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Zodiac Killer Unmasked?
The FBI collected more evidence this weekend in an attempt to establish a DNA link between Jack Tarrance and the Zodiac Killer.
Dennis Kaufman, Tarrance's stepson, turned over the black hood he claims to have recently discovered. He believes it is the same hood the Zodiac Killer wore when he stabbed Bryan Hartnell and murdered Cecelia Shepard, a couple picnicking at Lake Berryessa.
Most of Kaufman's adult life has been dedicated to one thing: proving his stepfather, Tarrance, is the Zodiac Killer. CBS13 brought you his story last week, and the FBI confirms that they are working on an "open investigation" to find a connection to the infamous Bay Area murders.
"Jack wanted me to know who he was, that's why he gave me all these hints," Kaufman said, "but he didn't want me to know until after he was dead."
The FBI is facing a major challenge in their investigation: Jack Tarrance died in 2006 and was cremated. Investigators are attempting to build a DNA profile using old letters sent to Kaufman.
"On the envelopes and letters, especially on the envelopes, you would be looking for saliva," said Bob Jarzen, the man who runs the Sacramento County Crime Lab and has 33 years in forensic science experience.
Jarzen said there are three possible results from a DNA comparison to the Zodiac Killer. It could eliminate Jack Tarrance as a suspect, come back inconclusive if there is not enough DNA or a problem with the DNA on the envelopes, or the results could point to Jack Tarrance as a possible suspect.
It would not conclude 100 percent if he is the Zodiac Killer.
There is no complete DNA profile of the Zodiac Killer for comparison. San Francisco authorities developed only a partial DNA profile taken from postage stamps.
Scientific tests may be able to determine if the black hood is authentic, but Jarzen warns that it will not be easy.
"The dark color and the color of the blood blends in so well," he said. Jarzen demonstrated on a black article of clothing how difficult it is to find DNA on dark material.
But he said that it may be possible to locate usable DNA, even 40 years later.
"You are going to have to go over inside and outside," Jarzen said. "Presumably, if he's wearing it over his head, you may have saliva transferred, and if he's stabbing there's blood being spattered. There is potential for blood on the outside."
The Zodiac Killer's true identity has never been proven. Jack Tarrance knew his stepson believed he was the Zodiac Killer long before he died, and now it will be up to science to prove or disprove whether he was a sadistic man who enjoyed the comparison, or if he is the true monster behind the mask.
"I know the DNA will match because I know who Jack is," Kaufman said. "I'm not worried."
The FBI expects to have the results of the DNA test any day, but since the case is an active investigation, they may not release the results immediately. The FBI collected more evidence this weekend in an attempt to establish a DNA link between Jack Tarrance and the Zodiac Killer. ... more -
Gang Violence: A plea for peace.
An ex-gang member and a council woman make a plea for peace in their neighborhoods.
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One widow, 2 dead men, one shared heart - CNN.com
Here's one of the most epic, incredible white-trash stories in the history of the world, and it demands to be read: One widow, two dead men, one shared heart. Here's one of the most epic, incredible white-trash stories in the history of the world, and it demands to be read: One widow, tw... more
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Killer who had sex with corpse 'could not be stopped'
A stalker who killed his ex-lover and then had sex with her corpse could not have been stopped, an official report has found.
David Summers, 23, harassed Diane Edwards, 53, for weeks, before battering her to death at a house in Northumberland, UK, in October 2006. The rejected lover ignored a string of court conditions to keep him from Ms Edwards and removed an electronic tag.
The couple began a sexual relationship in late 2005, but by January 2006 Ms Edwards had ended their relationship. She repeatedly told him it was over, but he began threatening and stalking her and was handed an injunction. Summers was then given a suspended sentence rather than jailed for flouting the order. He removed his electronic tag to get round restrictions which were meant to stop him visiting her home.
A review published on Friday said Summers had no regard for the law. The heroin addict had "ignored or actively breached all restrictions placed upon him which were designed to protect Diane Edwards", according to the report. Dave Gardiner, the Northumbria MAPPA Strategic Management Board chairman, said: "Realistically, we can never completely eliminate risk and sometimes, sadly, this has tragic consequences."
Summers has now been sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder and sexual interference with a corpse. A stalker who killed his ex-lover and then had sex with her corpse could not have been stopped, an official report has found. ... more -
Hells Angels leader in S.F. shot dead in fight
All Hell's Angels go to Heaven?
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Foster 'killed his wife and daughter', police believe
Police have now confirmed that they believe Christopher Foster killed his wife Jill and teenage daughter Kirstie before setting his family's Shropshire mansion alight and committing suicide.
The investigating team is no longer looking for anyone else in connection with the August 25 killings, as the video in this post reveals.
Police also have CCTV footage from the mansion, Osbaston House, which shows a man believed to be Foster walking around the grounds of the property in the early hours of the morning armed with a firearm, which he uses. Police have now confirmed that they believe Christopher Foster killed his wife Jill and teenage daughter Kirstie before setting his fa... more -
Police: Caylee's body was in mom's trunk
A 3-year-old girl that authorities have been searching for since July is likely dead, the Orange County, Fla., sheriff's department told a Florida TV station over the weekend.
"We clearly have evidence that indicates there was a dead body in the trunk of Casey [Anthony's] car, and that body was Caylee [Anthony]," Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. John Allen told ABC News affiliate WFTV.
Authorities have been seaching for Caylee Anthony since she was reported missing in July, nearly a month after her disappearance in June.
A law enforcement source confirmed to ABC News last week that air sample tests taken from the car trunk of her mother, Casey Anthony, allegedly revealed evidence of human decomposition. Casey has given the police changing and inaccurate information about the case, according to investigators.
By SCOTT MICHELS and LEE FERRAN A 3-year-old girl that authorities have been searching for since July is likely dead, the Orange County, Fla., sheriff's departme... more -
Cash-for-corpse murders in China
Chinese police have arrested gang members suspected of murdering more than 100 disabled or elderly people after a bizarre spate of murders which saw the bodies of their victims sold for 10,000 yuan to rich families trying to avoid cremations.
It is common superstition in China that burial is preferable to cremation, but burial sites have been restricted by the government due to lack of land and attempts to discourage superstition. The murder victims were sent to the crematorium by the deceased families in lieu of their real relatives, who were then secretly buried.
An unnamed police officer from Puning, in southern Guangdong province, said about seven suspects were arrested three weeks ago when police discovered the gang while investigating a homicide. Chinese police have arrested gang members suspected of murdering more than 100 disabled or elderly people after a bizarre spate of mur... more -
100-year-old woman shot dead in New York home
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. —
A 100-year-old woman was found shot to death in her Long Island home.
Suffolk County police say Jessie Burke was discovered by her daughter Sunday afternoon when she returned from the grocery store. The woman was found in sitting in a chair in the den. Police say there was no sign of forced entry and apparently nothing was stolen from the home. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Burke was described as a spry woman who loved crossword puzzles. She lived with her daughter, and had three other children. Police have not questioned the daughter in the slaying.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact the homicide squad or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — A 100-year-old woman was found shot to death in her Long Island home. ... more -
Twelve headless corpses found as Mexican drug war spreads to tourist area
Twelve decapitated bodies bearing signs of torture have been discovered in eastern Mexico in an apparent gangland execution that has shocked the Yucatan Peninsula, a popular tourist destination.
Eleven headless male bodies were found piled on top of each other and covered with blankets yesterday in a suburb of the city of Merida, the capital of Yucatan state. Authorities said they were still looking for the heads.
Some of the cadavers had their legs bound, while one was stripped naked. Tattoos decorated the arms of some of the murdered men, most of which wore denim clothing.
Another decapitated corpse was discovered in a town called Buctzotz, 45 miles northeast of Merida.
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The gruesome discoveries capped a day of violence across Mexico, which has seen a wave of drug and gang-related killings and kidnappings in recent months, claiming 2,700 lives already this year - more than for the whole of 2007.
Tomorrow, Mexicans will take to the streets in nationwide protests at the escalating violence, which has seen decapitated bodies littering southern and northern Mexico and kidnapping rates soar past those of Colombia and Iraq.
Merida, a city of 700,000 some 200 miles from the popular Caribbean resorts of Cancun and Playa del Carmen, has largely escaped the gang violence ravaging so many other Mexican cities.
Jose Guzman, a Yucatan state prosecutor, claimed that the executions were “an isolated incident and not part of a strategy to destabilize the state.”
But the regional press took a different view. Diario de Yucatan linked the murders directly to the “lengthening list of victims of the violence with which drug-trafficking cartels are fighting for control of the national territory.”
The murders were the first drug-related crime on such a scale in the state’s history, the paper said.
Just four drug-related murders had been reported in Yucatan state this year, according to El Universal newspaper.
Nearly two years ago, President Felipe Calderon launched a nationwide battle to take back territory controlled by some of the world’s most powerful drug gangs. The cartels have responded with unprecedented violence, especially along the US-Mexico border.
“There is ... an aspiration by organised crime to compete with the State for its basic powers,” Eduardo Medina Mora, the Mexican Attorney General, said this week. “This is why the president has led this effort to truly recover these regions for his citizens.”
However many ordinary Mexicans say police corruption is hindering the fight against drug violence, and hope tomorrow's demonstrations will force the government to act against it.
Decapitation and dismemberment have in recent years been adopted by drug trafficking gangs as the preferred method of revenge against rivals. Hitmen often leave notes on the bodies indicating it was a drug-related assassination.
In other violence, two shoot-outs in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero resulted in ten deaths, while the northern city of Chihuahua saw a further four killings.
Three other decapitated bodies had been found this week in an empty lot on the eastern outskirts of Tijuana, the crime-ridden border town favoured by young Americans in search of cheap booze, drugs and women. Twelve decapitated bodies bearing signs of torture have been discovered in eastern Mexico in an apparent gangland execution that has s... more -
Drug trafficker beheaded in Saudi Arabia
A convicted drug trafficker was put to death by the sword in Saudi Arabia's eastern city of Khobar on Sunday, the interior ministry said.
Hussein Muilu, a Saudi national, was condemned to death after being convicted of smuggling hashish into the kingdom, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.
Sunday's beheading brings to 71 the number of executions announced by Saudi Arabia this year.
Last year, a record 153 people were put to death in the ultra-conservative Arab kingdom, which applies a strict version of sharia, or Islamic law. This figure compared with 37 beheaded in 2006.
Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking can all carry the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, where executions are usually carried out in public. A convicted drug trafficker was put to death by the sword in Saudi Arabia's eastern city of Khobar on Sunday, the interior minist... more -
Israeli troops shoot Palestinian man with learning difficulties
A Palestinian man with learning difficulties was in a critical condition in hospital in Ramallah last night after he was shot three times by Israeli troops firing rubber-coated bullets.
Awwad Sroor, 41, was shot late on Sunday night at his home in the village of Nilin, in the occupied West Bank, when Israeli troops arrived to arrest his brother, who was suspected of throwing a tear gas canister at soldiers during a recent protest in the village against construction of a new stretch of Israel's West Bank barrier.
Sroor was hit once in the chest and twice in the head and was blinded in the right eye. His son Mohammad, 20, said he told the soldiers that his father was mentally disabled and asked them not to shoot.
"My father was shouting at them in order to stop them. I told the soldiers that my father was mentally challenged, and that they should not pay attention to him," the son told Reuters. His father had been standing on a balcony when he was shot. A Palestinian man with learning difficulties was in a critical condition in hospital in Ramallah last night after he was shot three ti... more -
Third body found at mansion, second confirmed as shot dead
Holy crap!! This story sounds more like a movie than real life. I can't understand why a man with a mansion and debts would sell the mansion before he killed his wife, young daughter and then, it seems, himself.
Talk about selfish arsehole. Holy crap!! This story sounds more like a movie than real life. I can't understand why a man with a mansion and debts would sell ... more -
Jahalat: There is No Honor in Murder; Criminality is not Culture
Let us be as clear and unambiguous as we can. Those who think they can “restore” their honor by murdering others have no honor to begin with. There is no honor in murder. Ghairat cannot be gained or regained by butchering the weak. Indeed, murder is beghairati personified. And let us never - never - let anyone confuse criminality with culture.
Yet, two members of the Pakistan Senate insist on doing exactly that. In defending (or seeming to defend) the most barbaric of so-called “honor killings” (in this case the burying alive of three young girls) Senators Israrullah Zehri and Jan Mohammad Jamali have not only shamed the Senate and all of Pakistan, they are in fact abusing and shaming the culture and traditions of all Baloch. They are conflating criminality with culture.
No, Senators, murder and criminality is NOT a part of “tribal tradition.” Clearly murder and criminality is not part of any religious tradition. It is certainly no part of Islam. There have been criminals and murders in all cultures and in all religions in all times. But criminality and murder is not part of any culture, any tradition, any religion. Even if some murderous actions have gone unpunished in the past, they do not define tradition, they define criminality. Those who confuse the criminal behavior of the murderous few with the essence of any culture (their own or someone else’s), abuse that culture and tradition itself. Not every tradition needs to be defended, and many need to be abandoned.
Let us never let anyone defend criminality and murder in the name of tradition and culture. Indeed, instead of defending criminality and murder in the name of culture and tradition, we should be defending culture and tradition from criminality and murder committed in its name.
For those few who may not know what we are talking about, here are the essentials from a news report in Dawn:
Balochistan Senator Sardar Israrullah Zehri stunned the upper house on Friday when he defended the recent incident of burying alive three teenage girls and two women in his province, saying it was part of “our tribal custom.” Senator Bibi Yasmin Shah of the PML-Q raised the issue citing a newspaper report that the girls, three of them aged between 16 and 18 years, had been buried alive a month ago for wishing to marry of their own will.
The barbaric incident took place in a remote village of Jafarabad district and a PPP minister and some other influential people were reported to have been involved. The report accused the provincial government of trying to hush up the issue. Ms Shah said that the hapless girls and the women were first shot in the name of honour and then buried while they were alive. She also said that no criminal had been arrested so far.
Acting Chairman of Senate Jan Mohammad Jamali, who was presiding over the session, said: “Yasmin Shah should go to our society and see for herself what the situation is like there and then come back to raise such questions in the house.” Maulana Ghafoor Haideri of the JUI-F said there was no tradition of burying women alive in Baloch society because it was against Islam’s teachings. Jamal Leghari of PML-Q emphatically stated that there was no custom of burying people alive, adding that the Baloch people did not believe in it.
Senator Jan Jamali commented: “This is a provincial matter and it is being investigated at the provincial level and let us wait for the report of the investigation.” Leader of the Opposition Kamil Ali Agha accused the Balochistan government of ignoring the incident and said no jirga could order the burying of women alive and no law allowed anyone to commit such a crime and go unpunished. He urged the government to punish the people involved in it. Leader of the House Mian Raza Rabbani said: “We condemn the heinous act and assure the house that a complete report on the incident would be submitted on Monday.”*continues* Let us be as clear and unambiguous as we can. Those who think they can “restore” their honor by murdering others have no honor to begi... more -
DNA Evidence May Help Solve Cold Case Murder of Ashley Ellerin - Ashton Kutcher�...
Ashley Ellerin was a 22-year-old fashion student, model and Ashton Kutcher’s girlfriend when she was brutally stabbed to death in her Hollywood Hills home in 2001.
On the night of her murder, Kutcher stopped by to pick Ellerin up for a post-Grammy Awards party, but she didn’t answer the door. Ashley Ellerin was a 22-year-old fashion student, model and Ashton Kutcher’s girlfriend when she was brutally stabbed to death in her ... more -
Bodies found in millionaire's mansion
After the reports that a millionaire's mansion had burnt to the ground in a suspected arson attack, two human bodies have now been discovered in the burnt out remains, fuelling worries that all three members of the family were in the house at the time of the blaze.
It is believed that Christopher Foster, his wife Jill and their 15-year-old daughter Kirstie could have all lost their lives in the blaze.
Speaking on the arson attack, Supt Gary Higgins said: "It is going to be a painstaking and lengthy process before the full examination of the house and its surrounds is completed.
"In the meantime, we will keep an open mind concerning what we may, or may not find." After the reports that a millionaire's mansion had burnt to the ground in a suspected arson attack, two human bodies have now bee... more -
Real Life Ax Murderer
A woman was found slain and a man was injured after an early morning attack Thursday at a residence in the 2400 block of Barrington Ferry Road, said Liberty County Sheriff J. Don Martin.
Wallace James, 49, was arrested and charged later Thursday with one count of murder and one count of aggravated assault, said Liberty Chief Deputy Keith Moran.
The dead woman was not identified, but Moran said James lived with her in her mobile home.
He said James is suspected of fatally striking the woman with an ax, then leaving the residence and attacking a man - described only as another family member - in the same manner about 100 yards from the residence.
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And an update: http://savannahnow.com/node/562452
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Liberty County Sheriff’s Det. Julie Hibbeler said Friday that Abraham Moody, 50, died earlier in the day at 2:50 a.m. He was the second victim of Thursday’s attacks on Barrington Ferry Road. Authorities Friday identified the first victim as Francenia James, 70, who died Thursday.
Charged with two counts of murder is Wallace James, 49, the son of the woman who was killed. He made his first appearence Friday in magistrate court before Judge Angie Rogers and was denied bond.
Hibbeler said she did not want to identify the murder weapon, pending tests at the GBI crime lab in Savannah. She did say both victims suffered blunt-force trauma in the attacks.
On Thursday, however, Liberty County Sheriff J. Don Martin described the murder weapon as an ax.
About 12:22 p.m. Thursday, the mother of Abraham Moody called the Liberty 911 emergency telephone number and said her son had been attacked at his home in the 2300 block of Barrington Ferry Road.
Liberty County Sheriff’s Deputy Shane Braizer responded to the call and found Wallace James walking on the road and stopped him for questioning.
Hibbeler said Wallace James was very cooperative and led officers to his home in the 2400 block of Barrington Ferry Road, where they found the body of his mother, who had been living there, too.
Moody was a cousin to Wallace James.
Authorities said they had not determined what might have sparked the attacks. Hibbeler said Wallace James had no local criminal history. A woman was found slain and a man was injured after an early morning attack Thursday at a residence in the 2400 block of Barrington Fe... more -
Prosecuting Bush
Vincent Bugliosi is an American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders. His most recent books are Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (2007), and The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder (2008). Vincent Bugliosi is an American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tat... more
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Woman found guilty of microwaving baby
A mother was convicted Friday of killing her month-old daughter by burning her in a microwave oven, with jurors rejecting a defense attorney's claims there was evidence that someone else was responsible.
China Arnold, 28, showed no reaction when the jury's verdict was announced and then lowered her head, looking down at the defense table.
Relatives in the courtroom cried and covered their faces with their hands.
She was found guilty of aggravated murder and faces the death penalty when sentenced.
Arnold was accused of killing daughter Paris Talley in 2005. A judge declared a mistrial in February, and the retrial began August 18.
Jury deliberations started Thursday following closing arguments.
Prosecutors said Arnold intentionally put her baby in the microwave oven and cooked the child to death after a fight with her boyfriend.
Arnolds' cell mate testified that Arnold confessed to putting the baby in the microwave and turned it on because she was worried her boyfriend would leave her if he found out the child wasn't his.
The baby's DNA was found inside the microwave in Arnold's apartment, prosecutors said.
Defense attorney Jon Paul Rion said there was evidence someone else was responsible.
He cited testimony from an 8-year-old boy who said he saw another boy walk into the kitchen of a nearby apartment with the baby, heard the microwave go on, and then later saw the burned baby in the microwave.
Judge John Kessler declared a mistrial February 11 after he privately heard testimony from the juvenile.
In rebuttal, however, the 8-year-old's mother testified Wednesday that they lived some distance away and they were not at Arnold's apartment complex when the baby died.
Her former live-in boyfriend also testified that he was certain the boy was not at the location. A mother was convicted Friday of killing her month-old daughter by burning her in a microwave oven, with jurors rejecting a defense at... more -
Zodiac killer identity, murder weapon discovered?
Kris Pickel SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ― The Zodiac Killer attacked at least eight people, terrorizing the Bay Area and taunting police in the 60's and 70's. Thursday, the FBI confirmed to CBS13 they are now running laboratory tests on some items that may link a suspect to the killer.
The evidence was given to the FBI by a Pollock Pines man who also claims he recently found the disguise worn by the Zodiac Killer during one of his attacks.
"The identity of the Zodiac Killer is Jack Tarrance. He's my stepfather," says Dennis Kaufman.
Eight years of Dennis Kaufman's life has been consumed with attempting to prove the only father he's known since he was five-years-old is none other than the Zodiac Killer.
"This a handwriting comparison I did," says Kaufman, showing handwriting samples claiming to be his father's and the Zodiac Killer's, which bear a striking similarity. Similarities Dennis says are no coincidence.
"The composite is a dead ringer," says Kaufman, showing composite sketch of the killer next to his stepfather's -- a resemblance that is undeniable between pictures of Jack Tarrance and descriptions of the zodiac.
Dennis also claims his stepfather, in a taped phone conversation, indirectly admitted being the zodiac killer.
"If I wrote a book and said I think my stepfather is the Zodiac Killer they wouldn't believe me," says Kaufman.
Jack Tarrance died in 2006. Dennis claims that while going through Tarrance's belongings, there were disturbing findings including a knife still covered with what could possibly be dried blood.
"It could be a knife he barbecued with or a knife he murdered someone with," says Kaufman.
Jack also left behind rolls of undeveloped film. Dennis plans to hand over the film to the FBI. On one of the rolls Dennis did develop, there were numerous gruesome images.
"Appeared to be people who were murdered," explains Dennis.
Just recently, Dennis remembered his stepfather asking him several times about the old PA system which led Dennis to take it apart.
"When I first opened it up that did affect me. My heart skipped a couple of beats when I saw it," he says.
The material folded and tucked inside, Dennis believes, may unmask the zodiac killer.
"It was a black hood with a zodiac on it," Dennis explains.
Dennis holds up a black hood with the zodiac sign on it. It's similar to the hood worn during the vicious 1968 Lake Berryessa attack, which is the possible key evidence connecting his stepfather to the killings. He also believes there are dozens more victims which were never linked to the Zodiac, including Dennis' own mother who, he claims, was suffocated.
"She sat there and told me Jack was trying to kill her and I didn't listen. I can only imagine how she felt. Imagine how scary that would be. That is what kept me going this whole time," says Dennis.
The FBI confirmed they are running DNA tests on items that Dennis gave them.
Dennis says there are postage stamps sent to him by his stepfather. Authorities are trying to get DNA profile of Jack Tarrance to compare to A DNA profile of the Zodiac Killer. The FBI told CBS13 they could get those results back any day. Kris Pickel SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ― The Zodiac Killer attacked at least eight people, terrorizing the Bay Area and taunting police in th... more
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