Violent Crime

May 21, 2014

Alabama Man Convicted of Police Officer’s Murder Has Conviction Upheld by Appeals Court

In May of 2011, Bart Wayne Johnson was found guilty of killing a Pelham, Alabama police officer in 2009. Johnson was convicted of shooting Philip Davis in the face after he was pulled over and issued a speeding ticket, according to The Birmingham News.

At his sentencing hearing the next month, Johnson was not given life without parole for the death of the police officer, but the death sentence. Jurors voted 10 to 2 in favor of the death sentence for Johnson, who contended throughout the trial that he was not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Johnson’s attorney hired a psychologist to testify at trial; the psychologist claimed that at the time the defendant shot Davis, he had a ‘brief psychotic episode.’

Johnson appealed his conviction to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals claiming among other things that during the sentencing phase, the prosecutor made false statements. On Tuesday May 20, the appeals court upheld Johnson’s murder conviction. Continue reading

May 8, 2014

Milwaukee Man’s Murder Conviction Thrown Out by Wisconsin Appeals Court

by Scott Grabel

In 2010, Corey Kucharski of Milwaukee was charged with killing both his parents; Kucharski was convicted in December of 2011 of first-degree intentional homicide, and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of supervised release in 30 years. Kucharski, who is now 38 years old, appealed his conviction, arguing that the judge in the case was wrong in ruling him mentally responsible for the murders of Ralph and Pamela Kucharski, as it was undisputed that at the time of the killings he was suffering from schizophrenia.

At trial, the defendant maintained that following a stint of heavy meth use, voices he started hearing told him to kill his parents. In February of 2010, Kucharski shot his mother four times and his father 10 times inside the home they all shared before calling to report the deaths to the police. Upon calling 911, the defendant told the operator to send the coroner, that his parents were dead. He also reportedly told a dispatcher that his parents were not getting up right now, that they were in a better place.

Although Kucharski was examined for competency twice and ruled competent to stand trial both times, the 1st District Court of Appeals ruled this week that the defendant was “clearly in a psychotic state” when he shot his parents. In the 2 to 1 ruling, the appeals court judges also wrote that there was no other explanation for Kucharski’s behavior. The appeals court tossed the 2011 conviction and ordered a new trial for the defendant. Continue reading

April 25, 2014

Failed Romance Prompts Shooting Deaths of Two at Retirement Home; 67-year-old Man Sentenced to Life in Prison

by Scott Grabel

On Thursday April 24, 67-year-old Mike Reda was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the shooting deaths of 59-year-old Deborah Socia and 61-year-old Maria Victoria Gonzalez. The two women were residents at the Pablo Davis Elder Living Center in Detroit. The shooting took place in October, and according to investigators was prompted by a failed romance.

Reda, who is a retired father of seven children, said following the shooting in a videotaped confession played during his preliminary hearing that he could not control himself, and that he had told the two victims to stay out of the lives of himself and his girlfriend. Reda claimed that the two women were interfering, that they were keeping Lupe, his girlfriend, away from him. He said that Lupe had not come to his residence in more than two weeks.

Reda admitted in the taped confession that he had drank approximately three bottles of brandy on the day the shooting took place. He allegedly shot Socia as she was talking to another resident of the senior citizens apartment complex outside the building. Gonzalez was shot twice in the head after the defendant allegedly went to her apartment and broke down the door to gain entrance. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway, who sentenced Reda on Thursday, called the shooting deaths a “horrible incident.” Continue reading

April 24, 2014

74-year-old Man Convicted in 2012 for 1957 Illinois Murder Appeals

by Scott Grabel

In 2012, Jack McCullough was convicted of a kidnapping and murder that occurred in Illinois in 1957. This was one of the oldest unsolved crimes in United States history to go to trial, involving the abduction and subsequent choking/stabbing of a 7-year-old girl who was playing on a street with a friend.

On the evening of December 3, 1957, Maria Ridulph and Kathy Chapman were playing when McCullough, who is a former police officer, approached them in a friendly manner. He was allegedly giving Ridulph a piggyback ride when Chapman decided to run home and get her mittens because it was cold. While she was gone, prosecutors claim he drug Ridulph into an alley where he proceeded to choke and stab her. Ridulph’s body was discovered about 120 miles away in a grove of trees off the side of the highway the following spring.

McCullough was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty. The guilty verdict was based primarily on Kathy Chapman’s photo identification of McCullough some 55 years later, and the allegations of McCullough’s half-sister that in 1994 when their mother passed away, she said on her deathbed that she knew her son killed the girl. McCullough was a suspect at the time of the murder, however he claimed that he had been traveling to get a medical exam in Chicago at the time. Police took him off the suspect list because he had an alibi. Continue reading

April 18, 2014

California Drug Trafficking Ring Busted – 11 People Arrested

by Scott Grabel

On Monday April 14, authorities in California claimed that they had “dismantled” a drug trafficking ring that smuggled cocaine and methamphetamines from Mexico for distribution to New York, Arkansas, Illinois, and other states. According to a news report at U-T San Diego, the 11 individuals who were in a group known as the Magana Drug Trafficking Organization worked with Nuestra Familia prison gang street gangs to distribute the drugs.

33-year-old Jose Pastor Magana, head of the drug organization, lives just southeast of Fresno in Dinuba; he was charged with eight counts including transportation and sale of a controlled substance and felony possession. Authorities began investigating the drug ring in the summer of 2013, when it was suspected that Magana was selling marijuana. It was revealed that in addition to marijuana, Magana was dealing in cocaine and methamphetamines.

In the course of arresting the 11 individuals, agents seized 942 marijuana plants, 56 pounds of meth, and 4 kilograms of cocaine in addition to a car and nearly $270,000 in cash. The majority of the arrested were made in Riverside and Tulare counties in California, however two were arrested in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Authorities say the individuals arrested will face similar charges to those of Magana. Continue reading

April 18, 2014

Southeast Queens DUI Crash Results in Death of Passenger, Arrest of Roosevelt Woman

by Scott Grabel

On Monday April 14, 28-year-old Sharlene Numa of Roosevelt, NY was arrested after causing a crash that resulted in the death of her passenger, 29-year-old Kendall Heard of Freeport. Numa was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the crash, and charged with DWI, manslaughter, and vehicular manslaughter according to CBS New York.

The accident occurred in southeast Queens just after 4 a.m. when Numa crashed the 2014 Infiniti she was driving into the rear of a 2012 Mercedes on the Belt Parkway. The Mercedes was being driven by an 18-year-old man who reportedly suffered only minor injuries. According to police, Numa’s Infiniti flipped in the vicinity of Brookville Blvd. and South Conduit Avenue. Heard, Numa’s passenger, was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

This is a sad story with a tragic ending, not only for the passenger who lost his life, but for the driver who now faces not only charges of driving while intoxicated, but manslaughter as well. Individuals who are convicted of DUI or driving under the influence in Michigan face criminal penalties which include steep fines, possible jail time, driver’s license suspension, community service, and more. For second-time or subsequent offenses, the penalties become even harsher. However, charges of vehicular manslaughter or manslaughter are far more serious. Continue reading

April 18, 2014

Detroit Firefighter Charged with Second-Degree Murder Headed to Trial

by Scott Grabel

In February we wrote about the case of Terrill Hardaway, a 35-year-old Detroit Firefighter charged with second-degree murder in the 2012 shooting death of Tony Jackson. Now, Hardaway is headed to trial and is scheduled for a Circuit Court arraignment on April 29, according to news reports at Mlive.com.

Hardaway allegedly went to a bar on December 20 of 2012, an establishment where Jackson worked as a disc jockey. The two men became involved in an altercation when Hardaway pulled a gun and attempted to shoot Jackson. The weapon was turned over to police after being confiscated. Hardaway then went back to the Four Winds bar located on Schoolcraft nine days later; the two men got into a physical and verbal fight that was broken up by security. Hardaway and Jackson were taken outside, however the altercation continued with both men pulling out guns. Hardaway is reported to have shot Jackson numerous times, but was shot only once in the shoulder himself.

Hardaway is charged with felonious use of a firearm, and one count of second-degree murder. A motive for the shooting has not yet been revealed by prosecutors. Continue reading

April 18, 2014

19-year-old Columbus Man Denied Appeal of Conviction and Sentencing

by Scott Grabel

A 19-year-old Columbus, OH man who was convicted in July of this year on charges of felonious assault, aggravated robbery, aggravated trafficking in drugs, and other charges has had his conviction and sentencing appeal denied by the Court of Appeals of Ohio Fourth Appellate District, according to an article at Logan Daily.

Warren Love, the defendant, appealed his conviction and sentencing based on his belief that in imposing his sentence of 23 years, the trial court committed a harmful error. Love also argued that he was convicted even though there was insufficient evidence.

Bill Archer, Hocking County Assistant Prosecutor, said that Love is a “thug” who “brought his crime show” to Hocking. Love was convicted of shooting a man in the leg in January of last year during a drug deal. Apparently, the shooting victim handed over his money, but Love shot him instead of giving him the drugs he paid for. On April 10, the Court of Appeals filed a judgment which affirmed the conviction and sentencing originally handed down by the Hocking County Common Pleas Court. Continue reading

March 28, 2014

19-year-old Accused of November 2013 Murder of 71-year-old Ann Arbor Man Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Murder

by Scott Grabel

In December of last year, we wrote about the murder of 71-year-old David Maurer, an Ann Arbor man living in a senior community who had been robbed and was found dead inside his apartment. Now, one of the three defendants in the case has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Mark Paling, a 19-year-old resident of Melvindale, agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder, larceny in a building, and conspiracy to commit unarmed robbery in exchange for dismissal of charges of larceny of weapons and unarmed robbery, according to a news article at Mlive.com. Second-degree murder is punishable by a maximum of life in prison, however the judge in the case agreed to sentence Paling to a maximum of 40 years in prison as part of the plea deal.

Paling and his co-defendants, Richard Thompson and Rikky Ranger, met the victim through Grindr, a gay dating app. Maurer met the three young men on November 23 at Melvindale, who followed Maurer back to his apartment for an evening of partying – drinking, smoking marijuana, and according to one of the defendants, engaging in sexual activity.

Paling testified that Thompson actually killed Maurer after he got the elderly man in a chokehold. Paling admitted that he gave Thompson a signal, but said that he and Ranger began stealing the victim’s property, which included money from a safe, an iBook laptop, and cellphone.

Paling said that he did not know that Maurer was dead after Thompson got the man in a chokehold, but that Thompson kicked the victim, who did not move. The autopsy supported that Maurer’s death was due to strangulation, according to attorneys who confirmed the fact in court.

As part of the plea deal, Paling also agree to testify against Ranger and Thompson; it has not yet been determined whether either of the co-defendants are competent to stand trial, as both are alleged to suffer from cognitive issues. All three of the defendants remain in jail.

In some cases, it is beneficial for a defendant to accept a plea agreement from prosecutors, particularly when the evidence to support a conviction is overwhelming. In this case, had Paling not accepted the plea deal he may have spent the rest of his life behind bars. According to the news article, Judge Darlene O’Brien set the minimum number of years Paling will serve at 22 1/2 years. Whether a defendant should accept a plea agreement or maintain his/her innocence and proceed to trial depends on whether the defendant is in fact innocent of the charges, and what the defendant and his/her attorney determine to be the best approach in terms of punishment.

March 21, 2014

Woman Who Allegedly Fired Gun at McDonald’s to Get No Plea Deal

by Scott Grabel

In early February of this year, 29-year-old Shaneka Monique Torres was arrested after allegedly shooting at a McDonald’s drive-through window when the burger she ordered didn’t have the bacon she requested, according to news articles at Mlive.com. Torres was charged with discharging a firearm at an occupied structure, carrying a concealed weapon, and felonious use of a firearm.

It all began when Torres arrived home with her burger to discover that it contained no bacon. She called the McDonald’s restaurant, told them what had happened, and gave them her name and telephone number when told that she would get a free meal for her trouble. That evening, Torres and a friend went out clubbing. At around 3 a.m., Torres decided that she and her friend would stop by and get the free meal she had been promised. Torres allegedly ordered a burger with bacon, and again, there was no bacon on the sandwich. At this point, Torres, who was a passenger in the vehicle driven by a friend, pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot through the closed window on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The employee had just walked away from the drive-through window when Torres fired the gun; the bullet traveled through the entire restaurant from west to east, according to news reports.

Grand Rapids police Lt. Patrick Merrill said there was no angry encounter, and that even the driver was stunned. Employees heard a noise, and believed something had hit the floor when they heard the noise. They did not realize a gun had been fired until they saw the hole in the drive-through window.

On March 20, Torres was present in Kent County Circuit Court where she learned that prosecutors will not offer her a plea deal. Torres could spend up to seven years in prison if found guilty of the charges against her.

In Michigan, intentionally discharging a firearm at an occupied building or structure is a felony offense, leaving the defendant facing a maximum of four years in prison along with possible fines of up to $2,000 if found guilty. Carrying a concealed weapon is also a serious crime in the state, illegal for individuals who do not have a license to carry.