A Syracuse man was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for shooting his wife Wednesday, April 6, 2011 in a Onondaga County courtroom for the attempted murder of his wife. Cecil Torrence III, a 35 year old father, pled guilty on Valentine's Day 2011 to a single count of attempted 2nd degree murder for shooting his wife Lisa in the bathtub after an argument over texting.
The couple reportedly was arguing about text messages the victim had received when Torrence pulled a gun and opened fire on her in the bathtub, the prosecutor has said. The victim was shot four times, but managed to crawl from the residence after the gunman left with the couple's 2-year-old child.
The victim collapsed in a snowbank outside her home where neighbors discovered her and called for help. The defendant was arrested the following day when he was found hiding in a closet of a home on North Midler Avenue.
Given an opportunity to speak in court, Torrence turned to face about a dozen relatives and apologized for any shame and embarrassment he caused them. He then apologized to his children for being taken away from them as a result of his conduct. Lastly, he apologized to his wife for causing her any pain and suffering.
Aloi noted Torrence's courtroom comments were far different from his reported comments to the probation officer who prepared a pre-sentence report. The judge said the probation report indicated no remorse by Torrence.
Paul Carey, Torrence's defense lawyer, said that the lack of remors in the pre-sentencing report was due to his advice not to talk about the case until after sentencing. The defendant's two daughters and aunt were upset with the length of the sentence because homicides can get that lenght of time behind bars. The aunt said her nephew was"a good person, a good father and a good husband."
Showing posts with label shooting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shooting. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wife gets decade for "manslaughter" of husband
A woman who helped her "lover" to kill her husband was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment Wednesday, December 1, in a St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana courtroom. Kendra Talley, a 30 year old mother of an eight year old son, was sentenced to the decade long term after pleading guilty to 2nd degree manslaughter and crystal meth posession last month. Judge Peter Garcia presided over her trial. The "lover," Tommy D. Rowell Sr., is serving a mandatory life without parole sentence for 2nd degree murder.
The deadly night of Dec. 11, 2004, started when Kendra Talley left her home wearing a sweater, a T-shirt and jeans. Her husband stayed home to recover from surgery to remove his wisdom teeth.
Kendra Talley later met up with Rowell and slipped into a blouse, black miniskirt and knee-high boots, and they drove together to the French Quarter to feast on crystal meth, marijuana and potent "hand grenade" drinks, according to witness testimony from Rowell's trial.
They spent most of the evening and morning with friends at a Bourbon Street bar. There, Rowell and Talley argued after Talley gave Carnival beads to another man and flashed him by lifting her leg onto a railing, friends at the bar testified.
Finally, as the sun rose during their journey back across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Kendra Talley told Rowell that her husband had raped her.
Rowell took Kendra Talley to her home at 108 Gratitude Drive. He honked his horn. Thomas Talley, who had been taking pain medication, stepped outside, wearing only his pajamas. Rowell drew a gun and shot the husband six times, twice point-blank to the head.
Rowell met Kendra when she was 15 and he was 27, meeting through her parents.
David Talley, the victim's brother said through his victim impact statement that the killing robbed the victim of family bonding time, including watching his son grow up. "I know my brother would like to take his son fishing, but he can't - because his life was taken by a selfish act....Zachary's birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter," he said. "The saddest thing in my life was seeing my little brother in his casket . . . all because of bad choices that were made."
Defense attorney Kevin McNary asked Judge Garcia to take into account the single parenting of his client and Zachary's high grades in school. He said his client was not the same person she was "when she was 24," completing a drug rehabilitation program.
Judge Garcia, focusing on the killing, told Talley, "You had a high degree of responsibility," sentencing her to the maximum possible in the plea deal.
The deadly night of Dec. 11, 2004, started when Kendra Talley left her home wearing a sweater, a T-shirt and jeans. Her husband stayed home to recover from surgery to remove his wisdom teeth.
Kendra Talley later met up with Rowell and slipped into a blouse, black miniskirt and knee-high boots, and they drove together to the French Quarter to feast on crystal meth, marijuana and potent "hand grenade" drinks, according to witness testimony from Rowell's trial.
They spent most of the evening and morning with friends at a Bourbon Street bar. There, Rowell and Talley argued after Talley gave Carnival beads to another man and flashed him by lifting her leg onto a railing, friends at the bar testified.
Finally, as the sun rose during their journey back across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Kendra Talley told Rowell that her husband had raped her.
Rowell took Kendra Talley to her home at 108 Gratitude Drive. He honked his horn. Thomas Talley, who had been taking pain medication, stepped outside, wearing only his pajamas. Rowell drew a gun and shot the husband six times, twice point-blank to the head.
Rowell met Kendra when she was 15 and he was 27, meeting through her parents.
David Talley, the victim's brother said through his victim impact statement that the killing robbed the victim of family bonding time, including watching his son grow up. "I know my brother would like to take his son fishing, but he can't - because his life was taken by a selfish act....Zachary's birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter," he said. "The saddest thing in my life was seeing my little brother in his casket . . . all because of bad choices that were made."
Defense attorney Kevin McNary asked Judge Garcia to take into account the single parenting of his client and Zachary's high grades in school. He said his client was not the same person she was "when she was 24," completing a drug rehabilitation program.
Judge Garcia, focusing on the killing, told Talley, "You had a high degree of responsibility," sentencing her to the maximum possible in the plea deal.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Fabulist who murdered wife convicted, sentenced to LWOP
(Initial Post 9-26-10)
A Tulsa County, OK jury needed only a half hour of deliberation in a lawyer's shooting murder by her own husband. John Robert Kastner, 52, was convicted of the 1st degree murder of his wife, 44 year old Lori Moon Kastner, at their south side Tulsa, OK home on June 25, 2008. The motive, according to Tulsa County, OK prosecutors, was that the victim was about to expose her husband's lies.
Kastner had led his family to believe that all five family members were traveling by plane to Israel on June 25, 2008, prosecutors said. Kastner indicated he was a former member of the Israeli military who had been honored for heroism and that the trip to Israel was related to a high-paying job that Lori Kastner was going to get with a corporation connected to her husband.
No such flight or job offer existed, and Kastner never served in the Israeli military, prosecutors said.
Kastner made significant financial promises to benefit Webster that he could not keep, and he "was a ticking time bomb getting ready to explode," [First Assistant District Attorney Doug] Drummond said.
Drummond also insisted that "[Kastner's] reputation was going to be ruined, and that was the most important thing in John Kastner's life."
The other prosecutor in the case, Assistant District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, said that Kastner, the "legend of Webster High School," is "nothing but a bald-faced liar. You cannot believe a word that the defendant says."
Kastner said the killer was an intruder who he said picked up Kastner's gun in the house. He told police that he struggled with the intruder and was shot in the hand, and he said the intruder fled with a bag containing about $5,000, evidence indicated.
Kunzweiler said Kastner's account features a "mysterious man" moving around in a dark house and finding a loaded gun and money on the same table. Kastner was an English teacher, "and as an English teacher he deals in fiction," Kunzweiler said
Assistant Public Defender Jill Webb said that Kastner had no motive to kill his wife because killing her would not solve his problems - "John's problem was John." Webb said that while Kastner was guilty of lying and making false promises, it did not prove he was a murderer. Kastner was never called to the witness stand.
When he is formally sentenced tomorrow, Kastner will be sentenced to life without parole - in Oklahoma, murder carries death, life without parole, or life with parole. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, and jurors ruled out life with parole. Amber Merchant, Lori Kastner's best friend, said "We're very pleased with the verdict and feel like justice was served."
Kastner plans to appeal the verdict, according to Chief Public Defender Pete Silva. The presiding judge is District Judge Tom Gillert.
(Update 9-29-10) Kastner was formally sentenced to life without parole Monday, September 27, 2010. If he had been granted parole, he would have had to serve 38 and 3 months before his first chance of it.
A Tulsa County, OK jury needed only a half hour of deliberation in a lawyer's shooting murder by her own husband. John Robert Kastner, 52, was convicted of the 1st degree murder of his wife, 44 year old Lori Moon Kastner, at their south side Tulsa, OK home on June 25, 2008. The motive, according to Tulsa County, OK prosecutors, was that the victim was about to expose her husband's lies.
Kastner had led his family to believe that all five family members were traveling by plane to Israel on June 25, 2008, prosecutors said. Kastner indicated he was a former member of the Israeli military who had been honored for heroism and that the trip to Israel was related to a high-paying job that Lori Kastner was going to get with a corporation connected to her husband.
No such flight or job offer existed, and Kastner never served in the Israeli military, prosecutors said.
Kastner made significant financial promises to benefit Webster that he could not keep, and he "was a ticking time bomb getting ready to explode," [First Assistant District Attorney Doug] Drummond said.
Drummond also insisted that "[Kastner's] reputation was going to be ruined, and that was the most important thing in John Kastner's life."
The other prosecutor in the case, Assistant District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, said that Kastner, the "legend of Webster High School," is "nothing but a bald-faced liar. You cannot believe a word that the defendant says."
Kastner said the killer was an intruder who he said picked up Kastner's gun in the house. He told police that he struggled with the intruder and was shot in the hand, and he said the intruder fled with a bag containing about $5,000, evidence indicated.
Kunzweiler said Kastner's account features a "mysterious man" moving around in a dark house and finding a loaded gun and money on the same table. Kastner was an English teacher, "and as an English teacher he deals in fiction," Kunzweiler said
Assistant Public Defender Jill Webb said that Kastner had no motive to kill his wife because killing her would not solve his problems - "John's problem was John." Webb said that while Kastner was guilty of lying and making false promises, it did not prove he was a murderer. Kastner was never called to the witness stand.
When he is formally sentenced tomorrow, Kastner will be sentenced to life without parole - in Oklahoma, murder carries death, life without parole, or life with parole. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, and jurors ruled out life with parole. Amber Merchant, Lori Kastner's best friend, said "We're very pleased with the verdict and feel like justice was served."
Kastner plans to appeal the verdict, according to Chief Public Defender Pete Silva. The presiding judge is District Judge Tom Gillert.
(Update 9-29-10) Kastner was formally sentenced to life without parole Monday, September 27, 2010. If he had been granted parole, he would have had to serve 38 and 3 months before his first chance of it.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Katy, TX man sentenced to 48 years with half to serve for point-blank shooting murder of wife
A Katy, TX man was sentenced to 48 years imprisonment Monday, September 20 for the point-blank shooting murder of his wife. Michael Wayne Cantu, a petrochemical engineer, will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence. Cantu was tried in Texas 400th District Court under Presiding Judge Clifford J. Vacek.
Cantu reported his wife of 15 years, Jackie Ramirez Cantu, shot herself at their home in the 26300 block of Eden Point on April 24, 2008.
He said during the initial police investigation that he and his 37-year-old wife got into an argument while looking at family photos and reported that his wife then went into the master bathroom and shot herself in the forehead with a .38-caliber revolver.
The couple's two children, now 11 and 9, were in the house at the time but were asleep, [Defense attorney Wendell]Odom said.
Changing statements about the manner of the woman's death led police to charge Cantu with murder. Cantu first told police that he was in the kitchen when his wife committed suicide, then changed his story to claim he was in the bathroom. Cantu later told detectives that he move the gun from the bathroom floor, where it was pointed towards the victim's neck. Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office officials eventually ruled Jackie Cantu's death a homicide.
During the trial, Fort Bend County prosecutor Chad Bridges successfully argued that the changing statements, along with ballistics showing gunpowder residue on Michael's hands and a bruise where he pressed the gun up against Jackie's forehead before firing, constituted evidence of murder. According to Bridges, the forehead bruise was "a tight contact wound, which is inconsistent with trying to pull the firearm away." Jackie tried to defend herself before the father of her two children killed her.
As for the nature of the argument, Bridges said "As for what exactly happened that night and what they were arguing about, we don't know," Bridges said. "We don't know what the exact nature of the conversation was." About the jury, he said, "We recognize the juror’s personal sacrifice to see that justice is done. It was a long trial of terrible circumstances and intense emotions. It’s never pleasant but always necessary
The Cantus met while both of them were attending Texas A&M University. Jackie Cantu was originally from Bryan, while Michael Cantu was from Houston. They married in 1992. Both graduated from Texas A&M with Jackie Cantu earning a degree in microbiology, said her father, Guillermo Ramirez of Bryan.
"I wish this thing would have never happened to my daughter, to the family. There's a lot of sadness. The only justice that would satisfy me is if my daughter came back and if I could turn back time and prevent this from happening. But I can't."
Odom said this about his client after the sentencing. "He's always maintained that it was an accident, that he was trying to take the gun away from her.He's realizing that his life will never be the same — that he'll probably spend the rest of his adult life in the penitentiary. He vows that someday he'll be exonerated."
The Cantu children, the true victims of this crime, are being cared for by both sets of grandparents.
Cantu reported his wife of 15 years, Jackie Ramirez Cantu, shot herself at their home in the 26300 block of Eden Point on April 24, 2008.
He said during the initial police investigation that he and his 37-year-old wife got into an argument while looking at family photos and reported that his wife then went into the master bathroom and shot herself in the forehead with a .38-caliber revolver.
The couple's two children, now 11 and 9, were in the house at the time but were asleep, [Defense attorney Wendell]Odom said.
Changing statements about the manner of the woman's death led police to charge Cantu with murder. Cantu first told police that he was in the kitchen when his wife committed suicide, then changed his story to claim he was in the bathroom. Cantu later told detectives that he move the gun from the bathroom floor, where it was pointed towards the victim's neck. Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office officials eventually ruled Jackie Cantu's death a homicide.
During the trial, Fort Bend County prosecutor Chad Bridges successfully argued that the changing statements, along with ballistics showing gunpowder residue on Michael's hands and a bruise where he pressed the gun up against Jackie's forehead before firing, constituted evidence of murder. According to Bridges, the forehead bruise was "a tight contact wound, which is inconsistent with trying to pull the firearm away." Jackie tried to defend herself before the father of her two children killed her.
As for the nature of the argument, Bridges said "As for what exactly happened that night and what they were arguing about, we don't know," Bridges said. "We don't know what the exact nature of the conversation was." About the jury, he said, "We recognize the juror’s personal sacrifice to see that justice is done. It was a long trial of terrible circumstances and intense emotions. It’s never pleasant but always necessary
The Cantus met while both of them were attending Texas A&M University. Jackie Cantu was originally from Bryan, while Michael Cantu was from Houston. They married in 1992. Both graduated from Texas A&M with Jackie Cantu earning a degree in microbiology, said her father, Guillermo Ramirez of Bryan.
"I wish this thing would have never happened to my daughter, to the family. There's a lot of sadness. The only justice that would satisfy me is if my daughter came back and if I could turn back time and prevent this from happening. But I can't."
Odom said this about his client after the sentencing. "He's always maintained that it was an accident, that he was trying to take the gun away from her.He's realizing that his life will never be the same — that he'll probably spend the rest of his adult life in the penitentiary. He vows that someday he'll be exonerated."
The Cantu children, the true victims of this crime, are being cared for by both sets of grandparents.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Text messaging "lovers" receive life without parole in murder of woman's husband
Monterey County, CA Judge Larry Hayes sentenced a mother and her "lover" to life without parole for kidnapping and killing the woman's husband. Marisela Zarate Andrade, 33, and Sergio de la Cruz, 34, were sentenced to life without parole Tuesday, September 14 for the murder of Jose "Nicco" Zarate of Wasco, CA. Zarate was kidnapped April 11, 2008 from his home and his body was found three days later in the trunk of a Ford Escort near Gonzales, CA vineyard with his hands and feet bound with duct tape, shot between the eyes.
The evidence which convicted the two was collected by Monterey County Sheriff's detective Brett Speirs. These included text messages which spoke of how Marisela and De La Cruz intended to kidnap and kill Jose. Marisela would drug her husband's coffee with chloroform, then De La Cruz and another man would kidnap Jose from his Wasco home. After killing Jose, Marisela wanted De La Cruz to behead her husband to make sure "the rat (is) very dead." The pistol used to kill Jose was recovered in San Francicso during a drug raid.
She gave police different statements about the last time she saw him. When confronted with the text messages, she admitted she participated in the plan to have her husband abducted, but insisted she only wanted him beaten up, a claim she maintained at trial.
Noting that he had received a letter from Zarate Andrade prior to sentencing, Hayes said Tuesday the woman was in denial. He said the length of time the two spent planning the murder, and the content of the text messages, showed the extent of the cruelty they intended to inflict on the victim.
Judge Hayes said,"In some ways you are both very lucky the DA did not choose to (seek) the death penalty in this case. That's how atrocious this murder was." Prosecutor David Gross could have sought the death penalty because Zarate's murder occurred duing the course of a kidnapping.
Besides the life without parole sentenced, Judge Hayes sentenced Marisela to an additional 8 years for kidnapping and De La Cruz to an additional 33 to life for kidnapping and executing the victim. Hayes stayed both sentences. The victim's family attended the sentencing.
The evidence which convicted the two was collected by Monterey County Sheriff's detective Brett Speirs. These included text messages which spoke of how Marisela and De La Cruz intended to kidnap and kill Jose. Marisela would drug her husband's coffee with chloroform, then De La Cruz and another man would kidnap Jose from his Wasco home. After killing Jose, Marisela wanted De La Cruz to behead her husband to make sure "the rat (is) very dead." The pistol used to kill Jose was recovered in San Francicso during a drug raid.
She gave police different statements about the last time she saw him. When confronted with the text messages, she admitted she participated in the plan to have her husband abducted, but insisted she only wanted him beaten up, a claim she maintained at trial.
Noting that he had received a letter from Zarate Andrade prior to sentencing, Hayes said Tuesday the woman was in denial. He said the length of time the two spent planning the murder, and the content of the text messages, showed the extent of the cruelty they intended to inflict on the victim.
Judge Hayes said,"In some ways you are both very lucky the DA did not choose to (seek) the death penalty in this case. That's how atrocious this murder was." Prosecutor David Gross could have sought the death penalty because Zarate's murder occurred duing the course of a kidnapping.
Besides the life without parole sentenced, Judge Hayes sentenced Marisela to an additional 8 years for kidnapping and De La Cruz to an additional 33 to life for kidnapping and executing the victim. Hayes stayed both sentences. The victim's family attended the sentencing.
Woman who allegedly staged shotgun murder of husband charged
A Minnesota woman who claimed that intruders killed her husband was charged with 2nd degree murder in Blue Earth County, MN on September 10. 26 year old James Nibbe was found shot to death early the morning of August 31 in his Lake Crystal, MN home. Jennifer claimed a masked intruder took James' shotgun, killed him, then fled on foot. Police poked holes in the story after learning that there were no footprints out of the house and that the Labrador the couple owned had stayed asleep during the killing.
Charges cite journal entries by Jennifer Nibbe that chronicle her dissatisfaction with her two-year marriage, her interest in another man and how "Sometimes I wish I could go back to just [my son, who is 17] and I plugging along."
The complaint describes Jennifer Nibbe, a nurse, as addicted to painkillers and deeply in debt. Just two months before he was killed with a single shotgun blast to the head, James Nibbe, 26, had taken out a $250,000 life insurance policy, naming his wife as the beneficiary.
On September 13, a judge set bail at $600,000 in front of a courtroom packed with both the suspect and the victim's family.
Charges cite journal entries by Jennifer Nibbe that chronicle her dissatisfaction with her two-year marriage, her interest in another man and how "Sometimes I wish I could go back to just [my son, who is 17] and I plugging along."
The complaint describes Jennifer Nibbe, a nurse, as addicted to painkillers and deeply in debt. Just two months before he was killed with a single shotgun blast to the head, James Nibbe, 26, had taken out a $250,000 life insurance policy, naming his wife as the beneficiary.
On September 13, a judge set bail at $600,000 in front of a courtroom packed with both the suspect and the victim's family.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
"Boyfriend" charged with 1st degree murder after shooting woman to death
A 23 year old woman was found shot to death in her South Side of Chicago apartment early Saturday morning and her 28 year old "boyfriend," Gerald Rufus was charged in her murder. Theresa Russell was found dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the arm by police at around 2:32 AM Saturday, September 4.
Rufus was picked up after he was seen on top of the victim, who suffered a gunshot wound under the left armpit. He initially told police Russell was shot in front of the building at 6435 S. Morgan St. and he had taken the victim upstairs to the kitchen area, a police report said.
The man then changed his story and said the incident occurred on the back porch of the second floor apartment, and that the gunmen shot into the apartment from the back door, the report said. The man was taken into custody because witnesses gave conflicting statements indicating they heard a single shot fired inside the apartment and there was not evidence that a shooting happened in front of the building. Police later learned Russell was shot dead after arguing with Rufus.
Rufus faces 45 to 85 years in prison in convicted of 1st degree murder - 20 to 60 for the murder charge and 25 years for using a firearm.
Rufus was picked up after he was seen on top of the victim, who suffered a gunshot wound under the left armpit. He initially told police Russell was shot in front of the building at 6435 S. Morgan St. and he had taken the victim upstairs to the kitchen area, a police report said.
The man then changed his story and said the incident occurred on the back porch of the second floor apartment, and that the gunmen shot into the apartment from the back door, the report said. The man was taken into custody because witnesses gave conflicting statements indicating they heard a single shot fired inside the apartment and there was not evidence that a shooting happened in front of the building. Police later learned Russell was shot dead after arguing with Rufus.
Rufus faces 45 to 85 years in prison in convicted of 1st degree murder - 20 to 60 for the murder charge and 25 years for using a firearm.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Woman gets 6-15 years for blasting husband while sleeping
A 48 year old Michigan woman was sentenced on August 11, 2010 to 6-15 years in prison for shooting her husband, a Michigan State trooper, to death. 53 year old Sgt. Melvin Paul Holbrook was killed with gunshot blasts from his service revolver to his body on August 11, 2009. Both lived in the Michigan town of Beulah.
Joni Holbrook shot her husband multiple times as he slept in their Benzie County home, then called 911 and reported the incident. She pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder after agreeing to a last-minute plea deal the day before her jury trial was set to begin.
Joni Holbrook told [Benzie Circuit Judge James]Batzer when she entered her plea that she killed her husband because he subjected her to years of mental, physical and sexual abuse. Batzer later told the Record-Eagle that Holbrook's attorneys had "considerable evidence" she had been sexually battered and abused, and he took that evidence into account for her sentence.
Joni's statement to her victim's family echoed those remarks. ""I am sorry that my actions have taken someone so special away from you," she said. "I don't look at myself as a killer. I look at myself as a survivor."
Joni's attorney Jesse Williams said that the sentenced for her husband's killing, "a matter of self defense," was better than he thought. "The outcome was better than people expected. I didn't know what to expect. This court and this judge gave her a fair shake down."
State police Lt. Bill Elliott, who worked with the victim at the Traverse City post for two decades, said "It's just a very difficult situation. I don't know what the right answer would have been, but I was surprised to hear how lenient the sentence was." The victim's sister, Meleen Froman, said "I just think it's a mockery. I just think it's sad. I'm a little angry now." Froman traveled from Oklahoma to MIchigan for the sentencing.
Judge Batner explained to the detractors of the plea deal why their was a 15 year maximum for Joni's sentencing. "The law is an imperfect vehicle, but it's what we have. I know this sentence is going to be unsatisfactory to parties aligned on both sides. There is nothing that this court can do ... that can make it satisfactory."
Joni Holbrook shot her husband multiple times as he slept in their Benzie County home, then called 911 and reported the incident. She pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder after agreeing to a last-minute plea deal the day before her jury trial was set to begin.
Joni Holbrook told [Benzie Circuit Judge James]Batzer when she entered her plea that she killed her husband because he subjected her to years of mental, physical and sexual abuse. Batzer later told the Record-Eagle that Holbrook's attorneys had "considerable evidence" she had been sexually battered and abused, and he took that evidence into account for her sentence.
Joni's statement to her victim's family echoed those remarks. ""I am sorry that my actions have taken someone so special away from you," she said. "I don't look at myself as a killer. I look at myself as a survivor."
Joni's attorney Jesse Williams said that the sentenced for her husband's killing, "a matter of self defense," was better than he thought. "The outcome was better than people expected. I didn't know what to expect. This court and this judge gave her a fair shake down."
State police Lt. Bill Elliott, who worked with the victim at the Traverse City post for two decades, said "It's just a very difficult situation. I don't know what the right answer would have been, but I was surprised to hear how lenient the sentence was." The victim's sister, Meleen Froman, said "I just think it's a mockery. I just think it's sad. I'm a little angry now." Froman traveled from Oklahoma to MIchigan for the sentencing.
Judge Batner explained to the detractors of the plea deal why their was a 15 year maximum for Joni's sentencing. "The law is an imperfect vehicle, but it's what we have. I know this sentence is going to be unsatisfactory to parties aligned on both sides. There is nothing that this court can do ... that can make it satisfactory."
Friday, August 13, 2010
Woman who killed estranged husband recieves life without parole
A Baltimore County teacher was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of her husband Tuesday, August 10. Mary C. Koontz was sentenced to the maximum sentence for the 1st degree murder of her husband, Ronald G. Koontz, who was 66 when murdered. Ronald was a recently retired Baltimore County public school administrator.
The murder was committed on June 19, 2009, at the Koontz home in Glen Arm, Maryland. Mary shot her husband to death with a handgun, then went after her then 16 year old daughter Kelsey. After a 9 day trial and three days of deliberations, she was fouind criminally responsible for the murder of her husband and the attempted murder of now 17 year old daughter Kelsey. The guilty verdict took place July 8.
The defense said Koontz shouldn't be held responsible because she was delusional and had been isolated from her family since 2007 when, after a mental evaluation, she wasn't welcome in the home. Throughout the trial, several doctors testified that Koontz had been diagnosed with several different mental disorders.
A doctor for the defense said she didn't believe that Koontz was faking being mentally ill the day she killed her husband; however another doctor said Koontz was diagnosed with a disorder where she put her needs in front of others, and another said he didn't believe she was psychotic during the incident based on her actions prior to the killing.
When Koontz took the stand in her own defense, she said she didn't mean what she said in the messages.
Koontz said she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and borderline personality disorder, and she'd been treated for depression since 1991. She said she was in a fog the day her husband was killed, and she told jurors she didn't remember pulling the trigger. Koontz claimed she was also trying to commit suicide. She told jurors her husband was abusive and that he referred to her as damaged and criticized her for a lot of things.
The prosecution said that Mary was deliberate when she planned the attack on her husband and daughter, because she concealed the rental car she used to try and get away and bought the gun ont of state.
During sentencing, Kelsey gave a victim impact statement which ended with "I know if I ever see her face again, my life will be at risk and it will be the last face I ever see." Mary said to Kelsey and her son from a previous marriage that “Words are totally inadequate. You deserve nothing but goodness in your life.”
After Mary received her life without parole sentence, Kelsey said, "I just wanted her to hear how much she hurt me ... Maybe she had bad things happen in her childhood, but it's an individual's responsibility to get help, talk to people, make sure you don't lead the rest of your life down a path of no return...I think that my mom should be a lesson to everyone that no matter what you're going through right now, you can get past it and you can move on. You can be a better person for whatever you're going through in your life."
The murder was committed on June 19, 2009, at the Koontz home in Glen Arm, Maryland. Mary shot her husband to death with a handgun, then went after her then 16 year old daughter Kelsey. After a 9 day trial and three days of deliberations, she was fouind criminally responsible for the murder of her husband and the attempted murder of now 17 year old daughter Kelsey. The guilty verdict took place July 8.
The defense said Koontz shouldn't be held responsible because she was delusional and had been isolated from her family since 2007 when, after a mental evaluation, she wasn't welcome in the home. Throughout the trial, several doctors testified that Koontz had been diagnosed with several different mental disorders.
A doctor for the defense said she didn't believe that Koontz was faking being mentally ill the day she killed her husband; however another doctor said Koontz was diagnosed with a disorder where she put her needs in front of others, and another said he didn't believe she was psychotic during the incident based on her actions prior to the killing.
When Koontz took the stand in her own defense, she said she didn't mean what she said in the messages.
Koontz said she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and borderline personality disorder, and she'd been treated for depression since 1991. She said she was in a fog the day her husband was killed, and she told jurors she didn't remember pulling the trigger. Koontz claimed she was also trying to commit suicide. She told jurors her husband was abusive and that he referred to her as damaged and criticized her for a lot of things.
The prosecution said that Mary was deliberate when she planned the attack on her husband and daughter, because she concealed the rental car she used to try and get away and bought the gun ont of state.
During sentencing, Kelsey gave a victim impact statement which ended with "I know if I ever see her face again, my life will be at risk and it will be the last face I ever see." Mary said to Kelsey and her son from a previous marriage that “Words are totally inadequate. You deserve nothing but goodness in your life.”
After Mary received her life without parole sentence, Kelsey said, "I just wanted her to hear how much she hurt me ... Maybe she had bad things happen in her childhood, but it's an individual's responsibility to get help, talk to people, make sure you don't lead the rest of your life down a path of no return...I think that my mom should be a lesson to everyone that no matter what you're going through right now, you can get past it and you can move on. You can be a better person for whatever you're going through in your life."
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Criminal with history of violence sentenced to life for killing 18 year old wife
A "man" who shot his bride in the face, killing her, was sentenced to life in prison for the crime. 26 year old Charles Reese was sentenced by District Judge Lori Valenzuela Thursday, March 12 after a jury convicted him the previous day of murder of 18 year old Shamika Sanford. Though they had been married less than a month, but according to her grandmother, Margaret Sanford, had a history of domestic violence.
Reese told police the two had been fighting and after he ordered her to get in the car on March 10, 2009, she refused and began walking away. After shooting her in the chest, knocking her to the ground, he said he emptied his clip into her head because he “didn't want her to live through life knowing the person she loved shot her.”
Reese was at large for 4 days, and according to officials, confessed to numerous people that he killed his wife. Besides the gunshot would to the head, Sanford suffered wounds to her face, chest, and neck and hands. He did not testify at the trial, but gave a videotaped statement of his innocence.
Defense attorneys Michael Hoyle and Charles Bunk asked jurors to give Reese 25 years in prison, saying he grew up in an abusive environment, with both of his parents serving prison terms for drug offenses and an uncle going to prison for killing his wife.
“What is it children crave?” Hoyle asked. “They want love and attention from others. He didn't get it ...That 25 years of need, frustration, anger and rage comes out through that gun. ... It doesn't make it any less horrible. But it explains why it happened.”
Prosecutor Yvonne Gonzalez and co-counsel Daryl Harris argued that the "grusomeness" of the crime and need for accountability warranted a life sentence. “Shanika was the first time a woman demanded his love, his fidelity, his commitment. When he realized he couldn't give it, he took her life in the most brutal way any of us could imagine.”
Reese told police the two had been fighting and after he ordered her to get in the car on March 10, 2009, she refused and began walking away. After shooting her in the chest, knocking her to the ground, he said he emptied his clip into her head because he “didn't want her to live through life knowing the person she loved shot her.”
Reese was at large for 4 days, and according to officials, confessed to numerous people that he killed his wife. Besides the gunshot would to the head, Sanford suffered wounds to her face, chest, and neck and hands. He did not testify at the trial, but gave a videotaped statement of his innocence.
Defense attorneys Michael Hoyle and Charles Bunk asked jurors to give Reese 25 years in prison, saying he grew up in an abusive environment, with both of his parents serving prison terms for drug offenses and an uncle going to prison for killing his wife.
“What is it children crave?” Hoyle asked. “They want love and attention from others. He didn't get it ...That 25 years of need, frustration, anger and rage comes out through that gun. ... It doesn't make it any less horrible. But it explains why it happened.”
Prosecutor Yvonne Gonzalez and co-counsel Daryl Harris argued that the "grusomeness" of the crime and need for accountability warranted a life sentence. “Shanika was the first time a woman demanded his love, his fidelity, his commitment. When he realized he couldn't give it, he took her life in the most brutal way any of us could imagine.”
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Man obsessed with college classmate kills her, is killed by police
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) – A man apparently infatuated with a special education teacher he knew from college shot and killed her as she walked into her elementary school Friday, shortly before students began arriving.
The suspect was killed in a shootout with a deputy a short time later about 10 miles away, said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. The man had been released on bail Monday after being arrested a week ago for violating a protective order the teacher, Jennifer Paulson, obtained in September 2008, said Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum.
The victim's father, Ken Paulson, said she was kind and loving, and that's probably why she was a special education teacher. He described the 30-year-old as a devout Christian. The father said the man who killed his daughter was Jed Waits, of Ellensburg. The two had apparently known each other since she was in college, when they worked together at a cafeteria at Seattle Pacific University.
In her petition for the anti-harassment order filed in Pierce County District Court, Paulson said she and Waits occasionally socialized with co-workers and friends outside of work as a group but "never had any sort of romantic involvement." She said she heard from Waits about once a year since she graduated from college in 2003, but on the days she heard from him, he would sometimes call 10 to 15 times in one day.
Then in spring 2008, he showed up at her school, walked into the building and passed the office, where he was stopped by a secretary. "I never told him where I work and do not know how he found out," Paulson wrote.
He also sent roses and a bear to her at the school. Paulson's principal called Waits' commander in the National Guard to inform him of the harassment, she wrote.
The anti-harassment order banned Waits from going within 1,000 feet of Paulson's home or school. But she saw him as she was leaving work Friday, so she called 911 from her car. Waits was arrested that night, and after he made bail, Paulson stopped staying at her home, at least temporarily, her father said. Fulghum said there had been no indication that Waits had a weapon or had threatened Paulson with a weapon, but it "sounds like he had a pretty good infatuation with her."
The shooting happened at Birney Elementary, which has about 400 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Classes were canceled for the day, and officials had not made a decision about Monday's classes.
The shooter was waiting for the teacher when she arrived at 7:35 a.m. and shot her multiple times as she was trying to enter the school, Fulghum said.
Omar Moreno, 22, who lives across the street from the school, said he heard three gunshots.
"I heard a teacher screaming at the top of her lungs — just screaming," he said. "I looked out my window and I saw the guy. He started running down the middle of the street and got in his car."
Moreno said the man, wearing a white snow cap and white gloves, drove off in a tan car. Soon after, Moreno said, a custodian barreled out of the school screaming for someone to call the police.
Moreno said he saw the victim laying on the ground, bleeding from the mouth. It was clear to him she had died, he said.
A deputy pulled over the suspect's car in the parking lot of a daycare, and he came out firing a handgun, Troyer said. The deputy returned fire and killed the man. "We're lucky our guy's OK. The guy did have semiautomatic and did fire a round," Troyer told KCPQ-TV.
School district spokesman Dan Voelpel said Paulson worked in the language resource center helping students one-on-one with reading problems. She had been with the district since 2004 and at the school since 2007. Paulson's death "knocked everyone flat," Voelpel said. "It's going to hit this community hard."
The shooting occurred three days after a 32-year-old man with a history of mental illness opened fire in a middle school parking lot in Colorado, wounding two students.
The suspect was killed in a shootout with a deputy a short time later about 10 miles away, said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. The man had been released on bail Monday after being arrested a week ago for violating a protective order the teacher, Jennifer Paulson, obtained in September 2008, said Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum.
The victim's father, Ken Paulson, said she was kind and loving, and that's probably why she was a special education teacher. He described the 30-year-old as a devout Christian. The father said the man who killed his daughter was Jed Waits, of Ellensburg. The two had apparently known each other since she was in college, when they worked together at a cafeteria at Seattle Pacific University.
In her petition for the anti-harassment order filed in Pierce County District Court, Paulson said she and Waits occasionally socialized with co-workers and friends outside of work as a group but "never had any sort of romantic involvement." She said she heard from Waits about once a year since she graduated from college in 2003, but on the days she heard from him, he would sometimes call 10 to 15 times in one day.
Then in spring 2008, he showed up at her school, walked into the building and passed the office, where he was stopped by a secretary. "I never told him where I work and do not know how he found out," Paulson wrote.
He also sent roses and a bear to her at the school. Paulson's principal called Waits' commander in the National Guard to inform him of the harassment, she wrote.
The anti-harassment order banned Waits from going within 1,000 feet of Paulson's home or school. But she saw him as she was leaving work Friday, so she called 911 from her car. Waits was arrested that night, and after he made bail, Paulson stopped staying at her home, at least temporarily, her father said. Fulghum said there had been no indication that Waits had a weapon or had threatened Paulson with a weapon, but it "sounds like he had a pretty good infatuation with her."
The shooting happened at Birney Elementary, which has about 400 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Classes were canceled for the day, and officials had not made a decision about Monday's classes.
The shooter was waiting for the teacher when she arrived at 7:35 a.m. and shot her multiple times as she was trying to enter the school, Fulghum said.
Omar Moreno, 22, who lives across the street from the school, said he heard three gunshots.
"I heard a teacher screaming at the top of her lungs — just screaming," he said. "I looked out my window and I saw the guy. He started running down the middle of the street and got in his car."
Moreno said the man, wearing a white snow cap and white gloves, drove off in a tan car. Soon after, Moreno said, a custodian barreled out of the school screaming for someone to call the police.
Moreno said he saw the victim laying on the ground, bleeding from the mouth. It was clear to him she had died, he said.
A deputy pulled over the suspect's car in the parking lot of a daycare, and he came out firing a handgun, Troyer said. The deputy returned fire and killed the man. "We're lucky our guy's OK. The guy did have semiautomatic and did fire a round," Troyer told KCPQ-TV.
School district spokesman Dan Voelpel said Paulson worked in the language resource center helping students one-on-one with reading problems. She had been with the district since 2004 and at the school since 2007. Paulson's death "knocked everyone flat," Voelpel said. "It's going to hit this community hard."
The shooting occurred three days after a 32-year-old man with a history of mental illness opened fire in a middle school parking lot in Colorado, wounding two students.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Husband who murdered high school receptionist gets 30 years without parole
McFeggan’s wife, Carol, 62, was discovered the morning of June 29 by their daughter, Sarah McFeggan, and Sarah’s friend, Valerie Heinisch, inside the couple’s northwest Rockford home. Police found the woman deceased in her bed. Police spoke to Sarah McFeggan, who gave officers a note written by her father that she said she had found in the kitchen.
In the note, Thomas McFeggan wrote that he killed Carol McFeggan, and that her death was not a suicide. He also revealed in his note that he and Carol were facing foreclosure on their home, although Carol didn’t know about it. Thomas also wrote that he had planned to commit suicide.
However, instead of killing himself, law enforcement found Thomas fishing in a Vilas County, WI lake, where he was arrested July 1. He was found with a .38 caliber handgun, which he admitted using against his wife when Rockford detectives interviewed him.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Habitual felon sentenced to 72 years for shooting death of "girlfriend"
A habitual felon was sentenced to up to 72 years in prison on New Year's Eve by Larimer County, CO Judge David Williams for the shooting death of his girlfriend, 25 year old Valerie Gendernalik, a Colorado State University graduate. 30 year old Justin Levi Moore, convicted of 2nd degree murder, would have only faced 16 to 48 years in prison if he had no previous criminal record.
Evidence presented at trial showed the couple had been out drinking with friends in Old Town hours before Gendernalik was shot in the head at close range.
Jurors heard testimony about the couple’s strained relationship in the weeks leading up to the shooting, Gendernalik’s phone call to her ex-boyfriend the night she died and of allegations of domestic violence from two of Moore’s ex-girlfriends.
Moore claimed he and Gendernalik were toying with the weapon when it went off. Jurors needed just 3½ hours to return their guilty verdict.
Larisa Gendernalik, the victim's mother, said that "We all know the story of (Fyodor) Dostoevsky where he was punished by himself. I watched Justin throughout the case and throughout the 18 months here in this courtroom. I truly believe he did not feel any punishment in his own mind.”
The victim's father, Larry said that he did not believe that his daughter was gone until he saw the evidence in court. "It wasn’t until I saw everything in the trial that I realized he did go out and acquire a gun and within weeks he put that gun to my daughter’s head and fired. And I guess really that was when I finally knew that Valerie was gone.”
Despite the conviction and sentencing, Moore maintained his innocence.
I am a human being and I am imperfect. I am a sinner. I am guilty of sins in my past, and I am guilty of crimes in my past and mistakes I made as a young man. I pleaded guilty to the crimes that I was guilty of. This is the first trial that I've been to in my extensive, as (prosecutors) put it, criminal history ... this is the first time I have disputed any act because I am honestly not guilty.
Evidence presented at trial showed the couple had been out drinking with friends in Old Town hours before Gendernalik was shot in the head at close range.
Jurors heard testimony about the couple’s strained relationship in the weeks leading up to the shooting, Gendernalik’s phone call to her ex-boyfriend the night she died and of allegations of domestic violence from two of Moore’s ex-girlfriends.
Moore claimed he and Gendernalik were toying with the weapon when it went off. Jurors needed just 3½ hours to return their guilty verdict.
Larisa Gendernalik, the victim's mother, said that "We all know the story of (Fyodor) Dostoevsky where he was punished by himself. I watched Justin throughout the case and throughout the 18 months here in this courtroom. I truly believe he did not feel any punishment in his own mind.”
The victim's father, Larry said that he did not believe that his daughter was gone until he saw the evidence in court. "It wasn’t until I saw everything in the trial that I realized he did go out and acquire a gun and within weeks he put that gun to my daughter’s head and fired. And I guess really that was when I finally knew that Valerie was gone.”
Despite the conviction and sentencing, Moore maintained his innocence.
I am a human being and I am imperfect. I am a sinner. I am guilty of sins in my past, and I am guilty of crimes in my past and mistakes I made as a young man. I pleaded guilty to the crimes that I was guilty of. This is the first trial that I've been to in my extensive, as (prosecutors) put it, criminal history ... this is the first time I have disputed any act because I am honestly not guilty.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Manchester, IA man gets 35 years for shooting now ex "girlfriend"
BY COURTNEY BLANCHARD TH STAFF WRITER
MANCHESTER, Iowa -- Robert Krogmann on Monday [December 21] received the maximum penalty for shooting and critically wounding his ex-girlfriend, after the judge said he showed a "continued refusal to take responsibility for his actions."
The 51-year-old was handed a 35-year sentence, after the maximum sentences for attempted murder and willful injury were ordered to be served consecutively. Krogmann was convicted last month in the March 13 shooting of Jean Smith, 49, at her Manchester home.
With minimum-sentencing laws, he likely will stay in jail until he's 75.
Dubuque County District Court Judge Lawrence Fautsch said he based his decision on the recommendation of the prosecution and the pre-sentence investigation. According to a pre-sentence report, Krogmann said he believed Smith was "trying to crucify me." "She's been getting along quite well, considered what they did to me," Krogmann said in the report.
Delaware County Attorney John Bernau argued that in recorded conversations and letters sent after the trial, Krogmann showed contempt for "everyone and everything." Bernau said Krogmann insulted his own children ("My -- expletive deleted -- kids better all be at my sentencing ... because it would just look stupid if they weren't there"), the jury ("The jury doesn't know a -- expletive-deleted -- thing about bipolar disorder"), a jailer ("worthless piece of -- expletive deleted"), and even the mashed potatoes served in the jail ("slop").
Bernau also accused Krogmann of "orchestrating" the large showing of family support in the courtroom.Krogmann's sister, Patty Wessels, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said that wasn't the case. "He's my brother, and I wanted to be here," she said.
During trial, Krogmann claimed that a yearslong battle with bipolar disorder and depression skewed his judgment during the shooting, and he didn't intend to kill Smith. "I was sick," he said Monday. "I only intended on ending my own life."
Krogmann shot Smith three times, in the stomach, arm and spine. Smith testified that she pleaded for Krogmann to call 911, but he didn't allow it. He finally let her call her mother, who dialed authorities from out-of-state, Smith said.
But during the sentencing, Krogmann said he called 911 and gave her "everything she wanted" after he shot her. "I stayed with her until I was chased away," he said.
Jean Smith said her life will never be the same. Metal plates and screws hold her arm and spine together, and though she may be able to walk again, it would only be with the aid of braces on her legs. "You have already given me a life sentence," she told Krogmann.
MANCHESTER, Iowa -- Robert Krogmann on Monday [December 21] received the maximum penalty for shooting and critically wounding his ex-girlfriend, after the judge said he showed a "continued refusal to take responsibility for his actions."
The 51-year-old was handed a 35-year sentence, after the maximum sentences for attempted murder and willful injury were ordered to be served consecutively. Krogmann was convicted last month in the March 13 shooting of Jean Smith, 49, at her Manchester home.
With minimum-sentencing laws, he likely will stay in jail until he's 75.
Dubuque County District Court Judge Lawrence Fautsch said he based his decision on the recommendation of the prosecution and the pre-sentence investigation. According to a pre-sentence report, Krogmann said he believed Smith was "trying to crucify me." "She's been getting along quite well, considered what they did to me," Krogmann said in the report.
Delaware County Attorney John Bernau argued that in recorded conversations and letters sent after the trial, Krogmann showed contempt for "everyone and everything." Bernau said Krogmann insulted his own children ("My -- expletive deleted -- kids better all be at my sentencing ... because it would just look stupid if they weren't there"), the jury ("The jury doesn't know a -- expletive-deleted -- thing about bipolar disorder"), a jailer ("worthless piece of -- expletive deleted"), and even the mashed potatoes served in the jail ("slop").
Bernau also accused Krogmann of "orchestrating" the large showing of family support in the courtroom.Krogmann's sister, Patty Wessels, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said that wasn't the case. "He's my brother, and I wanted to be here," she said.
During trial, Krogmann claimed that a yearslong battle with bipolar disorder and depression skewed his judgment during the shooting, and he didn't intend to kill Smith. "I was sick," he said Monday. "I only intended on ending my own life."
Krogmann shot Smith three times, in the stomach, arm and spine. Smith testified that she pleaded for Krogmann to call 911, but he didn't allow it. He finally let her call her mother, who dialed authorities from out-of-state, Smith said.
But during the sentencing, Krogmann said he called 911 and gave her "everything she wanted" after he shot her. "I stayed with her until I was chased away," he said.
Jean Smith said her life will never be the same. Metal plates and screws hold her arm and spine together, and though she may be able to walk again, it would only be with the aid of braces on her legs. "You have already given me a life sentence," she told Krogmann.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Life without parole for murder of estranged wife, friend by estranged husband
A man who shot his estranged wife and her friend was sentenced to life without parole in a Humboldt County, Iowa courtroom on Monday, December 21. Kyle Deemer, 29, was sentenced to two consecutive life without parole sentences for the shotgun slayings of Jessica Deemer and Bryce Mercer. Judge Baker said that Kyle made a series of decisions to kill the couple, and he thought that "You seem to be convinced that what you did was justified."
Deemer followed his wife and Mercer from Des Moines to a point north of Marshalltown on Highway 14. Jessica and Mercer were going to Mercer's family reunion in Gladbrook for the weekend. On Highway 14, Deemer forced them off the road with his vehicle, then shot both of them. The judge described how Deemer had to expel the expended shell and re-load after shooting Mercer, before he could shoot Jessica.
This was Judge Baker's rationale for making the murder sentences consecutive instead of concurrent. Jessica's sister, Jamie Luedke, said that "I despise you, Kyle, for so many reasons. I hope you will experience the same sadness and suffering every day of your life."
Her father, Kevin Luedtke, asked this question of the killer. "Kyle, after all this family has done [for] you, I cannot understand why you would return the favor with such cruelty. What on Earth did you have to gain by killing Jessica?" After the sentencing, he went on to say that "As of this day forward, Kyle Deemer ceases to exist for our entire family. If you're lucky, you'll never see Ty again," Kevin said. "But don't be surprised, when he's an adult, if he looks you up and says, 'How could you do this to me?'"
Ty is the Deemer's 6 year old son who is being raised by the victim's relatives.
Deemer followed his wife and Mercer from Des Moines to a point north of Marshalltown on Highway 14. Jessica and Mercer were going to Mercer's family reunion in Gladbrook for the weekend. On Highway 14, Deemer forced them off the road with his vehicle, then shot both of them. The judge described how Deemer had to expel the expended shell and re-load after shooting Mercer, before he could shoot Jessica.
This was Judge Baker's rationale for making the murder sentences consecutive instead of concurrent. Jessica's sister, Jamie Luedke, said that "I despise you, Kyle, for so many reasons. I hope you will experience the same sadness and suffering every day of your life."
Her father, Kevin Luedtke, asked this question of the killer. "Kyle, after all this family has done [for] you, I cannot understand why you would return the favor with such cruelty. What on Earth did you have to gain by killing Jessica?" After the sentencing, he went on to say that "As of this day forward, Kyle Deemer ceases to exist for our entire family. If you're lucky, you'll never see Ty again," Kevin said. "But don't be surprised, when he's an adult, if he looks you up and says, 'How could you do this to me?'"
Ty is the Deemer's 6 year old son who is being raised by the victim's relatives.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Michigan man sentenced to life without parole in shotgun murder of wife
Calhoun Couty Circuit Judge Conrad Sindt sentenced a man who murdered his wife to life without parole in a Branch County, MI courtroom Friday, December 18. 40 year old Thomas Foley was sentenced to the mandatory life without parole sentence for the shotgun murder of Dee Dee Foley, 41 on February 7, 2009.
Foley was convicted by a jury the day after Thanksgiving of shooting and killing his wife in the shower in their rural farmhouse while the couple's son and a friend played outside. Police speculate that Foley used a 12-gauge shotgun he took months before from the home of his brother-in-law.
Prosecutors told the jury he killed Dee Dee Foley, a Union City teacher, about 3 p.m., and only two hours before the family was to celebrate their son's 10th birthday at a party at the home of friends.
When Dee Dee Foley didn't arrive at the party, Tom Foley returned to the home and called police about 5:20 p.m. and said he found her dead. A month later Michigan State Police arrested Foley and he was found guilty after a three-week trial in Coldwater.
Before the sentencing, Calhoun Couty Circuit Judge Conrad Sindt, who presided over the trial, agreed to conduct a hearing after defense attorney J. Thomas Schaeffer said a woman came forward the day after the verdict and said she saw a car with a young man driving leaving the Foley driveway about 4:45 p.m. the day of the murder. A couple testified for the defense at trial they passed the house about 4 p.m. and also saw a white car leaving.
Prosecutor Terri Norris argued against Schaeffer's motion for a new trial and said the new witness is just cumulative and should not be heard. But while Sindt would not dismiss the jury verdict, he said the new witness should be examined under oath as part of Schaeffer's motion for a new trial.
Foley said about his wife, "I love her with all my heart and I never tried to hurt her. She is my best friend. There was no way, no way in hell, no way in heaven that I did this to her. I looked for justice in this trial and I didn't find it. I just want the person who did this to her to be found. There is no way I planned to kill my best friend, the mother of my child."
However, Marilyn Shiery, the victim's mother (and perpetrator's mother-in-law) said that "God and the world, including this family, would have forgiven you your affairs, your ending your marriage, you desire to move but do not ever ask for forgiveness for this hideous murder and the aftermath you and you alone created. There is no forgiveness."
She also made this statement prior to Foley's sentencing.
We can now believe you were not only not in love with Dar, but were never in love with anyone including yours and Dar's son. We also now know you were and are in love with only yourself and your selfish wants. Now when your son says, 'Grandma, I think my Dad killed my mom and he did it when he sent us outdoors, but I don't know why,' I will be able to truthfully answer him 'Because he wanted everything your mother stood for, he just didn't want her in the picture. You were devious, misleading, zealously hiding your dark side and deluded enough to think you could get away with murdering her. You took her father's gun from her brother's home to kill his sister.
Foley was convicted by a jury the day after Thanksgiving of shooting and killing his wife in the shower in their rural farmhouse while the couple's son and a friend played outside. Police speculate that Foley used a 12-gauge shotgun he took months before from the home of his brother-in-law.
Prosecutors told the jury he killed Dee Dee Foley, a Union City teacher, about 3 p.m., and only two hours before the family was to celebrate their son's 10th birthday at a party at the home of friends.
When Dee Dee Foley didn't arrive at the party, Tom Foley returned to the home and called police about 5:20 p.m. and said he found her dead. A month later Michigan State Police arrested Foley and he was found guilty after a three-week trial in Coldwater.
Before the sentencing, Calhoun Couty Circuit Judge Conrad Sindt, who presided over the trial, agreed to conduct a hearing after defense attorney J. Thomas Schaeffer said a woman came forward the day after the verdict and said she saw a car with a young man driving leaving the Foley driveway about 4:45 p.m. the day of the murder. A couple testified for the defense at trial they passed the house about 4 p.m. and also saw a white car leaving.
Prosecutor Terri Norris argued against Schaeffer's motion for a new trial and said the new witness is just cumulative and should not be heard. But while Sindt would not dismiss the jury verdict, he said the new witness should be examined under oath as part of Schaeffer's motion for a new trial.
Foley said about his wife, "I love her with all my heart and I never tried to hurt her. She is my best friend. There was no way, no way in hell, no way in heaven that I did this to her. I looked for justice in this trial and I didn't find it. I just want the person who did this to her to be found. There is no way I planned to kill my best friend, the mother of my child."
However, Marilyn Shiery, the victim's mother (and perpetrator's mother-in-law) said that "God and the world, including this family, would have forgiven you your affairs, your ending your marriage, you desire to move but do not ever ask for forgiveness for this hideous murder and the aftermath you and you alone created. There is no forgiveness."
She also made this statement prior to Foley's sentencing.
We can now believe you were not only not in love with Dar, but were never in love with anyone including yours and Dar's son. We also now know you were and are in love with only yourself and your selfish wants. Now when your son says, 'Grandma, I think my Dad killed my mom and he did it when he sent us outdoors, but I don't know why,' I will be able to truthfully answer him 'Because he wanted everything your mother stood for, he just didn't want her in the picture. You were devious, misleading, zealously hiding your dark side and deluded enough to think you could get away with murdering her. You took her father's gun from her brother's home to kill his sister.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Florida mom's killer, rapist found guilty - jurors recommend death penalty, judge hands it down
(Original Post 8-30-09)
The murderer of a Florida mother of two will face the same jury which convicted him last Friday to learn whether his death inside prison will come through an executioner's needle, or by natural (or inmate) causes. Thirty-eight year old Michael King, a plumber (or more accurately, former plumber) and dad of two, was convicted of the January 17, 2008 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 21 year old Denise Amber Lee, a detective's daughter, from her own home. The Florida Jury deliberated for 2 1/2 hours Friday, August 28 before finding Michael King guilty as charged.
Lee was kidnapped from her own home that winter afternoon after breastfeeding her sons. She made sure that the boys were left behind unharmed before King trained his gun on her.
Witnesses, including King's cousin, help determine the movements of King before and during the kidnapping. Jennifer Eckert, 24, saw the green Camaro King drove circle the neighborhood between 1 & 2 PM before King abducted his victim. Harold Muxlow, King's cousin, stated King stopped by his house to borrow a flashlight, gas can, and shovel. Muxlow also heard Lee say "call the cops" but King told his cousin it was nothing.
The most damming evidence came from calls Lee made after she grabbed her captor's cell phone. Like a detective's daughter, Lee used the phone to tell police that she was benng kidnapped.
Lee used one of King's cell phones to call 911 as she was driven across three counties. As the six-minute tape was played for the jury, her voice sounded tremulous at times, and frantic at others.
The call came in at 6:14 p.m. on January 17. A 911 operator repeatedly said "Hello," and Lee was heard pleading with her captor: "I'm sorry. I just want to see my family. ... I just want to see my family again. Please. ... Oh please, I just want to see my family again. Let me go."
The man, whose voice was identified in court as King's, cursed at her for trying to attract attention. A radio played loudly in the background. The 911 operator asked her address. Eventually, Lee managed to say, "My name is Denise. I'm married to a beautiful husband and I just want to see my kids again. ... Please, God, please protect me."
The 911 operator asked where she was, and then whether she knew the man. The operator asked if she knew her location. "Please just take me to my house. Can you take me home?" Lee said. The connection was then lost.
Sixteen minutes later, driver Jane Kowalski called 911 to report what she thought was a child abduction. She said she was stopped at a light and could hear screaming from another car "and not a happy scream, a get-me-out-of-here scream."
She testified that she saw someone banging on the car window, slapping her hand hard to demonstrate. "It was very loud," she told the jury. "It was completely horrific, terrified, panicky. I can't think of enough words, it was terrible."
She followed the car for a while, but lost it. Police quickly traced Lee's call to King's cell phone, and were looking for him. But Kowalski's call was never passed on to officers.
The victim took off of her wedding ring and pulled out her hair, leaving more evidence behind. Thar hair, blood, duct tape, and semen were collected from King's Camaro and his home and helped link the perpetrator to his victim. The defense never disputed that the rape and kidnapping occurred, but tried to absolve their client of the murder by stating only gun shells were found, not the actual weapon.
The death penalty phase of the trial will start Tuesday.
During that penalty phase, jurors will hear from King and Lee’s families.Two of King’s brothers will ask that he be spared the death penalty because he has no history of violence and he is the father of a 12-year-old boy.
Lee’s family, including her widower Nate Lee and her father Rick Goff, will ask that King be put to death. The men will talk about how Lee doted over her two sons, Adam, 2, and Noah, 3 1/2.
The jury will recommend a sentence, and the final decision rests with Judge Deno Economou, who will give a great deal of weight to the jury’s recommendation.
This is what the victim's parents had to say after the guilty verdict.
Susan Goff said "I just feel like a big weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Justice was served." Rick Goff, the Charlotte County detective, said that "The next step we're going to go up there and watch him get the needle put in his arm -- sending him to the place where he belongs -- totally opposite from the place Denise is at. That's where we want him, and we can't send him there fast enough."
(Update 9-6-09) Florida jurors voted unanimously to send King to death row, taking less than three hours to do so. Jurors were not impressed by the defense's view that a childhood sledding accident damaged King's brain and caused poor impulse control. Jurors credited the 911 call by Denise and King's borrowing of tools needed to bury Denise after shooting her to death as factors in handing down the death recommendation.
Pat O'Quinn, one of the jurors, stated that "I think he gave her a death sentence when he got the shovel, and the flashlight, and the gas can." A second juror, Marcia Burns, stated that the evidence Denise left behind played a major factor. "I don't know a normal person would be able to do that. The family needs to be extremely proud." Jury consultant Art Patterson also agreed with Burns' assessment.
"You have a smoking gun. The emotion of hearing a woman plead for her life. They get comfort in knowing this guy was so horrible and they know for sure what he was doing to her."
King was described as a good father of a 13-year-old son, a good boyfriend and a good plumber, who led a life as a good citizen until one terrible decision.
Juror Jean Burgess said the decision to convict was quick and overwhelming; the decision to send King to his death was equally decisive -- but more difficult to make.
Nancy Bates, the victim's grandmother, stated that "Michael King is going to burn in hell. Forever and ever and ever." Rick Goff, the victim's father, stated that "I can't say enough. This is how the criminal justice system is supposed to work."
The death penalty vote is just a recommendation. King will be sentenced at a later date, but in Florida, judges are required to give "great weight" to a jury decision - something enhanced if that decision is unanimous.
(Update 12-5-09) King was formally sentenced to death by Judge Economou yesterday afternoon. In a hearing which went on for about half an hour, he weighed aggravating and mitigating factors. Aggravating factors which carried great weight included the murder being carried out after rape and kidnapping, being "especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel," which includes inflicting fear on the victim, and murders occuring in a "cold, calculated, premeditated" manner, and the murder occurred to eliminate a witness.
Mitigating factors given moderate weight included that King was impaired due to a brain injury due to a sleeding accident back in 1978, and an IQ averaging around 80 and lack of previous criminal history. Mitigating factors given little weight included King being a responsible father and boyfriend, his divorce, and taking special needs classes as a minor.
The father of the victim said that justice was served in the case. "Justice is served. We had faith in the judicial system," Rick Goff, Lee's father said. "Without her, we'd still be looking for her, still be looking for him. She's the one that turned us onto him directly from her 911 call...I just want to tell Michael King you're a coward; you got what you deserved coming. And Denise is a lot better person than you and she's going to put you in the place where you belong, which I believe is hell, is where you're going to be."
Her mother, Susan Goff, said that King's death sentence would not give closure, but his execution would do so. "It isn't over. It won't be over until the day Michael King dies. That's the day we'll have closure."
Nathan Lee, Denise King's widower, said this in his statement below:
Today the man who kidnapped, raped and killed my wife, Denise Amber Lee, was sentenced to death. People have asked me if I'm happy about the sentencing. Happy isn't the right word. Whether he was sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty, that man's life is over. He can't destroy another family. That's justice for Denise and some closure for our family.
Denise should be alive today, going to soccer games, planning birthday parties and having date nights. But she's not and nothing is going to bring her back, which is something we have to live with every day.
We have some closure, and now we'll focus on making sure that Denise's death will not be in vain. Dispatchers on duty when my wife was killed failed to properly handle 911 calls that would have saved her life. Now I am working hard (through a foundation we started in her name) for a national standard in training, procedures and policies so that when you dial 911, you get the help you need.
Finally, I want to thank everyone, my family, Denise's family and our friends, for everything they have done to support and help us. I would also like to thank you, the media, for the respect you have shown to our family during this difficult time."
The murderer of a Florida mother of two will face the same jury which convicted him last Friday to learn whether his death inside prison will come through an executioner's needle, or by natural (or inmate) causes. Thirty-eight year old Michael King, a plumber (or more accurately, former plumber) and dad of two, was convicted of the January 17, 2008 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 21 year old Denise Amber Lee, a detective's daughter, from her own home. The Florida Jury deliberated for 2 1/2 hours Friday, August 28 before finding Michael King guilty as charged.
Lee was kidnapped from her own home that winter afternoon after breastfeeding her sons. She made sure that the boys were left behind unharmed before King trained his gun on her.
Witnesses, including King's cousin, help determine the movements of King before and during the kidnapping. Jennifer Eckert, 24, saw the green Camaro King drove circle the neighborhood between 1 & 2 PM before King abducted his victim. Harold Muxlow, King's cousin, stated King stopped by his house to borrow a flashlight, gas can, and shovel. Muxlow also heard Lee say "call the cops" but King told his cousin it was nothing.
The most damming evidence came from calls Lee made after she grabbed her captor's cell phone. Like a detective's daughter, Lee used the phone to tell police that she was benng kidnapped.
Lee used one of King's cell phones to call 911 as she was driven across three counties. As the six-minute tape was played for the jury, her voice sounded tremulous at times, and frantic at others.
The call came in at 6:14 p.m. on January 17. A 911 operator repeatedly said "Hello," and Lee was heard pleading with her captor: "I'm sorry. I just want to see my family. ... I just want to see my family again. Please. ... Oh please, I just want to see my family again. Let me go."
The man, whose voice was identified in court as King's, cursed at her for trying to attract attention. A radio played loudly in the background. The 911 operator asked her address. Eventually, Lee managed to say, "My name is Denise. I'm married to a beautiful husband and I just want to see my kids again. ... Please, God, please protect me."
The 911 operator asked where she was, and then whether she knew the man. The operator asked if she knew her location. "Please just take me to my house. Can you take me home?" Lee said. The connection was then lost.
Sixteen minutes later, driver Jane Kowalski called 911 to report what she thought was a child abduction. She said she was stopped at a light and could hear screaming from another car "and not a happy scream, a get-me-out-of-here scream."
She testified that she saw someone banging on the car window, slapping her hand hard to demonstrate. "It was very loud," she told the jury. "It was completely horrific, terrified, panicky. I can't think of enough words, it was terrible."
She followed the car for a while, but lost it. Police quickly traced Lee's call to King's cell phone, and were looking for him. But Kowalski's call was never passed on to officers.
The victim took off of her wedding ring and pulled out her hair, leaving more evidence behind. Thar hair, blood, duct tape, and semen were collected from King's Camaro and his home and helped link the perpetrator to his victim. The defense never disputed that the rape and kidnapping occurred, but tried to absolve their client of the murder by stating only gun shells were found, not the actual weapon.
The death penalty phase of the trial will start Tuesday.
During that penalty phase, jurors will hear from King and Lee’s families.Two of King’s brothers will ask that he be spared the death penalty because he has no history of violence and he is the father of a 12-year-old boy.
Lee’s family, including her widower Nate Lee and her father Rick Goff, will ask that King be put to death. The men will talk about how Lee doted over her two sons, Adam, 2, and Noah, 3 1/2.
The jury will recommend a sentence, and the final decision rests with Judge Deno Economou, who will give a great deal of weight to the jury’s recommendation.
This is what the victim's parents had to say after the guilty verdict.
Susan Goff said "I just feel like a big weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Justice was served." Rick Goff, the Charlotte County detective, said that "The next step we're going to go up there and watch him get the needle put in his arm -- sending him to the place where he belongs -- totally opposite from the place Denise is at. That's where we want him, and we can't send him there fast enough."
(Update 9-6-09) Florida jurors voted unanimously to send King to death row, taking less than three hours to do so. Jurors were not impressed by the defense's view that a childhood sledding accident damaged King's brain and caused poor impulse control. Jurors credited the 911 call by Denise and King's borrowing of tools needed to bury Denise after shooting her to death as factors in handing down the death recommendation.
Pat O'Quinn, one of the jurors, stated that "I think he gave her a death sentence when he got the shovel, and the flashlight, and the gas can." A second juror, Marcia Burns, stated that the evidence Denise left behind played a major factor. "I don't know a normal person would be able to do that. The family needs to be extremely proud." Jury consultant Art Patterson also agreed with Burns' assessment.
"You have a smoking gun. The emotion of hearing a woman plead for her life. They get comfort in knowing this guy was so horrible and they know for sure what he was doing to her."
King was described as a good father of a 13-year-old son, a good boyfriend and a good plumber, who led a life as a good citizen until one terrible decision.
Juror Jean Burgess said the decision to convict was quick and overwhelming; the decision to send King to his death was equally decisive -- but more difficult to make.
Nancy Bates, the victim's grandmother, stated that "Michael King is going to burn in hell. Forever and ever and ever." Rick Goff, the victim's father, stated that "I can't say enough. This is how the criminal justice system is supposed to work."
The death penalty vote is just a recommendation. King will be sentenced at a later date, but in Florida, judges are required to give "great weight" to a jury decision - something enhanced if that decision is unanimous.
(Update 12-5-09) King was formally sentenced to death by Judge Economou yesterday afternoon. In a hearing which went on for about half an hour, he weighed aggravating and mitigating factors. Aggravating factors which carried great weight included the murder being carried out after rape and kidnapping, being "especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel," which includes inflicting fear on the victim, and murders occuring in a "cold, calculated, premeditated" manner, and the murder occurred to eliminate a witness.
Mitigating factors given moderate weight included that King was impaired due to a brain injury due to a sleeding accident back in 1978, and an IQ averaging around 80 and lack of previous criminal history. Mitigating factors given little weight included King being a responsible father and boyfriend, his divorce, and taking special needs classes as a minor.
The father of the victim said that justice was served in the case. "Justice is served. We had faith in the judicial system," Rick Goff, Lee's father said. "Without her, we'd still be looking for her, still be looking for him. She's the one that turned us onto him directly from her 911 call...I just want to tell Michael King you're a coward; you got what you deserved coming. And Denise is a lot better person than you and she's going to put you in the place where you belong, which I believe is hell, is where you're going to be."
Her mother, Susan Goff, said that King's death sentence would not give closure, but his execution would do so. "It isn't over. It won't be over until the day Michael King dies. That's the day we'll have closure."
Nathan Lee, Denise King's widower, said this in his statement below:
Today the man who kidnapped, raped and killed my wife, Denise Amber Lee, was sentenced to death. People have asked me if I'm happy about the sentencing. Happy isn't the right word. Whether he was sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty, that man's life is over. He can't destroy another family. That's justice for Denise and some closure for our family.
Denise should be alive today, going to soccer games, planning birthday parties and having date nights. But she's not and nothing is going to bring her back, which is something we have to live with every day.
We have some closure, and now we'll focus on making sure that Denise's death will not be in vain. Dispatchers on duty when my wife was killed failed to properly handle 911 calls that would have saved her life. Now I am working hard (through a foundation we started in her name) for a national standard in training, procedures and policies so that when you dial 911, you get the help you need.
Finally, I want to thank everyone, my family, Denise's family and our friends, for everything they have done to support and help us. I would also like to thank you, the media, for the respect you have shown to our family during this difficult time."
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Relatives' persistance pays off in conviction of man for wife's murder
A family's search for justice for their loved one turned out to bear fruit when ker killer, her husband - was sentenced to 25 years in the Missouri Department Of Corrections Thursday, November 12. Bradley Jennings killed his wife Christmas Day 2006, but it took a determined effort by Lisa's family to convince the Missouri Highway Pareol that her death was murder, not suicide.
Bradley Jennings initially told investigators his wife committed suicide following an argument between the couple. But the story eventually unravelled after disbelieving relatives of Lisa Jennings pushed for further investigation.
Although Jennings' original story stood for almost a year, relatives disputed the idea that Lisa Jennings would have walked into a closet and shot herself as her husband described.
While Dallas County, MO prosecutors issued a written statement about the lack of evidence, the Dallas County Sheriff, Mike Rackley, remined suspicious. After the Missouri Highway Patrol opened an investigation, they found that the blood spatters over the victim's body were inconsistant with suicide - and that her husband likely pulled the trigger, as shown by his bloody clothes, stained by his wife's blood.
Dallas County jurors found Bradley Jennings guilty of 2nd degree murder and armed criminal action, recommendning 20 years for the murder and 5 years for the criminal action charge - sentenced which were handed down by Circuit Court Judge John W. Sims.
Bradley Jennings initially told investigators his wife committed suicide following an argument between the couple. But the story eventually unravelled after disbelieving relatives of Lisa Jennings pushed for further investigation.
Although Jennings' original story stood for almost a year, relatives disputed the idea that Lisa Jennings would have walked into a closet and shot herself as her husband described.
While Dallas County, MO prosecutors issued a written statement about the lack of evidence, the Dallas County Sheriff, Mike Rackley, remined suspicious. After the Missouri Highway Patrol opened an investigation, they found that the blood spatters over the victim's body were inconsistant with suicide - and that her husband likely pulled the trigger, as shown by his bloody clothes, stained by his wife's blood.
Dallas County jurors found Bradley Jennings guilty of 2nd degree murder and armed criminal action, recommendning 20 years for the murder and 5 years for the criminal action charge - sentenced which were handed down by Circuit Court Judge John W. Sims.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Attorney sentenced to 40 to life in shooting murder of "girlfriend"
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley sentenced a former attorney to 40 years to life for the shooting death of his "girlfriend" yesterday.
David Mahler, 45, fatally shot Kristin Baldwin, 38, on May 27, 2007. He was convicted Sept. 15 of second-degree murder, with jurors finding true an allegation that he personally discharged a firearm.
During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Bobby Grace told jurors that Mahler was "in a rage'' when he shot Baldwin during an argument.The two had argued several days earlier, the prosecutor said. The woman's badly decomposed body was discovered on June 17, 2007, in the desert near Barstow by some people who had stopped to help a stranded motorist.
Jurors also convicted Mahler of assault with a firearm on a man who was his then-roommate, and the judge tacked on an additional three-year prison term on the assault charge.
Mahler stated to the victim's relatives, "I want to say to the family that I'm sorry this happened,'' Mahler told Baldwin's relatives. "I am extraordinarily regretful ... It doesn't bring her back."
The victim's sister, Robin Henson, who believed that Mahler's show of remorse was insincere, said, pointing to an urn containing her sister's ashes, stating,
"This is my sister, Kristin. My family's life has been completely turned around to a point of pain and suffering because my sister is gone,'' Henson said. "A person that can do this needs to go to prison for a very long time ... I love my sister and I miss her and I want her back."
David Mahler, 45, fatally shot Kristin Baldwin, 38, on May 27, 2007. He was convicted Sept. 15 of second-degree murder, with jurors finding true an allegation that he personally discharged a firearm.
During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Bobby Grace told jurors that Mahler was "in a rage'' when he shot Baldwin during an argument.The two had argued several days earlier, the prosecutor said. The woman's badly decomposed body was discovered on June 17, 2007, in the desert near Barstow by some people who had stopped to help a stranded motorist.
Jurors also convicted Mahler of assault with a firearm on a man who was his then-roommate, and the judge tacked on an additional three-year prison term on the assault charge.
Mahler stated to the victim's relatives, "I want to say to the family that I'm sorry this happened,'' Mahler told Baldwin's relatives. "I am extraordinarily regretful ... It doesn't bring her back."
The victim's sister, Robin Henson, who believed that Mahler's show of remorse was insincere, said, pointing to an urn containing her sister's ashes, stating,
"This is my sister, Kristin. My family's life has been completely turned around to a point of pain and suffering because my sister is gone,'' Henson said. "A person that can do this needs to go to prison for a very long time ... I love my sister and I miss her and I want her back."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Phillipi, WV man sentenced to 20 years for shooting "girlfriend"
A Phillippi, WV man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting his pregnant girlfriend and killing their unborn baby. Glen Junior Corder III pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and wanton endangerment last month. Yesterday, Corder was sentenced by Judge Alan Moats to 20 years. The plea agreement spared Corder from a 1st degree murder charge and malicious assault charge for shooting Karen Sue Smith at an apartment complex last December.
In February 2009, a Barbour County grand jury indicted Corder for one count each of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, wanton endangerment and malicious assault. At his arraignment, Corder pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Judge Moats set Corder's trial for June 2009.
In late May 2009, Judge Moats rescheduled Corder's trial for August, because both the prosecution and defense were still waiting on forensic evidence to come back.
On August 14, 2009, Corder entered his guilty plea.
At the hearing, Corder admitted that he knew Smith was pregnant at the time he shot her, and said he was drunk at the time of the incident.
Corder will go back to the Tygart Valley Regional Jail until he can be sent to a state prison.
The 20 year sentence runs as follows - 15 years for the voluntary manslaughter, and 5 years for wanton endangerment.
In February 2009, a Barbour County grand jury indicted Corder for one count each of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, wanton endangerment and malicious assault. At his arraignment, Corder pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Judge Moats set Corder's trial for June 2009.
In late May 2009, Judge Moats rescheduled Corder's trial for August, because both the prosecution and defense were still waiting on forensic evidence to come back.
On August 14, 2009, Corder entered his guilty plea.
At the hearing, Corder admitted that he knew Smith was pregnant at the time he shot her, and said he was drunk at the time of the incident.
Corder will go back to the Tygart Valley Regional Jail until he can be sent to a state prison.
The 20 year sentence runs as follows - 15 years for the voluntary manslaughter, and 5 years for wanton endangerment.
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