Whittier: January 2008 Archives

This comes from WDN reporter Airan Scruby:

NORWALK - A man who allegedly stabbed his disabled cousin to death said he did so on orders from the Virgin Mary, according to an expert mental health witness.

Gray Maria, 23, was found incompetent to stand trial after testimony Tuesday from two psychologists. Maria was transferred to Patton State Hospital, where he will undergo treatment and report back to Commissioner Michael Schuur in 90 days.

"I don't think there's any doubt that he suffers from mental illness," Schuur said.

Maria has been jailed since June 2006, when he allegedly stabbed Victor Najera with a screwdriver. Najera, then 17, ran for help to a nearby McDonald's restaurant at 11755 Whittier Blvd. in Whittier, according to Sgt. Mitch Loman of the sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

Maria then allegedly went to his cousin's house in the 7300 block of Ridgeview Lane in the unincorporated area of West Whittier, Loman said.

He watched television with Mara Del Real, 19, who had cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair, and her older brother.

When the brother left the room, according to Loman, Maria stabbed Del Real with a knife, just hours after the first attack. She died at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital.

This story comes from Sandra Molina in today's Whittier Daily News:

LONG BEACH - A Long Beach man released from custody after being identified as a suspect in the 1996 killing of a Whittier resident has been charged in that case, as well as in a fatal stabbing in Long Beach last month.

Jeffrey Means, 42, is accused of bludgeoning to death Hal Shaw, 48, on June 12, 1996, in the 7900 block of Newlin Avenue in Whittier, police said.

He also is accused in the stabbing death of Ronald Henry, 67, of Long Beach at a home in the 900 block of Dawson Avenue in that city on Dec. 19.

Means is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of special circumstances of multiple murders, two counts of murder in the course of a robbery, and two counts of residential robbery.

He is being held without bail by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Deputy District Attorney Karen Thorpe said Wednesday.

Means did not enter a plea, and his arraignment was continued to Feb. 5.

Because of the alleged special circumstances, he is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

 

In February of 2005, ICE agents engaged in a “criminal alien program” seeking to deport illegal immigrants in the prison and jail system, said Kice. Tellez was serving time in Ventura County for drug possession and resisting arrest, according to court documents.

Days after the deportation, Tellez was caught trying to cross back into the United States south of San Diego, Kice said.

Tellez’s criminal history stretches back to 1992 when he pleaded guilty to resisting arrest. The same year he pled guilty to being a minor in possession of alcohol.

In 1994, Tellez was arrested by police in Oxnard on weapons charges. He pleaded guilty to felony assault with a deadly weapon. That same year he also pleaded guilty to a charge of spousal abuse and was sentenced to 180 days in the Ventura County Jail, according to official records.

In 1999 Tellez was accused of violating a restraining order in a domestic case. Officials said they did not know if the restraining order involved Suzanne Jaramillo, the victim in Monday's murder-suicide.

Here's some John and Ken fodder.

Gustavo Tellez, the man who shot his wife to death in Whittier Monday before turning the gun on himself had been deported three times, ICE officials said today.

Additionally, Whittier police said they were called to victim Suzanne Jaramillo's home several times for domestic altercations between Tellez and Jaramillo. Apparently they never checked Tellez's status.

Reporter BRian Day will have the complete story later this evening.

Here's the lede from Brian Day's story which will appear in tomorrow's editions of the Whittier Daily News.

WHITTIER — A man and woman were found dead in their apartment Monday following an apparent murder suicide, authorities said.
The deceased were identified by neighbors as a 32-year-old woman and her 33-year-old boyfriend. Officials withheld their identities pending notification of next of kin.
The bodies were found by a friend shortly before 12:50 p.m. in a second-floor apartment in the 7600 block of Newlin Avenue, said Whittier police spokesman Jason Zhulke.
The friend called police, and officers responded to the report as a domestic violence call, Whitter police Lt. Wyatt Powell said.
Officers found the bodies in the bedroom of the apartment, officials said.

Brian is also reportoing that a 12-year-old was in the apartmetn at the time of the shooting. it is believed the young man is the son of the dead woman.

Police refused to tell Brian if the man shot the woman before shooting himself or vice-versa. They did find a gun at the scene.

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Still tracking down a lot of the details. But the map above shows the relative locations of Whittier's two murder suicides this year.

We think the dead woman in the most recent case is Suzanna or Suzanne Jaramillo, 33. She apparently once worked for INS, but most recently was employed as a security guard. More details as they come into the newsroom.

The fresh face of the Whittier PD has apparently moved onto greener pastures. Officer Diana Salazar, who has been Whittier PD's PIO, is no longer with the department, according to sources in the police station.

We're told she's working "for another agency now." No idea which agency that is... we'll follow this story as warranted.

The Whittier Police Department is investigating an apparent murder suicide in the 7600 block of Newlin Avenue. Not many details are available just yet. The bodies were discovered less than an hour ago. The couple apparently lived in an apartment building.

Both are said to have died from gunshot wounds. A gun was found at the scene, officials said.

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Forty members of the Whittier Varrio Locos Gang, who live and operate in the outlined area above have been served with a permanent injunction that will pervent them from engaging in certain gang activities. It is the first permanent injunction of its type in Whittier. There is a similar injunction in Montebello. 

Pasadena never followed through on similar action against the Villa Boys gang back in the 90s.

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.”

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.

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.

The murder suicide in a Whittier motel Saturday morning leaves many questions in its wake about the criminal justice system and the protection of women who are threatened by their spouses or significant others.

The key lines in Jennifer McLain's story are at the bottom:

The couple were divorcing, and Harris, 34, had a history of holding her against her will.

On Nov. 16, Harris took her from a West Covina park to a hotel, where he handcuffed her and held her captive, according to Lt. Pete Mena of the West Covina Police Department. He later released her. The next day, he bound her with duct tape and threatened her with a stun gun, Mena said.

She escaped and reported both incidents to police.

Harris was arrested and pleaded no contest Dec. 21 to a false imprisonment and a weapons charge in exchange for a sentence of 16 months in prison, court records show.

Harris was granted a month of freedom before he began serving his sentence on Jan. 24. Thomas-Harris was not informed that her husband had been freed.

 

The Tournament is over, the year has begun.

Whittier and Monrovia reporting shots from a gun.

As for injuries, we're not sure yet.

But we on the cases.

You can bet.