Michael Plumadore Pleads Not Guilty To Murder Killing Aliahna Lemmon

Michael Plumadore, the man accused of killing Aliahna Lemmon, pleaded not guilty to murder charges today. Plumadore previously confessed to committing the crime and is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and removing a dead body from the scene of a crime.

Allen Superior Court Magistrate Samuel Keirns asked Plumadore whether he understood the charges and proceedings. Plumadore answered each question with "yes, sir."

We already learned that Aliahna was living in a trailer park infested with child molesters where almost half of the homes in the park included at least one name on the Indiana Sex Offender Registry database.Sadly we discover even more about the horror that this little girl endured in her short life. Today we learn that Aliahna Lemmon was sexually assaulted in in 2010 by Kurtis Allen Kennedy.

According to the affidavit, in January 2010, Kennedy admitted to Centerville Police Officer Jeremy Cole and DHS case worker Sarah Bakerduring that he "partially disrob[ed] Aliahna Lemmon, a seven year old child, and plac[ed] his hand on the child’s bare buttock."

The affidavit also states that the victim, Aliahna Lemmon, confirmed Kennedy's admission. At the time of the sexual assault, Aliahna was seven years old and Kennedy was 19 years old.

Later in July, Kennedy was arraigned on a charge of indecent contact with a child, which is an aggravated misdemeanor. In July 2010, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison

When will we stop this insanity? When will we say enough is enough? When are we as a nation going to put our children first?

If you live in the Ft Wayne area there will be a memorial gathering and service has been planned for 9-year-old murder victim Aliahna Marie Maroney Lemmon.

Services are set for 7 p.m. Thursday, January 5 at the First Assembly of God, 1400 West Washington Center Road in Fort Wayne. A gathering will begin one hour prior to the service.

No Justice For Missing American Women In Aruba

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Almost ten years ago my husband and I went to Aruba. I had won the trip and we had an amazing time. The people there were so warm and friendly that we had opined moving there one day.

Just one short year later we learned of the disappearance of Natalee Hollaway who was there on a Senior Class trip. Americans had been shocked as they watched Aruban justice play out with no justice for Natalee. It suprised few people when Joran van der Sloot eventually went on to be arrested for murdering a young woman in Peru.

Now it's as though history is repeating itself with the release of U.S. businessman Gary Giordano, who was detained in connection with the August death of his traveling companion, Robyn Gardner.

It has been three months since Maryland woman Robyn Gardner went missing in Aruba. Prosecutors admitted that they had no body, no murder weapon and no solid motive. But over the past few months, they believed they had accumulated enough circumstantial evidence to keep him jailed for a while.

By the way, Gary Giordano’s lawyer, is none other than Jose Baez. YES THAT Jose Baez.

You see while the $1.5 million travel insurance policy that Giordano had purchased for Gardner the day before they left for Aruba might trouble most people Baez want us to realize who the victim is, HIS CLIENT. For some reason I seem to remember another client of Baez who was also a victim.

Baez says that "It's unfortunate what's happening to him and it angers me, which is why I got involved." Thank goodness Baez. Thank goodness.

“It doesn’t even pass the laugh test,” Baez said today on “Good Morning America.” “You’re going to say a person goes to an island he has never been to before and doesn’t leave a trace of a crime. I don’t buy it. I don’t buy it.” Baez told ABC News that Giordano would be freed Tuesday night at 8 PM and may be home as early as Wednesday.

Aruba is a nation that depends on tourism and this latest missing woman case certainly can't be a big tourist draw.

The Death Of Lindsey Blake Householder

The case of Kathleen Householer still haunts me all these years later. At the time I had an infant son and the fact that a mother's worst fear struck so close to home was unnerving. I can still remember watching Kathleen's tearful pleas for the kidnappers to return her baby and I felt her pain.

At the time I had a brother serving on the police force in Winchester, Virginia. When my asking my brother what the police were doing to find poor Lindsey he told me that he couldn't talk about the case but that he could tell me that there's more to the story than meets the eye.

I knew enough not to ask anything else. It was obviously confidential and he couldn't discuss it but at the time I didn't follow his comment to the next "logical" step. It never occured to me that the mother would lie about her child being kidnapped.

When Kathleen was charged after her daughter's body was found in a garbage bag in the Shenandoah River, I remember doing an almost instant 180 from disbelief to outrage.

How could she have possibly done such a thing to her child and then gone on TV, tears streaming down her face, begging for her child's return while she knew all the while her daughter was already dead.

How quickly we were all willing to reach out to her in her pain as two-week old Lindsey's picture was broadcast by Washington television stations, and the National Missing Child Search Society offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to her recovery.

When police pulled Lindsey's body from the river, one of the officers said she looked like a little doll. The icy waters had kept her little body in a pristine condition and she appeared to be sleeping and you almost expected her to awake at any moment.

In the end, Kathleen Householder, 22, admitted in court Wednesday that she threw a rock at her 2-week-old daughter, Lindsey Blake, and threw her body in the Shenandoah River. She pleaded guilty in West Virginia to voluntary manslaughter after spending a year in jail.

The Rippon, W. Va., woman spent the year in the Jefferson County Jail and will receive credit for the time when she is sentenced March 9, the Morning Herald in Hagerstown, Md., reported.

Voluntary manslaughter carries a penalty of one to five years, so Householder could be released just after her sentencing, because she was given credit for time served while awaiting trial.

Householder said she fatally injured Lindsey on January 3, 1985, as she was preparing to take the baby and her brother Dustin to the pediatrician.

''They were both crying, and I just lost my temper. I grabbed a rock and threw it. I had no intention of doing what I did,'' she said. Dustin, who was three, was not hurt.

It still amazes me to learn that an innocent child's life is only worth a year in jail. Then again I suppose in light of the Casey Anthony trial, I suppose she's served at least some time for her crime

For a long while Lindsey was burried in an unmarked grave just outside of Berryville, Viriginia. It is my understanding that some local people raised money to mark her final resting place.

Farmville Murder

Alexandra V. Tobias pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the murder of her son.

Tobias told investigators that she shook the baby, smoked a cigarette to compose herself and then shook him again. She said the baby may have hit his head during the shaking.”

She will be sentenced in December. State guidelines call for 25 to 50 years, but a prosecutor said it could be shorter than that

Investigators say she was angered because her three month old son was crying while she was playing the game FarmVille. The baby died at the hospital from head trauma.

I mean I just don't get it. Really. I get requests for Farmville games and people giving me things from Farmville but I just ignore them and pretend I don't know what the heck it is.

When I think of things that signify "I have NO LIFE WHATSOEVER" I think of Farmville. FarmVille is a real-time farm simulation. That's right a FARM simulation. What's the matter Dancing With The Stars or Sixteen And Pregnant not on?

I'm shocked by this story but I suppose I shouldn't be. People become addicted to games as if they were heroin. We've created a society of digital dependence, and now we're reaping what we've sown.

Teresa Lewis Is Scheduled to Executed September 25th

Teresa Lewis of Pittsylvania County is schedule to be put to death September 23rd for plotting to have her husband and stepson killed in 2002 so she could collect a $250,000 life insurance policy.

On October 23, 2002, the defendant met Shallenberger and Fuller at a shopping center in Danville.   The defendant went to a bank and obtained $1,200 in cash that she gave to the men to use to purchase firearms and ammunition to kill Julian Lewis.   Antwain D. Bennett, an acquaintance of Shallenberger, used the money to purchase three firearms.   Two of the firearms were shotguns.   Additionally, Bennett purchased ammunition for the weapons.

On that same date, the Teresa told Shallenberger and Fuller the route that Julian Lewis traveled from his place of employment to his home.   The men planned to kill Julian Lewis and “make the murder ․ look like a robbery.”   While the defendant remained at her home, the men were “to follow and stop Julian Lewis on the highway and kill him.”   The plan, however, was unsuccessful.

Consequently, Lewis, Shallenberger, and Fuller decided to kill Julian Lewis at his home on October 30, 2002.   They also decided to kill his son, Charles Lewis, when he returned to Virginia to attend his father's funeral and share the proceeds from Charles Lewis' policy of life insurance.   However, when the conspirators learned that Charles Lewis would be with his father at the mobile home on October 30, 2002, they decided to kill him and his father simultaneously.

Fuller entered a room that was occupied by Charles Lewis.   Fuller shot Charles Lewis three times.   Then Fuller went to the kitchen where he observed the defendant and Shallenberger “pulling money from a wallet.”   Fuller told the defendant and Shallenberger that Charles Lewis “wouldn't die.”   Fuller got Shallenberger's shotgun and returned to the bedroom occupied by Charles Lewis where Fuller shot him two more times.   The men retrieved most of the shotgun shells, and they divided $300 in cash that had been taken from Julian Lewis' wallet.

After shooting the victims, Shallenberger told the defendant that he was sorry she “had to go through something like this;  hugged her and kissed her;  and the men left.”   The defendant waited about 45 minutes after the “last shot was fired,” and she made a telephone call to her former mother-in-law, Marie Bean. Next, she made a telephone call to her best friend, Debbie Yeatts

On Wednesday morning, October 30, 2002, approximately 3:55 a.m., the defendant placed a telephone call to emergency response personnel in Pittsylvania County.   She reported that an intruder had entered her home and shot her husband and his adult son.   She stated that both men were dead.   She said that she had been in the bed with her husband when an intruder armed with a pistol entered her bedroom and said, “Get up.”   Her husband told her to go into the bathroom, and her husband asked the intruder, “What's going on?”   The defendant said that her husband was shot four or five times while she was in the bathroom.   She reported that the shooting had occurred at 3:15 or 3:30 a.m.

Sheriff deputies Harris Silverman and Corey Webb arrived at the murder scene at approximately 4:18 a.m., 23 minutes after Teresa made the telephone call to the emergency response personnel.   The deputies met Teresa at the front door of her home, and she stated that her husband's body was on the floor in one bedroom and that her stepson's body was in another bedroom.   When Deputy Webb entered the master bedroom, he learned that Julian Lewis was alive.   Julian Lewis “made slow moans” and uttered, “[B]aby, baby, baby, baby.”   Deputy Webb asked the victim his name, and he responded, “Julian.”   Deputy Webb asked Julian Lewis if he knew who had shot him, and the victim responded, “My wife knows who done this to me.”

Teresa Lewis has an IQ of 72, close to the level of intellectual disability that would exempt her from the death penalty. She has been diagnosed with a dependent personality disorder that meant she looked to others for help and direction, and she was addicted to prescription drugs at the time of the crime.

Lewis pleaded guilty to capital murder, allowing a judge to determine her sentence. Her attorneys believed she stood a better chance of getting a life prison term from the judge who had never sentenced anyone to death, than from a jury.

Will Teresa be executed on September 23? I am not certain but I believe there will be a delay to hear her appeal.

Pandora Zan And Her Son Are Charged With Murder

I came across this case on the internet and once again I am lost as to why a parent would drag their child into their criminal behavior.

Pandora Zan (45) and her son Cody Hendersonare charged with murdering Pandora's husband, Charles Zan II (45).

The Miamisburg woman was arrested on allegations of forgery and money laundering. he allegedly passed fraudulent $50 bills. Charles Zan, a former state prison guard at Warren Correctional Institution in Lebanon, was stabbed more than 40 times in his bed in the couple’s apartment.

She was later indicted on three counts of complicity to commit aggravated murder, two counts of complicity to commit aggravated robbery, two counts of tampering with evidence and one count of obstructing justice. If convicted, she could face life without parole.

Public records show the Zans lived in turmoil for much of their seven-year marriage, facing home foreclosure, bankruptcies and separations. On her personal Web site, pandisbipolarlife.com, Pandora Zan said her mental health problems were to blame for most of their troubles.

Cody Wayne Henderson, 19,was arrested for the Oct. 17 early morning stabbing death of his stepfather, Charles S. Zan II, 45, of Miamisburg.

Not to paint all Juggalos with a broad brush but on Cody's webiste he claims to be a Juggalo 4 Life.

According to her blog she was with her husband Charles for seven years and has a 21 year old daughter and a 19 year old son as well as 2 step-sons aged 18 and 22. She was also approved for disability because of the bipolar, depression, and fibromyalgia.

It seems that she has a long history of mental illness and that she had attempted to get help but she admits that when she began to feel normal she would stop taking her meds. This actually is not unusual for the mentally ill.

The question is, how do you approach your son and say, look I want you to help me kill your step-dad. Does it help smooth things over when Mom offers to pay you for killing your step-dad? How does a son say, "Sure Mom. I'll kill him." How do you stab someone 40 times while sleeping in his own bed?

I just don't understand.

Paul Merhige Has Been Captured

Last night I was watching America's Most Wanted. For years I seldom missed an episode but as time went by I eventually did stop watching. I suppose I parted ways with the show when it was no longer on one of the big three stations and word of John's affair came out into the news. As a matter of fact I honestly didn't realize that it was still on the air.

One of the segments that was featured was about Paul Merhinge. Police say Merhige shot and killed his 33-year-old twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight (who was pregnant), both of Miami, along with his aunt Raymonde Joseph, 76, and his young cousin Makayla Sitton.

You could tell that the story of the brutal murder of a six year old really effected John, who lost his beloved son Adam at the same age. He told them not blame themselves and reminded them that there was only one person who is to blame and that is the monster who killed their beloved daughter. You couldn't help but be effected too as you watched video of Makayla Sitton singing what appeared to be a Christmas song.




Merhige sat through three hours of dinner and sing-a-longs around the piano before the shootings, Sitton has said. There were no arguments, warnings or red flags before the rampage.

Authorities have said Merhige carefully planned the killings. Sitton has said Merhige was heard saying after the shootings that he had waited 20 years to kill the relatives.

My husband looked at me and said, "This case is a case that the death penalty was made for." As the video of the little girl singing flashed on the screen, I couldn't help but agree.

Jupiter Police Sgt. Scott Pascarella said that Paul Merhige was arrested without a struggle Saturday night at a motel in the Florida Keys. Pascarella credited the TV show "America's Most Wanted" for the tip that led to Merhige's capture on Long Key.

According to US Marshals, Merhige was on his computer when U.S. Marshals and local deputies entered his motel room.

Authorities said Merhige checked into the motel in Dec. 2, using the name "John Baca" and a false Homestead address. He had the same blue 2007 Toyota Camry that had been a key part of the manhunt, but police said it was hidden with a covering at the Keys motel.

He faces four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the shootings, which also injured two other people.

There was no indication Saturday that Merhige had an attorney. Authorities said he was being taken to the Palm Beach County jail.

This capture reminded me again why I always loved America's Most Wanted. In a society that proudly announces "Don't Snitch" I'm glad that there are some people out there who will help authorities and society by helping authorities.

The Economy Claims four More Lives

A home-improvement worker and school janitor who apparently was struggling to survive the recession killed his sleeping wife and two children before turning the 12-gauge shotgun on himself, Maryland State Police said Saturday.

It is possible that financial difficulties were part of the motive.

Police announced the findings one day after the bodies of Dalton, his wife Jennifer, 37, and their children Charles Jr., 14, and Emmaline, 7, were found in their home in Mount Airy. Mt Airy is a Fredrick County town of 8,800 about 30 miles west of Baltimore.

The bodies of Jennifer Dalton and the children were found in their beds. Charles Dalton's body was lying in the master bedroom next to the bed.

Dalton also fatally shot the family's beagle in a crate inside the home's front door, he said.

Investigators believe the deaths occurred Thursday night or Friday morning. Shipley said Jennifer Dalton failed to report to her part-time job at a veterinary hospital in Damascus, prompting co-workers to try to contact her starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday. No one answered their calls or came to the door.

family friend called 911 at about 5:30 p.m. Friday after spotting a body through a rear window of the split-level house, Shipley said.

Charles Dalton was a self-employed cabinet installer who ran his business, Imagine Millwork, out of his home. He also worked the night shift as a maintenance worker for Montgomery County schools, Shipley said.

The house, on a corner lot in a modest, middle-class neighborhood, had a "for sale" sign out front. It had been on the market for at least a year, neighbors said.

How many more lives will this economy take?

Baby Killed By Mom's Boyfriend

It is a Mother's worse nightmare. Her baby was killed by the man she was dating. The boyfriend is being charged with rape and murder of the eight month old baby.

The 17 year old had a lengthy criminal history with arrests for possession of crack cocaine, possession of marijuana, obscenity, battery on a correctional officer, three counts of battery on a school teacher, three counts of theft, illegal carrying of a weapon and assault. I know some people would say, well you can't judge someone based on the criminal record but I think I would be very hesitant to bring entrust someone with an obvious anger problem with my child.

Officers were called to an apartment on Gary Court where an infant, Da-Von Lonzo, was unresponsive, Fortunato said. The baby was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead

Does this mean the Mom deserved what happened? Absolutely not. The child did not deserve this. What we do have to ask is why this young man was not either receiving some kind of treatment for what's wrong with him and/or why is he not incarcerated? I realize I'm much older than my husband but MY GOD he wasn't a seventeen year old KID when I was dating him. He was a grown man with a Master's Degree in Engineering so he wasn't some babe in the woods.

After an autopsy on the child, the Coroner’s Office classified the infant’s death as a homicide, following evidence that the child had fractures consistent from a beating, Fortunato said.

A 17-year-old man, Arnold Ross, Terrytown, who claimed to be the boyfriend of Lonzo’s 34-year-old mother, told detectives that the infant fell down the stairs, Fortunato said.

After questioning by detectives, Ross admitted to beating the child. The child began “defecating on himself,” at which point Ross stuck his finger in the child’s rectum to try and clean him, deputies said.

Today there was no new word from the sponsors so I'm figuring they've read my new email and it's all cleared up. Most of the rest of the day was spent running errands. We got my tire plugged and we worked more on the garden.

Today I received Season 4 of the Hills. I won it but Darryl says I need to give it away in a blog contest. He's always wanting to giveaway everything I win.

One Of My Birdies Died Today

Every morning I get my video camera out and take a video of my birdies from a safe distance using the zoom on the camera. When I first noticed the nest I saw that there were four eggs. Then days later I noticed that there were three birds.

I've been documenting their life every day since I noticed they have hatched, now I realize that one of them has died. We found him lying on the ground beneath the nest. He must have been there for a little while because he already had mites crawling into his chest and his heart was exposed out of his chest.

I checked Alexa today and it shows I'm ranked 3,323,807. I guess like George and Weezy I'm movin' on up. Still it's slow progress. I picked up another couple of subscribers. It's interesting to watch this thing grow. If only I lived such a fabulous life that others would follow this site.

This morning was a busy day with grocery shopping, tending to the garden, and entering the end of the month sweeps. Darryl often says I'm listening to TV rather than watching it. That might be a little true. I watch but I'm also entering sweeps. Yesterday was a busy sweep day because it was an end of the month day. So while I "watched" Dallas, I entered content on ThriftyMaven and entered contests.

Then Darryl asked me, "Tiller got shot?" "Tiller?" I answered. Almost as soon as I asked the question I recognized the name. In the past he has been identified as one of the only doctors who perform late term abortions in the United States. Some media markets have labeled him as "Tiller the Baby Killer."

"Shot?" I asked. "Yeah he was shot. When did that happen?" He asked me. I had no clue. This was news to me. Darryl is one of the many people who is convinced I've already heard about a story on the news. In this case I had to claim I knew nothing about it.

The man who committed this in custody. His name is Scott Roeder and he was taken into custody some 170 miles away in a Kansas City suburb about three hours after the shooting.

In 1996, a 38-year-old man named Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with criminal use of explosives for having bomb components in his car trunk and sentenced to 24 months of probation. However, his conviction was overturned on appeal the next year after a higher court said evidence against Roeder was seized by law enforcement officers during an illegal search of his car.

At the time, police said the FBI had identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, an organization that kept the FBI at bay in Jordan, Mont., for almost three months in 1995-96. Authorities on Sunday night would not immediately confirm if their suspect was the same man.

If one proclaims to be pro-life then one adheres to the belief that ALL LIFE is sacred. For me the Death Penalty has always been difficult for me. I said in an earlier post how difficult it is to reconcile a belief that all life is sacred and yet feel that it's OK to EVER execute someone. I remember the words that everyone is sacred in the good Lord's sight. Then sometimes someone commits a horrific crime like the rape and murder of a child and you rage and call for their death.

I do NOT equate Dr. Tiller in that category. I do not, have not, EVER wished for anything bad to happen to a doctor who performs abortions. I do not, have not, EVER support things like blowing up abortion clinics or killing doctors who perform abortions. I do NOT and have NEVER had the authority to condemn anyone to hell, although I have suggestion that my ex-husband go there on an extended stay.

I think the majority of people who are pro-life, like I am, do not feel that way at all. Two of my best friends had had abortions before I met them. When they told me it never colored the way I felt about them. It never stopped me from caring about them or seeing them for the wonderful caring mothers I knew them to be.

I think like a lot of people, I'd love to see a time when abortions were rare. As a rape victim, I know how it feels to be fearful that you might be pregnant by your attacker. For me I prayed and came to the conclusion that I would give such a baby up. Fortunately for me I did not become pregnant. I understand and the church even says that in cases when the mother's life is in danger a woman might choose abortion.

I do NOT understand how someone who proclaims to be PROLIFE can deign to take another's life. I hate the fact that some NUT can do something like this and now people like me will be painted with the broad brush of psycho, clinic bomber, anti-abortion wack-job. It got me just as angry because hours later they publicly identified the last doctor who performs late term abortions here in the United States. This is crazy. Why not draw a bull's eye on this other doctor to make the next nut's job easier?

George Tiller was killed the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church while serving as an usher. His wife was in the choir. I hope he doesn't start spouting off that God told him to do this or that he was doing God's work.

Here are the posts I entered today:

Prize: Vado pocket-sized video camera in choice of pink or silver from Creative Labs (ARV $79.99).

http://www.astheygrowup.com/2009/05/excalibur-dehydrator-review-giveaway.html

The Nightmare Edition Of Ground Hogs Day

Here's an update on that homicide in Middletown, Maryland. Last night when my husband and I were watching the news and the story of this horrific murder/suicide came on we both looked at each other. It was like we were living in the movie Ground Hogs Day gone wrong. Instead of a man trying to better his life after living the same day over and over we were witness to scenes like this over and over and over again with no way to change the outcome.

The name of the community was familiar because it was just outside of Frederick, Maryland. When I was doing my student teaching I taught in Thurmont, Maryland and I had to drive near or through Middletown, Maryland. Back then, as I would wind my way through places like Boonsboro I would often think to myself what a beautiful area this was. People would commute from Frederick to DC or Baltimore and come home to a rural area where life was far less hectic than a drive on the Beltway.

When we first heard the story the announcer had said the victims were shot to death and I tried to imagine how someone could actually do such a thing. I learned later taht he actually brutally stabbed his family. This, as anyone in law enforcement would tell you, is an even more personal way of killing. You cann shoot someone and be detached from the situation but stabbing requires you to position yourself close to the victim and often repeat the action over and over. It became an even more unfathomable crime to me. Stabbing a two year old?

Wood left five separate suicide notes to family members, scattered about the house. One said he was having psychological problems and taking medication, Jenkins said. Wood was also in debt, and investigators were exploring that as a possible motive. In at least one note, Wood apologized, the sheriff said. Well I guess that makes it OK now doesn't it?

Here are the blog contests I entered:

Prize: $25 Outback Steakhouse gift card.

Prize: Two complimentary meal passes to Sweet Tomatoes.

Prize: Free and Clear Starter Kit from Seventh Generation.

Prize: Two coupons for a free Chili's Guiltless Grill entree.

Prize: Seventh Generation Starter Kit.

Prize: Exergen TemporalScanner thermometer.

Prizes (5): Two boxes of Electrasol Finish Quantum dishwashing detergent and two bottles of Jet Dry Turbo Dry (ARV $20).

Prizes (3): Freshwater pearl bracelet.

Prize: Bissell Little Green Machine.

Prizes (2): 3-pack photo DVD backup from Clickfree.

Prizes (3): Freshwater pearl bracelet.

Farrah Fawcett Hospitalized; Family Gathers

What girl who hit her teens in the mid-seventies didn't know who Farrah Fawcett was? She was the woman who's picture was pinned up on your boyfriend's bedroom wall, the woman he secretly wished was his. This was the woman who appeared weekly on Charlie's Angels (another show I never watched). It was Farrah's hair that every girl wanted to emulate.

There were a couple of really good tv movies in which she appeared. One was "The Burning Bed" and the other was " and "Small Sacrifices." I had read the book Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule and I found Farrah's portrayal to be very compelling.

I also remember her from Cannonball Run because that was a very popular series of movies back in the 1980s. It was campy, slapstick comedy movie released in 1981 that starred Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise and Farrah Fawcett. The premise is very similar to the earlier Cannonball and The Gumball Rally (both 1976). It also has two sequels, 1984's Cannonball Run II and 1989's Speed Zone! The latter was also known as Cannonball Fever and is sometimes overlooked as being part of the series.

Her long term relationship with Ryan O'Neal was fodder for Grocery store rags. Her son Redmond had his share of troubles.

Farrah, 62, was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006 and later pronounced cancer free at a press conference. She has been hospitalized and is critical but stable in a Los Angeles-area hospital. They also say she is unconscious and has been hospitalized for days.

Sometimes actors die and I feel sad in a passing sense. I think it's always sad when someone dies. Sometimes though I feel their death a little more closely. This is a person who's life was played out every week as public fodder. She is a woman of whom I emulated and was jealous of all the same. I will feel sad at her passing.

Ryan O’Neal has been by Farrah’s bedside, as has troubled son Redmond, who bolted from rehab earlier this week.

Here is an update on the tragedy that happened in Pittsburg. Friends of Richard Poplawski (23 year-old)said he feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.

One friend, Edward Perkovic, said Poplawski feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon."

Another longtime friend, Aaron Vire, said he feared that President Obama was going to take away his rights, though he said he "wasn't violently against Obama."

Perkovic, a 22-year-old who said he was Poplawski's best friend, said he got a call at work from him in which he said, "Eddie, I am going to die today. ... Tell your family I love them and I love you."

Mr. Perkovic got his GED and then joined the Marine Corps. He was dishonorably discharged from the corps during basic training. Friends said he wanted out so he could rejoin his girlfriend.

When that relationship failed, Mr. Poplawski moved for two years to Florida where he worked as a glazier, helping to asemble and replace windows. He returned here in 2006 or 2007.

The fight between the Poplawski and his mother was over a dog urinating in the house.
The fight escalated to the point that she threatened to kick him out and called police to do it, according to a 12-page criminal complaint and affidavit filed late Saturday that contains her account.

When officers Paul Sciullo III and Stephen Mayhle arrived, Margaret Poplawski opened the door and told them to come in and take her 23-year-old son, apparently unaware that he had grabbed a long rifle and was standing behind her, according to the court papers. She told investigators she heard gunshots, spun around and ran to the basement, shouting, "What the hell have you done?"

Darryl and I had talked about where this country is headed as the recession gets worse. People don't know if we are headed for a depression or a period of hyper-inflation. While we were having this conversation we were interrupted by another news bulletin. This time a father killed his five children.

The father killed his children, Ages 7 To 16 in their trailer. The father's body was found miles away. Four of the children were shot in their beds and the fifth was shot in the bathroom in Graham, 15 miles southeast of Tacoma, Pierce County deputies said.

In this case the man and his oldest daughter had caught his wife with another man at a local store. They argued and he begged her to come come. She didn't. He was upset that his wife was threatening to leave him.

This has been such a busy day and it seems as though I got nothing done. Here are the blog contests I entered:


Prize: Exergen TemporalScanner thermometer.

Prize: Windex Outdoor All-In-One Glass Cleaning Tool starter kit.

Prizes (2): Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal.

Prize: Exergen TemporalScanner infrared thermometer.

Prize: Exergen TemporalScanner thermometer.

Prize: Windex Outdoor All-in-One Starter Kit.

Prize: Exergen TemporalScanner thermometer.

Prizes (5): Pair of Keds Green Label shoes.

Prize: Deep covered baker from The Pampered Chef (ARV $70).

Prize: Pizza Hut e-gift card good for PANormous pizza, drinks, and dessert.

Prize: The Tudors The Complete First Season and The Complete Second Season DVDs.

Edward Nathaniel Bell Becomes Virginia's 103 Execution

This seems to be a week of sad posts. My brother Bill is a former Winchester, Virginia policeman. This is why the murder of Sgt. Richard Timbrook hit too close to home for our family. They say Winchester is a city, but even back in 1999 it still seemed to be more of a very large town than a city. People knew one another through school or through relatives so the death of one person touched so many in the city. This was particularly sad because his wife was pregnant with their only child. His son Ricky Lee Timbrook II born on December 22, 1999.

Below is a newspaper account of the death of Sgt. Timbrook:

At approximately 11:53 p.m. on October 29th, 1999, City of Winchester Police Sergeant Ricky L. Timbrook was fatally wounded while in foot pursuit with a subject who violated probation. While Sgt. Timbrook was pursuing the suspect, the suspect stopped, turned around, and fired one shot from a .38 caliber handgun striking Sgt. Timbrook on the forehead killing him instantly. Sgt. Ricky L. Timbrook was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m. October 30th at the Winchester Medical Center.

The story was all over the local news every day. This was an officer who received numerous commendations, awards, and recognition's for his law enforcement service. He served as a DARE Officer for the city school system, a Field Training Officer, a Defensive Tactics Instructor, and was a member of the Special Operations Team (SWAT). It could have just as easily have been my brother.

After the trial and conviction of Edward Nathaniel Bell, the story began to fade from view. The media found new stories to chase. Winchester actually resembles the city I was told that it always was. There is suburban sprawl from DC commuters who built their homes in the area to escape the crime and violence of the big city. The small school, where I spent my senior year with 98 other upper classmen is no longer used as a high school. The high school is now a huge sprawling brick building built in what used to be an apple orchard when my family first moved there. The very things people fled the city for, congestion and crime, are a part of the fabric of this once bucolic area.

Then today I saw an article that brought this case back to me. The headlines screamed “Virginia Inmate Forcibly Carried to Death Chamber.” Wow. Can you imagine that? Six stocky corrections officers pulled him through the doorway and lifted him onto the gurney.

Since the execution happened in Virginia I wondered if I was familiar with the case. The name of the man who was executed didn’t ring a bell at first. The victim’s name seemed familiar but not in an instant recognition. It was one of those recognitions where you ask yourself, “Where have I heard that name before?” You have to realize that I only lived in that area for a couple of years. My family still lives there but I don’t have friends that I catch up with there.

Then the article mentioned that his victim had been a police officer in Winchester. It all came back to me. The article said that Bell said, "To the Timbrook family, you definitely have the wrong person," Bell said in the death chamber, addressing the victim's family. "The truth will come out one day. This here, killing me, there's no justice about it."

We seem to be so black and white on matters like abortion and the death penalty. The shades of gray are interpreted as if you are with us or against us. I have wrestled with this topic for years. As a Catholic, I believe in the sanctity of life. Does being against the death penalty mean that I don’t honor the sanctity of Sgt. Timbrook? Does being for the death penalty mean that I don’t honor church doctrine? The often asked question arises; once again, does one person’s execution bring back the loved ones who were murdered?

I’ve honestly wondered if my belief would become more concrete if I was present at one of these executions. Would I see it as being morally right and correct or would I question my own moral fiber by having been present at the planned death of another? As the victim of a brutal crime myself I can understand the desire for vengeance. My husband often says they should execute more. Having taught students who were charged with murder it’s hard to say sure, kill them, they’re animals. Often they have relatives and friends that love them. Having taught students who were murdered, I understand the grief, anger, and desire for retribution of those left behind.

I remember years ago, another inmate at Jarret, argued his innocence to any and all who would listen to him. He had loud vocal critics of the death penalty like Phil Donahue arguing his case. In that case of Roger Keith Coleman had been convicted of murdering and raping his sister-in-law. If you heard the story told on TV you almost questioned it yourself. Was this an innocent man you would ask? At the time DNA was still new.

Coleman was asking for a lie detector test to prove his innocence. He was transported the 70 miles by van from death row to a state police post in Hanover County, where the test was administered about 9:30 a.m. He failed but you didn’t find that out until the next day. Perhaps as damaging to his case as the polygraph were DNA tests on semen samples collected from McCoy's body. By one interpretation, those tests showed Coleman among just 0.2 percent of the population that could have committed the rape. Once again we didn’t know the outcome of this until the next day. We were told that state law forbids admitting new evidence a certain number of days after trial. Donhue, kept saying over and over again, “Why won’t the governor allow DNA evidence.” It seemed as if he was saying that the evidence would bear out his claims of innocence.

I questioned whether the state was executing an innocent man in my name. I questioned whether I was a bad person because I felt he should be executed. I questioned why we seemed to care so much about the person who would be executed and ignored the life snuffed out by Coleman. Why didn’t the victim get a reprieve?

He spoke words similar to Bell, "An innocent man is going to be murdered tonight. When my innocence is proven, I hope Americans will realize the injustice of the death penalty as all other civilized countries have. My last words are to the woman I love. Love is eternal. My love for you will last forever. I love you Sharon.” (his girlfriend) That night, I prayed that we did the right thing. The whole day had been spent with talking heads saying why Coleman shouldn’t be executed.

In the end a man died. A man who was a husband, a son, a friend, a co-worker, and a father is gone. A young child is growing up without his father. The world has lost a man who wanted to do so much for his community. Police Sergeant Ricky L. Timbrook did not deserve to die. His wife didn’t send him off to work expecting to lose the person she loved. The question is, what do we do now? Do we warehouse murders? Do we put them to death? I wish I had the answer.

Bell was the 103rd Virginia inmate executed since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. Virginia ranks second only to Texas in the number of executions since then.

Another Economy Driven Murder-Suicide

BELLE VALLEY, Ohio — A man who told a sheriff's dispatcher he had money problems strangled his wife and 11-year-old son, then shot and killed himself, authorities said Wednesday.

Theodore Bayly, 39, called the dispatcher around 2 a.m., saying he had already killed his family and was going to take care of himself, Noble County Sheriff Landon Smith said.

Bayly told the dispatcher in a seven-minute call that he was having financial problems and "couldn't afford it anymore," Smith said. He told the dispatcher where to find the bodies and then hung up.

Authorities found Bayly's body on an embankment about 35 feet from the family's mobile home near Belle Valley, about 75 miles east of Columbus. He had a shotgun wound to the head, Smith said.

Bayly's wife, Janice Bayly, 40, was found inside the home, and their son, Colton, was in the back seat of a vehicle, Smith said.

The boy appeared to have been placed in the car after being killed, Smith said. A coroner determined the mother and son had been strangled, and Smith told the Columbus Dispatch that an electrical cord had been used.

He said he didn't have details about the family's financial situation.

Darryl heard from another company he applied where he applied and was told they were going with another applicant. Last week another company said that they decided that they weren't going to fill a position.

I'm kind of putting all my hope on this interview he might have coming up.

As far as school goes there are two more casualties as far as jobs. I don't post positions or names but one will be leaving due to retirement and that's not so bad. I will miss that teacher.

On the positive front I heard about the Fish 104.7 FM contest we entered. They had a contest for budget Romeo. This was an essay contest and I thought I did pretty well. The prize was a mountain cabin getaway. We didn't win. Still they took the time to send us a hand written card and send us a book called "The Love List" even though there was no mention of a runner up prize.

The really exciting news is that I won an iPod Touch! I've been wanting a nice iPod for awhile. I know what Darryl will say. Sell it. I won't though. I just can't believe it I'm just so very excited. I won this from a blog contest.

Family Deals With Tragedy

My student came back to school today. He wanted to show me his brother's online memorial. Amazingly enough he'd actually visited my blog and asked that I post a request that people honor his brother at this site. Please feel free to drop by his family's page to leave a supportive message. The young man's name is David Lee Esslinger


http://www.mem.com/SearchResults.aspx



I can leave no further information regarding this case other than what is in the paper. I have no knowledge other than what is in the paper.

What I do know is that my student is a wonderful young person and his family has been through a great deal.

Resaca man arrested for murder

Since the press now carries an account that contains the identity of the victim, I will not blank it out as I did before. As always, the death of any individual is a loss for us all. My student was out today and this is an especially hard thing for his family to deal with. I heard that this young person had lost a much younger brother years ago in a house fire. I just couldn't imagine losing my own child, how tragic. I heard that my student lost his father unexpectedly years ago, not sure when. This brother was a step-brother and I heard my student's step-father had lost his first wife. A lot of pain and tragedy has been visited upon this family and I just think it's so sad. It humbles me when I think of all those "BIG THINGS" that weigh heavy on me when the scope of what I face is infinitesimal in the presence of such tragedy.

Someone commented that they knew the mother and how really nice she is. One of the other faculty members knows the family and has told us all the same thing, that this is such a nice family. I really don't know the family. This young man is new to my class and seems to be a pretty laid back, easy going, young man. I will work with helping him catch up when he returns to class. My prayers go out to all whose lives were touched by this young person left this earth way too soon.

RESACA MAN ARRESTED FOR MURDER

Police identify body found behind Kmart as David Lee Esslinger

Police have arrested a Resaca man and charged him with the murder of a Calhoun man whose body was discovered Wednesday afternoon.

Calhoun Police Chief Garry Moss said a late night altercation that turned deadly led to the death of David Lee Esslinger, 19, of 115 Willow Court lot 5, Calhoun, whose body was found Wednesday behind the Kmart store. Police on Thursday identified Esslinger as the victim. Daniel Kemp, 17, of 727 Midway Road , Resaca, was arrested at approximately 3:00 a.m. Thursday morning, after being interviewed by detectives and agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Kemp is in Gordon County Jail charged with one count of murder.

According to Calhoun Police: Officers were called to the Kmart parking lot around 3:00 p.m. Wednesday after a passerby spotted a body lying in the wood line behind Kmart. Upon arrival officers discovered the partially clothed body of a young male with no identification.

While processing the crime scene, detectives discovered evidence of a struggle and determined that an altercation between the victim, and the suspect began in the roadway where the victim was assaulted and then carried into the wood line.

Esslinger’s body was sent to the GBI crime lab in Atlanta for investigation and identification. That process typically takes several days. Calhoun Police treated the death as a homicide from the beginning, said Lt. Tony Pyle. “Anything that seems like it’s not a natural death is initially treated as a homicide,” Pyle said. A cause of death was not announced, and Calhoun Police are waiting from results from the GBI. Kemp remains in the Gordon County Jail with further charges pending

Murder Touches One of My Students

When I was taking roll this morning I noticed that one of my new students was absent. Minutes later I received a call and was asked to send him to Guidance when he came in. I didn't get to check my email until second period because I was busy teaching the kids about demographics.

This is the tragic email I received with X's where names would be.

This morning I spoke to XXX XXXX, the mother of one of your students, XXX XXXX. She wanted XXX's teachers know that his brother passed away this week. The body of the brother, XXX XXXX, was found in Calhoun yesterday, and police are investigating the death as a homicide. No funeral arrangements have been made yet. I will let you know if I hear anything more.

How sad. I scoured the local paper online and didn't find it because in the paper the brother's name was not mentioned.

Here is the story from the paper in Calhoun:

A body was found this afternoon behind the Kmart on South Wall Street in Calhoun. According to Lt. Tony Pyle, a detective with the Calhoun Police Department: The body of a white male, estimated to be in his late teens or early 20s, was discovered behind the store on the edge of a woodline around 3 p.m. It was found by a person driving on a cut-through road behind the building.

Pyle said the body is being sent to the GBI crime lab in Atlanta for investigation and identification. “We’re still working on the victim’s identity since there was no wallet or ID with the body,” Pyle said. “And the GBI has been called in to assist in the investigation. “The case is being worked as a homicide right now, but that’s protocol. Anything that seems like it’s not a natural death is initially treated as a homicide.” Pyle said detectives are continuing the investigation this evening and he said within the next 24 hours, police hope to confirm the victim’s identity.

Another former student tried to re-register for school but was arrested and removed from campus. This is the same boy that punched my file cabinet and left a huge dent the size of his fist that's there even now almost a year later. In addition to harassing and threatening me, he had threatened one of the assistant principals, stalked a female student, and threatened another male student. He was told he would not be allowed back on campus. Yet he tried to sneak back on and re-register. He was discovered immediately, arrested for trespassing, and escorted off campus. Great.

Yesterday I took up a phone and a student grabbed my hand and squeezed his nails into my hands. Today I was called up to the office to be told that he would behave or be kicked out of school. Some people just don't understand how difficult it is to be a teacher. Sweeping and working on my blog are what I use to detox from my day.

Well I did get to enter a couple of blog contests but so far no new wins for th new year. Here they are:

1 Picture Keeper Digital Photo Storage Device

http://katydidandkid.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-year-new-you-giveaway.html

Prize: Red themed dinner party set from Social Couture

Prize: Mia Belle Bunny Pal and Pacifier Clip Set.

Prizes (3): Premade photo greeting design from Photo Greetings.

Prizes (5): Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook

Prize: Winner's choice of Smaller baby shoes

Prize: Philips Docking Entertainment System DC910.