Recently in body dump Category

NORWALK -- Sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating after a body was discovered Saturday in a shallow grave along Norwalk Boulevard, authorities said.
The body, initially described only as female, was found about 10 a.m. on a large abandoned property with a house on it in the 11800 block of Norwalk Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said.
"Deputies responded to a jogger's report of a foul odor in the area," Lt. Mike Rosson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said. "They checked the area and found a shallow grave."
The body was buried in the side yard of the abandoned home, he said.
Investigators suspected the body had been buried within the past few days, Rosson said.
Detectives were questioning area residents about any suspicious activity, as well as researching missing persons cases, he said.
Coroner's officials worked to excavate the grave Saturday afternoon.
Anyone with information, or anyone who is missing a female loved is asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

Here's an Associated Press follow to the unusual homicide investigation posted on this blog yesterday:

LOS ANGELES -- A woman whose body was found in the trunk of her car had been missing for more than a week, police said Sunday.
Relatives reported 22-year-old Denise Figueroa of Los Angeles missing on Feb. 28, said police Officer Sam Park.
Her body was found Saturday afternoon after an anonymous letter was faxed to KTLA-TV, telling authorities where to look.
Daniel Sanchez, Figueroa's uncle, told KABC-TV late Saturday that the person his niece had last been seen with called her father, sounding desperate and saying "I didn't mean to hurt her. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
The fax, addressed "To whom it may concern" and signed "someone trying to help," named two suspects, saying one man killed Figueroa and the other helped clean up the vehicle her body was placed in. The fax also gave an address in the San Fernando Valley where the car was parked.
One of the men named in the fax was arrested on March 3 on an unrelated charge and is jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail.
County coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said an autopsy likely be performed on Monday to determine how Figueroa died.

This bizarre tale comes courtesy of the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES -- Police following an anonymous tip sent by fax to a television station
found a dead woman in the trunk of her car Saturday, and are looking for the sender and two men alleged in the message to have been involved in the crime.
Officers discovered the body in a Valley Village neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley soon after being notified by KTLA-TV staff members about the faxed letter, Officer April Harding said. The sender described himself or herself only as "someone trying to help."
The sender wrote that a woman was killed Feb. 28 and that her body was in a black trash bag in a car. The sender said the car would be within a 2-square-mile area of a specific address; police found it several blocks away on a shady residential street facing the 101 Freeway.
"She should be reported missing by her family," according to the letter provided by KTLA.
The sender also named a suspect in the killing and another man who helped the suspect clean the car.
The fax included the victim's name, but police did not immediately release it or the cause of her death pending notification of her relatives and an autopsy.
The Nissan sedan was registered to the dead woman, Sgt. Sharyn Buck said.
"It's a sad, sad scenario," she said.
Investigators were trying to track down the sender and the people named as suspects in the fax, Buck told reporters.

This comes from a Sheriff's Department bulletin issued this afternoon:

On October 21, 2008 (Tuesday) at 1400 hours, Victim Luciano Brash was shot at a home in Alhambra. His body was then dropped off at the Pacific Orthopedic Medical Center, 707 S. Garfield Avenue, Alhambra. The suspects should be considered ARMED AND DANGEROUS. Investigators are seeking the public's assistance, and asking anyone with information to contact Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

Here's the photos:

Sheriff's detectives identify this man as Scott Young Kim. A 37-year-old male Asian. He is wanted in connection with the Brash homicide. It's believed he was the shooter.

 

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Sheriff's detectives identify this man as Samuel Patrick Groft, a 28-year-old male white. He is also wanted in connection with the Brash homicide. he is believed to be one of two men seen in a videotape dropping Brash's body on the floor of an Alhambra medical clinic.

 

 

 

 

Here's a  videotape of two men dumping Brash's body in the reception area of an Alhambra medical clinic. There is also an alleged connection between the men and the Korean Mafia, officials said.

Here's a Wikipedia entry on the Korean mob and gangsters known as kkangpae.

 

 

 

 

Authorities announced an arrest in connection with a body dump at an Alhambra clinic. The dead man shown in the video below may have been connected to the Korean mafia, authorities said. Here's Nate McIntire's story:

Suspects have been identified in the slaying of a man whose body was dropped off at an Alhambra medical facility last week, authorities said.

The body of Luciano Teadoro Brash, 31, was brought by two men to the Pacific Orthopaedic & Medical Center on South Garfield Avenue last Tuesday. The incident was caught on tape by security cameras.

Brash was pronounced dead at the scene, and coroners determined his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Scott Kim, 37, whom detectives believe was the shooter. Arrest warrants have also been issued for Samuel Groft and Sam Lock Sui, the two men who allegedly carried Brash's body into the medical facility, according to Sheriff's Sgt. Alec MacArthur. Sui has been arrested and remains in custody, detectives said.

MacArthur said the suspects were "possibly in the Korean Mob." Brash may also be linked to the Korean mafia, according to Sheriff's Lt. Patrick Nelson.

"It appears that the victim himself may have had some connection with that," he said.

Brash has a criminal record and spent time in prison for felony robbery in the late 1990s, according to investigators.

    The death of retired Pasadena Police Lt. David Richter has highlighted the need for responsible journalism in a time when tabloid reporting and the sentiments of bloggers are confused with news.

    Richter's abandoned car was found by a water-filled pit in Irwindale last January. Police assumed the retired lieutenant had either taken his own life or simply walked away from his financial troubles.

    The later discovery of Richter's corpse and a firearm under a nearby overpass seems to corroborate the theory that Richter took his own life. But then there's the conspiracy theorists, and admittedly the case possesses all the potential of a Law and Order episode.

    Thursday, I read an article by Andre Coleman of the Pasadena Weekly. Buried on page 13, the article uses an unnamed source and anonymous letter to create speculation amongst readers. After a short recap of the facts, Coleman delves into a lengthy digress about an anonymous letter sent to members of the Pasadena City Council.  The letter alleges everything from police malfeasance to racism.

    Coleman's sublimation of this anonymous letter leads to another anonymous source:

"According to an earlier conversation with one coroner's office employee who did not wish to be named, among the factors that may have led authorities to reopen the case (the case was never closed) was that a gun found near Richter's body appeared to have been fired four times, and one bullet remained in the weapon."

    Keeping in mind that they are a tabloid, I find it alarming that the Pasadena Weekly published this story. Had someone in the coroner's office made the statement, a statement that Los Angeles County Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter doubts the legitimacy of, I would have written it off as conjecture, rather than present it as news. How would someone in the coroner's office know this information? According to Winter, homicide detectives would have taken the weapon and run ballistics on it, not the coroners office. While the article spends ample time on anonymous sources, it fails to mention Richter's financial possible motives for Richter to commit suicide.

    Prior to writing my article on Richter, I searched for reliable information, unfortunately reliable sources of information weren't permitted to comment.

    Friday I spoke with a psychic who claims the spirit of David Richter awakens her every morning seeking justice for his murder.

    Monday morning I listened to a voice-mail from an anonymous caller who presented himself as law enforcement by using the word "we" often in his rant. I listened to the message several times in an ill-fated attempt to extract meaningful insight.

"You'll never find out what happened, because that's what happens to us good cops when we make promises we can't keep."

What promises? Promises to financial institutions involving adjustable rate mortgages?

    After racking my brain for three days I had an epiphany: there probably isn't any credible information indicating Richter's death was anything but a suicide.

    Let's face it, Richter was a retired cop and retired cops kill themselves. By the age of 55 Richter had spent his entire adult life in law enforcement, and didn't have a spouse or children.

    Police who survive years of service, only to take their own lives after retirement is not a new concept. My own grandfather retired after 30 years as a Philadelphia homicide detective, and spent the next ten years drinking himself to death.

    Sure, it's possible that Richter caught a bullet during an old-west-style shootout with a crooked cop. However, it's far more likely that Richter was lamenting his career, his impending financial doom, and a Christmas without not only kin but comrade, last holiday season when he died.

    Regardless of what happened to Richter, it's important that journalists remember their role: to report the news not create it. That's why I take it as a compliment when bloggers like Aaron Proctor recognize me with a "ham and egger" award for "stealing" a story. So long as the Associated Press continues to recognize the difference between news coverage and misleading narratives, there just might be hope for the media and the role it should play in our society.

AZUSA -- A decomposed body found floating in the Little Dalton Wash over the weekend remained unidentified Thursday, officials said.
Officials have determined the body, found about 7 p.m. Sunday, is that of a man estimated to be 30-40 years old, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
The body was first spotted by a passerby, police said.
A cause of death was not determined, Winter said.
Coroner's officials are continuing to work to identify the body, currently listed as John Doe 142, he said.

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There's a lot of action on the crime beat today. Here's some examples:

Teen to be arraigned in Columbine-style threats posted on Wikipedia.

An El Monte man was stabbed to death outside a Garvey Avenue bar.

A decomposed body was found late Monday off San Gabriel Canyon Road between Azusa and Glendora. (not many details on this yet)

And, there's this video of an ATM robbery in Norwalk:

 

 

Issac Campbell, accused of killing his girlfriend, stuffing her body in a trashcan and dumping the can in a friend's backyard appeared in court in Alhambra Friday ostensibly to enter a plea in the case.

There was no plea. Instead there was some in chambers discussions about the case, before Campbell was removed from court and returned to jail.

Campbell is accused fo killing Liya Jessie Lu, a nursing student who he met at PCC. Lu's family and friends have been following the case closely in both the local Chinese media and through the PCC student newspaper.

The photo is by Star-News staffer Walt Mancini. If you steal it, credit him.

 

He's back from Minnesota but Isaac Campbell was not ready Tuesday to enter a plea in the state's case against him.

Here's the story from PSN's Molly Okeon:

Isaac Campbell, 32, appeared in Alhambra Superior Court on Tuesday, wearing a blue jumpsuit and glasses.
Campbell is charged in the death of Liya “Jessie” Lu, 31, of San Gabriel. He was being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail.
Campbell is also facing two marijuana charges in a separate case.
Lu, who was studying to be a nurse at Pasadena City College, was working two part-time jobs as a Kaiser Permanente Hospital medical assistant and a secretary in a law office. She had moved from China to the United States nine years ago.
Lu’s body was found in the 1700 block of South Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia in September.
She was reported missing to the San Gabriel Police Department on Aug. 11 after she failed to return from a visit to Campbell’s apartment, officials said.
Authorities said Campbell was called in for questioning briefly, then fled to Minnesota, from which he was extradited.
Before leaving town, Campbell asked a friend who owned the Arcadia home at which Lu’s body was found to store several items, including a vehicle and a trash can, officials said.
The friend discovered Lu’s body sealed in a plastic garbage bag and covered with kitty litter in the trash can, officials said.
Lu’s parents, Yongtai Lu and Shilan Guo, who are in the U.S. from China for the court proceedings, were present at the hearing, along with friends of their daughter’s.
According to her cousin, Jeremy Zhou a San Gabriel resident, Lu has two brothers, 40-year-old Jun and 36-year-old Gang, both of whom live in China.

I'll add this as a module later, but for now here's a link to all the Crime Scene maps.

The man accused of killing his girlfriend then dumping her body in a trashcan, covering it with kitty litter then leaving the can in his friend's Arcadia backyard has been extradited to LA from Hennepin County Jail in Minnesota.

Isaac Campbell is due in Alhambra court on Dec. 18, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's inmate locator.

Crime scene thanks the anonymous tipster for the heads up.