraignment has been set yet.

Sheilds's brother told 24 Hour News 8 earlier Thursday that Miller was Shields's girlfriend. He also said she is mentally unstable.

"He may have had some enemies I didn't know about," older brother Bill Shields told 24 Hour News 8 before becoming aware of the arrest. "It's hard to say because I don't know."

Bill Shields said he didn't know why his brother was in the cemetery. He said no one in their family is buried there.

"It hurts me, but what can I say or do?" he said. "It's not going to change the fact. He's dead. He's gone. All we can do is live with his memories. And I believe my brother's had a very rough life."

Shields had an extensive criminal record, including convictions for felonies and criminal sexual conduct. He was listed on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

Shields lived for six months at Omega Life Alternatives in Grand Rapids. The pastor there, Eric Price, said Shields made his mark in more ways than one. He mowed the lawn and fixed things around the house.

"He came here with a willing heart, not just to hold a bed for him, but he came with a willing heart to really work and to serve. ... Whatever he can to help out things around here," said Price. "Robert tried to live a good life and I'm sorry that this had to happen."

Like Price, Bill Shields remembered his brother as a hard worker.

"He was a hard-working boy, I'll tell you that. He worked all the time," said Bill Shields. "I don't think he's hardly ever missed a day of work."

But Price he said he was aware there was another side to Shields.

"It came as a shock, but the company he was keeping, I've seen it happen before," said Price.

Price said he thinks Shields's friends may have been involved in drugs and perhaps that had something to do with his suspicious end, which he called a tragedy.

"He definitely didn't deserve this tragedy upon this life, no matter what he's done," Price said. "I wouldn't want anybody to suffer that way."

About a dozen officers and a K-9 unit were sent to the cemetery near Hall Street and Eastern Avenue around 7:15 a.m. They taped off a large section of the property and placed several evidence markers throughout the area as they searched for clues.

Police continue to figure out how Shields died and why he ended in the cemetery.

"It's a very large area. We want to be thorough and make sure we check the entire area to see if there's any evidence out there if in fact it is foul play," Grand Rapids Police Capt. Eric Payne told 24 Hour News 8 before the announcement that the death was homicide.

"It doesn't happen every day to have a body discovered in a cemetery, but we're processing it and we'll wait and see on the determination of the medical examiner whether or not it's foul play," he added at the time.

Police towed a van from the scene that family members confirmed to 24 Hour News 8 belonged to Shields. ..Source.. by Amanda Jarrett and Dani Carlson

Daughter fears sex offender's killing was a case of vigilante justice

6-10-2012 Virginia:

DINWIDDIE - When Donald Olynn Cook, a repeat sex offender who twice pleaded guilty to assaulting teenaged boys, asked his daughter for another chance this year, she said yes.

Weeks later, the 23-year-old finds herself mourning the loss of a father shot dead before she could re-learn how to love him.

"I was trying to get back to that faith I had in him when I was growing up, but here we are," said Anna Cook, sitting beside a wilting white rose bush that he gave her for her birthday last month.

The gift would become Cook's last grand gesture, given in a fleeting moment of calm between two tragedies that befell the 53-year-old McKenney man this spring. The first destroyed his home. The second ended his life.

It was a life that his daughter says he had been working to reclaim after spending decades in the shadow of actions that she fears may have emboldened a vigilante.

"He made his mistakes, yes, but he paid for it," Cook said. "He was a human, he didn't deserve to be gunned down like a dog."

Donald Cook was found shot to death beside his vehicle on a remote stretch of Cherry Hill Road near the Brunswick County line on May 22. He was pronounced dead at the scene when Dinwiddie County deputies arrived just after 4 a.m. He had just moved to a home in Dewitt after lightening struck his longtime residence on Cutbank Road in McKenney, minutes from where he was killed.

The Richmond native had lived in Dinwiddie for 25 years, but electrical contract work took him out of state on a regular basis. The last time he came home from a job, he called his daughter and offered to help her out around the house. Cook uses a wheelchair and said that she was grateful for his assistance.

They spoke several times in the weeks leading up to his death. The last time she saw him, he appeared to be troubled, which was not uncommon.

"He was in an unsettled mood like he gets sometimes and I told him that if he needed anything to just give me a call," she said. "He never did."

Cook was waiting on a return call from him when her grandmother told her that he was dead. She dropped the phone.

"My first thought was that he must have had a heart attack," she said. "He weighed 260 pounds and didn't take good care of himself."

As more details emerged, Cook vowed not to cry until he has been laid to rest and his killer has been apprehended. She said that she wants to be strong for him and plans to keep fighting until his murder has solved.

"It wasn't right for someone to try and take justice into their own hands," she said.

Cook's penance for past crimes ended in April 2009 in the eyes of the law, when he was released from probation after completing court-ordered sex offender treatment with Scott Huisman at the Center for Psychological Assessment and Therapeutics. Cook was ordered to check in for roughly three years following the completion of a two-year active prison term at the Lawrenceville Correctional Center, according to court records.

He was sentenced in 2005 to serve 15 years with 13 suspended after pleading guilty to the aggravated sexual battery of a boy between the ages of 13 and 15. Court records show that Cook admitted himself to the psychiatric wing of CJW Medical Center in Richmond less than 48 hours after the assault.

He was sentenced to five years in prison with four years, four months suspended in 1998 after pleading guilty to taking indecent liberties with a 15-year-old boy. Case records from the assault cite a previous conviction for sexual battery.

Cook's daughter says that she does not want her father's past crimes to undermine the investigation into his slaying.

"I don't want him to become just another statistic, because he's not a name on the list. He was someone's father. He was my father," she said.

Dinwiddie Sheriff's spokesman Maj. William Knott declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation. ..Source.. by K. BURNELL EVANS (STAFF WRITER)

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Investigators search for clues in Dinwiddie’s first homicide of 2012

5-23-2012:

DINWIDDIE, Va. (WTVR) – Officials have released the name of a man found dead in the road near the Nottoway River in Dinwiddie County.

According to the Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office, 53-year-old Donald Olynn Cook, of the 15000 Block of First Street in Dewitt, was found Tuesday around 4:15 a.m. on Cherry Hill Road and the Brunswick County line.

Investigators said gunshot wounds were found on Cook’s body and that his death is being investigated as a homicide.

Cook’s death marks the county’s first homicide of 2012.

The man’s daughter, Anna Cook, talked with CBS 6 News senior reporter Wayne Covil Wednesday.

Cook said that her father lived within a few miles of where he was found dead until a few months ago. That was when he was forced to move after a lightning strike destroyed his home.

“Despite the fact he had his own problems… he was a human and he was a good man,” said Cook. ..Source.. by Wayne Covil and Nick Dutton

Few details released in homicide probe

6-8-2012 Ohio:

STEUBENVILLE - City Police aren't releasing many details about a homicide inside an apartment off Sunset Boulevard.

Police reported officers were called to Apartment 9, 2518 Sunset Blvd. Thursday morning and found the body of Travis M. McIntyre, 31, who had recently moved to the apartment. The call came in as a possible drug overdose.

Police Capt. Joel Walker said police aren't sure how long McIntyre had been dead.

"This is an ongoing homicide investigation," he said.

County Coroner Dr. Michael Scarpone was called to the scene. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation also was at the apartment checking for evidence. Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin also was present.

The body was taken to the Cuyahoga County coroner's office for an autopsy.

McIntyre was sentenced to two years in prison in 2009 for two counts of having a weapon under disability in connection with a shots fired call on Franklin Avenue.

City Police were investigating a report of shots being fired from a moving vehicle in September 2008 on Franklin Avenue. Officers were given a description of the vehicle and stopped it on North Fourth Street and two men took off running through yards. One man was caught, but McIntyre initially escaped.

Officers found four shell casings in the area of the shooting.

The county prosecutor's office dismissed the felonious assault charge.

McIntyre wasn't allowed to have a gun because of a 1998 gross sexual imposition conviction in Athens County. As a result, McIntyre was a registered sex offender.

McIntyre registered the new address with the county sheriff's department on May 30. ..Source.. by MARK LAW - Staff writer

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

Mentally ill man shot to death in east Bakersfield Tuesday

4-24-2012 California:

Relatives said a man who was gunned down on Irene Street Tuesday night was mentally ill and never bothered anyone as he strolled the east Bakersfield neighborhood.

Bobbie Hawkins said her son, Telon Hester, was shot shortly after they left a recycling business that was closed. Hawkins went to a relative's house on King Street and Hester went to look for more cans, Hawkins said. She was at the house with a friend when she heard three gunshots.

"When I came, I didn't see nothing but my son just laying there," Hawkins said. She said she stayed at the other end of the street because she couldn't bear to go closer to her son.

Hawkins said Hester's death comes just about three weeks after her other son, Donte Hester, died. Hawkins and her sister, Carolyn Cooper, said Donte Hester was shot about a year and a half ago in the same neighborhood where his brother was killed, resulting in health complications. Hawkins said the shootings were not connected as far as she knew.

"Ain't too much I can do, you know, but try to be strong," Hawkins said.

The Kern County Sheriff's Department was called to the 700 block of Irene Street for a report of a victim of a shooting just before 5 p.m., sheriff's department spokesman Ray Pruitt said.

Deputies found Telon Hester, 33, lying in the road with major injuries from several gunshot wounds, deputies said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives are investigating the shooting as a homicide and were looking for witnesses Tuesday night, Pruitt said.

"At this point we don't know or have a motive for the shooting," Pruitt said. Deputies did not have any suspects and did not know if the killing was gang-related, he added.

Hester lived in an apartment on Knotts Street with his mother and other family members, according to Hawkins. She asked neighbors to look out for Hester because he had a mental problem, Hawkins said. He would get out in the street and "yell and holler" and talk to himself, his mother recalled, but she said he didn't have problems with anyone.

"He just stayed at his house (and) looked for cans," Hawkins said.

Kern County Superior Court records list more than a dozen cases under Telon Hester's name and year of birth. The court records showed Hester had been convicted of charges including obstructing/resisting a public officer, peace officer or emergency medical technician, failure to register as a sex offender and possession of a controlled substance. ..Source.. by Bakersfield.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

Man shot to death in Beaufort County

4-10-2012 South Carolina:

BEAUFORT, S.C. Sheriff's deputies are investigating the shooting death of a man about 10 miles northwest of Beaufort.

Deputies were called to a home in the Seabrook community about 2 p.m. Tuesday and found 23-year-old Octavis Moultrie of Beaufort. He was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Deputy Coroner David Ott says an autopsy is planned at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Beaufort County sheriff's Sgt. Robin McIntosh says investigators don't know what led to the shooting. McIntosh said officers are not getting much cooperation from those who live in the area.

No suspects have been identified. ..Source.. by The Charlotte Observer.

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Seabrook shooting victim once among county's most wanted

4-11-2012 South Carolina:

A 23-year-old Burton man shot to death Tuesday outside a home in Seabrook had several previous run-ins with local law enforcement and was once among the county's "most wanted," according to authorities.

Octavius Moultrie, known to his friends and family as "Tavis," was arrested three times in the past five years and accused of crimes ranging from attempted murder to misdemeanor drug possession. Included is a 2007 rape charge that landed him on the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office's "most wanted" list, county court records show.

Moultrie was charged with rape and kidnapping in 2007 after a Varnville woman accused him of sexually assaulting her at knifepoint. A jury found him not guilty in 2009, according to court records.

Moultrie was charged last year with attempted murder after witnesses said he fired a shotgun toward a man in a car in 2010 on Poppy Hill Road in Burton. No injuries were reported. The charge was dismissed after a grand jury did not indict him, according to court records.

In January, Moultrie pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor drug offenses and was sentenced to probation.

Moultrie was found shot Tuesday outside a home on Fawnwood Lane and later died at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, according to the Beaufort County Coroner's Office. Authorities have declined to say where and how many times Moultrie was shot. ..Source.. by PATRICK DONOHUE

Coloorado Sex Assault Suspect Killed

6-3-2009 Colorado:

Sometimes all we have is a News Video which is the case here. So we post it and hopefully someday find further information on the person mentioned. This one has been very elusive, so if anyone can find anything please let us know where.



Colorado authorities say a man found shot to death in a park earlier this week was facing child sexual assault charges. Investigators say they haven't ruled out his accuser or her family as suspects in the case. (June 3)

Murdered Libby man was a registered sex offender

Why would the Sheriff make that comment, esp. when it is unknown who did kill him and why?

3-22-2012 Montana:

LIBBY- The Libby man found who authorities say was murdered in his van in the lower Yaak River area over the weekend was a registered sex offender in Lincoln County.

Ernest Judd, 69, was convicted of one count of sexual assault to a 10-year-old female in 2006 and was designated as a Level 2 offender, meaning there was a moderate risk of a repeat sexual offense.

His body was found in his van in the lower part of the Yaak River area on Sunday and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department says he suffered fatal injuries from blunt force trauma to his body.

Sheriff Roby Bowe says at this time there seems to be no connection between the murder and Judd's sex offense. ..Source.. by KAJ18.com

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Yaak Valley Murder Victim Identified, Was A Registered Sex Offender

The death of a Libby man in Northwest Montana's Yaak Valley over the weekend has sent the tight-knit community into a state of disbelief.

"We had no idea that this guy had gotten killed up there," said Libby resident Kevin Martin.

69-year-old Ernest Judd was found in his minivan on Sunday and had been beaten to death.

"I have known Ernest for little over a year now and he's come in and out of the store," explained fellow resident Lisa Block, "He was always quiet when he came in, kept to himself. I don't... I'm just kinda shocked with what has happened."

But Judd had a tainted past - court documents reveal that he pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in 2006 and was released from Montana State Prison after serving only 6 months of a 10 year sentence. Locals who knew him say his past did not matter.

"I'm not gonna judge him," continued Block, "he served what was put down by the judge as far as I know, I'm not gonna judge him. It's not my place."

Sheriff Robe Bowe says there's no obvious link between Judd's criminal past and the murder, but locals say they hope justice is served.

"That'll definitely be up to the judge and the jury to decide," said Martin, "all that and questions and everything. And hopefully we'll get some answers and know exactly what happened."

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Department says the homicide is currently under investigation. ..Source.. by Rebecca Vogt, KCFW Reporter

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Suspected murder victim identified

The 69-year-old man found dead of blunt force trauma in his minivan in Lincoln County has been identified as Ernest Cleon Judd of Libby.

Judd and his vehicle were found by a passing driver at about 2 p.m. Sunday in the lower part of the Yaak River area on a gravel U.S. Forest Service road. Initially investigated as a suicide, Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe reported Tuesday that the department now believes Judd was murdered.

According to the Montana Department of Justice’s Sexual or Violent Offender Registry, Judd is a tier 2 registered sex offender. He was convicted in 2006 of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl the year before.

His tier 2 assignment means he was deemed to have a moderate risk of being a repeat sexual offender.

Bowe said his department is aware of Judd’s history, but that there is currently no indication that it has anything to do with his death.

Bowe also addressed a rumor that Judd had recently won a sizable amount of money at a casino, which could have been a possible factor in a murder.

“We’re following all those leads, and as of right now we can’t pin that as a motive either,” Bowe said. “We’ve heard the same rumors, and all they are right now are rumors.” ..Source.. by JESSE DAVIS, The Daily Inter Lake

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Lincoln County death investigated as murder; victim identified

Authorities in Lincoln County have released the name of a man whose body was found in a minivan along the Yaak River last weekend, and continue to investigate the death as a homicide.

Ernest Judd, 69, of Libby, died of blunt force trauma, Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said Friday. His body was found March 18 in a minivan parked on a Forest Service road in the lower Yaak River area.

The death was originally thought to be a suicide, but Bowe said further investigation revealed that it was a murder.

“As of right now, we don’t have any motive,” Bowe said. “We don’t have any inclination at all why this person or persons did this to him.”

Bowe said investigators have spoken with people who knew Judd, and who reported that the man recently won a substantial amount of money at a casino. However, the amounts have varied between $700 and $1,700 and Bowe has not verified the winnings.

“There is speculation that he won money at the local casino, and we are following up on all those leads right now,” Bowe said. “Right now we haven’t confirmed anything, and we are just trying to determine what is true and what’s not.”

Investigators have also taken into account the fact that Judd has a criminal history, but Bowe said nothing so far indicates the murder is connected to the victim’s past legal troubles.

The state Sexual or Violent Offenders Registry lists Judd as a tier-2 registered sex offender. He was convicted in 2006 of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl the year before.

“There is no indication right now that his criminal past has anything to do with this,” Bowe said.

The Montana Department of Criminal Investigations is assisting with the case, and Bowe said the Montana State Crime Lab is processing forensic evidence. So far, there are no suspects.

Judd’s death marks the fourth murder investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in four months, and the only one without an arrest or a suspect.

In December, Kristina Lynn Welch was arrested for the shooting death of her husband, Charles Welch. Then in January, Dale Kinniburgh Jr., 51, killed himself after reporting to police that he had murdered his wife, Catherine Kinniburgh, 55.

Days later, James Bonifas, 75, was arrested for the death of his daughter, 41-year-old Suzanne Campbell.

Bowe said the string of deaths has kept the department busy, but detectives are fully committed to solving the most recent homicide case.

“We are going to take it slow and careful and find out who did this,” he said. ..Source.. by Tristan Scott

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Man, 69, killed; identified; was known sex offender

The Western News on Tuesday learned the identity of the 69-year-old man who was found dead in a vehicle in the lower Yaak is Ernest Cleon Judd of Libby.

Earlier Tuesday, a press release from Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe confirmed the death was determined to be a homicide. However, Bowe did not confirm Judd as the victim, whose body was found about 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Western News learned Judd’s identity independently.

Bowe’s updated statement about the investigation revealed the deceased died of blunt-force trauma to the back of the head. The deceased was found in his minivan.

“The problem is we have not been able to notify his next of kin,” Bowe said. “Sometimes, families are tough to locate, and I don’t know when we might be able to do that.”

Conceding to next-of-kin concerns, The Western News has agreed to not post the news of Judd’s slaying on its Website www.thewesternnews.com until the geographically distant family members are notified by the Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff Bowe was asked whether he could confirm the deceased recently won a sizeable amount at a casino.

Bowe, who stated his department is continuing its investigation, is looking into reports that the deceased boasted about recent winnings — talk that could have made him a target.

“… We’ll be pursuing that,” Bowe said.

The deceased’s body was taken to the Montana State Crime Laboratory where the cause of death was determined, clearing the way for the homicide investigation.

Judd’s slaying is the fourth such homicide in recent months, dating back to December when Kristina Welch allegedly shot her husband, Brian Charles Welch, in their home. Subsequent deaths of Dale and Catherine Kinniburgh, in a murder-suicide in which Dale killed his wife on Jan. 3 before turning the gun on himself.

Three days later, James Bonifas alledgedly shot his daughter, Susanne Campbell, in their home.

In those cases, police had immediate suspects.

Judd’s alleged killer or killers is still at large.

According to the Montana State Web site, Ernest Cleon Judd is a registered sex offender. Judd’s physical description listed him as a 5-foot, 9-inches tall, with blue eyes and white hair. He reportedly weighed 295 pounds. ..Source.. by Western News

Sex Offender Found Shot Dead In Car

3-7-2012 North Carolina:

EDWARD -- A convicted sex offender was found dead in Beaufort County, and deputies there are treating it as a homicide.

Bobby Ray Buck, 33, was found shot at what was at first believed to be the scene of a car accident.

Buck is listed in the N.C. Department of Corrections website as a convicted and registered sex offender. Buck was convicted of indecent liberties with a minor in 2004, according to records.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call early morning Wednesday reporting a motor vehicle accident on Minor Run Road in the town of Edward. First responders from Aurora Fire and EMS responded to the scene and discovered a man in a car with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. Deputies responded to the location and secured the scene with the assistance of the Aurora responders.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office at (252) 946-7111 or Beaufort County Crime Stoppers at (252)974-6400. ..Source.. by WCTI Staff

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Man Murdered In Beaufort County

3-7-2012 North Carolina:

A man is dead after deputies say they found his body inside a vehicle early this morning. The victim had a criminal record dating back to 1998 and was due in court this week on misdemeanor drug charges.

A man is dead after deputies say they found his body inside a vehicle early this morning.

The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office says they were called to Minor Run Road in the Edwards area at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday for a traffic accident. When they arrived they found an Aurora man dead in a vehicle on the side of the road.

Lawmen say Bobby Buck had a gunshot wound. The 33-year-old man has been a registered sex offender since 2005.

Buck was convicted in Beaufort County in 2004 for taking indecent liberties with a child and he spent just over two years in prison for that crime. His criminal record dates back to 1998, including several B&E convictions.

Buck was supposed to appear in court Tuesday on pending misdemeanor drug charges.

Deputies say they have now identified a suspect in the Buck's murder, but have not released any information about an arrest. They are asking anyone with additional information to call them at 252-946-7111. ..Source.. by WITN.com

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911 call uncovers homicide

3-7-2012:

Deputies investigate after victim discovered with gunshot wound

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a homicide that occurred Tuesday night on Minor Road in the town of Edward.

At 12:15 a.m. the Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a passing motorist who had seen a vehicle off-road, in a ditch and stopped to investigate. According to Major Kenneth Watson, Aurora Fire and EMS arrived at the scene and found a deceased male with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. The victim was identified as Bobby Ray Buck, 33, a resident of Hall Avenue in Aurora, and formerly of Tranquility Lane in Blount’s Creek.

The motorist called in what looked to be a car accident.

“(He) saw the vehicle, checked the driver and reported a vehicle accident with an injury,” Watson said, referring to the initial 911 call.

Sheriff’s Office investigators have identified a suspect in Buck’s homicide, but because of the ongoing investigation, are unable to release any information as to whom Buck was with or why he was at the location, Watson explained.

“We’re following up on a lot of information. We’ve identified a suspect and hope to have additional information to release soon,” he said.

Buck attended Aurora High School and received his G.E.D. from Beaufort County Community College. According to Lt. Jamie Cahoon of the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations unit, Buck was unemployed, but “did odds and ends jobs for people in the community.”

Buck’s run-ins with law enforcement date back to 1998 when he was charged with the first of five DWIs. He served 22 months in prison for a 2004 conviction of indecent liberties with a minor. Buck’s most recent arrest was on Jan. 29 of this year, in which he was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and simple possession of schedule IV controlled substance. His court date had been rescheduled to April 3.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office at (252) 946-7111 or Beaufort County Crime Stoppers at (252) 974-6400. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest in this case. ..Source.. by Vail Stewart Rumley

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Deputies investigating homicide of sex offender

6-8-2012 North Carolina:

WASHINGTON, N.C. - Deputies say they have a person of interest for a Beaufort County homicide.

Deputies responded early this morning to a 911 call on Minor Run Road in Edwards.

They say they found a man shot to death in a car.

The victim has been identified as 33-year-old Bobby Ray Buck from Aurora. We checked and found out he’s a registered sex offender according to the state's registry.

Deputies say their investigation is on-going. They are willing to pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest. ..Source.. by WNCT Staff