Hung jury for woman who butchered husband and smothered children

This just in:

POMONA – A jury debating the death penalty for a Rowland Heights woman convicted of killing her family deadlocked on Monday.

Following deliberations in the penalty phase of Manling Williams’ trial, the jury was hung, court officials said Monday. Eight jurors favored recommending death for Williams, while four preferred life without parole, Los Angles County District Attorney’s office officials said.

A hearing was scheduled for Jan. 11 to determine the next course of action.

“At that time, the district attorney’s office will announce whether we intend to retry the penalty phase,” said spokeswoman Shiara Davila. “In the event we do, we will do so with a brand new jury.”

Williams faced the death penalty after she was convicted on Nov. 4 of slashing to death her husband, Neal, and smothering her two sons, Devon, 7, and Ian, 3, with a pillow in their Rowland Heights home on Aug. 7, 2007.

The jury deliberated for more than two days before determining it could not reach a decision.

If the DA opts not to retry the penalty phase, Williams will be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Davila said.

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Deputy involved shooting in Rowland Heights Friday night

Here’s the details from Sheriff’s HQ bureau:

Deputy-Involved Shooting in Rowland Heights, Walnut Sheriff’s Station

Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau investigators are at the 18500 block of Colima Road, Rowland Heights, investigating the circumstances surrounding a Deputy-Involved Shooting.

Homicide Lieutenant Liam Gallagher reports that Walnut Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to an Assault With A Deadly Weapon (Knife) call at about 9:12PM on Friday.

Deputies found a male Hispanic adult suspect stabbing a male Hispanic adult victim. Deputies ordered the suspect to drop the knife, but he continued stabbing the victim. A deputy involved shooting occurred. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The stabbing victim was transported to a local hospital and his condition is not known at this time. No deputies were injured.
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Butcher of husband and killer of her own children now faces death penalty hearing

In the local Chinese press they refer to Manling Tsang Williams as “the Butcher.” For good reason. She slaughtered her husband Neal with a Kitana marial arts sword and smothered her innocent children in August 2007.

On Thursday, more than three yers after she committed the brutal and senseless murders, a jury found her guilty on all counts. Manling now faces the death penalty.

Here’s Dan Tedford’s story.

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Advice for making it look like suicide

This comes via a Facebook status update from Jan Williams, whose son Neal and two grandsons were brutally killed in 2007 by Neal’s wife Manling. Trial is underway in the case. Prosecutors allege that Manling wanted to make it look as if Neal committed suicide. As Jan points out there were a few problems with that plan:

Jan Williams In planning a suicide, it might be well to remember that it is very difficult to stab yourself repeatedly in the back, especially when your hands and fingers have been severed. That’s free advice.
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Torrid affair between Manling and classmate led to 2007 triple slaying

A woman who killed her husband and two children was tired of being a wife and mother, a prosecutor argued Thursday. 
So tired of the drudgery that Manling Willians smothered her two young children sliced her husband Neal to death with a Kitana sword.
Why?
She was having a torrid affair, prosecutor Pak Kouch said.
Meanwhile Manling’s attorney admitted her client’s guilt in the 2007 triple slaying, but tried to minimize the premeditation. 
On her blog, Grief’s Journey, Neal’s mom, Jan WIlliams, described the first day of the hearing as gut wrenching.

I’m shell shocked. I don’t know how much I can write about this right now. It’s going to take a lot of assimilating. My notes are disjointed and staccato, and it will be a few days before my feelings and stomach settle down and I can really write about it. It’s too new, too immediate and too awful.

The defense attorneys admitted to the jury that Manling committed the murders. They are not contesting the crime scene information. What they will argue is the legal definition of first degree murder. I don’t really understand that, but I’m not understanding much of anything today. My system is on complete overload.

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Jurors seated in trial of woman accused of killing husband, kids

Manling Williams case heads to trial. This from Jan Williams in a Facebook post: 

Jan Williams 12 jurors and 8 alternates were chosen and sworn in today. Opening statements and testimony start tomorrow morning at 9:30 am. It’s actually starting and I must confess I feel a little nausiated. I’m going to put my feet up and try to take this all in. Monkey.
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FBI seeks 20 Questions Bandits

Press release from Laura Eimiller at the FBI:

40470-20questions-thumb-200x150-40469.png

FBI Agents and detectives with multiple law enforcement agencies in three counties are seeking the public’s assistance in learning the identity of the “20 Questions Bandits,” a group of at least four unidentified men believed to be responsible for eleven takeover bank robberies in Ventura, Orange and Los Angeles Counties.

U.S. Bank, East West Bank, Cathay Bank and several Bank of America locations were targeted by the bandits. Bank of America is offering a reward of up to $100,000* in exchange for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for these robberies.

During the various robberies, the bandits were extremely violent and, in some cases, displayed weapons. Witnesses have described four black males, in some cases armed with guns, who have forced bank employees and customers inside the bank to comply with their demands for cash and to follow their instructions.

In some cases, the bandits also robbed victims of personal belongings. During the initial robberies linked to this group, the suspects asked several questions while inside the bank, according towitnesses and were, therefore, nicknamed the “20 Questions Bandits.”

The most recent robbery attributed to the “20 Questions Bandits” occurred on April 2, 2010 at a Bank of America in the city of Newport Beach.

The group is also believed responsible for robberies in El Monte and Rowland Heights, Eimiller said.

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Nine-year-old shot while playing with friends in Rowland Heights

If this doesn’t make you sick, it should.

A nine-year-old boy, playing with his friends, was shot in the legs Wednesday night by some cowards prowling an alleyway in Rowland Heights. Here’s Brian Day’s story from overnight:

 

ROWLAND HEIGHTS – A 9-year-old boy was shot and wounded in both legs as he played in a yard Wednesday night, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at 8:22 p.m. in an alley just west of the 2000 block of Sierra Leone Avenue.

The boy was expected to survive his injuries, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Mike Browne said.

A group of children were playing in a yard in the alley when two men opened fire with a shotgun or rifle, sheriff’s Sgt. Mario Estrada said.

Browne said the shooting appeared to be “unprovoked.”

The shooters were described as two Latino men between 16 and 18 years old with shaved heads, they were wearing white T-shirts and black pants, Browne said.

 

 

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Neal’s Birthday

Neal Williams would have been 29 today.

In 2007, he was stabbed to death and his two young sons were smothered. Police subsequently arrested his wife Man-ling Tsang Williams on suspicion of murder. She faces trial and possibly the death penalty as a result.
Neal’s mom, Jan Williams, of Whittier, remembered her son in a blog post today at Grief’s Journey. Here’s an excerpt:
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Last year was hard. I’ve said this before, I know, but the pain of losing a child is like a primal scream. It feels like a piece of your very soul has been ripped out and there is no comfort or solace for that kind of pain. Time may dull the edge of it a bit, but you will live with the pain of your loss for the rest of your life. There is no “getting over it”. You can come to accept that loss and make it a part of who you have become, so that you can move ahead in life. But, you always feel sorrow that your child is gone.

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