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.

READ THE WHOLE STORY...

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...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20071225/hl_hsn/postholidayletdowncanbeavoided

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.

READ THE REST OF THIS WONDERFUL STORY...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318237,00.html

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.

READ MORE...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318056,00.html

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...
http://news.aol.com/entertainment/music/music-news-story/_a/jazz-great-oscar-peterson-dies-at-82/20071224141909990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

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...
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/husband-had-1-million-policy-on-wife/20071222152409990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

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

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.

THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY IN GIBSONTON, FLORIDA...

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