CSB: Crime Scene Blog

Over the last 2 years, four women have been killed in Daytona Beach.  Evidence, including DNA recovered from the victims, linked the cases to one killer.

This week Daytona Beach police arrested a doctor who was posing as a police officer.  He was found with a prostitute, handcuffs, and a weapon.  Jerrold Ecklind is cooperating police, including submitting to a DNA test.  The results of the testing have not been released yet.

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Two more updates have come down this week regarding the pending sanity trial of Sheila LaBarre.  She has already pleaded guilty by reason of insanity to the murders of Kenneth Countie and Micheal Deloge, so all that remains is for a jury to decide if she was insane at the time of the two attacks.

Judge Tina Nadeau has ruled on a defense challenge of prosecution witness Mark Safarik, a former FBI profiler.  He was due to tell jurors that LaBarre was sane, and in fact exhibited some of the classic signs of a serial killer when she committed the two murders, years apart.  Among his evidence is the fact that after killing Micheal Deloge, she continued on with her life, eventually meeting Kenneth Countie on an online dating site and eventually having him move in with her.  It was just a few months after he went to stay with her in Epping, NH that he went missing.

Judge Nadeau said in her ruling that while Safarik could be considered an expert witness regarding certain areas of the case, he was not an expert on her psychological condition at the time of the murders.  She also did not believe LaBarre integrated herself back into society after she murdered Deloge, something which is one of the hallmarks of the FBI-recognized definition of a serial killer.

It was also revealed that along with bones and blood that was matched to Deloge and Countie, there were also toes discovered at the LaBarre home, which did not belong to either man.  This points to the possibility there is yet another victim, but Judge Nadeau concluded that introducing this new evidence would prejudice the jury.

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Court Documents released in Nassau County show that Leatrice Brewer, the woman who confessed to drowning her three children and laying them out on a bed together before calling police, will use an insanity defense.

The fathers of the children told investigators they had filed numerous reports with authorities regarding her erratic and sometimes threatening actions.  They even told child welfare case workers Brewer had threatened to hurt the children, but they did nothing to remove the children.

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Earlier this year, Sheila LaBarre pleaded guilty by reason of insanity to the murders of Kenneth Countie and Micheal Deloge.  While this elminated the need for a criminal trial, the court must now come to a decision on whether she truly was insane at the time of the murders.  This entails bringing forth witnesses that can testify to her state of mind.

Those witness lists, from both the prosecutors and defense attorneys were released last week.  The prosecutors list contained 140 names, while the defense plans on calling roughly half that with 73 people on their list.

Included in the list are neighbors of LaBarre, some of whom have called her crazy, while others say she is smart and calculating, but not insane.  There are also friends of hers, including one lady she met and became acquainted with shortly after Countie’s disappearance.  Several employees of the Wal-Mart store where she brought Countie have also been called as witnesses.  They have made statements to authorities of how weak Countie seemed just days before it is believed LaBarre murdered him and burned his body at her Epping, NH home.

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Prosecutors believe that the woman they have charged with slashing a mother’s throat and stealing her baby is close to entering a plea agreement where she will be effectively plead guilty to the charges against her.

Shannon Torrez is accused of attacking Stephanie Oschenbine and slashing her throat.  She then kidnapped her 7-day-old baby.  After a brief search for the child, a relative of Torrez discovered that the child Torrez had claimed was hers, was actually the missing baby, Abigale Lynn Woods.  The child was returned, unharmed to her parents and Torrez was arrested.

Now it appears prosecutors and defense attorneys have reached an agreement where she will enter what is known as an Alford plea.  In this form of plea, the defendant does not admit quilt, but does acknowledge there is enough evidence against them to convince a jury of their guilt.  In most states where this is allowed, it is regarded as the same as a jury verdict of guilty, even during the sentencing phase.

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Jurors in the Sheila LaBarre case will be taken to her horse farm in Epping at the request of the prosecutors.  They put forth a motion, which the judge approved, to show jurors specific areas of the property that are relevant to the case.

Since LaBarre has already pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, so jurors will only be asked to determine if they believe she was insane at the time she committed the two murders she has admitted to, those of Micheal Deloge and Kenneth Countie.

Part of the tour will include the exterior of the house and the location where her truck was when police arrived.  They will not be allowed inside the home since it has deteriorated while the trial was proceeding.  They will also see the Epping Wal-Mart where video footage showed her pushing Countie around in a wheelchair, getting what appeared to be gas cans.  This is the same Wal-Mart where patrons and employees told investigators they saw Kenneth Countie appear to get more and more disheveled and his health slipping during visits there by him and LaBarre.

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Rachel Booth was physically and sexually abused by her father, Matthew Booth for years.  The young girl, as she told a neighbor, had “had enough.”  It was then she took her father’s shotgun, pointed it at him, and shot him in the face, killing him instantly.

Rachel was initially placed in adult prison, but was quickly removed and placed in a mental center while she was cared for and evaluated.

Today the 14-year-old pleaded guilty to killing her father and was sentenced to probation.  She will remain under juvenile probation until she reaches the age of 21.

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It is sad that this young girl had to not only endure the terror of being abused by her father, but she had to take matters into her own hands because she saw this as the only way out of her terrible situation.  We can only hope that she will receive the counseling she needs and can take these next few years to piece her life back together.  But the memories she will carry with her are more than any adult should ever have to shoulder.

Emigdio Preciado: On September 5, 2000, cops say Emigdio Preciado, Jr. — a reputed member of a Whittier, Calif. street gang — was pulled over for a busted headlight when he shot a Sheriff’s Deputy. On March 14, 2007, the FBI added Preciado to their Ten Most Wanted list, and now, the FBI have upped the ante: the bounty for information leading to this fugitive’s arrest is now up to $200,000.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=25012

Elby Hars: When Elby Hars was released from jail for sexually abusing his daughter, cops say his victim did more than just forgive and forget.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=31974

Paul Jackson: Cops say that when Paul Erven Jackson went to visit his brother, the pair didn’t engage in the usual family bonding. Instead, police believe they lured teenage girls back to a homemade sex-torture chamber. While Jackson is still on the run, Vance Roberts turned himself in back in September of 2006 and was convicted on June 6, 2007 after an hour of jury deliberation on 24 counts of charges ranging from first-degree kidnap to first-degree rape. On August 3, 2007, Judge Timothy Alexander sentenced Roberts to 108 years in prison.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=41948

Alexis Flores: Iriana DeJesus, 5, was found sexually assaulted and strangled to death in an empty apartment complex near her house in 2000. For years, the case went unsolved, but in March, the FBI in Philadelphia got the break they were looking for: a DNA match from a convicted criminal in another state.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=44983

Dan Hiers: Dan Hiers, a former cop as well as an accused murderer and child molester, is on the U.S. Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted List and is one of AMW’S Dirty Dozen. It’s been three years since cops say he killed his wife, stole her truck, and fled South Carolina. The victim’s mother, Sueli Cohe de Araujo, just flew to Charleston from Brazil for a memorial service on March 15th, the anniversary of Mila’s senseless murder - celebrating her life and reminding the public that Hiers is still on the run. Now, this week, we’re hoping you can help us track him down and teach him a thing or two about justice.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=30956

Greisy Valencia: Greisy Valencia has been eluding authorities since 2002 when her then 11-year-old daughter was discovered by cops wandering the streets — a victim of extreme abuse. Cops desperately want to get this mother in custody and our seeking any clues about her whereabouts.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=25676

Mark Everett: Once upon a time, Mark Everett was a child actor who craved time in front of the camera. Now, cops say he’s a killer on the lam who’s doing everything he can to stay out of sight — and his run from justice isn’t easy with a kid in tow.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=28521

Cesar Laurean: Missing U.S. Marine Cesar Laurean, who fled the country after being charged with the murder of pregnant colleague Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, has been named to John Walsh’s Dirty Dozen list.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=52333

Paul Eischeid: The ATF and police in Tempe, Arizona have charged outlaw biker Paul Eischeid with an act of savagery in the desert. Now, they need your help to get their hands on him.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=27946

Andre Neverson: In July 2002, police say Andre Neverson let a feud with his sister and a bad breakup boil over into a pair of crimes that would make him one of New York’s Most Wanted fugitives. Authorities have cast a wide net for Neverson, but the key to finally tracking him down may be an ex-girlfriend, a video camera, and Neverson’s closeup.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=26623

James Kelly: Michigan authorities are looking for an anesthesiologist who, they say, received child pornography on his computer. Now, they’re worried that this man with means could be up to his old tricks but in a whole new city.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=53479

Jason Brown: So far, AMW tipsters have caught 16 fugitives on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. Now, the FBI has added a new member to the notorious group: a former toy salesman accused of robbing an armored car and murdering the driver.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=29538

All-Star Week 6: A dedicated, life-saving firefighter from New York has been chosen as the sixth weekly finalist in the 2008 America’s Most Wanted All-Star Contest.
http://www.amw.com/features/feature_story_detail.cfm?id=2636

Judge Priscilla Hall today handed down Cesar Rodriguez’s sentence following his conviction last month of manslaughter. He was found guilty of being at least partially responsible for the death of Nixzmary Brown, his 7-year-old stepdaughter in January 2006.

Throughout the trial defense attorney Jeffrey Schwartz tried to paint Rodriguez as a devoted family man, who only punished Nixzmary because of her constant disobedience and troublemaking. He even went so far as to call her a “little Houdini” in trying to explain why his client would leave her bound in a chair, locked in a room, with only a litter box to use for a toilet.

Rodriguez received the maximum sentence, 29 years in prison.

Since I began covering the Nixzmary Brown case in January 2006, a few readers have visited this site continuously. They have kept up with each update on the case and followed the recent trial of her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez. As the years passed, their numbers have grown, until they represent a large group of commenters here at Crime Scene Blog.

As they came together to pray for Nixzmary and to hope that her tormentors would receive punishment, they came upon an idea. These folks would step out of their virtual world and into the real world, to bring more attention, not only to Nixzmary’s case, but to all abused children.

It is towards that end that they have been working on the Nixzmary Brown Petition, which you can see on this site. It will be presented to Justice Priscilla Hall soon, to show her the resolve of people all over the country who want to see Rodriguez received the longest sentence possible. But they are not stopping at just words on paper.

Nixzmary’s Angels, as I will call them, are also planning a rally in New York in the coming months. They plan to invite several political leaders, as well as members of the District Attorney’s office, so they can witness firsthand the resolve of New Yorkers, and others from around the country. They want to send a message not only New York, but the entire country, that no more children should have to endure the same fate as 7-year-old Nixmary Brown.

But rallies are not cheap. And that is where you, the readers of this blog, come into play. I have readers from around the country and around the world. Many of you cannot hope to get to New York to stand with these other men and women to help stop child abuse. But what you can do is donate a little bit of your money to help make this rally something truly special. Something that will garner the attention of lawmakers and the courts and even common citizens. It is time that we, as citizens, let it be known that we will no longer tolerate the abuse and murder of our children.

Please, take a moment and make a small donation to help support the Nixzmary Rally in New York. If you’d like to make a donation, please send it through PayPal to crimesceneblog@gmail.com.

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