tagged w/ murder mystery
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Death of Sean Hoare – who was first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson knew of hacking – not being treated as suspicious
Amelia Hill, James Robinson, Caroline Davies
guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 July 2011 18.04 BST
Article history
Sean Hoare
Former News of the World reporter Sean Hoare has been found dead. Photograph: BBC
Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbiz reporter who was the first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson was aware of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead, the Guardian has learned.
Hoare, who worked on the Sun and the News of the World with Coulson before being dismissed for drink and drugs problems, is said to have been found dead at his Watford home.
Hertfordshire police would not confirm his identity, but the force said in a statement: "At 10.40am today [Monday 18 July] police were called to Langley Road, Watford, following the concerns for the welfare of a man who lives at an address on the street. Upon police and ambulance arrival at a property, the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
"The death is currently being treated as unexplained, but not thought to be suspicious. Police investigations into this incident are ongoing."
Hoare first made his claims in a New York Times investigation into the phone-hacking allegations at the News of the World.
He told the newspaper that not only did Coulson know of the phone hacking, but that he actively encouraged his staff to intercept the phone calls of celebrities in the pursuit of exclusives.
In a subsequent interview with the BBC he alleged that he was personally asked by his then-editor, Coulson, to tap into phones. In an interview with the PM programme he said Coulson's insistence that he didn't know about the practice was "a lie, it is simply a lie".
At the time a Downing Street spokeswoman said Coulson totally and utterly denied the allegations and said he had "never condoned the use of phone hacking and nor do I have any recollection of incidences where phone hacking took place".
Sean Hoare, a one-time close friend of Coulson's, told the New York Times the two men first worked together at the Sun, where, Hoare said, he played tape recordings of hacked messages for Coulson. At the News of the World, Hoare said he continued to inform Coulson of his activities. Coulson "actively encouraged me to do it", Hoare said.
In September last year, he was interviewed under caution by police over his claims that the former Tory communications chief asked him to hack into phones when he was editor of the paper, but declined to make any comment.
Hoare returned to the spotlight last week, after he told the New York Times that reporters at the News of the World were able to use police technology to locate people using their mobile phone signals in exchange for payments to police officers.
He said journalists were able to use a technique called "pinging" which measured the distance between mobile handsets and a number of phone masts to pinpoint its location.
Hoare gave further details about the use of "pinging" to the Guardian last week. He described how reporters would ask a news desk executive to obtain the location of a target: "Within 15 to 30 minutes someone on the news desk would come back and say 'right that's where they are.'"
He said: "You'd just go to the news desk and they'd just come back to you. You don't ask any questions. You'd consider it a job done. The chain of command is one of absolute discipline and that's why I never bought into it, like with Andy saying he wasn't aware of it and all that. That's bollocks."
He said he would stand by everything he had told the New York Times about "pinging". "I don't know how often it happened. That would be wrong of me. But if I had access as a humble reporter … "
He admitted he had had problems with drink and drugs and had been in rehab. "But that's irrelevant," he said. "There's more to come. This is not going to go away."
Hoare named a private investigator who he said had links with the News of the World, adding: "He may want to talk now because I think what you'll find now is a lot of people are going to want to cover their arse."
Speaking to another Guardian journalist last week, Hoare repeatedly expressed the hope that the hacking scandal would lead to journalism in general being cleaned up and said he had decided to blow the whistle on the activities of some of his former News of the World colleagues with that aim in mind.
He also said he had been injured the previous weekend while taking down a marquee erected for a children's party. He said he had broken his nose and badly injured his foot when a relative accidentally struck him with a heavy pole from the marquee.
Hoare also emphasised that he was not making any money from telling his story. Hoare, who has been treated for drug and alcohol problems, reminisced about partying with former pop stars and said he missed the days when he was able to go out on the town.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/news-of-the-world-sean-hoare
"The Plot Thickens!!!"Death of Sean Hoare – who was first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson knew... more
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So, I spent the past few days at the Lager House and recorded some of the bands. Here is another Detroit band called Murder Mystery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh-BmyIYRdESo, I spent the past few days at the Lager House and recorded some of the bands. Here... more
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It ain't Miley Cyrus naked, but hey...its a music video by Murder Mystery--an indie rock band from Detroit.It ain't Miley Cyrus naked, but hey...its a music video by Murder Mystery--an... more
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Murder Mystery is an indie rock band from Detroit and this video makes me feel like I'm acid.Murder Mystery is an indie rock band from Detroit and this video makes me feel like... more
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“Yours Truly” is a truly amazing stop-motion animated eight-minute short film by the British animation genius, Osbert Parker. The film was nominated for Best Short Animated Film by BAFTA in 2008 and won the Best Short Film, British Animation Awards in 2008. Despite widespread critical acclaim, “Yours Truly” has not been available on DVD, nor accessible online until just now.
The film’s dark, hard-boiled plot builds upon both the atmosphere and characters of famous film-noir movies of the past. It’s a crazy combination of stop-motion, cut-out animation and live action that creates a new and strangely re-imagined mean streets of 1940’s Los Angeles, where animated photos of people get out of model cars then turn into real life actors. The impact of “Yours Truly” is so powerful that you won’t be able to take your eyes away from this wonderful world of shadows, guns, femmes-fatales, and love mixed with betrayal and murder. Try imagining Casablanca mixed with Double Indemnity on peyote, then shut your eyes and you’ll get the idea.
I double-dare you to watch this movie while eating a juicy bacon cheeseburger!!
This piece includes a number of color photographs, as well as the acclaimed short film.
Please visit my website to view the photographs, and to watch this gripping, surreal animated short:
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/yours-truly-the-ultimate-kiss-off-letter/“Yours Truly” is a truly amazing stop-motion animated eight-minute short... more
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In Illinois, a former police officer has been at the center of a murder mystery for years. Drew Peterson stands accused of killing his third wife, and he's a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife.
Now, an exception to typical judicial proceedings dubbed "Drew's law," could allow jurors to hear the words of Peterson's dead and missing wives in court. A crucial pretrial hearing has ended and a judge will now rule on the controversial issue of hearsay evidence.
Man At The Center Of The Controversy
Drew Peterson was a cop in Bolingbrook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, for 29 years. He has been married four times and both of his last two wives told friends and relatives they feared him. Peterson's last wife, Stacey Peterson, disappeared two years ago. After she disappeared, officials reopened an investigation into the 2004 death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, whose body was found in a bathtub. Her death was initially ruled an accidental drowning. Later her body was exhumed and a coroner ruled it a homicide.
Peterson has courted the media throughout the investigations. He discussed the case as he made the rounds on national television shows such as CNN's Larry King Live and NBC's Today Show.
There's been no physical evidence to link him to his third wife's death or his fourth wife's disappearance, and Peterson pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. But during a nearly month-long hearing that ended Friday about 70 witnesses testified. Several said Kathleen Savio and Stacey Peterson were afraid of their husband, and that Savio, who was divorcing Peterson, feared he would kill her.
Outside the courthouse, Pamela Bosco, a spokesperson for the family of missing Stacey Peterson says hearsay evidence should be heard in Drew Peterson's upcoming trial.
"There's a lot in the past that these women had spoken and written about that pointed in the direction of Drew as their abuser," Bosco says. "So I think that should be paid attention in court. Even though they are not here to say it, I think their words should be recognized."
Unconstitutional?
It's unconstitutional and also a violation of an ex post facto. A law that's passed in 2008 cannot affect the prosecution of an alleged crime that took place in 2004.
- Joel Brodsky, attorney for Drew Peterson
Typically hearsay — a statement made outside of judicial proceedings — is considered unreliable and not allowed in trials. However, there are plenty of exceptions in federal and common law and in several states.
In 2008, the Illinois General Assembly passed a measure quickly dubbed "Drew's law." It allows a judge to admit hearsay statements if a prosecutor can prove a defendant may have killed a witness to prevent him or her from testifying. Former judge and Chicago-Kent College of Law professor David Erickson says that is very similar to federal rules of evidence, which were aimed at cases involving the mob or organized crime. In these types of cases there was sometimes a fear that people on trial would kill the witnesses testifying against them.
Two Supreme Court rulings are at the heart of the debate over "Drew's law." One says hearsay evidence violates the 6th Amendment because a person can't confront or cross examine the witnesses against him or her. The other ruling held that if a defendant likely committed a crime making it impossible for a victim to testify, statements given to law enforcement officials are admissible — especially in domestic violence cases.
In this case, it's been mostly relatives, investigators and clergy on the witness stand. Drew Peterson's attorney Joel Brodsky says the Illinois law won't stand.
"It's unconstitutional and also a violation of an ex post facto," says Brodsky. "A law that's passed in 2008 cannot affect the prosecution of an alleged crime that took place in 2004."
Brodsky presented one witness during the hearing, a pathologist who said Kathleen Savio's death was an accident. Brodsky and some legal analysts also argue that a judge deciding to allow hearsay in Peterson's trial is like finding a defendant guilty before a trial even begins. Whatever the ruling, it's expected the state's so-called "Drew's law" will be challenged.In Illinois, a former police officer has been at the center of a murder mystery for... more
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Danny Pang dies at 42; accused O.C. financier
Danny Pang faced fraud charges. His wife's murder case raised questions of his possible ties to a Taiwanese triad.
Danny Pang, an Orange County financier who faced charges of massive international fraud and whose wife's unsolved murder 12 years ago prompted questions about his possible ties to organized crime, died Saturday. He was 42.
Paramedics arrived at Pang's Newport Beach home Friday afternoon and found him not breathing, police said. He was rushed to Hoag Hospital, where he was revived, but he died Saturday morning. The cause of death was undetermined, and an autopsy is planned for today.
Pang faced civil charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission that he defrauded millions of dollars from investors through his Irvine-based Private Equity Management Group, or PEMGroup.
A court-appointed receiver for the firm alleged that Pang took at least $83 million in inflated fees, salary and loans from his investment firm before it was seized by federal regulators in April.Danny Pang dies at 42; accused O.C. financier
Danny Pang faced fraud charges. His... more
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According to The Times, upon seeing the body of brutally murdered young woman in 2004, Susan Gallbreath took it upon herself to solve the crime. The police in Mayfield, a town of 10, 000 on the Kentucky/ Tennessee border botched the investigation so Gallbreath took it upon herself to contact Tom Mangold, a British investigative journalist. She challenged Mangold to help her solve the murder and... in 2004, he flew out to the tiny town of Mayfield.
It's truly a compelling and oddball story that makes "Murder She Wrote" look like "Sesame Street" and fills you with admiration for Susan Gallbreath's determination and drive to solve the murder. At one point, Gallbreath even stalks the supposed killer and does detective work on MySpace... seriously, its like a crime novel!According to The Times, upon seeing the body of brutally murdered young woman in 2004,... more
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Three years had passed since those dark days of 1888, when Jack the Ripper had last stalked the gloomy gas lamp lit streets and dismal alleyways of the East End of London, hunting down, killing and mutilating his victims. The women of the streets were now once again able to carry on the oldest trade, without the fear of the shadow of the muderous serial killer looming over them. Little did they know that this was not to last....Three years had passed since those dark days of 1888, when Jack the Ripper had last... more
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The Governor's wife has been slain in a gruesome manner, but The Midlife Gals, Private Dicks, Inc. have now found their very first case. You think they're going to pass THIS up? They just want to be helpful, that's all.The Governor's wife has been slain in a gruesome manner, but The Midlife Gals,... more
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(CNN) -- Recently developed "touch DNA" technology has cleared all members of JonBenet Ramsey's family of her slaying, authorities said Wednesday.
The DNA reportedly points to an unidentified male as her suspected killer.(CNN) -- Recently developed "touch DNA" technology has cleared all members... more
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