Sources close to the investigation told me earlier this week that three teens have been arrested in connection with the slaying of Michele Chien, a.k.a Hsiao Hsu, at a home in the Covina Hills on March 19 this year.

The motive for the slaying more and more appears to have been a burglary gone bad.

Law enforcement sources said the gunman is still being sought.

Here's most of the story that will appear in tomorrow's newspaper:

Authorities have arrested three teens in connection with the slaying of a Covina Hills woman shot to death while on the phone with a 9-1-1 operator, sources close to the investigation said Friday.
Sheriff's homicide Lt. Dan Rosenberg acknowledged that arrests have been made in the slaying, but declined to provide more specific information.
"We got some arrests," Rosenberg said. "But I have to talk to my detectives about what we put out beyond that. They want to put a flier out, and they are waiting to get everything lined up."
At least one of the teens is a resident of Azusa, the sources said. Other law enforcement sources said the teens were linked to the crime by a van that was reported leaving the scene.
The suspected gunman remains at large, the sources said.
Hsiao Hong Hsu, 45, also known as Michelle Chien, was shot to death March 19 while on the phone with a dispatcher to report a break in.
Hsu was shot as many as five times, authorities said. Two shots occurred while Hsu was on the phone.
The gunman shot her three more times while chasing her through her home in the 19700 block of Cameron Avenue in an unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County known as the Covina Hills, authorities said.
California law requires police to identify suspects booked into jail except when they are juveniles. The same provisions of public records law allow police to withhold the names of suspects who have been arrested and released without charges being filed.
Rosenberg would not say if either provision of the law applied to the suspects in the case.
A law enforcement source interviewed Thursday said Hsu's killing apparently stemmed from a burglary gone bad.
"Although (other scenarios) haven't been ruled out," the source said.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sex offender Steven Michael Conklin, of West Covina, was given a 75-year to life sentence in Pomona Superior Court this morning, according to reporter Brian Day.

This from an earlier story on Conklin:

Steven Michael Conklin, 44, of West Covina was convicted Friday of possession of child pornography, failing to register as a sex offender, and two counts stemming from failing to report a change of address, court officials said.

He is due back at the Pomona Superior Court May 22 sentencing, and faces a minimum of 75 years in prison, said West Covina police Lt. Ron Mitchell.

"This will being closure to a lot of people," Mitchell said. He described Conklin's anticipated lengthy prison stay as a victory not just for West Covina, but for the community at large.

Mitchell said there's no doubt in his mind that Conklin is dangerous.

"His (criminal) practices have been very consistent through throughout several decades," he said.

Conklin turned himself in to West Covina police Sept. 28 after being informed there was a warrant for his arrest, police said shortly after the arrest.

Police began investigating him after he failed to register as a sex offender within five days of his birthday, as required by Megan's Law, Mitchell said.

 

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This accident occurred last Wednesday on Orange Avenue in West Covina. A firefighter got pretty mad at me for snapping the picture out of my window.

He thought I would cause another accident.

Still, you have to wonder what happened here?  These cars are pretty close to the curb aren't they?

Posted by Frank Girardot at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

State parole agents arrested a pair accused of stealing a purse from the parents of Moe the chimp. Here's the story from reporter Brian Day:

CLAREMONT - A man and woman suspected of stealing a purse from the owners of Moe the chimpanzee late last month in West Covina were arrested Thursday, officials said.

Baldwin Park residents Karen Jean Cervantes, 46, and Michael Dean Huffman, 44, were arrested shortly after 8 p.m. when state parole agents stopped Huffman's truck in Claremont, said West Covina police Corporal Rudy Lopez. Huffman, a parolee, immediately led police to Cervantes, he said.

The pair has been booked on suspicion of several felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from the theft of a purse from La Donna and St. James Davis' shopping cart at a Target store in the Eastland Shopping Center on March 30, Lopez said.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

West Covina police said Tuesday they've identified a 46-year-old woman and 44-year-old man wanted in connection with a purse snatching that targeted St. James and LaDonna Davis, parents of Moe of the Chimp.

Police officials declined to release the names of the two suspects, indicating they are still at large. The man is apparently on parole, according to West Covina police Lt. Ron Mitchell.

The wanted pair, both of Baldwin Park, may be responsible for additional crimes throughout the area, Mitchell said.
West Covina police have sorted through several leads in the case since a press conference at attorney Gloria Allred’s office last week, authorities said.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

News worthy? It depends on one's perception of the story, I guess. Yet, with the TMZ loaded, UTube star studded events that choke the news daily-- including your own -- when the Lindsey, Spears, Hilton ... stories based more on voyeurism than humanity command the light; where clips of Hiltons Chihuahua, Brittany's (privates), and Lindsey's lesbian affair are aired on the major networks and we are like...WOW'D--
 
Yes, I believe the Davis story absolutely shines.
 
Why? I mean, who cares? Everyday cowardly punks prey on the less fortunate. What makes the Davis story so news worthy? Simply this...at the end of the day theirs is less a story of tragedy than it is one of triumph. Against all odds they have survived. Lacking glamour, their story is a testament to the strength and power of the human spirit.
 
Their story is as much a "purse" story as Titanic is a "boat" story.

Article in Around the Region in today's (April 1) edition of  the
Trib states
"The former owners of Moe the chimp . . ."   WHERE IS  MOE?  IF THE
DAVISES DON'T OWN HIM NOW, WHO DOES???

I have wondered what's happened to him for quite a while now, and I'm
sure I'm not the only person who has wondered that.

Thanks for any information you can email me.  

Mr. and Mrs. Davis have been through so much. It is heartbreaking to see them suffer from yet another senseless act.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

What a week.

Violence erupted on our freeways. Crooks took pot shots at police officers and the cops shot back. Someone executed an Arcadia man inside his parents' home. The Department of Coroner attempted to sort out the details surrounding the strange death of a Pico Rivera man found dead in a Ford sedan the morning after his wedding.

Two kindly grandfathers working as car salesmen in East Los Angeles were herded into a back room and blasted. Twenty minutes later, and a block or so away, two other guys were killed in a drive-by.

Oh, and the parents of Moe the chimp encountered a purse snatcher Sunday at a Target store in West Covina.

On Wednesday afternoon, St. James and LaDonna Davis held a press conference at attorney Gloria Allred's office in a Wilshire Boulevard highrise overlooking the Hollywood Hills to discuss the incident.

"How could she do this to me?" St. James said. "I keep asking myself 'why, why, why do I have such bad luck?'"

This is news.

As proof, TMZ.com was streaming live and KTLA, KABC, KCBS, KCAL and KTTV all sent their heaviest hitters.

There's a huge file of stories about Moe the chimp in the newspaper's morgue dating back a decade or so. Most have pictures. The saddest shows St. James Davis wailing as his "son" is carted away from the family's West Covina home in September 1999.

The most recent mention comes from 2005. Chimps attacked and mauled St. James on the grounds of Moe's new home, the Animal Haven Ranch in Caliente.

As a result of the attack and 60 surgeries, St. James' face is disfigured and he is confined to a wheelchair. He could only sit and watch Sunday as LaDonna's purse was taken from their shopping cart. On Wednesday, 15 of my colleagues were there to chronicle this latest twist of the Davises.

After all, who doesn't like monkeys or stories about monkeys? (Yes I know Moe's a chimp — but in a generic sense he's a monkey.)

Monkeys are funny. It's in their genes. Every time I think about the chain-smoking Mr. Teeny, Krusty the Clown's sidekick on "The Simpsons," I smile. I put Ronald Reagan right up there in the pantheon of presidents, but who can remember a single movie of his other than "Bedtime for Bonzo"?

I must admit, I stifled a grin when I saw how much attention the Davises' case got.

In that context, who can blame Allred for using the chimp to make chumps of the local media?

"They are on a fixed income and are still coping with the life-changing consequence of the attack by the chimps," Allred said. "LaDonna spends her days caring for St. James, feeding him, bathing him, helping him in and out of his wheelchair and taking him to doctors."

For most of us, a purse snatching winds up with the police taking a report, and the bank and credit card companies taking their sweet time to return your lost plastic.

Don't forget the line at the DMV taking a century or so to navigate just to get a paper license and a new picture.

I know. My wife, Rosie, and I lived this once. When our son Matthew was born at San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, he had to spend the first week of his life in the neonatal ward in an induced coma.

It's one of those secure and supposedly clean wards of the hospital. Everyone has to scrub down. Purses and other personal items need to be left on a table away from the sick babies.

One Sunday when we were visiting the little guy, someone walked off with Rosie's purse. I think we called in a report to the police.

Eventually the wallet came back, with a note that said, "sorry." But the plastic and the money was gone. I guess someone needed it more than we did.

And that was that.

Maybe we would have scored it all back if Matt had been born a monkey.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 8:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Moe the Chimp saga willcontinue today as his "parents" hold a press conference with super lawyer Gloria Allred to discuss La Donna Davis' purse snatching from Target in West Covina.. Here's surveillance video from the store with commentary by Tim Berger,head of the SGVN photo department and a blogger in his own right over at Candids.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

While we wait for an update in the purse snatching case of Moe's parents La Donna and St. James Davis, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones...

Posted by Frank Girardot at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This from night cop reporter Brian Day. The photo of the suspected thief comes from the West Covina PD The photo of Moe comes from the archive:

WEST COVINA - The former owners of "Moe" the chimp are offering a reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of a woman who stole from them Saturday.

La Donna and St. James Davis, who now uses a wheelchair after being attacked by chimps in March of 2005, were shopping at Target in the

Eastland Shopping Center when the theft occurred, West Covina police officials said.

As La Donna briefly turned away from the cart, where her purse was, a woman stole the purse containing the Davises IDs, credit cards, bank cards, and St. James medication and medical information, said a friend of the Davises, Michael McCasland.

The thief quickly left the store and got into a waiting white dodge truck, he added.

McCasland said he believes the Davises were targeted because while La Donna was distracted, the thief hoped to take advantage of a man in a wheelchair.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These photos were given to reporter Bethania Palma by Hsiao Hsu's aunt.

Hsu was shot to death inside her Cameron Avenue home by intruders, officials said. No arrests have been made in the case but detectives say they are pursuing several leads. The photos are of Hsu and her husband Robert Chien. They were taken at the couple's wedding in 1991.

* UPDATE :

First of all as Bethania points out in the comments below, the photos were not given to her, she snapped pictures of them at the aunt's home.

The aunt initially gave us permission to use them but has since asked that they be removed from the blog and NOT be used in the newspaper.

In honor of the request, I have removed the pictures for now. I am withholding judgement as to further use and will decide whether to use the shots based on their news merit.

That said, I believe there is a significant amount of public interest in this case considering the likelihood there are cold-blooded killers somewhere out there. Killers who took a woman's live in broad daylight for no other reason apparently than she was on the phone with 911.

If you have a problem with my decision, feel free to comment.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Instapundit provided brief synopsis of the West Covina 9-1-1 mystery on his Web site Friday with a link to the Cato Institute's take on the case -- essentially that Hsiao Hsu would have survived the attack that took her life if she was carrying a gun.

Of course, she'd have to be walking around the house armed, because (based on what we know) she probably wouldnt' have had time to dig the gun out, load it and shoot her attacker or attackers.

Anyway here's a snippet from Cato:

A California woman was shot to death as she pleaded with emergency dispatchers to come and help her. Her death will not make the network news programs this evening, but this is the latest reminder that we must take responsibility for our own safety and not rely on the police.

Bill Masters, a libertarian and sheriff of a Colorado county tells the residents of his county, “It is your responsibility to protect yourself and your family from criminals. If you rely on the government for protection, you are going to be at least disappointed and at worst injured or killed.”

Posted by Frank Girardot at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WEST COVINA — A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman said Friday recordings of a 911 call that captured the slaying of a woman calling for help won’t immediately be made public.

Hsiao Hong Hsu, 45, was shot to death Wednesday while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher to report a break in. Hsu was shot as many as five times, authorities said. Two shots occurred while Hsu was on the phone.

The gunman delivered three more shots while chasing Hsu through her home in the 19700 block of Cameron Avenue in an unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County known as the Covina Hills, authorities said.

“The 911 tapes may not ever be released,” said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for Sheriff Lee Baca. “That’s according to the homicide lieutenant. The calls are part of the investigation. I’m not going to get into the why.”

Dispatchers in West Covina and Los Angeles County received at least two calls related to the case, officials said. One from the Hsu home; and at least one, if not more, from witnesses who claimed to see as many as three Hispanic men fleeing the area, police said.

Detectives are examining the possibility that the men used a van to make their get away, authorities said.
During their initial crime scene investigation, detectives discovered a gun and gloves along Via Caballos, a secluded road that leads to the rear of Hsu’s home, according to neighbor Irene Marquez.

A total of eight evidence markers lay strewn on the road Friday. One, marked “A” is attached to a low fence at the back of a vegetable garden in the rear of the Chien home.

The seven other evidence markers follow the semi circular Via Caballos for about 600 feet and abruptly come to an end. Across the road from the last marker, tall weeds have been clearly trampled in a path that leads downhill to an unmapped gravel driveway.

The long driveway winds behind homes on adjacent Quail Valley for about 1/10 mile. The area was cordoned off for a time after the discovery of Hsu’s body. The Chien's owned a home on Quail Valley, according to public records.

In separate interviews, two former homicide detectives said the driveway and Via Caballos were likely points of entry and exit from the home because Hsu and her husband Robert Chien had not secured that portion of their property.

It is unclear if the motive was burglary, or if anything was taken. Detectives have not said if Hsu was targeted.
With the initial investigation of the crime scene pretty much complete, detectives will now focus on motive, means and opportunity, said Judd N. Green, president of The Green Consulting Group in Indianapolis, Ind.

Green is both a former homicide detective and former deputy coroner who specializes in death investigations. After 31 years in law enforcement he retired eight years ago to pursue a career in the private sector.

“The homicide detectives are going to focus on the last person to see victim alive and the closest person emotionally,” Green said. “That is usually the spouse and he becomes the prime person of interest.”

Sheriff’s homicide Lt. Dan Rosenberg said Chien is “not a suspect at this time.”

Green said detectives would also likely perform a “psychological autopsy” of Hsu — reconstructing the last 24 hours of her life.

He said homicide investigators are somewhat like art connoisseurs.

“When an art critic looks at a painting he can tell by the subject matter and the brush strokes, without reading the signature that it’s a Van Gogh. “A crime scene is a painting that’s been left to dry by the killer, and killers fall into patterns.”

A second former detective, who said he routinely consults Los Angeles County investigators, said anyone with a connection to the Chien home will be interrogated by detectives.

“They are already checking on the workers, the gardener, the pool man,” said the detective who asked that his name be withheld. “Next thing will be putting everyone on lie boxes. It’s fast and it’s cheap and you don’t have to go around checking alibis.”

Posted by Frank Girardot at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mailbox outside the Chien residence, with a note for mail carrier that large packages should be shoved under the security gate.

The entry keypad and driveway leading to the front gate at the Chien residence on Cameron Avenue in West Covina.

Flowers at the front gate of the Chien home.

A closer view of carnations at the Chien's gate.

The view from Via Caballeros behind the Chien residence.

Trampled weeds leading down the hill away from Via Caballeros, a street behind the Chien residence.

The Marquez home, behind the Chien home in the Covina Hills.

Evidence marker on back fence leading up to Chien home. In all there are eight such markers on Via Caballos behind the home.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Monterey Park-based Chinese Daily News is closely folowing the killing if Hsiao Hsu, 45, who was shot to death at her home in West Covina while she was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher.

Here's a translated segment from Friday's story (Notice the translated dateline of Xikemenna):

Xikemenna reports - on the 19th occurred in the city of Xikemenna mansion on the 20th to the murder investigation. 警方證實，受害人為來自台灣的45歲華裔婦女徐曉（Hsiao Hsu，譯音），初步鎖定本案兇手為西裔，可能不止一人。 Police confirmed that the victim, 45-year-old from Taiwan's Chinese women Xu (Hsiao Hsu, transliteration), the initial lock the case for the Hispanic perpetrators may be more than one person. 不過由於受害人是在報警時慘遭歹徒槍殺，且現場附近留下不少「證據」，警方懷疑該起命案背景不單純。 However, as in the alarm when the victim is killed cruelly criminals, and many left in the vicinity of "evidence", the police suspect that the context is not simply a case. 洛杉磯縣警察局兇殺組至少四名警探20日一整天都在宅內繼續調查。 Los Angeles County police homicide detectives group of at least four a day on the 20th in the Chena continuing. 負責本案的警探羅森伯格（ Danel Rosenberg）證實，受害人身中數槍。 The detectives in charge of the case Rosenberg (Danel Rosenberg) confirmed that the body of the victim and fired several shots. 他表示，案情仍在進一步偵察中，不便透露細節。 He said that the case is still under surveillance in a position to reveal the details.

Here's the complete translation. 

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bethania Palma Watchara Phomicinda and I worked this pretty heavy Thursday. There's a lot of information yet to be uncovered.

Here's my contribution to the Friday's story on the murder of Hsiao Hsu, 45, Watchara took the photo Thursday afternoon:

WEST COVINA — Detectives continued their investigation Thursday into the slaying of a 45-year-old woman who was shot to death while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher.
Hsiao Hsu, 45, was shot as many as five times inside her home in the 19700 block of Cameron Avenue, authorities said Thursday.
Of the five shots, authorities believe two were apparently delivered while Hsu was on the phone with a dispatcher. The shooter apparently chased the woman through her home and continued shooting, they said.
Late Wednesday evening, investigators recovered a gun and a pair of gloves on a semi-private road behind the residence, according to neighbor Irene Marquez, who lives just behind Hsu’s home on South Via Caballos.
A wrought iron gate at the home’s driveway apparently had to be forced opened by sheriff’s deputies who arrived at the crime scene moments after the emergency call, according to Mike McKeehan, of Gate Tronics Systems who was asked to look at the gate by homicide detectives.
A video camera at the gate was apparently in working order, McKeehan said.
Throughout the day, reporters and residents of the neighborhood known as Covina Hills mingled outside the home. Many said there had been a recent string of burglaries in the neighborhood, although a sheriff’s sergeant described the area as “quiet.”
Outside Hsu’s home Thursday, Staci Oh, a friend of the victim, choked up with tears.
“I’m scared to death,” she said. “I don’t know what to do.”
Hsu’s husband Robert Chien, 44, remained in seclusion. In August, the couple and their two children moved into the nearly 6,000 square-foot grey slate home that has two basketball hoops and a tennis court, according to public records.
The home was listed for $1.2 million, but Marquez recalled Hsu, a Realtor, saying that she and Chien saved the seller from foreclosure, and purchased the home at a bargain price.
An immigrant from Taiwan, Hsu attended university in the United States and had taken to calling herself Michelle, according to Henry Chu, of Walnut, a longtime friend.
Chu’s wife Angela, owner of AC Real Estate, employed Hsu and holds the listing on Hsu’s former home, just around the corner on Quail Valley.
“We all belonged to the Overseas Chinese Youth Association together,” Henry Chu said. “My daughter and her daughter did activities together. Most of us in that group have stayed in touch.”
Hsu and Chien held a housewarming party in late summer, according Chu.
“There were many people there,” he said. “Mostly from our group back then.”
Public records indicate Chien is president of A-Top Industries, a computer case manufacturer based in Industry. Matthew Mak, who answered the phone at A-Top Thursday recalled Hsu as kind and warm.
“She was the best human in the world,” Mak said. “She helped all the people around her. She was a very, very nice person, the best.”

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tons more media seemed to be paying attention to the West Covina murderr mystery Thursday. ABC 7 sent Miriam Hernandez, AP had Raquel Dillon, and the LA Times sent a diligent crew as well. The key to this story lies outside the Hsu home though.

There is a great deal of fear in the neighborhood. There is also a great deal of gossip. The sheriff''s department has placed a security hold on the case, preventing the coroner's department from releasing information.

I watched residents attempt to talk to crime scene investigators and deputies only to be told nothing. I do know this, at least three paper bags of evidence were removed from the home. LASO is taking the case seriously. Detectives were asked to come down to the squad room Thursday and field phone calls from th epublic offering assistance.

A sheriff's department bulletin contains an interesting tidbit, according to reporter Brian Day. Here's the quote:

Anyone with information regarding this incident, regardless of how insignificant is asked to please contact homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500

Posted by Frank Girardot at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

*I've added an update of the Google map that shows the approximate location of the gun and gloves. Note that the victim is not properly located on the map. I will try to fix this later. (some minor spelling errors have also been corrected)

A woman who was shot to death inside her West Covina home was identified as Hsiao Hsu, 45, by sheriff's officials.

Hsu had moved into the home at the intersection of Grand and Cameron avenues with her husband. The couple had two children who attended local public schools.

Channel 7 KABC  has video tape of a gun being recovered from behind Hsu's home. Irene Marquez, who lives just across from where the gun was recovered said investigators also recovered a pair of gloves. She believed bloodhounds brought to the scene early in the investigation led detectives to the gun and gloves.

Reporters scrambled to get news from the area and neighbors drove by throughout the day to get a glimpse of Hsu's home.

Information about the case is leaking out all over town, even as investigators try to keep a lid on their information. The coroner's office has placed a security hold on the case, which means no information will be released. Sheriff's homicide detectives from around the county were called into the squad room in Commerce to help field phone calls.

Sources close to the case said there have been several tips in the case.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This came in an email this morning, I think it sums up a good deal of the emotional response that neighborhoods experience when they become the center of attention:

I actually got out of my bed at 12:30am last night to go to the scene to see if I could speak with a member of the press.  I am so shocked at how poorly this entire event was handled, I cannot believe it.  Here is some information that I lived first hand yesterday that is either not in your story, or contradictory to the information provided you.

First of all, I truly think that the High School was only finally put on lockdown because I called the district.  I called South Hills, because my daughter goes there - I live a mile from the school, less than half a mile from the scene - and, I had heard the helicopters overhead for quite sometime.  When I went outside, it seemed as though the choppers were right over the high school; so, I called to make sure everything was okay.

First, I received voicemail.  So, I called the district and told them why I was calling.  They tracked down someone at the high school who told me, "Oh no.  We can hear the helicopters; but, we cannot see them.  Everything here is fine."  By this time, I had already tossed my triplets - in their pajamas - and started to drive there to make sure everything was okay.  (It felt like eons before someone at the school finally answered the line.

When I reached the corner of Grand and Cameron - going southbound - there were two cops on the corner, not directing traffic, but staring at the hedges on the corner.  I asked them if everything was okay at the high school, and over there shoulder they told me it was.

I am convinced that it was one of these two actions that finally put the school on lockdown.

I called my daughter and left her a voicemail to call me.  She called me shortly thereafter and told me she was indeed on lockdown.  As I was driving back to my house, there were an officer passed me on my very own street; so, I called the Sheriff’s department, and asked them if it was safe to be out with my kids.  They told me, in no uncertain terms - no.  They said, "Ma'am, if you live in the area, should remain in your house with your doors locked." 

Continue reading "The Fear Factor" »

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The man’s desperate wail sent a chill down my spine.

He was wearing a blue shirt and faded jeans. The man appeared to be in his 30s. He was Asian. His dark hair combed across his forehead.

Just moments earlier, I had watched the man in the blue shirt drive a nice burnished brown Lexus up to the yellow crime scene tape stretched across Cameron Avenue in unincorporated West Covina. He looked confused and briefly spoke to a deputy.

In an instant, the man hopped out of his car. He ducked under the police line and ran toward a crowd of cops and civilians gathered on the gated driveway of a home in the 19700 block.

A big guy grabbed him. Some others wearing green sheriff’s Windbreakers huddled around. Someone said something to the man. Some women who had been in front of the house came over. They looked dazed.

“Is my wife OK?” he asked. “Did you find the guy?”

The response was quiet, unintelligible from where I stood 30 yards away.

Then came the cry. I watched his legs buckle. Momentarily he collapsed.

Piercing my ears; horrifying, riveting, compelling, and repelling me — all at the same time.

“No! No! No! She just called me!” he shouted. “You lie to me!”

The deputies with the green Windbreakers hugged the man. They patted his back. Someone helped him from the sidewalk to a patrol car. He sat in back with one of the women. The car took off.

All this happened about two hours ago. When you read this you will probably know more about the man than I do right now.

Homicide Lt. Dan Rosenberg said that deputies were originally dispatched to the home on the heels of a 9-1-1 call about a burglary in process.

The woman was shot to death while she was on the phone with a dispatcher, according to a spokesman with the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.

About the same time, West Covina police took a phone call from a person who “saw some people running down the street,” West Covina police Lt. Dan Brooks said. “It was a call of suspicious activity,” Brooks added. “We quickly figured out it could be connected to the other incident.”

South Hills High and Mesa Elementary schools were both placed on lockdown, Brooks said.

A second woman who was there when the blue-shirted man arrived spoke to him briefly before he left. She walked away from the house and sat on a bus bench near the intersection of Cameron and Grand avenues. I heard her speaking Chinese to another man who had arrived on scene.

So I walked over and asked in my limited Mandarin if she wanted to talk about what had happened.

“Bu Yao,” she said.

I knew that meant no, and realized the poor man in the blue shirt had already said everything that could be said.

(photo by SGVN staffer Watchara Phomicinda)

Posted by Frank Girardot at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Extra patrol cars and detectives from the West Covina police department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are setting up a containment near where a woman was shot to death late this morning.

Earlier this afternoon, bloodhounds were brought to the scene and apprently tracked a suspect to Prospero Street;  K-9s were later brought in to further the search two properties on Prospero, where a suspect is believed to be hiding in thick trees and brush.

Among the areas cordoned off:

Cameron and Barranca

Cortez

Cameron and Grand

Prospero

The suspect was apparently seen running down the middle of Prospero. Bloodhounds tracked him in that same direction. Three blocks will be cleared in the cordon.

* A woman who reported a man in her backyard in the 600 block of Prospero has apparently just learned the man is a plainclothes deputy on the hunt for suspects.

*The containment is 6 or 7 police cars on Larkwood right off of Barranca there's a k-9 no visual, reporter Bethania Palma said from the scene. 

Posted by Frank Girardot at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A woman who was on the phone with a 9-1-1 dispatcher was apparently shot to death by the burglars she was reporting, officials said.

The shooting, which occurred about 11:40 a.m in the 19700 block of Cameron shocked residents of a quiet and upscale known for its large and often unique homes.

Detectives suspect three Hispanic men seen fleeing the scene may be responsible for the shooting. There was no further description of the man. The woman's name has not yet been released.

West Covina police and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies closed off a portion of busy Cameron avenue and temporarily placed two West Covina schools on lock down.

The home is in an unincorporated of West Covina that, while not as ill-defined as the No Man's Land in Monrovia, has its share of dispatch problems.

Sheriff's deputies from the Walnut Sheriff's Station patrol the neighborhood from Grand Avenue west about 500 yards. Then the neighborhood becomes city territory. Traffic patrols on Grand are done by the CHP, while traffic on Cameron is handled by the West Covina PD. Both the LASO and the WCPD received calls to their dispatch centers regarding the shooting and its aftermath.

Its unknown if there was any confusion surrounding in whose territory the crime occurred; and whether or not that delayed any initial response. West Covina police Lt. Dan Brooks said he believes the 9-1-1 system would have automatically routed any calls from the home to the sheriff's department.

Meanwhile the sheriff's Headquarters Bureau claims the woman's initial 9-1-1 call was received by West Covina Police.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The six police officers who responded to a report of a domestic dispute at the home of City Councilman Roger Hernandez have been cleared of any wrongdoing after a probe by the LASD' s Internal Affairs Bureau.

We did several stories on this in October and November leading up to the City Council election in West Covina.

Here's a link to the Crime Scene archive on the case.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

A letter writer informs us that a man was shot in the face at his home in West Covina on Bromley Street. The shooting occurred Jan. 23, the man died yesterday. The shooter is apparently in custody.

West Covina Police Department spokespeople forgot to mention this to us. But we found out anyway.

A lieutenant said he didn't know the details but would have someone get back to me.

update 8:20 p.m. 1/29/08

A police spokesman talked to reporter Brian Day and we'll have complete details on the web and in tomorrow's paper.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

This from the Associated Press:

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.—San Bernardino County authorities have arrested two young men for investigation of murdering a teen couple in an abandoned military bunker in the Mojave Desert.

The Sheriff's Department says 18-year-old Collin McGlaughlin of West Covina and 19-year-old David Smith of Covina were arrested Thursday night at their homes.

The bodies of 18-year-old Christopher Cody Thompson of Apple Valley and 16-year-old Bodhisattva "Bodhi" Sherzer-Potter of Helendale were found January 5th.

Investigators initially thought robbery was the motive but now say nothing was taken from the victims.

McGlauglin and Smith will make their first court appearances on January 22nd. A sheriff's spokeswoman says it's not known if they have retained attorneys.

UPDATED WITH PHOTO at 3:20 P.M. 1-18-07

Here's the photo caption:

Collin McGlaughlin, 18, of West Covina, has been arrested by the San Bernardino county homicide detectives in connection with the Jan. 5 shooting deaths of Christopher Cody Thompson, 18, of Apple Valley, and Bodhisattva "Bodhi" Sherzer-Potter, 16, of Helendale. 

Posted by Frank Girardot at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

UPDATED AND CORRECTED 1/17/07 7:14 p.m.

Federal authorities indicted Huntington Park police Sgt. Alvaro Murillo on conspiracy charges in connection with a coke and pot distribution scheme he operated.

Murillo, identified in court documents as 'El Padrino" was arrested at his West Covina home Thursday morning and appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon.

Federal documents indicate Murillo was ratted out by an informant. His co-defendant has been identified as Alberto Del Real-Gallardo, aka "Panzon."

Here's how their scheme worked: A target would be identified. Del Real-Gallardo and another informant would allegedly trick the target out of their dope through a series of ruses. Murillo is suspected of turning around and selling the drugs.

Murillo, described by those who knew him as a likeable guy, was suspended by the HPPD in Sept. 2006. If convicted he faces a life prison sentence.

Here's a copy of the indictment.

There's some supplemental information that I'll need to scan. It contains transcripts of some wiretaps and other information. A public records search of information associated with El Padrino indicates he was also employed by a Los Angeles trucking company.

Murillo was placed on paid administrative leave by the HPPD in Sept. 2006, after they were approached by federal authorities.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Steve Cooley's office put their statement on the Harris case up on the web this afternoon. It's the same statement handed out to reporters Tuesday. Here's the text:

LOS ANGELES – District Attorney Steve Cooley issued the following statement today on the murder of Monica Thomas Harris, victim in a family violence case:

“The tragic murder of Monica Thomas Harris is a matter of great concern to those of us in the District Attorney’s Office. 

“Yesterday I ordered an internal analysis of the circumstances leading up to the release of her estranged husband and murderer.  That investigation will continue and will determine whether there were any violations of office policy and/or failure to follow procedures established for these types of cases.

“The overall assessment will be conducted jointly by Head Deputy Victoria Adams of the Family Violence Division and the Director Pamela Booth who has oversight over the Pomona Branch Office.  They will report their findings directly to me.”

Posted by Frank Girardot at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

UPDATED: 6:32 P.M.

DA spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons asks for a correction and gets it. (See comment below.) A group of reporters gathered downtown were apparently handed a statement from DA Steve Cooley.

My bad. I won't go into the whys of why I wrote press conference. It wasn't. That's that.

CORRECTED ENTRY BELOW:

District Attorney Steve Cooley issued a statement Tuesday  to stem the tide of embarassment his office is suffering and announce that an internal investigation into the Curtis Harrris Monica Thomas-Harris murder suicide would begin.

Cooley said his office would investigate why prosecutors agreed to a stipulation in Harris' criminal  case that allowed him to go free, stalk his ex-wife and ultimately kill her and himself in a Whittier Motel Saturday morning.

We'll have more on the story in tomorrow's paper.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The superior court judge who approved a deal that allowed Curtis Bernard Harris to be released from jail after he was convicted on a weapons charge in the kidnapping of his estranged wife Monica Thomas-Harris would not comment on the case Monday.

Harris, 34, of Chino and his wife Monica Thomas-Harris, 37, were found dead Saturday morning from gunshot wounds at a Whittier motel in an apparent murder suicide

Superior Court officials said the judge, appointed to the bench by Gov Arnold, was constrained from discussing cases she has heard.

Even though the victim's family is steaming mad about the whole thing, Harris' attorney said don't blame Judge Tia Fisher for the incident.

This from RL's story:

Arthur Lindars, said Harris asked for the month of freedom because he needed time to sell a couple of cars to raise money for his mortgage, so he wouldn’t lose his house while he was in prison.
Lindars said he did not believe Harris would try to harm his wife during the month he was out of jail.
“I’m sure the District Attorney’s office didn’t feel there was a danger either, or they wouldn’t have agreed to it,” he said.
Lindars, who called the scenario “everybody’s worst nightmare,” said the judge shouldn’t bear responsibility for the tragedy.
Since he and the District Attorney agreed to the release, the judge had no reason to deny it, he said.
“Whenever the DA’s office agrees to it, the judge 99 percent of the time will approve it,” Lindars said.

Meanwhile, Sandi Gibbons in the DAs office is saying don't blame prosecutors.

She said a prosecutor had a lengthy meeting with Thomas-Harris on the day the man was set free.
“We notified the victim that he was being released, as is our duty,” Gibbons said.
Gibbons said she did not know if prosecutors gave the woman any advice or instructions on how to stay safe from her husband during that meeting.

As you can guess, the victim's family is looking for answers.

“It’s unacceptable, it’s negligent,” said Teresa Motley, a cousin of the victim. “The justice system failed us.”

The complete story will appear in tomorrow's newspaper, as reported by Daily Bulletin staffer Rod Leveque.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

City Councilman Roger Hernandez and his campaign manager Dr. Paz Oliverez have laid out their version of the events surrounding a police visit to Hernandez's home Friday evening.
Hernandez's complaint is here.
Oliverez's complaint is here.">
Both accuse police of falsifying their reports. Both say former Tribune reporter Christina Esparza was in the apartment around the time the argument was reported.
Read for yourself. Compare to the police reports which are here.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The man who thought he was Santa Claus got stuck with a $10,000 fine and two-year prison term Wednesday following his jam in West Covina chimney last month, officials said.
Marco Antonio Espinoza has to pay $10,000 to the homeowners whose chimney was ruined by firefighters attempting to extracate Espinoza.
When he got picked up, Espinoza told cops he was working on the home.
What tipped off the cops was resident Danny Ramos saying he heard someone yelling help me, help me!
These photos were kindly provided by the West Covina Fire Department.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since putting together a follow up story on the stabbing death of Chris Boo K. Lee, I have received several emails and phone calls from friends and family of Lee's who want to share their memories of Lee.
Here's a sampling from one letter sent Wednesday evening: (I'm keeping the writer anonymous and have edited this slightly)

Hello Frank, regarding your article today about Chris, it is good to know that your doing your job and made those names public. It is unfortunate to hear that the gangmembers that were arrested ... were released for a reason I do not know yet. I am a very close friend of Chris and I can personally tell you that Chris was not a gangmember. ... The last 7 years i have known him he has always been a good student, helpful to his family, and a very loyal friend.

yeah paul used to be my best friend till he became stupid

Posted by Frank Girardot at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I got this email this afternoon pointing out a geographical fine point that is sometimes lost on me even though I know these neighborhoods.
Hopefully this clarifies any confusion in some of our reporting on the Paul Salazar Robert Whitehead story.
By the way, thanks for all the comments on the blog. I can't respond to all of them, but I do read all.
Here's the (somewhat edited) email

Dear Mr. Girardot: My parents purchased their home near where the crime against Mr. Whitehead occurred. Channel 9/Los Angeles also interviewed Mr. Whitehead's neighbor, who has lived on Moccasin for over 50 years. The reason I bring this up, every time a news organization reportson this crime, you all list it as occuring in West Valinda. The area this crime was committed is called Bassett, an unincorporated area of La Puente. All mail comes to 91746 at those homes, stamped as a LaPuente address. You also listed Mr. Salazar's home address near Bishop Amat HighSchool. I am a 1970 graduate of Bishop Amat myself. Mr. Salazar's home may be on the border of Valinda/West Covina as your article stated, however his address as well as the High School is La Puente. In the future it would be great if you could acknowledge the cities where this story has taken place. I am sure a lot of people from Bassett would like to extend their condolences to the Whitehead family, but did not realize that it was a family in Bassett, California. By the way Bassett also uses the zip code 91746 as does La Puente for that neighborhood. Just thought you might need this correct information.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 8:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The death of Paul Salazar in Valinda (or is that West Covina?) the other night is getting a close look from Sheriff's homicide detectives. That said, they are keeping a tight lid on information about the shooting, potential suspects and the circumstances.
Salazar was one of two men killed in gang attacks over the weekend. Six others were wounded, according to officials. No arrests have been made in any of the cases.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Weekend violence left one man dead and three teens wounded around the east San Gabriel Valley. We'll follow up on these throughout the day. Two of the incidents, including the murder, have West Covina datelines. One of the injured teens was identified by police as a girl.

In East Los Angeles, two brothers are suspected of beating their brother to death following an argument Sunday.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)