CPL. MARIA LAUTERBACH: HUNDREDS MOURN AT FUNERAL MASS

A Marine Corps Honor Guard carries the flag draped coffin of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach in Ohio Saturday.

Slain pregnant Marine laid to rest with unborn child

VANDALIA, Ohio (AP) -- Family and friends wept and prayed Saturday at a funeral Mass for a pregnant Marine found slain in North Carolina.

The service for Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach drew hundreds of mourners to St. Christopher Catholic Church near Dayton.

Four uniformed marines wheeled Lauterbach's coffin down the aisle to the strains of "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory."

A small silver casket bearing Lauterbach's unborn child, who she had named Gabriel, was placed next to it.

Federal authorities have said the man suspected of killing her, Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, has likely fled to Mexico.

(snip)

The Lauterbach family sat together in the front row. Lauterbach's mother, Mary, dabbed her eyes with tissues and her father, Vic, comforted Maria's young brother.

The mourners included uniformed Marines and military veterans.

During his sermon, the Rev. Francis Keferl said Lauterbach had a strong spirit: "We remember her athleticism and her competitive spirit. We remember that she wanted to serve her country as a Marine."

Outside the church, about 200 members of the Patriot Guard, veterans who ride their motorcycles to military funerals, lined the drive and stood at attention as the hearse arrived. A makeshift sign made of plastic foam cups read: "We Miss You, Maria."

Later, mourners stood solemnly around the hearse when it arrived at Calvary Cemetery in Dayton. Six Marines saluted and carried Lauterbach's flag-draped casket to her grave site. A Marine unit gave Lauterbach a 21-gun salute and Taps was played.

Watch the service for slain Marine »

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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/02/marine.funeral.ap/index.html

TINLEY PARK, IL: 5 WOMEN SHOT IN LANE BRYANT STORE

Location of Tinley Park, Illinois

A man walked into the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park, Ill. and shot five women to death on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. (Photo courtesy CBS)

Police investigate the shooting in front of the Lane Bryant store at the Brookside shopping center in Tinley Park, Ill., Feb. 2, 2008. Five victims were found Saturday at a clothing store in a strip mall, but there was no sign of the shooter, authorities said. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

5 women slain in store
Police hunt gunman in shootings at Tinley Park mall

By Stacy St. Clair and Deborah Horan Tribune staff reporters
11:13 PM CST, February 2, 2008

A gunman led five women into the back room of a Tinley Park clothing store Saturday morning, killed them, then walked out the front door and disappeared.

Police said there were no survivors at the Lane Bryant store in a southwest suburban strip mall along Interstate Highway 80, in what they are calling a botched robbery.

Still, with little information made public, conflicting reports and rumors about motives and witnesses swirled throughout the day.

Officers from at least eight local departments quickly descended on the shopping center.

Some went from door to door, combing stores for clues. Others hunted in a nearby subdivision for a stocky man described by one witness, while helicopters hovered in the sky. One helicopter, armed with an infrared camera, scanned snow-covered open land and forest preserves.

Police pleaded for help from anyone with information on the killing spree.

As night fell, the gunman remained on the loose.Tinley Park Police Chief Michael O'Connell tried to calm fears, saying, "We are very confident that the offender is out of the area."But earlier in the day, an officer at the scene admitted, "We have no idea who he is."

(snip)

Police got an emergency call at 10:44 a.m. reporting multiple gunshot injuries inside.

Sgt. T.J. Grady said the gunman opened fire in a robbery that "at some point . . . went rather poorly." Police described the suspect as an African-American man, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing between 230 and 260 pounds. He was wearing a black winter coat, a knit cap and dark jeans.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-shots-fired-tinley-park,0,4576443.story

ANNA LOGINOVA: FAMOUS RUSSIAN BODYGUARD/MODEL SLAIN

Anna Loginova, Russia's number-one bodyguard

Loginova ran an agency for female bodyguards, some trained by the ex-KGB, to give discreet protection to Moscow's billionaires and their wives and mistresses...
"A normal man gets sick and tired of male bodyguards around him all the time," she said.

Anna Loginova with the Porsche Cheyenne she died trying to prevent being stolen

Killing of glamour model-bodyguard stuns Moscow
By Matthew Chance
CNN

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Anna Loginova was, for many Russians, a feminine icon -- bridging the glamorous world of modeling and the murky depths of Russian crime.

But this week, the stunning Loginova became a victim of the criminals she made sure could not get to her millionaire clients. She was killed trying to stop a thief stealing her own car on a busy Moscow street.

As a glamour model, 29-year-old Loginova often appeared on the covers of Russian magazines, scantily clad. She fronted advertisements for high-profile brands in Russia, like the German carmaker BMW.

But behind the glossy images, Loginova had another profession: She was an experienced bodyguard, trained in martial arts, commanding high prices to protect Russia's wealthy elite. One notable client was Russian boxer Kostya Tszyu.

Watch editor describe how she never had fear »

Having a female bodyguard is more than just a status symbol in Russia. Industry insiders say women bodyguards are not recognizable and, thus, allowed to sit at tables with their clients during dinners and other events -- unlike their male peers who are usually forced to wait in the lobby.

Those who knew Loginova say she was passionate about her double life, saying she saw no contradiction between her femininity and her dangerous job as a bodyguard.

READ ABOUT RUSSIAN'S FEMALE BODYGUARDS...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/02/01/russia.killing/index.html

TRAVIS MULLIS SURRENDERS: IS BABY-KILLER A SEX OFFENDER?

Travis Mullis, 21, was last seen with the baby that was found dead near the Seawall and Ferry Road in Galveston, police say. Police spoke with an Alvin woman who said Mullis had the baby at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Galveston Police Department

Possible Dad Surrenders, Charged In Baby's Death
POSTED: 10:30 pm CST February 1, 2008
UPDATED: 11:30 pm CST February 1, 2008

GALVESTON, Texas -- The possible father of a slain baby found dumped on the side of a Galveston road surrendered and confessed in Philadelphia Friday, and was charged with capital murder, officials told KPRC Local 2.

Police said they believe Travis "T.J." Mullis is the father of a 3-month-old boy found dead near a utility pole on Seawall Boulevard near Ferry Road on Tuesday.

He was considered a person of interest in the boy's death.

Police held a news conference Friday night and said Mullis confessed to killing the baby after his arrest.

"Travis Mullis stated that he intentionally killed 3-month-old Alijah Mullis in Galveston on Jan. 29, 2008," said Lt. Jorge Trevino with the Galveston Police Department.

Bond was set at $1 million on the capital murder charge.

Galveston police will travel to Philadelphia for Mullis' extradition hearing.

(snip)

Officials said Mullis might have tried to have a sexual encounter with an 8-year-old girl the same day the baby was found.

According to the Brazoria County District Attorney's Office, the 8-year-old who Mullis lived with claimed that while everyone in the house was asleep, Mullis took her to a school playground in an attempt to commit a sexual assault.

(snip)

The baby is the second child to be found dead in the area in the past few months. A fisherman discovered the body of a young girl in a plastic box floating in Galveston Bay in October.

Detectives named her "Baby Grace" until they learned her true identity, Riley Ann Sawyers.

MORE TO THIS STORY ON THE WAY...
http://www.click2houston.com/news/15201118/detail.html

COLORADO: STRANGE BOY, 14, STABS SCHOOL CLASSMATE

Kara Schossow, a sophomore at Silver Creek, is consoled by a classmate as Brandon Cabal, a freshman, talks on his cell phone after a male student stabbed another female student Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008. Schossow said she knows the victim because they are both athletes at the school.
Joshua Buck/Times-Call

Boy, 14, held in stabbing
By Pierrette J. Shields Longmont Times-Call
Publish Date: 2/2/2008

LONGMONT — A 14-year-old boy arrested Thursday on suspicion of stabbing a classmate seven times with scissors will be held in the Boulder County Juvenile Detention Center without bond until charges are filed next week.

Jackson Crutcher appeared in court Friday afternoon and stood with his attorneys and parents before Boulder County Judge T.J. Cole.

“I am going to find the juvenile is a danger to himself and the community,” Cole said.

The judge also ordered a psychiatric evaluation and scheduled filing of charges for Feb. 8.

Police believe Crutcher approached a 14-year-old girl at her Silver Creek High School locker during a passing period Thursday morning and stabbed her in the back with scissors. She attempted to run from him and fell, according to reports.

Crutcher threw the scissors against a wall, where they stuck, and went downstairs, where he turned himself in at the school’s office, police said.

The girl, who suffered six stab wounds to the back and one to her left arm, told police she did not know Crutcher. Detective Jeff Satur on Friday said the investigation had not yet shown whether Crutcher knew the girl.

(snip)

“I could describe him as a person who dropped out of the early 19th century,” she wrote in a letter to the Times-Call. “He was so different from all of us.”

READ...
http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=6287

CHARLES FREE: LAS VEGAS ROBBER CAUGHT AFTER 30 YEARS

FOX5Vegas.com
Convicted armed robber Jack Hazen, who broke out of a Florida prison in 1975, was finally caught by Las Vegas police after changing name, raising a family.

Convicted Armed Robber on the Lam for More Than 30 Years Arrested in Vegas

Friday, February 01, 2008

Fox News

LAS VEGAS — A convicted armed robber who broke free from a Florida prison more than 30 years ago was arrested by Metro Police in Las Vegas on Thursday along with three other fugitives, according to FOX5Vegas.com.

Charles D. Free, now 61, escaped from jail in 1975 when he was still known as Jack Hazen. He changed his name and social security number, moved to Las Vegas, got married, raised children and landed a construction job, FOX5Vegas reported.

Authorities said they tracked down Free based on a tip from a cold case detective in Tallahassee, Fla. He didn't seem at all surprised when police came to his home to take him into custody.

READ THIS AMAZING TALE...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,327685,00.html

IF I DRIVE HER HOME, CAN I BE VICE PRESIDENT?

TRAVIS MULLIS: PERSON OF INTEREST IN DEATH OF CAR-SEAT BABY

Photo contributed by MyFoxHouston.comTravis MullisAP
Jan. 29: Scott Pena, with the Galveston Police Department Crime Scene Unit, inspects a car seat found near the body of an infant in Galveston, Texas.

Autopsy: Baby Was Murdered Before Being Thrown Onto Texas Roadside
Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Fox News

GALVESTON, Texas — An autopsy has found that a 3-month-old baby boy was murdered before being thrown onto a Galveston roadside, still strapped into his car seat.

The infant's death was ruled a homicide by blunt force head trauma, said John Florence, chief investigator for the Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office.

Police in Texas have identified the biological father of the baby, the last person known to be with the child, and are calling him a person of interest in the infant’s death, according to MyFoxHouston.

A search was under way for Travis Mullis, 21, after an Alvin woman, whose name hasn't been released, tentatively identified the body as that of her son. She contacted police on Tuesday, saying she hadn't seen her son since Mullis took him that morning.

A couple who were bird-watching discovered the baby’s body Tuesday afternoon after first mistaking it for a doll.

The couple believed to be the baby's parents had argued the night before the infant was killed, police said Wednesday.

Galveston Police spokesman Lt. Jorge Trevino said the couple had been fighting Monday night in their home in Alvin, about 30 miles northwest of Galveston.

HELP FIND THE PERSON OF INTEREST...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,326785,00.html

AUSTRALIA: APOLOGY FOR STEALING ABORIGINAL CHILDREN

"Rabbit Proof Fence," 2002 film about the stolen children of Australia

Photo by Benjamin John Doman

Aboriginal musical instrument, the Didgeridoo

The Aboriginal Flag was designed by Harold Thomas, an artist and an Aboriginal, in 1971.

Australia Pledges Early Apology to Stolen Generation Aborigines By Ed Johnson

Jan. 28 (Bloomberg) -- The Australian government pledged to apologize as soon as possible to the "stolen generation'' of Aborigines, who were forcibly removed from their families in the 1900s as part of a policy of assimilation.

"We do see this as a very important issue,'' Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin told reporters today. "We want to do it right, we want to do it respectfully.''

She declined to comment on a report in the Daily Telegraph newspaper that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd plans to make the apology when Parliament opens on Feb. 12. Elders from the local Ngunnawal tribe may perform a welcome ceremony in Parliament for the newly elected lawmakers, the newspaper said, without saying where it got the information.

From 1910 to 1970, between 10 percent and 30 percent of indigenous children were removed from their families and communities and placed in institutions, church missions or the homes of white Australians, according to a government- commissioned report published in 1997.

The inquiry found that many forcibly removed children lost their cultures, languages, heritage and lands and recommended reparation be made.

READ MORE...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aoVJNvZNifwU&refer=home

FILMS ABOUT ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA...

"Walkabout" filmed in 1971.

This film takes it's title from the Aboriginal custom of spending time in the wilderness.

"Rabbit-Proof Fence," 2002.

Three girls, kidnapped by the government (a common practice), in 1931, escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff, and set off on a trek across the Outback.

"The Last Wave," 1977, stars Richard Chamberlain. A Sydney lawyer has more to worry about than higher-than-average rainfall when he is called upon to defend five Aboriginals in court.

CESAR LAUREAN: MEXICO ISSUES WARRANT; A MOTHER'S QUESTIONS

AP Photo
Cesar Laurean, America's most-wanted criminal!








Mexico Issues Warrant for Suspect in Pregnant Marine's Murder
Tuesday, January 29, 2008

MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials have issued an arrest warrant for a U.S. Marine suspected of killing a pregnant colleague who had accused him of rape, a U.S. Embassy official said Tuesday.

A cousin told reporters last week that Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean visited family in the area of Guadalajara, Mexico, this month, but left without saying where he was headed.

(snip)

Mary Lauterbach, the mother of the dead Marine, told NBC's "Today" show that the Marine Corps should consider basic procedural changes, "such as a mandatory base move if a person requests it after a rape accusation."

"We want to change the climate so that any time a woman is attacked and, you know, wants to report it, that she can do so without the fear that the repercussions from reporting it will be far worse than the rape itself," Lauterbach said.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,326245,00.html

RENO, NV: DNA LINKS BRIANNA DENISON TO 2ND ASSAULT

Brianna Denison

AP photo
Cops Link Missing Nevada Student and Earlier Sex Assault
Monday, January 28, 2008

RENO, Nev. — Police said Sunday a positive DNA link has been established between the Jan. 20 abduction of a college student from a Reno home and a December sexual assault of another student who lived a few blocks away.

At a late afternoon news conference, Reno police commander Ron Holladay said investigators think the same unidentified white male in his 30s is responsible for the earlier assault and last week's kidnapping of Brianna Denison, 19, from a friend's house near the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

"Our chances of capturing the suspect are exponentially increased now because of the DNA," Holladay said. "He probably lives in the area. It's still my hope that Brianna is alive, and we're expending every resource possible to get her back safely."

READ DNA DETAILS...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325888,00.html

BRIANNA DENISON: GRETA Van SUSTEREN INTERVIEWS FRIEND

Greta Van Susteren, host of "On The Record"

Brianna Denison, 19, was reported missing when a friend she was staying with after attending a party at a Reno casino awoke Sunday to find Denison missing and a small blood stain on the pillow she had been given to use. Authorities are calling the disappearance an "abduction" investigation.

'Person of Interest' in Hunt for Brianna Denison
Wednesday, January 23, 2008, FOX NEWS

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record ," January 22, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: A college sleepover turns into a nightmare — 19-year-old college co-ed Brianna Denison falls asleep on her friend's couch in Reno, Nevada.
And then — that's the really odd part. She disappears.

Police now believe Brianna was kidnapped. A stain believed to possibly be blood was found on Brianna's pillow.

And here's what we do know: Saturday night Brianna went to a casino with girlfriends. A few hours later, Sunday at 4:00 a.m., Brianna went to her friend K.T.'s house.

Her friend gave her a pillow and blanket and Brianna went to sleep on the couch. But when her friend woke up, Brianna was not there. Brianna vanished from her friend K.T. Hunter's house. K.T. joins us live in Nevada.

Welcome K.T..

K.T. HUNTER, HOSTED BRIANNA AT HER HOUSE: Hi, thank you.

VAN SUSTEREN: K.T., I imagine this is very distressing for you. And I want to ask you some questions to try to help get the word out about your friend so they'll look.

Tell me, when you said goodnight to your friend, was there anything unusual going on in her life?

HUNTER: No, not really. She was happy when she went to bed. It was an average night, by all means.

VAN SUSTEREN: When you woke up the next day, and sometime after you decided to find out where she was, there was a pillow with a stain on it, is that right?

READ INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT...MORE QUESTIONS, ANSWERS...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,324905,00.html

BOULDER, CO: DNA LINKS DIEGO ALCALDE TO 1997 MURDER

Photo by Mark Leffingwell © The Daily Camera
Diego Olmos Alcalde, 38, makes his first appearance at the Boulder County Jail Monday.

He was arrested over the weekend in connection with the 1997 beating death of Susannah Chase.

Police are seeking an automobile similar to this one.

Boulder slaying suspect busted twice in Denver
Vanessa Miller and Christine Reid, Daily Camera
Originally published 01:17 p.m., January 28, 2008

Updated 02:54 p.m., January 28, 2008

The man arrested over the weekend in connection with the 1997 beating death of Susannah Chase was arrested twice by Denver police in connection with assaults on women just weeks after the University of Colorado senior's slaying.

Diego Olmos Alcalde, 38, a Chilean immigrant who is in this country legally, also spent six years in a Wyoming prison after being convicted there of dragging a 20-year-old out of her car after following her home.

According to court records released today, Alcalde's name surfaced in two Denver police investigations 15 days apart in early 1998 — just weeks after the brutal Dec. 22, 1997, attack on Chase near her home at 18th and Spruce streets.

Boulder police also announced today they are asking for the public's help in finding a blue 1979 Datsun 280Z they believe Alcalde was driving around the time of of Chase's killing.

Records indicate the Datsun was sold at auction in Denver in March 1998, according to police. The vehicle identification number is HS130111372.

Officers have released a picture of a similar car, but the blue shade of Alcalde's car might have been different, police said.

Anyone with information about the vehicle can call Boulder police detective Fred Patterson at 303-441-3330.

Anonymous tips also can be made to Boulder County Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

READ...

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/28/boulder-slaying-suspect-busted-twice-denver/

N.C. TREE FARM: SUSPECT, FREDERICK HAMMER, CAUGHT IN FLORIDA

(Journal Graphic)

Police have blocked the road leading to Ronald Hudler's house, which can be seen in the distance. Hudler's properties straddle state lines.(Journal Photo by Monte Mitchell)

Accused Christmas tree farm murder suspect ran to dad
By WINK News
Story Created: Jan 27, 2008 at 5:14 PM EST
Story Updated: Jan 27, 2008 at 8:30 PM EST

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - " We can hear the fellow outside say put your hands up and get the cuffs on him," said Richard Womak. Richard Woman and a usually quiet and peaceful neighborhood is left puzzled, when authorities discover a fugitive hiding in their neighborhood.

He actually flashed his U.S Marshall's badge and said we're doing a surveillance on a triple homicide," said Womack.

On Saturday U.S. Marshall's arrested 48-year-old Frederick Hammer after they received a tip that fugitive was staying at this Port Charlotte home.

Hammer was on the run, wanted for his alleged connection to a triple murder on a Christmas tree farm more than 750-miles away.

Seventy four year-old Ron Hudler, his son Fred Hudler and worker on the farm John Miller were all shot and killed at the senior Hudler's home on Thursday.

Deputies say the motive may have been robbery, Hudler was known to keep large amounts of cash in a safe.

Shortly after the murders, deputies questioned Hammer. He then disappeared, three days later, he was found in Southwest Florida.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE...
http://www.winknews.com/news/local/14467832.html

CLARKSTON, WA: ELIZABETH DUMAN SHOOTS 3 OF 8 KIDS, KILLS SELF

Clarkston, Washington: Straight south of Spokane, in SE corner of state

Sheriff: Clarkston mother of 8 shot 3, killed self
By JOHN K. WILEY
The Associated Press

CLARKSTON, Asotin County — A Clarkston mother shot three of her children, then turned the gun on herself, Asotin County Sheriff Ken Bancroft said Saturday.

Elizabeth Duman, 31, and her 18-month-old son Abraham were found dead and two more of her eight children suffered gunshot wounds inside their hillside home Thursday.

"At this time, the evidence indicates the deaths and injuries are the result of Elizabeth using a firearm," Bancroft said in a news release Saturday.

Ruby Rose Duman, 3 months, remained in critical condition and her 3-year-old brother Johannes Duman was in serious condition Saturday at a Spokane hospital.

Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Dan Hally said Saturday that investigators are still trying to find a motive for the shootings. He said it was not known if Elizabeth Duman had sought mental-health counseling, but that likely would be explored as investigators look for a cause of the shootings.

LINK TO STORY... http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004147672_clarkston27.html

In Asotin County, there are services available round the clock, whether or not people are covered by health insurance, she said.

"There are services available," she said. "We want to remind people we have a 24-7 helpline that will respond to any kind of crisis."