Brother Arrested in Fatal Stabbing of 8-Year-Old California Girl

Suspects Butt Dial 9-1-1 During Alleged Burglary

May 192013

Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(FRESNO, Calif.) — Accidentally butt dialing someone is embarrassing or inconsequential to most, but for two Fresno, Calif., men, their cell phone mishap landed them in jail.

The call, which went to 911, started like any other call to the police dispatcher, with the operator asking, “What is your emergency?”

But when no one answered, the operator didn’t hang up, instead staying on the line and listening to the pair, who police identified as Nathan Teklemariam and Carson Rinehart, both 20, as they talked about wanting to do drugs. It wasn’t long before the conversation turned to breaking into a car.

“Get the bolt and give me the hammer just in case,” one of the two voices on the phone said.

Shortly after that statement, the dispatcher heard a window shatter and the people on the phone started yelling that they found prescription drugs.

As the two were driving away, police were already in the area searching for the men based on clues that the 911 dispatcher was feeding to them.

The police finally tracked the suspects down and pulled them over. The suspects acted confused and questioned what why they were being pulled over, police said.

“Oh, he’s following me, dog,” one of the suspects said in the recording. “Wow, what the [expletive] did I do?”

As they were being questioned, the suspects allegedly denied any wrongdoing, but after searching the car, police said they found items that allegedly were taken from the burglarized vehicle.
After being cuffed, the suspects were finally told how they were caught.

“This fool really called 911?” one of the suspects said. “Damn.”

“I have never heard of something like this,” Sgt. Jaime Rios of the Fresno Police Department told ABCNews.com. “There have been times where the dispatcher hears something like this, but never has a call come in before a crime being committed and staying on all the way to the end.”

Rios said the suspects are being charged with burglary, conspiracy and possession of stolen property.

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New York City Man Killed in Anti-Gay Hate Crime

May 192013

Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — New York City police say a deadly shooting that took place in Greenwich Village Saturday was an anti-gay hate crime.

32-year-old Harlem resident Marc Carson and his companion were just blocks from the famous Stonewall Inn when a group approached them, making anti-gay slurs.

Police say that one member of the group, Elliot Morales, asked the two men if they were “gay wrestlers,” and later asked “do you want to die here?”

Morales then pulled out a gun and shot Carson in the face, according to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. He died in the hospital soon afterwards.

An officer arrested Morales a few blocks away from where the shooting took place.

This is the latest in a series of bias attacks on gay men in the area, and police are investigating to see if there is any connection between this incident and earlier ones.

“It’s a really sad affair,” said Sean Williams, a friend of Carson.

“I mean, come on. This is 2013. Who’s killing people for being gay nowadays?”

Hostages Rescued After Two-Day Standoff in Trenton

May 122013

Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(TRENTON, N.J.) — A 36-hour standoff with an armed man who took 3 children hostage in a Trenton, New Jersey, home ended early Sunday after SWAT teams fatally shot the suspect and rescued the children.

Police say Gerald Tyrone Murphy, who was a registered sex offender with an extensive criminal history, had been living with Carmelita Stevens and her family for less than two months. Two weeks ago he killed Stevens along with her 13-year-old son and took the other 3 children, two teenage daughters and a 4-year old boy, hostage in a room upstairs.

Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr. said the standoff began Friday when police arrived at the home to investigate reports that Carmelita Stevens’ children hadn’t been to school in two weeks.

It all came to an end early Sunday morning, according to New Jersey Police superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes.

“A single shot was fired by our entry teams to stop a threatening action against one of the children by Murphy,” Fuentes recounted. “Murphy was wounded, taken into custody and transported to the Fuld medical Center by Trenton EMS. He has since died of his injuries.”

Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini said there are reports that Murphy, who also went by “Skip,” sexually abused the woman’s daughters during the ordeal. The two girls, ages 16 and 18, along with the 4-year-old were taken to a medical center for evaluation and treatment.

Trial in Model’s Alleged Murder by Female Enforcer Set to Begin

May 122013

Comstock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) — Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the trial of Kelly Soo Park, who prosecutors allege strangled an actress and model with her bare hands.

Park, 47, was described in court documents last year as being an enforcer hired by a wealthy doctor to strong-arm anyone who crossed him.

She has been free on $3.5 million bail, awaiting trial for the 2008 murder of Juliana Redding, 21, whom prosecutors say Park killed when the doctor sent her to “intimidate” the young woman.

Redding moved from Arizona to Santa Monica, Calif., to work as an actress and model, but two years after she began her career, Redding was found beaten and strangled in her apartment.

Prosecutors allege Park worked for Dr. Munir Uwaydah as his real estate broker and financial assistant, but was also paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to act as Uwaydah’s “debt collector.” The doctor referred to Park as “James Bond,” according to court documents.

Uwaydah and Redding’s father, Greg Redding, had reportedly planned to go into business together. Redding backed out of the deal on March 10, 2008, according to prosecutors, after he was reportedly concerned Uwaydah’s business was not operating legally.

Park was “dispatched” by Uwaydah to “confront and intimidate” Juliana Redding on March 15, 2008, according to court documents, the date police said Redding was murdered.

Investigators said Park was linked to the crime by DNA evidence, but defense attorneys have argued the real killer was Redding’s boyfriend, John Gilmore.

Gilmore was cleared as a suspect after his girlfriend’s murder and had insisted he had several alibis.

“They’re trying to point the finger at Gilmore, saying he had, at one time, allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend,” ABC News legal analyst Dana Cole said.

Court documents last year said Uwaydah fled the U.S. shortly after Park was arrested in 2010 and has since been living in Lebanon.

Uwaydah has not been charged with a crime. A court motion filed last year specifies that prosecutors are “not seeking to prove that [Park] murdered Ms. Redding at the direction of Dr. Uwaydah,” only that he instructed Park to intimidate and threaten the young actress.

Brother Arrested in Fatal Stabbing of 8-Year-Old California Girl

May 122013

ABC News | Calaveras Unified School District(VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif.) — The 12-year-old brother of 8-year-old Leila Fowler, who said his sister was stabbed to death in their home by an intruder last month, has been arrested.

The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office in Northern California announced the arrest of the 12-year-old boy late Saturday. His name is not being released since he is a minor. He is expected to be charged with homicide.

On April 27, Leila’s brother told authorities he found his sister’s body stabbed to death after an intruder broke into their home.

The 12-year-old said he called his parents, who alerted sheriff’s deputies. The boy told authorities the intruder, who he described as a tall man with a muscular build, fled the scene.

The boy’s description launched a sweeping manhunt, as authorities warned residents to be on the lookout for an “armed and dangerous” suspect.

The 15-day investigation included going door to door of more than 300 homes, searching storage sheds and stables and sending divers to search two reservoirs for clues.

Authorities initially said Leila’s brother was not a suspect, but acknowledged they were still going to speak with him.

“We are continuing to talk to him, which would be normal because he was the last person with the child,” Calaveras County Sheriff’s Capt. Jim Macedo said at a news conference last month.

Macedo said at the news conference investigators had collected fingerprints and what they believed to be DNA at the crime scene.

It was not immediately known what led authorities to arrest the 12-year-old boy on Saturday.

Officials are not answering questions, and the children’s parents are not available for comment.

After a tense two weeks, Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz said he hoped the arrest would bring some peace of mind to a community that has been on edge.

“Citizens of Calaveras County, you can sleep a little better tonight,” he said.

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