Darren Mack, a former pawn shop owner, was sentenced to 20 years to life for the stabbing murder of his wife Charla in 2006, and 16 to 40 years, to be served consecutive to the murder sentence, for the attempted sniper-style murder of Family Court Judge Chuck Weller at a Washoe County courthouse. The 36 years to life sentence was imposed by District Judge Douglas Herndon as part of a plea agreement.
In handing down the sentence, Herndon cited the heinous nature of the crimes and Mack’s lack of remorse.
“The truth is Mr. Mack is guilty of these crimes, but he doesn’t want to hear anything about that,” the judge said.
Mack, during testimony Thursday, reiterated his claims that he acted in self defense when the slashed his wife’s throat in the garage of his southeast Reno townhouse. He also has argued that he was coerced by his former lawyers into the plea deal, and suggested the attorneys, prosecutors, investigators and law enforcement officers who investigated the case were corrupt.Herndon said while he allowed Mack to go on at length, he never said what the judge hoped he’d hear: “I’m sorry.”Herndon’s sentencing followed emotional testimony earlier Friday by Charla Mack’s family and Weller.
Soorya Townley, Charla's mother, grew closer after adulthood. "I was one of those lucky mothers to be best friends with my daughter. In those last years, Charla and I cleared our past mother-daughter conflicts.”
Townley stated that Charla wanted to be either a professional singer, or be a spokeswoman with a business involving divorcing couples.
“Charla believed ... she could even tame Darren’s rage” and get him involved,” Townley said. Mack hung his head in his hands and appeared to cry when Townley concluded her testimony with a song Charla had recorded before her death.“It was a song she wanted to sing to Darren,” Townley said.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Police release composite sketch of suspect in Lane Bryant killings
The funerals of the last three victims of a massacre at a Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park, a suburb of Chicago, took place today, and police have finally made a sketch of the suspect in the murders of the five women. A sixth victim is still in protective custody by the police after being shot in the neck, but surviving.
Police were canvassing the Brookside Marketplace in hopes of finding someone "who may have seen something that may aid in this investigation," said Tinley Park Police Cmdr. Rick Bruno. Five women -- Connie Woolfolk, Jennifer Bishop, Sarah Szafranski, Carrie Hudek Chiuso and store manager Rhoda McFarland -- were slain. A sixth woman, 33, survived a gunshot wound in the neck. The gunman walked into the Lane Bryant store near 191st Street and Harlem Avenue after 10 a.m. Saturday.
The funeral for McFarland began at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Word of Life Christian Center in Crest Hill. More than 600 people attended the funeral, which had a celebratory tone as friends and family remembered McFarland's strong faith.
"A precious person has been removed from our lives in a mysterious, unexpected, violent and horrible way," Rev. Tim Bagwell said during his eulogy. "At a moment like this, we would not be human if we didn't ask why."The funeral for Szafranski, 22, a recent college graduate, began at 10 a.m. at St. Damien Church in Oak Forest. Woolfolk, 37, a mortgage lender with two sons, will be honored at her funeral at 4 p.m. at Leak and Sons Funeral Home in Country Club Hills.
Funerals for the other two victims took place earlier this week. Over the past two days, dive teams have searched frozen ponds and streams in the area for evidence while police have conducted "grid searches" of roadsides and interstates and received more than 200 phone calls on a tips hotline, said Bruno. Authorities have described the gunman as a black man, 25 to 35 years old, clean shaven with his hair arranged in three to five thick, puffy corn rows. A single braid, sporting light-green beads, hung down the right side of his face. He is large-framed, with his weight proportionate to his height, and was last seen wearing black jeans with rhinestones on the back pocket, a dark jacket and a gray knit cap.
One theory states that the gunman went into the Lane Bryant store specifically because it was a women's store and because he did not want to target men. According to the surviving victim, the gunman made a sexual advance to, then fondled one of the women that he killed before shoothig all of them, and blended in with the "crowd." police, earlier this week, asked other departments if there were any other robberies of women's stores involving fondling of victims.
Lane Bryant has offered a $50,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the gunman, and Cook County Crime Stoppers offered $5,000 for the arrest of a suspect in the case. Anyone with information about the case should call 708-444-5394.
Man gets life for beating girlfriend to death, burying body in shallow grave
A Mount Pleasant, Michiogan man serving up to 15 years for beating his girlfriend is going to serve life for beating her to death, then dumping her body in a shallow grave.
Isabella County Trial Judge Mark H. Duthie on Thursday handed the life term to Gordon D. Schultz, the 46-year-old convicted of first-degree murder Jan. 11 in the beating death of Becky S. MacDonald in 2005.
MacDonald, 43, disappeared Nov. 11, 2005, from her home near Winn. She had worked as a caregiver for an Alzheimer's patient.
After Schultz killed MacDonald and concealed her remains, the Midland man attempted to strike a deal with an undercover officer to kill MacDonald's daughter.
The undercover officer obtained information which led to MacDonald's remains in the AuSable State Forest in Midland County's Edenville Township. Schultz is currently serving a 46 month to 15 year sentence for 3rd offence domestic violence, and had other convictions for destruction of property and carrying a concealed weapon.
Isabella County Trial Judge Mark H. Duthie on Thursday handed the life term to Gordon D. Schultz, the 46-year-old convicted of first-degree murder Jan. 11 in the beating death of Becky S. MacDonald in 2005.
MacDonald, 43, disappeared Nov. 11, 2005, from her home near Winn. She had worked as a caregiver for an Alzheimer's patient.
After Schultz killed MacDonald and concealed her remains, the Midland man attempted to strike a deal with an undercover officer to kill MacDonald's daughter.
The undercover officer obtained information which led to MacDonald's remains in the AuSable State Forest in Midland County's Edenville Township. Schultz is currently serving a 46 month to 15 year sentence for 3rd offence domestic violence, and had other convictions for destruction of property and carrying a concealed weapon.
Serial criminal sentenced to life for rape
Alvin McCullogh, a Fayetteville, Arkansas criminal with an extensive history starting when he was 18, was sentenced to life for the rape of a 22 year old woman in the fall of 2006 plus 40 years and a $15,000 fine for kidnapping and burglary charges. The victim was walking home from a bar and McCullough attacked and raped her at her house.
Fourth Circuit Judge William Storey stacked the life sentence for Alvin McCullough on top of 47 years he received after a jury trial in May, when he was found guilty of two residential burglary charges and an attempted residential burglary charge for home invasions in December 2006 in Fayetteville.
McCullough has a criminal history that goes back to age 18, when he solicited a 14-year-old girl to have sexual relations. He also has a battery conviction for hitting a police officer. He went to prison on both charges.
Washington County Prosecutor John Threet on Wednesday argued for a life sentence after the jurors found McCullough guilty of the rape, kidnapping and residential burglary charges related to the Oct. 29, 2006, incident.
"He cannot get back out. He's shown what he does when he's out and he's free."
The defense lawyers, Bruce Schlegel and Scott Parks, argued for leniency while acknowledging his client's previous criminal history.
"People at 22 aren't the same people at 32," Schlegel said.
"All of them have been out of this court," Parks said.
He added that the penitentiary "killed my client's soul"before he began committing more crimes, including the rape in October 2006 and the home invasions in December 2006.
Storey went ahead and imposed the jury-recommended sentences.
Those sentences were 40 years plus a $15,000 fine for the kidnapping and burglary charges McCullough also faced.
"What mercy was shown to the victim in this case "Storey asked. "There is no compelling reason to show mercy at this point."
He told McCullough," You're without a doubt a habitual offender," and said that he has become "a menace to society."
The rape charges were laid after a DNA match from Arkansas' state crime lab.
Fourth Circuit Judge William Storey stacked the life sentence for Alvin McCullough on top of 47 years he received after a jury trial in May, when he was found guilty of two residential burglary charges and an attempted residential burglary charge for home invasions in December 2006 in Fayetteville.
McCullough has a criminal history that goes back to age 18, when he solicited a 14-year-old girl to have sexual relations. He also has a battery conviction for hitting a police officer. He went to prison on both charges.
Washington County Prosecutor John Threet on Wednesday argued for a life sentence after the jurors found McCullough guilty of the rape, kidnapping and residential burglary charges related to the Oct. 29, 2006, incident.
"He cannot get back out. He's shown what he does when he's out and he's free."
The defense lawyers, Bruce Schlegel and Scott Parks, argued for leniency while acknowledging his client's previous criminal history.
"People at 22 aren't the same people at 32," Schlegel said.
"All of them have been out of this court," Parks said.
He added that the penitentiary "killed my client's soul"before he began committing more crimes, including the rape in October 2006 and the home invasions in December 2006.
Storey went ahead and imposed the jury-recommended sentences.
Those sentences were 40 years plus a $15,000 fine for the kidnapping and burglary charges McCullough also faced.
"What mercy was shown to the victim in this case "Storey asked. "There is no compelling reason to show mercy at this point."
He told McCullough," You're without a doubt a habitual offender," and said that he has become "a menace to society."
The rape charges were laid after a DNA match from Arkansas' state crime lab.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Man stabs women, one his wife in her own classroom
A gunman and anti-woman stabber critically wounded two women - a 22 year old by stabbing, then his wife, a teacher, by barging into her classroom while it was in session, then stabbing her. The incidents occored in Portsmouth, OH.
His first victim, Stephanie Loop, 22, was stabbed multiple times, and is in critical condition at a Columbus hospital. This incident occured four blocks away from his wife's workplace. Then Layne went to his wife's workplace so he could attack her.
A teacher police identified as Michael's wife, Christi Layne, was stabbed inside her classroom, according to Porstmouth Police. Police originally had said Michael Layne shot his wife Christi, but later said it was unclear whether a gunshot fired in the school hit her. Students reported hearing at least one gunshot during the incident, but medical officials haven't been able to confirm if Layne suffers from a gunshot wound. Layne was last listed in critical condition at Cabell Huntington Hospital at noon Thursday. Her family has since requested that hospital officials no longer release her status.
A short time later, they got a call about the shooting at the school. Christi Layne is a fifth grade teacher at Notre Dame Elementary School. The principal of the school, Kay Kern, said she had been a teacher for 19 years. Wallace confirmed seventeen fifth grade children were in the classroom when she was shot.
Michael Layne then returned to his house where he engaged in a standoff with police before shooting and killing himself.
(Update - Feb 9)
Both victims are in critical, but stable condition. Stephanie Loop, the first stabbing vistim, was his girlfriend. Layne stabbed her after she told him that she wanted to break up with him and she had second thoughts about being with an older man.
Loop's cousin, Chrissy Shepherd, told the Portsmouth Daily Times that Layne considered Loop his girlfriend.
"I don't know if he feared she was abandoning him or what," she told the paper for a story published Friday.
Officials were still sorting out other parts of the story, the chief said. They had declined to talk about details of the attacks, the motive, weapons and what was found in Layne's home.
Shepherd told the newspaper that Loop had called her Wednesday night to ask for a ride home from Layne's house. On Thursday morning, he attacked Loop as the two women returned home from a visit to a tattoo parlor, Shepherd said.
"He kept slashing at her, but for the most part, the knife was just ripping her coat," she said. "We jumped inside and I locked the door – locked the front door, too – and called 911."
She said Loop had stab wounds in the chest and left shoulder.
"I sat with her on the couch and held pressure on her wounds until the police and ambulance came," Shepherd said.
Neighbors interviewed said that Layne, a retired city water works employee, was friendly but strange, digging in his yard one night, and could show a temper.
His first victim, Stephanie Loop, 22, was stabbed multiple times, and is in critical condition at a Columbus hospital. This incident occured four blocks away from his wife's workplace. Then Layne went to his wife's workplace so he could attack her.
A teacher police identified as Michael's wife, Christi Layne, was stabbed inside her classroom, according to Porstmouth Police. Police originally had said Michael Layne shot his wife Christi, but later said it was unclear whether a gunshot fired in the school hit her. Students reported hearing at least one gunshot during the incident, but medical officials haven't been able to confirm if Layne suffers from a gunshot wound. Layne was last listed in critical condition at Cabell Huntington Hospital at noon Thursday. Her family has since requested that hospital officials no longer release her status.
A short time later, they got a call about the shooting at the school. Christi Layne is a fifth grade teacher at Notre Dame Elementary School. The principal of the school, Kay Kern, said she had been a teacher for 19 years. Wallace confirmed seventeen fifth grade children were in the classroom when she was shot.
Michael Layne then returned to his house where he engaged in a standoff with police before shooting and killing himself.
(Update - Feb 9)
Both victims are in critical, but stable condition. Stephanie Loop, the first stabbing vistim, was his girlfriend. Layne stabbed her after she told him that she wanted to break up with him and she had second thoughts about being with an older man.
Loop's cousin, Chrissy Shepherd, told the Portsmouth Daily Times that Layne considered Loop his girlfriend.
"I don't know if he feared she was abandoning him or what," she told the paper for a story published Friday.
Officials were still sorting out other parts of the story, the chief said. They had declined to talk about details of the attacks, the motive, weapons and what was found in Layne's home.
Shepherd told the newspaper that Loop had called her Wednesday night to ask for a ride home from Layne's house. On Thursday morning, he attacked Loop as the two women returned home from a visit to a tattoo parlor, Shepherd said.
"He kept slashing at her, but for the most part, the knife was just ripping her coat," she said. "We jumped inside and I locked the door – locked the front door, too – and called 911."
She said Loop had stab wounds in the chest and left shoulder.
"I sat with her on the couch and held pressure on her wounds until the police and ambulance came," Shepherd said.
Neighbors interviewed said that Layne, a retired city water works employee, was friendly but strange, digging in his yard one night, and could show a temper.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
California cousins allegedly pimp disabled woman
Two cousins, one of wich is a suspect in a juvenile prostion ring, have been arrested for allegedly pimping a 19 year old develpmentally disabled woman. Della Silva, 19, along with her boyfriend, was identified as a suspect in pimping and pandering a 14 year old girl in an incident which occured last year.
Police continued an investigation into Silva when, in January, a 19-year-old developmentally disabled woman alleged that Silva's cousin raped her and that Silva had forced her into acts of prostitution with strangers, according to police.Police served a search warrant at Silva's Vallejo home Tuesday, arresting Silva and turning her 21-month-old daughter over to Solano County Child Protective Services, according to the Police Department.
Silva's cousin, San Francisco resident Dwayne Fitch, was arrested a short time later in Napa, Vallejo police reported. During interviews with police, Fitch allegedly admitted to taking part in the rape of the 19-year-old victim, police reported. Fitch also reportedly described how Silva allegedly sought out clients for the victim and drove the woman to meet the clients and engage in sex acts in exchange for money, according to the Police Department.
Bpth suspects were booked on charges of pimping, rape of a person with a mental disorder, sodomy, lewd and lascivious acts, and conspiracy. Police believe that there were additional victims, and anyone with any information should call Vallejo police Detective Cpl. Les Bottomley at (707) 648-4533.
Police continued an investigation into Silva when, in January, a 19-year-old developmentally disabled woman alleged that Silva's cousin raped her and that Silva had forced her into acts of prostitution with strangers, according to police.Police served a search warrant at Silva's Vallejo home Tuesday, arresting Silva and turning her 21-month-old daughter over to Solano County Child Protective Services, according to the Police Department.
Silva's cousin, San Francisco resident Dwayne Fitch, was arrested a short time later in Napa, Vallejo police reported. During interviews with police, Fitch allegedly admitted to taking part in the rape of the 19-year-old victim, police reported. Fitch also reportedly described how Silva allegedly sought out clients for the victim and drove the woman to meet the clients and engage in sex acts in exchange for money, according to the Police Department.
Bpth suspects were booked on charges of pimping, rape of a person with a mental disorder, sodomy, lewd and lascivious acts, and conspiracy. Police believe that there were additional victims, and anyone with any information should call Vallejo police Detective Cpl. Les Bottomley at (707) 648-4533.
Rape "training" attack leads to a year of probation
A former security guard who lured a young co-worker to a hotel room and sexually assaulted her under the guise of "rape training" has been sentenced to one year house arrest.
Robert Mayer choked back tears in court this morning as he apologized for the bizarre 2006 attack.
"I know what I did was wrong," said Mayer, 39. "I can't express the guilt I have about what happened."
Court heard Mayer was a security guard at Great West Life when he befriended the then 20-year-old victim, a co-worker's girlfriend. Mayer gave the woman a job helping with security at the Galaxy roller rink and then told her she would have to complete mandatory rape training if she wanted to keep it.
"She was absolutely humiliated by this incident and she still suffers to this day," said Crown attorney Melinda Murray.
Robert Mayer choked back tears in court this morning as he apologized for the bizarre 2006 attack.
"I know what I did was wrong," said Mayer, 39. "I can't express the guilt I have about what happened."
Court heard Mayer was a security guard at Great West Life when he befriended the then 20-year-old victim, a co-worker's girlfriend. Mayer gave the woman a job helping with security at the Galaxy roller rink and then told her she would have to complete mandatory rape training if she wanted to keep it.
"She was absolutely humiliated by this incident and she still suffers to this day," said Crown attorney Melinda Murray.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Learning about exploitation from teacher/student sex part 2
When boyfriends/husbands are convicted of rape, stalking, or kidnapping, there were no real relationships, but adult intimate sexual exploitation. Simply victims and victimizers. Encounters which lead to criminal charges are no more "relationships" than the teacher and the 17 year old student or the pedophile and the 7 year old boy. If a 20 year marriage ends in rape charges and a rape conviction against the husband, there was no romance, but two decades of grooming, manipulation, deceit, and intimate sexual exploitation. Adult, married status does not change this fact in the least.
When sexual assault charges occur, there is a victim and a perp. Any "relationship" the parties had pre-assault was simply an opportunity for the offender to groom, then violate his victim. Any sex the couple had before the criminal act was exploitative. Whether it's a teacher and a student, a doctor and a patient, or "partners" and spouses, the offender scouted out, obtained access to, groomed, then violated his victim(s). Criminal charges are only brought to court when they are founded.
When a conviction is obtained, the courts are saying that there was a sexual victim and a sexual offender. It doesn't matter whether it's the teacher and 17 year old student, the boss and the employee, or even the husband and the wife. It matters to the courts that a law was broken, that the victim needed justice, and that society needs to be protected from that person.
When a teacher has illegal sex with a student, it doesn't matter whether a student is under 18 or over 18, whether the student was in "love" or not when charges are filed. When a therapist has sex with a patient, or a prison guard has sex with an inmate, it doesn't matter to the law what "consent" if any the victim and perp had before the sexual assault charges. It only matters within the court system that a sex offense occured, and how to punish the perp and heal the victim.
A predatory teacher and a predatory husband is subject to the same SO listing and same SO restrictions if they occur in the same jurisdictions. They may be in the same SO groups and have the same restrictions on the Internet and contact with kids. In Michigan, they will be charged with the same crime - CSC 3. This is why status before victimization does not matter.
When sexual assault charges occur, there is a victim and a perp. Any "relationship" the parties had pre-assault was simply an opportunity for the offender to groom, then violate his victim. Any sex the couple had before the criminal act was exploitative. Whether it's a teacher and a student, a doctor and a patient, or "partners" and spouses, the offender scouted out, obtained access to, groomed, then violated his victim(s). Criminal charges are only brought to court when they are founded.
When a conviction is obtained, the courts are saying that there was a sexual victim and a sexual offender. It doesn't matter whether it's the teacher and 17 year old student, the boss and the employee, or even the husband and the wife. It matters to the courts that a law was broken, that the victim needed justice, and that society needs to be protected from that person.
When a teacher has illegal sex with a student, it doesn't matter whether a student is under 18 or over 18, whether the student was in "love" or not when charges are filed. When a therapist has sex with a patient, or a prison guard has sex with an inmate, it doesn't matter to the law what "consent" if any the victim and perp had before the sexual assault charges. It only matters within the court system that a sex offense occured, and how to punish the perp and heal the victim.
A predatory teacher and a predatory husband is subject to the same SO listing and same SO restrictions if they occur in the same jurisdictions. They may be in the same SO groups and have the same restrictions on the Internet and contact with kids. In Michigan, they will be charged with the same crime - CSC 3. This is why status before victimization does not matter.
Pennsylvania professor sentenced to 2.5 to 5 years in prison
A former Eastern Stroudsburg University (PA) professor is facing deportation and a lawsuit from his victim after his sentence of 30 to 60 months in prison for the sexual assault of a 19 year old student. Richard Nyamwange, 51, also faces five years of probation for a second charge of indecent assault, according to the Monroe County District Attorney's office.
On Nov. 22, 2006, he invited [the victim] to lunch and told her he would hand her a check for office work she had done for him. After lunch, he told her the check was at his home and had her follow him there.
At the house, he told her he had to go back out to get money from an ATM to pay her. He had her wait in his bedroom and left.
A short time later, he came back into the bedroom and wrote out a check. As he was about to hand it to her, he “fell” into her, knocking her onto the bed, and sexually assaulted her.
He ejaculated into his hand and then when into the bathroom, at which point she left the bedroom. As she was exiting the house, he caught up to her and handed her cash, which she threw back at him. She then left.
In Nyamwange’s version of the story, she was the one who came on to him. A neighbor and her son-in-law testified for the defense that they saw Nyamwange and a young woman outside his home and that the woman appeared not to be in any distress.
The prosecution pointed out that the time the defense witnesses claimed they saw Nyamwange and this woman does not match the time frame of the circumstances surrounding the sexual assault.
Family members stood by Nyamwange, including his wife Monica and his son Joseph.
“He has four boys who need him. He came a long way from poor roots. He lost an older sister last year. This whole thing has been devastating. His parents have been displaced by political turmoil (in Kenya).The family has been affected emotionally. If he goes away to prison, I’ll have to raise (our youngest son) on one income.”
“After all the media coverage, after hearing random students call my father a rapist, after his conviction, it’s been faith that’s kept me going,” he said. “For me and my brothers, this is a moment in our lives when our father’s presence in our family is pivotal to us. I have faith that the court will see my father is a good man. He’s my personal hero.”
Others called Nyamwange an inspirational role model to many who know him, a man who does what he can to support his blind father and sick mother in Kenya.
“There’s not a single female on campus who can testify that Richard ever looked at them in an inappropriate way,” said Mamadou Kane, an associate professor of economics at ESU.
Defense attorney James Swetz requested a lenient sentence, citing the fact that Nyamwange has no prior criminal record and the support of family and friends, evident in more than 100 letters written to the court on his behalf. Swetz added that Nyamwange has not been charged with any other offenses since this case began, that he is not a sexually violent predator and that he is not likely to commit another offense.
Monroe County Court Judge Margherita Worthington later noted the victim herself in a letter to the court requested leniency for Nyamwange while expressing the pain his actions have caused her and her family.
“This is an extremely troubling case,” the judge said. “Here is a man for whom this was aberrant behavior.
“While I am sympathetic to his family, there are two sides affected here,” she said. “Only one person is responsible and that’s the defendant. But for his actions, his own family would not be affected.”
The judge did not find a probationary sentence, as requested by Swetz, to be an appropriate punishment. As a result, Nyamwange will spend at least the next two and a half years in state prison.
“His supporters believe he is a good person. The victim, too, believed this. She believed she had nothing to fear. He took advantage of her trust. She told him "no" and he kept going. We can’t blame her for being naive enough to think she was safe.”
Worthington commented on the difficulty of trying to fashion a sentence which reflects both Nyamwange's sexual assault as a reprehensible crime and his previous good character.
The judge also denied the defense’s request to allow Nyamwange to remain free on bail, meaning he wouldn’t have to be in state prison, pending his appeal of the jury conviction. The judge disagreed with Swetz’s argument that Nyamwange has no incentive to be a flight risk now that he has been convicted.
On Nov. 22, 2006, he invited [the victim] to lunch and told her he would hand her a check for office work she had done for him. After lunch, he told her the check was at his home and had her follow him there.
At the house, he told her he had to go back out to get money from an ATM to pay her. He had her wait in his bedroom and left.
A short time later, he came back into the bedroom and wrote out a check. As he was about to hand it to her, he “fell” into her, knocking her onto the bed, and sexually assaulted her.
He ejaculated into his hand and then when into the bathroom, at which point she left the bedroom. As she was exiting the house, he caught up to her and handed her cash, which she threw back at him. She then left.
In Nyamwange’s version of the story, she was the one who came on to him. A neighbor and her son-in-law testified for the defense that they saw Nyamwange and a young woman outside his home and that the woman appeared not to be in any distress.
The prosecution pointed out that the time the defense witnesses claimed they saw Nyamwange and this woman does not match the time frame of the circumstances surrounding the sexual assault.
Family members stood by Nyamwange, including his wife Monica and his son Joseph.
“He has four boys who need him. He came a long way from poor roots. He lost an older sister last year. This whole thing has been devastating. His parents have been displaced by political turmoil (in Kenya).The family has been affected emotionally. If he goes away to prison, I’ll have to raise (our youngest son) on one income.”
“After all the media coverage, after hearing random students call my father a rapist, after his conviction, it’s been faith that’s kept me going,” he said. “For me and my brothers, this is a moment in our lives when our father’s presence in our family is pivotal to us. I have faith that the court will see my father is a good man. He’s my personal hero.”
Others called Nyamwange an inspirational role model to many who know him, a man who does what he can to support his blind father and sick mother in Kenya.
“There’s not a single female on campus who can testify that Richard ever looked at them in an inappropriate way,” said Mamadou Kane, an associate professor of economics at ESU.
Defense attorney James Swetz requested a lenient sentence, citing the fact that Nyamwange has no prior criminal record and the support of family and friends, evident in more than 100 letters written to the court on his behalf. Swetz added that Nyamwange has not been charged with any other offenses since this case began, that he is not a sexually violent predator and that he is not likely to commit another offense.
Monroe County Court Judge Margherita Worthington later noted the victim herself in a letter to the court requested leniency for Nyamwange while expressing the pain his actions have caused her and her family.
“This is an extremely troubling case,” the judge said. “Here is a man for whom this was aberrant behavior.
“While I am sympathetic to his family, there are two sides affected here,” she said. “Only one person is responsible and that’s the defendant. But for his actions, his own family would not be affected.”
The judge did not find a probationary sentence, as requested by Swetz, to be an appropriate punishment. As a result, Nyamwange will spend at least the next two and a half years in state prison.
“His supporters believe he is a good person. The victim, too, believed this. She believed she had nothing to fear. He took advantage of her trust. She told him "no" and he kept going. We can’t blame her for being naive enough to think she was safe.”
Worthington commented on the difficulty of trying to fashion a sentence which reflects both Nyamwange's sexual assault as a reprehensible crime and his previous good character.
The judge also denied the defense’s request to allow Nyamwange to remain free on bail, meaning he wouldn’t have to be in state prison, pending his appeal of the jury conviction. The judge disagreed with Swetz’s argument that Nyamwange has no incentive to be a flight risk now that he has been convicted.
Prison guard gets a sweet deal - 2 months jail, 3 years probation
A former prison guard who sexually assaulted an inmate in a blanket room at Taycheedah Correctional Institution, a women's prison in central Wisconsin has been sentenced to 2 years probation and 3 months jail with work release privileges.
Dustin M. Schultz, 20, of Brandon, was convicted in September of second-degree sexual assault by correctional staff for having sexual contact with the 26-year-old woman last May.
Schultz was sentenced Monday in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court. He was granted work release privileges and ordered to report to jail March 7.
Defense lawyer Michael Sias said that Schultz was being "groomed" and "worked" by the inmates and described Schultz as being naive and flattered by the inmate's crush on him.
Kaye Watkins, who prepared a presentence investigation report, said the victim and another inmate who stood watch during the encounter had "approached him in order to get some perks."
Schultz apologized to the court and expressed his desire to put the incident behind him.
"I know what I did was wrong. I've regretted it every day since," Schultz said. "I'm ready for this to be over with so I can try and get on with my life."
If this was a 20 year old and a 13 year old girl, he would not have been sentenced to just 3 months in prison. The same reasoning and lack of values behind asult/minor sex is behing guard/inmate sex. People without power do not groom those with it; it's vice versa.
Definition of exploitation (from this blog):
"To exploit someone is to make use of him or her for one's own ends by playing on a weakness or vulnerability. Those with power have the inherent potential to exploit those without power."Sexual Exploitation in Schools: How to Spot It and Stop It." p 7
Dustin M. Schultz, 20, of Brandon, was convicted in September of second-degree sexual assault by correctional staff for having sexual contact with the 26-year-old woman last May.
Schultz was sentenced Monday in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court. He was granted work release privileges and ordered to report to jail March 7.
Defense lawyer Michael Sias said that Schultz was being "groomed" and "worked" by the inmates and described Schultz as being naive and flattered by the inmate's crush on him.
Kaye Watkins, who prepared a presentence investigation report, said the victim and another inmate who stood watch during the encounter had "approached him in order to get some perks."
Schultz apologized to the court and expressed his desire to put the incident behind him.
"I know what I did was wrong. I've regretted it every day since," Schultz said. "I'm ready for this to be over with so I can try and get on with my life."
If this was a 20 year old and a 13 year old girl, he would not have been sentenced to just 3 months in prison. The same reasoning and lack of values behind asult/minor sex is behing guard/inmate sex. People without power do not groom those with it; it's vice versa.
Definition of exploitation (from this blog):
"To exploit someone is to make use of him or her for one's own ends by playing on a weakness or vulnerability. Those with power have the inherent potential to exploit those without power."Sexual Exploitation in Schools: How to Spot It and Stop It." p 7
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Michigan women prisoners win $15.4 million in sexual assault lawsuit
10 women who were imprisoned in Michigan's Scott Correctional Facility in suburban Detroit held hand and sobbed as they were awarded a total of $15.4 million for rapes, sexual harassment, and verbal abuse by prison guards. The jury foreman read an apology on behalf of Michigan citizens which went "We would like to express our extreme regret and apologies,"
"I'm heading back to prison today," one of the women said, facing the jury. "I feel strong today because of you. I thank you for believing in us."
The verdicts ranged from $335,000 to $3.6 million, depending on factors including whether there was sexual penetration and how many times the sexual acts had occurred. The jurors found there was a sexually hostile atmosphere at the prison and the state did not act to protect the prisoners. Today's verdict came after a three-week trial.
The state expects to appeal the case, said Russ Marlan, spokesman for the Department of Corrections. Seven of the women are still prisoners at Scott and three have been released. "I was shocked," said one of the plaintiffs, whose name the Free Press is not disclosing because of the nature of the acts. She has been released from prison and lives in Saginaw with her children. "We've had so many doors closed along the way."
"We showed there was a pervasive, sexually abusive atmosphere at Scott Regional Correctional Facility," said plaintiff's attorney Deborah LaBelle. The women are part of a group of 400 current and former prisoners in the class action lawsuit which covers the state's three women's prisons. Another trial involving female inmates who claim sexual abuse is scheduled later this month in the same courtroom.
The large number of potential victims raises the stakes for the state.Beginning about seven years ago, the state started removing male officers from the housing of female inmates.The case was first filed in 1996 but only came to trial this year after years of appeals and stays over issues such as whether prisoners are covered under the state's civil rights law. A federal judge ruled last year that they are covered.LaBelle said the plaintiffs have tried for 12 years to get the state to recognize there's a problem."The state says it's consensual, or that it doesn't believe what the women say," she said.
"It goes on and on," LaBelle said. More trials are scheduled this year.
Jody Nunn, a guard at Huron Valley Women's Prison, was sentenced to between 43 months and 15 years for raping a female inmate back in March 2005. Nunn's victim is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, and charges came after the victim gave prosecuting attorneys flannel shorts which contained Nunn's semen.
Nunn was convicted last month on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Circuit Judge Archie Brown sentenced him above state guidelines, which called for 36 months on the bottom end of his sentence.
The state said that many sexual assaults inside the prisons are not reported, and that when reported, officers were arrested and disciplined.
There is no such thing as consent in a custodial relationship or a fiduciary relationship. In Michigan, prison/guard sex is classified as Criminal Sexual Conduct 1 to 3, which also applies to teacher/student sex, rape, and therapist/patient sex. If consent is not considered to be obtained for the other cases, then consent isn't possible with prisoners or guards.
"I'm heading back to prison today," one of the women said, facing the jury. "I feel strong today because of you. I thank you for believing in us."
The verdicts ranged from $335,000 to $3.6 million, depending on factors including whether there was sexual penetration and how many times the sexual acts had occurred. The jurors found there was a sexually hostile atmosphere at the prison and the state did not act to protect the prisoners. Today's verdict came after a three-week trial.
The state expects to appeal the case, said Russ Marlan, spokesman for the Department of Corrections. Seven of the women are still prisoners at Scott and three have been released. "I was shocked," said one of the plaintiffs, whose name the Free Press is not disclosing because of the nature of the acts. She has been released from prison and lives in Saginaw with her children. "We've had so many doors closed along the way."
"We showed there was a pervasive, sexually abusive atmosphere at Scott Regional Correctional Facility," said plaintiff's attorney Deborah LaBelle. The women are part of a group of 400 current and former prisoners in the class action lawsuit which covers the state's three women's prisons. Another trial involving female inmates who claim sexual abuse is scheduled later this month in the same courtroom.
The large number of potential victims raises the stakes for the state.Beginning about seven years ago, the state started removing male officers from the housing of female inmates.The case was first filed in 1996 but only came to trial this year after years of appeals and stays over issues such as whether prisoners are covered under the state's civil rights law. A federal judge ruled last year that they are covered.LaBelle said the plaintiffs have tried for 12 years to get the state to recognize there's a problem."The state says it's consensual, or that it doesn't believe what the women say," she said.
"It goes on and on," LaBelle said. More trials are scheduled this year.
Jody Nunn, a guard at Huron Valley Women's Prison, was sentenced to between 43 months and 15 years for raping a female inmate back in March 2005. Nunn's victim is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, and charges came after the victim gave prosecuting attorneys flannel shorts which contained Nunn's semen.
Nunn was convicted last month on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Circuit Judge Archie Brown sentenced him above state guidelines, which called for 36 months on the bottom end of his sentence.
The state said that many sexual assaults inside the prisons are not reported, and that when reported, officers were arrested and disciplined.
There is no such thing as consent in a custodial relationship or a fiduciary relationship. In Michigan, prison/guard sex is classified as Criminal Sexual Conduct 1 to 3, which also applies to teacher/student sex, rape, and therapist/patient sex. If consent is not considered to be obtained for the other cases, then consent isn't possible with prisoners or guards.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Shauna the sexual exploiter screws over soldiers
A woman has been held without bond for the past three weeks after charges that she married men, then left them without divorcing her previous husbands. Shauna Marie Keith, 27, is currently facing bigamy and fraud charges in Georgia.
Shauna’s mother, Cindy Gibson, who lives in Gresham, OR, told Good Morning America that she was expecting this.
"This is somewhat of a shock, but I've been expecting this. For the last five or six years, I've gotten random calls from men saying, 'I think I am married to your daughter.’”
Gibson told "GMA" her daughter suffers from Munchausen syndrome, a disorder where a person tells fictitious stories about their health or background in order to gain sympathy and attention. "People with factitious disorders act this way because of an inner need to be seen as ill or injured , " the Cleveland Clinic says about the condition on its Web site.
"If the world she's living in doesn't fit her needs, she creates another reality," said Gibson.
Authorities count at least five marriages starting in 1999 to men stationed at bases from San Diego to North Carolina. Some of those marriages ended legally, but in others, she just left. Keith, who is currently pregnant, has three children, two of whom Gibson legally adopted.
Georgia authorities say that Keith's reality has included leaving her military husbands financially and emotionally devastated and abandoning at least three children to be raised without their mother. Walton County Sheriff's Office Detective Jim Mayes counts seven names, five different Social Security numbers and three dates of birth used by Keith since 1999At least three times, Mayes said, Keith has been married to two men at the same time.
Mayes began investigating Keith in early January, shortly after she was married to a staff sergeant Marine at a Christmas Eve ceremony in Georgia. After a doctored license and other evidence of identity theft was discovered, suspicious family members called police.
On Jan. 4, a warrant was issued for Keith’s arrest — her birth name is Shauna Marie McDonald. The next day, Keith was picked up in Beaufort County, S.C., just miles from the Parris Island Marine Corps base. She was staying with another Marine when authorities found her.
Shauna was returned to Walton County January 11th. She currently faces bigamy and fraud charges, and is being held without bond because she is considered a flight risk.
During Mayes' investigation, which included interviews with Keith and conversations with Gibson, Mayes says a timeline emerged showing at least five marriages that began in 1999 when Keith married a Navy sailor based in San Diego. Keith gave birth to her first child during that marriage, which ended in divorce. A California court, Mayes said, gave full custody of the child to the father. Keith then reportedly married a member of the Air Force stationed at Fort Carson, Colo. She became pregnant during that marriage and the child was ultimately adopted by Gibson, Mayes said. That marriage was legally dissolved after Keith left the man.
In August 2006, Keith married again, this time to a soldier stationed at Fort Knox, Ky. Sometime around that date, Mayes said, she gave birth to a third child, whose father remains unclear. That child was also adopted by Keith's mother. Soon after, she left that husband without a divorce, Mayes said, adding that the soldier has continued to work to get military officials to annul his marriage to Keith.
Just months later, in January 2007, Keith allegedly married a fourth military man, this time someone met at Fort Riley, Kan. In that case, the Army soldier found out that Keith was still legally married to the third husband from Fort Knox and the Army annulled the marriage, Mayes said.
After that, Keith met her most recent husband, a Marine Corps staff sergeant stationed at Cherry Point, N.C. After talking online, they met and subsequently married in a civil ceremony Christmas Eve in Walton County, Ga.
While Shauna had never actually enlisted in the military, she had obtained a military issued card which allowed her to go on and off bases without any suspicion. Shauna faces possibly more fraud charges.
There was never any love, and never any caring. The marriages were a sham, and her husbands were the victims of a sexual predator and exploiter.
Dr. Bob Shoop, the specialist in teacher/student sex abuse, calls it intimate sexual exploitation.
(Shoop, 2004, Sexual Exploitation In Schools, page 3)
The modus operandi of the intimate exploiter involves leading the youngster to believe the educator has a genuine desire for a mutually committed intimate relationship. The immature youngster is often mesmerized by the belief that a charming, smart sophisticated, attractive adult is interested in him or her.
Regardless of the sincerity of the adult’s motivation, the intent is irrelevant; the impact of the behavior is exploitative.
The same processes can be defined for sexually exploitive relationships between adults outside an education or other fiduciary setting. It is my view that most bigamous, abusive, and otherwise dysfunctional adult relationships have this type of exploitation.
All of Shauna’s victims believed that they were into an mutually committed intimate relationship, otherwise, they would not have married her. While the military men which Shauna exploited were not kids, and were not students, they believed that a young attractive woman were into them for their military service and their high moral vaules and sense of duty. Indeed, the sense of duty led one victim to take full care of his child after Shauna abandoned the child. yet the same exploitation inherent in teacher/student sex occurred.
Factors include
1) Hormones – the sex drive of a male under 40 is not that much weaker than that of a teenager.
2) The desire to settle down and have kids, which she exploited for her own purposes.
3) Power imbalances between the exploiter and the victims, where there is no formal power difference, but the foreknowledge that she would cut and run acts as a power difference.
There are a lot a comments about this case. Some comments are from parents of grown sons who are trying to deal with other exploiters, some blame both the (alleged) victims and Shauna's mom, and others shed more light on the situation.
Statement from Shauna's family:
Our family has been deeply saddened by the developments in the life of our daughter, Shauna Keith. Shauna has long suffered from Munchausen (facticious) syndrome, but only within the past few years did we become aware of this little-known disorder.
Unfortunately, she would not respond to our requests to receive medical and psychiatric help. We have been working with the police and child protection services in several states for the past five years sharing with them what little information we received on Shauna’s whereabouts. We are relieved that Shauna is now incarcerated in hopes she can make retribution for her mistakes and eventually receive the help she so desperately needs.
Our greatest hope is that no one else, especially husbands and children, will be harmed or heartbroken by her actions. We hope the families who have been hurt can find it in their hearts to forgive her. We ask the news media to please respect our privacy at this time as we search for ways to best help those affected by this ordeal.
Shauna’s mother, Cindy Gibson, who lives in Gresham, OR, told Good Morning America that she was expecting this.
"This is somewhat of a shock, but I've been expecting this. For the last five or six years, I've gotten random calls from men saying, 'I think I am married to your daughter.’”
Gibson told "GMA" her daughter suffers from Munchausen syndrome, a disorder where a person tells fictitious stories about their health or background in order to gain sympathy and attention. "People with factitious disorders act this way because of an inner need to be seen as ill or injured , " the Cleveland Clinic says about the condition on its Web site.
"If the world she's living in doesn't fit her needs, she creates another reality," said Gibson.
Authorities count at least five marriages starting in 1999 to men stationed at bases from San Diego to North Carolina. Some of those marriages ended legally, but in others, she just left. Keith, who is currently pregnant, has three children, two of whom Gibson legally adopted.
Georgia authorities say that Keith's reality has included leaving her military husbands financially and emotionally devastated and abandoning at least three children to be raised without their mother. Walton County Sheriff's Office Detective Jim Mayes counts seven names, five different Social Security numbers and three dates of birth used by Keith since 1999At least three times, Mayes said, Keith has been married to two men at the same time.
Mayes began investigating Keith in early January, shortly after she was married to a staff sergeant Marine at a Christmas Eve ceremony in Georgia. After a doctored license and other evidence of identity theft was discovered, suspicious family members called police.
On Jan. 4, a warrant was issued for Keith’s arrest — her birth name is Shauna Marie McDonald. The next day, Keith was picked up in Beaufort County, S.C., just miles from the Parris Island Marine Corps base. She was staying with another Marine when authorities found her.
Shauna was returned to Walton County January 11th. She currently faces bigamy and fraud charges, and is being held without bond because she is considered a flight risk.
During Mayes' investigation, which included interviews with Keith and conversations with Gibson, Mayes says a timeline emerged showing at least five marriages that began in 1999 when Keith married a Navy sailor based in San Diego. Keith gave birth to her first child during that marriage, which ended in divorce. A California court, Mayes said, gave full custody of the child to the father. Keith then reportedly married a member of the Air Force stationed at Fort Carson, Colo. She became pregnant during that marriage and the child was ultimately adopted by Gibson, Mayes said. That marriage was legally dissolved after Keith left the man.
In August 2006, Keith married again, this time to a soldier stationed at Fort Knox, Ky. Sometime around that date, Mayes said, she gave birth to a third child, whose father remains unclear. That child was also adopted by Keith's mother. Soon after, she left that husband without a divorce, Mayes said, adding that the soldier has continued to work to get military officials to annul his marriage to Keith.
Just months later, in January 2007, Keith allegedly married a fourth military man, this time someone met at Fort Riley, Kan. In that case, the Army soldier found out that Keith was still legally married to the third husband from Fort Knox and the Army annulled the marriage, Mayes said.
After that, Keith met her most recent husband, a Marine Corps staff sergeant stationed at Cherry Point, N.C. After talking online, they met and subsequently married in a civil ceremony Christmas Eve in Walton County, Ga.
While Shauna had never actually enlisted in the military, she had obtained a military issued card which allowed her to go on and off bases without any suspicion. Shauna faces possibly more fraud charges.
There was never any love, and never any caring. The marriages were a sham, and her husbands were the victims of a sexual predator and exploiter.
Dr. Bob Shoop, the specialist in teacher/student sex abuse, calls it intimate sexual exploitation.
(Shoop, 2004, Sexual Exploitation In Schools, page 3)
The modus operandi of the intimate exploiter involves leading the youngster to believe the educator has a genuine desire for a mutually committed intimate relationship. The immature youngster is often mesmerized by the belief that a charming, smart sophisticated, attractive adult is interested in him or her.
Regardless of the sincerity of the adult’s motivation, the intent is irrelevant; the impact of the behavior is exploitative.
The same processes can be defined for sexually exploitive relationships between adults outside an education or other fiduciary setting. It is my view that most bigamous, abusive, and otherwise dysfunctional adult relationships have this type of exploitation.
All of Shauna’s victims believed that they were into an mutually committed intimate relationship, otherwise, they would not have married her. While the military men which Shauna exploited were not kids, and were not students, they believed that a young attractive woman were into them for their military service and their high moral vaules and sense of duty. Indeed, the sense of duty led one victim to take full care of his child after Shauna abandoned the child. yet the same exploitation inherent in teacher/student sex occurred.
Factors include
1) Hormones – the sex drive of a male under 40 is not that much weaker than that of a teenager.
2) The desire to settle down and have kids, which she exploited for her own purposes.
3) Power imbalances between the exploiter and the victims, where there is no formal power difference, but the foreknowledge that she would cut and run acts as a power difference.
There are a lot a comments about this case. Some comments are from parents of grown sons who are trying to deal with other exploiters, some blame both the (alleged) victims and Shauna's mom, and others shed more light on the situation.
Statement from Shauna's family:
Our family has been deeply saddened by the developments in the life of our daughter, Shauna Keith. Shauna has long suffered from Munchausen (facticious) syndrome, but only within the past few years did we become aware of this little-known disorder.
Unfortunately, she would not respond to our requests to receive medical and psychiatric help. We have been working with the police and child protection services in several states for the past five years sharing with them what little information we received on Shauna’s whereabouts. We are relieved that Shauna is now incarcerated in hopes she can make retribution for her mistakes and eventually receive the help she so desperately needs.
Our greatest hope is that no one else, especially husbands and children, will be harmed or heartbroken by her actions. We hope the families who have been hurt can find it in their hearts to forgive her. We ask the news media to please respect our privacy at this time as we search for ways to best help those affected by this ordeal.
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