crime

The parents of a victim of serial killer Robert Pickton is accusing the B.C. Coroners Service of mishandling their daughter's remains and lying about it... CBC http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ziann-lum/

ENGLEWOOD – Funeral services Tuesday for a mother and daughter allegedly murdered by the woman’s boyfriend served as a clarion call to escape abusive relationships and to put a halt to domestic violence.
“This tragedy has happened to wake us up,” said the Rev. Lester W. Taylor Jr., pastor of Community Baptist Church, where more than 800 mourners came to pay respects to Tam Marie “Tammy” Pitts-Gaddy, 40, and 5-year-old Natasia “Tay Tay” Gaddy.
Pitts-Gaddy was stabbed to death last week by her boyfriend of three years, according to authorities, who said he then used a plastic bag to suffocate the little girl because she saw him argue with and kill her mother. The suspect, Michael C. Brady, a 34-year-old custodian from Teaneck, was charged with two counts of murder and is being held on $2 million bail.
Addressing the mourners, Taylor said prayer will not stop the domestic violence that has been rampant in the African-American community for years. He urged women not to settle for a relationship that puts them in harm’s way because they think they can’t do better.
“That is not God’s design or will for your life,” he said.
He then turned his message to men, calling domestic violence “evil” and telling men “your religion is in vain, it means nothing” if they abuse their wives or partners.
“We’re not strong men because we can raise our fists,” he said. “To assault a child is another level of evil.”
Pitts-Gaddy’s and her daughter’s bodies were found in their apartment at 276 W. Palisade Ave. on Jan. 29 by relatives who had questioned Brady about their whereabouts when they had been unable to get in touch with them. Brady who is accused of killing them on Jan. 28, broke into the apartment at the relatives’ urging and feigned surprise at finding them dead, authorities have said.
Taylor announced the creation of a domestic violence prevention campaign through Crowned with Glory International Ministries in Englewood, where Pitts-Gaddy’s sister, Angele Frazier-Tanner, is a pastor and where Pitts-Gaddy served as a youth leader, choir director and outreach minister.
The campaign, called the T&T Initiative – for Tammy and Tay Tay – aims to provide shelter for abused women and children in the Englewood area. Ushers at the service passed out envelopes for mourners to use to send contributions.
Elaine Meyerson, executive director of Shelter our Sisters, the largest domestic violence service agency in Bergen County, said Englewoodhas one of the highest domestic violence rates in the county, with 261 cases of domestic violence reported to police in 2010, the most recent year statistics are available.
“We would be thrilled to work with them,” Meyerson said. “The more people who recognize and work toward ending domestic violence will make this a better county and a better world.”
At the service, Frazier-Tanner implored victims of domestic violence to seek help before it is too late.
“Words cannot express the pain we’re feeling right now,” she said. “I am sounding an alarm through the deaths of these two – GET OUT!”
Her words filled the overflowing church where clergy from all over the region joined the community to support Pitts-Gaddy’s family. The service drew local officials, including Englewood Mayor Frank Huttle, his wife, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri-Huttle, and police Chief Arthur O’Keefe.
Some mourners were overcome with grief upon seeing mother and daughter in matching white coffins. Pamela Taylor of Englewood remembered Pitts-Gaddy “coming in and out of my house” as a young girl who befriended her daughters. She described the “hurt and horror” she felt when learning how she and her daughter died.
“I knew her from Head Start all the way through Dwight Morrow” high school, she said. “Her and her baby were of this community. It’s like a family. It’s like a village. We love each other.”
Andrea Pitts, Tammy’s sister-in-law, told the crowd how Natasia, who was in kindergarten at D.A. Quarles Early Childhood Center, loved to color, sing and dress up her dolls. Pitts-Gaddy, the youngest of four siblings, worked for the John Lucky Bus Company in Hackensack.
“Tam had a spirit that drew people to her,” Pitts said. “She was well known as a fun, outgoing, energetic neighborhood auntie who everyone loved and could count on.”
While the wake was mournful, the three-hour funeral service was often a rousing celebration of life, with hundreds of people dancing and clapping, raising their hands and voices to stirring up-tempo music.
“This is a time to galvanize,” said the Rev. Michael McDuffie of Mighty Sons of God Fellowship Church in Paterson. “There is strength in numbers.”
Burial in Maple Grove Cemetery in Hackensackfollowed the service.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's impassioned State of the Union plea to pass gun laws in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre... Michael McAuliff http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-mcauliff/

Sky News Australia
Macdonald shines light on corruption
ABC Online
Former New South Wales mining minister Ian Maconald has told the Independent Commission Against Corruption he agrees that the best disinfectant against corruption is sunlight. On his fourth day in the witness box as part of ICAC's Operation Jasper ...
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Airing of corruption allegations should trouble us allThe Daily Telegraph
The Sunshine Coast Daily -The Canberra Times -CoalGuru.com
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SAN ANTONIO -
The Kristine Meza Foundation, a San Antonio nonprofit foundation dedicated to fighting family violence, remembered its namesake Monday on the second anniversary of her death.

Kristine Meza, described by family and friends as a ray of light, was killed by her ex-boyfriend two years ago as she was headed to work.

The pair had been in an abusive relationship, according to Meza's family, in which her boyfriend would hit her repeatedly.

She left him, and just days later, was shot dead.

Family and friends decided her death would not remain merely a tragedy, however, and decided to do something about it.

"So we created the Kristine Meza Foundation," said Anastacia Isaac-Salazar, one of the foundation's founders. "We are dedicated to being a resource for domestic violence victims in this community."

Isaac-Salazar said their message centers around making sure victims know there are people who care and can help them before it's too late.

"This is such a huge issue in San Antonio, and while some people say it's too big to be beaten, we plan on making a difference one life at a time," said Isaac Salazar.

Kansas City's two worlds, as revealed by crime stats
Kansas City Star
The ominous news for Mayor Sly James, business leaders and many passionate neighborhood leaders south of the river is that this part of Kansas City is the one that gets most of the headlines for violent crime. Kansas City as a whole has gained a ...

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Washington Post
Murder victim's mother continues push for repeal of Maryland's death penalty
Washington Post
Her daughter, Shannon, was raped and murdered the day before she was planning to return home to Chevy Chase from the University of Pennsylvania for the summer. Shannon's brother collapsed when he found her body. But no matter how horrific the crime ...

abc7news.com
Red light camera vendor investigated for corruption
abc7news.com
... for corrupt business practices. Last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel dumped the city's longtime red light camera vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems. News reports disclosed a deepening corruption scandal involving Redflex and a former city official.
Red Light Camera Corruption in ChicagoPocketGPSWorld.com

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VANCOUVER - A 49-year-old man has been deported to South Korea after being arrested on a Vancouver bus for sexual assault.Transit Police say it turned... CP http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ziann-lum/

LOS ANGELES — There was no question. The man standing before Rick Heltebrake on a rural mountain road was Christopher Dorner. Clad in camouflage from... AP http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-moye/

The nearly six-year search for Madeleine McCann must continue as DNA tests proved that a New Zealand lookalike is not long missing British girl. McCann... Michael McLaughlin http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-mclaughlin/

Accused Stanley Cup rioter too drunk to form the intent to riot, his lawyer says
The Province
The first Stanley Cup rioter to plead not guilty shouldn't be convicted of a crime because his “extreme intoxication” prevented him from forming a “specific intent” to riot, his lawyer argued in court on Wednesday. Spencer Kirkwood, 26, entered the not ...

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Yanga ran riot over Lyon
Daily News
YOUNG Africans pounced on the opportunity to pull three points clear at the top of the Vodacom Premier League table when they ruthlessly thumped African Lyon 4-0 at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Red-hot Jerrsyon Tegete continued with his ...

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"It was Christopher Dorner, I knew right away." Authorities haven't yet identified the charred remains that were pulled from the cabin wreckage in Big Bear,... Anna Almendrala http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-almendrala/

WASHINGTON -- Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, adopted on Wednesday a significantly more ominous and expansive line of reasoning than he has... Christina Wilkie http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christina-wilkie/

CBS Local
Irving Crime Rate Drops To Record Low
CBS Local
IRVING (CBS 11 NEWS) – The city of Irving may be the safest it's ever been. The crime rate hit an historic low in 2012, which was also the 8th straight year Irving's total crimes have gone down. Irving recorded three homicides last year and 28 sexual ...

Crime Stoppers offers rewards after Detroit church theft
WDIV Detroit
Crime Stoppers of Michigan offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of whoever stole audio equipment from a Detroit church. The robbery happened in the middle of the night on February 5th, at True Gospel Tabernacle Church.

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Wall Street Journal (blog)
Finmeccanica Board Names New CEO
Wall Street Journal (blog)
Corruption Currents, The Wall Street Journal's corruption blog, digs into the ever-present and ever-changing world of corporate corruption. It is a source of news, analysis and commentary for those who earn a living by finding corruption or by avoiding it.

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San Francisco Chronicle
Fairfield murder suspect appears in court
San Francisco Chronicle
(02-13) 14:54 PST FAIRFIELD -- The man accused of raping and killing a 13-year-old girl and dumping her body in a park in Fairfield made his first court appearance Wednesday while his family and friends of the victim looked on. Anthony Lamar Jones, 32, ...
Suspect In Fairfield Teen's Murder May Face Death PenaltyCBS Local
DA charges Conway-Allen suspect with murderNews10.net
Fairfield park death suspect appears in court; charged with murderKCRA Sacramento

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From zombies to serial killers? According to TVLine, "Walking Dead" actor Nick Gomez has booked a guest starring role on "Dexter" as a hit man... Leigh Weingus http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leigh-weingus/