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Are the police our friends?

Radly Balko at Reason on Corey Maye and no-knock warrants:

Beyond the issues of race and guns, beyond even the question of Cory Maye’s guilt or innocence, the death of Ron Jones illustrates the dangers of an increasingly literal war on drugs featuring unnecessarily aggressive, militaristic tactics that regularly lead to tragedies for police officers and civilians alike. At least 40 innocent people have been killed in paramilitary-style drug raids since the early 1980s, as have at least 15 police officers. And there are at least 150 cases of “wrong door” raids, in which SWAT teams or similarly aggressive police units have raided the wrong home.

<*snip*>

The highly aggressive raid that killed Jones and put Maye on death row is not at all unusual. The use of paramilitary tactics to serve drug warrants is increasingly common in America. Television shows such as A&E’s Dallas SWAT and Court TV’s Texas SWAT reflect a trend toward the use of heavily armed, heavy-handed raid teams for routine drug policing, even for crimes as benign as simple possession of marijuana.

This story has all the drama anyone could possibly want. A made for TV event. It's an important case too, I think. I find myself siding with Corey Maye on this one.

Basically, the war on drugs has to go. It has been a miserable failure and is too costly in terms of both money and liberty. What better reasons are needed? However, when considering that about 40% of all advertising (I made up that number--the actual percentage is probably less but it sure seems like more) across all media types, is designed to push drugs, it is ironic at best and hypocritical at worst to be running a war on drugs against a different sector of society. A bonanza on one side, a war on the other. At the very least change the damn name.

I am not moral equivocating here like the liberals like to do when they argue. I'm not saying that drugs from the underground are the same as drugs from pharmaceuticals. I'm all for a war against violent criminals who are wreaking havok on our society, especially powerful foreign violent criminal organizations who actually pose a risk to our security--national, personal, and otherwise. I'm just saying a more reasonable, less costly, and perheps more effective domestic drug policy could be realized.

Crime and Justice Blogging

This site has been on hold for a while since I had to get a job to make some money. I definitely like the concept and will continue this specialty blog soon. Maybe here on Blogger but most likely I will be conglomerating all my stuff onto single more capable platform, getting off the OpenNTF Blogsphere template I have been using for the past three years for my other work.

Ft Bend Child snatcher at large

ABC13 Local reported yesterday that the police have captured one of the men, Derwin Williams, who allegedly tried to lure a young boy into his truck.

Sugar Land police announced the arrest Thursday morning. The man reportedly involved in the attempted abduction a couple of days ago is Derwin Williams, 42. Police say he was arrested just after 5pm Wednesday on attempted kidnapping charges. He's out on bond.

Authorities say he approached a 13-year-old boy in the Covington Wood Greenbriar area. He allegedly tried to get that teen into his truck. Sugar Land's police chief explains how the suspect was caught.

"A community member that saw a white truck on 7th Street, close to the Fort Bend Baptist Academy, took down the license plate of that truck," said Chief Steve Griffith.

Williams was then located and apprehended. Authorities say this is one of three abduction attempts that the Sugar Land Police Department is currently investigating.

Fort Bend law enforcement agencies met to look over what appears to be rash of kidnap attempts in recent days. The department has received nine reports in all. Three of those have been determined to be criminal acts. Most alarmingly, police say that in each of these cases that each of these suspects is a different person.

Yep they arrested him and then promptly let him go. And did you get that part at the end? As I reported on Wednesday, there is evidently more than one black guy trying to snacth youngsters. Now they are saying they are looking for at least three different perps.

Update: Woman motorcyclist shot

ABC-13 Local Houston has an update on the story of Gwen Sneed, the woman who was shot while riding a motorcycle on Houston's north side. Turns out she was pregnant.

Someone shot and killed 29-year-old Gwen Sneed near Hedgecroft at the North Beltway Sunday afternoon. She died from a single shot to the head. Sneed was out riding her motorcycle when it happened.

"Somebody please has got to know something. That's all I ask," said June Sneed. "I want the man found."

Sneed was six weeks pregnant and left behind an eight-year-old daughter. Police do not think this is a random act of violence but do not have any motive or suspects. Anyone with information about Gwen Sneed's murder is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. There is a reward offered in this case.

The story does not say if she wasmarried or not, but whoever knocked up Gwen is surely a suspect, or person of interest. Otherwise it would appear to be a random act of violence, similar to this recent gang initiation killing.

Houston is a violent, deadly place to be.

No motive, no suspects

This sucks.

A routine security check of a north Houston business park Sunday turned up the body of a woman who was apparently shot while riding a motorcycle, police said.

A security guard found the body behind a 9-foot wooden fence at the Greenbriar North Service Center business complex on the 16000 block of Hedgecroft about 4:30 p.m.

Police found one gunshot wound.

The unidentified woman, whose feet still were on the motorcycle's pedals when she was found, appeared to be in her late 20s, police said.
Investigators have no witnesses or motive.

What kind of mortorcycle was it, anyway? Evertime I would stop without putting my feet down, the bike would tump over.

This poor chick probably did't even know she was shot. Probably pulled over to see what the funny pain was and bled to death before she could check it out. Why else would she pull behind a 9 foot fence where there was no chance of getting help?

And here is another killing in Houston, but chalk one up for the good guys:

Police say late Friday night, a couple was just getting home on Flushing Meadow at Astoria when five masked men approached them and forced their way inside the house. The husband got into a struggle with one of the intruders, took his gun away, and shot him to death.

The four other men, claiming to be FBI agents, took off in a gray Chevy Impala. Right now, the search is on for those men.

Police say a similar incident happened a week ago in west Houston, when a homeowner killed a robber after wrestling his gun away from him.

There was another one of trhese last week where the homeowner was shot but managed to kill one of the invaders. Is this what we are devolving to? I hope so. Certainly people realize that thepolice can not protect you. The police write tickets. Maybe they solve a crime every now and then after the fact, but if you are depending on the police to protect you and your family form violent crime, chances are we will read about you here one day.

More carnage at Houston apartments

Welcome to Houston, Katrina victims:

HOUSTON -- Two people were shot and killed at a southwest Houston apartment complex Friday afternoon, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Residents of the Shadow Tree Apartments in the 9400 block of West Sam Houston Parkway at Lansdale heard gunshots shortly after noon.

"(I heard) 10 shots go off and then I looked out my window and (saw) a couple of guys running away. I ran back in the house," a witness who did not want to be identified said. "I saw a gun in one of their hands."

One person was found dead in the courtyard. The other victim was found inside an apartment.

"Typically on deals like this, with no witnesses, no leads, unless the public calls us, it probably won't get solved. That's what we're going to need," said Richard Martinez, with the Houston Police Department.

Neighbors said the two victims are from New Orleans. Their names were not released.

Now get the fuck out.

Of course police have no motive and no suspects. Meaning two more unsolved murders. But at least there will never be another red light run without there being a fine paid to the government. Priorities out of whack?

Here is another shooting at a motel. The victime was also from Louisiana. The gunman escaped, of course.

What, exactly, are the Houston police doing all day?

Houston Mayor prepares safe-clear defense

While Mayor White gets ready to testify on behalf of the controversial safe-clear program, Houston continues to slide into what sure seems like the gang murder capital of the world.

This right here is some bullshit, I don't care who you are. This is some bull.

"He (the assailant) gets out with a gun in his hands and throwing gang signs, saying 'What's up?'' said Det. I.F. Flores, Jr., with the Houston Police homicide division.

Investigators said the victim, who was visiting friends in the area when he was ambushed, apparently didn't know the gunman.

"They didn't want any trouble. The victim and his friend took off running,'' Flores said.

The gunman then opened fire. Police said Williams was shot in the back of the head and pronounced dead at the scene.

It is too bad Oscar Wade Williams and his friend didn't both draw down and cap this piece o' crap in his tracks and then cap the rest of his little gang buddies. But of course it's against the law for an ordinary guy to be carrying a weapon, even if it is essential to their safety. Which in Houston, it seems being well armed is becoming more and more essential everyday.

But at least the Mayor has time to protect his precious safe-clear program. His testimony is voluntary. Way to go Bill.

Elsewhere in Houston...

A man died at the hospital early this morning after he was found stabbed in southeast Houston, police said.

A passerby called authorities after finding the victim about 4 a.m. lying on the ground in the 600 block of 66th Street.

The victim, who has not been identified, was bleeding from a stab wound to the upper torso. He was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Police have no clue as to motive. Like there was one. Another unsolved murder.

Another dead man found at Houston apartment complex

Told ya. I knew I've been seeing a lot of these. I don't think I noted every blotter I saw but I will now. Houston apartment complexes are some of the most dangerous places on earth.

HOUSTON -- Police found a man dead inside a car while investigating complaints of a foul odor at a southwest Houston apartment complex on Sunday.

Residents of the Summerset Landing Apartments on Reims Road near Bellerive Drive called police at about 6:30 p.m. complaining of a foul odor coming from a car in the parking lot.

Upon arrival, officers found a man's body stuffed in the car's back seat.

Investigators suspect the man was killed on Saturday.

I wonder if they suspect anything else... like who did it! Police have no motive, according to the article.

Previous articles on Houston apartment violence

Google search on "found dead houston apartment"

Continued global interest in St Guillen murder

The amount of interest in the Immette St. Guillen case is incredible. Referrals may even be approaching that of Natalee Halloway. I find it unimaginable but in the last couple of days there has been a very noticeable number of search engine referrals coming in from people looking for photos of Imette. Not regular photos but for photos of Immete's body and crime scene photos.

People are freakin sick. Why would anyone who didn't have to want to look at such photos?

Looks like Darryl Littlejohn did it. Another convict that the government was supposed to be keeping up with but didn't. They didn't have a clue where he was or what he had been doing. The government failed at it's primary obligation to safegard it's citizens.

Jack Dorian and whoever else was running the bar should be charged with conspiracy to conceal or whatever the prosecutor can come up with. There is still the possibility that Darrel Littlejohn is just the guy who dumped the body.

The case will be presented tot he grand jury. Littlejohn maintains his innocence.

Previous articles on Immette St Guillen murder case:

• Unconfirmed DNA results
  
• Bouncer primary suspect...
  
• Immette St. Guillen investigation enters 2nd week
  
• Immette St. Guillen update
  
• Mummy Maniac
  

Houston apartments are dangerous places

Another killing outside of a Houston apartment complex that is not newsworthy.The following quote is not a blurb, but the entire article from ABC13 News:

(3/12/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - Houston police are trying to find out who shot and killed a man in northwest Houston and why.

They found his body lying outside the Knights Landing condominiums on Upland Drive near Chaderton around 1am Sunday. They questioned people but so far have not made any arrests.

These murders have been reported quite frequently of late it seems. A paragraph or two in the back of the paper. This is about the third or fourth one that I've posted in the last few months. Houston, I think we may have a problem.

Alabama Church burning suspects arrested

This is ridiculous. The suspects claimed the church burnings were all just a joke gone bad. What's the problem with young people today who beleive that claiming 'joke' is a legitimate defense to heinous crimes?

Three college students from the prosperous suburbs of Birmingham, Ala., were arrested Wednesday in the burning of nine Baptist churches last month in rural Alabama.

Federal officials said the fires were a prank that spun out of control while the students were deer hunting.

After initially setting ablaze five churches in the county just south of Birmingham, the students burned four additional churches days later in more remote areas, hoping to divert investigators, authorities said.

Benjamin Moseley and Russell DeBusk Jr., both 19 and students at Birmingham-Southern College, were arrested on campus after acknowledging their involvement in the fires to federal agents.

The agents were led to the students by tire tracks at several burned churches, officials said.

Several hours later, authorities arrested Matthew Lee Cloyd, 20, a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, whose mother owns the Toyota 4Runner that had left the tracks, federal agents said in an affidavit accompanying the criminal complaint.

I find it pretty incredible that the suspects were found from the tire tracks they left at the scenes.

We live in a sick society. Who thinks, as a prank,"Hey, let's burn down some churches?"

No sane person does. If they are found guilty, put the punks away for life.

more...

More information is coming out on the miscreants involved in this case who are facing up to fifty years behind bars. They each seem to be upstanding citizens, college students who were popular in high school yet who have the crazy trenchcoat mentality, especially Benjamin Mosely.

My previous article on the Alabama church burnings:

• Alabama Burning
  

Mummy Maniac nearing arrest?

Is there more than one maniac involved? Seems another van has been seized.

Lot's of details beginning to come in now. To much to keep up with as they are reported. I'll do one recap post later, unless there is breaking news like an arrest.

Branch sent me this list of aliases on Littlejon:
 
DIN    Inmate name     Status, Facility
00A1792    BLAZE, JONATHAN   CR TO PAROLE   FISHKILL
93R1093    HANDSOME, JOHN   PAR PAROLE, QUEENSBORO
89A0918    WELLS, DAMON   PAR PAROLE, EASTERN
85A7665    BANKS, DARRYL   PAR PAROLE, LINCOLN
81B0202    LITTLEJOHN, DARRYL   PAR PAROLE, LINCOLN

Flash...

Women are coming forward claiming Littlejohn has abducted and/or raped them. The suspect has been transferred to a differen facilty where he will be included in a lineup.

Church burning suspects arrested

This is ridiculous. The suspects claimed the church burnings were all just a joke. What's the problem with young people today who beleive that claiming 'joke' is a legitimate defense to heinous crimes?

Three college students from the prosperous suburbs of Birmingham, Ala., were arrested Wednesday in the burning of nine Baptist churches last month in rural Alabama.

Federal officials said the fires were a prank that spun out of control while the students were deer hunting.

After initially setting ablaze five churches in the county just south of Birmingham, the students burned four additional churches days later in more remote areas, hoping to divert investigators, authorities said.

Benjamin Moseley and Russell DeBusk Jr., both 19 and students at Birmingham-Southern College, were arrested on campus after acknowledging their involvement in the fires to federal agents.

The agents were led to the students by tire tracks at several burned churches, officials said.

Several hours later, authorities arrested Matthew Lee Cloyd, 20, a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, whose mother owns the Toyota 4Runner that had left the tracks, federal agents said in an affidavit accompanying the criminal complaint.

I find it pretty incredible that the suspects were found from the tire tracks they left at the scenes.

We live in a sick society. Who thinks, as a prank,"Hey, let's burn down some churches!"?

No sane person does. If they are found guilty, put the punks away for life.

My previous article on the Alabama church burnings:

• Alabama Burning
  

Bouncer primary suspect in St Guillen murder

(Originally posted on Sunday, March 5 at iNCoNgrUiTieS)

There may have been more than one killer. Immette'e body shows signs of a struggle, including missing fingernails but the bouncer had no wounds except for a scratch that is inconsistent with the evidence


The owner of The Falls, Jack Dorrian, has come forward with his lawyer and is now changing his story just a bit. The owner now says the bouncer, Darryl Littlejohn, was the last to see Immette alive as he was asked to take her outside. The bouncer was a parolee with a significant rap sheet. From the Boston Herald:

But the bar’s owner and his lawyer came forward late last week saying he had ordered the bouncer, a 41-year-old parolee with an extensive criminal record, to toss her out when she complained she wasn’t being allowed to finish a drink, the official said. The owner said he later overheard “some sort of arguing and a commotion” as the bouncer took her outside, the official said.

There is eveidence that could link the bouncer, Darrel Littlejohn, to the location where Imette's body was dumped:

The official said investigators have cell phone records possibly linking the bouncer to the spot where St. Guillen was found. The records show his phone was used in the same vicinity about two hours before police - responding to an anonymous 911 from a public phone - discovered her naked and bound body.

The phone records are a fortuitous event but could also indicate that someone else was involved: who would the bouncer be calling as he was dumping a body?

So I may have been semi-right on my earlier prediction that Immette never came out of The Falls alive. Seems she may have come out alive but was then
immediately abducted by someone from the bar, taken someplace else--possibly the bouncer's apartment--where she was brutally beaten, raped, and murdered.

The bouncer's apartment is of course being scoured for evidence.

Another theory: Littlejon may have arranged for someone to be outside at closing time to pick up Immette. If someone else beat Immette into submission that would explain the lack of wounds on the bouncer.

There have also been reports that the cops are in possession of a bed sheet that was used to wrap the corpse of Immette prior to dumping her. The bed sheet was said to contain cat hair. Reports say that some cats live in the basement at The Falls. Anyone who follows crimes knows that this is a huge fuck up by the killer.

DNA tests have not been completed. There was DNA evidence found under Immette's fingernails and if it matches Darryl Littlejohn's, the case will be a slam dunk. If the DNA does not match the bouncer, then more people were likely involved in the abduction.

No word yet on who made the 9-1-1 call.

more...

Here is an interesting snippet from another Daily News article:

Sources said Littlejohn was the only male employee of The Falls to refuse to give investigators a DNA sample.

But he submitted a sample to the state in 2000, when he started his most recent prison stint, officials said. That sample will be compared with genetic material recovered from St. Guillen's body, sources said.

When they searched The Falls on Sunday, investigators removed a white blanket that contained what they believed to be a semen stain, the sources said.
Littlejohn's aunt said the warrant for the Queens home, carried out by investigators in protective white suits, targeted the basement, first floor and driveway of the two-story building.

I am still interested in the location of Immette's personal effects and wonder if they will find any other effects from other possible victims.

Immette St Guillen update

FoxNews is now reporting that The Falls, the New York bar where Immette St. Guillen was last seen, is being referred to as a "crime scene". A FoxNews camera crew was asked to "step back form the crime scene". Foensics experts in whitenomex suits were witnessed going in to the bar.


A white van has been seized and is being examined. The 9-1-1 caller has not been identified.

Considering that these searches are coming a week after the crime is not good. Not good at all. Someone dropped the ball in a major way. Of what value any evidence found a week after the crime has in a court will remain to be seen.



This case would likely have fallen through the cracks had it not been picked up by the media. The local police were obviously well into the process of not adequately investigation the crime.

The Mummy Maniac

Grad student brutally murdered in Brooklyn

This is a horrible strory:

A wake for Imette St. Guillen, 24, was scheduled for Friday in Boston, followed by a funeral on Saturday.

Authorities say someone apparently accosted St. Guillen sometime after she left a Lower Manhattan bar, then raped, strangled and suffocated her by wrapping packing tape around her entire face.

Her beaten and raped body was found dumped on a deserted Brooklyn road, which was reported to be a notorious mob dumping site. There was a 911 call from a tipster informing police of the location. Caller, "Uh, I think there is a body, you should send someone to check it out."

Of course police are very interested in who might have made the 9-1-1 call. It could have been the murderer himself.

Imette was seen at a club at 3:30 am and video surveillance shows her talking to a friend who was trying to get her to leave the bar. The friend got in a cab and left. Imette went to another bar, The Falls, where witnesses say she came and left alone.

Here's my guess: Imette went in The Falls and she never came out alive. Whoever was at The Falls at 3:30 am knows what happened and are not talking. The 9-1-1call could have come from someone who was at the bar.

There is a lot to be said about this case. I love a good mystery. But the reality of it is that whatever was going on in this young woman's life, she didn't deserve to be raped, beaten, killed and dumped by the side of the road. No one deserves that except for maybe the sociopath who would do such a thing. Think about the characters on The Sopranos. I believe they had this exact story line in one episode.

This is the type of case that Greta Van Sustren will sink her teeth into so we will be getting a lot a lot more details.

Read the FoxNews story here.

more...

The sensationalism begins. FoxNews is calling the murderer the "Mummy Maniac".

more...

The "fake cabby" theory is sounding good. There was an abduction last month by a guy posing as a fake cabby. Someone posing as a cabby could have spotted Immette leaving The Falls, picked her up in a fake cab or livery car, and took her away. Someone like that would leave the 9-1-1 call I think.

Right now (about 11:20 am), Police are doing a grid search of the area where the body was found. This is almost a week later so maybe they think the "mummy maniac" may have used the dumping grounds before. Or perhaps they have a suspect who they are trying to link to the site.