Bitten and Bound » Crime

Dr. Conrad Murray Adds Deadbeat Dad To Offenses

Missy — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:26:30 +0000

One might think Dr. Conrad Murray would want to avoid any more bad publicity at this point in his life. Evidently that is not the case because he missed a child support hearing scheduled for October 7.

The judge handling this matter is taking the doc’s deadbeat status very seriously. Dr. Conrad has four days to report to Las Vegas or the judge will issue a bench warrant for his arrest.

Murray recently hired a new lawyer, Chris Aaron who told TMZ that they are “desperately” trying to work out a resolution. Here’s a thought — pay up and move on because the doc has obviously got much bigger issues looming.

This is where Murray went wrong…he missed a $13,311 child support payment to his 10-year-old son’s mother, Nenita Malibiran. With everything else blowing up in the good doctor’s world, he will likely make good on this just to silence that unwanted noise in the midst of his far more serious legal woes.

For those who might be thinking badly of the good doctor right about now, they have an explanation. His lawyer said, “It was not intentional, missing his court date – it was simply an oversight. Dr. Murray has every intention of resolving and taking care of his personal responsibilities.”

That seems a little lame. Hopefully Mr. Aaron is not the only lawyer representing Conrad in the Michael Jackson trial. If he is…the doctor or perhaps soon-to-be ex-doctor might just be SOL.

Richard Crittenden Killed in Police Shootout (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Meg — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:41:04 +0000

North St. Paul police officer Richard ‘Rick’ Crittenden, 57, was killed and a backup officer from nearby Maplewood was wounded during a confrontation with suspect Devon Dockery, 34, at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning at Aspen Village apartment 101 in the 2200 block of Skillman Avenue just south of the intersection of 7th Avenue and McKnight Road. The alleged shooter was also killed in the exchange of fire.

A woman placed a call to 911 requesting assistance for a violation of a protection order. Crittenden, a 9 year veteran of the police force, was dispatched to do a welfare check to ensure the safety of the caller. He requested backup which was provided by a female officer from the larger neighboring police force in Maplewood.

The responding officers entered the first floor apartment and a struggle ensued with the suspect. Crittenden was shot as was the female Maplewood officer, who then shot the suspect. The Maplewood officer was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where she was treated and released for what was described as a gunshot wound to her wrist.

The bodies of Crittenden and Dockery were transported to the office of the Ramsey County Medical Examiner where they will undergo autopsies.

Dockery had a history of criminal convictions, including disorderly conduct, making terrorist threats and a 2003 conviction for violation of an order of protection. According to North St. Paul police chief Tom Lauth, officers had been dispatched to the residence for other domestic disturbances, the latest incidents occurring just 10 days ago and again yesterday.

Dave Tomalla, chief of the Maplewood Police Department, is currently withholding the identity of his officer. He reported that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will be the lead agency investigating the case.

View a mugshot of Devon Dockery and KSTP coverage of the police press conference Monday afternoon.

Press conference video

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Jaycee Lee Dugard Found (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Meg — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:57:56 +0000

A 29-year-old woman, believed to be Jaycee Lee Dugard, has been reunited with her family after police arrested her abductors. Dugard was kidnapped from her school bus stop on June 10, 1991 when she was 11-years-old. El Dorado Sheriff’s Lt. Les Lovell said, “We’re 99 percent sure it’s her. DNA tests are being conducted and the woman is reported to be in good condition.

The blonde, pony-tailed girl implicated her captors, 58-year-old convicted sex offender Phillip Craig Garrido and his 54-year-old wife Nancy Garrido. Both were arrested on Wednesday after officers searched the couple’s home and grounds in Antioch for evidence. They are being held at the El Dorado County Jail in Placerville for the abduction of the South Lake Tahoe elementary school girl and will be arraigned on Friday, August 28.

Police stopped Garrido, labeled a “religious fanatic” by neighbors, at the University of California at Berkeley where he was attempting to hand out pamphlets. He had two young girls in the car with him, age 11 and 15. Officers did a background check and determined that he was a registered sex offender – see photo below. After interrogating Garrido, officers were able to determine that the children are Garrido’s and Dugard’s.

The abducted woman, called “Allissa” by Garrido, was reportedly hidden in a backyard shed for eighteen years, where she lived in a series of squat ramshackle outbuildings, tents and tarp structures with her two daughters. The tiny warren of buildings contained an outhouse and makeshift shower, likened to a crude camping arrangement. Police indicate that is where Garrido first hid Jaycee in 1991 and she has been there ever since. None of the three has received medical care or been to school.

The woman’s mother Terry Probyn had spoken to Jaycee by telephone on Wednesday night and was convinced it was her missing child. Probyn and her 19-year-old daughter flew from their Orange County California home to meet with Jaycee in Northern California. Jaycee’s sister was just a year old when the girl went missing. They gathered Thursday in an East Bay motel.

Dugard’s stepfather Carl Probyn had been under suspicion as a possible accomplice to the crime by the FBI for many years because he was at the scene of the abduction. He reported that a couple had snatched Jaycee from her bus stop and sped away in a car. He gave chase on his bicycle but quickly lost sight of the vehicle.

Several of the photos of Jaycee were age enhancements provided by Missing & Exploited Children that depict what she would have looked like at age 20 and as an adult.

See video footage of Jaycee’s two daughters below.

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George Sodini LA Fitness Shooting (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Meg — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:02:17 +0000

Four people were killed after gunman George Sodini, 48, opened fire at the Bridgeville LA Fitness workout center in a Pittsburgh suburb before killing himself. According to police, he walked into the facility with several guns hidden in a gym bag at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night.

Sodini, a member of the gym, entered an aerobics class where 20 female members were working out. He reportedly doused the lights and fired 50 rounds into the crowded room. Four people were killed and 12 were taken to various hospitals with gunshot wounds.

A note was found in the deceased shooters gym bag. Police have not released the contents. Unsubstantiated rumors indicate that Sodini was interested in a woman who attended the aerobics class, though it is unclear whether she was even aware of his ‘fatal attraction’.

A George Sodini blog link revealed that he kept an online diary, which has since been taken down by authorities. He entered the following information, including his date of death: 5-10, 155 lbs, never married, DOD 8/4/2009 and this comment, “Planned to do this in the summer but figure to stick around to see the election outcome. This particular one got so much attention and I was just curious.”

A representative for LA Fitness, Simon R. Barker, issued the following statement: “Each of us in the LA Fitness family are shocked and saddened by the senseless acts of violence that took place at the Bridgeville area club this evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and friends. We are working with local law enforcement as they conduct their investigation.”

View another photo and video below.

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Gates 911 Call: Arrest Tape Audio Released

Meg — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:21:57 +0000

Cambridge Police have released a copy of the 911 call and radio dispatches that were made during the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Skip Louis Gates Jr.

According to Police Commissioner Robert Haas, “the tapes will speak for themselves.” The controversial arrest, an alleged case of racial profiling, occurred while Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley was investigating a reported burglary and arrested the homeowner after he became combative.

The case took on an additional notoriety when President Barack Obama called the actions of the arresting officer “stupid”.

Listen to audio tape below.

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Pamela Long Wiggins Charged in Florida Murders (PHOTO)

Meg — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:24:16 +0000

Pamela Long Wiggins, 47, has been arrested and charged as an accessory to murder in the slayings of Byrd Billings and Melanie Billings of Beulah, Florida. Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan announced the eighth arrest in the case at an 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

Wiggins was discovered on her 47-foot yacht, The Classy Lady, at Wharf Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, 40 miles west of Pensacola. One of the murder suspects, Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., was a friend of the woman, and was a witness at her marriage ceremony last year.

Wiggins, a successful real estate agent, owns eight residential properties in Santa Rosa County and also owns Magnolia Antique Mall east of Tiger Point. She is married to Jimmy Malden Jr., who told ABC’s GMA today that he has been trying to divorce her for years.

Wiggins, who has a long list of alias identities, was charged with felony grand theft in 1988. In a plea agreement, she speaded gulty to a misdemeanor. Other names provided by Sheriff Morgan include Pamela Laverne Long, Pam Long, Pamela L. Long, Pamela Malden and Pamela Laverne Long Coco.

View latest news conference video below. See more photos of suspects and victims here.

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Byrd and Melanie Billings Murdered in Home Invasion (PHOTO)

Meg — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:01:54 +0000

Three men are being sought in connection with a forced entry home invasion that left two dead in Beulah, Florida at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night. The three are believed to have murdered Byrd ‘Bud’ Billings and his wife Melanie Billings, who were discovered shot in their bed. The couple leave behind sixteen children, twelve of them adopted.

According to Escambia Sheriff’s Office, a 911 call came in at 7:30 p.m. last night from the residence, located 17 miles northwest of Pensacola. When officers arrived they found a woman who is employed as a caregiver by the couple, as well as eight children ranging in age from 8-years-old to 14-years-old in the 10,000 square foot home – see photo below.

A Sheriff’s Department spokesman confirmed that one of the children had summoned the caregiver, who lives in another building on the property. The female employee told the 911 dispatcher that she believed two people were dead in the home.

Several of the children are developmentally disabled. A source close to the situation revealed that the Billings’ were known throughout the Pensacola area for adopting special needs kids.

Surveillance equipment on the property captured footage of a late 1970’s or early 1980’s model red 15-passenger van leaving the house. Police have released photos of the vehicle and report that three white men entered the home using multiple entrances.

UPDATE: Three arrests have been made in the case. Day laborer Wayne Coldiron, 41, turned himself in to Escambia County authorities. Leonard P. Gonzalez Jr., 35, was arrested in Santa Rosa County. Both have been charged with murder. Their first court appearance will be on Tuesday July 14. Also jailed is Leonard P. Gonzalez Sr., on a charge of evidence tampering. He was reportedly attempted to hide damage by repainting part of the red van that was used in the crime.

Law enforcement officials believe that between 6-8 people were involved in the highly orchestrated crime. Robbery was one motive but authorities indicate that there were multiple motives in what Sheriff David Morgan characterized as a very complex case.

Police found Pamela Laverne Long at an Orange Beach, Alabama marina. She is a ‘person of interest’ in the case. She voluntarily turned herself in to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department for questioning. The real estate agent is the landload and family friend of suspect Leonard P. Gonzalez Jr., and was associated with him right up to the date of the murders. Police do not believe she was on the premises during the murders. Long was arrested on Wednesday, July 15 – see photo and details here.

The Pensacola News Journal featured a story on the family in December 2005 – photo below. We’ve also included mugshots of three suspects who have been arrested. See video of other suspects below.

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Laura Ling & Euna Lee Convicted & Sentenced (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Meg — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:56:54 +0000

Laura Ling and Euna Lee are two American journalists who have been detained in North Korea since March 18, 2009 after being charged with illegal entry into the country, hostile acts and spying. They traveled to the region to report on defectors living along the border of China and North Korea. A trial was held over the past five days and today they were sentenced to serve 12-years in a labor prison.

The Central Court of North Korea handed down the sentence, citing the “grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing”. Their punishment will be “12 years of reform through hard labor”, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The U.S. State Department is currently trying to confirm this information with North Korean authorities. Spokesman Ian Kelley said, “We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities, and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release. We once again urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two American citizen journalists on humanitarian grounds.”

President Barack Obama, who is currently traveling in Europe on a diplomatic mission, has been notified of the latest developments, according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton.

Asian media reports indicate that the trial started on Thursday and that the women were represented by court appointed representation. The State Department was informed by the Swedish ambassador to North Korea that there were no observers allowed in the courtroom during the proceedings.

Laura Ling is managing editor of Vanguard at Current TV. Her sister, CNN special correspondent Lisa Ling said, “When the girls left the United States, they never intended to cross into North Korean soil. And it they did at any point, we apologize.”

Contact with the two women has been very limited, but their families report that Ling and Lee are “terrified”.

BREAKING NEWS: August 4, 2009 – North Korean President Kim Jong II has pardoned and ordered the release of two U.S. journalists, state-run news agency KCNA said on Wednesday. The announcement came after former President Bill Clinton met with top North Korean officials to appeal for the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who had been arrested while reporting from the border between North Korea and China.

The brokered deal was apparently in the works for months. Clinton only agreed to travel to North Korea after assurances that the two women would be allowed to travel back to the U.S. with the former President and his travel party.

View more photos and homecoming video below.

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David Gabriel Watson Sentenced in Tina Watson Drowning (PHOTOS)

Meg — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:50:53 +0000

David Gabriel Watson was sentenced to 4-1/2 years in prison on Friday June 5, 2009, for causing the death of his wife while they were on their honeymoon in Australia six years ago. In a plea bargain, he will only serve one year for manslaughter, enraging Tommy Thomas, father of the deceased Tina Watson.

Thomas said, “I’m sure that the entire Australian nation as well as our country back home shares in the shock at what we’ve just seen, because it’s a total injustice…it’s ludicrous. It’s an embarrassment to everyone involved. We believe that Gabe Watson murdered our daughter.”

Christina Mae Watson died in 2003 as she and her new husband dove off the coast of Queensland. The couple, from Birmingham, Alabama, were married on October 11, 2003 and she died eleven days later, while they were on a Great Barrier Reef scuba diving honeymoon trip.

Gabe Watson told police that her death was an accident but coroner David Glasgow declared the death a murder in June 2008. The motive is believed to be her life insurance policy. The insurance provider verified that Watson had contacted them about collecting on the policy.

Another diver witnessed Watson giving his wife an underwater bear hug and then saw him come to the surface of the water while she sank to the ocean bottom. The suspect claimed she got into trouble and he decided to go for help rather than try to save his wife.

Authorities say that Gabe Watson is an experienced diver and they believe that he held his new bride underwater after shutting off her air supply.

More photos below.

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George Tiller Shot & Killed, Late Term Abortion Doctor (Photos, Video)

Meg — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:07:18 +0000

Dr. George Tiller 1941-2009

Dr. George Tiller, one of the few U.S. physicians to perform late-term abortions, was shot and killed at his church on Sunday morning. According to attorney Dan Monnat, the 67-year-old died after being shot outside the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas at 10:00 a.m. on May 31, 2009. The doctor was serving as an usher and his wife was singing in the choir at the time of the shooting.

Police were searching for a 1993 powder-blue Ford Taurus that is registered in the Kansas City suburb of Merriam, Kansas. According to Wichita police spokesman Gordon Bassham, several witnesses saw the killer speeding away from the crime scene, and provided a license number and description of the vehicle. The plate was reportedly a Kansas State University vanity plate.

A suspect was taken into custody at 2:00 p.m. central time in Gardner, Kansas, according to Eyewitness 12, a Kansas City news source.

The prominent advocate for abortion rights and his women’s clinic have been the site of protests for the past two decades. In 1985 his clinic was bombed and in 1993 he was shot in both arms by protester Rachelle ‘Shelley’ Shannon of Grants Pass, Oregon. She received an 11-year prison sentence – see her photo below.

The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue issued a statement denouncing the shooting. Their president Troy Newman said, “We are shocked at this morning’s disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down. Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning.”

In 1991, Operation Rescue organized what they dubbed the Summer of Mercy protests. They drew thousands of activists to Wichita for demonstrations that resulted in mass arrests for civil disobedience.

See video below. The first is breaking news regarding the murder. The second shows the coroner’s office bringing the body out of the church.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz8-SO6KMPg[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyxPoCjc3eM[/youtube]

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