SHANNON HARPS: SCHIZOPHRENIC KILLER CONFESSED

James Anthony Williams, 48


Cops: Murder suspect confessed to killing
By BRAD WONG, P-I REPORTER
January 26, 2008

A King County judge found probable cause to detain the man Seattle police have linked to the New Year's Eve stabbing death of Shannon Harps on Capitol Hill.

Judge Eileen Kato did not set bail at the hearing Saturday, but prosecutors expect to ask that he be held in lieu of $1 million.

The suspect, James Anthony Williams, 48, who was not present at the hearing Saturday, apparently confessed to killing Harps in an interview with police investigators, said King County deputy prosecutor Scott O'Toole.

First-degree murder charges are expected to be filed Tuesday in the case.

O'Toole called Williams "a troubled man," and told reporters after the hearing that the suspect would be competent to stand trial.

Williams, of Seattle, is a felon who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia by doctors in Texas and Arkansas.

Seattle Deputy Police Chief Clark Kimerer announced Friday that the State Patrol Crime Lab had matched the suspect's DNA to evidence found at the crime scene in the 1500 block of East Howell Street.

While police have not publicly talked about the specific DNA evidence against the man, sources told KOMO/4 that there was evidence on the knife he apparently used and under her fingernails.

READ MORE...GLAD WE CAUGHT HIM!
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/348936_harps27.html

N.C. CHRISTMAS TREE FARM: 3 SLAIN- $50,000 REWARD

Virginia State Police set up a command post, and officers were taking
tips at (540) 580-7775 and (540) 580-7776.



N.C. Christmas Tree Farmer, Son And Worker Found Slain; Authorities Suspect Burglars
January 25, 2008

BOONE, N.C. -- Authorities in Virginia say two North Carolina men were among three who were shot to death on property belonging to a tree farmer who once presented a Fraser Fir for the White House Christmas tree.

Grayson County Sheriff Richard A. Vaughan identifies the victims as Ronald F. Hudler, 74, of Mouth of Wilson, Va.; his son, Frederick D. Hudler, 45, and John S. Miller, 25, both of West Jefferson in Ashe County.

Ronald Hudler owned and operated Hudler Carolina Tree Farms with his three sons. The company has several farms in North Carolina and in Grayson County. He was also chairman of the North Carolina Department of Labor's Agricultural Safety and Health Council.

In 1995, an 18-foot-tall tree from a Hudler farm became the White House Christmas tree.

The fatal shootings occurred around 10:30 a.m. Thursday on Charles Spencer Drive, off Route 16 near the North Carolina border. Frederick Hudler and Miller had been working on the tree farm and returned to Ronald Hudler's home, where they were confronted by people in the garage who were attempting to steal a gun safe, the sheriff's office said. Both were killed.

Ronald Hudler apparently heard the gunfire and was shot when he went outside to investigate, authorities said. He often kept considerable amounts of money in the safe, and he employed nearly 50 workers during the Christmas tree harvest season, authorities said. They plan to interview all the workers, but are not calling any suspects at this time.

READ MORE...
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/15136711/detail.html

VIEW THE HUDLER TREE FARM WEB PAGE...
http://www.hudlertrees.com/

HOVEY ST: 5 MEN ARRESTED IN MURDER OF 2 MOMS, BABIES

(Clockwise from top left) Jasper Frazier, 36, Ronald Davis, 30, Donte Hobson, 30, and Zarumin Coleman, 21. - IMPD

January 23, 2008
Officials: Suspects in Hovey St. killings were after pot, cash
By Vic Ryckaert vic.ryckaert@indystar.com

What prosecutors say happened

What officials allege these men did in connection with the Hovey Street killings:

Jasper Frazier, 36: He accompanied Ronald Davis into the house in search of 50 pounds of marijuana and cash, officials say. Told police Davis shot the four victims using a Glock pistol, officials say.

Ronald Davis, 30: Claimed to have carried a 9 mm pistol into the house and told police Frazier shot the women, officials say. However, others said Davis carried the Glock used in the killings, and Frazier told police that Davis killed the victims, officials say.

Donte Hobson, 30: Rode in the SUV to the house and waited outside, officials say. Advised the two who entered the house to try a crowbar after they couldn’t break in on their first attempt, officials say.

Zarumin Coleman, 21: Told police he picked up Frazier, Hobson and Davis in a black SUV “rented” to him in exchange for drugs and drove them to the house, officials say. He remained in the vehicle, officials say.

Tommy Warren, 24: Agreed to rob the house with Coleman in a search for 50 pounds of marijuana and cash, but he did not participate in the robbery, officials say. He has not been charged in the case.

Source: Marion County prosecutor’s probable-cause affidavit.

The plan turned deadly when 10 shots were fired from a .40-caliber handgun at Gina Hunt, 24, and Andrea Yarrell, 24, as they cowered behind a bed, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Tuesday in Marion Superior Court. Clutching their children in their arms and begging for their lives, the women insisted there were no drugs in the house, one of the suspects told police.

MORE UPDATES COMING...
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/LOCAL/301230014

WE NEED A LAUGH: STUPID CAT VIDEO

If you've seen Mariela Moreno, call Police at (702) 267-5000

Mariela Moreno

Her cell phone hasn't been used since New Year's Day but the family is just holding out hope.

Police Expanding Search For Missing Henderson Woman Aaron Drawhorn, Reporter
Jan 24, 2008 11:21 AM PST

LAS VEGAS, Nv. -- Mariela Moreno disappeared without a trace on New Year's morning and hasn't been heard from since.

Moreno's boyfriend told her family that he dropped her off at her house 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 1st after ringing in 2008 with friends. He says he drove away and never saw her actually make it to the front door.

It seems as if Moreno has vanished without a trace. On Thursday, the search for Mariela Moreno could get some additional help from Metro Police.

Family videos show Mariela celebrating Halloween this last year with her family. She's smiling and dressed as a pirate while partying at the District.

Mariela's 20th birthday was last Oct. and was a joyous occasion. Lately though, her family's smiles have been replaced by tears. It's been very a tough time for Mariela's sister Monica. She says the worst part is not knowing what happened.

"We are very worried about her," she said.

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES...

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7765955

Anyone with information,

call the Henderson Police at (702)267-5000

or Crimestoppers at 385-5555.

SHANNON HARPS: SEATTLE KILLER STILL UNKNOWN

DNA test of suspect shows no link to Capitol Hill stabbing
By HECTOR CASTROP-I REPORTER

Forensic testing has failed to provide any connection between evidence gathered from the scene of Shannon Harps' slaying on New Year's Eve and a man who caught the interest of Seattle police detectives investigating the case.

Even as police admitted the case remains wide open with no suspects in hand, they also announced extra patrols, particularly in the East Precinct, which includes the Capitol Hill neighborhood where Harps, 31, was stabbed repeatedly outside her condominium.

After her slaying, police issued a sketch of a bearded man witnesses saw running from the scene of the murder.

As tips poured into the department in the days following, one tipster alerted them to a 29-year-old man with a violent criminal past who resembled the sketch.

The man was detained Jan. 5 by the Department of Corrections for violating conditions of his community supervision and has been in custody since then.

But on Wednesday, the police department issued a statement, saying, "The forensic testing and investigative efforts completed to date have not provided sufficient information for an arrest."

Sources familiar with the case said the man's DNA simply did not match what was found on evidence collected from the crime scene.

Officially, the department has not acknowledged that any evidence was collected from the area around Harps' murder and on Wednesday continued that silence, with Sgt. Deanna Nollette saying she could not comment on evidence that is part of an ongoing investigation.

Nollette also said the department continues to hope that a tip from the public will help break what has proved to be a difficult case for detectives.

READ...HELP SOLVE THIS CASE...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/348440_harps24.html

Do you have information about the death of Shannon Harps?

P-I reporter Hector Castro can be reached at 206-448-8334

or hectorcastro@seattlepi.com.

CESAR LAUREAN: BABY KILLER SEEN IN ZAPOPAN, MEXICO

The FBI has released this picture of fugitive Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean and a tattoo on his left arm.

Fugitive Marine seen in Mexico, cousin says

ZAPOPAN, Mexico (CNN) -- A cousin of suspected killer Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean told CNN Tuesday that he saw the wanted man near Guadalajara a week ago.

Juan Antonio Ramos Ramirez said he did not know at the time the Marine visited him at his liquor store in Zapopan that Laurean was being sought by authorities for murder.
"He stopped by ... just a few days ago, last week," he said.

Asked what his cousin had told him, Ramos said, "Just 'Hi, I'm just passing by.' He told me he was here with some buddies for a few days and, you know, it's not the first time he's come by to visit, say hi to the family."

Also Tuesday, the FBI released photographs it said were taken within the past eight months showing the fugitive. Laurean has a tattoo of a phoenix rising from ashes on his left upper arm and a tattoo "possibly of a human skull layered over another image on his right upper arm," the agency said.

The 5-foot-9, 160-pound man also has a small mole on the left side of his face between his lower lip and his chin.

<>Watch what cousin has to say about Cpl. Cesar Laurean »

The reported sighting jibes with Monday's report by Onslow County, North Carolina, District Attorney Dewey Hudson, who said he had seen "strongly compelling evidence" compiled by federal authorities indicating that Laurean had been in Mexico for more than a week. A law enforcement source told CNN Tuesday that, in addition to the letter he left for his wife at their house, Laurean has mailed her three others.

One letter is postmarked after Laurean left their North Carolina home on January 11 and drove to a motel in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, telling her he would be on the road, the source said. He wrote where he was leaving the truck and described the motel he was staying in, located near a mall the two had visited, the source said.

The letter was postmarked from Raleigh-Durham, the source said.

LOOK FOR THE CLUES; FIND THIS KILLER...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/22/missing.marine/index.html

PAIGE BIRGFELD: MISSING, VANISHED, GONE!

LAST SEEN JUNE 28, 2007

Paige Birgfeld, seen above with her family, disappeared June 28. During the search for this devoted mother of three, her family discovered a shocking secret -- a double life Paige led that few knew about. Did it have something to do with her disappearance? (ABC News)

Searching for Paige
Missing Mom's Secret Life Exposed as Family and Friends Search to Find Her
July 31, 2007 / UPDATE Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Grand Junction, Colo., sits nestled in the heart of a massive valley. Surrounded by the majestic mesas and canyons of the western Rockies, it is quiet, peaceful and so vast it's easy to imagine that someone could vanish there without a trace.

Frank Birgfeld's daughter Paige did just that when she disappeared earlier this summer. Now he searches the Colorado River for his daughter, convinced that she can be found.

(snip)

Paige Birgfeld is 34 years old, an attractive model and dancer and a struggling businesswoman. Twice divorced, Paige is a single, devoted mother of three. For Frank, the hardest part is not being able to follow his fatherly instinct to help his daughter.

(snip)

On the night of June 28, Paige was driving home alone to her children, but she never made it to her front door. Upon receiving a call from the sheriff's office informing them that their daughter was missing, Frank and his wife, Suzanne, immediately jumped in their car and drove the three hours to Grand Junction, desperately calling Paige's cell phone, to no avail.

The next day, Paige's car was found just 2 miles from her home — vandalized and set on fire. Paige's family led a group of volunteers in their massive search over hundreds of square miles, through desert scrub brush and murky waterways.

Within days of her disappearance, investigators and volunteers found several personal items belonging to Paige a few miles southeast of Grand Junction: a checkbook and a video-store membership card. The clues initially seemed promising, but they didn't lead to Paige.

DID HER SECRET LIFE CAUSE HER DISAPPEARANCE?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/19/earlyshow/main3074991.shtml?source=mostpop_story

BRIANNA DENISON: RENO COED VANISHED, SUNDAY, JAN 20

Brianna Denison, who is from Reno, is described as white, 5-feet tall, 98 pounds, with long dark brown hair and blue eyes.

Search on for Woman Who Disappeared From Nevada Home
Monday, January 21, 2008

RENO, Nev. — A 19-year-old college student mysteriously vanished from a Reno, Nev., home early Sunday morning, and cops fear she may have been kidnapped.

Brianna Denison, a student at Santa Barbara City College who is from Reno, was staying with friends near the University of Nevada, Reno. She was last seen at about 4 a.m. Sunday, when she returned home from a party and went to sleep on the couch wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt.

"We're treating this as an abduction case right now," Lt. Robert McDonald of the Reno Police Department told FOX News. "A small amount of blood on her pillow is of interest to us."

Cops are looking for a tan-colored, later-model GMC or Chevy Suburban and a white male, about 45 years old, who might be of Latin descent.

"He's certainly a person of interest. We're treating him as a person of interest, not a suspect," McDonald said.

The man driving the vehicle had picked up a friend of Denison's earlier that evening from the party both were attending when the friend was trying to hail a cab and dropped her off without incident at Mackay Court, the residence where she lived and Denison was staying, McDonald told FOXNews.com.

MORE...LET'S FIND BRIANNA...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,324345,00.html

HOVEY ST. MURDERS: 4 MEN ARRESTED IN BRUTAL KILLINGS

4 men arrested in killing of 2 moms, 2 children
2 face murder charges, 2 held on other charges in Indiana home shootings

Associated Press

updated 7:33 a.m. PT

Sun., Jan. 20, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS - Four men have been arrested in connection with the fatal shootings of a baby, a toddler and their mothers while the women held their children in their arms, police said Saturday.

Ronald Davis and Dante Hobson, both 30, face four counts of murder, felony murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in the Jan. 14 slayings, police said at a news conference.

A third suspect, Zarumin Coleman, 21, faces charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and assisting a criminal. He was arrested Thursday after a SWAT team swept an Indianapolis apartment building.

Jasper Frazier, 36, was charged with attempt to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He turned himself in to police in Ohio on Thursday, authorities said.
All four suspects are from Indianapolis, police Lt. Jeff Duhamell said.

"We think we got the primary people that were involved in the homicide," he said, adding that investigators are not releasing a motive behind the killings.

BIG UPDATE ON THIS HEINOUS MURDER...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22755579/

HOVEY ST: GINA HUNT, ANDREA YARRELL, BABIES BURIED

The mayor, sheriff and chief of police attended the vigil.

Funeral held for two Hovey St. murder victims
WTHR-TV
Emily Longnecker, Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - Emotions ran high as a family, community and city leaders paid their respects to a murdered mother and child.

Twenty-four-year-old Gina Hunt and her 23-month-old son Jordan were laid to rest Saturday at Crown Hill Cemetery. Mourners filled the seats at Christ Church Apostolic on the north side. Many people knew the victims, others were just touched by the unspeakable tragedy.

"Just sad. My heart breaks for her mother, you know, the babies," said Nicole Poindexter.

"It's a real big tragedy. We shouldn't lose people," said Yolonda Middlebrook. "They were 24 and little kids."

Hunt and her son died late Monday night along with 24-year-old Andrea Yarrell and her four-month-old daughter Charlii, when their home was broken into, the invaders opening fire and killing all four.

"It's like evil in the purest, you know?" Poindexter said.

(snip)

"Our heart. Our sincere prayers and thoughts are with this family," said Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi. "This funeral was just about the, well, it was the worst thing that we've ever experienced."

"We just left the church and we walked past a casket carrying a young 24-year-old woman with her infant child lying beside her in that coffin," said Chief of Police Michael Spears. "Far too young to die under circumstances which are tragic and from all accounts, just senseless."

Saturday's funeral, which lasted four hours, won't be the last. Monday, another family and the community, that of Yarrell and young Charlii, will endure the same painful goodbye. Calling hours for the Yarrells is at 10 a.m. at Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Mitthoeffer Road, with the funeral at noon. They will be buried next to Gina and Jordan Hunt at Crown Hill.

UPDATE TO FOLLOW...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22745333/

INDIANAPOLIS: 2 MOMS HOLDING BABYS, SHOT

A family photo of Gina and Jordan Hunt, who were murdered in Indianapolis on Monday.

Photos by Matt Detrich, The Indianapolis Star/AP
Family photo of Andria Yarrell and daughter, Charlii, who were murdered along with the Hunts, seen above.

Cops hunt killer of baby, tot, moms

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A baby, a toddler and their mothers were shot to death while the women held their children in their arms, police said Tuesday as officers searched for two men seen running from the victims' home.

All four victims were shot repeatedly late Monday, said Indianapolis Assistant Police Chief Eva Talley-Sanders. All died at the house on the city's north side except for 4-month-old Charlii Yarrell, who died at a hospital.

"I can't imagine what kind of evil it takes to shoot two women and the innocent children in their arms," Police Chief Michael Spears said at a news conference.

The other victims were Jordan Hunt, 23 months; his mother, Gina Hunt, 24; and Charlii's mother, Andrea Yarrell, 24.

Police said they had identified people they wish to question and were looking for them, but they would not name the people or describe them. Two handguns were found within a block of the house, where all four of those killed lived, said Sgt. Matthew Mount, a police spokesman.

CHOMP WILL REPORT UPDATES...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-15-IndianapolisMurders_N.htm