CARNATION FAMILY SLAUGHTERED: SUSPECTS TALK

Media Photo: Dan DeLong / P-I
Joseph McEnroe, Carnation, WA killerJoseph Thomas McEnroe, 29, a suspect in the Carnation murders, is seen at his bail hearing at the King County Jail in Seattle on Thursday. A court order prohibited publication of the photo until Friday.

Carnation suspects tell officers of vicims' frantic, final moments
By SCOTT GUTIERREZ, P-I REPORTER

Twice wounded, her husband and his parents already gunned down, Erica Anderson huddled with her children and pleaded with Joseph McEnroe to spare their lives.

"You don't have to do this."

But her pleas prompted no mercy. McEnroe apologized before telling his victims, "Yes, we do."

Then he fired the last blasts in a Christmas Eve shooting spree that killed three generations of a family in a rural Carnation home.

He shot Anderson a final time, then turned a .357 revolver on 6-year-old Olivia and 3-year-old Nathan.

The final, frantic moments of the lives of six people were outlined Friday in murder charges filed against McEnroe, 29, a Target clerk, and his unemployed girlfriend, Michele Anderson, also 29.

The defendants are in the King County Jail with bail denied, accused of killing Michele's parents, her brother, his wife and their two children.

Each faces six counts of aggravated first-degree murder -- the only crime punishable by death in Washington. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg has 30 days from the couple's scheduled Jan. 9 arraignment to decide whether to pursue capital punishment. The only other sentencing option under the law for the crimes upon conviction is life imprisonment without release.

"Given the magnitude of this crime, I pledge to give this case serious consideration for the state's ultimate penalty," Satterberg said.

THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/345254_carnation29.html

MARTY TANKLEFF: 17 YEARS IN PRISON, FINALLY RELEASED

(Kirk Condyles for The New York Times)
Martin Tankleff, second from right, with his attorneys, Bruce Barket, right, and Barry Pollack, at a bail hearing on Thursday.

After Half a Lifetime in Prison, an Inmate Is Free for Now

By BRUCE LAMBERT
Published: December 28, 2007

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — After being imprisoned nearly half his life for the murders of his parents — crimes he insists he did not commit — Martin H. Tankleff shed his shackles Thursday and celebrated at a victory party with family, friends and other supporters.

At the party, friends gave him a lesson on navigating the outside world by teaching him how to operate a cellphone. Sitting on a couch, he was soon making calls, holding the phone to his right ear while putting a finger in his left to muffle the din of the party.

His day had begun in a more humbling posture. Hands still cuffed behind his back, Mr. Tankleff entered a hushed Suffolk County courtroom here for a brief bail hearing, where relatives posted a $1 million bond.

Judge Stephen L. Braslow said, “You will be released forthwith.” The dozens of supporters packing the courtroom burst into applause. Sheriff’s deputies escorted Mr. Tankleff to the adjacent jail for discharge. Then he returned to the courthouse, without handcuffs, for a crowded news conference.

Before speaking, the smiling Mr. Tankleff hugged his aunts, uncles and cousins, one by one. All of them wept. He was also surrounded by his lawyers, his private investigator and the organizers of the campaign to free him.

“If my arrest and conviction was a nightmare, this is a dream come true,” Mr. Tankleff said, stepping up to the radio and television microphones and calmly reading a short statement.

READ MORE ABOUT THE MARTY TANKLEFF CASE...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/nyregion/28tankleff.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

CARNATION, WA: PROSECUTORS HAVE OPTION TO EXECUTE KILLERS

From left to right: Ben Anderson, Mary Anderson and King County Sheriff's Office Detective Robin Cleary head to the memorial where flowers and balloons were erected in remembrance of six members of the Anderson family murdered on Christmas Eve near Carnation. (December 26, 2007)
Karen Ducey/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Cops: Pair admitted Carnation killings; bail denied
By TRACY JOHNSON, JENNIFER LANGSTON, LEVI PULKKINEN AND KATHY MULADY, P-I REPORTERS

No bail was allowed Thursday for two people arrested in the Christmas Eve shooting deaths of six people in a rural Carnation home -- a crime that raises the possibility of the death penalty.

Joseph Thomas McEnroe and Michele Kristen Anderson, who waived their right to appear in court, could be charged as soon as Friday in the deaths of Anderson's family, including a 6-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy.

Court papers say the two have admitted to the killing.

King County prosecutors are considering whether to file aggravated murder charges, giving newly elected prosecutor Dan Satterberg the option of seeking to have the pair executed.

(snip)

Michele Anderson's parents, in their early 60s, lived in a small, white house on the outskirts of Carnation; she and McEnroe lived on their heavily wooded property, and her brother's family had been visiting.

Her nephew, Ben Anderson, has said the violence stemmed from a dispute over money and other longstanding conflicts. Michele Anderson had been fighting with her parents for years and didn't think they showed enough love for her, he said.

About 5:15 p.m. Monday, someone called 911 from the house but didn't say anything. The 911 operator heard yelling in the background but later reported that it sounded more like a party than an angry dispute, according to investigators.

Sheriff's deputies responded to the house but turned back after reaching a locked gate.

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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/345139_carnation28.html

LEAH HICKMAN: FUNERAL SERVICES PLANNED

LEAH HICKMAN

12/26/2007

Funeral Services Planned For Missing Student StaffHuntington, W.Va. Funeral services will be held on Saturday in Mason County for the Marshall University student who was found dead in her Huntington apartment building on Friday, a week after she had been reported missing.

Twenty-one-year old Leah Hickman will be remembered in services Saturday night at the National Guard Armory in Point Pleasant, her hometown. Her family will receive visitors from 1 p.m. Saturday through 7:30 p.m. That's when services will begin.

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http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=22718

CARNATION, WA: FAMILY KILLED BY DAUGHTER AND BOYFRIEND

MIKE SEIGEL/THE SEATTLE TIMESInvestigators examine a scene outside the home where six people were found murdered.

Suspect in Carnation slayings is related to victims, police say
By Seattle Times staff

One of two suspects in the slayings of six people near Carnation is the daughter of the oldest victims, police said.

Michele Anderson, the 29-year-old daughter of Judy and Wayne Anderson, who own the property where the shooting occurred, has been booked into the King County Jail on six counts of suspicion of homicide.

Michele Anderson's boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe, 29, also has been arrested and booked on the same allegations, authorities said.

Formal charges are expected to be filed by the end of the week, King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart said.

The suspects were arrested after they showed up at the crime scene in the 1800 block of 248th Avenue Northeast while police were there, Urquhart said. He said it wasn't his impression the two came to the home to turn themselves in.

The victims were slain on Monday, Christmas Eve, but their bodies weren't found until this morning. Urquhart said they apparently died of gunshot wounds.

(Seattle Times staff reporters Amy Roe, Sonia Krishnan, Christina Siderius, Rachel Tuinstra, Jack Broom and Jennifer Sullivan, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

READ STUNNING UPDATE...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004092938_webthreedead26m.html

CARNATION, WA: FAMILY OF SIX SLAIN ON CHRISMAS EVE

MIKE SIEGEL/THE SEATTLE TIMES

Two Arrested in Slaying of Six People in Rural Washington
Wednesday, December 26, 2007

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CARNATION, Wash. — Six people, likely three generations of a family, were found dead Wednesday at a rural property east of Seattle, and police arrested two people who knew the victims, authorities said.

The two, a 29-year-old woman and a man in his early 30s, were being held for investigation of homicide, King County sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart said.

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He said they knew the victims, but the pair's own relationship was unclear. They came to the crime scene after investigators arrived there this morning, were questioned by investigators, then arrested around 4 p.m.

Urquhart said investigators had not determined a motive in the slayings.

The victims included a boy about age 3, a girl about age 6, a man and woman in their 30s, and a man and woman in their 50s. Their names were not released, but they were "likely three generations" of one family, Urquhart said.

Autopsies have not been performed on the bodies, but the cause of death was apparently gunshots, Urquhart said. They were likely killed late afternoon or early evening on Christmas Eve, he said.

READ UPDATE ON THIS SAD CHRISTMAS STORY...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318462,00.html

SEATTLE: MAN ATTACKS CARS ON FREEWAY, SHOT ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Last updated December 25, 2007

Man who ran onto I-5 shot
Witnesses say he attacked cars, trooper

By TOM PAULSON, P-I REPORTER

A 27-year-old Olympia man who ran into traffic on Interstate 5 near Federal Way and started swinging a belt to strike passing cars was shot and killed by a state trooper Tuesday afternoon.
The shooting made a mess of holiday traffic as authorities closed several north- and southbound lanes for hours during the investigation.

"It's a sad thing to see something like that happen on any day, not just Christmas Day," said Leslie Doerner, an eyewitness.

The 62-year-old Tacoma resident was on a Sound Transit bus headed for Bellingham to visit her daughter, granddaughter and other family members when the trip came to an abrupt halt.

"He was running around in traffic, acting wild and waving his belt," Doerner said. She said the man went on like that for maybe 10 to 15 minutes, disrupting traffic, striking cars with the belt and then attempting to open doors of stopped vehicles. Doerner said the man also tried to take off his pants at one point.

Cliff Pratt, spokesman for the Washington State Patrol, said officers were dispatched to northbound I-5, near South 320th Street, after receiving multiple 911 calls that started coming in just after 2 p.m. Tuesday.

(snip)

Flores said witnesses reported that the trooper, an 11-year veteran, used his Taser in an attempt to subdue the suspect. When this had no effect, she said the trooper decided to use his firearm. The deceased was not identified Tuesday.

(P-I staffer Jim Peterson contributed to this report.)

READ ABOUT THIS CHRISMAS DAY MESS IN SEATTLE...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/344875_shooting26.html

NEPAL: BRIDGE COLLAPSED, DOZENS MISSING IN RIVER

The bridge collapsed under weight of hundreds of people, police said.

Suspension bridge collapsed in Surkhet, Nepal

Bridge-collapse rescuers battle darkness, current, isolation

KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Rescuers were searching through the night Tuesday for hundreds of people who fell into a river after a footbridge collapsed during a religious festival in Nepal.

"The rescuers have not given up yet. They're still there, and they're still looking for bodies," journalist Manesh Shrestha told CNN from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

The suspension bridge in remote Surkhet collapsed with as many as 1,000 Hindu pilgrims on it, police said.

While many swam to safety, about 200 people who were on the bridge were missing, police said. Only 15 bodies had been recovered so far.

Rescuers took 20 women and 12 men to a hospital, police added.

While initial reports suggested the river's currents were swift, photographs of the scene sent to CNN showed a relatively slow-flowing river.

However, Shrestha said the current is more swift below that point.

The pictures also showed the bridge was just a few yards above the water, contrary to earlier reports that it spanned a gorge with the river as far as 100 feet below.

Watch what rescuers are up against »

"The bridge collapsed because there were hundreds of people on it," said Nepalese police officer Nibandha Budha. "They had gone to the river for a three-day Hindu religious festival on the occasion of full moon."

READ STORY OF THIS DIFFICULT RESCUE...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/25/nepal.bridge/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

TIGER ESCAPES SAN FRANCISCO ZOO, KILLS

AP Photo: A zoo visitor watches Tatiana, a Siberian tiger, in this Sept. 7, 2007

Tiger escapes S.F. zoo cage and kills 1

By LOUISE CHU, Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - A tiger escaped from its cage at the San Francisco Zoo on Tuesday, killing one visitor and injuring two others, police said.

The tiger was shot to death when it started moving toward a group of approaching police officers, said police spokesman Sgt. Steve Mannina. Several officers shot it with handguns, he said.

It was not immediately clear how the tiger escaped.

The attack happened outside a cafe at the east end of the zoo shortly after the 5 p.m. closing time, San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Lt. Ken Smith said. The tiger cages are near the center of the zoo.

The zoo was evacuated.

Officials at first worried that four tigers had escaped, but only one got out of its pen, Mannina said.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071226/ap_on_re_us/%20tiger_escapes;_ylt=Ak7Ej1pwHhGxJYVfatw6ppOs0NUE

AFTER-CHRISTMAS DEPRESSION, BLUES, AND DIET

"I'm having a bad day!
Post-Holiday Letdown Can Be Avoided

TUESDAY, Dec. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Eating a balanced diet and staying active are key to beating the blues this holiday season, say mental health experts.

"I see more cases of depression in January than any other time of year," Dr. Gary L. Malone, medical director and chief of behavioral health at Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth, Texas, said in a prepared statement.

Once the party is over, and the wrapping paper has been picked up, many otherwise festive people may feel unusually down.

According to Baylor health system experts, the holiday season is fraught with triggers for depression. Eating, drinking and spending too much are among the causes of holiday blues. Add family tension or grief over lost loved ones, and the mix can become potent.

READ HOW TO FEEL BETTER AFTER CHRISTMAS...
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GI SCOTT SOUTHWORTH ADOPTS IRAQI BOY

Andi Manis/AP

AP Photo

GI Saves Iraqi Boy in Long-Shot Adoption
Tuesday, December 25, 2007

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MAUSTON, Wis. — Capt. Scott Southworth knew he'd face violence, political strife and blistering heat when he was deployed to one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas. But he didn't expect Ala'a Eddeen.

Ala'a was 9 years old, strong of will but weak of body — he suffered from cerebral palsy and weighed just 55 pounds. He lived among about 20 kids with physical or mental disabilities at the Mother Teresa orphanage, under the care of nuns who preserved this small oasis in a dangerous place.

On Sept. 6, 2003, halfway through his 13-month deployment, Southworth and his military police unit paid a visit to the orphanage. They played and chatted with the children; Southworth was talking with one little girl when Ala'a dragged his body to the soldier's side.

Black haired and brown eyed, Ala'a spoke to the 31-year-old American in the limited English he had learned from the sisters. He recalled the bombs that struck government buildings across the Tigris River.

"Bomb-Bing! Bomb-Bing!" Ala'a said, raising and lowering his fist.

"I'm here now. You're fine," the captain said.

Over the next 10 months, the unit returned to the orphanage again and again. The soldiers would race kids in their wheelchairs, sit them in Humvees and help the sisters feed them.

To Southworth, Ala'a was like a little brother. But Ala'a — who had longed for a soldier to rescue him — secretly began referring to Southworth as "Baba," Arabic for "Daddy."

Then, around Christmas, a sister told Southworth that Ala'a was getting too big. He would have to move to a government-run facility within a year.

"Best case scenario was that he would stare at a blank wall for the rest of his life," Southworth said.

To this day, he recalls the moment when he resolved that that would not happen.

"I'll adopt him," he said.

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BUFFALO BILLS KEVIN EVERETT: MIRACLE WALK AFTER SPINE INJURY

NFL's Kevin Everett, Buffalo Bills tight end

AP Photo/David Duprey

Kevin Everett Makes Appearance at Buffalo Bills Game,

Four Months After Spinal Cord Injury
Sunday, December 23, 2007

FOX NEWS

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills tight end Kevin Everett arrived at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday morning to watch Buffalo's home season finale, less than four months since sustaining a severe spinal cord injury on the same turf.

Everett addressed teammates about two hours before the game against the Giants. He left the locker room in a wheelchair and then, on his own power, climbed into a covered golf cart before being driven up the tunnel and out of the stadium.

Everett was driven to team owner Ralph Wilson's suite at midfield, and was immediately recognized by fans and concession workers, who began applauding as he got out of the cart. Everett smiled and waved but didn't say anything.

Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said Everett, who has spent the past 2 1/2 months rehabbing in Houston, where he makes his offseason home, would not be available for interviews.

Everett's attendance is the latest step in a remarkable recovery after doctors initially feared he'd never walk again. Everett was paralyzed from the neck down after he was hurt tackling Denver's Domenik Hixon in Buffalo's season opener Sept. 9.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL - DECEMBER 2007

BIANCA RYAN: AMAZING 12-YR-OLD SINGS CHRISTMAS SONG FOR PRESIDENT

BASIE PLAYS, ELLA SCATS (1979): DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!

OSCAR PETERSON AND COUNT BASIE: SLOW BLUES

OSCAR PETERSON: GREAT JAZZ PIANIST GONE AT 82

photo credit: Michelle V. Agins
The New York TimesOscar Peterson performing at Birdland in Aug. 2006.

Jazz Great Oscar Peterson Dies at 82
By ROB GILLIES,
AP, Posted: 2007-12-24

TORONTO (Dec. 24) - Oscar Peterson, whose early talent, speedy fingers and musical genius made him one of the world's best known jazz pianists, has died. He was 82.

Peterson died at his home in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga on Sunday, said Oliver Jones, a family friend and jazz musician. He said Peterson's wife and daughter were with him during his final moments. The cause of death was kidney failure, said Mississauga's mayor, Hazel McCallion.

"He's been going downhill in the last few months," McCallion said, calling Peterson a "very close friend."

During an illustrious career spanning seven decades, Peterson played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald , Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie.

He is also remembered for touring in a trio with Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar in the 1950s.

Peterson's impressive collection of awards include all of Canada's highest honors, such as the Order of Canada, as well as a Lifetime Grammy (1997) and a spot in the International Jazz Hall of Fame.

His growing stature was reflected in the admiration of his peers. Duke Ellington referred to him as "Maharajah of the keyboard," while Count Basie once said "Oscar Peterson plays the best ivory box I've ever heard."

In a statement, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said "one of the bright lights of jazz has gone out."

"He was a regular on the French stage, where the public adored his luminous style," Sarkozy said. "It is a great loss for us."

Jazz pianist Marian McPartland called Peterson "the finest technician that I have seen."

READ MORE ABOUT THIS GREAT JAZZ MUSICIAN...
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JOE HORN SHOOTS 2 ILLEGALS WHO BROKE INTO NEIGHBOR'S HOME

Joe Horn

Michael Stravato for The New York Times
Stephanie Storey was the fiancée of Miguel Antonio DeJesus,

who was fatally shot Nov. 14 after robbing a Texas home.

Questions and Doubts in a Texas Shooting Case
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
Published: December 23, 2007

PASADENA, Tex. — Even before the police called the night of Nov. 14, Stephanie Storey said, she knew that her fiancé of two days, Miguel Antonio DeJesus, was dead.

CHRISTOPHER VAUGHN: CHARGED WITH KILLING FAMILY FOR $1 MILLION LIFE INSURANCE

Christopher Vaughn, Kimberly's husband, suspected killer

Kimberly Vaughn, found shot with three children

This is an undated picture made available by the Chicago Sun-Times showing the Vaughn family, from left, Blake, Kimberly, Abigayle, Christopher, and Cassandra, at their home in Oswego, Ill. Christopher Vaughn, 32, found shot near the bodies of his wife and their three children in the family sport utility vehicle was charged Saturday, June 23, 2007 in their shooting deaths. (AP Photo/The Chicago Sun Times)

Suspect Had $1 Million Policy on Wife
AP
Posted: 2007-12-22 19:08:21
Filed Under: Crime News

YORKVILLE, Ill. (Dec. 22) - A man charged with fatally shooting his wife and children was the beneficiary listed on her $1 million life insurance policy, according to testimony at an estate hearing.

Christopher Vaughn, 33, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife, Kimberly, and the couple's three young children. Authorities found their bodies June 14 in the family's sport utility vehicle parked on a service road about 40 miles southwest of Chicago, after a wounded Vaughn flagged down a passing motorist.

Phone messages left by The Associated Press for Vaughn's attorneys Saturday were not immediately returned.

Vaughn was to receive $1 million from a life insurance policy on his wife, according to Friday's testimony in Kendall County civil court. But Illinois law has prevented him from collecting the assets of his alleged victims.

KEEP UP ON THE DETAILS OF CASE...
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ALASKAN WOLF ATTACKS: FORT RICH LANDS CLOSED FOR SAFTEY

Photo courtesy of Scott Langley / ADN reader submission

Fort Rich closes wolf range

ATTACKS: One pack has begun targeting dogs with their owners.
Daily News staff

Published: December 23rd, 2007

Following a series of dicey encounters between people with dogs and an emboldened pack of wolves, U.S. Army officials on Fort Richardson announced Saturday that they are placing all training areas west and north of the Artillery Road area off limits.

The restriction is being imposed for the safety of people who use Fort Rich lands for recreational purposes, base officials said in a written statement.

The most recent attack by a group of wolves known as the Elmendorf pack happened Thursday morning, when three women jogging down Artillery Road with their dogs were surprised to find seven or eight wolves trailing them. The pack silently approached from behind, and by the time the women noticed, the wolves spanned the road only a few feet behind them.

READ ABOUT WOLF ATTACKS...

http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/245094.html