TEXAS: ERIN CAFFEY AT 16 KILLED FAMILY WITH HELP FROM "FRIENDS"

Erin Caffey, shown in her booking photo, was 16 at the time her mother and two brothers were found slain in their Alba, Texas home. (AP Photo/Rains County Jail)

Courtesy Rains County Sheriff / Waid, Johnson, and Wilkinson helped Erin Caffey kill her family.

Caffey Murder Trial Moved, Date Set
By COSHANDRA DILLARD / TYLERPAPER.COM Staff Writer
Friday, December 05, 2008

EMORY -- The capital murder trial of a Rains County teen allegedly involved in the deaths of her mother and two young brothers has been moved to Hopkins County, officials said Thursday.

Eighth District Court Judge Robert Newsom officially transferred the trial, as the prosecution and defense agreed.

The jury selection for Erin Caffey, 17, will be Feb.2-5. Newsom also scheduled the trial to begin Feb. 9 and said it is expected to last until Feb. 17.

In November, Charles Allen Waid, 20, and Charlie James Wilkinson, 19, pleaded guilty to capital murder for their involvement in the killings.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty for Ms. Caffey, a minor at the time she allegedly helped kill her family. Prosecutor Lisa Tanner indicated that was the only reason they were not asking for the death penalty.

Ms. Caffey's father, Terry Caffey, 41, was shot five times but got out of his burning house and reached his neighbors, still conscious enough to tell them he recognized Wilkinson shooting him and his wife in their bed, sheriff's officials said. He has since recovered from his gunshot wounds.

(snip)

Penny Caffey, 37, a church pianist, and sons Mathew, 13, and Tyler, 8, were shot and stabbed to death.

Their bodies were removed once firefighters extinguished the flames of the home, which burned to the ground, officials said.

READ TYLER PAPER.COM FOR UPDATES OF CAFFEY MURDER, TRIAL, SENTENCING...

http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20081205/NEWS01/812050338

READ ARTICLE BY TYLER PAPER.COM STAFF WRITER, LAUREN GROVER

http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080303/NEWS01/429461743

ASPEN, CO: JAMES BLANNING RUINS NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH BOMBS

James Blanning's mug shot was taken in 1996 by state corrections officials. (Department of Corrections). He was sentenced in Rio Blanco District Court in 1996 to 16 years in prison for racketeering and white collar crimes encompassing forgery of deeds and wills, fraudulent security sales and forged money, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.

Photo by Aspen Times
Surveillance video by a Vectra Bank camera in Aspen captured suspect, Jim Blanning, at 2:37 p.m. Weds.

WRITING ON ENVELOPE LEFT AT FRONT DOOR OF THE ASPEN TIMES NEWSPAPER.Photo by The Aspen Times
An envelope containing a typewritten letter was left at the front door of The Aspen Times office. This handwritten note was on the envelope containing the typed letter.

TYPEWRITTEN LETTER LEFT AT FRONT DOOR OF THE ASPEN TIMES NEWSPAPER.

Photo by The Aspen Times
An envelope containing a typewritten letter was left at the front door of The Aspen Times office. This is the typed note and is not censored.

Police cleared a 16-block area of Aspen, seen here in this file photo, Wednesday afternoon after two banks reported receiving bomb threats and packages wrapped in holiday paper. (Reuters)

Photo by Janet Urquhart/The Aspen Times
Aspen Assistant Police Chief Bill Linn offers additional details on the bomb threats that forced the evacuation of much of downtown Aspen Wednesday, during a press conference Thursday morning.

Aspen police officer Bill Linn peers from behind a wall at a sled containing wrapped packages left in an alleyway between Hopkins and Hyman Avenue in Downtown Aspen on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008. (Aspen Daily News ZACH ORNITZ )

A photo of the clear plastic boxes containing holiday wrapped packages and pizza boxes in the bottom of this black sled. (Aspen Police Department)

Bomb suspect killed self; blasted Rove, Cheney and Bush in note

Associated Press
Published January 1, 2009

ASPEN — A man who left bomb threats and homemade bombs around Aspen on New Year's Eve, shot and killed himself in his car a few hours after his threats cleared much of the resort town, Aspen Police said.

Assistant Aspen Police Chief Bill Linn said James Chester Blanning, 72, walked into two Aspen banks Wednesday afternoon and left packages wrapped in holiday paper along with notes saying the boxes contained bombs. The notes threatened "mass death" and demanded $60,000 cash, along with criticisms of President George Bush, Linn said.

The Aspen Times newspaper reported that Blanning left a typewritten note at the newspaper's offices Wednesday evening. The profanity-laced note, which appeared to match those Blanning left at banks, said "Aspen will pay a horrible price in blood" if his demands were not met.

(snip)

Sixteen blocks, nearly the entirety of downtown Aspen, was cleared of holiday revelers Wednesday afternoon. Linn said that police bomb squads detonated the bombs once the area was cleared, and that one of the packages created a fireball outside a Wells Fargo bank when police detonated it. No one was injured.

Linn said the bombs were dangerous, containing plastic bladders of gasoline, but Linn did not describe exactly how sophisticated they were.

Blanning, who grew up in Aspen, was identified by the Pitkin County sheriff on a surveillance tape from one of the banks. Linn said the suspect was well known to police and that the sheriff remembered Blanning from a 1994 suicide threat atop the Pitkin County Courthouse.

WHAT TURNED THIS ASPEN RESIDENT INTO A BOMBER?
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/01/suspect-dead-aspen-bomb-threats-last-will-sent-tim/

READ THE STORY IN "THE ASPEN TIMES" NEWSPAPER...
http://www.aspentimes.com/

TINLEY PARK LANE BRYANT: $100,000 REWARD IF YOU CATCH THE KILLER

It's way past time to catch this killer!
Someone, probably several people, knows this man. Won't you turn him in for $100,000 reward??? It doesn't matter if he is your husband, your brother, your son, your boyfriend. He is still an extremly dangerous killer!

Please, take another look at the sketch of the Tinley Park Lane Bryant killer of five women. Just in case that you really do not recognize the sketch, I am going to try an experiment. I have distorted the original sketch for a different view. Many sketches of criminals are not close enough to say, "That's him. That's the killer."

Detectives say this man killed five women and injured another in a brutal mass murder at a women's clothing store in a Chicago suburb. Police say the five victims were all women. They were found inside the store, bound with clothing and duct tape and shot execution-style in the head. A sixth woman was shot in the neck and miraculously survived.

Description:

Black male
Height: 5'9" - 6'0"
Weight: 200 - 230 lbs.
The killer had 3-5 puffy corn rows pulled back.
The killer had a braid over his right ear that had four light-green beads.
Cops say the suspect has a "husky" build.

Police describe the possible suspect as wearing a dark-colored, below-the-waist-length winter coat. They say he had black jeans on with embroidery on the back pockets similar to a cursive "g". The suspect was wearing a charcoal gray "skull" cap.


America's Most Wanted (AMW) has a comprehensive overview of this story. There are clues, analysis of evidence, videos, tiplines.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=52877

Tinley Park Police Department has continued updates of this crime and other crimes in this area. Are any of these crimes connected? There are updates, reward money, past press releases.
Anyone having information regarding this crime, or who may have seen anything of a suspicious nature in or around the mall located at 191st & Harlem Avenue, between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 2, 2008, call the Tinley Park Police Department at 708-444-5394, or call the Cook County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-535-7867.
http://www.tinleyparkpolice.org/

Lane Bryant Tinley Park Memorial Fund
LuAnn Via, President of Lane Bryant stated, "We have received an incredible outpouring of concern, prayers and offers of help from the community and our associates. So many have asked how they can help the families of the victims of this horrible tragedy. I would like to personally thank each and every person who has telephoned us, emailed us, or visited our stores to relay their support. I thank you all deeply for your heartfelt words."

The Memorial Fund is being administered through Harris Bank, and is intended to provide financial assistance to the immediate families of the victims. The Lane Bryant Tinley Park Memorial Fund honors the women who lost theirlives in this tragic event:

-- Jennifer L. Bishop of South Bend, Indiana
-- Carrie A. Chiuso of Frankfort, Illinois
-- Rhoda McFarland, the store manager of the Tinley Park Lane Bryant store,
of Joliet, Illinois
-- Sarah T. Szafranski of Oak Forest, Illinois
-- Connie R. Woolfolk of Flossmoor, Illinois

Donations may be made by check or money order and will be accepted at all Harris Bank locations. Checks should be made payable to "Lane Bryant Tinley Park Memorial Fund", and mailed to:
The Lane Bryant Tinley Park Memorial Fund
Harris Bank
19500 S. Harlem Avenue
Frankfort, IL 60423
ATTN: Sandy Kozin

Thank you for stopping at my blog, and for reading this story.
CHOMP

NEDERLAND, CO: DERICK BONESTROO OPENS FIRE AT ELDORA SKI LODGE

Photo by Eldora Mountain Resort
Brian Mahon, General Manager of Eldora, was shot to death by a fellow employee Tuesday morning at the ski area.

Javier Manzano © The Rocky
Nederland Police shot and killed a man at the side of Peakview Road after he shot a worker at the Eldora Ski resort today. The vehicle (on the left) had multiple gunshot holes on the windshield, and police said that they opened fire after the suspect shot at a sheriff's deputy (vehicle on the right - which had three bullet holes (two on the hood and one on the windshield.

A Boulder County Bomb Squad robot maneuvers behind a suspect vehicle after the fatal shooting today at Eldora Mountain Resort near Nederland. (POOL LONGMONT TIMES-CALL RICHARD M. HACKETT)

Employee kills Eldora general manager, shot by deputy
By James B. Meadow, Rocky Mountain News, Kevin Vaughan, Rocky Mountain News
Published December 30, 2008

NEDERLAND — A black-clad worker at the Eldora ski area asked other employees about their religious beliefs before shooting the resort's general manager to death early this morning, then died a short time later several miles away in a gunbattle with a Boulder County sheriff's deputy.

Rob Linde, a spokesman for Eldora Mountain Resort, identified the dead man as Brian Mahon, the general manager at the ski area for the past five years and an employee there since 1991.

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office has identified the gunman as Derick A. Bonestroo, 24, of Nederland.

The gunman, a lift operator at the ski area this season, had been in town only a short time, several Eldora workers said.

Bonestroo entered the morning meeting of lift operators in a locker room near the ski area's base, then fired a shot through the ceiling, said Boulder County sheriff's Cmdr. Phil West. Mahon, working in an adjacent room, burst into the locker room to see what was going on and was shot in the chest and head. He died almost instantly.

(snip)

Sheriff's deputy John Seifert, on patrol in the area, sped toward the resort and met Bonestroo, who was driving in the other direction, near Nederland High School. The deputy turned around and pursued him on Colorado 119, known as the Peak to Peak Highway, south of town, where Bonestroo stopped in a long, sweeping curb.

West said that after stopping at the side of the road, Bonestroo leaned out the driver's side of the car and opened fire on Seifert's Tahoe. Seifert, a member of the department's SWAT team, bailed out of the car with his AR-15 rifle in hand, moved to the right rear corner of the vehicle, and opened fire on the gunman, killing him.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/30/officer-involved-shooting-near-eldora-ski-resort/

CHOMP SAYS: I have been up to Nederland and Eldora while I lived in Denver. The Colorado mountain towns have a unique, small town atmosphere. They are wonderful to visit...and to live there. This is a shocking story to me too!

I am including a link below to a memorial page from Eldora Mountain Resort to honor Brian Mahon...a kind and gentle family man, and a good friend to many.

http://www.eldora.com/

HARTSBURG, IL: MeLisa CLEARY - BODY FOUND BY TRAIN TRACK

Hartsburg, Illinois: Place where MeLisa Cleary's body found by train tracks.

MeLisa Cleary's body was found near railroad tracks more than 20 miles from her home.

By None
MeLisa Cleary was in the process of separating from her husband, Daniel, when she was last seen on June 6, 2008.

Body found near Hartsburg
By Staff and wire reports / The Courier
Tue Jun 10, 2008, 09:59 AM CDT

Hartsburg, Ill. -

Police reportedly have detained a Mackinaw man after a woman’s body, believed to be that of the man’s missing wife, was found near Hartsburg on Monday.

Authorities suspect the body is that of MeLisa Cleary, 30, of Mackinaw. She was reported missing Friday evening after family and friends could not reach her by phone. Nicole Simpson, a close friend, said her body was found in a rural area near Hartsburg on Monday morning, according to a report by GateHouse News Service in Peoria.

Logan County State’s Attorney Tim Huyett said Canadian National railroad workers found the body of a 30-year-old woman near Hartsburg, but he would not confirm her identity. Logan County Coroner Robert Thomas said the body would likely be identified today, and he said it showed obvious signs of trauma.

Authorities couldn’t locate MeLisa Cleary’s husband, Daniel Cleary, for questioning Monday, but news reports indicate he was taken into custody early this morning. MeLisa Cleary’s sister, Brandy Gerard of Washington, told WEEK TV in Peoria that neighbors saw Daniel Cleary and the couple’s three children leave their residence in a car with suitcases Monday afternoon. The three children are: Chloe Renee Cleary, 3; Jacob Thomas Cleary, 8; and Kaitlin Elizabeth Roten, 12, who sometimes goes by the last name of Cleary.

The Illinois State Police issued an Amber Alert stating that Daniel Cleary, 34, abducted his three children at 5 p.m. Monday and was possibly en route to the Peoria area.

http://www.lincolncourier.com/archive/x142954319/Body-found-near-Hartsburg

This case is open and active! If anybody has any information involving the disappearance and death of MeLisa by all means call.

The Tazewell County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 309-346-4141. The Logan County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 217-732-2156. Crimestoppers at 673-9000.

COVINA: BRUCE PARDO, KILLER SANTA PLANNED ESCAPE TO CANADA

Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, about 22 miles (35 km) east of downtown Los Angeles.

El Siglo de Torreon
Alicia and Joseph Ortega were born and married in Torreon, Mexico, according to El Siglo de Torreon, a local newspaper. This photo, published in that paper, shows the couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. They are believed to be among the dead in the Christmas Eve attack at their home in Covina

(Ken Hively, Los Angeles Times)
L.A. County coroner's officials remove the body of Bruce Jeffrey Prado from a house in Sylmar.

Photograph shows the burned-out Dodge Caliber automobile in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles that Bruce Pardo drove to his brother's house before committing suicide. Before the suicide, Pardo used remnants of the Santa suit to booby-trap his rental car to explode. (AP Photo/Covina Police Department)

Photograph shows a charred Santa suit inside the Dodge Caliber automobile that Bruce Pardo drove to his brother's house before committing suicide. Pardo apparently intended to flee the U.S., but his plans were dashed after the inferno he created severely burned his arms and melted his red costume onto his body, police said Friday. (AP Photo/Covina Police Department)

Los Angeles County firefighters remove items from the burned home Friday, Dec. 26, 2008, in Covina, Calif., that was set on fire during a Christmas Eve murder rampage. Bruce Pardo, dressed as Santa, shot indiscriminately at partygoers and destroyed his former in-laws' house with a homemade blowtorch, ultimately leaving nine people dead before killing himself. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Undated photograph provided by the Covina, Calif. Police Department shows a device that suspect Bruce Pardo brought with him to the Knollcrest house. Pardo destroyed his former in-laws' home with a homemade device that sprayed flammable liquid. (AP Photo/Covina Police Department)

'Santa' Gunman's Marriage Dissolved When Wife Discovered He Abandoned Brain-Damaged Son
Saturday, December 27, 2008
FOXNEWS.COM

COVINA, California — A man plotting revenge against his ex-wife dressed up like Santa, went to his former in-laws' Christmas Eve party, shot at partygoers and destroyed his former in-laws' house with a homemade device that sprayed flammable liquid, slaughtering at least nine people before killing himself hours later.

Bruce Pardo, 45, saw his marriage fall apart this year when his wife discovered he had abandoned a brain-damaged son years earlier but continued to claim the boy as a tax write-off, the L.A. Times reported.

(snip)

Sylvia Pardo got the dog. Bruce Pardo got angry.

Police believe he intended to flee to Canada after the Christmas Eve massacre, but his Santa suit melted on his body, leaving him with third-degree burns on both arms. Pardo later shot himself at his brother's home, where authorities found $17,000 on him and a plane ticket for a flight from Los Angeles to Canada.

Police say Pardo used a homemade device to spray racing fuel around the home and that the vapor was ignited by a pilot light or candle. They found what they described as a virtual bomb-making factory at Pardo's Montrose home, and that a rented car he had been driving was full of explosives and ammo. Police, suspecting the car could be booby-trapped, fired an incendiary device into it, and the whole thing exploded and burned, MyFoxNY reported.

READ MORE...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,473024,00.html

RENO: DNA LINKS JAMES BIELA TO BRIANNA DENISON MURDER...AND OTHERS ???

Brianna Denison
March 29, 1988 -February, 2008

Site where Brianna Denison was found.

Photo © Stan White

http://renotahoe.about.com/b/2008/03/09/brianna-denison-investigation-web-page.htm

HUNTING GROUNDS OF SUSPECTED RENO RAPIST/SERIAL KILLER

Left: James Biela / Right: Original police sketch
James Biela, 27, was arrested on Nov. 25, 2008 after cops linked the Sparks, Nev. man to the murder of Brianna Denison and a Dec. 2007 sexual assault.

Reno Police arrest James Biela for Denison's murder
Posted: Nov 26, 2008 01:27 AM PST
Updated: Dec 10, 2008 07:15 AM PST

The arrest of a Sparks man as a suspect in the January kidnapping, rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman is now drawing interest out of state.

Investigators in Columbus, Ohio announced Friday that they are looking to Brianna Denison accused murderer, James Biela, as having a possible connection to as many as seven sexual assault cases in their area.

Authorities in Ohio say they have video surveillance of their suspect from an ATM when he used one of his victim's credit card but haven't named Biela as a formal suspect.

(snip)

Biela's girlfriend, who has a 4-year-old child with him, discovered a pair of underwear in his pickup truck according to police. She told a friend, and police say that friend called Secret Witness on Nov. 1.

Court documents say, "Biela respectfully declined to prove a DNA sample and indicated that he had not been involved in the murder of Brianna Denison and that his girlfriend" could provide him with an alibi.

Biela's girlfriend, according to court documents, contacted police saying that she could not account for his whereabouts in the early morning hours of Dec. 16 or Jan. 20. She then allowed investigators to test their son's DNA.

The DNA in subsequent tests was a "direct link" to the Denison case, Poehlman said. Police say the DNA evidence also links Biela to another sexual assault and kidnapping near the University campus in December.

COURT HEARING FOR BIELA IS SET FOR DEC. 10...STAY TUNED
http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9416901

COVINA, CA: BRUCE PARDO, SANTA, KILLS 6 AT PARTY, 3 MISSING

Covina Police Department via / AP
Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, the prime suspect in the Christmas Eve Santa-suit killings at a suburban L.A. home, killed himself Thursday, according to police.

FNC
Images from the scene of a deadly fire that claimed at least three lives in suburban Los Angeles on Christmas Eve.

This image from video shows firefighters outside a blazing house in Covina, Calif., late Wednesday, Dec. 24, where a man dressed as Santa who had been having marital problems opened fire at a Christmas party, leaving more than three people dead in a home that then caught fire. (AP Photo/On Scene Video via AP))3:08 p.m. ET, 12/25/08

Hector Mata / AP

A Bomb Squad and Los Angeles County Sheriff official stand near a crime scene where a man in a Santa Claus costume killed at least six people during a Christmas party in Covina, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008. 6:36 p.m. ET, 12/25/08

Hector Mata /AP

Covina police Chief Kim Raney talks with reporters about a killing rampage at a Christmas party, during a news conference at the Covina Police Headquarters in Covina, Calif. Thursday, December 25, 2008. 6:30 p.m. ET

12/25/08

Man in Santa suit kills at least nine at Covina party, police say

By Ari B. Bloomekatz, Tami Abdollah and Joel Rubin 5:10 PM PST, December 25, 2008

A distraught man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a Christmas Eve party and then set the house ablaze, killing at least six people, police said. Several hours later, the shooter killed himself.

Three people who attended the party remained unaccounted for Thursday afternoon as coroner officials continued to search through the wreckage.

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, who had recently been divorced and is believed to have lost his job, knocked on the front door of a home owned by the parents of his ex-wife in Covina around 11:30 Wednesday night, said Police Chief Kim Raney.

An 8-year-old girl ran to the door to answer Pardo's knock, police said. He shot her in the face, stepped into the house and began to fire indiscriminately with a semiautomatic handgun.

(snip)

The two-story house, located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, was fully engulfed by fire, Los Angeles County fire officials said. About 80 firefighters were initially kept at bay by police who feared that the gunman was still in the area.

They battled flames that soared 40 to 50 feet high for an hour and a half before extinguishing the fire, according to Capt. Mike Brown. Amid the ruins, the second floor of the house had collapsed onto the ground.

WHAT MADE BRUCE PARDO INTO A KILLER?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-santa-shooting26-2008dec26,0,6505439.story

NO CHRISTMAS FOR CAYLEE ANTHONY

Jesse Grund, Casey Anthony's ex-fiance: ‘It was devastating’

Today Show / Dec. 22: Investigators confirm the body found in the Florida woods is missing toddler Caylee Anthony. TODAY’s Matt Lauer talks to Casey Anthony’s ex-fiance, Jesse Grund, about the tragedy.

SEE VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MATT LAUER http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28347850/

Jesse Grund with ex-fiancee Casey Anthony in happier times. Today Sho
Flowers are placed Friday at a makeshift memorial in the wooded area where Caylee's body was found.

Investigators Search Caylee's Grandparents' Home
By Howard Altman
Tampa Bay Online / updated 6:46 a.m. PT, Sun., Dec. 21, 2008

ORLANDO - Orange County Sheriff's Office investigators returned to the home of George and Cindy Anthony this afternoon armed with a search warrant, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The couple – parents of 22-year-old Casey Anthony who is accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee – remained at the home while investigators conducted the search, according to a media release.

Investigators found "items of evidentiary value," according to the release.

Also this afternoon, the sheriff's office ended its 10-day search of the wooded area at 8900 Suburban Drive where Caylee's bones were found.

CAYLEE IS GONE...FOREVER; THIS IS JUST THE START OF HER STORY!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28331715/

SABINE MUSIL-BUEHLER MISSING, BOYFRIEND, WILLIAM CUMBER IS ARSONIST

SABINE MUSIL-BUEHLER

Musil-Buehler's boyfriend, William J. Cumber, 38, served time for arson.

SUN PHOTO/TOM VAUGHT

Police and fire investigators searched through the burned out duplex next to Haley’s Motel on Monday morning. They said they could not comment on the ongoing investigation.

Missing woman’s boyfriend maintains innocence

By Cindy Lane /sun staff writer

HOLMES BEACH – William J. Cumber misses his girlfriend, missing hotelier Sabine Musil-Buehler, and has no idea where she is, he told The Sun last week.

Cumber, 39, may have been the last person to see Musil-Buehler, 49, on Nov. 4 after an argument at their home over his cigarette smoking.

(snip)

What happened remains a mystery.

On Nov. 6, police found Musil-Buehler’s car in Bradenton, driven by Robert Corona, who was arrested for theft. Blood found in the car was later determined to be hers, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Then, on Nov. 16, a duplex at Haley’s was destroyed by a fire, prompting police to question Cumber extensively, and later, search the home he shared with Musil-Buehler.

On Monday, fire and police investigators searched again through the burned out duplex. Police also combed the Holmes Beach neighborhood around Haley’s on Friday, asking neighbors if they could identify a man in a photograph taken the night of the fire. The white male, crouched near a vehicle smoking a cigarette, was wearing a baseball cap and a hoodie sweatshirt.

Nearly two years before the fire, on Jan. 4, 2006, Cumber had pleaded guilty to the arson of his ex-girlfriend’s Bradenton home and was sentenced to 42 months in the Florida Dept. of Corrections.

READ THE "THE ANNA MARIA ISLAND SUN"...TO GET THE LATEST UPDATES

http://www.amisun.com/headlines.htm#seven

MARIANNA: FLORIDA SCHOOL FOR BOYS -HOW MANY WENT MISSING?

Thirty-one crosses dot a clearing on the grounds of the former Florida School for Boys in Marianna, Florida.

Roger Kiser, Dick Colon and Robert Strayley are original "White House Boys" who pushed for the investigation.

Florida Govenor Charlie Crist has ordered an investigation into the crosses as a possible burial site.

Investigating reform school's past won't be easy

By Rich PhillipsCNN Senior Producer / Mon December 15, 2008

MARIANNA, Florida (CNN) -- Disturbing memories came rushing back when four men in their 60s, who call themselves the "White House Boys," started sharing stories over the Internet about their experiences at the Florida School for Boys.

Roger Kiser, Dick Colon, Robert Straley and Michael O'McCarthy allege that unspeakable acts of torture happened at that reform school nearly half a century ago -- that boys died, and that their deaths were covered up.

"Well, he ran away, and the swamp got him," was one story Kiser said school administrators told him. "The gators got him. Water moccasins got him" were others.

The White House Boys pushed Gov. Charlie Crist for an investigation.

Last week, Crist ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to look into who might lie beneath the 31 anonymous crosses on the grounds of the school, just south of the Alabama border.

(snip)

Finding records and witnesses from decades ago is a massive task and investigators are asking for the public's help. Records can be lost or destroyed and memories can fade or distort what happened.

And so, it may be months before authorities decide whether to dig under the 31 white crosses. It could take years for the investigation to be completed.

Some nagging questions are bound to come up. Where was the public outcry? Why did no one speak out until now? Why weren't the families searching for their missing sons?

WHAT'S BENEATH THE CROSSES? BOYS OR 'GATORS?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/15/boys.school.probe/index.html

CAYLEE: CASEY'S LAWYERS BELIEVE HER STORY

Lawyers for Caylee's Mother Stand by Her Story in Planning Defense Strategy
Saturday, December 13, 2008

For months, Florida mother Casey Anthony, 22, has blamed her daughter Caylee's disappearance on a baby sitter, and Anthony's lawyers apparently are sticking with that story in planning her criminal defense -- even though they expect police to confirm that skeletal remains found Thursday are those of girl.

"If this is Caylee Anthony, that doesn't mean Casey Anthony did anything to that child," Todd Black, a spokesman for Anthony's lead attorney, told FOXNews.com on Saturday. "That doesn't determine who or what caused the child's death."

Anthony is in jail accused of murdering Caylee, but Black said Anthony stands by her claim that she dropped off her 2-year-old daughter with a sitter in June and never saw her again. That won't change if it turns out the skull and bones belong to Caylee.

"Casey Anthony handed her daughter off to a woman in a park who was with another woman in a car," Black told FOXNews.com. "Her position and the position of the law firm has been that she handed her child off. ... It would be difficult for a prosecution to absolutely tell a jury that Ms. Anthony is the one who injured the child."

WILL TAKE A LOT OF READING TO STAY UP WITH THIS STORY...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,466608,00.html