Inmate Plotted Murder ... via Paper Airplane: Cops

(Newser) – A Long Island man accused of rape will now also be charged with conspiracy to murder after what police say was a plot hatched using, well, paper airplanes. Patrick O'Sullivan, 21, had hoped to kill his alleged victim and a witness, police say, and offered a fellow inmate $23,000 to make it happen, via flying notes the men called "kites," NBC New York reports. "Without a vic's statement, the DA's case against me would lose all the power right? As long as you get that done, I will be Gucci," said one message, which the other inmate (who is set to be released soon) then handed over to police.

O'Sullivan's alleged plot was particularly gruesome: He wanted the victim's body dumped in the water, but the witness' body buried ... "so after the case against me collapses and I get out of jail I can dig up the body, cut its head off and mail it to his family for the holidays," one of the notes allegedly said. O'Sullivan is accused of raping the woman at gunpoint while she was housesitting, the New York Daily News reports; he allegedly admitted in one of the notes that he wasn't wearing a condom. O'Sullivan could face life in prison for the rape charge alone. (In another recent case, a wife convinced her husband to shoot their neighbor ... over "telepathic rape.")

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Scrooge McDuck Helps Crack Murder Case

(Newser) – In life, Miguel Rodriguez was apparently a big fan of Scrooge McDuck. In death, the cartoon character may have helped catch his killers. The Hartford Courant explains the weird case: The 25-year-old Rodriguez was shot to death on a city street this summer, and his killers stole a custom-made gold chain from around his neck that featured the famous duck. His fandom (no explanation offered) and a new state law requiring more thorough records at pawn shops combined to break the case.

Police kept scouring the records of local shops after the killing, and, voila, the McDuck necklace finally turned up, along with the name and photo of the person who sold it. As a result, Tyquan Turner, 21, and Lorenza Christian, 22, were charged in the case. Selling such a distinctive piece of jewelry to a local shop so soon after a murder? Slate assesses the case and awards Christian a 5.5 out of 10 on its dumb-criminal scale.

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Murder is still a horrible crime even if the defendants look good

Meredith Kercher was a beautiful girl. She was 21 years old with dark, dancing eyes and glossy hair. She was clever and determined - she worked for months to raise the money to fund her year in Italy to study the language.

She was kind and much loved not just by her immediate family - her mother, her father, her sister and her brothers - but also by her many friends to whom she was known as just Mez.

Her mother Arline, who suffers from severe kidney disease, remembers her girl as "full of life. She loved music, she loved to dance. She was full of joy in her heart."

Meredith was murdered in Perugia in 2007. But in the years that have followed it is not her picture that instantly springs to mind when her horrific killing is discussed.

It is the image of her flatmate, Amanda Knox - Foxy Knoxy as she styles herself - the American student whose appeal against her conviction for the murder has attracted such enormous global coverage this week.

Amanda Knox may have been cleared of murder. But her despicable behaviour immediately after the savage killing of her flatmate, in particular her evidence against an entirely innocent man, her lies and her slander show her for the vile piece of work that she is.

Miss Knox is undoubtedly a looker.

She is rich and from a family with the clout to sustain, as they have done, an impressive PR campaign on her behalf.

But it is hard to escape the fact that it is primarily because Knox is female and good looking that this case has attracted such insatiable public and media attention.

Or that amid the acres of worldwide news coverage, Meredith Kercher, the victim, has been lost.

The verdict in the Knox appeal hearing this week was greeted with the sort of frenzy in the streets outside that would mark an Oscars award ceremony. Among the crowd was a supporter carrying a small statue of Amanda Knox cast in ceramic as if she was some latter day saint.

Or martyr.

Cameras flashed and crowds jostled for a better look as the defendants arrived. A pizza bar across the street was packed out as customers crowded round a television screening live pictures. Some jeered, booed and cried "Shameful!" as the verdict was announced.

Would the case have garnered even a smidgen of the coverage if Knox had been older and ordinary and male?

It's doubtful.

And let's be honest, this isn't just an Italian thing or an American thing. Locally would the case of Hazel Stewart have commanded such an avid audience had it not been for her looks? In fact we can even narrow it down in Stewart's case to that one memorable image of her tarted up for an evening out.

We don't think of murderers,or even those charged with the offence, as pretty people. Our brains tell us that, of course, attractive women can be criminal or killers. But somewhere deep down inside we're programmed to expect an almost cartoon vision of evil.

Charles Manson looked like a killer. Blonde hair, cleavage and high heels throws us. And, yes, it intrigues.

But should it be allowed to dazzle us to the point where we blank out the victims?

Trevor Buchanan. Leslie Howell. Those were the real victims in the Hazel Stewart case. But like Meredith Kercher they were eclipsed by the woman in the dock.

Meredith's poor family have carried themselves with such dignity.

But how much must it have piled upon their grief the circus that has surrounded - and will continue to surround - this case?

Their gentle, innocent girl has been all but forgotten. Foxy Knoxy looks set to make a fortune flogging her story.

To some extent interest in that story is understandable and human.

But when we lose sight of the victim - the real victim - it doesn't make justice look good.

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Crime Q&A: Murder trial of slain CSUS student's roommate starts Oct. 20

A Sac State student was killed in 2009 in his dorm room by his roommate. What happened to that roommate?

– Jays, Sac

Quran Muhammed Jones, 21, is in Sacramento County jail, accused of murder in the 2009 beating death of his roommate, Scott Gregory Hawkins, 23. According to Sacramento Superior Court online records, his trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 20.

According to a story in The Bee, Jones pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity in November 2010. He will still undergo a regular trial. If he's convicted, a jury would then have to decide whether he could understand right from wrong and the consequences of his behavior.

What is going on with the molestation charges against the Rio Linda pastor Tom (Tommy) Gene Daniels?

– SassyMommy, Sacramento

Tommy Gene Daniels, 49, remains in Sacramento County jail in lieu of $4.5 million bail. He is charged with committing lewd or lascivious acts with children under the age of 14, and according to Sacramento Superior Court online records, his trial is to begin Oct. 27.

Daniels, a Citrus Heights resident and senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Rio Linda, was arrested Dec. 9, 2010. He and his wife had been employed as foster parents and day-care providers.

The alleged acts took place between 2002 and 2007 and involved girls ranging from 5 to 13 years old, according to court papers and testimony. Daniels has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

There was a murder of a guy I went to high school with at a Valero gas station on Florin Perkins/French and Florin Road over a drug deal gone wrong. It has to have been four to eight years ago. Was the murderer and thief ever caught?

– Wondering in Sacramento

Four men are in state prison for their involvement in the murder of Clifford Thomas Owens, 22, of Sacramento.

According to stories in The Bee, Owens was shot in the head on the evening of July 26, 2005, during a struggle over a backpack at a Valero gas station in the 8400 block of Florin Road.

Owens' assailants, all in their late teens at the time, reportedly lured him to the station with an offer to purchase marijuana from him.

Juries convicted Daniel Perez, the shooter, and Adrian Frank Andrade of murder. Perez, now 23, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole and is in Kern Valley State Prison in Delano. Andrade, 23, was sentenced to 25 years to life and is in Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City.

Christopher Leo Moyo, 23, and Michael Troy Montano, 25, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter. Moyo is serving an 11-year sentence at Soledad Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. Montano was sentenced to 12 years and is at High Desert State Prison in Susanville.

– Cathy Locke

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OKC Woman Arrested For Husband's Murder

Xin Xin Liu, News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City police are investigating a homicide after they found a man's body at an apartment complex in Oklahoma City Saturday.

This happened at Countryside Village Apartment Complex, located near the 9500 block of South Shields Boulevard.

Police said they received a call at around 8 a.m. from Carolyn Spead, who claimed she had killed her husband. As officers arrived, they found 40-year-old Terry Spead dead at the scene.

Spead is now in Oklahoma County jail on first degree murder complaint.

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Delaware Man Suspected in 1978 LA Murder

By: Associated Press & NBC4
Published: August 09, 2011
Updated: August 09, 2011 - 10:39 AM »  Comments | Post a Comment

DELAWARE, Ohio -- A local man has been arrested in connection to a 1978 murder of a Los Angeles business executive after cold-case investigators found forensic evidence linking him to the crime.

Los Angeles investigators said 62-year-old Walter Randolph Peartree was arrested at his home in Delaware Monday on a murder warrant.

Peartree is suspected in the April 10, 1978, stabbing death of 52-year-old James Gentry.

A friend discovered Gentry murdered in his Westside residence.

The slaying went unresolved until a few months ago, when scientific testing requested by cold-case detectives showed Peartree was in Gentry's home at the time of the killing.

Peartree, originally from Virginia, has been living in various locations in Ohio since the mid-1990s.

LA homicide detectives contacted Delaware police in May 2011.

Delaware police provided assistance to LAPD detectives by providing background information, conducting surveillance, obtaining and executing a search warrant, interviews and arresting Peartree.

Peartree is scheduled for a video arraignment in Delaware municipal court at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Peartree's extradition to California is pending his court appearances in Delaware.

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Murder Walls for Crime Novelists

A Murder Wall is a vital tool for crime novelists. Imagine trying to write a story without knowing your suspects or their possible motives. For any great crime novelist, your job is to treat your novel like a police investigation, following the clues and the evidence until it reaches the outcome or climactic resolution. If you watch most great crime dramas such as Law & Order and Without a Trace, you will notice that investigators often use visuals on a wall to keep each case organized. This is a Murder Wall.

Developing a fictional crime and its cast of characters can be confusing and overwhelming without a tool to keep everything organized. A Murder Wall shows the structure of the crime and the characters who are involved. On a wall close to your computer for easy access, tape up letter-sized pieces of paper featuring photos and key points on each character linked to a murder or crime. This technique enables the writer to visualize the cast of characters more fully, to give each suspect or victim a face and to bring them to life. It ensures that the basic facts of each character's existence are easily accessible. And it keeps you consistent with the facts of the crime and the evidence presented.

Creating the Murder Wall:

A Murder Wall consists of four main elements: the victim(s), suspects, witnesses and the killer (s). You will want to include important facts, clues and info on each victim, suspect and witness. On the killer's paper, I often find it helpful to have a picture of a silhouette, rather than the killer's appearance. It helps me to create the 'mystery of not knowing'. Then once I've reached the last few chapters, I may change this. This also acts as a 'non-spoiler' in case someone walks into your office and sees your Murder Wall.

Victims:

o Basic info (name, age, occupation, marital status and physical description)

o How did they die?

o Time of death?

o What motive would someone have for killing them?

o What were they doing prior to death?

o How are they connected to your suspects or other characters in your novel?

Suspects:

o Basic info (name, age, occupation, marital status and physical description)

o How are they connected to the victims?

o What are their alibis?

o Do they have a motive?

o What clues can you leave to lead or mislead your readers?

Witnesses:

o Basic info (name, age, occupation, and physical description)

o What did they see or hear?

o How are they connected to your suspects and to the victim?

o What are their alibis?

o Do they have a motive?

o Will a witness become a suspect?

Killer (s):

o Basic info (name, age, occupation, and physical description)

o Motive

o History and relationship to victim(s)

o Preferred method of killing

o Alibi

On the Murder Wall, keep the victim's paper in the center. Add the suspects around the victim, and add the witnesses along one side. Link a strip of paper from one paper to another if two characters had a past connection. For example, one suspect may know another suspect because he delivered her pizza the night before. The killer's paper can be off to one side and strips of paper may link him to one of the witnesses or suspects. Be sure to make notes on the strips connecting them.

Find photos of actors whom you think physically resemble your suspects and victims, and add a small photo to each paper. Most often writers already have a clear picture in their head as to what the character looks like. If you can draw, then go ahead and create your character. If not, then go online and search the celebrity sites. Pretend you are a casting agent. Whom would you cast in the role of the serial arsonist in your crime novel or the evil doctor in your murder mystery? One of the easiest ways to find your actor is to simply watch television. If you are looking for a face to play your slasher, then check out some of the detective shows. Find the face that inspires you, that makes you believe "Yes, he is Hans VanBuren, a demented, psychopathic killer!"

During your novel's progression, there will be many tidbits of information that you can add to each Murder Wall paper―secrets from their past, important clues and more. The key to writing a good mystery is to mislead the reader and drop clues in the guise of foreshadowing. Twists and turns are important elements of a good crime novel or mystery. And don't forget to list any bad habits your character might have. If she is a compulsive liar, make a note. If he's a shifty-eyed procrastinator, the note on his paper will act as a reminder and keep you consistent. As each character develops, continue to add any new information to each sheet. Plots change and characters mutate. They grow, they learn things, and they react.

Not only will a Murder Wall help to keep your suspects, victims and witnesses organized and in your face, you will start to really see them. And once an author can see her characters, there is a better chance that the reader will visualize them also. Choosing an actor to represent these characters will give them a voice, a stance, a personality, and life. No novel can survive without characters with depth, heart, soul and spirit. And a crime novel cannot survive without a strong motive!

A Murder Wall is an invaluable tool that will show you the victims, suspects and evidence in a clear, visible way. It will help you to plot a more believable crime, to create multi-dimensional characters, and to keep the crime, suspects and motives on track. It is much easier to plot or solve a crime when everything is laid out before you. Even criminals have a plan. Why shouldn't the crime novelist? And your plan should start with creating a Murder Wall.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Cheryl Kaye Tardif, a Canadian mystery author, is the author of three published novels: Whale Song, an emotional mystery; Divine Intervention, a scorching psychic suspense; and her newest release, The River, a terrifying techno-thriller. http://www.cherylktardif.com or Email Cheryl Kaye Tardif

©2005 Cheryl Kaye Tardif

World Crime and Murder Trends

Murder Rates (per 1 million people)

1st Columbia 618

2nd South Africa 496

3rd Jamaica 324

5th Russia 202

24th United States 43

30th Finland 28

40th France 17

60th Japan 5

Crime Rates (per 1 million people)

1st Dominica 114,000

2nd New Zealand 106,000

3rd Finland 102,000

4th Denmark 93,000

5th Child 88,000

6th United Kingdom 86,000

8th United States 80,000

10th South Africa 77,000

31st Russia 21,000

37th Jamaica 14,000

59th India 1,000

Columbia is the world leader in murder rates, with 618 murders for every million people. It is significantly high than South Africa, which is second. Jamaica and Venezuela are the next two with Russia the highest European country with 202 murders for every million. The number of murders in the United States has fallen to 43 per million, but figures for Eastern Europe has generally risen.

In many cases the trends differ for crime rates in general. Dominica has the most recorded crime followed by New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Chile and the United Kingdom.

Although Columbia has the highest murder rate it is not in the top 60 of general crime rates. This is similar with South Africa and Jamaica. These countries have a high amount of drug related crime (although often not reported and therefore not recorded); something that can often lead to disputes and therefore murder. A large proportion of crime in these countries could be attributed to this.

Murder rates are significantly higher in Eastern Europe than Western Europe. Over the last twenty years there has been much political unrest in Eastern Europe, and this is something that can cause crime.

Some countries have high crime rates that would surprise many. Countries that traditionally have had low crime, such as Finland, Denmark and Japan now have higher crime.

Western Europe generally has a low murder rate but a much higher general crime rate. One of the reasons for this could be that a higher percentage of crime is reported. There are also more laws relating to 'lesser' offenses. Speeding and littering, for example, are not illegal in many other areas of the world and it is therefore easier to break the law. Research generally shows that areas of wealth have less crime, and this could be another factor. In some ways New Zealand is similar to this. They have a high crime rate, but low murder rate, with a large proportion of crimes being minor ones.

The United States murder rate has fallen significantly, but overall crime remains relatively high, much like Western Europe. Murder is still more common though, with the fact that guns are legal and easily obtainable likely to be a contributing factor. Violent crime has been reduced though, and this is partly due to greater effort being made by the authorities. New York is a good example of this, with crime rates, and especially violent crime having fallen by a large margin over the last ten to fifteen years.

Crime rates are extremely low in India and China. Some would argue that these areas have high morals and therefore lower crime. You could also argue though, that there are more severe punishments for crime, and therefore it is less worth the risk.

Andrew Marshall ©

Criminal Solicitors London

Statistics from http://www.nationmaster.com

Del City Woman Charged In OKC Murder Case

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Del City woman has been formally charged with murder in a stabbing which happened in Oklahoma City last month.

Amanda Christina Hunter, 29, was formally charged Friday with the June 12th murder of Osmani Chicas-Melgar, 25.

Chicas-Melgar was found dead in the 5800 block of N.W. 34th St.  A roommate reported that Hunter had spent most of the night with Chicas-Melgar before he was found stabbed to death.

Oklahoma City police said Hunter was a known prostitute and most likely was trading sex for drugs from Chicas-Melgar.

Hunter was arrested on June 15th but wasn't formally charged until Friday.

Hunter's formal arraignment on the murder charge has not been set.

Related Story: 6/15/11 OKC Police Search For Prostitute Accused Of Murder

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Seminole Murder Suspect Still On The Loose

News9.com

SEMINOLE, Oklahoma -- Police are still on the lookout for a man wanted in connection with a murder in Seminole this week.

Police have been searching for Adam Rollins since Thursday.  They allege he shot and killed his girlfriend, Shilow Mitchell.

Rollins was last seen driving a 1990's green Mercury Sable.

Police said Rollins could be headed south towards Mexico.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911.

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Judge Strikes Down Defense Motions in Pennsylvania Capital Murder, Dismemberment Crime

Monroe County President Judge Ronald Vican denied Thursday three pre-trial defense motions by public defender William Sayers, who is defending Charles Hicks in the murder case of Deanna Null.

Because the state believes that there were "aggravating circumstances" in the killing, the prosecution is seeking the death penalty.

The murder of 33-year-old Deanna Null made national headlines when body parts were found by a Pennsylvania state road crew. Police officers sent to investigate soon realized that the remains found by the road crew weren't the only ones dumped.

A search of the area radial to the intersections of Route 80 and Route 380 found that eight bags containing body parts had been strewn over a 15 mile-wide area, according to Mahalo.com. After several days of searching the area, law enforcement authorities felt they had located most of the homicide victim but could not find the hands.

The murder victim's hands had been cut off in an attempt to impair law enforcement ability to identify the victim. The hands were discovered several weeks later in the Tobyhanna, Penn., home occupied by Hicks, then an employee of Tobyhanna Army Depot.

The hands were wrapped in newspaper and hidden in the wall space of Hicks' home, according to The Times Leader. Null's severed head was found alongside the highway about 200 yards from where Hicks lived.

One of the pre-trial motions denied by Vican was an unusual request that Hicks' mother join the defense team. A member of the defense team could not then serve as a witness for the prosecution, which is expected to call Hicks' mother to the stand.

Sayer also requested that the prosecution turn over records of Hicks' previous arrests. The prosecution team objected. For one thing, prosecutors had already turned over the records, they said. For another, Hicks' prior arrest record would be inadmissible in court.

A defense request to introduce an autopsy report by forensic pathologist Sarah Funke was also denied. The pathologist who prepared the report couldn't appear due to a medical condition, Sayers said.

While the defense attorney claimed the forensic pathologist had medical problems which prevented her testimony, Vican suggested that Sayer work out some other way to obtain the testimony of the expert witness.

Vican denied the motion to present the autopsy report without the person who produced it. Otherwise, the prosecution would not be able to cross-examine or otherwise determine the accuracy of the report.

The importance of Funke's autopsy report to Hicks' defense attorney is that it undermines the prosecution's death penalty case. The prosecution has charged Hicks with capital murder because it believes he tortured Nulls before killing her.

The grisly autopsy report indicates that the body was dismembered only after the victim was dead and that "aggravating circumstances" did not apply. Whether or not a jury believes that will determine whether Hicks, if convicted, would be sentenced to death.

According to a Monroe County Court Administrator, jury selection for Hicks' capital murder trial is set to begin September 12.

Anthony Ventre is a freelance writer who has written for weekly and daily newspapers and several online publications. He is a frequent contributor to Yahoo with news pertaining to Pennsylvania.

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