Until Death Do Us Part

Cynthia Monacchio

2011-08-19T00:00:00.003-04:00

~Murdered August 19, 2011

~Age 51
~Hometown: Day, NY

Police believe Robert Monacchio, Jr. strangled his wife, Cynthia, in their home on August 19th and then used a shotgun to kill himself. The couple had no known history of domestic violence but their marriage of 15 years was on the rocks. Mr. Monacchio, 51, had sought counseling to help keep his marriage together. Mrs. Monacchio, 51, no longer in love, stayed with her husband for the sake of their children.

The couple had lived in the rural Day, NY area, where Mr. Monacchio had family, for the past few years. Mr. Monacchio was employed by Target.

Mrs. Monacchio was originally from Maryland, and had attended college in Delaware. She worked as a bookkeeper.

The Monacchio's 11-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son were at their paternal grandparents' house at the time of the murder-suicide.

Sources
Times Union, Aug 22, 2011
Times Union, Aug 22, 2011
The Saratogian, Aug 22, 2011

~Posted August 23, 2011

Gina Reano

2011-08-03T00:00:00.002-04:00

~Murdered August 3, 2011

~Age 45
~Hometown: San Gabriel, CA

Tragedy hit the E! Entertainment Television family on August 3, 2011 when an E! facilities director was accused of fatally stabbing his estranged wife, a former E! editor and producer, and injuring his estranged wife's sister, also an E! employee.

The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. in the San Gabriel, CA home where Gina Reano, 45, lived with her sister Grace Reano. Gina Reano died at the scene. Grace Reano was hospitalized with non-life-threatening stab wounds suffered when she came to her sister's aid. Alleged perpetrator, Sherman Dion Dorsey, 40, of Los Angeles, incurred self-inflicted stab wounds and was also hospitalized.

Dorsey is currently being held on $2.7 million bond. His arraignment is scheduled for August 23.

Dorsey's LinkedIn profile indicates he has been a facilities director at E! / Comcast since 1999. Prior to that he attended California State University - Los Angeles.

Gina Reano served as assistant editor or post-production coordinator for various E! documentaries between 2007 and 2011, according to IMDb. Among shows she worked on is TSH Investigates: Dating Nightmares.

Sources
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Aug 4, 2011
The Wrap, Aug 9, 2011 (also posted by Reuters)

~Posted August 23, 2011

Robert Higdon

2011-08-01T00:00:00.007-04:00

~Murdered August 1, 2011

~Age 58
~Hometown: Augusta, GA

A high-heeled shoe is the alleged murder weapon in a recent Georgia domestic homicide. Police say Robert Higdon, 58, died in the early hours of August 1, after his live-in girlfriend, Thelma Carter, 46, hit him on the head with her shoe. The altercation followed an argument over the couple's puppy. Alcohol is said to have been a factor in the incident.

Carter was charged with one count of murder and is being held without bond. She has admitted to hitting Higdon with her shoe. Initial autopsy results, however, were inconclusive as to Higdon's cause of death. Additional toxicology tests will be performed.

Higdon had a grown daughter, who lives in South Carolina. Other surviving family members include his parents, brother, and a niece and nephew.

Thelma Carter

Sources
The Augusta Chronicle, Aug 1, 2011
The Augusta Chronicle, Aug 2, 2011 [obit]
WJBF-TV, Aug 1-2, 2011
WAGT-TV, Aug 12, 2011

~Posted August 23, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Memorial contributions may be made to Hamp Pope Recovery Fund, c/o Hale House, 402 Walker Street, Augusta, GA 30901. [Source: obit]

Audra McCullough

2009-01-18T00:00:00.003-05:00

~Murdered January 18, 2009

~Age 19
~Hometown: Nashville, TN

An argument between a young couple turned deadly shortly after midnight on January 18, 2009. That's when police say Brandon Watson, 20, shot his girlfriend Audra McCullough, 19, to death in the Nashville, TN apartment they shared. Watson, who witnesses say was drunk, then shot himself in the head. He was hospitalized in critical condition as of the latest reports found online.

McCullough worked as a waitress. She leaves the son she had with Watson.

Audra McCullough; Brandon Watson

Sources
Nashville Police media report, Jan 18, 2009
WSMV TV News, Jan 18, 2009
WTVF-News Channel 5, Jan 18, 2009
The Tennessean, Jan 18, 2009
High Funeral Home webpage [obit]

~Posted January 20, 2009

Brittney Wells

2009-01-14T00:00:00.002-05:00

Murdered January 14, 2009

~Age 17
~Hometown: Clarkston (DeKalb Co.), GA

Just after midnight on January 15, 2009 police, working on an anonymous tip, found the body of 17-year-old high school student Brittney Wells in a dumpster behind a Clarkston, GA apartment complex. Police arrested Shannon Cade,17, in connection with her death. Cade was Wells' boyfriend and lived at the complex where her body was found.

Police believe Wells, who was last seen the previous morning, went to Cade's apartment willingly but was later held there against her will. They say Cade strangled her to death after she refused to have sex with him. A 14-year-old who police say helped Cade dispose of Wells' body has been charged as a juvenile with concealing a death. Additional people may have been involved, according to police, who continue to investigate.

Wells was a student at Clarkston High School in Clarkston, GA. She is survived by her parents, 2 sisters and 1 brother.

Those who knew Wells describe her as "just a nice all around person" and someone who "never tried to pick a fight and never tried to have any trouble." Wells had many friends at Clarkston HS where was a member of Technology Students of America. She loved her little 7-year-old sister, who she often talked about, and eating at Wendy’s.

Shannon Cade

Sources
WSVB-TV, Jan 16, 2009
Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jan 16, 2009
Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jan 21, 2009 [obit]

Note: The victim's name is spelled Brittany Wells in some reports. Cade's age was listed as 18 in some reports but he is 17 according to his date of birth listed on the DeKalb County (GA) Online Jail Tracking System.

Special thanks to two individuals who knew Wells for providing information about her for this story.

~Posted January 21, 2009
~Updated January 24, 2009

Lindsay Tall

2009-01-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Murdered January 13, 2009

~Age 45 (some reports say 46)
~Hometown: Mission, TX

"I fucked up. I shot my wife," Joseph Anthony Mongiello told officers arriving at his Mission, TX in response to a 911 call he placed around 11:00 p.m. on January 13, 2009. Inside police found Mongiello's wife, Lindsay Parker Tall, with 4 to 6 gunshot wounds to the chest. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mongiello, age 48, reportedly later gave police a sworn statement saying he shot Tall, age 45 (or 46, reports vary). Police declined to release additional details about Mongiello's statement, saying their discussions with the suspect were still ongoing, but news reports suggest the shooting followed an argument.

Mongiello was arrested and charged with one count of murder. His bond was set at $3 million. He is said to be on suicide watch.

Police had no prior involvement with the couple for domestic violence. Some leaving online comments to news reports allege that Tall was abusive towards Mongiello, but these comments are unsubstantiated. A neighbor interviewed on local TV knew of no problems. Mongiello was arrested for DWI in conjunction with an August 2008 hit-and-run (the case is pending arraignment), but was not intoxicated at the time of the shooting.

Mongiello has a 26-year employment history with the US Customs and Border Protection and its predecessor agencies. He used to be the customs bridge director for the US-Mexico crossing at Rio Grande City, TX, but was put on non-duty status pending the outcome of his DWI case.

Tall was married previously but her first husband was killed during an overseas trip. She had two daughters from that marriage, whose ages were listed as 17 and 18 in one report and 17 and 23 in another. Tall was described as a dedicated mother who often participated in her daughters' school activities. She also enjoyed her dogs and horse, and doing volunteer work.

Lindsay Tall; Joseph Mongiello

Sources
The Monitor, Jan 14, 2008
KGBT-TV, Jan 15, 2009
KGBT-TV, Jan 15, 2009
Note: Tall's name is listed as Lindsay P. Mongiello in the police's probable cause document regarding the incident.

~Posted January 19, 2009

Tammy Saldana

2009-01-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

Murdered on/around January 12, 2009

~Age 46
~Hometown: Casa Grande, AZ

A niece stopped by 46-year-old Tammy Saldana's Casa Grande, AZ home after not hearing from her in a few days. Seeing what she thought were bodies on the floor inside the home the niece summoned police. Police found Saldana and her fiancé, 53-year-old Vincent Sullivan, dead of gunshot wounds. Based on an investigation and autopsy results police determined Sullivan shot Saldana multiple times before turning the gun on himself. No motive was reported in the single news report of the incident found online.

Saldana owned and operated a Pita Pit Restaurant franchise in Casa Grande, AZ that she opened in March 2007. Her obituary describes her as an optimist and an adventurer. She is said to have loved the outdoors, riding her motorcycle, camping and fishing. She liked elephants, believing that they brought luck. She was a NY Jets fan. She had one daughter and one son (ages not specified).

Tammy Saldana (at her Pita Pit franchise)

Sources
Casa Grande Dispatch, Jan 16, 2009 [obit-hers]
Casa Grande Dispatch, Jan 17, 2009

~Posted January 18, 2009

Patricia Kavano

2009-01-11T00:00:00.005-05:00

Murdered on/about January 11, 2009

~Age 63
~Hometown: Manchester, MO

On January 10, 2008 Frank William Kavano, 66, was served with a temporary restraining order baring him from abusing or threatening his wife, Patricia Ann Kavano, 63, or being in or near their Manchester, MO home. The next evening, police believe, Mr. Kavano used an antique revolver to kill both his wife and himself with shots to the head.

The restraining order was on the floor near Mr. Kavano when the bodies were discovered on January 12 by Mrs. Kavano's adult daughter from a previous marriage, leading police to speculate that the order might have set off the chain of events. A note left by Mr. Kavano - described by police as rambling and incoherent - alluded to marital problems but did not specifically mention the pending murder-suicide.

Some published reports say the couple had health and financial problems. (No additional details were provided.) Other reports say the couple's finances were satisfactory but that Mr. Kavano was mad about how much money his wife spent on her grandchildren.

In her request for a temporary restraining order Mrs. Kavano said her husband did things such as threaten to kill her son, hide her car keys so she couldn't go to work, lock her out of the house and put all her clothes in the car. She reportedly recently decided to seek a divorce. She filed once previously, in 2002, but then changed her mind. The couple had been married 10-14 years (reports vary).

Local police were well acquainted with Mr. Kavano - who they said had 'quirks' - because he would often call to report things such as speeding cars in the neighborhood. He did not get along with neighbors, but was not known to be violent. One neighbor and his two ex-wives, however, had restraining orders against him. One ex-wife was quoted as saying, "I've been so afraid of that man for so long. He harassed me and my kids."

Mr. Kavano was a retired plumber. His obituary says he is survived by Tony, Tracy and Nicole though does not specifically say if these are his children.

Mrs. Kavano worked as a registered nurse for Chrysler Corporation. She was previously employed by Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville, MO. She was active in the Catholic church and the American Legion Auxiliary. Her obituary says her greatest joy was her family. She leaves two daughters, one son and six grandchildren.

Patricia Kavano

Sources
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan 13, 2009
Suburban Journals, Jan 13, 2009
St. Louis Dispatch, Jan 14, 2009
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan 16, 2009 [obit-his]
Perryville Suntimes, Wk of Jan 12, 2009 [obit-hers]
Note: Mrs. Kavano's obituary is listed under the name Patricia Ann (Modde) Tiehes.

~Posted January 18, 2009

Donations in memory of Mrs. Kavano may be made to the Association of the Miraculous Medal, 1811 West Saint Joseph Street, Perryville, MO 63775. (Address from the organization's website.) [Source/obit]

Marie Cogburn

2009-01-10T00:00:00.001-05:00

~Murdered January 10, 2009

~Age 34
~Hometown: Nashville, AR

Daniel Mark Gardner, 42, has been arrested in connection with the death of a woman he had been dating for a few months. The woman, 34-year-old Marie Harper Cogburn, was found dead of a single gunshot wound to her back in Gardner's home on January 10, 2009. The victim and suspect both lived in Nashville, AR.

Gardner is being held, pending arraignment, on $200,000 bond. Prosecutors still are deciding exactly what charges he will face. Gardner reportedly told police the shooting was not intentional. He said he was trying to push Cogburn in the back with an AR-15 rifle when it accidentally discharged.

Gardner worked as a police officer for a brief time in 1996.

Cogburn, affectionately known as Ree, worked as a manager at Murphy Oil. She leaves three sons from a previous marriage.

Daniel Gardner

Sources
KTBS-TV, Jan 12, 2009
Texarkana Gazette, Jan 13, 2009
Nashville Leader, Jan 14, 2009
Fox-16 News, Jan 14, 2009
Texarkana Gazette, Jan 15, 2009 [obit]

~Posted January 19, 2009

Tarneshia Jones

2009-01-06T00:00:00.002-05:00

Murdered January 6, 2009

~Age 19
~Hometown: Milledgeville, GA

Tarneshia Jones, 19, had a son while still in high school but, nevertheless, graduated in 2008 and was pursing a college degree when her life was cut short. On January 6, 2009, police say, Darian Napier, Jones' former boyfriend and the father or her son, shot Jones in her Milledgeville, GA home and then turned the gun on himself. Both died at the scene.

Daquavious Napier, the couple's 2-year-old son, was at daycare at the time of the incident. He is now in the care of Jones' family.

Jones and Napier - high school sweethearts who recently broke up - had a tumultuous relationship according to news reports. Napier was on probation for simple battery stemming from a November 2008 incident in which he grabbed the wheel of a car Jones was driving causing it to crash. Jones' father said he didn't think the relationship involved physical violence, but a cousin described Napier as obsessed with Jones. Napier reportedly once said if he couldn't have Jones then no one could.

Friends say Napier had recently been depressed. The local sheriff believes this played a role in the murder-suicide.

Napier, who went by the nickname D-Nate, had been an all-region basketball player in high school. He was employed by Chik-fil-A. In addition to the child he had with Jones, he leaves another son.

Jones, known to friends as MuMu, was a freshman at Georgia Military College where she hoped to obtain a degree in nursing. She also was employed by Office Max.

Tarneshia Jones*, Darian Napier
*Picture from her Facebook page

Sources
The Baldwin Bulletin, Jan 6, 2008
Macon.com/The Telegraph, Jan 6, 2009
Macon.com/The Telegraph, Jan 7, 2009
WMAZ-TV, Jan 7, 2009
Union-Recorder, Jan 8 2009 [obit-hers]
Union-Recorder, Jan 9, 2009 [obit-his]

~Posted January 17, 2009

A fund has been established for Jones and Napier's son. Donations to the Daquavious O. Napier Trust Fund can be made at Exchange Bank in Milledgeville, GA. [Source/Obit]

Yoranda Ntahomvukiye

2009-01-05T00:00:00.001-05:00

Murdered January 5, 2009

~Age 56
~Hometown: Nashville, TN

Five months after Yoranda Ntahomvukiye, 56, and her husband Pascal Gahungu, 63, immigrated to the US from Africa, she was dead and he was incarcerated for her murder. Police say Gahungu stabbed his wife to death in their Nashville, TN apartment on January 5, 2009 following an argument.

Two of the couple's adult children and a 7-year-old granddaughter were home at the time. The couple's 20-year-old son attempted to intervene and was almost stabbed himself in the process.

A language barrier initially complicated the situation for police. After locating a translator, however, police reportedly extracted a confession from Gahungu. Charged with criminal homicide and attempted criminal homicide, he remains held on $1.25 million bond.

Originally from Burundi, the couple fled that country in the 1970s, living in Rwanda and Tanzania before their recent arrival in Nashville. Six of their nine children live in the US.

Yoranda Ntahomvukiye; Pascal Gahungu

Sources
Nashville Police media report, Jan 6, 2009
WTVF-News Channel 5, Jan 6, 2009
WSMV TV News, Jan 6, 2009

~Posted January 20, 2009

Chronological List 2009

2009-01-01T12:00:00.006-05:00

The posts in this blog are dated and included in the archive by the date of death, not the date of posting. The list below includes the posts written in 2009, listed in the order posted.

~Posted January 21~
Brittney Wells *1/24/09 update

~Posted January 20~
Likza Alvarenga
Audra McCullough
Yoranda Ntahomvukiye

~Posted January 19~
Marie Cogburn
Lindsay Tall
Maura Marroquin

~Posted January 18~
Tammy Saldana
Patricia Kavano
Darlene Sloan

~Posted January 17~
Veronica Williams
Sharon Glassman
Tarneshia Jones

~Posted January 16~
Kathryn Smith
Norma Lopez
Norma Fierro Lopez

~Posted January 15~
Arnaldo Amado

Maura Marroquin

2008-12-31T00:00:00.007-05:00

Murdered December 31, 2008

~Age 23
~Hometown: Rio Grande City, TX

A 28-year-old San Antonio, TX man went on a two-day crime spree across south Texas at the end of 2008 that included kidnapping, four carjackings and murder. It ended with the man, Moises Gonzalez, fatally shooting himself in the head so police can only speculate on his motive, but it appears he was driven, at least in part, by jealousy over the break-up of his relationship with girlfriend Maura Marroquin. The 23-year-old woman from Rio Grande City, TX was killed during the crime spree.

On December 30, 2008 Gonzalez kidnapped Marroquin at gunpoint from her car in McAllen, TX. Later Gonzalez carjacked two cars. The next day he stole another car. Around 7 p.m. that evening he killed his ex-girlfriend in a Harlingen, TX H-E-B Supermarket, shooting her once in the back and a second time in the chest as she lay on the floor. Gonzalez then carjacked another vehicle. At 9:15 p.m. he drove into the Weslaco, TX Wal-Mart and rode through the store before crashing and shooting himself. Gonzalez died on the way to the hospital. Six people in Wal-Mart suffered minor injuries.

Marroquin and Gonzalez had what was described as an on and off relationship. For some period of time she lived with him in San Antonio, but had broken off the relationship before her kidnapping and murder. One report said the break-up occurred several months ago. Another suggests it may have been more recent.

Little information was published about Gonzalez other than that he was licenced to carry a gun and was arrested for burglary a few weeks prior to the crime spree described here. Marroquin reportedly described her ex-boyfriend as a very jealous person, but did not seem afraid of Gonzalez following their break-up.

Similarly, only a few details were provided regarding Marroquin. She was separated from and in the process of an amicable divorce from her husband of 6 years. He and the couple's 4-year-old son were visiting Mexico at the time of Marroquin's kidnapping and murder.

Maura Marroquin; Moises Gonzalez

Sources
The Monitor, Dec 31, 2008
KRGV-TV, Dec 31, 2008
KGBT-TV, Jan 1, 2009
KVEO-TV, Jan 1, 2009
The Monitor, Jan 1, 2009
KRGV-TV, Jan 2, 2008
The Monitor, Jan 2, 2009
The Monitor, Jan 13, 2009

~Posted January 19, 2009

Arnaldo Amado

2008-12-27T00:00:00.004-05:00

Murdered December 27, 2008

~Age 42
~Hometown: Somerville, MA

According to police, on the afternoon of December 27, 2008, 30-year-old Kimberly Carmella Savini stabbed her live-in boyfriend Arnaldo Amado, 42, in the chest with a kitchen knife. The incident occurred in the couple's Somerville, MA apartment. Amado was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Savini, who called 911 to report the stabbing, is said to have told the responding officers, "Yes, I stabbed him, but he attacked me first." She is being held without bail on one count of murder. Her lawyer says Savini acted in self defense after being beaten by a drunken Amado following an argument. Savini reportedly had bruises on her face and upper body at the time of her arrest. The District Attorney, however, says information from neighbors suggests Savini was the aggressor in the troubled relationship.

The couple had been together 4 years and had a 1-year-old son. The child, who was in the apartment at the time of the stabbing but was unharmed, is in the care of his maternal grandparents.

Kimberly Savini

Sources
Somerville Journal, Dec 27, 2008
Boston Globe, Dec 29, 2008
Middlesex DA press release, Dec 29, 2008
Boston Herald, Dec 30, 2008
Somerville Journal, Dec 31, 2008

~Posted January 15, 2009

Darlene Sloan

2008-12-25T00:00:00.004-05:00

~Murdered December 25, 2008

~Age 50
~Hometown: Forest Park, GA

In the wee hours of December 25, 2008 Bobby Sloan, 60, and his wife Darlene Brown Sloan, 50, were returning from a nightclub when they got into an argument. It was then, police say, that Mr. Sloan pulled out a handgun and shot Mrs. Sloan in the head. She died at the scene.

The Sloans, from Forest Park, GA, were visiting her relatives in South Carolina at the time of the incident. The shooting occurred in Charleston, SC. Mrs. Sloan attended high school in nearby Walterboro, where her mother still lives.

Mr. Sloan is being held in Charleston on charges of murder and possession of a firearm during commission of a crime.

Mrs. Sloan worked as a manager at McDonald's. She leaves one son (presumably from a previous relationship) and two grandchildren.

Bobby Sloan

Sources
WCBD-TV, Dec 25, 2008
Post and Courier, Dec 25, 2008
Post and Courier, Dec 26, 2008
Post and Courier, Dec 27, 2008
Community Times Dispatch, Jan 1, 2009 [obit-cached]

~Posted January 18, 2009

Likza Alvarenga

2008-12-22T00:00:00.002-05:00

Murdered December 22, 2008

~Age 22
~Hometown: Miami, FL

When 22-year-old Likza Alvarenga was out shopping her estranged husband, Julio Duarte, hid in a closet of her Miami, FL home. Upon Alvarenga's return Duarte jumped out and chased her, ultimately shooting her multiple times and leaving her to die on the lawn. The couple's 3-year-old daughter witnessed the attack, which occurred around11 p.m. on December 22, 2008.

Duarte reportedly confessed to police following his arrest. No other details were provided in news reports located online.

The couple had been separated one year. Their daughter resided with Alvarenga. Neighbors said mother and daughter could often be seen playing outside together.

Sources
Miami Herald, Dec 23, 2008 [cached]
MMIX-TV News, Dec 23, 2008

~Posted January 20, 2009

Veronica Williams

2008-11-20T00:00:00.001-05:00

Murdered November 20, 2008

~Age 28
~Hometown: Baltimore, MD

As Veronica Elizabeth (Graves) Williams, 28, was leaving a Baltimore, MD courthouse on November 17, 2008, a just-obtained temporary restraining order against her estranged husband in hand, she was stabbed repeatedly by the very man the order was to protect her against, Cleaven 'CJ' Williams, 33. An off-duty officer witnessed the attack and tried to stop it, first by tasing Mr. Williams and, when that didn't work, shooting him. Both Mr. and Mrs. Williams were rushed to the hospital. He survived. She did not.

Mrs. Williams' Jehovah's Witness faith precluded treatment with blood transfusions, though it is not clear it would have saved her anyway given the extent of her injuries. After several days in a drug-induced coma, during which she suffered a stroke and a miscarriage, Mrs. Williams died on November 20th.

The Williams met in 1998 when both attended Hagerstown Junior College. They married in 1999 and opened a barbershop together shortly thereafter. The 3 children that followed were home schooled by Mrs. Williams, who also assisted her husband in the barbershop.

Looking back, Mrs. Williams' family members say Mr. Williams seemed overly possessive from the start, but problems in the couple's relationship were not apparent until January 2005. That was when Mr. Williams choked, beat and pistol whipped his wife, and also shot a bullet at the floor near her feet. He pled guilty to second degree assault for the incident and received a 3-year suspended sentence and probation. (The couple's barbershop burned to the ground the day after the beating. The fire was deemed arson, but no one was ever charged.)

Although Mrs. Williams left the state for awhile afterwards, fearing for her safety, the couple eventually reconciled. By October 2008, however, Mrs. Williams decided she wanted to leave her husband. When she told him, he reportedly pinned her down and cut off all the hair on the back of her head. He then ordered her to leave their house, subsequently destroying some of her property. Mrs. Williams cited this behavior when requesting a restraining order in November, although she did not live long enough to reap any benefit from the order.

Mr. Williams was a barber by trade, although not regularly employed when his wife was killed. At that time he was serving as president of the Greater Greenmount Community Association in East Baltimore. Ironically the organization has a focus on stopping violence.

Mr. Williams is now incarcerated pending a trial in the murder of his wife. At a January 2009 arraignment he entered a not guilty plea on the first degree murder and deadly weapons violations charges against him.

Mrs. Williams, who was affectionately called 'V,' worked as a hair stylist. Comments left on the online guestbook accompanying her obituary described her as beautiful inside and out, loving, peaceful, warm, family oriented, and a devoted mother.

The couple's three children, Isis, Malik and Asia, ages 8, 7 and 5 respectively, are in the custody of Mrs. Williams' cousin.

Veronica Williams; Cleaven WIlliams

Sources
WBAL-TV, Nov 18, 2008
WJZ-TV, Nov 22, 2008
Baltimore Sun, Nov 19, 2009
Baltimore Sun, Nov 22, 2008
The Herald-Mail, Nov 25, 2008
Fayetteville Observer, Nov 30, 2008 [obit]
Baltimore Sun, Dec 14, 2008
Baltimore Sun, Jan 16, 2009
YouTube tribute video

~Posted January 17, 2009

A fund has been established for the Williams' three children. Donations can be made to the "Children of Veronica Williams Assistance Fund" at any Bank of America branch. [Source 1, 2]

Sharon Glassman

2008-09-28T00:00:00.007-04:00

Murdered September 28, 2008

~Age 60
~Hometown: Boston, MA

On or around September 28, 2008 Christian Mogensen updated his MrMogensen.com website with R.I.P. messages for two people who died on that day. The two people were Mogensen himself, age 61, and his wife Sharon Glassman, 60.

In a 911 call around 10:00 p.m. on September 28 Mogensen told authorities he had just killed his wife and would kill himself when police came. Police entering the apartment the couple shared in an upscale Boston, MA high-rise found both Glassman and Mogensen dead of gunshot wounds.

The couple had no known history of domestic violence. A note Mogensen left said his actions were motivated by financial problems. In the note he wrote that he and Glassman were facing eviction over $6,100 in back rent and that he had $28,500 in unpaid loans. Police believe Glassman was completely unaware of her husband's plans to kill them both.

Glassman and Mogensen initially met in the 1960s but fell out of touch for many years, reconnecting only when both got jobs at IBM Lotus in the 1990s. They were married in December 1996.

Mogensen was a computer engineer who had worked for various software companies and most recently was self-employed as a web developer. In the 1970s, prior to embarking on a computer career, he played piano in Boston nightclubs. He was a jazz aficionado.

Glassman was born in Bronx, NY but had lived in the Boston area since the 1960s. She had a BA in arts education from Boston University. The past few years she worked as an administrative assistant at Boston's Brigham & Women's Hospital, where she was remembered as compassionate and dedicated. She previously held a similar position at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Glassman was active in local charities and enjoyed reading, museums, Broadway shows and watching videos.

Sharon Glassman

Sharon Glassman & Christian Mogensen
(Wedding day picture from his website)

Sources
Boston Globe, Sept 29, 2008
Boston PD News, Sept 29, 2008
WCVB-TV, Sept 29, 2008
Boston Herald, Sept 30, 2008
Boston Globe, Oct 13, 2008
BWH Bulletin, Oct 17, 2008 [obit-hers]

~Posted January 17, 2009

Kathryn Smith

2008-08-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered August 25, 2008

~Age 58
~Hometown: Guyandotte (Huntington), WV

The day Robert Scott Frazier, 41, collected the first payment on a motorcycle he was selling was also the day an argument with his girlfriend apparently angered him so much he killed her with a single bullet to the head. The motorcycle buyer, a 19-year-old man not really well acquainted with either party, was at the couple's home in the Guyandotte section of Huntington, WV on August 25, 2008 to make a payment but left when he saw Frazier get his shotgun and then heard a gunshot in the other room. Police were subsequently summoned. Arriving at the scene they found Kathryn Gayle Smith, 58, dead in the bedroom of the home she shared with Frazier. Frazier was arrested a short time later nearby.

Frazier initially told police that Smith pulled the gun on him and was shot as he tried to take the gun from her. He reportedly later confessed that the shooting stemmed from an argument over Smith's request that he move out. The couple had a history of domestic violence according to neighbors.

Frazier was charged with murder and possession of marijuana. He has been incarcerated since his arrest. In January 2009 a grand jury indicted him on the murder charges. A trial date is pending.

Smith worked as a beautician at Master Cuts.

Sources
Herald Dispatch, Aug 28, 2008 [obit]
Herald Dispatch, Sept 5, 2008
WSAZ-TV, Jan 16, 2009
Note: News reports list the victim's age as 58; her obituary says 53.

~Posted January 16, 2009

Norma Fierro Lopez

2008-07-04T00:00:00.007-04:00

Murdered July 4, 2008

~Age 32
~Hometown: Carlsbad, CA

For two days after Juan Ambrocio reportedly strangled his girlfriend, Norma Fierro Lopez, to death in her SUV he stayed in the car with her dead body. During this time, Ambrocio told police, he repeatedly apologized to her body and considered suicide. Turning himself in on July 6, 2008, Ambrocio is said to have admitted to killing Lopez on July 4th after she confirmed his suspicions that she had slept with other men. "I just snapped," is how Ambrocio explained his actions, according to police.

In January 2009 Ambrocio was ordered to stand trial for Lopez's murder. Bail in the case was set at $1 million.

Before his arrest, Ambrocio, age 24, lived in Oceanside, CA and was employed as a window washer. His prior police record includes only a drunk driving conviction.

Lopez was a 32-year-old resident of Carlsbad, CA at the time of her death. One news report described her as a mother, but no additional details were provided.

Sources
North County Times, Jul 9, 2008
Union-Tribune, Jul 9, 2008
Union-Tribune, Jan 15, 2009
Note: The victim's name is listed as Norma Fiero Lopez [Fiero with one r, not two] in some news reports.

~Posted January 16, 2009

Norma Lopez

2008-06-30T00:00:00.005-04:00

Murdered June 30, 2008

~Age 49
~Hometown: Corpus Christi, TX

On May 5, 2008 Norma Lopez, 49, filed for divorce and requested a restraining order, saying that her husband Roberto Saucido, 55, had threatened to kill her. Less than two months later, she was dead. Saucido shot Lopez in the head and chest just outside the business she owned in Corpus Christi, TX on June 30, 2008. Saucido subsequently shot himself in the head and died two days later when removed from life support.

The couple, married in August 2001, had a history of domestic violence according to court documents filed by Lopez and information from friends. Lopez moved out of the couple's home in April 2008, presumably to escape her abusive husband. He apparently continued to stalk and harass her, however. She reported that in early May he beat her unconscious and threatened to kill her. Her adult son from a previous marriage received a phone call from Saucido just days days before the murder-suicide in which Saucido indicated that Lopez would 'pay for her deception.'

Saucido was a refinery worker. He had 4 sons from a previous marriage. They remember him as a great father.

Lopez was a seamstress who owned her own business, Seam & Stitch Alterations. Commenting on the story of Lopez's murder one customer wrote, "... She was a wonderful lady and one of the best seamstress in town ... She had talent ... All you had to do was show her a picture of a dress and she made it look like the original ... She was always so kind hearted, soft spoken and did everything to try and help someone who went in to her store..."

Lopez had three adult sons from a previous marriage. She was buried in her native Monterrey, Mexico, where she still had some family.

Norma Lopez

Sources
Caller-Times, Jun 30, 2008
Caller-Times, Jul 1, 2008
Caller-Times, Jul 1, 2008
KRIS-TV, Jul 1, 2008
KRIS-TV, Jul 1, 2008
Caller-Times, Jul 3, 2008
KRIS-TV, Jul 2, 2008

~Posted January 16, 2009

Mindrey Rodriguez-Sanchez

2007-12-04T00:00:00.002-05:00

Murdered December 4, 2007

~Age 30
~Hometown: Tampa, FL

Police, responding to reports of what sounded like fireworks the evening of December 4, 2007, arrived at Humberto Cruz's Tampa, FL home to find it aglow in Christmas lights. Passing by the various holiday decorations in the front yard they saw the body of Cruz's estranged wife in the home's doorway. Mindrey Rodriguez-Sanchez, 30, had been shot to death.

Cruz, 65, was located the next morning on the banks on a nearby river, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Police have labeled the deaths a murder-suicide.

Exactly what led Cruz to commit the shootings is unknown. He may have been upset that his 10-year marriage ended in separation a few months earlier and that Rodriguez-Sanchez was reportedly seeing someone else, but this is only speculation. Cruz also recently told his family he had been diagnosed with cancer.

The couple's separation followed Cruz's September 2007 arrest for misdemeanor domestic battery; he was accused of choking his wife. The case was settled out of court, with Cruz referred to pretrial diversion. There were no other reported domestic violence incidents between the couple, but the assistant manager of the apartment complex where Rodriguez-Sanchez moved after the separation said Rodriguez-Sanchez was "petrified" of Cruz. However, Cruz's adult children from an earlier marriage doubt any claims of domestic violence, saying their father was not a violent man.

Cruz and Rodriguez-Sanchez had two children together, 8-year-old Rosalyn and 4-year-old Katherine. The children were not in the home when Rodriguez-Sanchez was shot. They are currently in the care of relatives.

Cruz was a retired watchmaker and security guard. A native of Cuba, he had lived in the Tampa area for 20 years. One story said he was the father of seven, including children he had during an earlier marriage that ended in the 1990s.

Little information about Rodriguez-Sanchez was reported. A family member, though, was quoted as saying she was "an excellent person."

Humberto Cruz

Sources
Fox TV Tampa, Dec 4, 2007
The Tampa Tribune, Dec 4, 2007
St. Petersburg Times, Dec 6, 2007
Tampa Police news release, Dec 5, 2007
The Tampa Tribune, Dec 7, 2007
Note: The victim's name is alternately reported as Mindrey Sanchez-Rodriguez in some news stories.

~Posted December 8, 2007

Wanda Love

2007-12-04T00:00:00.001-05:00

Murdered December 4, 2007

~Age 35
~Hometown: Lake Charles, LA

Wanda Love, 35, died in the hospital on December 4, 2007, three days after being shot in the face in her Lake Charles, LA home. Her sometime boyfriend, Dwayne Hayes, 29, told police Love's gunshot wound was self-inflicted. Police, however, contend evidence at the scene points not to suicide, but rather to homicide. They arrested Hayes on a 2nd-degree murder charge in connection with Love's death.

Love and Hayes had a long history of domestic violence, according to police. Hayes' police record includes two prior arrests for 2nd-degree attempted murder, one involving Love.

Source
KPLC-TV, Dec 5, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007

Vanessa Garces

2007-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Murdered December 4, 2007

~Age 21
~Hometown: Copper Canyon, TX

Twenty-one-year-old Vanessa Nichole Garces lived with her parents in what is described as an affluent gated community in Copper Canyon, TX. That could not protect her, however, from a former boyfriend apparently intent on killing her. According to police reports the ex-boyfriend, Patrick Thomas Dyson, 26, rammed Garces' car as she entered the community's security gates the evening of December 4, 2007 and proceeded to shoot her multiple times. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dyson fled to nearby Hickory Creek, TX where he lived with his family. He held police at bay for over three hours, as he sat in his truck threatening suicide. Police eventually used tear gas to subdue him. He was arrested for the murder of Garces and is currently being held without bail.

Dyson was out on bail at the time of the shooting, following a July 2007 arrest for drug possession. The Dallas/Fort Worth CBS affiliate reported that Dyson has "a history of violent behavior," but no further details were provided. Dyson's motive in the current incident remains unknown, as the police investigation into Garces' death is in the preliminary phases.

Those who knew Garces describe her as vivacious and cheery; the kind of person who always had a smile on her face. She is survived by Zabrina, the two-year-old daughter she had with Dyson.

Vanessa Garces; Patrick Dyson

Sources
Cross Timbers Gazette / Pegasus News, Dec 5, 2007
Star Telegram, Dec 5, 2007
Denton Record Chronicle, Dec 5, 2007
Dallas Morning News, Dec 5, 2007
The News Connection, Dec 5, 2007
CBS-11 TV, Dec 5, 2007
WFAA-TV, Dec 5, 2007
Obituary, Dallas Morning News, Dec 8, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007
~Updated December 8, 2007 [Added obituary, info about Garces from comments to the original post]

A fund has been established for Garces and Dyson's daughter. Donations can be sent to the address below and should be marked 'Zabrina.' [Source/Obit]

Radius Display Products
800 Fabric Xpressway
Dallas, TX 75234

Maria Torres-Valle

2007-11-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Murdered November 27, 2007

~Age 18
~Hometown: Kansas City, MO

The body of Maria Guadalupe Torres-Valle, 18, was found on November 27, 2007 in her car, not far from the Kansas City, MO home she shared with her boyfriend, Jesus Sanchez, 24, and their two young children. She had been beaten and stabbed in the head.

Sanchez initially told police Torres-Valle had not returned from work the night before. When police received a tip from a neighbor that pointed to Sanchez in the killing, though, he reportedly confessed. Apparently Sanchez beat Torres-Valle unconscious with an aluminum baseball bat when she got home from work, drove her body a short distance from their home and then stabbed her several times. He was jealous because someone told him Torres-Valle was seeing another man.

Sanchez was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is being held in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.

Torres-Valle's mother spoke with her daughter via telephone a few days before the murder. Torres-Valle said she and Sanchez had a fight after which Sanchez had torn up all her clothes. She also told her mother she wanted to leave Kansas City for California where her parents had moved two years earlier.

She never got that chance. Torres-Valle will, however, be buried in California, thanks to the monies raised by family and friends in Kansas City to cover the expense of transporting her body.

Sanchez and Torres-Valle's children are currently in the care of an aunt in the Kansas City area. Her parents plan to seek custody.

Maria Torres-Valle; Jesus Sanchez

Sources
Crime Scene KC [blog], Nov 29, 2007
Kansas City Star, Nov 29, 2007
KCTV5, Nov 29, 2007
KMBC-TV, Nov 29, 2007
NBC Action News, Dec 2, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007

Diana Wright-Boisround

2007-11-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Murdered November 25, 2007

~Age 34
~Hometown: Kennesaw, GA

During a 911 call the afternoon of November 25, 2007 Juwell A. Sam, 39, reported he had killed his girlfriend and was about to kill himself. Police arriving at the Kennesaw, GA home the couple shared found Sam with a single gunshot to the head. He died later at the hospital. Already dead at the scene was Sam's girlfriend, Diana Wright-Boisround, 34, who had been shot twice in the head.

It appears Sam and Wright-Boisround lived together for just a short time. Neighbors, who describe the couple as quiet people who kept to themselves, say Sam moved in only two weeks before the murder-suicide. Wright-Boisround purchased the home six months earlier.

Sources
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nov 25, 2007
Marietta Daily Journal, Nov 27, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007

Anthony 'Tank' Keene

2007-11-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Murdered November 23, 2007

~Age 40
~Hometown: Trenton, NJ

Police called to a Trenton, NJ home in the early hours of November 23, 2007 found 40-year-old Anthony 'Tank' Orlando Keene with multiple stab wounds. He was transported to the hospital where he later died. Keene's girlfriend, Maya Bynum, 25, of the same address, was arrested on a homicide charge after she admitted to police that she stabbed Keene following an argument and physical altercation.

Bynum is currently being held on $250,000 bail. Her attorney indicated he plans to show the stabbing was self-defense. He further stated Keene was "super abusive," that neighbors had seen Bynum with bruises, and that Bynum suffered from battered women's syndrome. Bynum was treated for a bite wound on her shoulder immediately following her arrest.

The prosecutor in the case, however, said there is a strong possibility that Bynum will be convicted of homicide in conjunction with Keene's death. If so, Bynum would face a 10- to 30-year sentence.

Bynum was employed for the past two years in the cafeteria of The College of New Jersey. She has an 8-year-old son.

Keene, originally from Maryland, had lived in Trenton since 2003. He was most recently employed at Rees Scientific. He leaves three young children: Dontrell (Donnie), age 17, Zabriyon, age 4, and Angel, age 4.

Sources
The Times (nj.com), Nov 23, 2007
News Zap MD, Nov 30, 2007 [obit]
The Times (nj.com), Dec 3, 2007
The Trentonian, Dec 4, 2007
The Signal (College of NJ paper), Dec 5, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007
~Updated December 8, 2007 [Edited info about Keene's children as per a comment to the original post.]

Lesley Justice

2007-11-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Murdered November 18, 2007

~Age 32
~Hometown: Starkville, MS

A Metairie, LA motel described as 'run-down' was the scene of a domestic dispute that ended fatally on November 18, 2007. Police were called when Terry Robinson, age 41 or 51 (reports vary), and girlfriend, Lesley Justice, 32, were heard arguing loudly in their room over 'an alleged infidelity.' They arrived to find Justice dead of multiple stab wounds.

Robinson was shot once by police in a subsequent scuffle that resulted when he lunged at deputies with a broken bottle. He survived and was charged with 2nd-degree murder in Justice's death. He also faces attempted murder charges for the broken bottle incident.

Robinson, who is from Starkville, MS, has a long criminal history. He was released from a Jefferson Parish, LA jail the morning of the stabbing. His girlfriend, also from Starkville, was apparently waiting for him at the motel. Police said drug paraphernalia was found in their room.

Sources
WWLTV, Nov 18, 2007
The Times-Picayune, Nov 18, 2007
WDSU-TV, Nov 19, 2007
The Times-Picayune Nov 20, 2007

~Posted December 10, 2007

Rosalin Guss

2007-11-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Murdered November 9, 2007

~Age 56
~Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ

Randall Marc Korelc told police investigating the November 9, 2007 shooting death of his girlfriend, 56-year-old Rosalin Guss, that she committed suicide. However, no gun was found in the Scottsdale, AZ apartment where she died and forensic evidence did not suggest a self-inflicted gunshot. After police obtained a search warrant and located a gun in Korelc's car, Korelc reportedly confessed to shooting his girlfriend during an argument .

Korelc was charged with 2nd-degree murder. He entered a plea of not guilty during a December 5th arraignment in Maricopa County (AZ) Superior Court. A pretrial conference has been scheduled for January 9, 2008.

Korelc and Guss started dating about six months prior to the shooting. It is not clear from published reports if they lived together. Although one family member said the couple "seemed happy," another reported a history of arguments, adding that Guss assaulted Korelc in June. Police said Korelc also had a history of domestic violence.

News stories mention that Korelc has two adult sons. No additional information about Guss was found.

Randall Korelc

Sources
KPHO-TV (Phoenix), Nov 10, 2007
East Valley Tribune, Nov 10, 2007
The Arizona Republic, Nov 13, 2007
Note: The victim's first name is spelled Rosalind in some reports. The suspect's middle name was spelled Mark in news stories, but Marc in the court docket (link to docket search page). Th ages of both Guss and Korelc were alternately reported as 47.

~Posted December 6, 2007

Toni Ann Dudor

2007-10-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered on/about October 18, 2007

~Age 43
~Hometown: Forks Township, PA

Police investigating the disappearance of 43-year-old Toni Ann Dudor - also known by her married name Toni Ann Pautienus - found her body stuffed in a 45-gallon plastic storage bin in the garage her Forks Township, PA home on October 21, 2007. Last seen on October 18th, Dudor died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to the torso delivered, say police, by her husband, Aragon Emerson Pautienus, 33.

Pautienus is currently jailed on a charge of criminal homicide. Formal arraignment is scheduled for January 10, 2008. In addition to forensics recovered from the home, evidence against Pautienus includes a tape-recorded telephone call made from jail in which he talks about the killing. He also reportedly tried to sell the contents of the house prior to his arrest so he could flee the country. The man who bought a computer printer from him for $50 came forward saying that Pautienus told him he killed his wife.

Pautienus has a history of both substance abuse and domestic violence. His first wife as well as a former girlfriend sought protection orders against him in 2005. Just days after he married Dudor in September 2006 he was arrested for domestic battery. Dudor said he kicked her, tried to push her down the stairs and told her he wanted her dead. Pautienus pled guilty to a lesser charge (simple assault) and was placed on probation.

Following the incident, the couple continued to live together in the home that Dudor had owned since 2001. Pautienus ran a motorcycle repair business out of the garage.

Dudor, who held a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Rutgers University, was employed as a regulatory affairs manager by Sanofi-Aventis. She previously worked in similar positions at other pharmaceutical companies. For one such job she lived several years in Germany. Outside of work Dudor enjoyed caring for her pets and Karaoke singing.

Toni Ann Dudor; Aragon Pautienus

Sources
NBC-10, Oct 22, 2007
The Express-Times (PennLive.com), Oct 22, 2007
The Express-Times (PennLive.com), Oct 23, 2007
PennLive.com, Oct 23, 2007
Obituary, Courier News, Oct 27, 2007
The Express-Times (nj.com), Dec 8, 2007
Note: Most news stories use the victim's married name; her maiden name was used here as this is the name listed in her obituary.

~Posted December 8, 2007

Evelia Ayala

2007-10-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered October 2, 2007

~Age 25
~Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA

Evelia Ayala, 25, broke up with boyfriend Aurelio Ruiz-Navarro, 25, on a Friday. By the following Tuesday - October 2, 2007 - both were dead.

That day, police say, Ruiz-Navarro of Concord, CA shot Ayala once in the head in her Walnut Creek, CA apartment. He then turned the gun on himself, apparently upset over the end of his relationship.

Sources
KTVU News, Oct 3, 2007
Contra Costa Times, Oct 4, 2007
San Francisco Chronicle, Oct 4, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007

Nailah Franklin

2007-09-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered September 18, 2007

~Age 28
~Hometown: Chicago, IL

Almost three months after 28-year-old Chicago resident Nailah Franklin went missing, modern technology implicated a man she once dated in her disappearance and murder. Police say cell phone records show Reginald Potts, Jr., 30, and Franklin were in the same area when she was killed on September 18, 2007. That and the fact that Potts' alibi for the day of the murder did not check out led authorities to arrest Potts for Franklin's murder on December 8, 2007. He has not confessed and previously maintained his innocence in interviews with the media.

Franklin was last seen alive on September 16th. She was reported missing on the 19th after she uncharacteristically missed an important meeting with her boss and could not be reached by phone. Her car and naked body were found nine days later in northwestern Indiana. Forensic evidence indicates Franklin died on September 18th, but the cause has yet to be determined.

Shortly before her death Franklin filed a police report about threats she received from Potts. The two exchanged heated emails following the end of their 18-month on-and-off relationship in August 2007 and Potts reportedly threatened to release a sex tape of Franklin she said he stole from her apartment. It appears Franklin was contemplating filing for a protection order against Potts when she disappeared.

Two other women have protection orders against Potts, his ex-wife and a former girlfriend. At the time of his arrest for Franklin's murder Potts was incarcerated for violating one of those orders. Potts has a lengthy police record, which includes 20 arrests and 8 convictions in the past 10 years. He has served jail time for car theft and threatening to kill a police officer.

Potts previously owned a real estate development firm, which has since been dissolved. At times he has owned expensive cars and real estate, but in a June 2007 court proceeding he told the judge he had no home, car, money or job. He is the father of two daughters, ages 5 and 1, with his ex-wife and a third child with another woman.

Franklin had a bachelor's degree in advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Following college she worked for five years in advertising. Subsequently she was employed as a pharmaceutical sales rep for Eli Lilly, a job she held for a year prior to her death. She also volunteered for various Chicago-area community organizations.

On a website Franklin's family started after her disappearance, they noted her love of family, friends, fashion, spa visits, music and Oprah. They described her as "someone who isn't afraid to speak her mind, try new things and set the bar high for herself and those around her." She was, they say, their star.

Nailah Franklin; Reginald Potts, Jr.

Sources
Chicago Tribune, Sept 29, 2007
Chicago Tribune, Oct 3, 2007
Princess Dominique [blog], Oct 17, 2007
(includes links to earlier/later posts)
Chicago Sun-Times, Oct 28, 2007
The Political Cat [blog], Dec 8, 2007
Chicago Tribune, Dec 8, 2007
Chicago Sun-Times, Dec 8, 2007
Chicago Sun-Times, Dec 8, 2007
Bring Nailah O. Franklin Home website

~Posted December 8, 2007

A memorial fund established in Franklin's name will be used to "make grants to community organizations working to help prevent violence and guide young people's educational and social development." [Source]

Donations should include the notation 'Nailah O. Franklin Memorial Fund' in the memo line of the check and can be directed to:

Attn: Carol Crenshaw
The Chicago Community Trust
111 E. Wacker Dr., Ste. 1400
Chicago, IL 60601

Deborah Caso

2007-09-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered September 2, 2007

~Age 41 or 43 (reports vary)
~Hometown: Orlando, FL

When Alejandro Caso, 47, decided to kill his estranged wife, he did not wait to catch her when she was alone. Instead, on September 2, 2007, he went to the Orlando, FL Denny's Restaurant where Deborah Caso worked as a waitress and stabbed her multiple times in front of customers and co-workers. Although some took chase when Mr. Caso ran off, he was able to flee the scene.

US Border Patrol apprehended Mr. Caso, a Cuban native, near the US-Mexico border in Texas on November 14, 2007 on suspicion of being an undocumented immigrant. After his fingerprints were run through the system, they found he was wanted for first degree murder in Florida and extradition proceedings were started.

The Casos, married in 1997, had a history of domestic violence dating back at least three years. Mr. Caso was arrested for domestic battery in late 2004 and ordered to attend a batterers' intervention program. Mrs. Caso was granted a protection order at that time, which Mr. Caso violated once before it was lifted in April 2005. Shortly before her death Mrs. Caso was granted another protection order by the courts, but it had not yet been served on her husband. The couple had been living apart since mid 2007.

Mrs. Caso, whose age is alternately reported as 41 or 43, was originally from New York state but had lived in Florida for the past 10 years. She was employed at Denny's much of that time and is remembered as a quiet and hard-working person. She leaves 5 children, including the 9- and 13-year-olds she had with Caso, an 18-year-old who lived with her in Florida, and two older sons from a previous marriage who reside in New York.

Deborah Caso; Alejandro Caso

Sources
WESH-TV, Sept 3, 2007
Orlando Sentinel (via Topix), Sept 4, 2007
Orlando Sentinel (via Topix), Sept 11, 2007
Local 6 News (Orlando), Sept 10, 2007
Local 6 News (Orlando), Nov 15, 2007
Orlando Sentinel (via Topix), Nov 16, 2007

~Posted December 8, 2007

Erin Stanley

2007-09-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered September 1, 2007

~Age 19
~Hometown: Centerville, IN

Erin Stanley, 19, died in her parents' Centerville, IN home on September 1, 2007. Her sister, Kelly, 18, died in the same home on September 7th. A subsequent investigation determined Kelly died of natural causes, but that Erin was murdered.

According to the coroner Erin died of manual strangulation. In October her boyfriend, James McFarland, Jr., 23, was arrested on felony murder charges in conjunction with her death. He lived at the Stanley home, was in bed with Erin when she died, and was the one who initially reported she was having trouble breathing in the middle of the night.

Kelly reportedly suspected McFarland in her sister's death and was working with police to determine what happened to Erin. Although some speculate McFarland killed Kelly, information released by the coroner indicates she died of a psychogenic seizure. While this clears McFarland, Kelly's death nevertheless has certain ties to Erin's murder because her seizure was likely stress-induced.

McFarland moved into the Stanley's home shortly before Erin died. He and Erin apparently were planning to marry. They had an infant daughter together named Alexis. Custody of the child was awarded to Erin's parents on November 30th. McFarland fought this from jail where he is awaiting a January 2008 trial on charges of killing Erin, saying the Stanley's are unfit. He requested his daughter be placed in foster care. A guardium ad litem appointed by the court, however, determined awarding custody to the Stanley's was in Alexis' best interests.

McFarland was unemployed at the time of Erin's death but was reportedly seeking employment at the time of his arrest a month later, suggesting he did not plan to be implicated in her murder. Neighbors of the Stanley's remember him as friendly and soft-spoken. He has an arrest record but it is described as minor, including only misdemeanor charges.

At their memorial service Erin and Kelly were described as "vibrant young women." Teachers remembered them as good students. Kelly was still in high school and worked part-time at Dairy Queen. Erin had already graduated high school and busied herself with the care of baby Alexis.

Erin Stanley; James McFarland, Jr.

Kelly Stanley with Alexis McFarland
(from Kelly's MySpace page)

Sources
Court TV Crime Library, Sept 11, 2007
Indy Star, Oct 10, 2007
First Coast News, Oct 11, 2007
Palladium-Item, Nov 25, 2007
Palladium-Item, Nov 29, 2007
Palladium-Item, Dec 1, 2007

~Posted December 9, 2007

A fund in memory of Erin and Kelly Stanley has been established for Erin's daughter. Donations to the 'Alexis McFarland Benefit Fund' are being accepted at any First Bank location. (No additional details were provided.) [Source]

Boitumelo 'Tumi' McCallum

2007-08-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered August 2, 2007

~Age 20
~Hometown: New York, NY

"He didn't want her to be her. He wanted her to be his," said a friend about Boitumelo 'Tumi' Arabella McCallum's sometime boyfriend Michael Cordero. It appears this desire was behind the death of McCallum, 20, in her mother's Greenwich Village apartment on August 2, 2007. Cordero, 23, has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing.

Although he has since pled not guilty, at the time of his arrest Cordero reportedly confessed he showed up uninvited at the apartment and strangled, punched and suffocated McCallum after an argument. Her body was found several days later, after neighbors reported a foul smell. McCallum's mother, a New York University professor and South African activist, was in South Africa at the time.

McCallum herself was born and spent her childhood in South Africa before moving with her family to New York City in 1999. She met McCallum, a New York City native, through mutual friends about 5 years prior to her death. Their friendship evolved into an on-and-off romantic relationship after a few years. Letters the couple exchanged suggest Cordero required frequent confirmation of McCallum's feelings for him.

When McCallum left to attend Mills College in Oakland, CA, the two remained in contact. It appears Cordero spent spring 2007 living with McCallum in California, but returned to New York in May with McCallum following sometime later when summer break started.

Cordero's family says he was trying to get his life together, but was struggling. Cordero grew up in the projects and dropped out of high school. He has several arrests on his record for misdemeanor offences and has spent time in drug rehab. Spurred on by McCallum's educational successes, however, Cordero obtained his GED. He most recently worked as a store security guard.

Described as outgoing and smart, McCallum excelled at dancing, art and writing. Volunteering as a prison advocate with Justice Now may have revealed her true calling, though. She reportedly had a passion for social justice, possibly stemming from growing up the child of a white father and black mother under South African apartheid. In the wake of McCallum' death a Justice Now spokesperson said, "Her sharp political insights, her intense commitment to social justice, her quiet assuredness, and her generous spirit are a great loss to all of us."

Michael Cordero with Tumi McCallum

Sources
New York Times, Aug 7, 2007
NY Daily News, Aug 7, 2007
New York Times, Aug 8, 2007
NY Daily News, Aug 8, 2007
NY Daily News, Aug 8, 2007
NY Daily News, Aug 10, 2007
NY Daily News, Aug 10, 2007
Visions to Peace Project [blog], Aug 10, 2007
The Weekly (Mills College paper), Sept 4, 2007

~Posted December 9, 2007

A memorial scholarship fund has been established at Mills College in McCallum's name. Monies collected will be used "to provide opportunities for other young women to continue Tumi’s legacy of activism." Donation information is included below. [Source]

-- Phone: Mills College Annual Fund, 510-430-2366
-- Mail: Send check payable to Mills College, with a note that it is in memory of Tumi McCallum, to: Office of Institutional Advancement, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613.
-- Online: Link - Designate gift to 'Mills College Annual Fund: Student Scholarships' and note it is in memory of Tumi McCallum.

Donna Nicholson

2007-08-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered August 1, 2007

~Age 57
~Hometown: Decatur, IL

Robert E. Nicholson, 52, was charged with felony aggravated domestic battery several times, but the charges never stuck. In a January 2006 case he was found not guilty. A subsequent case in June 2006 was dropped when his wife, Donna Marie Nicholson, 57, refused to testify against him. She will not testify against him in the most recent case either, for she is dead. Nicholson is accused of strangling her in their Decatur, IL home on August 1, 2007.

Mr. Nicholson was arrested and jailed that day on unrelated gun charges. A semi-automatic assault rifle was found in the couple's home during the routine investigation into Mrs. Nicholson's death, but Mr. Nicholson was barred from possessing a firearm due to a 1972 felony burglary conviction. He faces 3-14 years if convicted of the weapons charge, and 20-60 years if convicted on the first-degree murder charge brought against him on August 21st.

Mr. Nicholson initially told police he arrived home from work to find his wife beaten and dead. Police, however, determined he had not gone to work the day Mrs. Nicholson was killed. In addition, Mr. Nicholson's timeline of his comings and goings that day did not correspond with neighbors' reports. Police further cite forensics evidence in implicating Mr. Nicholson, saying blood traces were found in the sink and on the couple's bed, and that items in the home had been moved after Mrs. Nicholson died.

Little additional information was reported about the couple. No children were mentioned in Mrs. Nicholson's obituary, which listed her as a US Army veteran.

Sources
Herald & Review, Aug 4, 2007
Herald & Review, Aug 7, 2007*
Herald & Review, Aug 9, 2007*
Obit/Herald & Review, Aug 12, 2007
*No direct link, found via paper's archives search

~Posted December 9, 2007

Carl Bartley

2007-07-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered on/about July 30, 2007

~Age 57 or 58 (reports vary)
~Hometown: Jeffersonville, KY

Police believe Pamela Shepherd Bartley shot her husband of 37 years in the head because she thought he was having an affair. He was not, but now Carl David Bartley is dead and Mrs. Bartley is in jail on murder charges.

Mr. Bartley was found dead in the garage of the couple's Jeffersonville, KY home on July 31, 2007. Forensics suggest he was shot the day before. Mr. Bartley was increasingly concerned about his wife's "turbulent" behavior in the weeks prior to his death and may have even unsuccessfully sought a protection order against her. He perhaps had reason to worry as she had shot him 25 years earlier, though not fatally.

The investigation into the shooting took some time; Mrs. Bartley was not indicted on murder charges until December 7, 2007. She turned herself in on the 8th and is being held in lieu of $500,000 cash bail.

Mr. Bartley, who was 57 or 58 (reports vary), owned a local car dealership. He and his wife were high school sweethearts. Two sons and one daughter are mentioned in news reports.

Carl Bartley; Pam Bartley

Sources
Lexington Herald-Ledger (via Topix), Aug 1, 2007
Obit/Lexington Herald Ledger, Aug 3, 2007
Mt. Sterling Advocate (undated)
WTVQ TV, Dec 7, 2007
Lexington Herald-Leader, Dec 8, 2007
Note: News stories list Mr. Bartley's age as 58, but his obituary says 57. Mrs. Bartley's age was not reported.

~Posted December 9, 2007

Robin Munis

2007-07-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered July 14, 2007

~Age 40
~Hometown: Cheyenne, WY

Shortly before committing suicide, David Munis, 36, drafted a will and personal notes to his family. To his 5-year-old son he wrote, "You remember each and every day how much your Daddy loves you. I'm going to be with Grandpa George and your mom." The child's mom had died three days earlier when Munis shot her.

Robin Munis, 40, was singing at a Cheyenne, WY bar when, just after midnight on July 14, 2007, she was downed by a single gunshot to the head. Police believe that Mr. Munis, a former army sharpshooter, shot her from the parking lot using a high powered rifle. In a note found at his home, Mr. Munis all but confessed to this, expressing no remorse. Three days later in a remote area 45 miles from Cheyenne, he shot himself in the chest as authorities approached. He died after being airlifted to the hospital.

Mr. and Mrs. Munis separated two weeks before the shootings and were planning to end their 6-year marriage. They had no history of domestic violence, but Mrs. Munis complained to police the day before her death that her husband was harassing her via telephone. He made no threats; she simply characterized the frequency of the calls as bothersome. Police reportedly spoke to Mr. Munis that same day and he agreed to stop. Why he subsequently 'snapped' remains unclear.

Mr. Munis is described as a 'normal guy,' albeit a loner. He loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing and the New England Patriots. He planned a career in law enforcement after graduating from Montana State University with a criminal justice degree but instead joined the army. Since 2003 he was employed as a recruiter for the Wyoming National Guard.

Of Mrs. Munis, a blogger who knew her wrote she had the 'voice of an angel, the grin of a gal that liked to have fun, and a heart of gold.' She performed as a singer with various bands, both in her native Tennessee and after moving to Wyoming in 2003; many musicians who worked with her spoke of her talent. Her day job, though, was as a policy analyst for the Wyoming Department of Health, where her specialty area was developmental disabilities. She held a degree from Austin Peay State University (TN).

Mrs. Munis also is remembered as a dedicated mother. She leaves four children: 5-year-old Rory, her son with Mr. Munis, and teenagers Travis, Lauren and Robbie from a previous relationship.

Robin Munis; David Munis

Sources
Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Jul 15, 2007
Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Jul 16, 2007
CNN, Jul 17, 2007
The Montana Standard, Jul 17, 2007
Obit (hers)--Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Jul 18, 2007
Obit (his)--Montana Standard, Jul 26, 2007
My Cycling Diary [blog], Jul 27, 2007
(posted by person who knew Robin Munis)
Casper Star-Tribune, Sept 12, 2007

~Posted December 9, 2007

Memorial funds have been established for Robin Munis's four children. Donations may be directed to either bank listed below. [Sources: 1, 2]

Memorial Fund for Robin Munis
c/o Cheryl Hawkins
American National Bank
1912 Capitol Ave.
Cheyenne, WY 82001

Robin Munis Memorial Fund
Western Bank
1525 E. Pershing Blvd.
Cheyenne, WY 82001

Aisha Hendricks

2007-07-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered July 8, 2007

~Age 35
~Hometown: Oakland, CA

Police were called to the Oakland, CA apartment Jesus Jihad, 55, shared with his wife, Aisha Hendricks, 35, the afternoon of July 8, 2007 because the two were arguing. Officers did not speak with Hendricks because she left before they arrived. They spoke with Jihad and, according to reports, followed up with family members later and were told the argument had been resolved. That evening, however, the couple got into another argument. It ended with Hendricks dead from 10 stab wounds and Jihad under arrest on suspicion of her murder.

Jihad is also accused of attempted murder in the stabbings of Hendricks' sister, Emma Bowers, 25, and son, DeAnthony, 15. (One report gives the teen's age as 17 and refers to him as Bowers' son.) DeAnthony was reportedly stabbed in the face when coming to the aid of his mother. Jihad's motive for stabbing Bowers, who lived downstairs from the couple, was not reported. He stabbed her several times in her apartment after first stabbing Hendricks in his apartment. He then returned to his apartment and stabbed Hendricks additional times when she yelled at him to stop stabbing Bowers. Both DeAnthony and Bowers are expected to recover.

Jihad and Hendricks met about three years ago. They had been married for two years.

Jihad 's criminal record includes convictions for a 1973 murder and a 1993 rape. He was sentenced to life for the murder, but paroled after 17 years. He served 10 years of a 17-year sentence on the rape charge, which required him to register as a sex offender. Hendricks is said to have known of the murder conviction, but she may have been unaware of the rape conviction. Because of the previous murder conviction, the current charges against Jihad are considered to be with 'special circumstances,' which means the state can seek the death penalty against him.

Jihad legally changed his name from Jesse R. Crisp at some point after his murder conviction. News reports indicate that the stabbings occurred on his 55th birthday and that his family offered to get a cake to celebrate, but he declined.

Sources
The Oakland Tribune, Jul 9, 2007
CBS-5 TV, Jul 10, 2007
The Oakland Tribune, Jul 10, 2007

~Posted July 10, 2007

Debra Vigneau

2007-07-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered July 5, 2007

~Age 50
~Hometown: Somers, CT (recently of Enfield, CT)

William Walters, 45, called his wife at work the morning of July 5, 2007 and asked her to leave their Windsor Locks, CT home behind and take off with him to Virginia. By way of a reason for the this odd request, he offered, "I think I killed a girl!" He then explained he had been 'running around' with 50-year-old Debra A. Vigneau, but that morning she 'picked on him' and threatened to reveal their affair to his wife. As soon as she got off the phone with her husband, Mrs. Walters passed this information onto the police .

Very shortly thereafter police found Vigneau's body near the Connecticut River boat dock in South Windsor, CT where she and Walters had been that morning. A later autopsy revealed she had been strangled and stabbed several times in the chest.

Using the OnStar system in Walters' truck police located him at another girlfriend's home in Windsor Locks, CT. That girlfriend, 45-year-old Deborah Butryman initially denied knowing Walters, even though he was at her home when police arrived. Police subsequently took both Walters and Butryman into custody, him on murder charges and her for interfering with a police officer and hindering prosecution. After her arrest Butryman told police that Walters arrived at her house that morning covered in blood. Butryman was released the next day on $100,000 bond. Walters is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

At arraignment the prosecutor described Walters as "very vicious." News reports note he has an "extensive criminal record" and has been in and out of prison since 1978. Many of his prior convictions appear to be for larceny. He was on parole for a 2003 larceny charge at the time Vigneau was murdered.

It appears Vigneau and Walters had not dated for an extended period. Vigneau had what was described as an on-again-off-again relationship with another man. At one point when she had broken up with him, she started going out with Walters. According to a friend of hers, Vigneau was planning to break up with Walters to get back with her previous boyfriend. That friend as well as Vigneau's ex-husband, with whom she maintained a cordial relationship, say they warned her to be careful around Walters. The ex-husband briefly rented a room at Walters' house - Vigneau helped arrange that - and felt Walters was "snippy" and got mad about things that should not have upset him.

Vigneau was living in Somers, CT at the time of her death, but had just recently moved there from Enfield, CT. She was on disability and did not work. Those who knew her say she was spontaneous, friendly and outgoing and that she enjoyed clothes shopping and playing the lottery. She is survived by an adult son who lives in California.

Sources
NBC-30 TV, Jul 6, 2007
Hartford Courant, Jul 6, 2007
The Journal Inquirer, Jul 6, 2007
The Connecticut Post, Jul 6, 2007
Hartford Courant, Jul 7, 2007
The Journal Inquirer, Jul 7, 2007
Hartford Courant, Jul 10, 2007

~Posted July 11, 2007

Memorial donations may be made to the organization below. [Source/obit]

Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence
90 Pitkin Street
East Hartford, CT 06108

Andrea Jethroe

2007-06-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered June 3, 2007

~Age 36
~Hometown: Harvey (Jefferson Parish), LA

A four-year relationship described as 'rocky' ended with both partners dead on June 3, 2007. Police believe Harvey Jethroe, 50 (or 51, reports vary), fatally shot his wife, Andrea Jethroe, 36, and then himself. The couple's bodies were found in their Harvey, LA home after Mrs. Jethroe's relatives became concerned when she did not show up for a planned family gathering.

At one point in their relationship Mrs. Jethroe had obtained a restraining order against her husband. It appears this was not recent, though specifics were not provided in published reports.

Sources
The Times-Picayune, Jun 3, 2007
The Times-Picayune, Jun 4, 2007

~Posted June 4, 2007

Mary Lyons

2007-06-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered June 2, 2007

~Age 27
~Hometown: Parma, OH

Robert Grzywaczewski, 42, a Cleveland (OH) Clinic police officer, did not show up for work on June 2, 2007. When other officers went to home in Parma, OH to check on him they found both him and his live-in girlfriend, Mary Christine (Vese) Lyons, 27, dead. It appears Grzywaczewski shot Lyons and then himself. Neighbors reported hearing two gun shots around 5:45 a.m. that morning.

There were no prior domestic violence calls to the couple's home. A person who left a comment to an online news story suggested Grzywaczewski may have been under stress. In early May he was stabbed in the line of duty by a psychiatric patient.

Lyons was a registered nurse. She had two children, Morgan, 5, and Sean, 4, with her former husband. The children lived with their father, but remained central in Lyons' life.

Sources
The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jun 2, 2007
News Net 5, Jun 3, 2007
The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jun 3, 2007
Note: One story spelled the officer's last name Gryzwaczewski.

~Posted June 3, 2007

A fund has been established for the Lyons children. Donations may be directed to the address listed below. [Source/Obit]

Morgan and Sean Lyons Trust Fund
c/o Charter One
7923 Munson Road
Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH 44060

Evelyn Tavarez

2007-06-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

Murdered June 1, 2007

~Age 23
~Hometown: Springfield, MA

Evelyn Tavarez, 23, moved from out of state to Springfield, Massachusetts to get away from Jose Paulino, her former boyfriend. Paulino followed Tavarez to Massachusetts, however, and on June 1, 2007 shot her to death in a grocery store parking lot in West Springfield. He then committed suicide by gunshot in the same parking lot.

Tavarez had a retraining order against Paulino from the state where she previously lived. That state was not named in news stories, but Paulino's last known address was listed as New Jersey. It was not specified how long ago Tavarez moved to Massachusetts, nor when Paulino arrived in the area.

It is mentioned that Tavarez was a mother. Additional details were not found in published reports. A family member who left a comment to this post, however, indicated Tavarez had a 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

Sources
The Republican, Jun 1, 2007
CBS-3 (Springfield), Jun 2, 2007

~Posted June 4, 2007
~Updated January 17, 2009 [Info about children added]

Brandy Lambertsen

2007-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered June 1, 2007

~Age 32
~Hometown: In/near Seattle, WA

Brandy Lambertsen, 32, was at work the afternoon of June 1, 2007 when a man she had briefly dated entered the Mail & More location near Kent, WA where she was an employee. He said something like, 'You're not returning my calls,' before shooting Lambertsen and turning the gun on himself. Lambertsen died a short time later at the hospital. The shooter, who so far has been identified only as a 42-year-old man from Auburn, WA, was pronounced dead on the scene. Another person in the store at the time was not injured in the incident.

The shooter had been stalking Lambertsen - calling her and driving by her home - but she did not feel he was a threat. The two went out when Lambertsen and Jeff Lewis, with whom she had a long-term relationship, were going through a 'rocky time.' Lambertsen happened to be on the phone with Lewis when the shooter arrived. Lewis heard her scream before the phone dead. He called 911 and headed for the store, which is owned by his family, but by then it was too late.

Lambertsen, who was said to have a great smile and always be laughing, is remembered as a wonderful friend and mother. She leaves a 15-year-old son (name not mentioned) and a 16-year-old daughter, Jessica.

Interviewed by a local TV station, Jessica, obviously distraught over her mother's death, wondered aloud how a man who seemed nice when he first went out with her mother could do such a thing. "...I didn't ever know that he was that crazy," she said.

Brandy Lambertsen

Sources
KOMO-TV, Jun 1, 2007
Seattle Times, Jun 2, 2007
King-5 TV, Jun 4, 2007

~Posted June 4, 2007

A memorial fund has been established for Lambertsen's two children. Donations to the 'Lambertsen Memorial Fund' may be made at any Washington Mutual Bank branch. [Source]

Amity 'Amy' Kozak

2007-05-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 30, 2007

~Age 29
~Hometown: Hypoluxo, FL

A real estate agent was showing Helder 'Sonny' Peixoto, 34, a condo on the 11th floor of a West Palm Beach, FL luxury high rise on May 30, 2007. Peixoto went out on the condo's balcony - casually, according to reports - and proceeded to jump to his death. A friend later went to Peixoto's nearby apartment in search of a suicide note. Instead he found the nude body of Peixoto's girlfriend, 29-year-old Amity Ruth Kozak of Hypoluxo, FL wrapped in some blankets. One report said she had been shot. [See update below.] Police have not yet officially deemed the two deaths a murder-suicide, but that would appear to be the likely scenario.

Peixoto and Kozak had been involved only briefly; several news stories say the couple first met on April 22nd, when both attended a polo match in south Florida. In that short time, however, Peixoto reportedly became obsessed with Kozak. He was talking marriage. They traveled to Georgia to meet her family and to Massachusetts to meet his. Kozak became disillusioned, apparently during the latter trip which occurred over Memorial Day weekend, and wanted to break off the relationship, though. She planned a trip to New York City to get away from Peixoto and purchased a ticket for June 1st. She later moved her departure up to May 30th. She was killed before she could board the flight.

Peixoto was previously a police officer with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA). He had several complaints against him for excessive force, false arrest and using racial slurs, which were dropped or settled. He once received five days suspension for threatening his former wife's boyfriend, also a cop. Peixoto left the force following a guilty plea to a 2003 vehicular homicide charge that resulted when he ran a stop sign while on duty. (The family of the man killed has a pending wrongful death case against the MBTA.) Peixoto also ran twice, unsuccessfully, for the Cambridge (MA) City Council.

It is unclear what job Peixoto had, if any, in the Palm Beach area where he had lived for the past four years. He claimed to have real estate dealings in Florida and Portugal, as well as money from an injury settlement. Some reports describe Peixoto as a 'con man' who crashed parties and ran up debts while hobnobbing with the political and social elite in south Florida. He was once treated for depression. Kozak's mother described him as a heavy drinker.

Kozak, whose friends called her Amy, was originally from Georgia but made south Florida her home after she traveled there and fell in love with the beach. She worked previously as a model - one story also noted an earlier job as a stripper at a Palm Beach club - but more recently she was involved in real estate. She had worked in real estate sales in Belize and at the time of her death was employed as a marketing representative for a Florida real estate title company. She loved to travel and was said to be very adventurous. She enjoyed snorkeling and scuba diving. Riley, her miniature Italian greyhound, was her constant companion.

Amity Kozak*; Sonny Peixoto

*A photo from her MySpace page.

Sources
Palm Beach Post, Jun 1, 2007
Cambridge Chronicle, Jun 1, 2007
Stuck on the Palmetto [Blog], Jun 2, 2007
Boston Herald, Jun 2, 2007
CBS-4 TV [FL], Jun 3, 2007
Boston Herald, Jun 3, 2007
Boston Herald, Jun 3, 2007
Boston Globe, Jun 3, 2007
Palm Beach Post, Jun 3 , 2007

~Posted June 3, 2007

UPDATE: An earlier report said Kozak had been shot, but news stories are now suggesting Kozak died from blunt force trauma inflicted by a hammer. The medical examiner has not yet ruled on the official cause of death, however.

Sources
Boston Globe, Jun 4, 2007
Boston Herald, Jun 4, 2007

~Update posted June 4, 2007

Donations in Kozak's memory may be made to the organization below. [Source/Obit]

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
1120 Lincoln St., #1603
Denver, CO, 80203
Phone: 303-839-1852
Online donations

Shukura Akilah Abdullah Aleem

2007-05-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 28, 2007

~Age 21
~Hometown: No fixed address

Police approached Jerry Levon Banks, 28, at a Middle River, MD shopping center the morning of May 28, 2007 because he had blood on his hands and shirt. Banks told police he thought he had killed his girlfriend. He then led them to the basement of a nearby house where they found the body of 21-year-old Shukura Akilah Abdullah Aleem. It appeared she had been strangled following an argument. Banks had cuts on his wrists, believed to be self-inflicted.

The couple had no fixed address. They were staying the night at the house in Middle River at the invitation of the home's owners, who did not hear the argument and were unaware of the murder until police arrived.

Banks, whose previous record includes one theft arrest from 2005, was charged with Aleem's murder. Denied bail, he is being held at a local hospital pending commitment to a state psychiatric facility.

Sources
Baltimore Co. Police news release, May 29, 2007
Baltimore Sun, May 29, 2007
WBAL Radio News, May 30, 2007
The Examiner, May 30, 3007

~Posted June 3, 2007

Ann Marie and Peter M. Allouise

2007-05-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 21, 2007

~Age 55 and 26, respectively
~Hometown: Saugus, MA

Peter A. Allouise Jr., 60, called 911 on May 21, 2007 and told the dispatcher police were needed at his Saugus, MA apartment. He then hung up and, it appears, shot himself. He had already shot both his wife, Ann Marie Allouise, 55, and their son, Peter M. Allouise, 26. Police arriving at the home found all three dead.

Mrs. Allouise was said to have had mental health issues, stemming from a house fire in 1988 in which her parents and 11-year-old daughter were killed. Her son was similarly affected, according to the latest reports. Earlier news stories reported, apparently incorectly, that he was autistic.

It fell on Mr. Allouise to care for both his wife and son. Speculation is that this may have become too much for him, leading to the shootings. A more specific motive may be identified later, as Mr. Allouise left a note, the contents of which have not been released yet. The family had no reported history of domestic violence, although one neighbor described Mr. Allouise as overbearing and controlling with regards to his son.

Mr. Alloiuse was employed by General Electric as a jet engine assembler. He had been there 29 years and was nearing retirement. He was a gun collector and owned what has been described as an 'arsenal' of weapons. All were legally registered.

Sources
BostonChannel.com, May 21, 2007
Boston Globe, May 22, 2007
Boston Globe, May 22, 2007
Boston Herald, May 22, 2007

~Posted May 22, 2007

James 'Jim' Brink

2007-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 20, 2007

~Age 30
~Hometown: Anchorage, AK

An argument between two men over how one was treating his girlfriend, who was the other's cousin, escalated into a shooting that left James 'Jim' Brink, 30, dead on May 20, 2007. Josiah J. Darroux, 23, has been charged with his murder. Darroux's 24-year-old girlfriend was Brink's cousin. Both men lived in Anchorage, AK.

About a week before the shooting Brink reportedly spoke via phone with Darroux, after his cousin told him Darroux had beaten her. On May 20 Brink and Darroux argued in person at a barbecue at Brink's Anchorage apartment. Darroux did not attend the barbecue but his girlfriend did; the argument occurred when he picked her up. Reports vary as to whether Brink and Darroux also had a physical altercation at the barbecue.

It appears Darroux was leaving Brink's apartment complex when the shooting occurred. One report indicated Darroux "got nervous" when Brink followed him to his car so he pulled a shotgun out of his trunk. Police say he then shot Brink, who died later at the hospital.

Darroux is being held on $250,000 bond. Some stories say he has been charged with 2nd-degree murder, others 1st-degree murder.

Brink was a construction worker.

Josiah Darroux

Sources
KTUU-TV, May 21, 2007
KTVA, May 21, 2007
Anchorage Daily News, May 22, 2007
Alaska Super Station (ABC), May 22, 2007

~Posted May 23, 2007

Michelle Durham

2007-05-17T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered May 17, 2007

~Age 28
~Hometown: Braintree, MA

Michelle L. Durham, 28, did not pick up her eight-year-old daughter from school on May 17, 2007. The school summoned police, who went by Durham's Braintree, MA apartment to check on her. She was found dead from a gunshot wound.

Durham's death is being investigated as a homicide. Police said it was not a random killing. They have not named any suspects, but Durham's boyfriend, Renaldo Pomare, 21, has been called a person of interest in the case. He was arrested on May 17th for violating the restraining order Durham had against him. He pled not guilty to that charge at a May 18th arraignment. He is being held without bond, with a next court date of June 8.

According to neighbors of Durham, the couple fought frequently. On April 23rd Durham and Pomare had a 'violent argument' that resulted in an assault and battery charge against Pomare - which is still pending - and the issuing of the restraining order. Neighbors also report that last week Durham ran from her apartment screaming for help after an argument with Pomare. Reportedly the couple also fought the day of Durham's death.

Renaldo Pomare

Sources
Boston Globe, May 17, 2007
WHDH-TV, May 17, 2007
Boston Globe, May 18, 2007
WCVB-TV, May 18, 2007
Braintree Forum, May 18, 2007
Boston Globe, May 18, 2007

~Posted May 18, 2007

Kelly Taylor

2007-05-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered on/about May 12, 2007

~Age 26
~Hometown: Georgetown, SC

A 27-year-old Georgetown, SC man is facing kidnapping and murder charges, after he reportedly turned himself into police and confessed to killing his former girlfriend. Police believe Brian Gilliard forced Kelly Taylor, 26, also of Georgetown, into his car on May 12, 2007, and killed her when an argument ensued. He then dumped her body and purposely crashed his car in an apparent suicide attempt.

Using information garnered from Gilliard, police located Taylor's body in Myrtle Beach, SC on May 15th. Her presumptive cause of death is strangulation.

Gillaird and Taylor broke up shortly before Taylor was killed. The pair, who have one child together, were known to argue frequently. Taylor also had a child from a previous relationship. Taylor's children are 1 and 3 years old.

Taylor was a certified nursing assistant and worked at a nursing home. She sometimes worked a second job cleaning rooms in Myrtle Beach to provide for her children. Her family remembers her as someone who 'loved to laugh.'

Sources
The Sun Times, May 15, 2007
The Sun Times, May 15, 2007
The Georgetown Times, May 16, 2007
The Sun News, May 16, 2007

~Posted May 18, 2007

Barbarita Luna

2007-05-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 11, 2007

~Age 25
~Hometown: Ventura, CA

Ventura, CA resident Barbarita Luna, 25, was stabbed to death in the parking lot of her hometown Target the morning of May 11, 2007. Her body was found about an hour and a half later in a car at a Calabasas, CA gas station. That is because her boyfriend, Uriel Cruz, 23, of Oxnard, CA who police suspect in the stabbing, drove around with Luna's body in his car for that long before contacting police and turning himself in.

Reportedly Cruz stabbed Luna in his car because she told him she was leaving him. The couple were seen arguing in the Ventura Target parking lot. Witnesses called police, but Cruz drove off before they arrived.

Cruz was charged with murder. His bail set at $500,000.

Uriel Cruz

Sources
City of Ventura press release, May 11, 2007
LA Times, May 12, 2007
KCAL-TV, May 12, 2007
Ventura County Star, May 13, 2007
KEYT-TV, May 14, 2007
The Acorn, May 17, 2007

~Posted May 19, 2007

Judith Hall

2007-05-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 10, 2007

~Age 62
~Hometown: Grafton, MA

David Hall, 65, walked into his local police department of May 10, 2007 and announced, "I killed my wife." At his Grafton, MA home police found Hall's 62-year-old wife, Judith, dead in the couple's bedroom. An autopsy is pending, but her presumed cause of death is manual strangulation. The motive for the killing is unknown.

Mr. Hall pled not guilty when he was arraigned on murder charges on May 11th. He is being held without bond. His next scheduled court date is June 8th.

Police have no record of previous domestic disturbances between the couple, who lived in the same Grafton, MA home since 1977. Neighbors were shocked by the incident, saying the Halls were 'great people.'

Mr. Hall is a mechanic. He is the proprietor of Hall's Corner Auto Body Work, which he ran out of the garage adjacent to the couple's home.

David Hall

Sources
Boston Globe, May 10, 2007
Boston Herald, May 11, 2007
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May 11, 2007

~Posted May 11, 2007

Shelby Joanette

2007-05-08T00:00:00.004-04:00

Murdered May 8, 2007

~Age 36
~Hometown: Fernley, NV

On May 5, 2007 Shelby Hagedorn Joanette, 36, was driving from her parents' Fernley, NV home to the place her horses were boarded when her truck broke down. She called her father on her cell phone to come get her. He arrived about five minutes later to find his daughter barely alive, with two gun shots to the head. Transported to the hospital, Joanette survived until May 8th when she passed away.

Her estranged husband was apprehended the day of the shooting and held on suspicion of attempted murder. He is 35-year-old Michael Fixer Newcastle of Las Vegas. He also goes by the alias Michael Christopher Young. Charges against him were upgraded to 1st-degree murder in light of Joanette's death. Police have not said if he has a criminal record.

A witness saw Newcastle's car leaving the scene of the shooting. A 9mm gun was found in his car. Ballistics tests are pending to determine if the gun was used to shoot Joanette, but 9mm shell casing were found on the scene. There is some speculation that Newcastle may have been stalking Joanette since she was shot so quickly after her car broke down, but the exact details have not been released.

Joanette and Newcastle were married in the summer of 2005. He used his alias (Michael Young) on the marriage license. Joanette was not aware this was not her husband's name. The couple was in the process of a divorce, described as bitter, when Joanette was killed. She had moved out of their Las Vegas home and was living with her parents in Fernley, NV.

The couple owned a business together in Las Vegas. (The type of business was not detailed in published reports.) They did not have any children.

Joanette was a Junior Horseman in high school and was elected Rodeo Queen the year of her graduation. She had competed in barrel racing and worked as a horse trainer. One news report said Joanette was a regular on the rodeo and barrel racing circuit, where she sold jewelry as a vendor. A friend indicated Joanette was to have attended a barrel race the weekend of her death, but did not because her horse was injured.

Joanette's father, who is is a retired California Highway Patrol officer, said she was outgoing and lived each day to the fullest. He described her as "more fun than a barrel of monkeys."

Shelby Joanette (high school photo); Michael Newcastle

Sources
Tip: Dezert Diva [blog], May 9, 2007
Nevada Appeal, May 6, 2007
Nevada Appeal, May 8, 2007
Lahontan Valley News, May 9, 2007
Reno Gazette Journal, May 9, 2007
Reno Gazette Journal, May 9, 2007
Lahontan Valley News, May 10, 2007
Reno Gazette Journal, May 16, 2007
Reno Gazette Journal, May 23, 2007
Note: Some reports list Newcastle's age as 36.

Memorial website with quest book here

~Posted May 10, 1007
~Updated May 16, 2007 (added memorial scholarship info, work details from obit)
~Updated May 23, 2007 (added link to memorial website, more work details)

UPDATE: Mike Fixer Newcastle was sentenced in November 2008 to life with the option of parole after 20 years in the murder of Shelby Joanette. Ten years, to be served consecutively, were added to the sentence for use of a deadly weapon. Newcastle, who originally pled innocent to the murder, changed his plea to guilty one week before the trial was to start in August, as part of a plea agreement. Newcastle is serving his sentence in Nevada State Prison.

In court, Newcastle was described as a gambler who had various aliases. It appears he was having financial problems around the time of his separation with Joanette, perhaps in part because he no longer had control of her money like he did during their marriage. He refused to sign divorce papers and began to send Joanette disturbing letters and text messages.

An investigation revealed the gas tanks of both of the vehicles Joanette used contained bleaching agents, which likely caused the car she was driving to break down the day Newcastle shot her. Newcastle was not specifically implicated in the gas tank tampering, but keys to Joanette’s locked gas tanks were found in Newcastle’s possession.

At the sentencing hearing, Newcastle said, "I don't have the command of the English language to express how sorry I am. There is no apology acceptable, no rest worthy, no music or painting I could create, to express the shame and regret that I will carry as long as I live.”

Source
Reno Gazette-Journal, Nov 12, 2008 [cached]

~Update posted January 18, 2009

The family has started a scholarship fund in Joanette's name. Donations to the Shelby Hagedorn Joanette Scholarship Fund may be made at Bank of America, under the name of Curt and Donna Hagedorn. [Source/Obit]

Gloria Pauzer

2007-05-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered May 8, 2007

~Age 57
~Hometown: Saint Clair, PA

It appears their relationship never went beyond an acquaintanceship, but Nevin George Wetzel, 68, wanted to date 57-year-old Gloria Mae Pauzer, a woman he met at a senior center they both frequented. (One story says Pauzer worked there as an aide.) She refused his advances, even telling friends she was afraid of him. Wetzel, however, appeared obsessed with Pauzer.

The day after Pauzer would not sit with him at the senior center, Wetzel was so upset he biked the five miles from his home in Minersville, PA to her Saint Clair, PA apartment to confront her. The two argued in the hallway and, according to Wetzel's later account of the incident, Pauzer then got a knife from her apartment. This upset him so he pushed Pauzer to the floor of her apartment and stabbed her with the knife, killing her.

Police later found Wetzel hiding in some bushes by following the mile-long trail of blood he left. He is being held without bond on charges of homicide, aggravated assault and simple assault. A registered sex offender because of a 1994 rape conviction, Wetzel's criminal record also includes charges for larceny, burglary and corruption of a minor, dating back 40 years

Neighbors say Pauzer was quiet and nice. She leaves no children, but her family says she loved kids and enjoyed her nieces and nephews. They hope Pauzer will "be remembered as a kind caring person who loved people."

Gloria Pauzer; Nevin Wetzel

Sources
WNEP-TV, May 9, 2007
Allentown Morning Call, May 9, 2007
Rebublican & Herald, May 9, 2007
Republican & Herald, May 9, 2007
Republican & Herald, May 10, 2007

~Posted May 14, 2007

Memorial contributions may be made to the organization listed below. [Source/obit]

Senior Services Advisory Fund
110 E. Laurel Blvd.
Pottsville, PA 17901

Crystal Michael

2007-05-07T00:00:00.004-04:00

Murdered May 7, 2007

~Age 28
~Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI

Crystal Michael, 28, was seven months pregnant with her third child when she was stabbed to death. The stabbing occurred on May 7, 2007 in the Grand Rapids, MI apartment where Michael had lived for less than one week. Police believe the person responsible is Michael's 22-year-old boyfriend Laron Spight.

After the stabbing Spight fled to his mother's home in Wyoming. There he reportedly confessed to authorities that he had harmed Michael. He was subsequently arraigned on charges of open murder and assaulting a pregnant person causing miscarriage or stillbirth.

The couple had no history of domestic violence. The exact motive for the stabbing is unknown at this time, but Spight's recent psychiatric illness has been cited as a possible mitigating factor.

In late March Spight's mother took him to the emergency room because he had been exhibiting strange behavior, including paranoia, for several weeks. At that time he was diagnosed with acute psychosis and committed for further treatment. Although his April 2nd commitment order stipulated treatment of up to 60 days, Spight was released after one week, with an additional diagnosis of major depression. Spight's short commitment was not necessarily unusual, as patients may be released as soon as the treating psychiatrist feels they are stabilized.

Michael worked part-time for a home health care agency. Her two children, whose ages were not reported, were at school/daycare at the time of her death. News reports did not specify if Spight was the children's father, but one source reported that he was the father of Michael's unborn child.

Crystal Michael; Laron Spight

Sources
Muskegon Chronicle, May 10, 2007
The Grand Rapids Press, May 10, 2007
WOOD-TV, May 11, 2007
WOOD-TV, May 11, 2007

~Posted May 11, 2007

UPDATE: Laron Spight was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in the death of his girlfriend, Crystal Michael. Spight initially was deemed incompetent to stand trial due to mental illness, but court officials later determined he was faking the severity of his symptoms when a letter Spight wrote from jail basically admitted such. Rather than stand trial Spight pled guilty to 2nd degree murder and assault resulting in the death of a fetus.

According to Michael’s family, Spight’s motive in the killing was that Michael wanted to break off her relationship with him.

At his March 2008 sentencing hearing Spight showed no remorse. When allowed to make a statement he directed his comments to Michael’s family, saying, “You all knew what was going on and what she wanted to do to me before it happened, and you all stood by and let it happen. So, yes I did kill your daughter Crystal Michael for what she done to me. If people want to play stupid and act like they don't know what's going on, I don't give a damn."

Sources
Grand Rapids Press, Oct 23, 2007
Grand Rapids Press, Mar 20, 2008
WZZM-TV, Mar 21, 2008

~Update posted January 18, 2009

Roselynn Habu

2007-05-07T00:00:00.003-04:00

Murdered May 7, 2007

~Age 18
~Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MN

"Father God, please forgive me for my sin. This was not my plan to kill my baby mama and kill myself. But it already happen."

So wrote 21-year-old Wilson Newongeby Kpahn the evening of May 7, 2007. He planned to commit suicide after having killed his girlfriend, Roselynn Mbenkaren Habu, 18, earlier in the day. Kpahn even went shopping for a knife, while his girlfriend's dead body sat in the bathtub of the couple's Brooklyn Park, MN apartment. But, rather than kill himself, Kpahn called 911 around midnight on May 8th to report the murder. This, according to the statement Kpahn gave police.

Police say the couple, who had been together a little over a year, had a history of domestic violence. The incident that led to Habu's murder started on May 6th when Kpahn stayed out late with friends. When he arrived home, the couple argued about Kpahn going out and Habu threatened to leave with the couple's 5-month-old daughter. Instead the couple went to bed. At around 5 a.m. the next morning Kpahn, still mad from the night before, reportedly got up, beat Habu with a wooden slat from their bed and then strangled her.

Kpahn is currently incarcerated on 1st- and 2nd-degree murder charges.

Wilson Kpahn

Sources
KSTP-TV, May 8, 2007
KARE-TV, May 10, 2007
Star Tribune, May 10, 2o07
WCCO-TV, May 10, 2007
Minnesota Sun, May 10, 2007
Hennepin Co. Attorney news release, May 10, 2007

~Posted May 18, 2007

UPDATE: Wilson Kpahn was to stand trial in March 2008, but pled guilty to 2nd degree murder charges in the death of his girlfriend, Roselynn Habu, before the trial. Specific information about his sentence was not found online, but the Minnesota offender locator system lists his anticipated release date as November 2030.

Kpahn is a native of Liberia whose youth was spent shuffling between various countries in Africa as a refugee, due to the Liberian civil war. Around age 19 or 20 he came to the US where his father settled previously. Some familiar with the situation in Liberia suggest that Kpahn’s witnessing the atrocities of war may have fueled the anger that eventually led to the death of his girlfriend.

Although Kpahn professed to love Habu, their relationship showed signs of domestic violence almost from the start when he began to isolate her from friends and family. Police were called to the couple’s apartment on various occasions due to domestic disputes. At one point after their daughter, Olin, was born Habu fled with the baby to a domestic violence shelter. On May 6 Habu told Kpahn she was going to leave him, which apparently precipitated her murder.

Habu came to the US from Nigeria in 2004. Friends describe her as sweet and a talented singer. Her dream was to be a fashion designer.

Sources
Star-Tribune, Jun 14, 2007
Hennepin Co. Attorney news release, May 12, 2008

~Update posted January 18, 2009

Glenda Sanabria

2007-05-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 7, 2007

~Age 18
~Hometown: Marietta, GA

Police say Glenda Susana Sanabria, 18, was shot to death by her ex-boyfriend, Jose Anibal Rodriguez, 20. The shooting occurred in Sanabria's Marietta, GA apartment on May 7, 2007. Sanabria's roommate found her body and also saw Rodriguez in the apartment. Rodriguez, whose aliases include Javier Rodriguez and Victor Amer Roman, shot at the roommate, missing her, and then left the apartment. He was at large for several hours before turning himself in. Murder charges are pending.

Sanabria, a native of El Salvador, had lived in the US about four years. She worked as a waitress at a local Salvadoran restaurant. Her father remembered her as a happy person with many friends. He was aware Rodriguez wanted to reunite with his daughter, but never imagined Rodriguez was capable of violence.

Sources
WSB-TV, May 7, 2007
11 Alive TV News, May 7, 2007
Atlanta Journal Constitution, May 7, 2007
Note: The victim's name was alternately reported as Glenda Selabria and Glenda Suzanna Savania.

~Posted May 8, 2007

Alicia Areseneault, Christopher Levitt

2007-05-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered May 6, 2007

~Ages 22 (Areseneault) and 29 (Levitt)
~Hometown: In/around Orlando, FL

It was the weekend and college student Alicia Ann Areseneault, 22, was house sitting at her parents' Orlando, FL home. Se invited her friend - some stories describe him as her boyfriend - Christopher 'Chris' Paul Levitt, 29, over on Saturday night to watch DVDs. Around 3:40 a.m. Sunday morning, May 6, 2007, Areseneault's ex-boyfriend, Timothy James Frechou, 23, showed up at the house with a gun. He fired eight shots, according to a neighbor who heard them, hitting both Areseneault and Levitt. She was able to call 911, but died on the way to the hospital; he died on the scene. Frechou fled to his own Orlando home, where he committed suicide.

Areseneault and Frechou dated for about one year. They broke up two weeks before the shooting. News stories describe Frechou as a "scorned" and "spurred" ex-boyfriend. A police spokesperson was quoted as saying the incident resulted from "a love triangle." That term, however, suggests a situation where relationships are ongoing, which conflicts with reports that Areseneault and Frechou broke up prior to the murder-suicide.

Regarding the shooting itself, one news story indicates Frechou shot through the glass door of Areseneault's parents' home. Another mentions the shooting followed a brief argument. Some online commenters have suggested a scenario in which Areseneault called Frechou at 3 a.m., he went to the home with no bad intent, and Levitt was killed in self-defense after a scuffle that included Frechou being hit with a glass lamp. Others posted that Areseneault had Levitt over, not for romantic reasons, but because she was afraid Frechou might show up, and that Levitt was asleep on the couch when Frechou arrived, uninvited, at the house. [It should be noted that these details are speculative/unsubstantiated at this point. Police have identified Frechou as the shooter but have released few other details, as their investigation is pending.]

News stories published online as of the date of this post include little information about Frechou and Levitt. One story, however, spurred over 130 reader comments, some from people who knew the men. Frechou was described by friends as an easy-going person who made a "bad decision." One wrote that "no one saw this [the murder-suicide] coming." Another, however, noted that Frechou suffered "psychological problems" since his break-up with Areseneault. One person claimed Frechou tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide prior to the night of the shooting because he was distraught over the relationship ending. Some mentioned Frechou was a gun collector with a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and carried a gun with him at all times.

Terms commenters used when talking about Levitt included nice, fun, awesome, great guy and full of energy. He was an only child. He was a dedicated member of the St. Andrews Tavern (Altamonte Springs, FL) soccer team and a huge fan of the Leeds United Football Club (a professional soccer team in England). More comments from people who knew Levitt here.

Areseneault was a student at Seminole Community College and hoped to pursue a career in either nursing or sociology. Her aunt remembered her as "gorgeous and goofy, with a warped sense of humor." Areseneault's obituary described her as a person who "loved life, lived each day to its fullest, and was always selfless and compassionate."

Alicia Areseneault; Chris Levitt*
(*From a MySpace memorial page)

Sources
Orlando Sentinel, May 6, 2007 [via Topix]
Orlando Sentinel, May 7, 2007
Orlando Sentinel, May 7, 2007
Central Florida News, May 7, 2007
Orlando Sentinel, May 8, 2007
Obit (Areseneault)/Orlando Sentinel, May 9, 2007
Note: Some reports list the female victim's name as Alicia Arseneault and age as 23. The name and age listed here come from her obituary.

~Posted May 9, 2007

Donations in memory of Areseneault can be made to the PACE Center for Girls. [Source/Obit; address from the organization's website]

PACE Center for Girls, Inc.
One West Adams St., Suite 301
Jacksonville, FL 32202 **
Online donations here
(**Headquarters; local centers throughout FL)

Emmanuella Biziyaremye

2007-05-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 6, 2007

~Age 28
~Hometown: In/around Orlando, FL

Emmanuella Biziyaremye, 28, obtained a restraining order against her husband, Anselme Biziyaremye, 33, in February 2007. In court documents Ms. Biziyaremye said her husband was a jealous person and often followed her to work to keep tabs on her. She also indicated that he insulted her, pushed and shoved her in front of the couple's children, and threatened to kill her. Once, she said, he threatened that he would shoot her dead.

About three months later, on May 7th, Ms. Biziyaremye was shot twice in the head as she waited in the parking lot of an Orlando, FL Walgreens. She was there to get the kids from her estranged husband, as agreed upon under their temporary custody agreement. The shooter was a man who hid his face behind a rag. He then sped off in a car driven by another man. The couple's children were believed to be in the car. An Amber alert was issued, but cancelled when the girls were found safe the next morning. Ms. Biziyaremye also had a young child with her, who she was babysitting, when she was killed. This child was not harmed.

Mr. Biziyaremye was considered a person of interest in the murder of his estranged wife and police were seeking him for questioning. The night after his estranged wife's death he was located in Jacksonville, FL, leaving the scene of a house fire. When confronted by police in Jacksonville, Mr. Biziyaremye held a gun to his head. He then fled, shooting at police who in turn shot back, killing him.

The Jacksonville house where the fire occurred belonged to a family who assisted Ms. Biziyaremye leave her husband. They had received a threatening phone call from Mr. Biziyaremye before the fire, which authorities believe was set intentionally. The family was in protective custody as a result of the call and were not harmed in the fire, though their home was destroyed.

The couple, originally from Rwanda, married nine years ago. They had two daughters, Kelvine Uwase, 8, and Vanessa Gaju, 7.

Anselme Biziyaremye

Sources
Local 10 News, May 7, 2007
The News Press, May 7, 2007
Orlando Sentinel, May 7, 2007
Local 6 TV, May 8, 2007
WESH-TV, May 8, 2007
Orlando Sentinel, May 8, 2007
The Times-Union, May 9, 2007
Note: Initial reports incorrectly indicated the couple had one son and one daughter. They also listed the relationship between the couple as boyfriend-girlfriend, rather than estranged spouces.

~Posted May 8, 2007
~Updated May 9, 2007 (Added source, details re: house fire)

Elizabeth Burgess, James Prewitt

2007-05-05T00:00:00.002-04:00

Murdered May 5, 2007

~Ages 30 (Burgess) and 31 (Prewitt)
~Hometowns: Cookeville/Baxter, TN (Burgess) and Murfreesboro, TN (Prewitt)

James 'Jimmy' Anthony Burgess, 34, was mad at his estranged wife over their several-months-old separation and pending divorce, according to police documents. When he saw her leaving a restaurant with another man on May 5, 2007, perhaps it threw him over the edge. He reportedly followed them to the Cookesville, TN home he once shared with his estranged wife, Elizabeth Ann Norrod Burgess, 30. After words were exchanged through the locked front door, Mr. Burgess is believed to have shot through the door, pushed his way in, and shot Ms. Burgess and her boyfriend, James Prewitt (known as 'Jim' or 'Jimmy), 31, to death.

He then called 911 to report the two deaths, suggesting that he might take his own life as well. He did not, however. Nor did he physically harm the children who were in the home at the time of the shootings, the 4-year-old son he had with his estranged wife and her 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Mr. Burgess was subsequently arrested and is being held without bond on two 1st-degree murder charges. The children were placed in the care of relatives.

Mr. and Mrs. Burgess had no reported instances of domestic violence during their marriage. Mr. Burgess was cited once for domestic violence in early 2007, following his separation, though. Details of what led to the citation were not found in published stories about the shootings.

News reports include little information about Prewitt. His obituary indicates he worked as a truck driver. It also says he was survived by a wife.

Mr. Burgess worked as a paramedic prior to his arrest. Ms. Burgess, who held a Master's degree in nursing, worked as a nurse practitioner for the Tennessee Department of Health. Her obituary remembers her as a gifted nurse and loving mother to her two children.

Sources
WTVF-TV, May 7, 2007
Herald-Citizen, May 7, 2007
The Tennessean, May 8, 2007
Knoxville News Sentinel, May 8, 2007
Herald-Citizen, May 8, 2007
Obit (His), Daily News Journal, May 10, 2007
Herald-Citizen, May 15, 2007
Obit (Hers), Cookeville.com, undated
Note: Ms. Burgess' obit lists her hometown as Baxter. News stories say she lived in Cookeville. Cookeville and Baxter are neighboring towns. The home where the murders occurred is in Cookeville. Some news stories list Prewitt's age as 32, but his obituary indicates he was 31 at the time of his death.

~Posted May 22, 2007

A fund was set up to benefit Ms. Burgess' two children. Donations may be made at any Bank of Putnam County Branch. [Source/Obit]

Lesa Thamby

2007-05-05T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered May 5, 2007

~Age 35
~Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MD

Lesa Lynn Thamby, 35, was stabbed to death in her Brooklyn Park, MD home the night of May 4, 2007. She died en route to the hospital just after midnight on May 5th. Her husband, Soman Narayanan Thamby, 50, has been charged with 2nd-degree murder in connection with her death. The stabbing apparently occurred following an argument between the couple. According to the victim's sister, the argument started because Mr. Thamby was mad that his wife was out when he arrived home that day. She had gone to McDonald's.

The couple had two sons, ages 10 and 5, and a 2-year-old daughter together. The children were not harmed in the incident, but were home and may have witnessed their mother being killed.

Neighbors say arguments between the couple were rare. Mrs. Thamby did, however, file a domestic violence charge against her husband in March 2007. The charge was dropped in April because Mrs. Thamby did not appear in court, as scheduled. Family members say the couple was trying to work through their marital problems.

Mr. and Mrs. Thamby met while working at the same restaurant. After their children were born, Mrs. Thamby wanted to stay home with them so she started a small day care center. When not working and taking care of her children, she enjoyed gardening and scrapbooking.

Mrs. Thamby grew up in the neighborhood where she and her husband lived. In fact, the couple purchased the house next door to Mrs. Thamby's childhood home, where her mother still lives. The neighborhood is described as tight-knit. Almost everyone there knew Mrs. Thamby; they remember her as a very friendly person.

Soman and Lesa Thamby

Sources
Baltimore Sun, May 5, 2007
WJZ-TV, May 6, 2007
The Capital, May 6, 2007
Baltimore Sun, May 6, 2007

~Posted May 6, 2007

Mrs. Thamby's family is starting a fund for her children. Donations to the Thamby Children Fund can be made at any M&T Bank branch. [Source]

Sylvester Mitchell

2007-05-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 5, 2007

~Age 38 or 40 (reports vary)
~Hometown: Boston, MA

Around 4:00 a.m. on May 5, 2007 Sylvester Mitchell was stabbed multiple times in a home in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, MA. He was transported to the hospital, but died a short time later. Some news stories say Mitchell was 38; others list his age as 40. One report indicated he died on his birthday.

Police questioned Mitchell's wife, Sharon Fitzpatrick, 35, but did not detain her. The next day, however, a warrant was issued for Fitzpatrick's arrest. Police are labeling Mitchell's murder a domestic violence assault. As of the time of this post television news stations are reporting Fitzpatrick is not in police custody, but is expected to turn herself in shortly.

Fitzpatrick has been a civilian 911 dispatcher for the Boston Police Department for the past two years. Mitchell worked as a car detailer. The couple had been married for about four years. News stories say the couple was from Dorchester, though the murder occurred in Mattapan. (Both Dorchester and Mattapan are neighborhoods in Boston.) Mitchell was a stepfather to Fitzpatrick's five children.

Sources
The Boston Globe, May 6, 2007
The Boston Channel, May 6, 2007
WHDH-TV, May 6, 2007
BPD News [Boston Police blog], May 6, 2007

~Posted May 6, 2007

Sharon Smith

2007-05-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 4, 2007

~Age 45 (some reports say 43 or 46)
~Hometown: Chesapeake, VA

One of Sharon Smith's sons, worried that no one could reach her by phone, went to her Chesapeake, VA apartment on May 4, 2007. Knocking down the door he found his mother's body on the kitchen floor. The cause of death for Smith, whose age has been reported as 43, 45 and 46 by various sources, is pending an autopsy.

The next day police arrested Smith's live-in boyfriend, Elvis Griffin, 49, on first degree murder charges in connection with Smith's death. The arrest came after police interviewed several potential suspects. A motive has not been released.

Smith and Griffin had lived together for only a short time. News reports say Griffin was released from jail recently. The details of his recent incarceration were not provided. However, he was convicted of attempted rape in 1985 and is a registered sex offender.

Smith worked for the city of Chesapeake, VA. She leaves two sons.

Sharon Smith with sons in old family photo; Elvis Griffin

Sources
WTKR-TV, May 5, 2007
Daily Press, May 5, 2007
Virginian-Pilot, May 5, 2007
WAVY-TV, May 6, 2007
WVEC , May 7, 2007

~Posted May 11, 2007

Elizabeth Ware

2007-05-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 2, 2007

~Age 31
~Hometown: Newark, DE

On May 2, 2007 Elizabeth Mame Scott Ware, 31, started her work day as usual. She was a school bus driver and had to pick her bus up at the lot before starting on her rounds. At some point before Ware picked up the first student, however, police believe her ex-boyfriend, Jermease G. Ross, 25, somehow got on the bus and stabbed her to death. Ross was arrested on murder charges and is being held without bond.

Ross and Ware lived together in Newark, DE until the end of April when Ware ended the relationship and moved out, temporarily staying at a friend's house. After Ware moved out Ross once followed her to work and begged her to return. He also repeatedly text messaged a friend of Ware's in an attempt to contact her. Ross was arrested for harassment because of this. He was released on $1,000 bail and a court date was set for June.

The couple, who were together for about six years, had a history of domestic violence. Neighbors say Ross and Ware fought often and Ware sometimes had bruises. In February Ross was ordered to stay away from Ware after he reportedly told her he would kill her is she ever left him. The no contact order was dropped after Ross agreed to enroll in a domestic violence program, and the two continued to live together until about a week before Ware's death.

Ross and Ware had one child together, a daughter who is five. Ware also leaves two sons, ages 7 and 10, from a previous relationship. Friends and family say Ware was a hard worker dedicated to making a good life for her children.

Elizabeth Ware; Jermease Ross

Sources
NBC 10 (Philadelphia), May 2, 2007
The News Journal, May 4, 2007
The News Journal, May 4, 2007
The News Journal, May 5, 2007
Obit

~Posted May 6, 2007

Lorrielle Watkins

2007-05-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered May 1, 2007

~Age 29
~Hometown: Raleigh, NC

"Oh God. He's going to kill me," a neighbor said Lorrielle Wells Watkins, 29, screamed out in the pre-dawn hours of May 1, 2007. Police were called but Watkins was dead by the time they arrived at her Raleigh, NC apartment complex. She was stabbed to death with a knife and screwdriver, police say, by her ex-boyfriend, 25-year-old Mwanza Rama Bennett of Fayetteville, NC.

Bennett tried to flee the scene, but was apprehended and now faces charges of murder, resisting arrest and assault with a deadly weapon. The latter charge stems from Bennett's hitting a police officer with his car as he fled. The officer suffered minor injuries.

According to Watkins' mother, her daughter broke up with Bennett eight months ago. (Some news stories say the couple's relationship ended "recently.") Following the break-up Bennett called Watkins frequently, one time making 39 calls to her in a single day. The calls stepped up in the month before Watkins' murder. As far as Watkins' family knows Bennett was not violent towards Watkins prior to the day of her death.

Watkins was no stranger to domestic violence, however. She was married previously to a man her aunt described as "very abusive." She later left this man. Watkins' aunt could not believe Watkins survived that relationship only to be killed by a man who, the aunt said, had "no symptoms" of being abusive. [The past abuse is mentioned in only one news story. No additional details were provided. Watkins' obituary lists a husband among her surviving family members.]

Watkins got pregnant at 17, but went on to earn her GED. She later enlisted in the US Army and served two years in Germany and Ft. Bragg. More recently she was accepted into a practical nursing program. This was a dream come true for Watkins because Watkins felt a career in nursing would allow her to be self-sufficient, something that was important to her. At times Watkins worked two or three jobs to provide for her and her son. She was working full time at a nursing home, as well as attending nursing school, at the time of her death. She was only one semester away from completing nursing school.

Watkins leaves an 11-year-old son, Malik Donovan, who is autistic. He was in the apartment when his mother was killed. How much of the crime he witnessed is unclear because his autism prevents him from communicating the full details of what he saw or heard.

Lorrielle Watkins; Mwanza Bennett

Sources
WRAL-TV, May 1, 2007
ABC-11 (Raleigh-Durham), May 2, 2007
The News & Observer, May 2, 2007
The News & Observer, May 3, 2007
Obit/The News & Observer, May 6, 2007
The News & Observer, May 8, 2007

~Posted May 11, 2007

Kathryn 'Bridie' and Albert Miller

2007-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered May 1, 2007

~Ages 31 and 71, respectively
~Hometown: Mayfield Heights, OH

On May 1, 2007 Scott Esposito, 38, drove about six hours from his home in Macungie, PA to Mayfield Heights, OH. That's where his love interest, Katheryn McBride 'Bridie' Miller, 31, lived. He showed up at her door with a dozen 'I love you' balloons. An attempt at reconciliation perhaps for, although Esposito's family believed the two were still dating, those who knew Miller say that she broke off the relationship about six months earlier.

Miller lived with her parents. Her father, Albert Miller, 71, answered the door when Esposito arrived. The two exchanged words. Esposito subsequently shot Mr. Miller five times, killing him. Ms. Miller heard the commotion and tried to leave the house through the back door, Esposito shot her eight times as she fled. A neighbor called 911, but Ms. Miller was dead before help arrived. Esposito then tried to flee in his car. When cornered by police, he committed suicide with a gunshot to the head.

Police do not know exactly what caused Esposito's rampage. He purchased a gun the day before the shooting. In his car he had over 500 rounds of ammunition. He did not have a suitcase or other personal belongings, suggesting that he planned to return home the same day or perhaps that he contemplated his suicide in advance. Police hope to access the couple's email exchanges to learn more.

Esposito called Ms. Miller when he was en route to her house. She called her mother, who was not home, and told her Esposito was coming, but it does not appear she feared him. It seems, though, that she asked her father to turn Esposito away, resulting in the argument Mr. Miller and Esposito had at the door.

Ms. Miller met Esposito via an online dating site for Catholics. There are conflicting reports about how long ago they met. It may have been as long as two years ago. They saw each other infrequently - because they lived 400 miles apart - but emailed and talked via phone daily when they were together. A friend said Ms. Miller became concerned over Esposito's 'irrational' behavior and ended the relationship in October 2006. One news story said the couple had a brief on and off relationship last fall and only limited contact since December.

Esposito had a bachelor's degree in business administration and worked as an independent insurance broker. He lived with his parents and older sister, who had spina bifida, so he could help care for them. He had no criminal record. His family says the shooting was completely out of character for him.

Mr. Miller ran his own employee placement agency from his home. An employee of the business was in the home at the time of the shootings, but was unharmed.

Ms. Miller, who had cerebral palsy, held both a Master's degree in education and a certificate in speech pathology. She worked previously as a teacher.

Scott Esposito

Sources
WKYC, May 2, 2007
The Morning Call, May 3, 2007
The Plain Dealer, May 3, 2007
The Plain Dealer, May 5, 2007

~Posted May 10, 2007

Contributions in memory of Bridie Miller and/or Albert Miller may be made to the organization below. [Source/Obits: hers/his]

Julie Billiart School
4982 Clubside Drive
Lyndhurst, OH 44124

Jane Clabaugh

2007-04-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered on/about April 30, 2007

~Age 45
~Hometown: Flowery Branch, GA

Their divorce was finalized on April 17, 2007, but Brian Keith Clabaugh, 41, and Jane Morgan Paris Clabaugh, 45, continued to live together until their house could be sold and the profits divided. Ms. Clabaugh had asked for the Flowery Branch, GA property in the divorce settlement and Mr. Clabaugh was originally ordered to vacate it by April 21st. When he said this would leave him homeless, though, the order was modified to allow both parties to remain in the house. The arrangement did not last long, as Mr. Clabaugh shot his ex-wife and then himself sometime on April 29th or April 30th. Their bodies were discovered in their house on April 30th.

Ms. Clabaugh filed for divorce in February 2007, citing irreconcilable differences. However, Mr. Clabaugh said his wife never mentioned the filing nor did he receive the paperwork, so he was caught off guard when the final divorce decree was issued. Ms. Clabaugh's 20-year-old daughter, who used to live with the couple, also said her mother never mentioned the divorce filing. The couple had no known history of domestic violence during their 5-year marriage.

Mr. Clabaugh owned his own business selling computer printer supplies. Ms. Clabaugh was employed as a salesperson by Nordstrom.

The couple had no children together, but Ms. Claubaugh leaves her daughter and an 11-year-old son from previous relationships. The younger child was at his father's at the time of the shooting.

Sources
Hall Co. Sheriff press release, May 2, 2007
Gainesville Times, May 2, 2007
Access North Georgia, May 2, 2007

~Posted May 19, 2007

Memorial donations in memory of Ms. Clabaugh may be made to the organization listed below. [Source/Obit]

Hall County Humane Society
845 West Ridge Road
Gainesville, GA 30501

Clella Colson

2007-04-28T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered April 28, 2007

~Age 41
~Hometown: Lake Stevens, WA

Clella Gay (Mettle) Colson, 41, died in her Lake Stevens, WA home on April 28, 2007. Her boyfriend, Terry Van Allen, 45, is accused of putting her in a sleeper hold following an argument, rendering her unconscious and ultimately killing her. The incident was witnessed by Colson's 15-year-old son, Justin, and Van Allen's 14-year-old son. The 14-year-old called 911. Paramedics arrived and tried to revive Colson, but to no avail.

Van Allen, who was said to have been drinking the day of the incident, was found hiding under a camping trailer near the house and arrested. He is being held on $250,000 bond on 2nd-degree murder charges.

The couple had a history of domestic violence. Police were called to their home seven times since 2004. Both Colson and Van Allen had been arrested on domestic violence charges. Details on Colson's arrests were not found in news reports. Van Allen had one conviction for domestic battery from 2004. In another case, from 2006, he was convicted on a lesser charge. A second 2006 case was pending when Colson was killed. In a previously unreported incident from March 2007, Van Allen is said to have punched Colson and knocked her tooth out.

A no-contact order was issued against Van Allen in December 2006. On March 21st Colson asked that the order be lifted, but this request was denied by a judge. Some news stories indicate that, although Van Allen owned the Lake Stevens home where the murder occurred, he had moved out because of the no-contact order. Others suggest the couple was living together at the home, despite the no-contact order.

In addition to Justin, Colson had two older step children, according to her obituary. Van Allen has two sons, both of whom were in the home when Colson was killed.

Colson worked in various delis over the years. She is remembered as adventuresome, daring and always willing to try something new. She enjoyed outdoor activities, such as camping and skiing, as well as cooking, music concerts and jewelry making. Most dear to her, though, was her son.

Clella Colson

Sources
KOMO-TV, Apr 29, 2007
Seattle Post Intelligencer, Apr 29, 2007
The Daily Herald, May 1, 2007
Seattle Post Intelligencer, May 2, 2007
Obit/Skagit Valley Herald, May 7, 2007

~Posted May 11, 2007

Amy Daley

2007-04-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered April 28, 2007

~Age 30
~Hometown: Winter Haven, FL

Amy Louise Daley, 30, went to dinner with friends on April 28, 2007. When she was out neighbors saw Daley's estranged husband, David Alan Benevides, 37, outside her home. One warned Daley when she returned home, but Daley said she could handle him. Shortly thereafter Daley was shot to death in front of her Winter Haven, FL home. Police believe the gunman was Benevides, who then shot himself in the head. For an unknown reason Benevides had removed his clothing prior to the shooting.

Benevides and Daley met via the Internet a year earlier. After dating a few months, Benevides moved from Virginia to Daley's home in Winter Haven, FL and the couple was married in the fall of 2006. The relationship quickly soured and the couple fought almost daily. Benevides, say friends and neighbors, was secretive, jealous and told Daley he had friends who could 'take care of her.' He hacked her computer. She threatened to commit suicide.

In January 2007 Benevides was arrested for domestic violence. Around that time Benevides moved to Tampa. (One report listed St. Cloud, FL as his last known address.) Daley obtained a protective order against Benevides in January, but it was not renewed after she missed a court date, reportedly because she could not get the day off of work to appear in court.

Even after that the couple seemed to try to make things work. Neighbors indicate Benevides would come and stay at the house for a few days, the couple would fight and he would leave again. If a specific incident led to the April 28th murder-suicide, it was not reported in news stories.

Benevides was a computer tech. Daley taught autistic students.

David Benevides

Sources
WESH-TV, Apr 28, 2007
The Ledger, Apr 28, 2007
The Ledger, Apr 29, 2007

~Posted April 30, 2007

Carla Miller

2007-04-27T00:00:00.004-04:00

Murdered April 27, 2007

~Age 50
~Hometown: Little Rock, AR

On April 27, 2007 Harold Miller, 56, went to a neighbor's house and asked them to call 911. He had just shot his wife, he told his neighbor. Police arrived to find Carla Miller, 50, lying in the carport of the Miller's Little Rock, AR home. She had been shot in the head. She was airlifted to the hospital, but died en route.

Mr. Miller was charged with 1st-degree murder and is being held on $250,000 bond. A .38-caliber handgun and a small quantity of marijuana were taken as evidence from the couple's home.

Sources
Today's THV, Apr 28, 2007
The Morning News (NW Arkansas), Apr 29, 2007

~Posted May 6, 2007

Cuadalupe Cajiga

2007-04-27T00:00:00.003-04:00

Murdered on/about April 27, 2007

~Age 27
~Hometown: Tampa, FL

Passersby reported a body hanging from a tree in Tampa's Rowlett Park the morning of April 28, 2007. At first unsure if the hanging was a suicide or homicide, police began to suspect Angel T. Jimenez, 44, killed himself because the receipt for the nylon rope used in the hanging was found in his pocket. Also found was a tape-recorded message indicating that Jimenez had harmed his girlfriend.

Cuadalupe Cajiga, 27, was found dead in a bedroom of the Tampa home she shared with Jimenez and other family members. Police so far have only said that it appears Cajiga died of trauma to the upper body, most likely on April 27th. Both she and Jimenez were last seen alive on that date. They had argued and family members noted that Jimenez appeared 'despondent.'

Jimenez and Cajiga lived together at the Tampa address only one month before the murder-suicide. It is not clear how long they had been gone out prior to that. Neighbors were unaware of any problems between the couple. Jimenez, however, appears to have had a history of domestic violence with another woman.

He was arrested in January 2007 on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and stalking a woman in Seminole Heights, FL in December 2006. Jimenez pled not guilty to those charges on April 17th and was free while awaiting trial. Jimenez lived with that woman at one point, but was very controlling. She became fearful of his constant threats and eventually obtained a restraining order against him.

Jimenez also has a drug-related conviction on his record from 1998, for which he served one year's probation. Charges brought against him in 2004 for false imprisonment and aggravated assault with a weapon were later dropped.

Jimenez worked previously for a tree service. Additional details regarding Cajiga were not located online.

Angel Jimenez

Sources
Bay News 9, Apr 28, 2007
My Fox Tampa Bay, Apr 28, 2007
The Tampa Tribune, Apr 29 2007
St. Petersburg Times, Apr 29, 2007

~Posted April 30, 2007

Sylvia Scott

2007-04-27T00:00:00.002-04:00

Murdered April 27, 2007

~Age 44
~Hometown: Orlando, FL

A domestic-violence-related shooting the evening of April 27, 2007 left two injured and one dead. Police allege Kirth Elmo Bramble, 35, shot his ex-girlfriend, Shantavia Shaneice Scott (age not specified) outside her Orlando, FL apartment following an argument. Bramble then shot and killed her mother, Sylvia Scott, 44, when the elder Scott came to her daughter's rescue. In addition he shot a 58-year-old neighbor, Arthur Hawkins, after the neighbor tried to protect the two women with a baseball bat.

As of this post, Bramble, whose last known address was in Orlando, is still at large. Police have a warrant for his arrest on murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery charges. [UPDATE: Bramble is no longer at large. See below for details.]

Court records indicate that Shantavia Scott has filed for a restraining order against Bramble three times. The first two requests - in 2005 and 2006 - were dismissed for unknown reasons. The third request was pending a hearing at the time of the shooting.

Shantavia Scott, who remains hospitalized as a result of the shooting, has a young child with Bramble. The child was not injured in the shooting.

Sylvia Scott was well known in her neighborhood. Neighbors remember her as humorous and kind.

Kirth Bramble

Sources
Orlando Sentinel, Apr 28, 2007
WESH-TV, Apr 28, 2007
Local 6 (Orlando), Apr 28, 2007
Note: Some reports say the shooting occurred on April 28, 2007.

~Posted April 30, 2007

UPDATE: On May 20, 2007 police in College Park, GA stopped a car Kirth Bramble was driving because the vehicle was suspected stolen. As officers approached the car, Bramble committed suicide by shooting himself.

More information on Sylvia Jean Scott was provided in her obituary. She was employed by the Orange County (FL) Convention Center. She had 4 daughters (including Shantavia Scott who previously dated Bramble), 2 sons and 12 grandchildren.

Sylvia Scott

Sources
Obit, Orlando Sentinel, May 3, 2007
WFTV-TV, May 21, 2007
Central FL News 13, May 21, 2007

~Update posted May 23, 2007

Clara Cobb

2007-04-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered April 27, 2007

~Age 46
~Hometown: Pickens, AR

According to police, what started as a domestic dispute between Kerman Harris, 21, and her ex-boyfriend, Roderick Williams, 29, escalated into an incident that left Harris' mother dead. Not all details are clear, but Harris and Williams had been arguing. Shortly after midnight on April 27, 2007 Harris' mother, Clara Cobb, 46, was shot outside her Pickens, AR home, presumably after trying to intervene in some way between Williams and her daughter.

Williams then allegedly kidnapped Harris and her six-month-old child, as well as his uncle, Alonzo Williams, who tried to intervene. Alonzo Williams, who had been knocked unconscious, and the infant were found a short time later by the side of the road. Williams and Harris were found in the Dumas, AR home of Williams' current girlfriend about 15 hours later.

Harris suffered a broken arm and ankle in the incident. Her child was not harmed. It is not specified whether or not Williams is the child's father.

Williams is in police custody. Charges of murder and kidnapping are pending against him.

Sources
The Morning News (NW Arkansas), Apr 27, 2007
Today's THV, Apr 27, 2007
KATV, Apr 27, 2007
KATV, Apr 29, 2007

~Posted April 30, 2007

Michael Rutkowski

2007-04-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered April 27, 2007

~Age 44
~Hometown: Medanales, NM

Christopher Branch, 23, of is accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend in his Hernandez, NM home on April 27, 2007. After he left to go to the grocery store, his girlfriend left as well. He later saw her walking along the road near Española, NM and reportedly tried to pull her into his pick-up by her hair before hitting her with the vehicle's door and running over her legs and pelvis.

Three motorists witnessed the assault and stopped to help Branch's girlfriend. Branch is said to have tried, unsuccessfully, to hit the first two motorists before hitting the third - Michael Rutkowski, age 44, of Medanales, NM - throwing him 50 feet and killing him.

Branch was arrested after a several-mile chase. Charges against him include murder, as well as aggravated assault, attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated battery on a household member and driving while intoxicated. He has past convictions on his record for robbery, concealing his identity, giving alcohol to minors and DWI. His mother has filed restraining orders against him five times; the most recent was served on April 27th.

Branch's girlfriend, Contessa Salazar, was hospitalized for her injuries. She was discharged two days later. Her fetus was not harmed. Salazar reportedly got pregnant in February when both she and Branch were inmates at the Santa Fe (NM) County Jail, he for probation violations and she awaiting trial on a larceny charge. (The jail concedes the two were allowed contact while incarcerated and has fired the employee responsible.) Salazar may proceed with plans to marry Branch, despite this incident. [See comment #1 to this post.]

Rutkowski and his wife were returning from shopping when they came upon Branch and his girlfriend. Rutkowski's family is not surprised that he stopped to help. As a child he and his brother often watched their father, a Connecticut State Trooper, in action, instilling in them the inclination to help people in need.

Rutkowski had a knack for science and worked as an engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He married his current wife - who his brother described as his "soul mate" - two years ago. He had three children from a previous relationship, Michael, 20, Jason, 18, and Jordan, 13.

Michael Rutkowski; Christopher Branch

Sources
KOB-TV, Apr 28, 2007
KRQE-TV, Apr 30, 2007
Albuquerque Tribune, Apr 30, 2007
Santa Fe New Mexican, Apr 30, 2007
Santa Fe New Mexican, May 1, 2007
Rio Grande Sun, May 3, 2007
Note: Some news stories listed Rutkowski's age as 43, others 44. A family member confirmed his age as 44 in a comment to this post.

~Posted April 30, 2007
~Updated May 7, 2007
(Rutkowski's age corrected; girlfriend's name added; more sources and details included)

Jamie Brooke Guthrie

2007-04-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered on/about April 25, 2007

~Age 29
~Hometown: Hazel Green, AL

On May 11, 2007 a landlord who had not seen his tenants in several weeks and smelled a foul odor emanating from their apartment asked a passing officer to investigate. Inside the Hazel Green, AL apartment police found two decomposed bodies, later identified as Robert Joseph Lemley II, 26, and Jamie Brooke Isbell Guthrie, 29. From evidence at the scene, which included a hand-written note, police concluded that Lemley shot Guthrie with a rifle before taking his own life. The date of the murder-suicide was reported by one source as April 24. Guthrie's obituary lists her date of death as April 25.

The couple had a history of domestic violence, according to one news story. Comments readers left at online news sites include mention of Lemley leaving Guthrie hospitalized following a beating a few months ago. Another commenter mentioned that Lemley followed Guthrie to work, observed her to see who she spoke with during breaks and monitored her text messages. At least one of Lemley's coworkers indicated surprise at the incident, saying Lemley was a good guy.

Guthrie, who some commenters referred to as Jamie and others as Brooke, worked for Toyota. She leaves two children, Danny and Kyleigh.

Sources
The Huntsville Times, May 11, 2007
WAAY-TV, May 15, 2007
WAFF-TV, May 15, 2007
The Huntsville Times, May 15, 2007
Obits: Hers/His

~Posted May 23, 2007

Maria Aguilar

2007-04-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered April 20, 2007

~Age 40
~Hometown: Houston, TX

Maria L. Aguilar, 40, and was shot to death in her Houston, TX apartment on April 20, 2007. Police believe her boyfriend, Marcos Soto, 33, killed her before turning the gun on himself. Neighbors heard the couple arguing just before the gunshots started.

Aguilar wanted to end her relationship with Soto, according to her 23-year-old daughter, but he refused to move out of the apartment where the couple lived. The apartment was in Aguilar's name. She had lived there just five months when she was killed.

Aguilar leaves four daughters, ages 23, 19, 9 and 2. None were in the apartment at the time of the shooting.

Maria Aguilar

Sources
KHOU-TV, Apr 21, 2007
Houston Chronicle, Apr 22, 2007
Houston Chronicle, Apr 23, 2007
Note: The suspect's first name has been reported as Maro, Marco and Marcos.

~Posted April 25, 2007

Cora Archuleta

2007-04-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered April 19, 2007

~Age 54
~Hometown: Commerce City, CO

Cora Marie Archuleta, 54, was stabbed multiple times in her Commerce City, CO home on April 19, 2007. She managed to go to a neighbor's home for help, but died upon arrival at the hospital. Prior to her death, she apparently implicated her ex-husband, Raymond Elias Chacon, 61, also of Commerce City, in the stabbing. He was arrested a short time later on charges of 1st-degree murder and domestic violence.

Police have no record of prior domestic disturbances involving the couple. Friends of Archuleta, though, describe the couple's relationship as "troubled." They say although Archuleta and Chacon were divorced, she would sometimes let him spend the night at her house. However, Archuleta was "fed up" with Chacon and planned to tell him their relationship was over for good.

Little information on Chacon has been released other than that he reportedly had a drinking problem. He has been arrested for DUI four times.

Archuleta worked for the Adams County (CO) Head Start program. She had been an employee there for 25 years. Coworkers and friends say she was a "wonderful person." She leaves three children and four grandchildren.

Raymond Chacon

Sources
My Fox Colorado, Apr 19, 2007
Rocky Mountain News, Apr 19, 2007
CBS-4 (Denver), Apr 20, 2007
Denver Post, Apr 20, 2007
Obit/Denver Post, Apr 23, 2007

~Posted April 22, 2007

Ediesha Daniel

2007-04-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered April 18, 2007

~Age 17
~Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL

The morning of April 18, 2007 Charles J. Wilson, 20, broke into the St. Petersburg, FL home where his 17-year-old girlfriend lived with her mother and other relatives. Following an argument, he reportedly shot his girlfriend, Ediesha Daniel, to death and fled.

The shooting took place just days after Wilson was accused of punching Daniel in the face during an argument. Wilson was facing a domestic battery charge in incident, which occurred April 13th, but police had not yet tracked him down when the shooting occurred.

Operating on an anonymous tip, police located Wilson at an area motel the day after the shooting. He was arrested on 1st-degree murder charges. He also had two outstanding warrants at the time of the shooting, one for cocaine possession and another for a parole violation. News reports indicate Wilson has an extensive criminal record.

Friends say Wilson and Daniel fought frequently in the past few weeks over their 8-month-old son, Charles Wilson Jr. (One report listed the infant's age as 2 months.)

Daniel is described as a quiet girl. She left high school when she became pregnant, but was planning to get her GED, according to friends.

Charles Wilson

Sources
WTSP-TV, Apr 18, 2007
My Fox-Tampa Bay, Apr 18, 2007
St. Petersburg Times, Apr 19, 2007
St Petersburg Times, Apr 20, 2007
The Tampa Tribune, April 19, 2007
The Tampa Tribune, Apr 19, 2007

~Posted April 25, 2007

Sadie Finney

2007-04-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered April 18, 2007

~Age 31
~Hometown: Murrieta, CA

Aaron Scot Finney, 34, left a suicide note. In the note he explained he had been contemplating his actions for several weeks. "Everybody's going to think I'm a monster for this," he wrote. Presumably he was alluding to his plans to kill his estranged wife before committing suicide, which were carried to fruition on April 18, 2007.

That day he broke into the Murrieta, CA condo where his wife and three sons recently moved. According to police reports, Mr. Finney immediately started shooting. While the eldest child, age 12, pleaded with his father to stop, Mr. Finney shot at his wife and chased her into a bedroom. Shutting the door, he shot her several times. He then poured gasoline on her body and some furniture and sparked a blaze before shooting himself once in the head. The kids escaped and summoned help.

Ms. Finney was divorcing her husband and had an active protective order against him when she was killed. The protective order was issued on March 27th, two days after Mr. Finney was arrested for misdemeanor spousal battery for hitting her. He was free on $5,000 bail on that charge when he committed the murder-suicide.

Ms. Finney's complaints against her husband detailed three incidents in the past two months in which he deliberately ruined her belongings, threw things, spit on her, and made "vulgar remarks" about her to their children. She described his behavior as "out of control" and "increasingly erratic" and said she was afraid of what he might do to her or their children. He had denied these allegations in court appearances. He also had stated he did not possess a firearm.

A friend of the couple said had Mr. Finney became possessive of his wife over the past several months and tried to prohibit her from associating with her friends. The police have records of several domestic disturbance calls involving the couple, dating back to August 2006.

Mr. Finney was living with his mother in Murrieta at the time of the shootings. He owned a software business that was struggling financially, according to information from court documents.

Ms. Finney is remembered as a dedicated mother to the three children she and her estranged husband had. The children, ages 12, 10 and 4, are in the custody of their grandparents.

Sources
CBS-2/KCAL, Apr 19, 2007*
Sign on San Diego, Apr 19, 2007*
(*Same story)
Press-Enterprise, Apr 19, 2007
North County Times, Apr 19, 2007
North County Times, Apr 20, 2007

~Posted April 22, 2007

Two organizations have set up funds to assist the Finney children. [Source]

--Fund set up by the Cole Canyon [Elementary School] Parent Teacher Club

Finney Children Assistance Fund
c/o Bank of America
23781 Washington Ave.
Murrieta, CA 92562

--Fund set up by Safe Alternatives For Everyone (SAFE)

Finney Trust Fund
c/o Pacific Western Bank
41381 Kalmia St.
Murrieta, CA 92562
-or-
SAFE*
30520 Rancho California Rd.
Suite 107, PMB 117
Temecula, CA 92591
*Make donation payable to SAFE, specify that it is for the Finney Trust Fund

Oscar Martinez

2007-04-16T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered April 16, 2007

~Age 30
~Hometown: Mount Prospect, IL

Maria T. Lazo, 23, admitted in a videotaped statement that, during a 'heated argument,' she stabbed her boyfriend, Oscar Martinez, 30, once in the chest with a kitchen knife. The incident occurred during the early morning hours of April 16, 2007 in the Mount Prospect, IL apartment the two shared. Lazo called 911. Paramedics found Martinez alive, but unconscious. They transported him to the hospital where he died a short time later. Lazo was subsequently charged with 1st-degree murder.

The couple met though work - one news story said both were engineers - and had lived together less than one year. They had no known history of domestic disturbances. Neither had a criminal record. Police said alcohol and drugs did not appear to be a factor in the stabbing.

Sources
Chicago Tribune, Apr 17, 2007
Chicago Tribune, Apr 17, 2007
The Journal & Topics, Apr 18, 2007
Mount Prospect Times, Apr 19, 2007

~Posted May 14, 2007

Germaine Broughton

2007-04-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered April 16, 2007

~Age 24
~Hometown: Bay Minette, AL

The two-year-long relationship between Germaine Broughton, 24, and his girlfriend, Lanita Lashania Crooks, 32, had a 'history of conflict,' according to published reports. On April 15, 2007, the conflict took a deadly turn when Crooks reportedly stabbed Broughton in the face with a hunting knife. The stabbing occurred in the couple's Bay Minette, AL home, following an argument.

Broughton was airlifted to the hospital, but died the next day. Crooks was subsequently charged with murder. She is being held on $250,000 bail on the murder charge and $50,000 bail on a probation violation.

Crooks' criminal record includes 23 arrests since 1994. At least one was for domestic assault. For most of the charges that resulted in conviction Crooks received probation rather than jail time.

Crooks has a 15-year-old son. He was in the home at the time of the stabbing, but did not witness the incident because he was in his bedroom. Broughton leaves one son from another relationship, Lebron, age not specified.

Sources
Mobile Press-Register, Apr 17, 2007
Mobile Press-Register, Apr 19, 2007
Obit/Mobile Press-Register, Apr 20, 2007

~Posted May 13, 2007

Lori and Collin Casteel

2007-04-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

Murdered April 15, 2007

~Ages 25 (Lori) and 4 (Collin)
~Hometown: Bruceton Mills/Pleasantdale, WV

Four-year-old Collin Grant Casteel was excited that he was going to be a big brother. His mother, Lori A. Casteel, 25, due in September 2007, already had a name picked out for her baby-to-be -- Angelina. Little Angelina will never be born, however. On April 15, 2007, the bodies of Casteel and her son were found in a car in Pleasantdale, WV. Casteel died from head trauma. Collin suffered head trauma and also was shot in the chest.

Arrested in the case was Casteel's boyfriend, James Louis DeGasperin, 35, of Pleasantdale, WV. So far he has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors have indicated they will charge him with a third murder count at a later date, in accordance with the West Virginia Unborn Victims of Violence Act. This act was passed by the state legislature in 2005, following the murder of a pregnant Laci Peterson at the hands of her husband.

Police were alerted to the murders of Casteel and Collin by DeGasperin's friend, Terry Knotts. DeGasperin reportedly told Knotts he bludgeoned his girlfriend and her son to death with a baseball bat and needed help disposing of the bodies. Knotts went to the police with this information. The car where the bodies were found was near DeGasperin's house. The police report indicates that DeGasperin told officers that he "just snapped."

News reports say Casteel lived with DeGasperin at his Pleasantville WV home, but her obituary says she was from nearby Bruceton Mills. It is not known if the baby she was carrying was DeGasperin's child. DeGasperin was not Collin's father.

DeGasperin worked as a middle school physical education teacher. Colleagues described him as a nice guy and popular teacher. DeGasperin's record includes only a 1990 arrest for intent to distribute drugs. Those charges were dropped because of a lack of probable cause.

Little information has been released about Casteel and her son. Comments left in their online funeral guest book suggest Casteel had worked at Preston Memorial Hospital and Kwik Stop. A former coworker remembered Casteel as 'a sweet, caring, friendly, lovable woman,' and these descriptors were repeated by other commenters.

The next court date for DeGasperin is in June. A gag order has been issued in the case.

Lori Casteel; Collin Casteel

James DeGasperin

Sources
The Cumberland Times-News, Apr 17, 2007
The Charlestown Gazette, Apr 19, 2007
WBOY-TV, Apr 25, 2007
The Charlestown Gazette, Apr 27, 2007

~Posted April 30, 2007

A fund for memorial contributions has been established by the family. Contributions to the Lori and Collin Casteel Memorial Fund may be made c/o Ed and Pam Casteel (Lori's parents, no address provided) or sent to the address below. [Source/Obit]

Collin G. Casteel Memorial Fund
c/o Clear Mountain Bank
PO Box 361
Bruceton Mills, WV 26525

Kelly Army

2007-04-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Murdered April 15, 2007

~Age 44
~Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Christopher Proctor, 42, called 911 around 7 a.m. on April 15, 2007 to report he had just returned from the store to find his girlfriend stabbed to death. After questioning Proctor, however, police suspected he was responsible for the death of Kelly Army, 44. Initially detained on a parole violation, Proctor was later charged with Army's murder.

Proctor lived with Army in her Indianapolis, IN home. Army's neighbor, who is also her boss and friend, said the couple had a history of domestic disturbances. She indicated Army had kicked Proctor out several times over the past five months. She also said Proctor was not allowed to visit the bar where Army worked because he had caused problems there before.

Proctor's criminal history includes auto theft and battery.

Army worked as a bartender. She had an 11-year-old son who was home asleep at the time of the stabbing. Some reports describe him as autistic. Army is remembered for being a good mother and a good-hearted person who loved everyone.

Christopher Proctor

Sources
The Indy Channel, Apr 15, 2007
The Indianapolis Star, Apr 16, 2007
WISH-TV, Apr 16, 2007
WTHR-TV, Apr 16, 2007

~Posted April 16, 2007

Mai Banh

2007-04-14T00:00:00.003-04:00

Murdered on April 14, 2007

~Age 37
~Hometown: San Leandro, CA

Jeff Nguyen, 39, of San Leandro, CA reported his wife, Mai Banh, 37, missing on April 14, 2007. Nguyen told police Banh planned to go to a party after work that evening, but that she never returned home. The next day Nguyen found his wife's body in the San Francisco hair and nail salon she owned. Found, however, may not be the correct term, as police believe it was Nguyen, himself, who was responsible for bludgeoning Banh to death in her salon the evening of April 14th.

Police suspected Nguyen in his wife's death almost from the start, according to published reports. Police were able to obtain an arrest warrant after their investigation turned up incriminating evidence in Nguyen's car and at the couple's home. Only limited details have been made public, but the evidence is said to include Banh's keys and purse. Nguyen reportedly confessed to police after his April 25th arrest that he "went into a rage" and beat his wife to death. Banh's body also showed evidence of stab wounds.

Banh mentioned to a client in March that she and her husband had separated, although they appear to have been living together at the time of Banh's death. She also had told her friends that her marriage was basically over. She was planning to file divorce papers (or recently had filed, reports vary) around the time of her death. The couple fought right before Banh's murder about the divorce, as well as Nguyen's gambling debts.

Banh, an immigrant from Vietnam, graduated from beauty school in the 1990s and worked in the field awhile before opening her own place, Le Petit Salon, about five years ago. Friends and clients say Banh was a very hardworking and dedicated stylist. She knew all her clients by name. Her typical work week consisted of six 10-hour days at the salon. Nevertheless she is said to have possessed a constant smile.

The reason for all of Banh's hard work was to provide for her children, who were very dear to her. The children - boys ages 4 and 8 - were taken into the custody of child services upon Nguyen's arrest, but will most likely eventually be cared for by family members of Banh.

Mai Banh

Sources
The Examiner, Apr 20, 2007
San Francisco Chronicle, Apr 25, 2007
San Francisco PD press release, Apr 26, 2007
KPIX-TV, Apr 26, 2007
The Examiner Apr 26, 2007
San Francisco Chronicle, Apr 26, 2007
The Examiner, Apr 27, 2007
San Francisco Chronicle, Apr 27, 2007
The Daily Review, Apr 28, 2007
Pics of Le Petit Salon memorial here

A special thank you to blogger Hearts in San Francisco from Guilty with an Explanation for bringing this case to my attention. Read her powerful May 4th post about Banh and some of the domestic violence victims Hearts in SF encountered when managing a domestic violence shelter in North Carolina here.

~Posted May 9, 2007

UPDATE: During Jeff Nguyen’s murder trial, his defense argued Nguyen was guilty of manslaughter, not first-degree murder because Mai Banh had been killed in the heat of passion after she started seeing another man and reneged on her promise to pay off Nguyen’s gambling debts. Prosecutors, however, said Nguyen was "a cold and calculated murderer" who had planned Banh's murder and then staged it to look like a robbery. The jury apparently agreed with prosecutors, finding Nguyen guilty of first degree murder on July 21, 2011. Sentencing is scheduled for October 14, 2011. Nguyen faces a possible sentence of 26 years to life.

Sources
Bay City News/San Francisco Appeal, June 24, 2011
San Francisco Examiner, July 21, 2011

~Update Posted August 22, 2011