HUNTINGTON, W. VA: BODY REMOVED FROM BUILDING. IS IT LEAH HICKMAN?

Woman's Body Removed From W.Va. Building
5 hours ago

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Investigators on Saturday removed the body of a young woman found in a crawl space at an apartment building where a missing Marshall University student lived, authorities said.

Officials have not identified the body but believe it is that of Leah Hickman, 21, a journalism student who has been missing since Dec. 14. The body was sent to the state medical examiner's office in Charleston for an autopsy.

"Although we strongly believe the body is that of Leah Hickman, a positive identification will be made by the medical examiner," Lt. Rocky Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson described the death as an apparent homicide, The Herald-Dispatch reported.

Police have released few details about the case, though Police Chief Skip Holbrook said Friday night that there are no suspects. The agency planned an update about the case for Monday.
Marshall University spokesman Bill Bissett declined to comment until a positive identification is released.

Authorities searching for evidence found the body Friday in a crawl space of a common laundry room in the basement of the four-unit building. News of the cast a somber tone over a concert to raise a reward fund.

WHAT HAPPENED TO LEAH HICKMAN?

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcuHLOIiPj8mlKdDMZKUcG0ryf_AD8TMPPM80

MARTY TANKLEFF: CONVICTED OF KILLING PARENTS, MAY BE RELEASED FOR NEW TRIAL BY FRIDAY, DEC 28, 2007

Marty Tankleff, 17 years in prison. Convicted of killing parents.

Marty Tankleff, 17, and parents

DA agrees on Tankleff release until new trial

BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO AND MICHAEL AMON
michael.amon@newsday.com
December 22, 2007

Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota said Saturday that Martin Tankleff should not spend another day in jail while awaiting a new trial on charges that he murdered his parents.

But he said he "respectfully disagreed" with the appellate justices who overturned Tankleff's conviction and said they "don't give me any alternatives" but to retry Tankleff, 36.

Spota's words came as prosecutors and Tankleff's attorneys said they have agreed on a bail package that would allow the Belle Terre man to be freed this week.

Despite his office's steadfast opposition to Tankleff's efforts to be exonerated, Spota also said Saturday that he has never maintained that Tankleff killed his parents.

"I never said that he did or did not," Spota said.

"What I have consistently said is that I do not believe that the people that the Tankleff team have said killed these people did indeed kill them.

"Tankleff's defense team has contended that a disgruntled business partner of Tankleff's father hired a hit man to kill the elder Tankleff.

A county court judge will consider bail this week, said Tankleff's attorney, Bruce Barket of Garden City. Barket would not reveal the amount of the agreed-upon bail.

"These things have a way of unraveling, but there's no reason why Marty won't be out of jail by Friday," Barket said

STAY TUNED...WILL MARTY BE RELEASED THIS FRIDAY, DEC 28, 2007?
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-lispot1223,0,5320009.story

MARTY TANKLEFF'S OFFICAL WEBSITE...
http://www.martytankleff.org/Gui/Content.aspx?Page=Home2

DOG "THE BOUNTY HUNTER": ROY INNIS, CORE CHAIRMAN, INVITES DOG TO 2008 MLK CELEBRATION

The Chapman Family of Bounty Hunter's: Dog, Beth, Tim, Duane, Leland STAR-BULLETIN / 2005

Duane "Dog" Chapman gets married to his longtime sidekick, Beth Smith, tomorrow on the Big Island.

Out Of the 'Dog' House

By ALICIA COLON, December 21, 2007

When the chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality, Roy Innis, invited me to join him at a luncheon with Dog the Bounty Hunter, I was slightly puzzled. After all, Mr. Innis was one of the first to call for the TV network A&E to take Duane "Dog" Chapman's show off the air after it was reported that he said the "n" word in a private call to his son. Had he changed his mind?

Since I had never watched the show, I knew Mr. Chapman only from the brouhaha that erupted after the National Enquirer disclosed in late October that his son Tucker had taped him calling Tucker's girlfriend the "n" word several times. Mr. Chapman's show was canceled, and he has since made several television appearances apologizing for his words and seeking to restore his relationship with the black community.

(snip)

Like Mr. Innis, I too realize that Mr. Chapman is not a racist. Racists do not belong to churches where the pastor is a black man, nor do they have them as friends.

(snip)

Incidentally, CORE (www.coreonline.org) will hold its Martin Luther King celebration on January 21 at the Sheraton Hotel. A guest of honor will be Senator McCain; Duane "Dog" Chapman will be another special guest. This one may be a sellout.

READ ABOUT THE GREATEST BOUNTY HUNTER IN THE WORLD!

http://www.nysun.com/article/68487?page_no=2

DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE...

http://www.dogthebountyhunter.com/

ANCHORAGE: ALASKAN WOLVES SURROUND JOGGERS, KILL DOG

December 21, 2007
Bold Anchorage wolves attack dogs, circle joggers
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A wolf pack surrounded three joggers and attacked one of their dogs in the latest of a series of bold attacks near Alaska's largest city.

A dog on a chain also was killed Thursday and a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said the same pack may be responsible for both attacks.

The dog in its own yard in Eagle River on Anchorage's north side was killed first Thursday morning.

A few hours later, the second attack occurred less than a mile away as three women and their dogs were running on a well-used stretch of road.

It was so quick, the three friends at first didn't know what was happening.

"They were so quiet. They just came right up on us. They were quick. The dogs had no clue. They didn't smell them or hear them - nothing," Alycia Beiergrohslein told KTVA-TV.

At least seven wolves surrounded the three women and their dogs as they jogged on Artillery Road. The lead wolves came within feet, circling the women as they tried to get away. They were only slightly deterred by pepper spray.

READ ABOUT DANGER IN ALASKA...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_ak_bold_wolves.html

CARLOS PEREZ-OLIVO: CLINTON'S NEIGHBOR CHARGED IN WIFE'S MURDER!

Carlos Perez-Olivo, a man whose wife was shot and killed in their car, apparently by a gunman who ran them off a Westchester County, N.Y., road, tried to become physical with a television reporter who asked if he was actually the one who murdered his wife.
CBS
December 21, 2007

Neighbor Of Clintons Charged In Wife's 2006 Murder
Perez-Olivo Pleads Not Guilty In Bizarre Shooting Of Wife

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. (CBS) ― A disbarred attorney whose wife was killed after he claimed a gunman burst into his SUV following a car accident last year and shot her to death was arrested and was charged with her murder, sources tell CBS 2.

Carlos Perez-Olivo, 60, is accused of murdering his wife Peggy Perez-Olivo in the Nov. 18, 2006 incident. He's currently being held on $1 million bail.

The couple were neighbors of Bill and Hillary Clinton in an upscale Chappaqua neighborhood, renting a house just three doors down from the former president and presidential hopeful.

Perez-Olivo was arrested at the house and arrived in court shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday and was second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. If convicted, he could spend the remainder of his life behind bars.

He pleaded not guilty on the charges.

Prosecutor Perry Perrone called the killing "a cold-blooded, well-planned execution" and said there was "a compelling circumstantial case, a compelling forensic case" against Perez-Olivo.

READ STUNNING UPDATE...
http://wcbstv.com/local/perez.olivo.murder.2.615357.html

CARLOS PEREZ-OLIVO: WHY DID NEW YORK DISBAR THIS DEFENSE LAWYER?

N.Y. Panel Disbars Defense Lawyer for 14 Actions
Anthony Lin, New York Law Journal

August 14, 2006

A lawyer accused of providing an incompetent defense in a high-profile murder case last year has been disbarred for misleading and stealing from four other clients.

Carlos Perez-Olivo made headlines last November after he allegedly forgot part of his closing argument in defense of Elio Cruz, a waiter who was subsequently convicted in the 2004 shooting of his wife's lover on a Manhattan subway platform.

The Appellate Division, 1st Department, said Perez-Olivo had committed at least 14 acts of attorney misconduct in his representation of four other criminal defendants. The counts included his neglect of cases, his refusal to return unearned retainers and bail money, his use of a non-refundable retainer agreement and his failure to avoid conflicts of interest.

(snip)

A graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, Perez-Olivo forfeited his license to practice law in Puerto Rico in 2000 after he failed to answer disciplinary charges against him there.

He also had been previously admonished in New York for similar misconduct. The appellate panel said his past disciplinary record was an aggravating factor in favor of his disbarment.

READ ABOUT PEREZ-OLIVO'S INCOMPETENCE...

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1155303323211

COLUMBIA: FARC TERRORISTS DEMAND END TO DEMOCRACY

FARC's Real Aim: Ending Democracy
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Posted Friday, December 21, 2007

Terror: International pressure is building on Colombia to negotiate with FARC terrorists to free hostages. But that's just emboldening these killers. They now demand an end to democracy. A harder hand is needed.

The sneering leaders of the FARC Marxist terrorists declared that their group would be glad to release all 750 of FARC's hostages with just one condition: that Colombia's elected President Alvaro Uribe and his entire government resign.

"The immediate resignation of Uribe and his government could guarantee the live release of the prisoners through a humanitarian accord without any obstacles," FARC "commander" Raul Reyes told Anncol, the Denmark-based FARC newswire.

It was ironic, because Uribe, unlike FARC, leads Colombia as a democratically elected leader whose tough stance on terrorists has not only strengthened Colombia's democracy but made him a national hero, with an 80% approval rating.

It's no small thing. Fighting a long terror war often weakens democracies. Peru's President Alberto Fujimori fought a similar war against the Shining Path in the 1990s at a big cost to democracy — a cost which, given the alternative, Peruvians were willing to pay.

READ MORE ABOUT COLUMBIA'S FARC TERRORISTS...

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=283132570214190

LEAH HICKMAN: LAST SEEN DEC 14 BY SISTER, JESSICA VICKERS

Leah Hickman timeline
Dec 22, 2007 , The Herald-Dispatch

FRIDAY, DEC. 14
Leah Hickman, 21, is last seen by her half-sister, 25-year-old Jessica Vickers, at the apartment the two share on the 400 block of 8th Avenue sometime in the afternoon.
Hickman's last recorded logon to her MySpace page takes place sometime on this day. No specific time is given.

5:40 p.m., Hickman makes a call from her cell phone to a friend saying she is going to get food from McDonald's. It is the last call made from her phone, and incoming calls that night go straight to voice mail. After a time, incoming callers receive a message that Hickman's voice mail is full.

SATURDAY, DEC. 15
Morning, Vickers stops back by the apartment and notices Hickman's purse, keys and car are still at the residence, though Hickman is nowhere to be found. Bags Hickman had packed for a Friday night sleepover with a friend are also still at the apartment.

1:01 p.m., Vickers posts a message on Hickman's MySpace page which reads "Oh sister, where are you???"

5 p.m., Hickman does not show up for a scheduled four-hour shift at Dress Barn on Merritts Creek Road in Barboursville, where she has been working for five months. Her manager, Peggy Nida, later told reporters that Hickman was not the type of employee who didn't show up for work, and usually called even if she was going to be a few minutes late.

(snip)

FRIDAY, DEC. 21
Vickers is interviewed on MSNBC for the second time concerning her sister's disappearance.
Huntington Police find the body of a white female in a crawlspace off the laundry room in Hickman's apartment building. Police believe it is Hickman's body, but the woman was not identified conclusively. Police forensic units look for clues and treat the discovery as an active crime scene.

READ ENTIRE MISSING LEAH HICKMAN'S TIMELINE ...
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1495476643

LEAH HICKMAN: MISSING MARSHALL UNIVERSITY STUDENT FOUND

Flier provided by Hickman's family and friends

Police Find Body Believed to be Missing Marshall University Student
Saturday, December 22, 2007

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Investigators found a body in a crawl space Friday that police believe is that of a missing Marshall University student.

Forensic investigators found the body at 5 p.m. in a common laundry room in the basement of the missing woman's apartment building, the Huntington Police Department said in a prepared statement.

The body has not been identified but indications are that it is that of 21-year-old Leah Hickman, who has been missing since Dec. 14, the department said.

There are no suspects, Police Chief Skip Holbrook said at a Friday night news conference. He provided few details, saying police do not want to jeopardize the investigation. He said police do not know how long the body had been in the crawl space. He would not say whether a cause of death has been determined.

"Obviously this is a fresh crime scene. It was important for us to make a preliminary notification to the family. We are ... confident this is her," Holbrook said.

The last known contact with Hickman was a cell phone conversation with a friend late on the afternoon of Dec. 14. Police say Hickman's cell phone hasn't been used since.

READ UPDATE ...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317967,00.html

LSU MURDER OF KOMMA AND ALLAM: SKETCHES OF SUSPECTS RELEASED

The sketches of suspected killers of two Indian students of Louisiana State University,

released by agencies probing the crime. (Picture courtesy: LSU)

Cops Release LSU Murder Suspect Sketches
Two Doctoral Candidates May Have Been Targeted in 'Crime of Opportunity'

By DAVID SCHOETZ, Dec. 17, 2007

Police in Baton Rouge, La., have released sketches of two men they are seeking in connection with the shooting deaths of two Louisiana State University doctoral students last week.

One of the two suspects was believed to be the driver of an older model, light-colored Oldsmobile Alero seen near the campus crime scene, according to Sgt. Don Kelly, a spokesman for the Baton Rouge Police Department.

Investigators believe that one or two additional suspects may have been involved in the double homicide last Thursday that claimed the lives of Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma, 31, and Kiran Kumar Allam, 33. Both men were married Indian students working on doctoral degrees -- Komma in biology and Allam in chemistry.

The men in the police sketches were observed at the apartment complex, which houses almost exclusively international students, at 9 p.m. on the night of the shooting, according to police. The first 911 call about the shooting came in at 10:37 p.m.

READ MORE: LET'S CATCH THESE GUYS!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4013353

CARLOS PEREZ-OLIVO: DID CLINTONS' NEIGHBOR KILL HIS WIFE?

Courtesy Chevrestt for News
Clinton neighbor Carlos Perez-Olivo
was eyed for year in slay of wife, Peggy, before his arrest Thursday.

Courtesy WNBC-TV
Carlos Perez-Olivo's wife Peggy

Clintons' Chappaqua Neighbor Charged With Murdering Wife
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Thursday, December 20, 2007

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A neighbor of former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton was arrested Thursday and charged with murdering his wife, who he claimed had been shot by a stranger on a dark suburban road.

Carlos Perez-Olivo, a disbarred lawyer who was wounded in the Nov. 18, 2006, shooting, faces one count of second-degree murder and two counts of illegal weapon possession. If convicted, Perez-Olivo, 59, would face up to life in prison.

Peggy Perez-Olivo, 55, was shot in the head as she and her husband were driving from Manhattan toward their home just three doors from the Clintons in Chappaqua. The teacher's assistant at a Chappaqua school died two days later.

Prosecutor Perry Perrone, who argued against bail for Carlos Perez-Olivo, called the killing "a cold-blooded, well-planned execution" and said there was a "compelling circumstantial case, a compelling forensic case" against him.

"All investigative roads led to one person and one person only," Perrone said.

WOW! WHAT A STORY...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317730,00.html

UNION COUNTY JAIL, NEW JERSEY: JAIL REVIEWS SECURITY AFTER DARING ESCAPE

NJ Launches Manhunt For 2 Escaped Inmates, Reviews Jail Security
December 17, 2007

Kris Alingod - AHN News Writer

Elizabeth, NJ (AHN) -- Authorities are reviewing security at a New Jersey jail as a manhunt continues for two inmates who escaped over the weekend after a Hollywood-inspired jailbreak.

Jose Espinosa, 20, and Otis Blunt, 32, broke out of the Union County jail on Saturday through holes in the walls of their adjacent prison cells. They had removed cement blocks from the walls and covered up the holes with magazine photos of women in bikinis. Espinosa and Blunt also used dummies in their beds to keep prison guards from searching for them, according to the county prosecutor's office.

Both inmates were able to scale the jail's 25-foot-high fence. They had been held in a special area that was supposed to be the most secure section in the 15-floor jail.

The jailbreak has caused officials to prohibit inmates from putting up pictures on the walls of their jail cells.

"I'm extremely disturbed that a jail with the capability of security it has would foster a breach of this nature," County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow told The Star-Ledger on Monday as officials reviewed security in the Union County jail.

READ MORE...

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009479080

ESPINOSA AND BLUNT: DANGEROUS NJ INMATES STILL MISSING

JOSE ESPINOSA: BLOODS GANG MEMBER WANTED FOR DRIVE-BY MURDER

OTIS BLUNT: WANTED FOR 2005 SHOOTING OF STORE MANAGER

Jail Break

Union County, N.J. investigators say an escape plot worthy of a Hollywood movie was carried out on December 15, 2007 by two inmates at the Union County Jail.

According to police, 32-year-old Otis Blunt and 20-year-old Jose Espinosa were housed in cells right next to one another. Cops say the two had little in common -- except their shared goal of busting out of jail. Together, they made good on an elaborate scheme to break out and make a run for it.

(snip)

Police say the dummies in their beds were enough to trick guards at first. It wasn't until 5:00 p.m. that Espinosa and Blunt were found to be missing from their cells.

Canine cops were able to pick up the men's scents from the spot where the men landed on the ground. According to police, there's evidence the men split up after landing. Cops do not know if the men met up again later, or if they are on the run separately.

Cops: Escapees Are Considered Dangerous

Police say Espinosa and Blunt should be considered dangerous. Cops say Blunt was being held on weapons charges in connection with a 2005 murder.

Espinosa was in Union County Jail awaiting a 17-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter. Cops say the manslaughter charge stemmed from the August 2005 shooting of a man in Elizabeth, N.J.

READ UPDATES ON THESE TWO DANGEROUS FUGITIVES...

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=51698

IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION,

CALL "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED" TIP LINE...

1-800-CRIME-TV

ISRAEL MIRELES: SUSPECT IN MURDER OF EMILY SANDER - ZOEY ZANE CAUGHT IN MEXICO

ISRAEL MIRELES

16 YEAR OLD VICTORIA MARTENS, MIRELES PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND

Jaime Oppenheimer / AP

Law enforcement officials from Butler County stand on U.S. 54 near Toronto, Kan., on Thursday after finding a body that appears to be that of missing student Emily Sander

Man Arrested in Death of Secret Porn Star
By ROXANA HEGEMAN,
AP
2007-12-19
Filed Under: Crime News

EL DORADO, Kan. (Dec. 19) - A man suspected in the slaying of a college student who led a secret life as an Internet porn performer was arrested Wednesday in Mexico, authorities said.

Israel Mireles, 24, was arrested on a Butler County homicide warrant in Melchor Muzquiz, Mexico, southwest of Texas. He was being held there pending extradition, U.S. Deputy Marshal Logan Kline said.

Mireles has been charged with capital murder, rape and aggravated criminal sodomy in the death of 18-year-old Emily Sander, Butler County prosecutor Jan Satterfield said.

Sander was last seen alive on Nov. 23 when she left an El Dorado bar with a man police identified as Mireles. The disappearance of the Butler Community College student drew nationwide attention after the discovery that she also led a secret life as an Internet pornography model named Zoey Zane.

READ UPDATE...

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/man-arrested-in-death-of-secret-porn/20071219141109990003

GIBSONTON, FLORIDA BUS STOP SHOOTING: SECOND SUSPECT ARRESTED

SUSPECTED SHOOTER, BRIAN ALONSO GAINEY, JR

Police identify shooting suspect in bus stop attack

December 18, 2007 23:38 PM

UPDATE: Hillsborough County Deputies have now arrested two people who they say were involved in Monday's bus stop shooting of two East Bay High School students. They have also issued an arrest warrant for the teenager believed to be the shooter.

A warrant for 2 counts of attempted first degree murder has been issued for seventeen year old Brian Alonso Gainey Jr. Deputies say he is still at large and anyone with information about where he might be should call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office or Crimestoppers at 1-800-873-8744. Gainey's photo is posted at the bottom(sic) (top) of this story.

Around 4:30 p.m. deputies arrested his brother, sixteen year old James Gainey, who has been transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

Overnight, deputies arrested a third suspect, 19-year-old Jeffrey Brian Argo.

Dozens of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputies also showed their presence at East Bay High School Tuesday morning, as students and faculty arrived for class. While authorities say they didn't anticipate any problems, they wanted to make sure everyone felt safe going back to school in the wake of the shootings. Counselors were on hand to help students cope with the situation. School let out at 11:45 a.m. because of final exams.

STAY ON TOP OF THIS STORY...

http://m.tampabays10.com/detail.jsp?key=68231&rc=lo&full=1

IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CASE...

call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office or Crimestoppers at 1-800-873-8744

KOMMA AND ALLAM: LSU STUDENTS HOLD MEMORIAL SERVICE

Media Credit: Megan Casey
Chancellor Sean O'Keefe speaks at a press conference Friday morning
about the deadly shootings that took place at the Edward Gay apartments on campus.

UPDATE: Memorial service to be held tonight for victims
O'Keefe addresses campus double murder
Ginger Gibson
Issue date: 12/7/07

To see what the campus community is saying about the shootings, Click HereThe LSU Indian Student Association will be sponsoring a memorial service tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. in the LSU Union Ballroom in remembrance of Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam. The public is invited to attend.

The University has also established a support fund for the families. People wishing to donate to the "Komma & Allam Support Fund" can do so online at http://www.lsufoundation.org/, or send checks, made payable to LSU Foundation, to 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70806.

Meawhile, the University held a press conference today to address the double homicide in Edward Gay Apartments last night.Chancellor Sean O'Keefe told the assembled media the University sends their condolences to the families of the dead, and wanted to express to the entire University community that campus is safe and all measures are being taken to ensure the culprits are caught.

KEEP UP ON THIS STORY UNTIL THE THREE SUSPECTS ARE FOUND...
http://media.www.lsureveille.com/media/storage/paper868/news/2007/12/07/
News/Update.Memorial.Service.To.Be.Held.Tonight.For.Victims-3144094.shtml

ESPINOSA AND BLUNT: SECOND ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE, STILL ON THE LOOSE

Otis Blunt’s cell in the Union County Jail in Elizabeth, N.J.
The inmates hid the holes they made with pinup photos,
and used dummies made from bedsheets to hide their absence.

Bold Escape Not First Try for Inmate
By RICHARD G. JONES
Published: December 18, 2007

ELIZABETH, N.J. — There was a gnawing familiarity to the daring weekend escape of two inmates from the most secure part of the Union County jail.

No, it wasn’t simply a case of life imitating art.

The Union County prosecutor, Theodore J. Romankow, acknowledged on Monday that one inmate, Otis Blunt, 32, who escaped Saturday, had tried to flee the same jail in September the same way — by whittling away at the mortar around a cinder block to dislodge it, and then wriggling through the opening.

“He made it this time,” Mr. Romankow conceded at a news conference.

(snip)

Mr. Espinosa, a member of the Bloods street gang, was convicted of aggravated assault in the August 2005 drive-by shooting death of Hassan Jackson, who the authorities said was a member of a rival gang, the Crips. He was at the wheel of a car used in the shooting.

Mr. Blunt was awaiting trial on robbery and weapons charges, also stemming from a 2005 episode, in Hillside, N.J. Because of several prior convictions, Mr. Blunt was also facing a possible long prison sentence.

CATCH THE BAD GUYS: REPORT SIGHTINGS TO THE NJ POLICE...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/nyregion/18prison.html

OR REPORT CRIME TO "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED" TIP LINE 1-800-CRIME TV

NATALEE HOLLOWAY DISAPPEARANCE REMAINS A MYSTERY: ARUBA CLOSED THE CASE!

This poster which was prepared and released by the Holloway family after their daughter Nataleewent missing is seen in this image originally made available by the Holloway family in this Friday, June 3, 2005, file photo.

Joran van der Sloot poses in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in this April 24, 2007, file photo,

made available Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007

Aruba Closes Natalee Holloway Case
By MARGARET WEVER

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) — Prosecutors closed their investigation into the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, saying Tuesday they still believe three young men were involved in her death but can't prove it after 932 days of searching failed to turn up a body.

The three main suspects in the case were re-arrested last month after prosecutors in Aruba discovered online chat sessions they hoped would break the case open. But none of the men talked in custody, and without the 18-year-old's body, prosecutors said they had no recourse but to close the most notorious missing persons case in the Caribbean.

If the three suspects were put on trial, the lack of evidence "would lead to an acquittal," the Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

Moving Holloway into the cold-case files "is a tough burden to bear" for her parents, they acknowledged, but the prosecutors said they had little choice.

"The public prosecutor's office and the police have gone the extra mile and have exhausted all their powers and techniques in order to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the girl," the statement read.

Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, the last night of a trip with members of her Mountain Brook, Ala., high school graduating class. She was last seen leaving a bar with the three suspects: Joran van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, who all lived on this Dutch island off the coast of Venezuela.

READ THE LATEST ON THE HOLLOWAY DISAPPEARANCE...

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g03xmlbMM0BjGFGrLokyvroCO6FwD8TK4AHO0

DEBRA LaFAVE: SEX TEACHER FACES PROBATION VIOLATION IN FLORIDA

DEBRA LaFAVE FNC PHOTO

Debra Lafave Appears in Court to Face Probation-Violation Charge
Tuesday, December 18, 2007

FOX NEWS

Debra Lafave, the former middle school teacher serving house arrest for having sex with a student, appeared in a Hillsborough County, Fla., courtroom Tuesday to face charges stemming from contact with an underage female co-worker at a restaurant where she worked.

Her lawyer, John Fitzgibbons, entered a formal denial to the allegations and an evidentiary hearing was set for Jan. 10 at 1:30 p.m.

According to a Department of Corrections report, Lafave discussed her personal life and other subjects with the co-worker. One of the terms of her probation was that she was not allowed to have unsupervised contact with minors without permission.

According to a police report, Lafave spoke with her teenage co-worker numerous times about family problems, friends, high school, boyfriends and sex.

Click here for photos of Lafave.

Lafave, 26, is serving three years of house arrest and seven years of probation after pleading guilty to having sex with the 14-year-old boy in a classroom and her home in June 2004.
She was arrested Dec. 4 and released from jail on her promise to appear in court.

READ COURT UPDATE...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317241,00.html

GIBSONTON, FLORIDA: TWO STUDENTS SHOT AT BUS STOP, ONE SUSPECT ARRESTED, GUNMAN STILL LOOSE

Sheriff’s officials say two East Bay High students were stable when they were flown to Tampa General Hospital on Monday.

VICTIMS OF SHOOTING, FRIENDS JESSICA DAVIS, 16, AND GREG POWELL, 16

Jeffrey Brian Argo, suspect driving car

8029 Carriage Pointe Drive, off Symmes Road, at 3:30 pm

One suspect in bus stop shooting arrested
By: Beau Zimmer

UPDATE:

Hillsborough County Deputies have arrested the person they say was driving the vehicle involved in a bus stop shooting of two East Bay High School students. He is 19-year-old Jeffrey Brian Argo. He was arrested around 2 o'clock this morning on Gibsonton Drive and Highway 301. Deputies are still looking for the gunman.

Gibsonton, Florida-- Two students from Eastbay High School in Hillsborough County are at Tampa General Hospital after being gunned down shortly after getting off their school bus Monday afternoon.

It happened in the Carriage Pointe Subdivision off Symmes Road around 3:30. The two students, both 16 years old, were identified by family members and close friends as Jessica Davis, a junior at Eastbay and sophomore Greg Powell. Both were stabilized by emergency crews on scene before being flown to Tampa General Hospital.

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http://www.tampabays10.com/news/specials/popular/article.aspx?s=popular&storyid=69999

JOSE ESPINOSA, OTIS BLUNT ESCAPE UNION COUNTY JAIL: THE MANHUNT IS ON!

Otis Blunt, left, and Jose Espinosa escaped from the Union County Jail Saturday night, officials say.

Escaped prisoner Jose Espinosa left a dummy in his cell in his place.

Pinups of bikini-clad women hid jailbreak route, officials say

(CNN) -- Two inmates at New Jersey's Union County Jail made a movie-style escape Saturday and remained at large Monday, according to Union County Prosecutor Ted Romanko.

Twenty-year-old Jose Espinosa and 32-year-old Otis Blunt, who are considered armed and dangerous, were discovered missing from their cells at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Romanko said.

The men left behind dummies in their beds, cinder block dust and a note wishing authorities "Happy Holidays."

Espinosa, who recently pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, was to be sentenced on January 25 and faced a minimum of 17 years in prison. Blunt was being held in lieu of $75,000 bond on weapon and robbery charges.

Both men were being housed in the high security area of the multilevel jail, Romanko said.
Police said Espinosa and Blunt were in adjacent cells and used a long metal wire to scrape away mortar around the cinder block between their cells and the outer wall in Espinosa's cell.

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http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/17/nj.jailbreak/index.html

ASQA PARVEZ: PUBLIC FUNERAL CANCELLED

A young woman wipes tears from her eyes as she remembers Aqsa Parvez outside the Mississauga mosque where the teen's public funeral was supposed to be held. (J.P. Moczulski/Canadian Press)

Mourners upset at decision to cancel public funeral for slain Ont. girl
Family decides to have private burial
Saturday, December 15, 2007
CBC News

A teenage girl whose father has been charged in her death was buried quietly on Saturday morning in Mississauga, Ont., shocking dozens of mourners who showed up for her funeral hours later, only to find out it had been cancelled.

"Everyone was so prepared to come here and see her face for one last time, and all of a sudden they're saying it's not going to be here," Riana Ahmad, a friend, said outside the Islamic Centre mosque in Mississauga, where the funeral had been scheduled to take place.

"They shouldn't do that," another mourner, Babithiraa Thevathasan, added. "She's gone, you can't do that. You should let everyone see her no matter what."

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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/12/15/funeral-parvez.html

SHAWN ECKARDT/BRIAN GRIFFITH: TONYA HARDING BODYGUARD DIES AT 40

Admitted Olympic Skater Nancy Kerrigan Attacker Brian Sean Griffith Dies at 40
Sunday, December 16, 2007
ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Ore. — Brian Sean Griffith, a former bodyguard to figure skater Tonya Harding who admitted a role in the attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan during Olympics tryouts, has died. He was 40.

Griffith died Wednesday of what his doctor reported as natural causes, according to the Washington County medical examiner's office. The specific cause of death is expected to be listed when the doctor files a death certificate, which could take two weeks, the medical examiner's office said.

Formerly Shawn Eckardt, Griffith had changed his name since the attack in an attempt to put it behind him.

Griffith, of Beaverton, was Harding's bodyguard when the Portland-born skater competed for a spot on the U.S. Olympic figure skating team in 1994.

That January, an assailant clubbed Kerrigan in the knee, forcing her out of the competition. The International Committee of the U.S. Figure Skating Association granted Kerrigan a spot anyway, and she recovered in time to win a silver medal at the Olympics.

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316988,00.html

TIFFANY JOHNSON: VICTIM OF COLORADO SHOOTER

TIFFANY JOHNSON, BEAUTIFUL, EXTRAORDINARY LADY

Shooting victim remembered as 'beautiful, extraordinary lady'

CHISHOLM, Minnesota (AP) -- The body of Tiffany Johnson, one of four people killed in two shootings in Colorado, was returned to northern Minnesota, where she was remembered as a young woman well loved by friends and family.

Johnson, 26, was remembered at a funeral service Saturday. She was killed by a gunman who police said committed suicide after the second rampage.

She was working as a hospitality director at the Youth With a Mission training center in Arvada when she and another worker were killed by the gunman, a former student at the center.

Meanwhile, nearly 300 people came to support the family of the gunman, Matthew John

Murray, 24, at a private service Friday in Denver, the Rocky Mountain News reported.

About 900 mourners packed St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Chisholm for Johnson's service Saturday. A memorial service was held earlier in the week in Colorado.

"She always told me, 'Dad, you think you can control things, but you can't. The Lord controls things,' " her father, Tom Johnson, told mourners. "I'd like to ask all of you to -- instead of saying 'I love you' on the telephone to your children -- to look them in the eye and say 'I love you' -- because Tiff taught me that."

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http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/16/shootings.funeral.ap/index.html