Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Alabama Child Hostage Situation: School Bus Driver Killed
Alabama Child Hostage Situation: School Bus Driver Killed: ABCNEWS.COM - SWAT teams have been called in to save a 6-year-old boy being held hostage in an underground bunker.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
The Night Stalker’s Letter to a Fake Little Boy
The Night Stalker’s Letter to a Fake Little Boy: 
In the 1990′s, writer and humorist Bill Geerhart began writing letters to celebrities, politicians and criminals under the guide of a young boy. An especially unsettling response to one of his letters came from serial killer Richard Ramirez, known as the Night Stalker.
In 2010, Geerhart’s book Little Billy’s Letters was published by Harper Collins.
See more handwritten correspondence at Letters of Note.
Why I Write to Prisoners: An Author’s Correspondence With Notable Inmates
Billy, Greetings. Got yr letter. What school do you go to? Who’s yr friend? You should stay in school. Send pictures. Richard
VIDEO: A Serial Killer Cries
VIDEO: A Serial Killer Cries:
How do you make a hardened serial killer cry? Gary Ridgeway, aka the Green River Killer, was convicted of the murders of 48 prostitutes on December 18, 2003, though it is believed that he killed more than 90 women. When the families of his many victims had their day in court, Ridgway remained impassive until one father addressed him.
Green River Killer: River of Death
VIDEO: Interview With Green River Killer Gary Ridgway
More Videos
Illustration and creation by ms. Lisa C. Jackson
How do you make a hardened serial killer cry? Gary Ridgeway, aka the Green River Killer, was convicted of the murders of 48 prostitutes on December 18, 2003, though it is believed that he killed more than 90 women. When the families of his many victims had their day in court, Ridgway remained impassive until one father addressed him.
Green River Killer: River of Death
VIDEO: Interview With Green River Killer Gary Ridgway
More Videos
Illustration and creation by ms. Lisa C. Jackson
Spotlight: The Woman on Kentucky’s Death Row
Spotlight: The Woman on Kentucky’s Death Row:
In an ongoing feature, Crime Library will shed a light on the women spending the rest of their lives on death row in prisons across America.
In the state of Kentucky, there are 37 inmates on death row. The 36 men wait out their days at Kentucky State Penitentiary. The sole woman, Virginia Caudill, resides at the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women.
Virginia Caudill. Prison photo.Virginia Caudill | Age 53 | On Death Row Since March, 2000 | On March 15, 1998, this Virginia Caudill, 39 at the time, ran into old friend Jonathon Goforth, who she hadn’t seen in about 15 years, at a crack house. Goforth drove Virginia to the home of 73-year-old Lonetta White, the mother of her ex-boyfriend, and asked for $20 to rent a room. When the elderly woman gave Virginia the money, Virginia spent it on crack and soon returned with Jonathon for more. This time, they bludgeoned Mrs. White to death with a hammer. They then stole guns, jewelry and a fur coat from her home. White’s body was wrapped in a rug stuffed into the trunk of her own car, which Virginia and Jonathon set on fire. The car was found miles away from the victim’s home. Her body was barely recognizable.
After the killing, Virginia and Jonathon fled the county and spent several days in a cabin. They then went to Ocala, Florida, followed by Gulfport, Mississippi. Virginia moved on to New Orleans, leaving her accomplice behind. She’d been free for over six months when she was arrested in November. Jonathon’s arrest came soon after.
At trial, both defendants blamed the other for masterminding the murder and delivering the fatal blow. The finger-pointing had little effect on judge and jury, and Virginia and her accomplice were both convicted of first degree murder, robbery, burglary, arson and evidence tampering and sentenced to death. Following their sentencing, both argued that they were wrongfully convicted due to having ineffective attorneys. Virginia claimed that if an expert witness for the defense were called in to testify on blood spatter evidence found at the scene, the outcome of her case would have been different. A judge, however, disagreed.
Spotlight: The Women on Louisiana’s Death Row
Spotlight: The Women on Alabama’s Death Row
Spotlight: The Women on Florida’s Death Row
In an ongoing feature, Crime Library will shed a light on the women spending the rest of their lives on death row in prisons across America.
In the state of Kentucky, there are 37 inmates on death row. The 36 men wait out their days at Kentucky State Penitentiary. The sole woman, Virginia Caudill, resides at the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women.
Virginia Caudill. Prison photo.
After the killing, Virginia and Jonathon fled the county and spent several days in a cabin. They then went to Ocala, Florida, followed by Gulfport, Mississippi. Virginia moved on to New Orleans, leaving her accomplice behind. She’d been free for over six months when she was arrested in November. Jonathon’s arrest came soon after.
At trial, both defendants blamed the other for masterminding the murder and delivering the fatal blow. The finger-pointing had little effect on judge and jury, and Virginia and her accomplice were both convicted of first degree murder, robbery, burglary, arson and evidence tampering and sentenced to death. Following their sentencing, both argued that they were wrongfully convicted due to having ineffective attorneys. Virginia claimed that if an expert witness for the defense were called in to testify on blood spatter evidence found at the scene, the outcome of her case would have been different. A judge, however, disagreed.
Spotlight: The Women on Louisiana’s Death Row
Spotlight: The Women on Alabama’s Death Row
Spotlight: The Women on Florida’s Death Row
Man Could Face Charges for Shooting Dogs Mauling Boy, 11
Man Could Face Charges for Shooting Dogs Mauling Boy, 11:
Map of D.C. area with N.W. 8th and Sheridan Streets locator. Click to enlarge.An unnamed boy in North West Washington, D.C., was riding his new Huffy bike around his neighborhood around 1 p.m. on January 20, 2013, when he was attacked and mauled by a pack of three pit bulls that had been left to run through the neighborhood off leash and unsupervised. A neighbor, who saw the dogs locked on to the boy’s extremities, retrieved his gun from inside his house, returned and shot and killed one of the dogs. A nearby bicycle cop responded when he heard the single shot. The officer killed the other two dogs, though it is unclear how many shots he fired. The boy, who was covered with bites, was rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery. He is stable and recovering, but according to the boy’s uncle, “The injuries are terrible. … This boy is traumatized. … He told me doesn’t want to go outside anymore. He’s too scared.” The child was also shot in the foot, though apparently the police report does not mention this.
Two of the dogs were killed on the spot, but the third, fatally wounded, managed to limp back to it’s owner’s house leaving a trail of blood. The dogs’ owner lives on the same block as the shooter and the victim and has been cited for failing to leash his dogs, a $25 fine for each dog, and for menacing people, a $100 fine.
Authorities have said that, even though the shooter was reportedly very close to his property line when he fired, they are considering charging the shooter for illegally discharging his firearm on a D.C. street, a serious charge that would carry a $1,000 fine and up to one year in prison. It is not known if the gun was legally registered or not.
Illustration and creation by ms. Lisa C. Jackson
Map of D.C. area with N.W. 8th and Sheridan Streets locator. Click to enlarge.
Two of the dogs were killed on the spot, but the third, fatally wounded, managed to limp back to it’s owner’s house leaving a trail of blood. The dogs’ owner lives on the same block as the shooter and the victim and has been cited for failing to leash his dogs, a $25 fine for each dog, and for menacing people, a $100 fine.
Authorities have said that, even though the shooter was reportedly very close to his property line when he fired, they are considering charging the shooter for illegally discharging his firearm on a D.C. street, a serious charge that would carry a $1,000 fine and up to one year in prison. It is not known if the gun was legally registered or not.
Illustration and creation by ms. Lisa C. Jackson
‘Serial Killer in the Making’ to Serve Life in Prison
‘Serial Killer in the Making’ to Serve Life in Prison:
Quintin O'Dell. Police photo.A man called a “serial killer in the making” by prosecutors has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2011 killing of Alissa Shippert in Platte County, Mo. Quintin O’Dell, 23, also pleaded guilty to disemboweling Brittany Costello, 21, who survived.
According to O’Dell’s confession and courtroom testimony, he had been wading across the Platte River on May 31, 2011, when he saw the 22-year-old Shippert. He approached her and they started talking, but then he attacked her with a hatchet, fatally striking her in the face. Shippert’s murder remained unsolved until O’Dell caught the attention of police later that year. On Christmas night, O’Dell visited Costello at her home. The two were drinking and at one point, O’Dell sliced open her stomach. He later described to police how Costello’s intestines fell out of her body and onto the floor.
As part of his guilty plea, O’Dell avoids the death penalty, something that Shippert’s family is OK with. ”I’m relieved that it’s all over with,” her father, Landis Shippert, told KMBC. “[The prosecutor] had to make a decision about whether to seek the death penalty or not, and we said we just wanted it to be over with, we don’t want to be (dragged) through court.”
Confession Released in Case of Jake Evans, Teen Charged With Killing Mom, Sister
Quintin O'Dell. Police photo.
According to O’Dell’s confession and courtroom testimony, he had been wading across the Platte River on May 31, 2011, when he saw the 22-year-old Shippert. He approached her and they started talking, but then he attacked her with a hatchet, fatally striking her in the face. Shippert’s murder remained unsolved until O’Dell caught the attention of police later that year. On Christmas night, O’Dell visited Costello at her home. The two were drinking and at one point, O’Dell sliced open her stomach. He later described to police how Costello’s intestines fell out of her body and onto the floor.
As part of his guilty plea, O’Dell avoids the death penalty, something that Shippert’s family is OK with. ”I’m relieved that it’s all over with,” her father, Landis Shippert, told KMBC. “[The prosecutor] had to make a decision about whether to seek the death penalty or not, and we said we just wanted it to be over with, we don’t want to be (dragged) through court.”
Confession Released in Case of Jake Evans, Teen Charged With Killing Mom, Sister
Friday, January 11, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)