33 year old Jerome Alverto was sentenced to almost 49 years in prison in a Tacoma, WA courtroom Friday for pistol whipping and beating his ex-wife back in 2006. According to court documents, Stephanie Wilson was shot 5 times, beaten and pistol whipped in the head, and suffered serious injuries.
Alverto was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery with a weapons enhancement.
Judge Kitty Ann Van Doornick sentenced Alverto to a total of 48 years, 10 months and two weeks in prison. Doormick said Alverto must first serve 15 years without possibility of parole for the weapons charge and then the rest of the sentence afterwards.
The victim's mother, Joan E. Sterling, testified about how the attack left her daughter with an inoperable, and potentially fatal brain condition. The victim, Stephanie Wilson attended her attacker's sentencing, but declined to speak because her doctor told her to avoid stress.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Rapist sentenced to 50 years with half to serve for attack on girlfriend
Tavaeras Lamont Kimble, 33, was sentenced to 50 years in prison last Tuesday with 50% remission based on good prison behavior, for raping, kidnapping, and burglarizing his ex-girlfriend's house last year. The 50 year sentence for aggravated sexual assault will be served concurrently with a 10 year sentence for kidnapping, and 5 years for burglary. He will also have to pay a $17,000 fine.
Kimble admitted in court Monday he headbutted and bit the woman, but claimed it was an "act of love." He denied everything else, including stealing her things. The 2 year relationship included 3 criminal trespass warnings, then a protective order against him.
On the day the woman filed for a protective order, Kimble attacked her outside a friend's house. According to testimony, Kimble followed her by car and then blocked her from leaving before throwing a rock through her passenger car window, which hit her in the arm, the woman said. Kimble, who is disabled and has back trouble from a 2002 car accident, then jumped through the broken window, head-butted the woman and bit her chest, she said.
The woman testified she got into Kimble's car and he drove her to his mother's house where he had sex with the former girlfriend against her will, keeping her for two days.
"He had done this much. I felt like I had no choice, but to do that," she testified Monday morning.
The woman told jurors she was finally able to reach out for help when Kimble let her go into a local grocery store alone, where she alerted an employee who called police, and Kimble was arrested.
Angelina County District Attorney Clyde Herrington asked the jury to find Kimble guilty so the victim could have justice.
"She's got scars on her body, but worse, on her spirit...It's a shame we need a women's shelter in our community, but it's because of people like Mr. Kimble that we do."
Bill Agnew, Kimble's attorney, said that "there's nowhere near enough evidence" to convict his client but conceded that the relationship was unhealthy.
"This was a very unhealthy, volatile relationship. There is no denying that. Did Mr. Kimble assault her? Yes, there is evidence indicating that, but he's not charged with that."
Kimble admitted in court Monday he headbutted and bit the woman, but claimed it was an "act of love." He denied everything else, including stealing her things. The 2 year relationship included 3 criminal trespass warnings, then a protective order against him.
On the day the woman filed for a protective order, Kimble attacked her outside a friend's house. According to testimony, Kimble followed her by car and then blocked her from leaving before throwing a rock through her passenger car window, which hit her in the arm, the woman said. Kimble, who is disabled and has back trouble from a 2002 car accident, then jumped through the broken window, head-butted the woman and bit her chest, she said.
The woman testified she got into Kimble's car and he drove her to his mother's house where he had sex with the former girlfriend against her will, keeping her for two days.
"He had done this much. I felt like I had no choice, but to do that," she testified Monday morning.
The woman told jurors she was finally able to reach out for help when Kimble let her go into a local grocery store alone, where she alerted an employee who called police, and Kimble was arrested.
Angelina County District Attorney Clyde Herrington asked the jury to find Kimble guilty so the victim could have justice.
"She's got scars on her body, but worse, on her spirit...It's a shame we need a women's shelter in our community, but it's because of people like Mr. Kimble that we do."
Bill Agnew, Kimble's attorney, said that "there's nowhere near enough evidence" to convict his client but conceded that the relationship was unhealthy.
"This was a very unhealthy, volatile relationship. There is no denying that. Did Mr. Kimble assault her? Yes, there is evidence indicating that, but he's not charged with that."
Man gets 5 years in prison for choking "girlfriend" to death
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - A man faces five years in prison for putting his girlfriend in a deadly sleeper hold in front of his teenage son in Lake Stevens.
The sentence was issued Thursday to 47-year-old Terry Calvin Van Allen for the death of 41-year-old Clella Colson. Her body was found in her home on April 28, 2007, and Van Allen pleaded guilty three months later to second-degree manslaughter and violation of a no-contact order.
Van Allen could have been sentenced to eight years if he had been convicted of first-degree manslaughter as initially charged.
He wept in court, saying they had been fighting and he only wanted to render Colson unconscious. He put her in a sleeper hold, squeezing the carotid artery in her neck to prevent flood from reaching her brain.
The sentence was issued Thursday to 47-year-old Terry Calvin Van Allen for the death of 41-year-old Clella Colson. Her body was found in her home on April 28, 2007, and Van Allen pleaded guilty three months later to second-degree manslaughter and violation of a no-contact order.
Van Allen could have been sentenced to eight years if he had been convicted of first-degree manslaughter as initially charged.
He wept in court, saying they had been fighting and he only wanted to render Colson unconscious. He put her in a sleeper hold, squeezing the carotid artery in her neck to prevent flood from reaching her brain.
Husband sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing wife
Deputy Sentenced In Wife's Death [KFMB- San Diego, CA]
Last Updated:09-10-08 at 4:56PM
A deputy sheriff who shot his wife in the face during an argument in front of their 4-year-old son was sentenced today to 15 years in state prison for the Christmastime killing.Lowell "Sam" Bruce, 42, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter more than a year ago in connection with the Dec. 14, 2006, death of 38-year-old Kristin Maxwell-Bruce, who was shot in the bedroom of the Alpine home they shared with her parents.
The lengthy lag in sentencing occurred because the trial judge in El Cajon refused to accept the plea bargain. The jurist, who wanted to be able to sentence the defendant to up to 21 years behind bars, was eventually removed for showing apparent bias and the case was reassigned to San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Wellington.
The victim's father, Jim Maxwell, blamed the District Attorney's Office for letting Bruce plead guilty to manslaughter."Meaning no disrespect to this court, this was an act of murder, pure and simple," Maxwell told Wellington. "It's a shame the people representing the victims didn't see it this way and took the easy way out."The victim's mother, Kay Maxwell, told the judge she was "frustrated, hurt and angered" over what she called a "miscarriage of justice" in the case.
The Maxwell family never agreed to the plea bargain, Kay Maxwell said."They (prosecutors) abandoned three victims -- a mother and her two sons," she said in urging the judge to sentence Bruce to 21 years in prison, although he told the victim's family that the law prohibited him from doing so." Our son-in-law made a choice when he removed his service weapon from his holster," Kay Maxwell said. "In that moment, he robbed his boys of their mother."She said she and her husband have put off retirement plans so they can raise their daughter's two boys, now 6 and 9 years old.
Deputy District Attorney Kimberlee Lagotta said the voluntary manslaughter plea reflected justice in the "cruel and callous" case of domestic violence that stemmed from a heated marital argument. Cheryl Nolan, who has known Bruce since 10th grade, said he has always been a "soft-spoken and humble person" who has deep remorse for killing his wife and misses his boys very much.For his part, Bruce apologized to the victim's family and still loves his wife."I wake up every morning looking for her," the tearful defendant said. "I love you boys and will never stop."
Bruce also apologized to his in-laws for "this unexpected traumatic change in your life."The defendant, who worked at the Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility, said he was not a violent or aggressive person and described the homicide as "an unfortunate and uncharacteristic event."The night of the shooting, Bruce said he "panicked" and failed to take control of the situation."My failure has left two wonderful boys without a mother," Bruce said.
Defense attorney Henry Coker told the court that Bruce got home from work about 7:15 p.m. the night of the shooting and had a routine dinner with his wife, boys, in-laws and his wife's grandfather.Bruce then sat down to watch football on television, but his wife wanted him to help with putting the children to bed, checking on clothes in the dryer and working on a Christmas letter, Coker said.Maxwell-Bruce went into her bedroom and later emerged, finding that Bruce had not done the chores she asked him to do, his attorney said."She was quite upset," according to Coker.
The victim then decided to kick her husband out of the house, which she had done before, and started throwing his clothes into the hallway, the attorney said.Bruce tried to stop his wife and she became physically violent, hitting him in the back of the head with her fist and a coat hanger, his lawyer said.The victim went into the bedroom closet and grabbed Bruce's service weapon, and he grabbed it from her, Coker said.
Their 4-year-old son, who was in his parents' bed trying to get to sleep, reportedly told Child Protective Services that he heard his mother say, "Go ahead and shoot me," according to Coker.Bruce did not intentionally shoot his wife, but the gun discharged, hitting her in the mouth, Coker said.
The woman stayed on her feet and tried to call 911, but Bruce took the phone from her and dialed himself, begging for emergency personnel to hurry."He said, `I (expletive) up. I shot my wife,"' Coker told the judge. "This was the voice of an anguished man."
Bruce walked his injured wife to the kitchen and told his in-laws that he had just shot their daughter, telling them she wasn't going to die, Coker said.In pronouncing sentence, Wellington told the victim's mother and father that no parent should have to bury their child."It just violates the natural order of the universe," the judge said.Outside court, Jim Maxwell said he was frustrated that Bruce didn't get more time in prison."I thinks it stinks," the victim's father told reporters, saying his daughter hated guns.
Last Updated:09-10-08 at 4:56PM
A deputy sheriff who shot his wife in the face during an argument in front of their 4-year-old son was sentenced today to 15 years in state prison for the Christmastime killing.Lowell "Sam" Bruce, 42, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter more than a year ago in connection with the Dec. 14, 2006, death of 38-year-old Kristin Maxwell-Bruce, who was shot in the bedroom of the Alpine home they shared with her parents.
The lengthy lag in sentencing occurred because the trial judge in El Cajon refused to accept the plea bargain. The jurist, who wanted to be able to sentence the defendant to up to 21 years behind bars, was eventually removed for showing apparent bias and the case was reassigned to San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Wellington.
The victim's father, Jim Maxwell, blamed the District Attorney's Office for letting Bruce plead guilty to manslaughter."Meaning no disrespect to this court, this was an act of murder, pure and simple," Maxwell told Wellington. "It's a shame the people representing the victims didn't see it this way and took the easy way out."The victim's mother, Kay Maxwell, told the judge she was "frustrated, hurt and angered" over what she called a "miscarriage of justice" in the case.
The Maxwell family never agreed to the plea bargain, Kay Maxwell said."They (prosecutors) abandoned three victims -- a mother and her two sons," she said in urging the judge to sentence Bruce to 21 years in prison, although he told the victim's family that the law prohibited him from doing so." Our son-in-law made a choice when he removed his service weapon from his holster," Kay Maxwell said. "In that moment, he robbed his boys of their mother."She said she and her husband have put off retirement plans so they can raise their daughter's two boys, now 6 and 9 years old.
Deputy District Attorney Kimberlee Lagotta said the voluntary manslaughter plea reflected justice in the "cruel and callous" case of domestic violence that stemmed from a heated marital argument. Cheryl Nolan, who has known Bruce since 10th grade, said he has always been a "soft-spoken and humble person" who has deep remorse for killing his wife and misses his boys very much.For his part, Bruce apologized to the victim's family and still loves his wife."I wake up every morning looking for her," the tearful defendant said. "I love you boys and will never stop."
Bruce also apologized to his in-laws for "this unexpected traumatic change in your life."The defendant, who worked at the Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility, said he was not a violent or aggressive person and described the homicide as "an unfortunate and uncharacteristic event."The night of the shooting, Bruce said he "panicked" and failed to take control of the situation."My failure has left two wonderful boys without a mother," Bruce said.
Defense attorney Henry Coker told the court that Bruce got home from work about 7:15 p.m. the night of the shooting and had a routine dinner with his wife, boys, in-laws and his wife's grandfather.Bruce then sat down to watch football on television, but his wife wanted him to help with putting the children to bed, checking on clothes in the dryer and working on a Christmas letter, Coker said.Maxwell-Bruce went into her bedroom and later emerged, finding that Bruce had not done the chores she asked him to do, his attorney said."She was quite upset," according to Coker.
The victim then decided to kick her husband out of the house, which she had done before, and started throwing his clothes into the hallway, the attorney said.Bruce tried to stop his wife and she became physically violent, hitting him in the back of the head with her fist and a coat hanger, his lawyer said.The victim went into the bedroom closet and grabbed Bruce's service weapon, and he grabbed it from her, Coker said.
Their 4-year-old son, who was in his parents' bed trying to get to sleep, reportedly told Child Protective Services that he heard his mother say, "Go ahead and shoot me," according to Coker.Bruce did not intentionally shoot his wife, but the gun discharged, hitting her in the mouth, Coker said.
The woman stayed on her feet and tried to call 911, but Bruce took the phone from her and dialed himself, begging for emergency personnel to hurry."He said, `I (expletive) up. I shot my wife,"' Coker told the judge. "This was the voice of an anguished man."
Bruce walked his injured wife to the kitchen and told his in-laws that he had just shot their daughter, telling them she wasn't going to die, Coker said.In pronouncing sentence, Wellington told the victim's mother and father that no parent should have to bury their child."It just violates the natural order of the universe," the judge said.Outside court, Jim Maxwell said he was frustrated that Bruce didn't get more time in prison."I thinks it stinks," the victim's father told reporters, saying his daughter hated guns.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
"Butcher of Bega" charged with assaulting patients
Australian doctor charged with assaulting patients
By KRISTEN GELINEAU Associated Press Writer
Posted: Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2008
SYDNEY, Australia A former gynecologist was arrested Wednesday in Australia on charges that he sexually assaulted several patients and mutilated the genitals of at least one of them during surgery, authorities said.
Graeme Reeves, 58, was arrested in Sydney following an investigation into 113 allegations of misconduct involving at least 10 patients between 2001 and 2003 in Sydney and the southern New South Wales town of Bega.
Reeves, dubbed the "Butcher of Bega" by the Australian media, was charged with nine counts of aggravated sexual assault, six counts of indecent assault, one count of female genital mutilation and one count of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.
He faces life in prison if convicted on all charges.
Reeves appeared briefly in court Wednesday but did not enter a plea. His lawyer, Greg Murray, argued for bail, but Parramatta Local Court Magistrate James Garbett rejected the request, calling the former doctor a flight risk. Reeves' next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 5.
A message left on Murray's mobile phone seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Child Protection and Sex Crimes Squad Superintendent John Kerlatec said in a statement that the charges filed against Reeves "are a testament of the courage demonstrated by these women who have bravely come forward to report such traumatic events."
One patient, who underwent surgery in 2002 to remove a lesion from her labia, told reporters earlier this year that as she was falling asleep from general anesthesia before the operation, Reeves whispered to her that he planned to remove her clitoris. The woman said all her external genitalia were removed during the operation.
Reeves was appointed as a visiting medical officer in obstetrics and gynecology at Sydney's Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital in 1985. Over the next 15 years, 35 complaints were lodged against him by co-workers and patients, including accusations that he bullied staff and failed to offer patients proper anesthesia and pain relief during procedures.
In 1997, a professional standards committee of the state's medical board held an inquiry into
Reeves' conduct after one of his patients died of septicemia after giving birth because he refused to give her antibiotics. The board found him guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and ordered him to stop practicing obstetrics - though he was allowed to continue working as a doctor at various hospitals.
Reeves also was ordered to receive psychiatric treatment after the board determined he suffered from personality problems and depression that impaired his ability to practice medicine.
But Reeves continued to practice obstetrics. In 2004, his license was revoked for defying the board's orders.
Police declined to release additional details of the allegations against Reeves.
By KRISTEN GELINEAU Associated Press Writer
Posted: Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2008
SYDNEY, Australia A former gynecologist was arrested Wednesday in Australia on charges that he sexually assaulted several patients and mutilated the genitals of at least one of them during surgery, authorities said.
Graeme Reeves, 58, was arrested in Sydney following an investigation into 113 allegations of misconduct involving at least 10 patients between 2001 and 2003 in Sydney and the southern New South Wales town of Bega.
Reeves, dubbed the "Butcher of Bega" by the Australian media, was charged with nine counts of aggravated sexual assault, six counts of indecent assault, one count of female genital mutilation and one count of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.
He faces life in prison if convicted on all charges.
Reeves appeared briefly in court Wednesday but did not enter a plea. His lawyer, Greg Murray, argued for bail, but Parramatta Local Court Magistrate James Garbett rejected the request, calling the former doctor a flight risk. Reeves' next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 5.
A message left on Murray's mobile phone seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Child Protection and Sex Crimes Squad Superintendent John Kerlatec said in a statement that the charges filed against Reeves "are a testament of the courage demonstrated by these women who have bravely come forward to report such traumatic events."
One patient, who underwent surgery in 2002 to remove a lesion from her labia, told reporters earlier this year that as she was falling asleep from general anesthesia before the operation, Reeves whispered to her that he planned to remove her clitoris. The woman said all her external genitalia were removed during the operation.
Reeves was appointed as a visiting medical officer in obstetrics and gynecology at Sydney's Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital in 1985. Over the next 15 years, 35 complaints were lodged against him by co-workers and patients, including accusations that he bullied staff and failed to offer patients proper anesthesia and pain relief during procedures.
In 1997, a professional standards committee of the state's medical board held an inquiry into
Reeves' conduct after one of his patients died of septicemia after giving birth because he refused to give her antibiotics. The board found him guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and ordered him to stop practicing obstetrics - though he was allowed to continue working as a doctor at various hospitals.
Reeves also was ordered to receive psychiatric treatment after the board determined he suffered from personality problems and depression that impaired his ability to practice medicine.
But Reeves continued to practice obstetrics. In 2004, his license was revoked for defying the board's orders.
Police declined to release additional details of the allegations against Reeves.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Man who blackmailed woman into sex convicted of rape - faces 60 years
(Original Post July 30)
A Topeka, KS man was convicted of blackmailing a woman into sex by using information obtained from her computer to coerce her into the sexual activity. Robert Hetch, the prosecutor in the case, will seek the maximum sentence at sentencing September 5. James Brooks III, 39, was convicted of a count of rape, 2 counts of blackmail, and a single sount of breach of privacy, according to the Shawnee County DA.
Brooks forced the victim to engage in sex with him by blackmailing her with threats of "taking actions that would severely impact the lives of several persons" by using information he gained from the victim's computer, Hecht said. He said the information wasn't of any criminal conduct.
Maximum sentences, if run consecutively, total 60 years in prison.
(Update 9-12-08) Brooks was sentenced to over 15 years in prison on September 5 - 155 months for the rape, and a year each for 2 counts of blackmail and a count of invasion of privacy.
A Topeka, KS man was convicted of blackmailing a woman into sex by using information obtained from her computer to coerce her into the sexual activity. Robert Hetch, the prosecutor in the case, will seek the maximum sentence at sentencing September 5. James Brooks III, 39, was convicted of a count of rape, 2 counts of blackmail, and a single sount of breach of privacy, according to the Shawnee County DA.
Brooks forced the victim to engage in sex with him by blackmailing her with threats of "taking actions that would severely impact the lives of several persons" by using information he gained from the victim's computer, Hecht said. He said the information wasn't of any criminal conduct.
Maximum sentences, if run consecutively, total 60 years in prison.
(Update 9-12-08) Brooks was sentenced to over 15 years in prison on September 5 - 155 months for the rape, and a year each for 2 counts of blackmail and a count of invasion of privacy.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Pittsburgh's East End Rapist sentenced to 80 - 160 years
By Bobby Kerlik
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 4, 2008
One of Keith O. Wood's victims has lost some of her hearing and is afraid of the dark.
Another told a judge Wednesday she has flashbacks to the night he crept into her home and attacked her.
Despite Wood's continued insistence he is not the notorious East End Rapist, the judge sentenced the Highland Park man to 80 to 160 years in prison for his conviction of assaulting four women in their homes.
DNA evidence connected Wood, 51, to four of the five attacks in 2000 and 2001. He told Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning he didn't do it.
"I'm very sorry for what happened to the victims, but I'm not the one who committed the acts," Wood said. "I'm not guilty. You will see that no DNA evidence was found."
Deputy District Attorney Janet Necessary said the chance the DNA found at the four scenes is not Wood's is 1 in 56 quintillion -- that's 56 followed by 18 zeros.
A jury convicted Wood in June of rapes he was accused of committing in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Swissvale, Edgewood and Forest Hills. The assaults occurred under similar circumstances. The women awoke to find a man in their bedrooms. He threatened to kill them before raping them and, in some cases, had a weapon.
Manning declared a mistrial in the fifth case, which did not have DNA evidence, after the jury said it was deadlocked. Necessary told Manning prosecutors would not retry that case.
Two of the victims testified before Manning imposed the sentence.
"There's no punishment that exists that would befit the defendant. He is diabolical and dangerous," one victim told Manning. "I'm still afraid of the dark at age 37. I haven't been able to sleep with the lights out since."
She said Wood nearly ruined her career because she lived in constant fear and twice attempted suicide.
"During the assault, I was beaten in my head. I have hearing loss in my left ear and I have migraine headaches. I have worsening issues with memory and concentration because I was strangled to the point of unconsciousness," the woman testified. "For several months after, I could feel the defendant's hands around my neck closing off my airway."
The Tribune-Review does not identify victims of sexual assault.
Wood's mother cried throughout the sentencing. She declined comment.
Another victim testified she was unable to sleep at night for months after the rape.
"My personal relationship with my boyfriend has been affected. I didn't want to be left alone, especially at night," the woman testified. "I would have flashbacks of the assault during intimate moments."
Wood, who testified on his own behalf during the trial, accused police of illegally obtaining his DNA. A sample was taken in July 2005 while he was an inmate at the state prison in Cambria County, where he was serving time for a parole violation on a burglary arrest. The crimes went unsolved until 2007, when state police matched Wood's DNA to one of the rapes.
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 4, 2008
One of Keith O. Wood's victims has lost some of her hearing and is afraid of the dark.
Another told a judge Wednesday she has flashbacks to the night he crept into her home and attacked her.
Despite Wood's continued insistence he is not the notorious East End Rapist, the judge sentenced the Highland Park man to 80 to 160 years in prison for his conviction of assaulting four women in their homes.
DNA evidence connected Wood, 51, to four of the five attacks in 2000 and 2001. He told Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning he didn't do it.
"I'm very sorry for what happened to the victims, but I'm not the one who committed the acts," Wood said. "I'm not guilty. You will see that no DNA evidence was found."
Deputy District Attorney Janet Necessary said the chance the DNA found at the four scenes is not Wood's is 1 in 56 quintillion -- that's 56 followed by 18 zeros.
A jury convicted Wood in June of rapes he was accused of committing in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Swissvale, Edgewood and Forest Hills. The assaults occurred under similar circumstances. The women awoke to find a man in their bedrooms. He threatened to kill them before raping them and, in some cases, had a weapon.
Manning declared a mistrial in the fifth case, which did not have DNA evidence, after the jury said it was deadlocked. Necessary told Manning prosecutors would not retry that case.
Two of the victims testified before Manning imposed the sentence.
"There's no punishment that exists that would befit the defendant. He is diabolical and dangerous," one victim told Manning. "I'm still afraid of the dark at age 37. I haven't been able to sleep with the lights out since."
She said Wood nearly ruined her career because she lived in constant fear and twice attempted suicide.
"During the assault, I was beaten in my head. I have hearing loss in my left ear and I have migraine headaches. I have worsening issues with memory and concentration because I was strangled to the point of unconsciousness," the woman testified. "For several months after, I could feel the defendant's hands around my neck closing off my airway."
The Tribune-Review does not identify victims of sexual assault.
Wood's mother cried throughout the sentencing. She declined comment.
Another victim testified she was unable to sleep at night for months after the rape.
"My personal relationship with my boyfriend has been affected. I didn't want to be left alone, especially at night," the woman testified. "I would have flashbacks of the assault during intimate moments."
Wood, who testified on his own behalf during the trial, accused police of illegally obtaining his DNA. A sample was taken in July 2005 while he was an inmate at the state prison in Cambria County, where he was serving time for a parole violation on a burglary arrest. The crimes went unsolved until 2007, when state police matched Wood's DNA to one of the rapes.
Mexican national pleads guilty to raping landlady in Escondido, CA
(Original Post 7-30-08)
Deputy District Attorney Natalie Villaflor accepted a plea agreement with illegal immigrant Victor Navarro on Monday, July 28 for a 2002 attack which left his landlady with severe internal injuries and left Navarro with convictions for sodomy and rape with a foreign object. He faces 8 years at sentencing September 4 for the attack on Tammy Chavez, his landlord, in Escondido.
The victim, Tammy Chavez, said the plea brought her some relief after a long, sometimes lonely battle to bring Navarro to justice."I'm reminded of (the attack) everyday, but now I'm going to try to put it away and remember he's paying for what he did to me," she said.
Navarro, a resident of Mexico who rented a room from Tammy Chavez in her Escondido, CA home, is alleged to have assaulted her on her living room couch the morning of June 17, 2002, according to police files.
Chavez told police she didn't scream for help because she feared the man would harm her daughter and 10-month-old granddaughter sleeping in an adjacent room. The incident began at about 2:30 that morning and ended about 4 a.m. when an alarm clock sounded and the attacker fled, Chavez told police.The case went cold for a while until May 22, 2004, when Navarro was arrested for drunken driving in Orange County. A DNA sample collected due to the arrest matched DNA found in sperm on Chavez's underwear the night of the attack, according to police files.
An arrest warrant was filed June 22, 2006, but it wasn’t until April this year that Navarro was taken into custody. The attack left severe rectal, vaginal, and other internal injuries to Chavez which surgeons and doctors have tried to repair and treat. Navarro will be sentenced September 4, and Chavez plans to give a victim impact statement.
(Update 9-11-08) Navarro was sentenced to 8 years in prison then deportation on September 4 following the rape of Chavez. In the victim impact statement, Chavez called Navarro a "sadistic abusing pervert" and held up a catheter to show how the attack physically damaged her.
"The physical pain you have caused has lasted this last six years and will never go away. I have been in my own prison."
The [DNA] match "corroborates the events that (Chavez) has reported since the rape occurred," wrote now-retired Detective Ron Shankles in the arrest warrant, dated June 22, 2006.
The prolonged attack left Chavez "the most severely injured person I have ever heard of who lived," said Chuck Ryder, a marriage and family counselor who has worked extensively with Chavez and her husband.
In her statement Thursday, Chavez praised Shankles, saying he always believed her and pursued the case vigorously."He got the evidence to get this monster," Chavez said. "My appreciation cannot be expressed in words."
She explained the "small amount of time" Navarro will serve compared with her lifetime of suffering, but said she understood Villaflor was working under sentencing guidelines that, she said, are too light."I think anybody who rapes somebody should get more than eight years," she said.
Deputy District Attorney Natalie Villaflor accepted a plea agreement with illegal immigrant Victor Navarro on Monday, July 28 for a 2002 attack which left his landlady with severe internal injuries and left Navarro with convictions for sodomy and rape with a foreign object. He faces 8 years at sentencing September 4 for the attack on Tammy Chavez, his landlord, in Escondido.
The victim, Tammy Chavez, said the plea brought her some relief after a long, sometimes lonely battle to bring Navarro to justice."I'm reminded of (the attack) everyday, but now I'm going to try to put it away and remember he's paying for what he did to me," she said.
Navarro, a resident of Mexico who rented a room from Tammy Chavez in her Escondido, CA home, is alleged to have assaulted her on her living room couch the morning of June 17, 2002, according to police files.
Chavez told police she didn't scream for help because she feared the man would harm her daughter and 10-month-old granddaughter sleeping in an adjacent room. The incident began at about 2:30 that morning and ended about 4 a.m. when an alarm clock sounded and the attacker fled, Chavez told police.The case went cold for a while until May 22, 2004, when Navarro was arrested for drunken driving in Orange County. A DNA sample collected due to the arrest matched DNA found in sperm on Chavez's underwear the night of the attack, according to police files.
An arrest warrant was filed June 22, 2006, but it wasn’t until April this year that Navarro was taken into custody. The attack left severe rectal, vaginal, and other internal injuries to Chavez which surgeons and doctors have tried to repair and treat. Navarro will be sentenced September 4, and Chavez plans to give a victim impact statement.
(Update 9-11-08) Navarro was sentenced to 8 years in prison then deportation on September 4 following the rape of Chavez. In the victim impact statement, Chavez called Navarro a "sadistic abusing pervert" and held up a catheter to show how the attack physically damaged her.
"The physical pain you have caused has lasted this last six years and will never go away. I have been in my own prison."
The [DNA] match "corroborates the events that (Chavez) has reported since the rape occurred," wrote now-retired Detective Ron Shankles in the arrest warrant, dated June 22, 2006.
The prolonged attack left Chavez "the most severely injured person I have ever heard of who lived," said Chuck Ryder, a marriage and family counselor who has worked extensively with Chavez and her husband.
In her statement Thursday, Chavez praised Shankles, saying he always believed her and pursued the case vigorously."He got the evidence to get this monster," Chavez said. "My appreciation cannot be expressed in words."
She explained the "small amount of time" Navarro will serve compared with her lifetime of suffering, but said she understood Villaflor was working under sentencing guidelines that, she said, are too light."I think anybody who rapes somebody should get more than eight years," she said.
Mexican national sentenced to lengthy prison term for rape
September 4, 2008
Reported by Associated Press
A district judge has sentenced a man to serve 45 to 50 years in prison on convictions of kidnapping a woman in Shoshoni and raping her at knifepoint last December.
District Judge Nancy J. Guthrie on Tuesday [September 2] sentenced 21-year-old Jesus Jurado Soto-Cruz, originally of Mexico, to the maximum possible sentence.Authorities plan to deport Soto-Cruz back to Mexico after he serves his sentence.Soto-Cruz pleaded guilty last month. Authorities say he kidnapped the 19-year-old victim from the parking lot of a Shoshoni convenience store and raped her.Soto-Cruz then returned the woman and her car to the convenience store.Fremont County Sheriff's deputies arrested him after following his tracks in the snow to a nearby housing complex.
Reported by Associated Press
A district judge has sentenced a man to serve 45 to 50 years in prison on convictions of kidnapping a woman in Shoshoni and raping her at knifepoint last December.
District Judge Nancy J. Guthrie on Tuesday [September 2] sentenced 21-year-old Jesus Jurado Soto-Cruz, originally of Mexico, to the maximum possible sentence.Authorities plan to deport Soto-Cruz back to Mexico after he serves his sentence.Soto-Cruz pleaded guilty last month. Authorities say he kidnapped the 19-year-old victim from the parking lot of a Shoshoni convenience store and raped her.Soto-Cruz then returned the woman and her car to the convenience store.Fremont County Sheriff's deputies arrested him after following his tracks in the snow to a nearby housing complex.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Views of propriety of relationships I may have
The research into sexual assault and rape cases has made me change my mind about the appropriateness of having women between legal age and 40 as appropriate sexual/romantic partners for myself. I don't see women in that age range as appropriate partners for myself any more, but only women over 40. I say this because too many men legal age to 40 hurt women, either deliberately, because of immaturity, or because the culture teaches folks our age to see each other as sexual partners only, instead of romantic partners, friends, and intellectual equals.
On a personal note, I believe that if I were to deal with women under 40 as potential sexual partners instead of allies and friends, I would be imposing myself on a woman's environment instead of befriending her. I would be pushing myself into her space, instead of waiting for her invitation, and I would be taking advantage of the lack of experience she has compared to older women, in much the same way as a molester takes advantage of a minor's lack of maturity.
For myself, I believe that the best way for my to deal with women legal age to 40 is to be friends with them and NOT romantic or sexual partners. There are too many things that have to occur in order for me to have a healthy relationship - maturity on both sides, the assurance that there are legitimate reasons for my interest from her point of view, and the feeling that I'm taking advantage of her lack of experience on my end.
(More to come later)
On a personal note, I believe that if I were to deal with women under 40 as potential sexual partners instead of allies and friends, I would be imposing myself on a woman's environment instead of befriending her. I would be pushing myself into her space, instead of waiting for her invitation, and I would be taking advantage of the lack of experience she has compared to older women, in much the same way as a molester takes advantage of a minor's lack of maturity.
For myself, I believe that the best way for my to deal with women legal age to 40 is to be friends with them and NOT romantic or sexual partners. There are too many things that have to occur in order for me to have a healthy relationship - maturity on both sides, the assurance that there are legitimate reasons for my interest from her point of view, and the feeling that I'm taking advantage of her lack of experience on my end.
(More to come later)
Army gets into the sexual assault prevention business
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writerPosted : Tuesday Sep 9, 2008 19:20:12 EDT
In an effort to force new life into a stagnating sexual assault response program, the Army will go after sexual predators in its ranks by going after its own culture of inaction to stop a rape before it happens.
At a week-long training summit in Alexandria, Va., that began Monday, more than 250 civilians, division level general officers and their sexual assault prevention response officers are huddling with sexual violence experts to hash out a more aggressive approach to ending rape in the Army.
Army Secretary Pete Geren opened the summit by reminding his audience that in 2007 the Army’s incidence of sexual assault was 2.6 per thousand soldiers, the highest of all the services, according to a Defense Department report released earlier this year.
“This is a profound disgrace because we’re a values-based organization,” Geren said, citing the dichotomy of having soldiers like Medal of Honor recipient Spc. Ross McGinnis and Silver Star recipient Pfc. Monica Brown in the same Army with soldiers who would prey on other soldiers.
“Sexual assault is a crime that is repugnant to the core values that define our Army,” Geren said.
“Soldiers who live the Army values must not only never commit the crimes of assault or sexual harassment but must actively work to rid our Army of these crimes. It is a soldier’s duty to protect his fellow soldier from harm — on the battlefield, in the barracks, on-post or off.”
The current Sexual Assault Prevention Response program was established in 2004 and all soldiers receive training in sexual harassment and assault. But the numbers, according to many leaders, remain unacceptably high because leaders have different levels of exposure to the problem and may not even be aware of it.
The Army’s deputy chief of staff G-1, Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, announced the launch of a four-phase, five-year campaign to address the Army’s problem and tasked the group with developing with a set of recommendations and ideas based on the strategy.
Expecting a report by Friday, Rochelle said he wanted to identify a prevention strategy and “leverage Army values to [create a program] that will become a national model for sexual assault prevention.”
A general officer steering committee established in May by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey identified shortfalls in the program and “now it’s time to get ideas from the division level,” said Carolyn Collins, program manager for the Army’s sexual assault and prevention response.
“We’re four years into this program and we’re kind of at a plateau in our reporting. We’re not where we want to be,” she said. “We’re getting out of the risk reduction focus and moving toward prevention, engaging soldiers in this fight. You’re not going to be a passive bystander.”
In an effort to force new life into a stagnating sexual assault response program, the Army will go after sexual predators in its ranks by going after its own culture of inaction to stop a rape before it happens.
At a week-long training summit in Alexandria, Va., that began Monday, more than 250 civilians, division level general officers and their sexual assault prevention response officers are huddling with sexual violence experts to hash out a more aggressive approach to ending rape in the Army.
Army Secretary Pete Geren opened the summit by reminding his audience that in 2007 the Army’s incidence of sexual assault was 2.6 per thousand soldiers, the highest of all the services, according to a Defense Department report released earlier this year.
“This is a profound disgrace because we’re a values-based organization,” Geren said, citing the dichotomy of having soldiers like Medal of Honor recipient Spc. Ross McGinnis and Silver Star recipient Pfc. Monica Brown in the same Army with soldiers who would prey on other soldiers.
“Sexual assault is a crime that is repugnant to the core values that define our Army,” Geren said.
“Soldiers who live the Army values must not only never commit the crimes of assault or sexual harassment but must actively work to rid our Army of these crimes. It is a soldier’s duty to protect his fellow soldier from harm — on the battlefield, in the barracks, on-post or off.”
The current Sexual Assault Prevention Response program was established in 2004 and all soldiers receive training in sexual harassment and assault. But the numbers, according to many leaders, remain unacceptably high because leaders have different levels of exposure to the problem and may not even be aware of it.
The Army’s deputy chief of staff G-1, Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, announced the launch of a four-phase, five-year campaign to address the Army’s problem and tasked the group with developing with a set of recommendations and ideas based on the strategy.
Expecting a report by Friday, Rochelle said he wanted to identify a prevention strategy and “leverage Army values to [create a program] that will become a national model for sexual assault prevention.”
A general officer steering committee established in May by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey identified shortfalls in the program and “now it’s time to get ideas from the division level,” said Carolyn Collins, program manager for the Army’s sexual assault and prevention response.
“We’re four years into this program and we’re kind of at a plateau in our reporting. We’re not where we want to be,” she said. “We’re getting out of the risk reduction focus and moving toward prevention, engaging soldiers in this fight. You’re not going to be a passive bystander.”
Australian stripper ordered to stand trial for "rape" by sex toy
Mex Cooper
September 10, 2008
A STRIPPER has been ordered to stand trial for the alleged rape of a best man at a bucks' party.
Linda Maree Naggs, 39, pleaded not guilty to penetrating the man with a sex toy at the party on the Mornington Peninsula in September last year.
The best man told police he felt violated, disgusted and less of a man after Naggs sexually penetrated him with a vibrator during a striptease performed in front of a cheering crowd of up to 30 men.
The man, who cannot be identified, told police he was participating in the act when he was shocked to feel a sharp pain. Melbourne Magistrates Court was told that guests at the party intervened when the pair then became involved in a heated argument.
Naggs told police that she had told the man that he had "pushed back on me".
"I said, 'I apologise if you're hurt but I didn't do it'."
Naggs said the best man punched her in the back of the head, causing her to bleed, and demanded his money back.
Naggs' minder, Cheryl Buckley, told the court that guests at the party had been "off their heads", loud and aggressive. She said a stripper who performed before Naggs at the party warned the women the men were "nasty arrogant pigs".
Magistrate Elizabeth Lambden said there had been inconsistencies in the accounts given by party guests, but there was enough evidence to support a conviction. Naggs was ordered to stand trial in the County Court in July.
September 10, 2008
A STRIPPER has been ordered to stand trial for the alleged rape of a best man at a bucks' party.
Linda Maree Naggs, 39, pleaded not guilty to penetrating the man with a sex toy at the party on the Mornington Peninsula in September last year.
The best man told police he felt violated, disgusted and less of a man after Naggs sexually penetrated him with a vibrator during a striptease performed in front of a cheering crowd of up to 30 men.
The man, who cannot be identified, told police he was participating in the act when he was shocked to feel a sharp pain. Melbourne Magistrates Court was told that guests at the party intervened when the pair then became involved in a heated argument.
Naggs told police that she had told the man that he had "pushed back on me".
"I said, 'I apologise if you're hurt but I didn't do it'."
Naggs said the best man punched her in the back of the head, causing her to bleed, and demanded his money back.
Naggs' minder, Cheryl Buckley, told the court that guests at the party had been "off their heads", loud and aggressive. She said a stripper who performed before Naggs at the party warned the women the men were "nasty arrogant pigs".
Magistrate Elizabeth Lambden said there had been inconsistencies in the accounts given by party guests, but there was enough evidence to support a conviction. Naggs was ordered to stand trial in the County Court in July.
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