POMONA - A woman accused of killing her husband and two children was ordered today to stand trial on three counts of murder.Man Ling Williams, 29, stabbed her husband, Neal, nearly 100 times with a Japanese sword, according to testimony from her preliminary hearing on Monday. She is also accused of smothering her two sons, Devon, 7, and Ian, 3, in their beds last August.
She has plead not guilty to the killings.
Judge Robert Martinez ordered her to trial after hearing about 90 minutes of testimony Monday from a sheriff's homicide detective who investigated the case.
November 2008 Archives
Here's some stories we've been following this weekend:
*DIAMOND BAR -- The father and sister of a 3-year-old girl killed by an out-of-control SUV have been released from a hospital after being injured in the same crash, officials said.
Soonil Kwon, 43, and Christine Kwon, 5, were discharged from Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center Friday, hospital officials said.
Michelle Kwon, 3, died Thanksgiving Day at UCI Medical Center from injuries sustained in the Wednesday crash at Maple Hill Elementary School, 1350 Maple Hill Road, sheriff's and coroner's officials said.
*ARCADIA -- Authorities have released the name of a man whose body was found floating in the waters of the Peck Road Water Conservation Park Saturday.
Phillip Ramos Jr., 48, was pronounced dead at 7:17 a.m. after fisherman discovered the body and called police, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben said.
Ramos was listed as a transient with ties to El Monte, McKibben said.
*WEST COVINA -- A 2-year-old boy was hospitalized Sunday after he fell about 15 feet from a balcony, officials said.
The incident occurred about 4:15 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 4100 block of South Sentous Avenue, West Covina Fire Department Capt. Esteban Rodriguez said.
The boy was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition, the captain said.
*WEST COVINA -- A local man was arrested Sunday following an 8-hour search after he allegedly threatened a car full of women with a gun and fired into the air, authorities said.
Daniel Valle, 27, was arrested shortly after 10 a.m. near Garvey Avenue North and Hollenbeck Avenue with the help of a police dog and a Taser, West Covina police Sgt. Walt Hauser said.
*PASADENA -- A bagel shop and coffee shop are temporarily closed for business following a fire Sunday, officials said.
The blaze was reported just after 9 a.m. at Noah's Bagels, 605 S. Lake Avenue, which is joined with Peet's Coffee and Tea, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
*POMONA -- Police arrested three people Saturday on suspicion of shooting a local man in the back, authorities said.
Anthony Hernandez, 23, of Paramount, Elaina Hernandez, 21, of Wilmington and Luis Duarte, 21 of Long Beach were booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Pomona police Sgt. Robert DeVee said in a written statement.
*WHITTIER -- Three men believed to have ties to various area street gangs were arrested after a brief car chase Saturday, authorities said.
Gilbert Gonzalez, 25, of Whittier, Daniel Gonzalez, 28, of La Puente and Edgar Archila, 20, of Bellflower were booked on suspicion of felony possession of a firearm and misdemeanor evading, Whittier police Sgt. Jim Uhl said.
*PASADENA -- A 23-year-old man was arrested Friday for allegedly stealing a car after a short pursuit that began near the Art Center College of Design, police said.
The ordeal began just before 3 p.m. when a man at the college noticed his car being driven away as he walked to the parking lot, Pasadena police officials said.
*PASADENA -- A 28-year-old man was robbed at an ATM machine in the 100 block of West California Boulevard early Saturday morning, officials said.
*SOUTH PASADENA -- A man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving late Saturday after his car struck a parked car, a telephone pole and an oak tree, authorities said.
Edouard Nersisian, 26, of Pasadena was jailed in connection with the crash, which occured shortly after 10 p.m. in the 700 block of Garfield Avenue, South Pasadena police Officer Matthew Ronnie said.
A suicide may have claimed more than one life Sunday, as a woman was killed in a crash after a man jumped from a freeway overpass in Claremont. Here's the story from City News Service
CLAREMONT -- A man jumped to his death early Sunday from a 210 Freeway overpass, and a 68-year-old woman was killed when her car plowed under a truck that had slowed because of the suicide, the California Highway Patrol reported.
As a result, a two-mile stretch of the 210 freeway at the eastern end of Los Angeles County was closed for more than two hours, from Fruit Street east nearly to the San Bernardino County line.
At about 5:50 a.m., a man described only as in his 40s climbed over the perimeter fence of the overpass above the 210 Freeway at Towne Avenue and jumped into the fast lane of the freeway below, according to CHP Officer P. Busch. The driver of a Toyota van heading east was unable to avoid hitting the man, who died at the scene, Busch said.
The driver of the van was not injured.
About an hour later, a 68-year old woman driving east in a 2000 Chevy Impala crashed into a passenger car, and then a truck that had slowed to 10 miles an hour in the ensuing backup.
Her car wedged under the truck, and the woman, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene, officers said.
Her name was not released, and no one else was injured, CHP officers said.
The wheels of justice sometimes do move slowly. More than two years after the fact, the trial for two men accused of fatally shooting a Valinda man who confronted them while they were tagging on a neighbor's wall is, at last, scheduled to begin. Here's the full brief:
VALINDA -- Jury trial is set to begin Wednesday for two men accused of fatally shooting a man who confronted them while they were tagging.
Robert Alex Lopez, 19, and Anthony Alex Castillo, 21, are charged with the shooting death of 44-year-old Robert Whitehead of Valinda on March 9, 2006.
The two suspects pleaded not guilty in the killing in July at Pomona Superior Court, where the trial will be held.
Castillo and Lopez allegedly shot Whitehead after he confronted them for tagging on a neighbor's wall, officials said.
A third suspect in the killing has since been killed himself in a shooting.
According to court records, Castillo and Lopez are each being held in lieu of more than $1 million bail.
A pair of brazen robbers opened fire inside a medical marijuana dispesary in Mission Hills Friday before helping themselved to cash and pot, the Associated Press reports.
MISSION HILLS-- Police say two men robbed a medical marijuana facility in Mission Hills and made off with cash and drugs.
Los Angeles police Lt. Darryl Grayson says the two men entered the facility on Friday and opened fire. No one was injured but the robbers took $200 to $300 in cash and an unknown amount of medical marijuana.
Grayson says police surrounded the building but the gunmen has already escaped and police dogs were unable to find them.
California Highway Patrol officials are reported a 14 percent reduction in drunken driving arrests this Thanksgiving weekend over last year, though the death toll of people killed in crashes during the weekend rose by one, as reported below by City News Service:
LOS ANGELES - Five people, one of whom was pregnant, were killed in traffic accidents in Los Angeles County during the first 60 hours of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to a report by the California Highway Patrol.
Last year's holiday toll was four.
Statewide, 21 people died in traffic accidents both this year and last.
CHP Officer Patrick Kimball said that while drivers seemed to slow down during the period of high gas prices during the summer and early fall, they seemed to be speeding up again, fueled by cheaper gasoline.
The CHP also made 199 arrests for drunk driving in Los Angeles County during the holiday period, compared with 232 arrests during the same time in 2007, reflecting a decrease of about 14 percent.
The California Highway Patrol's data for drunk driving arrests covers their jurisdiction of state roadways and unincorporated areas within the county, but not most city surface streets.
ARCADIA -- For the second time in just under a year, a body has been found floating in the waters of the Peck Road Water Conservation Park.
The grisly discovery was made about 7 a.m. Saturday at the park, located at 5401 N. Peck Road. The body was that of a man. No further details were immediately available.
On Dec. 6 of last year, the body of Lanie Cole, 38, of El Monte was found floating in the very same waters.
After a lengthy coroner's examination, officials determined Cole drowned while intoxicated.
The FBI announced earlier this month they are seeking a serial bank bandit or team of bandits believed to have carried out a violent take-over robberies in Long Beach and a failed heist in Pasadena.
The so-called Sport Bike Bandit, or possibly bandits, earned his moniker by wearing a motorcycle helmet during the crimes and using a sport bike to flee.
By all accounts, this robber or team of robbers is a particularly nasty one.
In Pasadena, a helmet-clad man entered the Bank of America, 880 E. Colorado Blvd., on Sept. 12, police and FBI officials said.
He used profanity and ordered witnesses to the floor at gunpoint, officials said.
A female employee failed to obey the robbers commands, and the robber leaped over the counter toward her before a co-worker grabbed her and pulled her to the floor, Pasadena police officials said.
Possibly because of the distraction, the robber fled empty-handed, police and FBI officials said.
Successful robberies were reported at Long Beach banks on July 25 and Oct. 28, according to the FBI.
In the first heist, a robber wearing a motorcycle helmet and possibly wielding two handguns threatened people inside the bank before fleeing with the cash on a motorcycle with the letter "J" in the license plate, FBI officials said.
In the more recent Long Beach robbery, the robber was described as nervous and did not take over the bank, but rather targeted a single teller, FBI officials said.
In all cases, the robber was described as a man of medium build wearing a black motorcycle helmet and either black or blue jackets.
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI's 24-hour tip line at (888) 226-8443.
Local law enforcement officials are reporting property crimes are on the rise, as is common for the holiday season. The trend was evidenced by a series of car burglar arrests made in the San Gabriel Valley on Thursday and Friday alone. Here's an excerpt from a story running in Saturday's Tribune on the issue:
Not only are the holidays a busy time for shopping and travel, but it's also a busy season for burglars and thieves, authorities warn.
Law enforcement agencies found themselves just as busy Thursday and Friday, as they made a series of burglary arrests around the San Gabriel Valley.
It's Christmas for criminals, too, officials explained, and thieves seem to prefer to do their shopping from out of someone else's car.
Car break-ins are especially common this time of year, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Kevin Walk said.
Significant burglary arrests were made Thursday and Friday in Industry, Covina and Alhambra, officials said.
To car burglars, the rush of holiday shopping presents an opportunity, Walk said.
"(Thieves) watch cars in the parking lot. People drop their presents in the car and shop," he said.
During the holiday shopping season, he added, when lines at retailers are long, "they know people are going to be inside for a while."
Walk said a good way to avoid being a victim this holiday season is to be aware of your surroundings. He also said not to leave items in your vehicle as you shop.
"If you're at a mall or something like that, maybe have the store hold your items until you're ready to leave," the sergeant said.
He also advises dropping items off at home in between shopping trips, and said to never leave valuables in the car in plain sight. Purse snatchings are also common around the holidays, Walk said.
Happy Thanksgiving. Eat a lot, watch football and have a good time with your families....
Be thankful, you could be in Detroit, for "America's Thanksgiving Parade"
Arcadia cracked down on massage parlors, now we find they are monitoring Craigslist and Facebook too. Here's Alfred Lee's story:
ARCADIA - Police arrested four people - including a 13-year-old - on prostitution-related charges last week by responding to Craigslist advertisements, officials said.
Arcadia police do not actively monitor Craigslist for advertisements of sexual services. But one officer decided to take initiative in two cases last week, said Sgt. Dean Caputo.
"It was just that one of our guys had heard from somebody else that there was this kind of activity on Craigslist," Caputo said. "He went looking on the Internet and found people soliciting sex for money in the city of Arcadia."
The officer called the phone numbers that were advertised and arranged meetings at the Santa Anita Inn.
Police met a female adult there, and after she had allegedly entered a room and offered sexual services for money, officers arrested her on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution.
After repeating that process with a second Craigslist advertisement, officers arrested a 13-year- old girl at the same inn. They also arrested two women in their early 20s, who allegedly had brought the teen to the hotel, on suspicion of pimping and child endangerment. The two arrests were made at 12:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, respectively.
"We've done things in the past with Craigslist and with Facebook," Caputo said. "I can think, going way back before Craigslist, of us dealing with a prostitute who had her own Web site."
INDUSTRY -- Officials say a 76-year-old Walnut man is fortunate to be alive after he was struck by a big rig Tuesday while riding his bike.
Sheriff's officials said the man, a regular bicyclist, suffered to badly broken ankles but did not appear to suffer life-threatening injuries.
The crash occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on Lemon Avenue near Valley Boulevard, near the Walnut border.
"He's going to be fine," one sheriff's deputy said.
The big rig was determined to be at fault, but the driver was not cited or arrested in what officials believed was simply an unfortunate accident.
The elderly man was flown by helicopter to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center for treatment.
I'm taking a vacation and while I will periodically check in, Brian Day will man the day-to-day workings of Crime Scene.
Happy Thanksgiving
-- Frank
The FBI has released a surveillance photo of a robber who struck a Pasadena Washington Mutual branch, 860 E. Colorado Blvd., on Friday, Nov. 21, 2008.
As you can see, the picture quality leaves quite a bit to the imagination, but it's something. It appears we're either looking for a man with a fake beard or a member of ZZ Top.
At least one editor here believes these are some of the people that show up at our front counter:
NEW YORK (AP) -- One man showed up at a federal building, asking for release from the reality show he was sure was being made of his life.
Another was convinced his every move was secretly being filmed for a TV contest. A third believed everything -- the news, his psychiatrists, the drugs they prescribed -- was part of a phony, stage-set world with him as the involuntary star, like the 1998 movie "The Truman Show."
Researchers have begun documenting what they dub the "Truman syndrome," a delusion afflicting people who are convinced that their lives are secretly playing out on a reality TV show. Scientists say the disorder underscores the influence pop culture can have on mental conditions.
Last week a special unit of the ATF took over the investigation of the multi-million dollar Alhambra apartment fire.
This comes from an inter-office note, this morning:
Alhambra fire says they've wrapped up their investigation of last week's big fire and now know the cause, which they're releasing at 2 p.m. today.
A mall in Staten Island, New York will post the pictures of shoplifters at kiosks through the facility, according an article in the NY Daily News.
Here's the jist:
Staten Island shoplifters, beware: 'Tis definitely better to give than deceive this holiday season.
Shoppers caught filling their stockings (or anything else) with stolen merchandise could find their faces flashing every six minutes on electronic billboards in the Staten Island Mall. The first-of-its-kind program - initially to feature five convicted Staten Island shoplifters - will run through Christmas.
"I wanted to do something just to warn people who might have ideas about shoplifting," said Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan, whose office created the program. "With economic times hard, more people might consider doing this. We just want people to be forewarned."
And the poll question dujour:
BALDWIN PARK -- Nearly a month after a man was found shot to death in front of an apartment building, the body remains unidentified, coroner's officials said.
The man's body was found fatally shot on the morning of Nov. 1 in the 12800 block of Dalewood Street, Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said.
Officials have a possible name for the man, but are awaiting family members to provide documents to confirm it, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben said.
Sheriff's officials released no suspect information or motive in the slaying.
The man's body was found fatally shot on the morning of Nov. 1 in the 12800 block of Dalewood Street, Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said.
Officials have a possible name for the man, but are awaiting family members to provide documents to confirm it, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben said.
Sheriff's officials released no suspect information or motive in the slaying.
As Turkey Day fast approaches, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has posted a video on their Web site illustrating the potential hazards associated with deep frying a bird.
"Without proper planning, your tasty meal could end in disaster," the Web site warns.
And they're not kidding. As seen in the video, an improperly fried Butterball can quickly become an inferno of flaming oil.
This bizarre tale comes to us courtesy of the Associated Press:
LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles police say a security guard at a Scientology building has shot and killed a sword-wielding man.
Officer April Harding said the man approached the guard in the parking lot of the Scientology Celebrity Centre International around noon Sunday. Harding said the guard "felt threatened for his life" and fired at the unidentified man. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Homicide detectives have cordoned off the building in Hollywood to investigate.
A Scientology spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
Saturday in the SGV:
*MONROVIA - A man died early Saturday when he crashed his car over the side of the 210 Freeway, authorities said.
Carlos Almanza, 22, of Commerce was pronounced dead at the scene, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Larry Dietz said.
*BALDWIN PARK -- An apartment fire Saturday displaced a woman and three young children, however the blaze was controlled before it spread to other apartments, officials said.
The fire was reported about 5:15 p.m. at an apartment building in the 13800 block of Ramona Boulevard, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Frank Reynoso said.
*A 23-year-old La Verne man died early Saturday in a single vehicle rollover in the area of westbound State Highway 18, west of Orchard Drive in Lucerne Valley.
When officers and paramedics arrived on the scene, they found Timothy Richard Dewhurstcq, the passenger of the 2003 Subaru station wagon ejected from the vehicle with severe injuries.
*LA PUENTE -- A woman was hospitalized Saturday after she was accidentally exposed to pesticides in her home, officials said.
The incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at a home on Glenhope Drive in an unincorporated county area near La Puente, however it was not reported until about four hours later, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Art Lopez said.
*ROWLAND HEIGHTS -- Two men escaped with about $60 after robbing a pedestrian at knifepoint Saturday, authorities said.
The crime occurred about 8:15 p.m. near the intersection of Jellick Avenue and Colima Road, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Leonard Williams said.
*MONROVIA -- A bear paid a visit to local residents Saturday before being driven back into the woods, authorities said.
The bear was first reported about 5:40 p.m. in the 900 block of Royal Oaks Drive, Monrovia police Sgt. Glen Coleman said.
*SAN DIMAS -- An 81-year-old woman reported missing by her family Tuesday has been found safe.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies received a call Saturday at 10:30 a.m. from officials at St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood that Aida Paucarcaja was at their facility, officials said.
This from a press release that became a short news story:
PASADENA - Police are searching for a man who groped a female student at Blair High School Friday.
The incident occurred about 8 a.m. on the third floor of the school's main facility, Pasadena police Lt. Alex Uribe said in a written statement.
The suspect, "approached a female high school student from behind and groped her buttocks and genital area," Uribe said.
The man ran away when the girl began to scream, he said.
The girl's screams attracted the attention of other students and school staff, but the suspect fled the area before anyone else saw him, Uribe said.
The suspect is described as a Latino man, about 25 years old, about 6 feet tall, of heavy build, with a shaved head and and unknown type tattoo on his right arm, Uribe said.
He wore a loose-fitting green shirt and baggy blue jeans, he added.
Police scoured the area but were unable to find the suspect, officials said.
Deputies with the Sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau hunted a hacienda Heights neighborhood for four folks suspected in a robbery. Interestingly enough, Sheriff's homicide detectives also participated in the search as did human tracking bloodhounds.
In the end, the searchers had no luck. But we learned something interesting about schools in the Hacienda La Puente school district -- they've become old pros on lockdown.
Here's a link to Daniel Tedford's story, which contained a startling admission from a school district administrator:
Students at Kwis Elementary School, Newton Middle School, Los Altos High School and Shadybend Elementary School were kept in classrooms from the start of school until noon while authorities searched for two of the four suspects.
School officials were not fazed.
"This is a very normal situation. They always notify our school district," said Norman Hsu, school board member for the Hacienda-La Puente District. "These happen very often. This is not the first time. This is like the fourth time this month."
Arcadia extended its ban on Massage parlors for another 10 months, to "study" the issue. Several members of the City Council are worried that the parlors are fronts for prostitution. The vote is a happy ending for cops who have recently cracked down.
Here's the top of Alfred Lee's story on the issue:
ARCADIA - City officials have extended a moratorium on massage therapy businesses by another 10 and a half months.
Believing that such businesses are often a front for prostitution, officials first enacted a 45-day ban on Oct. 21 on all new license applications for businesses that supply massages as a secondary service - such as spas, acupuncturists and chiropractors.
Arcadia also stopped issuing new licenses to massage therapists; more than 700 such permits had been handed out in the past three years.
In addition to unanimously voting Tuesday to extend the ban, the City Council also added amendments that allow already licensed businesses and therapists to relocate.
"What we're saying (to massage businesses) is that if someone leaves, you can't get anybody new for 10 months, unless they're already licensed," Councilman Gary Kovacic said.
From the mailbag:
Mr Girardot,
Just wanted to let you know that the fate of Christine Collins has been solved. Collins is listed in the death index under Christin Collins. This linked her name to a Kathleen Collins in the social security death index. Collins indicated that this was an alias she used after the high profile trial. The time period fits and I'm fairly certain it is her. Collins died on 12/8/1964. There is also an interesting back story. At one point in time, she was staying with James C. Borton in 1930. Borton took in Collins because he and her father were members of the Knights of Pythias. She also spent sometime in Oakland Californa in the early 1930's, with friends they met when the family was in Hawaii. At one point in time she took a telephone number under an assumed name as well. As it turns out, her sister, at one point in time, was listed on a passenger manifest as visiting Hong Kong in 1930, in the midst of the events involving her son. She is listed under race as Octoroon. Even in my work as an Archivist, I have never come acrossed that term. It's a guess, but I believe that Aimee Dunne was of Chinese Origin, which I also thought was an interesting note.
I'm planning on taking the research further and write a book. I've spent too much time learning about this family, so I need to justify it somehow!Best,
Chris Garmire
Archivist
California State Archives
LA media outlets are all over this one.
Basically, police were serving search and arrest warrants this morning when their targets slipped through the radar. As a result, four schools in Hacienda Heights are on lockdown, while cops from several agencies search for the pair -- identified as a man and a woman.
Sounds like the cops are getting ready to go door to door in a neighborhood near Three Palms and Hacienda Blvd.
I'll have a map later. Here's the top of our updated news story:
HACIENDA HEIGHTS - Four schools in Hacienda Heights are on lockdown Thursday morning to aid in the search for two robbery-and-assault suspects, according to authorities.
Kwis Elementary School, Newton Middle School, Los Altos High School and Shadybend Elementary school have all been shut down while authorities search for a man and woman suspected of robbery and assault near the 15500 block of Garo Street just south of Pomona (60) Freeway, according to Sgt. James Beamon with the Industry sheriff's station.
Search dogs were going through a shed in a yard at Galemont Avenue and Three Palms Street and police had cordoned off at least four blocks in a neighborhood north of the 60 Freeway.
Helicopters and search teams were combing the neighborhood, according to Sgt. Stewart Sandecki.
Authorities were looking for a 25-year-old bald, male Hispanic with blue jeans and an LA Dodger's jacket and a 22-year-old female Hispanic with dark hair, Sandecki said.
The two were suspected of armed robbery earlier this week, he said. When deputies served a search warrant on a house Thursday morning, the suspects were gone. But deputies received information that the suspects were still in the neighborhood, Sandecki said.
Deputies at the scene said the suspects are likely armed and dangerous.
The search for the suspects began around 6 a.m. Thursday morning, and the search was still going on 8:30 a.m., Beamon said.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
Ten, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Twenty-one, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31.
Thirty-two, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42.
Forty-three, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53.
Fifty-four, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64.
Sixty-five, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75.
Seventy- six, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96.
Ninety-seven.
Manling Williams confessed to stabbing Neal Williams 97 times after a domestic dispute at their Rowland Heights apartment in August 2007, a homicide detective told a packed courtroom Monday.
The testimony came during a 90-minute preliminary hearing for Williams, who is accused of using a Japanese ninja sword to slice her husband to death.
If convicted at trial, Manling could be put to death.
She is also accused of suffocating the couple's two young boys, Ian, 3, and Devon, 7, with their own pillows as they slept. Sheriff's Homicide Sgt. Donald Walls' voice quavered as he told the tale.
No one except Neal's killer knows how long it takes to stab someone 97 times.
It takes about four or five minutes to suffocate a child with a pillow. Ten minutes or so to suffocate two.
Until Monday no one knew the true extent of the horror that permeated the Williams' home on that hot August night, thanks to a tight-lipped DA protecting what now appears to be a slam-dunk case.
Neal's mom, Jan Williams of Whittier, waited months for a preliminary hearing to occur. For no apparent reason, delay after delay prevented the hearing while a judge in the case heard several sealed motions.
Throughout, prosecutors never adequately prepared Jan for what she would hear Monday.
From neighbors and press accounts, Jan had a vague idea of what happened. Neal's death certificate simply put his cause of death as "sharp force trauma."
The boys' deaths were the result of "suffocation."
Nothing and no one mentioned the volume of blood splattered in the bedroom or the hallway where Neal died.
No one told Jan that Manling confessed to waiting until Neal fell asleep and became vulnerable before she slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and slashed him across the chest with the sword.
No one told Jan about the look of terror frozen in the little boys' eyes as they lay dead in their bedroom. She had to hear it in a sterile courtroom setting just like everyone else.
When the hearing was over, she posted a simple status message on Facebook: "Jan is in shock."
The depth of her feelings ran much deeper.
"Ninety times," she wrote in an e-mail. "My son was stabbed more than 90 times. I just don't know how to even absorb that. How can you stab someone 90 times? I feel like I was hit with a physical blow. The rest of it seems like a blur."
I wonder who the deputy was?
WILMINGTON, N.C. - A North Carolina sheriff's official has apologized for plunging a funeral into chaos when undercover agents tried to arrest the dead man's son -- and used a Taser on him in the process.
It happened as the coffin was being loaded into a hearse. The officers planned to quietly arrest pallbearer Gladwyn Taft Russ III, The Star-News of Wilmington reported Wednesday.
Sounds like a mash-up between Crime Scene and Leftovers.
Mayor Ernie Gutierrez of El Monte found himself in a bit of trouble Wednesday. He was arrested and held by cops in his own city on suspicion of spousal abuse.
The story has angered several residents of El Monte, who believe Gutierrez received some sort of special treatment when the DAs office decided not to prosecute after a day long investigation.
Here's the bulk of the story. We report. You decide:
EL MONTE - Ernie Gutierrez, the mayor of El Monte, was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of domestic violence and detained for most of the day, police said.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office refused to bring charges against Gutierrez, whose term expires in 2009, El Monte police Chief Ken Weldon said.
Gutierrez did not comment on the incident.
Police did not identify the victim, or indicate how they received the complaint.
Gutierrez was held by police while the District Attorney's Office reviewed the case. He was released when officials determined there was insufficient evidence to charge him.
Gutierrez was arrested about 2:15a.m. and was booked at L.A. County Jail, according to El Monte police Lt. Robert Roach.
"There was not enough evidence to move forward," Weldon said. "We continue to fully support our mayor."
Here's the Fire Department's scanner traffic.
A three-alarm fire torched several buildings near 3rd and Main Tuesday night.
The cause of the blaze was unknown. Several residences and business were without power when the fire brokeout. The blaze apparently started in a condo or apartment complex that is under construction.
Several other buildings appeared to catch fire as well.
Firefighters from Alhambra, South Pasadena and Los Angeles County responded to the thre-alarm blaze, officials said.
The amount of damage caused by the blaze was unknown. It is unknown if there were any injuries.
-- Frank C. Girardot
A containment has been set up in Valinda as deputies and police officers apparently search for a suspect in Monday's car-to-car shooting in West Covina.
All available units have been dispatched to the location.
Just saw KCBS/KCAL reporter Serene Branson do a story on this video. Thought I'd share it with Crime Scene readers:
When I first saw this story, I thought it was about Jimmy Wang Yang. And, I was bummed. Then I realized that Jimmy Wang Yang and Jeffrey Yang are completely different people. Whew.
PASADENA -- Officials from Union Station Homeless Services are asking for the public's help in raising money for a new cargo van.
Their own van was stolen several weeks ago by an intruder who broke into the parking lot during the night and drove it away.
I take a day off, and the crime scene exploded in the San Gabriel Valley.
Officer involved shootings in West Covina, a rash of violence in northwest Pasadena, Jan Williams' opportunity to hear what happened to her son and grandchildren passes in a couple of hours.
Firefighters are still mopping up in Diamond Bar and another truck tipped over on the overpass from the northbound 605 to the eastbound 10.
Whew. Did I leave anything out?
Oh yeah.
There's this story about Temple City High School football coach, who was relieved from duty. (Don't forget he had a connection to the Deandre Netter case)
And another domestic, where the wife stabs her husband.
Here's some crime stories we've been following over the past few days:
*EL MONTE - Two local men were arrested Saturday after allegedly slitting a female taxi driver's throat, robbing her and stealing her cab, authorities said.
David Herrera Siguenza, 19, and Carlos Carillo Ramirez, 25, both of El Monte, were booked on suspicion of attempted murder, carjacking and robbery.
The woman survived the attack and is recovering at an area hospital.
*AZUSA -- An Azusa man is in serious but stable condition after being shot in a drive-by shooting Sunday night, officials said.
The shooting occurred at 10:37 p.m. in the 5200 block of Leaf Avenue, an unincorporated area near Azusa.
*PASADENA -- A 28-year-old man who was sliced in the neck during a robbery was recuperating Monday, police said.
Authorities are searching for the attacker, who approached the victim in a parking lot near Washington Boulevard and Allen Avenue at about 5 p.m. Sunday.
*COVINA -- Two juveniles were arrested Sunday on suspicion of tagging and burglarizing an elementary school, authorities said.
Police responded to a call Sunday about 5 p.m. of juveniles at Covina Elementary School.
Staff Writer Bethania Palma reports today on a woman ordered to trial for allegedly stabbing her husband with a sword and smothering her two children. Here's the lead of her afternoon update on the hearing:
Firefighters on the ground will be going it alone tonight, as officials say air support will not be used overnight to battle the Triangle Complex Fire, which is threatening homes in Diamond Bar.
Airplanes, which were provided Sunday by state officials, can never run water-dropping missions at night, and incident commanders have determined not to use the heliopters for risky night drops, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman James Barnes said.
When officials do call for night flights, or any other dangerous flights, the pilot has the ultimate authority to turn down the mission, he said.
"That very rarely happens," Barnes added.
| Freeway Complex Fire Information: | ||
| Last Updated: | November 16, 2008 at 7:30 pm | |
| Date/Time Started: | November 15, 2008 at 9:07 am | |
| Administrative Unit: | CAL FIRE / Orange County Fire Authority / Corona City Fire / Anaheim Fire / Chino Valley Fire | |
| County: | Orange County / Riverside County | |
| Location: | Between Corona, Chino Hills, Yorba Linda, Brea & Anaheim | |
| Acres Burned: | 23,722 acres | |
| Containment: | 19% contained | |
| Structures Threatened: | 3,500 structures are threatened. | |
| Structures Destroyed: | STRUCTURES DAMAGED OR DESTROYED: 64 buildings OR 104 residences.
| |
| Evacuations: | ||
| Cause: | Under Investigation | |
| Cooperating Agencies: | CAL FIRE, Orange County Fire Authority, Corona Fire, Anahiem City Fire, Chino Valley Fire, CHP, CDCR and CCC. | |
| Total Fire Personnel: |
3,699 Total Personnel | |
| Conditions: |
The Freeway Complex is made up of the Freeway Fire and the Landfill Fire. CAL FIRE Incident Command Team #6 has transitioned into a unified command. Firefighters made good progress in containing this fire as the Santa Ana Winds died down significantly. Many Evacuations and road closures remain in effect. |
|
| Triangle Complex Information: | (714) 628-7085 | |
DIAMOND BAR -- Carol Gass said she awoke Sunday morning to the strong odor of smoke.
The fire was just over a mile from her home when she heeded officials calls to evacuate and headed for a shelter set up at Diamond Bar High School.
"I really don't know what's going to happen," she said while standing in the parking lot of the high school with her three cats in crates. "I'm ready for whatever. I'm just waiting it out."
She said she was just happy that she and her animals got out of the threatened neighborhood safely. "It's all about people and pets, not about stuff."
She added the appreciated the hard work of firefighters and has faith in their abilities.
"Airplanes have been going over ever since the sun came up," she said. "They've really been working on it."
Despite the danger her home was in, Gass remained in good spirits.
"This is just another crisis I'm sure I'll survive," she said.
The fire was just over a mile from her home when she heeded officials calls to evacuate and headed for a shelter set up at Diamond Bar High School.
"I really don't know what's going to happen," she said while standing in the parking lot of the high school with her three cats in crates. "I'm ready for whatever. I'm just waiting it out."
She said she was just happy that she and her animals got out of the threatened neighborhood safely. "It's all about people and pets, not about stuff."
She added the appreciated the hard work of firefighters and has faith in their abilities.
"Airplanes have been going over ever since the sun came up," she said. "They've really been working on it."
Despite the danger her home was in, Gass remained in good spirits.
"This is just another crisis I'm sure I'll survive," she said.
Reporter Maritza Velazquez tracked down a young woman who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina only to face the similar prospect as a resident of Diamond Bar Saturday. Here's the top of her story:
DIAMOND BAR -- Three years ago Danita Clark lost everything.
She came close to experiencing a similar loss Sunday when she and nearly 1,800 others were evacuated from their neighborhoods in Diamond Bar ahead of the raging Triangle Complex Fire.
"I took everything I could. I've been through Hurricane Katrina, so I know how it is to come back and not have anything," Clark said.
In August 2005, the 22-year-old was forced to evacuate her Slidell, Louisiana home when Hurricane Katrina hit and ultimately devastated the Gulf Coast.
After living in a hotel and eating from fast food restaurants everyday for a month, she returned. But her former home was in ruins. The furniture was severely molded and the home was flooded with water that reached six-feet in height.
Embers fanned by Santa Ana winds are blown away as firefighters prepare to battle the out control fire as it burn next to a home on Bob White Road in Brea on Saturday night, Nov. 15, 2008. (SGVN/Staff photo by Watchara Phomicinda/SVCity)
| Triangle Complex (includes Freeway Fire) Information: | ||
| Last Updated: | November 16, 2008 at 4:00 pm | |
| Date/Time Started: | November 15, 2008 at 9:07 am | |
| Administrative Unit: | CAL FIRE / Orange County Fire Authority / Corona City Fire / Anaheim Fire / Chino Valley Fire | |
| County: | Orange County / Riverside County | |
| Location: | Corona and Orange County (Yorba Linda, Brea & Anaheim) | |
| Acres Burned: | 10,475 acres | |
| Containment: | 0% contained | |
| Structures Threatened: | More than 3,500 structures are threatened. | |
| Structures Destroyed: | STRUCTURES DAMAGED OR DESTROYED: 64 buildings OR 104 residences.
| |
| Evacuations: | ||
| Cause: | Under Investigation | |
| Cooperating Agencies: | CAL FIRE, Orange County Fire Authority, Corona Fire, Anahiem City Fire, Chino Valley Fire, CHP, CDCR and CCC. | |
| Total Fire Personnel: |
600 Total Personnel | |
| Conditions: |
The Freeway Fire and the Landfill Fire have been made into the Triangle Complex. CAL FIRE Incident Command Team #6 has transitioned into a unified command. Major concerns are the high winds and large scale evacuations. Evacuations and road closures remain in effect. A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 4:00 pm. today. For weather information check with National Weather Service - Southern California or California Weather. |
|
| Triangle Complex Information: | (714) 628-7085 | |
This comes from blogger Bear Chick:
We're smack in the middle of Brea/Anaheim Hills/Yorba Linda, then being called the Freeway Complex fire. Last night Carbon Canyon was added and this morning Chino Hills and Diamond Bar came into the mix and now it's called the Triangle Complex fire. I don't think we've ever been this close to a fire this big. We've seen fire in the hills in Yorba Linda but the problem with this weekend's fire was the Santa Ana winds kicking up. The Brea fire is about 2 miles from us, which seems like a safe distance I suppose but the fire crossed a freeway in Yorba Linda! For those of you not familiar with freeways in Cali, the 91 probably has at least 8 lanes where the fire jumped it. So 2 miles away doesn't seem that far in view of Mother Nature's leaping ability!
We published this guide last week. It's available in PDF form. The guide contains tons of important community information, including shelter locations and several telephone numbers that might come in handy on a day like today.
From the Associated Press:
Caption Nick Carone, left, and Daniel Brooks of the San Bernardino County Fire Dept. Grand Terrace unit fight a wildfire in Chino Hills , Calif., Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
An exclusive enclave of multi-million homes in Diamond Bar is being evacuated, according to officials at the Walnut Sheriff's substation. The estates are home to rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and U.S. Rep Gary Miller as well as several other celebrities and sports figures.
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Again from the Associated Press:
AP Radio News plans to carry a news conference with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger regarding the wildfires. It's expected to start around 12:45 pes but this is not a hard start time.
This photo comes from AP with the following caption:
Residents look on as a wind driven Santa Ana fire threatens homes, in Yorba Linda, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008. Southern Californians endured a third day of destruction Saturday as wind-blasted wildfires torched hundreds of mobile homes and mansions, forced tens of thousands of people to flee and shut down major freeways. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
KABC reports this morning that the Triangle Complex fire which raged overnight in Chino Hills and Carbon Canyon is making its way toward Diamond Bar and threatening several homes. Aerial video of the fire showed it advancing through a grassy wilderness preserve that separates the two communities. The fire could possibly threaten exclusive homes in "The Country"
Here's the latest CAL FIRE UPDATE:
Continue reading Triangle Complex / Freeway Fire threatens Diamond Bar.
This from the overnight roundup:
EL MONTE - Two local men were arrested Saturday on suspicion after allegedly slitting a female taxi driver's throat, robbing her and stealing her cab, authorities said.
David Herrera Siguenza, 19, and Carlos Carillo Ramirez, 25, both of El Monte, were booked on suspicion of attempted murder, carjacking and robbery, El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres said.
The incident occurred about 10:30 p.m. Friday when the woman, a 35-year-old El Monte resident, picked up the two men in the 11700 block of Emery Street in El Monte, Batres said.
After driving about a mile with Siguenza and Ramirez in the cab, Ramirez allegedly grabbed the woman by the neck from behind and slit her throat with a utility knife while Siguenza told him to stop, Batres said.
The wounded woman got out of the cab and the two men fled in it, the detective said. They also stole money from the woman.
This from the Associated Press on the raging wildfires burning through Southern California:
By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Southern Californians weathered a second straight day of devastation Saturday as wind-blasted wildfires destroyed 500 mobile homes, shut down major freeways and forced thousands of residents in the path of flames to flee to safety in three counties.
A fire that ravaged the Sylmarcommunity in the hillsides above Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley grew to 6,500 acres -- more than 10 square miles -- and was only 10 percent contained. It sent residents fleeing in the dark Saturday morning as notorious Santa Ana winds topping 75 mph pushed flames; torched cars, mobile homes and bone-dry brush.
"We have almost total devastation here in the mobile park," Los Angeles Fire Capt. Steve Ruda said. "I can't even read the street names because the street signs are melting."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles, a day after he did so to the northwest in Santa Barbara County, where 111 homes burned to the ground Thursday night in the wealthy, star-studded community of Montecito.
And as many as 52 homes, some of them apparently mansions, were damaged or destroyed in a fire in Orange and Riverside counties, officials said. About 2,000 acres were charred, with more than 12,000 people in 4,500 dwellings under mandatory evacuation orders in Anaheim alone. Evacuation figures in other cities were no longer available.
The flames erupted in a stretch of Santa Ana River bottom near the 91 Freeway and quickly grew to at least 800 acres. Fierce, erratic winds pushed it into an adjoining subdivision, where 5,000-square-foot homes are the norm.
The Los Angeles blaze, whose cause was under investigation, threatened at least 1,000 structures, city Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Kelley said. A burned resident was in serious condition, and four firefighters were treated for minor injuries.
Fire officials estimated 10,000 people were under orders to evacuate. Among them were residents of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, where about 500 trailers were lost to the flames. Many had housed senior citizens.
Some links for ongoing coverage:
InciWeb tracks the California fires
The California Fire News blog has got pictures, maps and other informative tidbits
The Los Angeles Daily News has lots of updates and a photo gallery
As a Spam eater i'm not sure if it comforted me to read this or scared the hell out of me. In any event, it's another sign of tough economic times. Here's a story from June about rising SPAM demand.
Drudgereport had this item on the Web this afternoon:
HORMEL FOODS struggling to keep up with SPAM demand... Developing.
The Tea Fire, so called because it started near the Tea House in Montecito hasn't hit the radar on the Inciweb page yet. But CalFire is taking note. Here's their updated information:
| Last Updated: | November 14, 2008 at 9:00 am | |
| Date/Time Started: | November 13, 2008 at 6:30 pm | |
| Administrative Unit: | CALFIRE, Montecito City Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire vand Santa Barbara County Fire. | |
| County: | Santa Barbara County | |
| Location: | Montecito, Cold Springs Creek and Hot Springs Road | |
| Acres Burned: | 1,500 acres | |
| Containment: | 0% contained | |
| Structures Threatened: | 1,500 residences currently threatened. | |
| Structures Destroyed: | An estimated 100 homes have been damaged or destroyed. | |
| Evacuations: |
Mandatory evacuations in Montecito, Santa Barbara City and areas within Santa Barbara County. For more specific information on evacuation please visit the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services website. | |
| Cause: | Under Investigation | |
| Cooperating Agencies: | CAL FIRE, Montecito City Fire, Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire, Los Padres National Forest, Edison, CHP, Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office, CDCR and CCC. | |
| Total Fire Personnel: | 1,141 (260 CAL FIRE) | |
| ||
| Conditions: |
Extreme fire behavior continuing to push fire on to the community. Red Flag conditions are predicted to continue throughout they day. Some areas in the communities of Montecito, Santa Barbara City and Santa Barbara County are experiencing a loss of power. CAL FIRE Incident Command Team #10 has been assigned to this incident and will transition into a unified command at 6:00 p.m. today. An early warning notification system has helped to evacuate 4500 residents and communicated a voluntary evacuation of an additional 4500 residents. |
|
| Tea Fire Information: | (805) 681-5197 | |
Latest Associated Press info on the jump.
Continue reading Taking stock of the Tea Fire.
A 21-year-old man was stabbed to death on Garvey Avenue Thursday night about 11:30 p.m., authorities said.
His body was then dumped in the wash near Lee Street. Homicide detectives rolled to the scene, little else is known about the case this morning.
Here's my notes from an interview with Baldwin Park police Chief Lili Hadsell regarding Wednesday's kidnapping at Union Station. What do you make of the story?
There were two vicims. The case was called in last night between 7:30 and 7:50
they had been at union station where they met.
The female victim was walking to the male victim's car in the US parking lot when she was bumped by a man who was wearing all black clothing --possibly resembling a federal agent.
He forced the couple to drive to the Big Dalton address where a safe with $20,000 and several documents was taken.
THe victims agreed to meet at Union Station. She meets him apparently at his car. SOmeone bumps into her and tells her to getinto the car. He gets inthe back seat and says drive me to your residence. When they arrive all three get out. He has them open the door and says, "close your eyes." He pushes them inside. THe suspect instructs the victims to tell him where the safe is or he will kill them. Apprently he goes into a room there the safe is.
THis is not a random situation. THere is a possibility that the victim knew the suspect.
AFter the suspect fled, the victims opened their eyes, They run to the car and drive to Glendale. The female decided to wait there until her husband got home.
WHen her husband got home he noticed the home had been burglarized and called the police department., We respond. SHe tells the husband what happened.
It is not clear if there is a video monitoring system at Union Station.
THe suspect was described as a male, of unknown race, approximately 55. He was 6'1" and weighed 190 pounds. He had a medium build. He was wearing dark clothing and was clean shaven. The victim has not been asked to put together an identi-kit.
Victim #2 is a resident of GLendale. He requested confidentiality.
"We want the residents fo Los Angeles and Baldwin Park to know that this is not a random kidnapping," hadsell said.
Two people were kidnapped at gunpoint from Union Station in Los Angeles and taken to Baldwin Park where they were robbed, officials said. *
Interestingly enough, even though we knew the kidnapping had taken place when we called Baldwin Park's watch commander this a.m. he said there was nothing going on and the night was quiet.
If this is what passes for a quiet night in Baldwin Park, I'd hate to find out what a busy night is really like:
BALDWIN PARK - Two people who were kidnapped at Union Station were allegedly brought to the 3300 block of Big Dalton Road, where they were beaten and robbed, according to Sgt. Kevin Gauthier of the Baldwin Park Police Department.
Baldwin Park police responded to the overnight incident, but officials had little information this morning.
I thought Wednesday would be a good day to fire off some rounds at the La Puente shooting range.
After all, its been widely reported that when President-elect Barack Obama takes office, the Second Amendment will be crumpled up and tossed in a round file somewhere.
That means now is the time to stock up on supplies.
At the La Puente shooting range on Valley Boulevard, a guy (or girl) with a similar interest can blow off rounds to his (or her) heart's content - daily.
My plan was to rent a handgun, get a lane and fire away.
First problem was choosing a gun.
There were plenty of semiautomatic handguns: Glocks, SIGs, Rugers, Smith & Wessons. And, the guns varied in size. You could rent a .40, a .380 or a 9 mm.
Personally it had been so long since I fired a handgun, I found the selection a little intimidating.
So, I gravitated toward the revolvers. .38s .357s and the most powerful handgun of all, the .44 magnum. As Dirty Harry said, "It will blow your head clean off."
I figured a gun that powerful has got to be on somebody's list for removal from general circulation. So, I asked for some rounds of ammo and a hour's rental.
Guy behind the counter said, "no way."
"Why?"
"Sheriff's Department rules," he explained. "There's got to be two of you."
"What?"
"You've got to bring a friend in before you can rent it," counter guy said.
I explained my
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"I'm a reporter. I'm doing a story on gun rights, and I thought firing one off on my lunch hour might give the story some cachet."
"Nope. You got to bring a friend," he answered.
"OK," I said. "How about I call the office and have a guy come down with a video camera. Would that be all right?
He could shoot me, while I shoot the .44 magnum."
"You could do that," he explained. "But you can't take video of anyone else shooting a gun; no video of anyone that works here and no shots of the rental counter either."
I thought to myself that might work. But, in the middle of my daydreaming, counter guy had another caveat.
"My boss doesn't like the news media in here," he said. "So I doubt you would be able to do anything here, including using the range when your friend shows up."
Bang.
A glass partition separates the showroom floor from the firing range. I turned and watched a young woman clank off rounds at a menacing silhouette.
Another bang. I see a cartridge fly out. It lands on the floor.
Trigger squeeze. Bang. Another cartridge.
Four or five times the scene repeated itself.
My eyes slowly moved from the gun to the target itself, about 10 feet in front of her. It didn't look like she had hit it.
I obviously wasn't going to hit anything either, so I left the showroom as counter guy was explaining the rules to a couple of young guys who I thought said they wanted to fire off a .40 SIG Sauer.
In the parking lot, I hoped to encounter some NRA types. They weren't around.
There was only a tiny American flag on a small pole waving in the warm breeze.
What more could I ask for?
Frank Girardot is metro editor of the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group.
Today's massive earthquake drill will tie up a ton of county resources this morning. Probably a lot of private resources as well.
Crime Scene poll of the day:
A gang shooting laft a 19-year-old wounded in Altadena early Thursday. Few deatils are available. Police are seeking the shooter. Here's our story:
ALTADENA - A 19-year-old man was shot in front of a liquor store in Altadena Thursday morning, authorities said.
The man was shot twice in front of Johnny's Liquor at the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Harriet Street at 7:54 a.m., said Lt. Greg Sisneros with the Altadena sheriff's station.
The victim was transported to Huntington Hospital, Sisneros said.
The suspect fled on foot with a handgun, possibly a revolver. He is described him as a black male in his mid-twenties, wearing a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans. He is 5'6" and 180 pounds, Sisneros said.
Sheriff's deputies are treating this as a gang-related shooting, Sisneros said.
Another local connection to the Christine Collins, Gordon Stewart Northcott case:
Standing nearly 7 feet tall when clad in his signature white Stetson cowboy hat and cowboy boots, Jack H. Brown was a feared and respected lawman while serving as San Bernardino County Sheriff Walter Shay's top investigator in the 1920s.
An expert marksman, Brown was known for his ability to fire a bullet at a wooden matchstick from 30 feet away and ignite it. He was also an expert tracker, a skill he acquired from the local Indian tribes while growing up in Kingman, Ariz.
His investigative skills were of such repute that he was recruited in 1928 by Riverside County Sheriff Clem Sweeters to help bring a serial child murderer to justice.
The case, dubbed the "Wineville chicken-coop murders," is one of the most
Jack Brown Jr., CEO of Stater Bros., wears the diamond-studded gold badge his father, a deputy sheriff, was given for his work in solving a series of murders in Riverside County in the late 1920s. (Eric Reed/Staff Photographer)gruesome and horrific in Riverside County history in what today is Mira Loma.
With director Clint Eastwood's film "Changeling" appearing in theaters nationwide, Stater Bros. Chairman and CEO Jack Brown Jr. reflected on the role his father played in the case.
The movie, which has grossed more than $20 million since opening in late October, tells the true story of the plight of the mother of one of the murdered boys.
Coincidentally, the younger Brown sent Eastwood's production company, Malpaso Productions, a copy of his 16-page book "The Badge," which chronicles his father's role in the Northcott case, about three years ago in hopes of sparking interest in a film.
"I could see Clint Eastwood playing my dad," Brown said.
But it wasn't Brown's story that would be translated to the big screen.
The Associated Press is reporting the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has announced plans to ban off-duty deputies from carrying guns when they've been drinking. An excerpt from the AP story is included below. Good idea? Bad idea? Discuss.
LOS ANGELES -- The nation's largest sheriff's department plans to ban deputies from
carrying guns if they've been drinking, saying there have been too many arrests of tipsy deputies for drunken driving, brandishing weapons, shooting people and other crimes.
At least 61 Los Angeles County deputies have been arrested this year on alcohol-related charges while off duty, including 39 for driving under the influence. In April 2006, a rookie deputy who had at least 11 drinks while celebrating his return from Marine duty in Iraq shot and killed a friend.
An increase in arrests prompted Sheriff Lee Baca to consider the ban about a year ago, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Tuesday.
It was unclear what caused that increase, although Whitmore noted that the number of sworn deputies in the department has increased to more than 10,000. It also may be that other police agencies are making more arrests of intoxicated deputies instead of covering for them as in decades past.
"Thirty, 40 years ago, perhaps they would drive (deputies) home," Whitmore said.
He said the policy could be in place as early as January.
"It's been revised, finalized, the union has been conferred with and the sheriff is prepared to move forward," Whitmore said.
The union is arguing, however, that the policy could put deputies at risk by emboldening people who know they would be unarmed at certain times.
"What should a deputy do when he is with his family and runs into a violent offender he
incarcerated?" asked Steve Remige, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
I shot this picture several months ago in front of the Baldwin Park American Legion Post.
I had gone there after a burglary was reported. Don't know if it was ever solved. But, it's good to honor our vets nonetheless.
Happy Veteran's Day.
According to the West Covina PD, James Westly Essix, 18, of La Puente is wanted in connection with as many as five local residential burglaries.
A juvenile crime partner in West Covina custody apparently gave up Essix during interogation.
There's a unit of the Sheriff's Department called Advance Protection and Surveillance. Over the past two years they've put some license plate readers in the field and they've had some pretty impressive results.
The manufacturer of the device, Federal Signal, claims that the department has caught a serial rape suspect and a man suspected in three homicides using the technology.
Here's a portion of a press release from Marketwatch.com:
Recently, the Federal Signal ALPR network has assisted LASD in solving two key cases. A serial rapist in South Los Angeles approached female pedestrians and forced them into his vehicle at gunpoint. A victim obtained a license plate number and provided police with a vehicle description; however, the address for the registered owner of the vehicle was no longer correct. With the help of Federal Signal's ALPR Back Office System Software (BOSS) by PIPS, investigators pinpointed prior vehicle sightings, which led them to the suspect's workplace. The employer provided a cell phone number for the suspect, which enabled police to locate the suspect and make an arrest.
In another case, a shooting left one victim dead. Witnesses provided police with a partial license plate and vehicle description. A query of this data in the Federal Signal BOSS system provided investigators with a full license plate number which enabled them to identify the suspect. Surveillance was established on the suspect's address, and the suspect was in custody less than 24-hours after the shooting. The suspect was also wanted in connection with three other homicides.
A Flint, Michigan doctor and his wife who skipped a 1997 immigration hearing after getting bad advice from a Southern California attorney, were deported back to the Philippines on Halloween, according to an article on Mlive.com.
The doctor's mother is a Diamond Bar resident, according to the story:
For 15 years, the Jotas embodied the hopes of immigrants looking to the United States for a better life.
He had a thriving medical practice in Flint, a $350,000 house in the suburbs and four beautiful children born into U.S. citizenship.
But the life disappeared on Halloween.
On a night when the family should have been trick-or-treating, Jose and Celina Jota were deported to the Philippines for skipping a court hearing a decade ago.
A couple of members of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians got a better than usual from the San Bernardino County DA's office. Looks like DA Ramos took contributions form the tribe and a defense attorney, then worked out deals for the pair in a murder-for-hire plot that involved LA Eme.
This from Joe Nelson at the San Bernardino Sun. Here's the lede:
Two wealthy San Manuel tribal members who helped orchestrate a murder plot were sentenced Thursday to electronic monitoring and five years of supervised probation.
San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Michael M. Dest's sentencing of siblings Stacy Nunez-Barajas, 25, and Erik Barajas, 36, ended a two-year criminal case that rocked the San Manuel Indian Reservation and surprised police and federal drug agents, who learned of the murder conspiracy while investigating the Mexican Mafia's drug rackets in the San Bernardino area.
Six other defendants in the case have since pleaded out and have been sentenced for their crimes. Among them are brothers Salvador and Alfred Hernandez, 43 and 39, respectively, both high-ranking members of the Mexican Mafia.
The Hernandez brothers are named in Chris Blatchford's book "The Black Hand." According to Blatchford, the two were targeted by the DEA as part of a nationwide meth trafficking case with roots in San Bernardino County.
According to Blatchford, "San Bernardino has become the hub for meth produced in Mexico and distributed across the United States."
The Merced Sun-Star confirmed Monday that a man shot outside a Eureka bar was a one-time double murder suspect. (H/T Mike Alerich)
Robert Thompson was shot several times outside The Shanty Bar in Eureka Saturday night. A member of the Hell's Angels, Thompson's shooting is suspected of being linked to ongoing tension between the Angels and the Montebello-based Mongols.
Here's a snippet of the Merced story:
Robert Daniel Thompson, the man acquitted of murder charges in the 1986 unsolved homicides of two Atwater girls, is in the hospital after being shot Friday in Eureka.
The 43-year-old Hells Angel was listed in serious, but stable, condition at UC Davis Medical Center on Sunday, according to hospital staff.
Although details about the incident are sketchy, the Eureka Times-Standard reported Thompson was shot several times outside of a bar called "The Shanty," found lying in an intersection, bleeding from gunshot wounds.
COVINA -- More details regarding the ongoing investigation of a deputy-involved crash that sent both the deputy and a 72-year-old racehorse trainer to the hospital with major injuries.
Officials now believe the patrol car drove through a red light at 40-50 mph prior to the crash while responding to report of a man with a gun.
Here's an excerpt from a story running in tommorrow's Tribune:
COVINA -- A horse trainer well known within the Southern California racing circuit remained hospitalized Sunday after his car was hit by a sheriff's patrol vehicle.
Arthur Lerille, 72, of San Dimas suffered broken bones and other serious injuries after the patrol car drove through a red light at Arrow Highway and Sunflower Avenue while responding to an emergency call Saturday morning, officials and family members said.
Deputy Brian Harper, 39, of the Los Angeles County sheriff's San Dimas Station also suffered serious injuries, including possible broken bones around his spinal column in the crash, sheriff's and California Highway Patrol officials said.
Sheriff's officials said Sunday Harper's condition was improving, though his prospects for recovery remained uncertain.
"We're hoping for the best obviously," Sgt. Richard Ramirez of the sheriff's San Dimas Station said. "I don't think anyone can say at this point in time what the outcome's going to be."
He added Harper has been with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for more than a decade, and described him as, "an excellent deputy," and, "a good example to follow."
Lerille, a longtime racehorse trainer, was taking his usual route to work at Santa Anita Park when the crash occurred, his wife of 13 years, Cindy Lerille, said.
He suffered a serious injury to his arm which would require surgery, she said, as well as a head injury that's caused significant memory loss.
Arthur Lerille's injured arm, his wife added, had not fully recovered from a previous injury suffered at Santa Anita Park during the Sierra Madre Earthquake in 1991, in which a beam fell on his arm and killed another woman.
"Whether his arm can be repaired, I don't know," Cindy Lerille said.
She added her husband has no memory of the crash, and even has difficulty recognizing her at times.
He is expected to be transferred from an intensive care unit to Arcadia Methodist Hospital today, Cindy Lerille said.
Thanks to a nice email tip, my attention was drawn to the Eureka Times-Standard, which details a bar shooting in Old Town Eureka that left a man wounded. Eureka's police chief told the paper that the shooting stemmed from a clash between Hells Angels and Mongols bikers.
*Who doesn't love Google magic?
(My question is, how did they know they were Mongols since the Mongols are forbidden from wearing their logo?)
Anyway here's a link to the story and an excerpt or two:
A Merced man was seriously wounded after he was shot outside The Shanty in Eureka late Friday night, and four men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder shortly afterward.
Robert Daniel Thompson, 43, of Merced was found lying in the intersection of Third and C streets, bleeding from several gunshot wounds, when police arrived at about 11:10 p.m. About five minutes later, officers stopped a vehicle at Watson and D streets and arrested four men believed to be involved in the shooting.
<snip>
Eureka Police Chief Garr Nielsen said earlier Saturday that the shooting may have stemmed from the longtime battle between the Hell's Angels and Mongols motorcycle gangs, but detectives have not been able to confirm that.
*Who doesn't love Google magic?
Turns out the victim in this case might be a Hell's Angel who is a registered sex offender and a onetime suspect in a 20-year-old double homicide.
Here's a couple of links of interest:
WEST COVINA -- Four the third time in less than four months, a local Washington Mutual branch has experienced an unauthorized withdrawal.
A robbery was reported Friday afternoon at the branch located at 100 N. Citrus Street, West Covina police said.
The suspects, described initially only as a Latino man estimated to be in his 20s, handed a teller a note that threatened he had a gun and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
On Oct. 2 and July 21, similar visits were paid to the bank by robbers bearing a similar suspect description.
In the July heist, police said the robber also used a note that mentioned he was armed.
Few details were available Saturday regarding the October crime.
Bank security expert Mike Alerich points out that a bank robbery perpetrated by similar suspect was also reported Monday at a Washington Mutual branch in Glendale.
Officials have yet to confirm we're dealing with a serial robber here, however pictures of the robbers in the earlier robberies have been made available by the FBI.
What do you think?
NOTE: The FBI photos incorrectly identify the city of the WAMU branch as Covina. It is West Covina.
I received an email this morning that the Christine Collins profiled in Clint Eastwood's "The Changling" is not Christine Collins from Northern California, who died in the 1990s.
Here's the email:
The obituary for Christine Collins on your blog is not the same personHere's the incorrect obit.
as christine collins from the changeling.
Please return to see your reader's comments. You can look it up at Ancestry.com 1920 and 1930 Census records.
And a link to Roxanne Adams' blog, which is pretty cool.
A guy in a Yankees cap is making the rounds of WaMu banks in the SGV terrorizing customers and getting away with some serious cash. Funny thing, not only does he like WaMu, but he has a favorite branch in Covina, at least that's how it looks. Here's a couple of surveillance photos, a list of locations and a poll. Enjoy.
Mike Alrerich of the bank terrorism blog sent this heads up:
Just Fyi the susp. that was mentioned in Wed. article hitting Wamu on Colorado Bl. is good for Wamu in Glendale 11-3, Wamu W.Covina Twice, 10-2 & 7-21 plus others.
Checking out the FBI's labankrobbers.org
I found this surveillance photo ...it matches surveillance photos from Mike's list of WaMu stick-ups. Here's the photo:
Continue reading A serial bandit who clearly needs a name.
Reporter Jennifer McLain dug through the clip file and discovered Gypsies have been preying on unsuspecting residents of the San Gabriel Valley for a real long time.
Here's a sample of her story:
Burglary rings, psychic reading, lottery scams and insurance frauds are among a sampling of crimes that Gypsies have committed throughout the area since 1965.
Gypsies, or Roma, are an ethnic group that originated in South Asia about 1000 B.C. and migrated through the Middle East and Europe.
Today, when police refer to Gypsies they are talking about a mixture of these ethnic Gypsies, as well as those who have adopted the lifestyle, which many associate with crime and superstition.
"It's a subculture of people, and of course you can't say all Gypsies are bad," said Jon Grow, executive director of the National Association of Bunco Investigators. "But the problem is that their laws and things they do for work - fortune telling, insurance fraud, welfare fraud, home repair scams
A new Friday afternoon feature of Crime Scene. Here's some local cases in the criminal court system that we'll be keeping an eye on over the next week:
Phil Spector: Testimony resumes Monday at 8:30 a.m. in the downtown court room of Judge Paul Fiedler.
Gregory Serrano: Pretrial conference/trial setting, 11/13, Pasadena Superior Court Dept. H
Anthony Hislar(SGV carjacking, shooting spree): Arraignement, 11/20, Pomona Superior Court Department F
Jeniell Galvan and Elijah Stinson (South Pasadena bat attack on Jeffrey Cortinez): Pretrial motion filed on 11/6. Computer not yet updated with fresh info. Alhambra Superiour Court Dept. W.
Manling Williams: Preliminary hearing, 11/17, Pomona Superior Court Dept. S
Most press releases that make thier way to my inbox, find their way to the round file. But not this one. It's time to celebrate in the SGV, because "The Boat" is coming back:
San Gabriel, CA, Nov. 6, 2008 - Look for the new, expanded Clearman's
Galley on Rosemead Boulevard in San Gabriel just south of its popular sister
restaurant, The Northwoods Inn, to open the first week of December.The Galley's new incarnation has doubled to 8,500 square
feet and will accommodate nearly 300 diners. The enlarged outside patio
will seat up to 90 guests. An expanded full bar with seating for nearly 30
guests will offer a complete choice of libations, including nearly two dozen beer
labels.
Clark Rockefeller has hired a new lead defense attorney, Jeffrey Denner, of Boston. The move came earlier this week and may have gone unnoticed if Denner hadn't asked for the FBI to return about $280 large in gold coins Rockefeller had in his possession when arrested.
That's not the only Rockefeller news.
Los Angeles County investigators are seeking access to Rockefeller's sealed divorce records in Suffolk County Probate Court. The Suffolk County DA has already taken a look at the papers, so it seems likely LA County will get their own look as well.
What might be in the papers in anyone's guess. One theory floating around is that Rockefeller confessed to his wife that he wasn't Rockefeller -- and she made note of that in the proceedings.
That could go to a consciousness of guilt in a homicide prosecution. As in, why else would he change his name?
The obvious defense is that Rockefeller had already assumed several identities after coming to the country in the 1970s as German foreign exchange student Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter.
I think the proseution theory is a good one though. And I'm wondering if there may be something even more damaging, like a confession to Sandra Boss that he was Christopher Chichester and he once lived with a couple in San Marino that disappeared.
Whatever is in there, the cops and DAs office are being extremely closed-mouthed.
Here's a link to today's story on the case.
SHeriff's homicide detectives are seeking the divorce records of Clark Rockfeller, officials said Wednesday.
The detectives are hoping the papers will shed some light on their investigation into the disappearance of a San Marino couple from their home 23 years ago.
I'll have more on this later.
The Rom are on the prowl in West Covina, targeting the elderly and stealing what ever they can.
Apparently the ring has been working LA County for the past several months.
Jennifer McLain wrote this piece:
"There is an organization behind this, a tribe of transients, and they go city to city doing their deeds," Lopez said. "We are concerned they are targeting people who are least suspecting it."
Juan Fuentes, 71, was home alone Wednesday around 10:30 a.m. when he heard the doorbell ring. At his doorstep was a woman in her 20s, who told Fuentes she was there to fix a broken wall in his backyard.
Fuentes, who rents the home on the 100 block of South Fircroft Street with his family, left the front door unlocked and was led by the woman to the furthest end of his backyard.
"She told him that they would fix the crack on the walls, and that they would cut down the trees," said Laura Magallanes, Fuentes' daughter. "That's when he knew something was strange."
<snip>
Police said they believe the suspects are Long Beach residents Eric Bimbo, 20, and Amy Adams, 20.
The story is similar to five other instances in West Covina, Lopez said, although typically there have been two men and one woman.
There have also been similar incidents reported to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
On Oct. 20, the suspects robbed a home in the 200 block of North Vincent Avenue. On Oct. 25 they targeted a home at 3:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Meeker Avenue, and then a half-hour later a home was targeted in the 900 block of South Orange Street.
The author's family said he was battling cancer. He died in Los Angeles, according to the AP.
Crichton had several friends at Caltech. Besides the hugely popular "Jurassic Park," Crichton wrote "The Andromeda Strain" and an interesting book about Japanese-American relations that had an LAPD hook, titled "Rising Sun."
Here's a portion of the AP story:
"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," his family said in a statement.
Here's a letter I received just a few minutes after writing a story about the passage of Proposition 8, which bans same sex marriages in California:
Frank, I live in Texas and wanted to get some election results, so I googled "prop 8 results" and your story came up. I am glad it passed, but wow, what a biased slant you give ! You pick up and continue the media line of prop 8 "bans" something, and then throw in the "hate" junk. Please, that is so lame.
Try thinking for yourself.
Nothing about judicial activism that struck down the will of the California people, or goes against nature, and 5000 years of human history !
Try researching and thinking a bit, rather than just blindly following the pied piper.
John
San Antonio, Tx
Looks like there's a Three Stooges flick in the works, at least according to Variety via MTV's Movies Blog:
I'm sure fans of "The Three Stooges" have long wished for a full-length movie starring the legendary comedy trio. Who wouldn't want to see those three bashing each other in the head for two hours? But do you want to see them bad enough to accept three new Stooges in their place? Because according to Variety, that's exactly what the Farrelly Brothers have in mind. MGM is reviving the long-delayed project, allowing the director siblings to direct a brand new Stooges comedy for the studio.
"Three Stooges" won't be a remake or a biopic, but an original script penned by the Farellys and Michael Cerrone, starring three actors who will look, sound, dress, and act just like the Stooges. The movie will be structured similarly to the original short films, and feature a story that will span over three installments that are roughly 30 minutes each.
"When the economy started turning, we felt like the world could use a Stooges slapfest. Bobby and I haven't done a real physical comedy in a while, and it's the most exciting thing we could think of now, to have people go to the movie, see some great slapstick fun family humor. We know this is extremely difficult to pull off; we realize some Stooges fans will be upset no matter what we do,"
So here's my biography as told by the Presidents (it might give you an idea of how old I am too)
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Lyndon Banes Johnson
Richard Milhous Nixon
Gerald R. Ford.
James Earl Carter
Ronald Wilson Reagan
George Herbert Walker Bush
WIlliam Jefferson Clinton
George Walker Bush
?
Here's the Crime Scene poll dujour: Who's next?
Sure, there's an election today and change is in the air.
But some things will never change.
I get a sense of that every time I pick up an old newspaper story or leaf through old photos on the Internet.
Take the tale of Gordon Stewart Northcott, a serial killer who preyed on young boys in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley during the 1920s.
Northcott and his mother participated in the murders of four kids at their ranch in Wineville. Ultimately, the state hanged Northcott in 1930.
He had been convicted of killing Lewis and Nelson Winslow of Pomona and an unidentified Latino youth, whose body was dumped on the grounds of a
La Puente farm just off of Valley Boulevard.
Northcott's mother, Sarah Louise Northcott, served a 12-year prison sentence for her role in killing Walter Collins of Los Angeles.
In the aftermath of the case, California politicians in 1939 backed a tough new law targeting "sexual psychopaths."
As written, the law allowed the state to lock up anybody who was predisposed to committing a sex crime against a child - whether or not that person was convicted of a crime.
Doubtless those who backed the law thought they were promoting change. And, the act has been significantly watered down for legitimate concerns about civil rights.
Seventy years down the road, we have a new name for psychopaths - predators. Beyond that very little has changed. And there are still no easy answers for eradicating child molesters and serial killers.
If you check out the state's Megan's Law Web site, you'll see right away there are plenty out there.
The same can be said of gangs.
On Monday I received a copy of "The Black Hand: The bloody rise and redemption of `Boxer' Enriquez, a Mexican mob killer."
The first chapter describes the rise of La Eme from humble beginnings at the Duell Vocational Institute in Tracy through recent times as the controlling force in California prisons and on many of our streets.
In case you didn't know, the San Gabriel Valley is La Eme's backyard. Many of the exploits detailed in the book took place in Montebello, Alhambra and
El Monte.
Among the incidents described are the 1998 Maxon Road killings that left an El Monte mother and three of her young children dead following a brutal Eme hit at their home.
In a September interview with Glenn Beck, Enriquez said he saw the killings as the turning point in his relationship with his carnales in the gang.
You might think that the political shot-callers in Sacramento would have a similar reaction. At the very least, you'd think they'd call for cleaning up the state prison system.
They haven't.
There is no war on the terror that rules our streets. It's not likely to happen, no matter how much change comes to Washington or our country in the next several months.
That's about all you can count on come Wednesday morning.
I've had several emails this weekend asking about the fate of Christine Collins' the real life woman played by Angelina Jolie in Clint Eastwood's "The Changeling."
Perhaps the best answer is on Roxanne Adam's blog, "Dispatch from the Third World of Los Angeles." Adams came across some records that indicate a Christine M. Collins died in 1996 in a tiny East Bay community. Here's a portion of the entry:
One Christine M. Collins, born on April 24th 1900, died in 1996 in Lafeyette, a city located in Contra Costa County, California; this is the only official public record I could find. Since her son was nine years old when he disappeared in 1928, it's entirely reasonable that she was born in 1901.
And the photo caption:
Walter Collins' mother, Mrs. Christine Collins, who confronted Gordon Northcott in jail concerning her son. "I did not kill Walter," he told her. "I believe you," she replied. Later, when Arthur Hutchens claimed to be her son and she did not accept him, she was sent to a psychopathic ward. She later filed suit against the police for this action.
Not a lot of new stuff to report in the Long Beach case of five people shot to death at a homeless encampment in Long Beach. Here's what LA homeless blog is reporting:
Just like the murder three weeks ago of a homeless man in the Rampart area of Los Angeles, the police have not figured out who murdered the five homeless persons in Long Beach, a large city just south of Los Angeles.
<snip>.Of course, having five people shot to death has rattled this local neighborhood.
KCBS2/KCAL9 has video from the crime scene here.
Here's the latest story from our sister paper the Long Beach Press-Telegram:
Continue reading Homeless homicides.
OK, so comments should be working now.
Here's a couple that got filtered out this morning
Continue reading Comments fixed.
I've had a few days off to ponder various things, among them blogs. Here's a list of some interesting sites out there. I'll add the links to the sidebar during the week:
BTW I'll spend some time this week attempting to fix the comment section of the blog, thanks for bearing with me in my quest to eliminate spam from Crime Scene. TTYL
BALDWIN PARK -- Few details were available Sunday afternoon regarding the shooting death of a young man early Saturday.
The victim, described by sheriff's officials only as a Latino man of about 18 to 20 years old, remained officially listed as a John Doe at the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, coroner's officials said.
He was found fatally shot about 4:25 a.m. in the 12800 block of Dalewood Street, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Derrick Thompson said.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene after police responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a shooting, officials said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau detectives investigating the death did not return phone calls seeking comment Saturday or Sunday.
The captain at the Los Angeles County Fire Department station that responded to the incident refused to give out any information.
Neighbors said the man died on the street or sidewalk in front of an apartment complex.
A woman who identified herself as Juana Pimetel said the victim was 23 years old and used to rent a room in her apartment.
She said she did not believe the victim was involved in gangs.
Neighbors added they believed the man was employed but were not sure where, and that he was a good man.
The victim, described by sheriff's officials only as a Latino man of about 18 to 20 years old, remained officially listed as a John Doe at the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, coroner's officials said.
He was found fatally shot about 4:25 a.m. in the 12800 block of Dalewood Street, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Derrick Thompson said.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene after police responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a shooting, officials said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau detectives investigating the death did not return phone calls seeking comment Saturday or Sunday.
The captain at the Los Angeles County Fire Department station that responded to the incident refused to give out any information.
Neighbors said the man died on the street or sidewalk in front of an apartment complex.
A woman who identified herself as Juana Pimetel said the victim was 23 years old and used to rent a room in her apartment.
She said she did not believe the victim was involved in gangs.
Neighbors added they believed the man was employed but were not sure where, and that he was a good man.
This strange and disturbing story comes courtesy of City News Service:
LONG BEACH -- Police say five homeless people were found shot to death in a makeshift camp near some freeway ramps.
Police say they responded to an anonymous call about 8:30 a.m. Sunday and found five dead adults in a brush-filled area between some commercial buildings and a freeway interchange.
Deputy Police Chief Robert Luna says all five were gunshot victims.
No other details were immediately available.
Here's some stories we've been following Saturday:
* SOUTH EL MONTE -- A 26-year-old woman was killed in a two-car crash on Halloween officials believe may have been alcohol-related.
* BALDWIN PARK -- A young man was pronounced dead at the scene of a shooting early Saturday.
* POMONA - A local man was shot and killed early Saturday when he confronted two two carjackers who had just stolen his girlfriend's car at gunpoint.
* ALHAMBRA -- A man was arrested Saturday morning after allegedly firing a gun indoors and barricading himself in a house for more than four hours.
* COVINA -- Thirty to 40 residents of an assisted living home were evacuated and three were hospitalized Saturday after a gas pipe broke.
In an interesting case out of Los Angeles, police are apparently collecting DNA samples from johns arrested in area prostitution stings in hopes of matching one of them to a prolific serial killer whose been operating for two decades. Here's a story from City News Service:
LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles police are taking DNA samples from johns arrested
in South Los Angeles prostitution stings in an effort to find a man who has killed 11 young black women since the mid-80s, it was reported Saturday.
"It's a needle in the haystack, but there is a needle out there somewhere and someone is going to find it," Los Angeles police Lt. Dennis Ballas told the Los Angeles Times.
While detectives have had the killer's genetic profile on record for years, they have been unable to make a match through law enforcement databases and have few other clues as to his identity.
They know he typically shoots his victims with a handgun, sexually abuses them and dumps their bodies in alleys along Western Avenue.
Detective Dennis Kilcoyne heads the squad stalking the elusive killer.
"We have a beautiful picture of what this guy looks like -- it's a dot, a dash and a line on a
screen," he said. "We just don't have a name to go with it."
Though a $500,000 reward in the case has produced some promising leads, none has panned out.
The killer, most active in the 1980s, seemed to stop killing for 13 years, only to resurface in 2002. His last known victim was found early last year.
Twenty years ago, his lone surviving victim described him as a black man in his 30s, according to Kilcoyne.
DNA dragnets, as the strategy is called, were first employed in Europe, where authorities have swabbed thousands of people and solved dozens of crimes. German authorities collected samples from 16,400 people in the search for a man who had raped and killed an 11-year-old girl. They found him.
SOUTH EL MONTE -- While officials at many law enforcement agencies throughout the region reported a surprisingly slow day on Halloween, one woman lost her life in the San Gabriel Valley on Halloween.
A 26-year-old Los Angeles woman was killed in a two-car crash on Halloween officials believe may have been alcohol-related.
The crash occurred about 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of Santa Anita and Elliot avenues, officials said.
The woman, identified as Nellyda Beltran-Cruz, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the other vehicle, a 25-year-old El Monte man, remained hospitalized in critical condition Saturday, officials said.
Officials believe alcohol may have been a factor on the part of the man, but the investigation is ongoing.
CONTRIBUTORS
|
| Frank Girardot, Metro Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, brings you behind the yellow tape with takes on true crime, cold cases and more. This is also your forum to discuss crime, its impact on your neighborhood and how we cover it. Have any questions or tips? You can leave a comment here or e-mail Frank. |
|
|
Brian Day is the crime reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group. E-mail Brian. |
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