MySpace Killers

Marcos R. Lozano arrested for rape in the second degree

MSK — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:50:00 GMT

Police say two victims have come forward so far – and they are worried there are others.

Marcos R. Lozano of Olympia was arrested Thursday afternoon by Thurston County Sheriff’s detectives for rape in the second degree.

Roommates tell KING 5 News he rents a room at a home on the 7900 block of 4th Ct. S.E. in Lacey.

The 28-year-old man had previously been arrested in February on another rape charge but was out on bail when the second arrest happened.

The second victim came forward after learning of Lozano’s first arrest.

Lozano apparently meets and or communicates with his victims on Myspace and convinces them to meet him at the Red Wind Casino on the Nisqually Indian Reservation where he works as a bartender.

In the most recent case, there are witnesses that verify that a sexual assault took place.

One victim believes she may have been drugged.

He allegedly first raped a 24-year-old Lacey woman on February 8 and a 21-year-old Yelm woman on February 17.

Both rapes occurred at the suspect’s home.

A man living at the home says Lozano is a housemate. He's known him since middle school and doesn't believe he'd rape anybody.

Deputies arrested Lozano and served a search warrant at his home Thursday. Detectives seized Lozano’s computer to try and determine if he has attempted or committed sexual assaults on other victims.

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office wants to hear from any other woman who believes she was assaulted by this suspect.

Shawn D. Memarian admitted Wednesday to using the Internet to get even with his ex-girlfriend

MSK — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:41:00 GMT

The 29-year-old met his ex-girlfriend online, and in federal court Wednesday afternoon, he admitted he used the Web to threaten and harass her when the relationship went sour.

Shawn Memarian left the courthouse without wanting to comment Wednesday afternoon. Memarian was free on bond after admitting to a judge that he is guilty of what the the government calls cyberstalking. Memarian told the judge he dated a Gladstone, Mo., woman named Melissa Standfort for a couple of months during 2006. He said after the relationship ended, he suspected her of keying his car so he started e-mailing her. According to court documents, Memarian threatened her with death, even sending her e-mails claiming that she would be dealt with by a member of an organized crime family.

Then, according to court documents, he posted personal false ads on MySpace, and Craigslist giving Standfort's personal information, including her address, inviting readers to her house for sexual gratification. The victim had about 30 unknown men show up at her house in response to the e-mail and ads. Many of the visits were at night when she was at home alone.Standfort called police.

In court Wednesday, Memarian told the judge he knew what he did was wrong and he was sorry for the stress he caused his ex-girlfriend. Memarian will be sentenced in a few months. He could receive up to five years in prison.

Seth Cravens, who killed Emery Kauanui in 2007 was sentenced to 20 years to life

MSK — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:07:00 GMT

Man who killed surfer gets 20 to life in prison

Seth Cravens, who killed 24-year-old surfer Emery Kauanui in 2007 with a punch, was sentenced Monday to 20 years to life in prison.

Cravens apologized to Kauanui's mother, Cindy, before Superior Court Judge John S. Einhorn sentenced him.

She said her son had hoped to travel the world “and learn other people's experiences in life.” Later, he wanted to open a restaurant in his native Hawaii.

On Nov. 18, a jury found Cravens, 23, guilty of second-degree murder and other charges, including felony assault and making a criminal threat, stemming from other fights.

Cravens punched Kauanui during a fight outside Kauanui's home in La Jolla on May 24, 2007. Kauanui fell to the pavement and cracked his skull. He died at a hospital four days later.

Justin Johnson arrested for 2006 stabbing death of Juan Carlos Ramos

MSK — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:23:00 GMT

BERKELEY, Calif. (KCBS) -- The parents of a teen who was stabbed to death at an unsupervised house party in the Berkeley Hills three years ago, are speaking out about an arrest in the case.

Barbara Ramos does not know 19-year-old Berkeley High School graduate, Justin Johnson who has been arrested for her son's murder. Johnson is in custody in South Carolina for the 2006 stabbing death of Juan Carlos Ramos.

"We feel very grateful to the Berkeley police for all the work they did, but it's bittersweet," said Ramos. "Nothing can ever take the place of our son."

The Ramos' lawyer, Robert Cheasty, says witnesses did not initially come forward to identify the killer at the teen house party.

"We were, and still are, dealing with a lot of young people, whose maturity level was not really there yet," said Cheasty.

Pieces of information were gathered as teens had conversations about the death on MySpace and Facebook.

"Some we've spoken to, and some we haven't been able to speak to yet," said Cheasty. "Some have been more forthcoming than others, and the police have had the same problem."

Ultimately, witness cooperation did lead to Johnson being named the suspect, and ultimately arrested.

Sherwin Adrian Mora charged with murder for the killing of Armando Leon Hernandez

MSK — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:18:00 GMT

Defendant in gang beating death sentenced to 11 years in prison

Will Bigham, Staff Writer

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A man charged with murder for his alleged connection to a 2006 beating death has been sentenced to 11 years in state prison after accepting a plea offer from prosecutors.

Sherwin Adrian Mora, 23, was arrested and charged with murder in 2007 for the killing of 22-year-old Armando Leon Hernandez.

According to the prosecutors, a 17-year-old girl befriended Hernandez on MySpace.com and lured him to her Rancho Cucamonga home, where Hernandez was beaten to death by Mora and Ivan Pierce, 23, both alleged gang members.

Hernandez and the two alleged murderers were gang rivals, prosecutors believe.

Hernandez suffered a crushed throat in the beating.

His body was found on Sept. 23, 2006 by a security guard in Memorial Park in Upland.

Mora was sentenced to prison after agreeing to plead no contest to voluntary manslaughter on Feb. 20 in West Valley Superior Court.

Pierce has rejected an identical offer for 11 years in prison, Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus said.

At the conclusion of a trial in 2007, a jury deadlocked seven to five in favor of acquittal for Pierce.

Prosecutors refiled charges against him.

Prosecutors intially charged the 17-year-old girl with murder, but later granted her immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony against Mora and Piere.

Staff writer Rod Leveque contributed to this report.

Shawn Freemore and Ian Seagraves arrested in murder of Michael Goucher

MSK — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:19:00 GMT

Two Arrested in Gay Vet's Murder

Michael Goucher, 21, an Army veteran missing since February 3, was found dead in a wooded area southeast of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on February 11, the victim of multiple stab wounds. Police arrested Shawn Freemore, 19, the same day, and Ian Seagraves, 17, on February 18. Both were charged with murder and had connections to a MySpace page devoted to gangs.

Freemore admitted to police that he killed Goucher, telling them they met online last month and had sex in the victim's car. When they met on February 3, he said Goucher tried to have sex with him and when he refused and left the car, Goucher pursued him and Freemore stabbed him about 20 times.

Goucher was active in the Zion United Church of Christ. "He helped with piano and organ, sang in the choir, played bells," said his "terribly shocked minister," Reverend Dr. William Ramsden. "Everybody loved him."

The victim's mother, Mary Anne Goucher of Moosic, Pennsylvania, said Freemore's story was "totally not true" and "so out of character," Out in America reported. "Mike was a trusting soul, a good kid. I believe this kid had planned from the start to rob Mike."

By: ANDY HUMM

Michael Collins and Teven Collins beat Robert Tracey

MSK — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:14:00 GMT

The mother of a teen suspected in a near-fatal attack on a cross country skier in the Columbia River Gorge says she fears for her son's safety and hopes he will break away from his father and turn himself in.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 33-year-old Michael Collins and 16-year-old Teven Collins after police say they beat Robert Tracey with a wooden club, leaving him near death and stealing his car at a campground in the Gorge on February 9.

A West Coast manhunt has been initiated for the father and son, both from the Vancouver area. Deputies believe they may have traveled out of Oregon and are somewhere in the Southwest.

Mom fears for son's safety

On Friday the teen's mother, Anna Logan, expressed her sympathy for the ordeal endured by Tracey, and worried for her son.

"We are in fear of Mike involving Teven in anything else," Logan wrote. "We believe Teven's life would become forfeit if he became a liability or angered Mike in any way."

Logan wrote that she hoped Teven would break away from his dad and urged him to turn himself in to authorities.

Feds track movement of father and son

Tracey's vehicle, checkbook, wallet and several credit cards were stolen in the attack, according to Skamania County authorities. Court records suggest the pair used Tracey's Visa card in Washington, Madras, Ore., and Lathrop, Calif.

Police believe the suspects may also be traveling in Tracey’s 1998 black Ford Explorer SUV. The vehicle had Washington registration and plates at the time it was carjacked. The plate numbers were 455-YHY.

Victim was out for a day ski

Tracey told KGW he was approached Monday, Feb. 9, in the parking lot of the Dougan Creek Campground by two men asking for directions.

After providing directions to one of the men, Tracey said they responded, “…very matter of factly, ‘We need your car.’”

“I just flipped him the key and kind of said, 'You guys just go your own way,'" Tracey said.

But that was not enough. Tracey said one of the men then told him they could not afford to leave a witness and needed to kill him.

“I tried to put some distance and maybe made it 50 yards or so away and he said, ‘No, we really do have to kill you,’” Tracey recalled.

He said the two men proceeded to punch him in the face and hit him in the head. He was struck repeatedly, strangled with a rope and dragged into a wooded area, according to an affidavit.

As Michael Collins beat Tracey and attempted to kill him, Teven Collins encouraged the assault, telling his father to "Get him," the arrest affidavit said.

At some point he passed out, Tracey told police.

Tracey believes he was unconscious approximately two hours. When he awoke, he said he was lying face-down in the snow.

Skier left to die in snow

Fearing his attackers would return, Robert Tracey crawled toward the banks of the Washougal River.

“I crawled down in there and then just kind of weaved in and out of the brush and in and out of the ferns trying to stay hidden,” he said.

Bleeding profusely and enduring temperatures in the low 40s, Tracey waited. Hours passed before he was found by three hikers. Tracey was taken to the Southwest Washington Medical center in Vancouver for treatment.

Suspects needed a ride out

Authorities believe the father and son were dropped off at the Dougan Falls campground on Feb. 2, according to testimony from a man arrested by U.S. Marshals. They had been camping in the area prior to the assault; after several days in the cold they may have been seeking a way to leave the area, investigators believe. They had even left a hand-drawn map of Dougan Falls with relatives, according to a police report.

Son ran away with dad months ago

Teven Collins' mother, Anna Logan, told KGW she had full custody of him and that her son had not seen his birth father, Michael, since he was 7.

Logan said the two reconnected on MySpace. She called Michael Collins "abusive" and a "sex offender," and said she had pleaded with his parole officer to keep the two away from each other.

Logan filed a runaway report with authorities after Teven took off with his father.

Teven Collins updated his MySpace page on Feb. 1, indicating he was no longer in the Vancouver-Portland Metro Area and was now in California. Another area of his personal webpage indicated he could be in New Mexico.

Material witnesses detained

Vancouver police announced Thursday that two "material witnesses" in the case were in custody at Skamania County Jail. Dania Whalen and Nathan Davis, two 18-year-old Vancouver residents, were believed to have information relevant to the attempted murder and carjacking of Robert Tracey, 52, last week.

Suspects considered dangerous

Michael Collins is a sex offender with an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to meet his requirements to register.

Police consider them armed and dangerous.

Skamania County Detectives are asking people who may have information in this case to contact them at (509) 427-9490.

By ERIC ADAMS and SCOTT BURTON, kgw.com

Martin Martinez charged with sex assault on a 13 year old

MSK — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:43:00 GMT

Police have arrested a 20-year-old Grand Junction man after they say he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl he met on MySpace, the social networking Web site.

The Mesa County sheriff's office arrested Martin Martinez, 20, and charged him with sex assault on a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Investigators learned in early December that the 13-year-old had met Martinez on MySpace in November, and agreed to meet him in person.

The victim told police that she met Martinez and after drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana allegedly supplied by the suspect, they had sex. Colorado law states that anyone 13 year old cannot consent to sex with someone more than four years older than them.

The arrest caused the usual warning from police about monitoring children's Internet use. For more tips, go to myspace.com and choose the "safety tips" at the bottom of the page.

MySpace gives clues to cops in Durham killing

MSK — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:39:00 GMT

Detectives are using the social networking sites MySpace and Facebook to help make their case against a Durham teen charged with killing another teenager and shooting two others.

Deamonte Tavaris Brooks, 18, is charged with murder in the Nov. 8 death of Nathan Elmore, 18, during a party at a townhouse on Glendale Avenue. Brooks is also charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, in the shootings of Christopher Hunter, 16, and James Downey, 21.

Search warrants made public Thursday show that investigators with the Durham Police Department accessed user accounts at MySpace.com and Facebook.com seeking evidence in the case.

One of the warrants says a handgun was seized after a search of a residence matching the home address given on Brooks' arrest warrant.

"Upon further investigation it was discovered the suspect had a MySpace account and had photos of the possible murder weapon along with comments and messages that may be related to this crime," wrote Investigator M. Soucie in the search warrant executed Dec. 18. "The MySpace account was viewed and did in fact contain photos of the suspect holding several weapons."

The warrant does not mention Brooks by name, but the MySpace user identification number listed in the warrant matches that for his online profile.

On his MySpace page, Brooks posted photos of himself posing with an arsenal that includes two sawed-off shotguns, an assault rifle and a semi-automatic handgun.

The page is titled "Crip Swag" and makes numerous mentions of Brooks' affiliation with the Crips street gang.

He is shown in the photos flashing gang signs and wearing the group's signature navy blue. There are also close-up photos of a silver handgun resting on a blue bandanna. The warrant suggests that the handgun could be the murder weapon.

Brooks last signed on to his MySpace account on Nov. 8, the day of the shootings. He described his mood as "crazy."

Besides Elmore, a second victim died at the party that night. No one has been charged in the death of Shelton Henderson Jr., 19.

Henderson was the younger brother of Demario Atwater, 22, one of two suspects charged in the March slaying of Eve Carson, student body president at UNC-Chapel Hill. Shortly before he was gunned down, Henderson testified before a federal grand jury that indicted his brother on carjacking and felony firearms charges.

Kammie Michael, spokeswoman for the Durham police, said in e-mail Thursday that she could not comment on a current investigation.

Electronic trail

Turning to Internet sites favored by young people for clues in crimes is becoming an essential skill for both detectives and journalists. After the November murder of Matthew Silliman, senior at Apex High School, the Facebook and MySpace pages of the victim and the four teens arrested in the case provided insight into a tight circle of friends, what music they listened to and how they viewed their place in society.

Though Brooks has been held in the Durham County jail since his arrest Nov. 9, his online friends have continued to leave messages of admiration and support on his MySpace page.

A masked man wearing a blue bandanna offers Brooks "Some Crip Luv."

"Hey boo," writes a female friend. "I cant believe u did dat rit after i seen u. im sorry. well i love u dee. im praying for u. ima try to go see u wit ya mom. love you."

A 17-year-old girl identifying herself as a close friend of Brooks urges "Free Deamonte."

Possible witnesses

The search warrants released Thursday indicate investigators have been monitoring the messages for leads on potential witnesses who might have information about the shootings.

Police also used a warrant to gain access to the Facebook page of Dylan Shaquan Turner, 17, who was charged with possession of a firearm by a minor after the killings. The warrant indicates Turner was using the site to talk about the shootings with his friends.

Access to Turner's Facebook page was blocked Thursday, but like Brooks', his MySpace page includes references to the Crips and incudes photos of him wearing the gang's colors and flashing signs that identify him as a member.

Turner pleaded guilty to the weapons charge Dec. 17 and forfeited the firearm in his possession to police as evidence, according to court records.

michael.biesecker@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4698

Portlyn Lauren Miller charged

MSK — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:52:00 GMT

When you commit a crime, it's a good idea not to document it if you want to get away scot-free.

21-year-old Portlyn Lauren Miller told her ex-boyfriend that he couldn't prove she vandalized his St. Paul apartment on three occasions. But then, police say, she posted photos of the vandalism, estimated to be $10,000 in damage, on her MySpace page.

Miller has been charged with second degree burglary and first degree criminal damage to property for the Oct. 5, 8, and 15 vandalism of her ex-boyfriend's residence. According to the criminal complaint, Miller splashed green, white and pink paint all over the inside of her ex's apartment -- dousing the walls, furniture, computer, and toilet.

Messages written on the wall by paint suggested to the resident that the vandal was his former roommate and ex-girlfriend, but when he approached her, she denied it laughing, saying, he couldn't prove a thing.

On several other occasions, she also allegedly impaled a teddy bear, sticking a knife through its head, filled the house with trash; egged his garage and scattered smelly tuna cans inside.

There was no sign of forced entry into the victim's home. According to the criminal complaint, the photo showed the defendant's key ring hanging in the doorknob.

Miller also allegedly wrote on her MySpace page, "I win. & & The s--- just keeps getting better. It's a fact: you f---ed with the wrong b----."

Miller is not in police custody. Her present whereabouts are unknown.

Motive for the vandalism isn't exactly clear, but when Miller and the victim broke up, she found out he reportedly had been seeing another woman.

Miller faces a maximum penalty of 15 years and/or a $30,000 fine.
by Julie Rose
myfox9.com
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=8202387&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Update: Brittany Navarra in murder of 18-year-old Krista Rae Pike

MSK — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:49:00 GMT

A Madera judge decided there was enough evidence to try 16-year-old Brittany Navarra for the murder of 18-year-old Krista Rae Pike.

The prosecution put on a hearing Tuesday, bringing detectives from the Madera Police Department to speak of interviews and accounts of Navarra's actions around the time of Pike's murder.

Key questions were centered on 'if' Navarra planned the murder and communicated with the alleged accomplish, 19-year-old Dustin Gran. These topics are expected to be further discussed in trial.

In Detective Shawn Bushey's account of Navarra after the incident, she reported not having any contact with Gran on that day.

"I asked her where Dustin was on January 14th and she said she didn't know and didn't tex him at all that day."

Tex messages read, 'just rape her and get it over with,' according to the detective.

Police also interviewed a witness, student Veronica Blumberg, who said she saw Navarra tex message Dustin on the day of the murder while at school.

"Brittany said she was texting Dustin and he was at Thomas' home, where he was killing her," recalled Dt. Bushey.

The prosecutor presented a letter from Navarra. Although she did not say she planned Pike's murder, she said 'sorry' to the family.

"Krista was a young, beautiful girl. Sorry I caused you to lose her...after I broke up with Thomas I was hurt and confused. I began to hate Krista."

In the letter, read by the Detective Hector Garibay, Navarra stated she doesn't know how exactly Krista was killed but suggested by Thomas' (Krista Pike's brother) dumb bell.

Navarra ended with writing,"You may not forgive me but I would give up my life to bring back hers."

The letter will be admissible in court. Navarra will be arraigned on April 25th.

Madera police say Navarra ordered her Gran to carry out the murder and the possible motive may have been jealousy, since Pike was engaged to Navarra's ex-boyfriend.

Gran will appear in court in August for his hearing.

By: Kyra Jenkins: http://www.kmph.com/Global/story.asp?S=8173361&nav=menu612_7_5

Lori Drew indicted in suicide of 13 year old Megan Meier

MSK — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:57:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a Missouri woman for her alleged role in perpetrating a hoax on the online social network MySpace against a 13-year-old neighbor who committed suicide.

Lori Drew of suburban St. Louis allegedly helped create a false- identity MySpace account to contact Megan Meier, who thought she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans. Josh didn't exist.

Megan hanged herself at home in October 2006 after receiving cruel messages, including one stating the world would be better off without her.

Salvador Hernandez, assistant agent in charge of the Los Angeles FBI office, called the case heart-rending.

"The Internet is a world unto itself. People must know how far they can go before they must stop. They exploited a young girl's weaknesses," Hernandez said. "Whether the defendant could have foreseen the results, she's responsible for her actions."

Drew was charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to get information used to inflict emotional distress on the girl.

Drew has denied creating the account or sending messages to Megan.

U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said this was the first time the federal statute on accessing protected computers has been used in a social-networking case. It has been used in the past to address hacking.

"This was a tragedy that did not have to happen," O'Brien said.

Both the girl and MySpace are named as victims in the case, he said.

MySpace is a subsidiary of Beverly Hills-based Fox Interactive Media Inc., which is owned by News Corp. The indictment noted that MySpace computer servers are located in Los Angeles County.

Due to juvenile privacy rules, the U.S. attorney's office said, the indictment refers to the girl as M.T.M.

FBI agents in St. Louis and Los Angeles investigated the case, Hernandez said.

Each of the four counts carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.

Drew will be arraigned in St. Louis and then moved to Los Angeles for trial.

The indictment says MySpace members agree to abide by terms of service that include, among other things, not promoting information they know to be false or misleading; soliciting personal information from anyone under age 18 and not using information gathered from the Web site to "harass, abuse or harm other people."

Drew and others who were not named conspired to violate the service terms from about September 2006 to mid-October that year, according to the indictment. It alleges they registered as a MySpace member under a phony name and used the account to obtain information on the girl.

Drew and her coconspirators "used the information obtained over the MySpace computer system to torment, harass, humiliate, and embarrass the juvenile MySpace member," the indictment charged.

After the girl killed herself, Drew and the others deleted the information for the account, the indictment said.

Last month, an employee of Drew, 19-year-old Ashley Grills, told ABC's "Good Morning America" she created the false MySpace profile but Drew wrote some of the messages to Megan.

Grills said Drew suggested talking to Megan via the Internet to find out what Megan was saying about Drew's daughter, who was a former friend.

Grills also said she wrote the message to Megan about the world being a better place without her. The message was supposed to end the online relationship with "Josh" because Grills felt the joke had gone too far.

"I was trying to get her angry so she would leave him alone and I could get rid of the whole MySpace," Grills told the morning show.

Megan's death was investigated by Missouri authorities, but no state charges were filed because no laws appeared to apply to the case.

By LINDA DEUTSCH
AP Special Correspondent

Associated Press Writers Greg Risling in Los Angeles and Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

One police officer has made it his mission

MSK — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:53:00 GMT

CHEYENNE -- Cheyenne police officer John Gay never thought he would do many presentations on the dangers of the Internet.

But on Oct. 10, 2006 -- which would have been Kacie Renee Woody's 17th birthday -- he gave a presentation to the entire student body at McCormick Junior High.

The 13-year-old Arkansas girl and daughter of a police officer had been killed four years earlier. A man from California who she had met in an Internet chat room traveled to her town, abducted her, sexually assaulted her and then killed her and himself.

Gay used her story and that of 47-year-old David Fuller, her killer, as an example of the dangers teens can face using the Internet.

Ever since then, Gay has presented to children, parents and concerned community members at forums and schools.

Gay spoke to a crowd at Sunrise Elementary last week about the dangers of sexual predators and of the Internet.

"I truly believe that Kacie was with me there that day," Gay told the crowd about what back then was to be a one-time presentation.

The officer specializes in Internet crimes, and his presentation focused on how to be aware of registered sex offenders -- of which there are 225 living in Cheyenne. He also spoke of how to safeguard children against the potential dangers of chat rooms and social Web sites like MySpace.com

Dan and Diana DeShaney came to hear Gay speak because they have a granddaughter who is nearing the age where computer use might become an issue.

"We're not that familiar with MySpace," DeShaney said.

The couple seemed surprised to hear many of the situations of which Gay spoke.

"They think nothing's going to happen to them," DeShaney said of minors who use such sites.

When Gay speaks at junior or senior high schools, the presentations can be hard hitting. He will go to MySpace.com and find inappropriate photos that students who attend the school have posted and flash them on the screen in front of the audience.

It often embarrasses the students, but Gay asks why they would put the photos out in the first place for all to see.

The officer also details graphic examples of what can go wrong for teens on the Internet.

But last week he toned it down somewhat.

He cited statistics that show just how popular social Web sites are and how easy it is for minors to come across inappropriate material.

As of 9:13 a.m. last Wednesday, there were more than 233 million MySpace.com accounts.

"There are more people on MySpace than even most countries," Gay said.

Of children ages 12 to17, 71 percent have online profiles of some kind. And 65 percent have engaged in illegal or inappropriate activity on the Internet.

One in four children has been exposed to unwanted sexually explicit photographs, and one in five has gotten sexual solicitations.

Many children will have a MySpace.com page they show their family and another one for friends, Gay said.

He showed the twisted profiles of sexual predators that use MySpace.com. He cited a statistic that the company found 29,000 offenders on the Web site.

"MySpace is like the Super Wal-Mart for predators," Gay said.

The officer said there are precautions parents can take and online resources to learn about the dangers of the Internet, like netsmartz.org.

He said parents should be involved and accessible in their children's lives and to know what's going on.

"It's just so important that you play an active role in your kid's life," Gay said.

By Michael Van Cassell
mcassell@wyomingnews.com

Rephael Brandon Swan charged with raping 13-year-old girl

MSK — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:12:00 GMT

A Newark, N.J., man was arrested Friday after he allegedly met a 13-year-old girl online and traveled to her home, where he raped her and sexually assaulted her friend.

Hellertown police said Rephael Brandon Swan met a 13-year-old girl on MySpace, they exchanged photographs and she gave him her address and phone number. He told police he was unsure if she told him she was 13 or 15.

He allegedly went to her home Friday afternoon. The girl told police she had arranged to have a friend, another 13-year-old girl, present for security.

The first victim said she was in her basement, wearing a towel because she had planned to take a shower, when Swan removed the towel, laid her on a bed, kissed her breasts and began fondling her genitals. He allegedly performed a sex act on her, then placed her hand on his genitals. She fled upstairs.

Her friend told police Swan touched her breasts and placed her hands on his genitals while the first victim was taking a shower. He also allegedly attempted to unzip her pants to have sex with her, but he stopped when a 10-year-old entered the room, according to court documents.

He was arraigned before District Judge Diane Repyneck on charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory rape, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, sexual assault and corruption of minors. He was committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Christopher “Christopher Jive” Leasher sexually assaulted a 15-year old girl

MSK — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:07:00 GMT

A Warminster musician who bought drugs for then sexually assaulted a 15-year old girl he met on MySpace was sentenced in Bucks County court Monday to two to six years in a state prison.

Christopher Leasher, 24, who went by the name “Christopher Jive” on the popular social networking Web site, also will be a registered sex offender under Megan’s Law for 10 years.

He apologized to county Judge Jeffrey Finley and said that he planned to change his ways.

“I have no excuses,” Leasher said in the Doylestown courtroom. “I’m so sorry for everything and to everybody involved in this ordeal. I’m sad to say that this saved my life. It will allow me to live a life that I’m proud of from now on.”

Leasher pleaded guilty in February to statutory sexual assault, indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor and delivery of a controlled substance to a minor. He was arrested in August after the victim told police that Leasher had sexually assaulted her while she was high on drugs.

The attack occurred at the Doylestown Township home of Leasher’s friend. The girl said that she had contacted Leasher through his MySpace page and that he convinced her to meet him.

After picking her up at a Warminster shopping center, Leasher drove the teen to Philadelphia to purchase cocaine.

While the girl was high on the drug, Leasher had sex with her numerous times, even after she became so feverish from the cocaine that she had to immerse herself in a bathtub of cold water.

Detectives used the phone number Leasher gave the victim to track him down at his girlfriend’s Montgomery County home.

Prosecutors say he initially lied to them but later confessed to the crime, calling the girl a “teenybopper” and one of his “young fans.”

While police were still investigating the girl’s allegations, Leasher e-mailed her and told her that if she continued to cooperate with police he would sue her and her family. Prosecutors said it was an attempt to get the victim to change her story.

In court Monday, Leasher’s attorney, Richard Fink, noted that his client was an Eagle Scout whose only brush with the law before the case was a minor traffic citation. Fink said Leasher has read selfhelp books while incarcerated and is looking forward to serving his time and then getting back to his music career.

“He wants to rebuild his life,” Fink said.

Leasher was in a band, had a punk rock-oriented Web site and hosted a popular Texas radio program in the years before his arrest, Fink said.

Finley said that he found the fact that Leasher encouraged the girl to do drugs “particularly troubling.”

The victim did not attend the hearing. Prosecutor Sara Rothman said the girl was content with knowing that Leasher pleaded guilty.

“Knowing that he took responsibility for his actions was the most important thing for her,” she said.

By LAURIE MASON
Bucks County Courier Times

Tess Damm sentenced to 23 years

MSK — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:44:00 GMT

Original story: myspacekillers.com/2007/03/03/girl-held-in-mothers-death.aspx

Thanks to reporter Pierrette J. Shields and Longmont Times-Calland publication.

The teenage daughter of a Lafayette woman who was stabbed to death in February 2007 was sentenced Monday to 23 years in prison for her role in the murder.

Tess Damm will remain in a juvenile facility until she is 21, when she will be moved to an adult prison for an 18-year term.

Boulder District Judge James Klein listened carefully to a long line of people who spoke, often tearfully, for and against Tess Damm.

Prosecutors painted the teen as a skilled manipulator who used her volatile boyfriend to do her dirty work. Defense attorneys told the judge she was an abused and neglected child who detached herself from her emotions to cope with a tumultuous home life.

Tess Damm wore her long blonde hair in braids that rested on her shoulders, making her look younger than her 16 years. She cried periodically throughout the hearing, particularly when someone spoke on her behalf.

A tip led police to the Damms’ Lafayette home on Feb. 28, 2007, where officers discovered Linda Damm’s battered and badly decomposed body in the truck of a car parked in the garage. Neighbors told police and reporters they had seen Tess Damm; her boyfriend, Bryan Grove; and other teens partying at the house but didn’t realize Linda Damm was missing until the woman’s body was discovered.

Police and prosecutors believe she and Grove plotted the stabbing at a Westminster IHOP the night of Linda Damm’s death in front of their friend Jared Smith.

The Boulder County Coroner determined Linda Damm was stabbed 18 times in the mouth and throat. About a week after the death, Grove called another friend, Jared Guy, to help dispose of the body, according to reports. The teens initially took the body to Erie to dump it in a landfill, but they aborted the plan when their car got stuck in mud. The next night, they took the body to a Boulder cemetery and buried it in a shallow grave. However, they returned within hours, retrieved Linda Damm’s body and returned to the woman’s Lafayette home.

As details of the crime made national headlines, Tess Damm and Grove’s MySpace profiles — which chronicled their relationship, troubles with Linda Damm and hints of an unreported crime — became an Internet destination for curiosity seekers.

Tess Damm in March pleaded guilty as a juvenile to the second-degree murder of her mother and to a special charge called “aggravated juvenile offender.” She pleaded guilty as an adult to solicitation of second-degree murder.

Grove, 18, was convicted last year in the stabbing. He pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder in exchange for a 40-year prison term.

Smith is serving a two-year sentence in the Colorado Department of Youth Corrections, and Guy is serving a work-release sentence.

Prosecutor Adrian Van Nice said Monday that a psychological examination of the teen revealed she is a “mastermind of a manipulator” who takes advantage of other kids in the youth facility where she is being held.

Van Nice said the sentence should send a message.

“We will not tolerate the brutal murder of our citizens,” Van Nice said.

Family of Linda and Tess Damm said during the hearing that they are torn because they want the crime punished but also want the girl to have a chance at rehabilitation and a life.

Helen Gardner — Linda’s sister and Tess’ aunt — said standing between the prosecution and defense was symbolic. She said the family is haunted by questions about whether they could have prevented the murder, especially because they knew Linda Damm was suffering from debilitating alcoholism, which affected her ability to care for her daughter.

“Could we have prevented this? How do you intervene and force people to get help? How could I abandon Tess to live in such circumstance?” she asked.

Defense attorney John Sullivan said his client isn’t unfeeling; she is guarded.

“She is emotionally crippled,” he said. “And very young.”

Klein commented only briefly during his sentencing of the teen.

“I wish that I had some words of wisdom that would help the pain in this courtroom and the community go away, but I don’t. And I don’t think anybody here does,” Klein said.

“It is impossible to imagine the brutality of the crime. ... The community demands a strong sanction.”

Shawn D. Memarian indicted by a federal grand jury for cyberstalking

MSK — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:39:00 GMT

John F. Wood, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for cyberstalking.

Shawn D. Memarian, 28, of Kansas City, was charged in an indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury on Thursday, May 8, 2008. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Memarian’s arrest and initial court appearance.

The federal indictment alleges that between July 15, 2006, and Sept. 1, 2007, Memarian engaged in a course of conduct consisting of malicious postings to MySpace, Facebook, Craig’s List and other Internet social sites in which he caused the personal identity information of Melissa Sandfort – including her home address – to be publicly displayed. At the time, the indictment says, Memarian had been served with a restraining order forbidding contact with Sandfort.

The indictment alleges that the intent of the malicious postings was to place Sandfort in fear of death and serious bodily injury. Memarian allegedly posed as Sandfort and distributed Web site invitations to visit Sandfort’s residence for sexual gratification.

The indictment also alleges that Memarian sent malicious emails to Sandfort, threatening her with death and serious bodily injury, which caused substantial emotional distress to Sandfort.

Wood cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Cowles. It was investigated by the Gladstone, Mo., Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html

Cameron James Thomson Third arrest in bunker murders of Bodhisattva “Bodhi” Sherzer-Potter and Christopher Cody Thompson

MSK — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:24:00 GMT

A third suspect has been arrested in the murder of two local teens who were shot execution style at an abandoned military bunker in January, sources told the Daily Press.

Cameron James Thomson, 16, of Covina, allegedly served as the look-out while Bodhisattva “Bodhi” Sherzer-Potter, 16, of Helendale, and Christopher Cody Thompson, 18, of Apple Valley, were shot and killed inside an abandoned military bunker near Helendale on Jan. 5, said Deputy District Attorney Steven Sinfield.

Thomson was arrested late Wednesday and is charged, as an adult, with two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of robbery.

“I don’t want a 16-year-old sitting in a regular-ed class thinking that he can get away with murder,” said Leah Sherzer, Bodhi’s mother. “Just because he’s sixteen doesn’t mean that he is not able to think for himself. It’s an age of knowledge and of answering for one’s actions.”

Collin Lee McGlaughlin, 18, of West Covina, and David Brian Smith, 19, of Covina were both arrested in January for the crime and plead not guilty.

McGlaughlin is alleged as the shooter and faces 111 years in prison if convicted.

Smith faces 81 years to life if convicted.

“I’m glad that they’re getting all of them now,” said Mike Thompson, Cody’s father. “We knew of that third person, but we’re happy they’re bringing justice to everybody now.”

Thompson said he and his wife Pam have gotten a lot of support from friends and family. “We’re hanging in there,” said Mike Thompson. “It’s day by day.”

Sinfield said that Thomson is charged with the same crimes as the other two men because he was aiding and abetting, or helping in the commission of the crime.

A person charged with aiding and abetting or accessory is usually not present when the crime itself is committed, but he or she has knowledge of the crime before or after the fact, and may assist in its commission through advice, actions, or financial support.

Sinfield said Thomson faces 61 year and 8 months to life in prison if convicted.

Sinfield said Thomson is expected to be arraigned Friday in Barstow, the same day that McGlaughlin and Smith are due back in court.

By Ryan Orr, Desert Dispatch
Staff Writer Patrick Thatcher contributed to this article.

Shanika Graves Threats on MySpace

MSK — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:37:00 GMT

Teen cited for making threats on MySpace

Threats on a MySpace page have led to a Shreveport teen being cited by Caddo sheriff's deputies.

Shanika Graves allegedly used her and the victim's MySpace pages to post messages and photos to threaten the victim, according to a release from the sheriff's office. There were photos of Graves holding and pointing a pistol, which she referred to in threatening posts to the victim.

Graves, 19, of the 3500 block of Kingswood Drive, was issued a misdemeanor summons for cyberstalking by Caddo sheriff's Detective Michael Escude'.

Jeff Ipson accused of defrauding women he met on MySpace arrested

MSK — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:18:00 GMT

A man police say was preying on women he met on MySpace to commit fraud and theft was arrested Wednesday by investigators.

Jeff Ipson, 23, of West Jordan was arrested about 10 a.m. Wednesday at a relative's house in West Jordan following a tip that was called into detectives.

Police say Ipson would find women between the ages of 18 to 20 on MySpace.com, develop a relationship with them and eventually ask them out on a date, said West Jordan police officer Dan Harkness. One victim says she became engaged to Ipson, according to police.

"He encourages them to meet him, go on a date. He tries to impress them by saying he has a lot of money," Harkness said.

At some point during their dating, police say Ipson would ask the girl to cash large checks for him. The checks, however, were from closed accounts, Harkness said. By the time the victim found out, however, it was too late.

The victim either cashes or deposits the checks before the banks discover they're fake. The man then convinces the women to give him the cash, saying they can spend it together, Harkness said.

As of Tuesday, investigators had identified four victims in Salt Lake and Utah Counties who had lost nearly $30,000 to the man in the past three months.

West Valley police, to whom Ipson is no stranger, were also looking at Ipson as a suspect in a similar case in their jurisdiction.

Ipson has an arrest record from Ogden to Cedar City, according to court documents. He was convicted of third-degree felony theft in Iron County in 2006. That same year, he plead no contest to impersonating a police officer in West Valley. He currently has a jury trial scheduled in Salt Lake in May on charges of simple assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child, according to court records.

Investigators say Ipson is no stranger to using the Web to find victims.

"The Internet for him is a vehicle to meet people," Harkness said.

Detectives believe Ipson has used the Net to find victims in similar scams in the past, but not as extensively as he is with the MySpace scheme.

"We do feel that there could be more victims. It's our hope they come forward," Harkness said.

Jon Joseph Rutherford is wanted by police on charges of raping another underage girl.

MSK — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:11:00 GMT

A fugitive guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2006 was indicted Tuesday on charges of raping another underage girl.

Jon Joseph Rutherford, 21, is wanted by police for failing to comply with the terms of his probation and for the new sex assault charges.

On Jan. 11, Rutherford allegedly raped a girl under the age of 14. He failed to meet with his probation officer on Jan. 31, and his whereabouts are unknown.

He was indicted on two counts of first-degree sexual assault, four counts of third-degree sexual assault and failure to comply with covered offender registration requirements.

In the September 2006 sexual assault, Rutherford met with a 16-year-old girl at the Pink Cadillac nightclub in Waikiki. The two kept in contact through the social networking Web site Myspace.com, according to court records, and later agreed to meet at Pearlridge Center.

There he took her to a shed, where he kissed her and undressed her despite her protests. The girl said she feared for her life, and Rutherford sexually assaulted her.

Later that month, the mother and the girl returned to the Pink Cadillac, where they found Rutherford playing pool. Police were called and Rutherford fled. An all-points bulletin was broadcast, and Rutherford was arrested on Ala Wai Boulevard shortly afterward.

He was charged with first-degree sexual assault, but a judge found him guilty of second-degree sexual assault and carrying a deadly weapon. Prosecutors sought a 10-year prison term, but Circuit Judge Virginia Lea Crandall sentenced him on Dec. 3 to five years' probation and one year in prison.

But because Rutherford received credit for time served and had been jailed for more than a year since his arrest in September 2006, he was released in December.

Prosecutors made a motion Feb. 12 to revoke Rutherford's probation, since he has failed to report and also attempted to contact the girl from the first incident.

He is known to frequent the Honolulu and Kalihi areas.

He is described as being 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 145 pounds. He has light brown hair, green eyes and a fair complexion.

Bail was set at $250,000.

Teen Hughstan Schlicker Kills Father After Taking Away His MySpace

MSK — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:39:00 GMT

Hughstan Schlicker, 15 years old, has been arrested after being accused of murdering his father. The boy told police that he was considering committing suicide in front of his father but later decided he would murder him first.

Hughstan found a 12 gauge shotgun and ammunition in the garage and surprised his father by approaching him from behind while he was in the kitchen. After killing his father Hughstan called a female friend and explained to her what had just happened.

The friend was able to convince Hughstan to refrain from suicide and turn himself in. Hughstand told police that since his father took away his Internet he was not able to use his MySpace to communicate with his friends, which made him depressed.
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A 15-year-old Mesa, Arizona boy is facing first-degree murder charges after he shot and killed his father because his Internet access to the social networking site MySpace had been restricted.

Hughstan Schlicker told detectives that he found a 12-gauge shotgun in the garage at his house and was contemplating committing suicide in front of his father. Instead the teen took aim at his father and pulled the trigger, killing 49-year-old Ted Schlicker.

Immediately following the shooting the teen called a friend and told her that he planned to kill himself but she talked him into calling the police.

Schlicker then told the investigators that he killed his father because he was depressed that he was no longer able to access his friends through the Web site MySpace.
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A teenager who confessed to killing his father last month told police he hated his dad for taking away his Internet access, according to a police report released Wednesday.

Hughstan Schlicker, 15, called 911 on Feb. 6 and told the dispatcher he had just shot his father in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun."I hate my dad, couldn't take it anymore," he said, according to the report.

Schlicker told police his father had taken away his Internet access after seeing suicide threats the teen had posted on social networking Web site MySpace.com.

Schlicker had posted the threats in January; friends in Florida had seen the postings, talked him out of killing himself and called Mesa police. Police said they told Schlicker's mother about the threats; she allegedly told them she wasn't worried and promised to lock up any guns in the house.

Schlicker said he often spent entire days on MySpace and couldn't cope when his father cut off his access to the site."It felt like I was stabbed with a knife and it went straight through and … no matter how hard I pulled, I couldn't pull out the knife," Schlicker said, according to an interview transcript in the police report.Schlicker said that on the day of the shooting, he called in sick from school by faking his father's voice.

At one point during the day, Schlicker said, he went to the garage to get a drink and found his father's shotgun and ammunition lying on the counter.Schlicker said he took the gun to his room, intending to kill himself in front of his father when his father arrived home. He later changed his mind and decided to kill his father first, then kill himself, according to the police report.Schlicker told police he had decided that if his father came home after 4 p.m., he wouldn't carry out his plan; when his father came home early, at 2 p.m., Schlicker was waiting on the stairs with the shotgun, according to the report.Schlicker said he waited till his father was in the kitchen, then walked up behind him and shot him in the back of the head.

After the shooting, Schlicker said, he called a female friend and told her he had killed his father and was about to kill himself. Schlicker said she talked him out of it and convinced him to call police instead.Schlicker expressed remorse during a police interview, telling detectives "I wish I didn’t do this," and "I miss Dad."During the interview, Schlicker portrayed his father as a loving man who only wanted the best for him and who used to take him on hunting trips."Me and my dad would go squirrel hunting," Schlicker said, according to the interview transcript. "Apparently he trusts me with a rifle."Schlicker was charged with first-degree murder and will be tried as an adult.

Bellevue Rape Victim Met Attackers on Myspace

MSK — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:03:00 GMT

Four Bellevue teens may be charged as adults for the rape of a 16-year old girl they met on Myspace.

Apparently the girl met four teenage boys online, and they agreed to meet in person. Police say the boys got her drunk and assaulted her in the back seat of a car.

The victim was able to tell police the Myspace screen names for the suspects. Detectives were then able to track the suspects and monitor their online discussions.

Officer Greg Grannis tells 710 KIRO the teens then admitted to the crime on their Myspace pages, "According to the detectives the four were not only bragging about what they had done, but they were considering trying it again with a different victim."

The case has been turned over to prosecutors who are expected to hold a hearing to determine whether the suspects can be tried as adults.
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Four teens have been charged with rape in the alleged assault of a Bellevue girl last November.

According to Bellevue police, the attack was described in messages on the Internet.

The youths were all 17 when the assault was reported. Hearings are scheduled next month to determine if they should be tried as adults. One defendant has turned 18 since the alleged attack.

According to court filings, the attack occurred Nov. 18, when four teens picked up the girl, 16, at her home in Bellevue and provided her with alcohol.

The girl later told police she remembered going to a Redmond grocery, buying alcohol, and being in the back seat of a car, where she was repeatedly raped.

She was returned to her home about three hours after the teens picked her up. Her mother, alarmed at her appearance, took her to Overlake Hospital. An examination determined she had been raped, and police were called.

The girl then went to MySpace.com, found profiles for two of the teens and identified them as two of her assailants, according to a police affidavit.

Police got a search warrant for MySpace.com records and found descriptions of the attacks.

"The messages included details of the assault ... and confirmed that four males were involved," noted Detective Carl Kleinknecht.

In other messages, two suspects and other recipients exchanged ideas which included possibly killing the girl if she went to police, concocting a cover story and even boasting of the attack.

Police interviewed one of the teens, who identified three other suspects.

A car believed to be the one where the alleged assault took place was located and impounded.

The teens, from the Kent and Federal Way areas, were charged as juveniles last Wednesday. In addition, two of them face charges of unlawful possession of a firearm for having a .22-caliber semiautomatic rifle.
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Detectives say online chats proved to be key evidence in a case of a Bellevue teen who was raped four times.

The path to the crime began online, when the 16-year-old victim began chatting with the 17-year-old suspects on MySpace.com.

After a while, she thought they'd become friends, and they convinced her to meet them.

They provided her with alcohol, according to detectives, and she consumed a great deal of it in a short amount of time, to the point where she was unable to make any decisions or resist.

That's when the boys pulled their car into a dark parking lot in Bellevue, the victim - and later one of the suspects - told police.

"She was there raped by all four males in the back of the car they were riding in," said Greg Grannis, spokesperson for the Bellevue Police Department.

The suspects might have gotten away with it, but police served a search warrant on the suspects' MySpace pages. Police discovered the chat logs, which then led to the four arrests.

The victim was able to point police to the suspects' MySpace pages, where court documents say they "callously bragged about the assault," and wrote that they "feared (the victim) would contact the police and said they would kill her if she did."

"Not only did they talk about the crime they committed, but they thought that it had worked so well, that they might try it again with another victim," Grannis said.

Allan Kush, of the Internet safety group Wiredsafety.org, is not surprised by the case. He describes a certain naiveté among young online users.

"Because they're very trusting and they think they click, you know, that type of thing," he said. "But what ends up happening are things they never expected or dreamt of."

He says parents must monitor their child's online activities and make it clear that it's never OK to meet privately with someone they've met online.

All four suspects are 17 years old, and have been charged as juveniles.

However, based on the seriousness of the crime, the King County prosecutor may decide to charge them as adults instead.

Update: Collin Lee McGlaughlin and David Brian Smith killers of Bodhisattva Sherzer-Potter and Christopher Cody Thompson

MSK — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:21:00 GMT

David Brian Smith ran track in high school, was set to enlist in the Marines, and -- most importantly, his attorney said -- had no idea a night at an abandoned High Desert military bunker would end in the execution-style killings of two teens.

Attorney Bruce Bridgman said Wednesday that his 19-year-old client, who pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts each of murder, kidnapping and attempted robbery, "wasn't aware that anyone was going to be hurt."

Smith's co-defendant, 18-year-old Collin Lee McGlaughlin, is accused by prosecutors of firing a shotgun to kill, police say execution-style, teenagers Christopher Cody Thompson and Bodhisattva "Bodhi" Sherzer-Potter on Jan. 5 inside the dark bunker off Highway 58 in Helendale.

During a phone interview, Bridgman declined to address charges that Smith, the son of a small-town Idaho police chief, displayed, but did not fire, a mini-14 rifle during the robbery attempt and subsequent slayings.

"I think it's clear that Mr. Smith was not the one who did the killing and didn't have any knowledge anything like that was going to occur," Bridgman said.

Having not yet reviewed police reports, Bridgman declined to comment further on the case.

Officials and friends of the victims have termed the killings senseless and said the two teens, who met at a private Apple Valley high school, were well-liked and had never met their killers.

Smith, a Covina resident, is being held at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino, and likely will not be able to post the $1 million bail set by a judge Tuesday, Bridgman said.

San Bernardino County sheriff's detectives have said that Smith and McGlaughlin attended a birthday party at the bunker and lingered in hopes of robbing the night's final revelers.

No property was taken from Thompson, 18, of Apple Valley, and Sherzer-Potter, 16, of Helendale. They were forced to walk inside the bunker and were shot at close range.

McGlaughlin, of West Covina, is being held at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. His bail has been set at $2 million. He also pleaded not guilty Tuesday and was represented by a public defender.

Since he and Smith were arrested last week in Los Angeles County, McGlaughlin has received the most attention because of his MySpace.com profile showing him holding assault weapons and writing about his desire to kill people.

A friend of McGlaughlin's called him psychotic. Bridgman said Smith, on the other hand, is not a troubled teen and comes from a good family.

His father, James A. Smith, is police chief for the 4,000-population city of St. Anthony, Idaho. Reached by phone Wednesday, he declined to comment about his son's arrest.

"He's always been an upstanding young man," Bridgman, a Fountain Valley attorney, said of Smith. "He doesn't have a tattoo on him, has no record of violence and has never really done anything anti-social in his life."

Both defendants are set to appear in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Barstow for a pre-preliminary hearing Jan. 29.

Brittany Navarra and Dustin Gran Update in Krista-Rae Pike murder

MSK — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:12:00 GMT

Search warrants detail a disturbing, calculated plan carried out, police say by teenagers.

Krista-Rae Pike's body was found earlier this month inside the Madera home she shared with her fiancé and his father.

Her Fiancé's ex-girlfriend Brittany Navarra and her current boyfriend Dustin Gran have been arrested and charged in the murder.

Search warrants filed by Madera Police indicate the murder of Krista-Rae Pike was a cold and calculated crime.

Police say it all began when Thomas Hollier broke up with Brittany Navarra and ended with "Navarra's" confession.

Kim Carlson, Hollier's Sister: "It was just horrible. I can't believe they would do something like that over jealousy it doesn't make any sense to me."

According to the affidavits, just a month before the murder, a friend of Thomas Hollier claimed that Brittany Navarra sent him an angry text message saying that Navarra would kill Krista because she loved Thomas Hollier.

There's also a documented interview with one of Brittany's friends.

A detectives writes the young friend claims Navarra told her that quote Prior to Christmas Dustin Gran asked Brittany what she wanted for Christmas. Brittany told Dustin she wanted Pike killed.

The police investigation also focused on the pair's myspace pages.

In one post, police say Brittany asked Dustin if he would help her hide a body.

Dustin told Brittany that he would help her hide a body if she asked him to.

School officials say Navarra was in class here at Madera High the day of the murder. According to this search warrant, Brittany told police she was sending text-messages to Gran who was with Krista-Rae, telling Gran to kill and rape her. She also claims he then took a picture of the body."

Police list that photo among evidence taken from the homes of Gran and Navarra.

Surveillance video was also taken from these cameras outside the movie theater that Gran's family owns.

Police claim it shows Gran putting a safe containing bloody jeans into the garbage.

But investigators say they're still searching for Krista-Rae's cell phone, and the murder weapons, a dumbbell like this and a knife.

Thomas Hollier, Victim's Fiancé: "All my friends are trying to meet up searching thru the fields and riverbeds, and thru the fields by his house by where I used to live."

As that search continues both Gran and Navarra remain in jail after pleading, not guilty.

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Update II:

The MySpace pages of the two young suspects are filled with violent images and talk of hurt and revenge.

Accused killer 19-year old Dustin Gran shows off his interest in guns on his MySpace page.

A page that's filled with violent images, he sent this one to 16-year old Brittany Navarra about two weeks before police say the pair killed Krista-Rae Pike.

It comes from this website called Satanspace.com.

Fresno State Communications Professor, Dr. Tamyra Pierce, has analyzed hundreds of Myspace pages.

She says these pages are unusually dark and could've been red flags.

Dr. Tamyra Pierce: "There were lot of references and images on both of their sites of Satanism and lots violence."

Lyrics in the music on Navarra's Myspace page are about going psycho, killing and revenge.

But much of the 16-year olds Myspace focuses on her broken heart and making the one she loved regret leaving her.

Most disturbing part of her page is there was a lot of pain and anger. It did seem she was crying out to someone.

It was that heartbreak that police say led Navarra and Gran to kill Krista-Rae Pike. Pike was going to marry Navarra's ex-boyfriend.

Fresno State Criminology Professor Dr. Peter English says this is not a typical crime of passion.

Dr. Peter English: "To act on that sentiment they go after the person that rejected them. This is an instance where the perpetrator allegedly has gone after the person that stole what they lost."

Dr. English says because Navarra was pouring her heart out on the internet, someone should have detected it, and intervened.

Walter Smith and Nicole Speirs met on MySpace

MSK — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:08:00 GMT

Not long after Lance Cpl. Walter Rollo Smith returned from Iraq, the Marines dispatched him to Quantico, Va., for a marksmanship instructor course.

Mr. Smith, then a 21-year-old Marine Corps reservist from Utah, had been shaken to the core by the intensity of his experience during the invasion of Iraq. Once a squeaky-clean Mormon boy who aspired to serve a mission abroad, he had come home a smoker and drinker, unsure if he believed in God.

In Quantico, he reported to the firing range with a friend from Fox Company, the combined Salt Lake City-Las Vegas battalion nicknamed the Saints and Sinners. Raising his rifle, he stared through the scope and started shaking. What he saw were not the inanimate targets before him but vivid, hallucinatory images of Iraq: “the cars coming at us, the chaos, the dust, the women and children, the bodies we left behind,” he said.

Each time he squeezed the trigger, Mr. Smith cried, harder and harder until he was, in his own words, “bawling on the rifle range, which marines just do not do.” Mortified, he allowed himself to be pulled away. And not long afterward, the Marines began processing his medical discharge for post-traumatic stress disorder, severing his link to the Reserve unit that anchored him and sending him off to seek help from veterans hospitals.

The incident on the firing range was the first “red flag,” as the prosecutor in Tooele County, Utah, termed it, that Mr. Smith sent up as he gradually disintegrated psychologically. At his lowest point, in March 2006, he killed Nicole Marie Speirs, the 22-year-old mother of his twin children, drowning her in a bathtub without any evident provocation or reason.

“There was no intent,” said Gary K. Searle, the deputy Tooele County attorney. “It was almost like things kept ratcheting up, without any real intervention that I can see, until one day he snapped.”

Clearly, Mr. Smith’s descent into homicidal, and suicidal, behavior is not representative of returning veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. But among the homicide cases involving recent war veterans examined by The New York Times, Mr. Smith’s stands out because his identity as a psychologically injured veteran shaped the way that his crime was perceived locally and handled by local authorities.

Mr. Smith confessed to the killing at a Veterans Affairs hospital, which immediately set his crime in the context of his deployment and of a growing concern about care for veterans with combat stress. The fact that Mr. Smith was discharged from the Marines for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, made the prosecutor reluctant to bring the case to a jury.

“Did we want to go through a trial where basically we were going to have to defend the United States’ actions on how they treated him?” Mr. Searle said.

Nobody believes that Mr. Smith’s killing of Ms. Speirs can be justified. But many involved in the case have wondered aloud, at some point, whether Ms. Speirs’s life might have been spared if the marine’s combat trauma had been treated more aggressively.

Ms. Speirs’s parents do not engage in such speculation. They view their daughter as a victim of fatal domestic violence and not as an indirect casualty of the war in Iraq.

Last fall, sitting in their living room, across from framed samplers that said “Home Sweet Home” and “Welcome Friends,” John and Pauline Speirs remembered their daughter as a shy tomboy, a graphic designer and a proud young mother. In their estimation, Ms. Speirs herself has been ignored in all the attention given in Utah to Mr. Smith as a combat veteran.

“When they mention Nicole, it’s like an aside,” Mr. Speirs said, his voice quiet, his emotion muted. “I feel like a lot of people are using her death as something against the war. They practically are like saying that President Bush killed Nicole. Well, Walter killed Nicole. The war can be a factor. It’s not a reason or an excuse for it.”

Mr. Smith himself, in a long, dry-eyed interview in October, almost agreed. “I can’t completely, honestly say that, yes, PTSD was the sole cause of what I did,” he said, speaking through a plastic partition in a courthouse holding cell. “I don’t want to use it as a crutch. I’d feel like I was copping out of something I claim responsibility for. But I know for a fact that before I went to Iraq, there’s no way I would have taken somebody else’s life.”

Off the Preordained Path

As a teenager, Mr. Smith did not fit the prototype of the future marine. He was, in his description, “a loner and a geek” — “a math club, chess club, band and choir geek, with no interest in competitive sports past the age where you get the trophies for just showing up.”

Yet at a high school career day, Mr. Smith was drawn to the Marine Corps booth partly because the military seemed like a departure from a preordained path. “Growing up LDS,” he said, using the abbreviation for Latter-day Saints, “you’re pretty much told what you’re going to do. At the age of 19, the young men are supposed to go off on mission.”

In early 2000, Mr. Smith went off to boot camp instead, enlisting in the Reserves, like many other young Mormon recruits, so that he retained the option of mission duty.

Mr. Smith made an impression on the recruiters, scoring in the 99th percentile on the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery tests, said Christopher Nibley, a fellow reservist from Utah. “I was doing a stint in the recruiting office then,” Mr. Nibley said, “and I remember a recruiter saying, ‘Damn, that boy is so smart!’ ”

On Jan. 7, 2002 — Mr. Smith has a precise memory for dates — he received a phone call. “O.K., Smith, listen up and don’t interrupt,” an officer began. He read Mr. Smith his activation orders. Mr. Smith took a leave from a job at Wal-Mart and moved to Camp Pendleton near San Diego.

During the next year, when the Utah reservists lived in makeshift quarters on the Marine base, they bonded. Christopher Quiñones, now 32, who shared a bunk bed with Mr. Smith, described him as “a happy-go-lucky, ‘I want to go on a mission, I want to marry my high school sweetheart’ type.”

“Looking back on it,” Mr. Quiñones said, “I think Walter and a lot of guys probably should have experienced a lot more of life before we sent them off to get their heads blown off. But at that time, I couldn’t think of anybody else I’d rather go over there with.”

Mr. Smith’s superior officer, Sgt. Maj. Nick Lopez, was not as embracing. “He didn’t stand out as anything special, but he also didn’t have anything derogatory,” Sergeant Major Lopez, a Salt Lake City firefighter, said of Mr. Smith. “He was a marine who did his job, and he had a tough job, at home and in combat.”

In early 2003, the reservists of Fox Company deployed to Kuwait with the First Marine Division. After desert warfare training, they crossed into Iraq during the invasion. Crammed into the back of a large pickup truck, Mr. Smith and the other reservists traveled at a warp-slow speed at the dusty rear of a convoy miles long. Sandbags served as their armor, and, for one week, with a single M.R.E. each a day, adrenaline served as their fuel.

As they moved toward Baghdad, the gunfire cracked like whips around them, almost like sound effects for a war movie. Near Nasiriya, the reality of combat set in when they drove slowly past an amphibious vehicle containing the body parts of dead marines, their uniforms torn to shreds. Their first firefight was soon upon them.

“We were jumping concrete walls and diving headlong into it, and Walter was always putting himself out front,” Mr. Quiñones said. “Any sniper could have taken him out, but he was the type to throw himself out there to save the rest of us.”

Nothing that came before prepared the Saints and Sinners for April 8, 2003, which a New York Times correspondent later described as one of the war’s most “furious engagements.”

As dawn broke just outside Baghdad, they woke to find themselves staring at Armageddon, as Mr. Nibley said, with fires burning, helicopters shooting rockets and explosions echoing through the early-morning air. Entering the city, they climbed down from their trucks and fanned out. While the first platoon to move forward took fire immediately — with one marine shot through his helmet — others found themselves walking into the arms of exultant Iraqis.

Before long, however, as they arrived at a five-point intersection near the Republican Guard headquarters and the Defense Ministry, the cheering civilians disappeared, traffic vanished and the streets turned ghostly. As they set up roadblocks, rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire began whizzing toward them from the heavily defended compounds.

“I felt like I was in the middle of a duck shoot and we were the ducks,” said Mr. Smith, who was a SAW — squad automatic weapon — gunner. “I don’t know how many R.P.G.’s we took. One landed about five feet to the right of me and my buddy. I don’t know how it did not detonate, but instead it bounced. Bounced! I can’t believe we’re still alive.”

The fighting did not let up for many hours. “Whether or not I actually killed anybody with my own bullets, I don’t know,” Mr. Smith said. “I suspect so. But there were two to 12 guns going off at once, and only the snipers knew for sure.” At a certain point, the Iraqi fighters commandeered civilians’ cars, taking them hostage and ordering them to drive straight at the Marine positions. The marines were forced to shoot at everything headed their way.

“We were opening fire on civilians,” Mr. Smith said. “We were taking out women and children because it was them or us.”

Sergeant Major Lopez, his superior officer, said that his marines were “put in that position” and “trained to protect themselves first.”

“Our marines tried to limit civilian casualties,” he said. “Not a person there didn’t feel bad. But it had to be done.”

That day traumatized the reservists. Mr. Quiñones recalled a father carrying toward them the limp body of a young child. His voice cracking, he described a 5-year-old boy screaming as his car “turned into Swiss cheese.”

“I called cease-fire and I wanted to run and grab him, but there were machine gun rounds flying all around,” Mr. Quiñones said. “I watched this kid’s head get blown away, his brains splattering while his screams still echoed. Those images haunt me — haunt many of us — to this day.”

At the end of the day, 11 men in Mr. Smith’s company had been wounded but none were killed. The Iraqis fared worse. The Times’s correspondent, Dexter Filkins, described a fleeing family that lost three men, each slumped over a different car’s steering wheel. And it also described the marines, in tears, helping the wounded members of the family to safety.

Pro Forma Questions

Before they returned to the United States later in 2003, the reservists filled out questionnaires about their mental health. “Then they sat us down one after the other with an officer and he looked over the form, and said, ‘Are you doing O.K.?’ and, no matter what we wrote, we’d say yup, and then he’d say, ‘Next!’ ” Mr. Smith said.

A couple of months later, the Saints and Sinners parted company, but the Saints, some of whom were so saintly that they did not watch R-rated movies, kept close. Mr. Smith soon volunteered to go to Quantico.

After he collapsed on the firing range there, though, he disappeared from his band of brothers. “All I ever heard was Walter went nuts on the firing range, and then I never see this guy again until I see his picture on the front page looking like Grizzly Adams because he killed his girlfriend,” his fellow reservist Mr. Nibley said.

Mr. Nibley, who describes himself as adrift after two tours of duty in Iraq, said he was infuriated to learn later that Mr. Smith had been processed for discharge.

“I can’t tell you how angry I am at the Marine Corps that they just fast-tracked him out,” Mr. Nibley said. “It’s the culture and mentality of: ‘We don’t want a loser on our team. We’re not here to help you, you’re here to help us.’ ”

“I understand that we’re an infantry unit and if you’re not able to carry a gun and go into combat, that’s a problem,” Mr. Nibley said. “But we were his anchors, and we would have been his advocates. He was a mentally injured person because of his service to this country. He should not have been kicked out to go off on his own and deal with it all outside.”

The Marines do not discuss the specifics of any individual’s discharge. But the Marines do not discharge all who are diagnosed with combat trauma, said Major Eric R. Dent, a spokesman. “The goal of our competent medical professionals is to treat and return to full operational duty and full life functioning every marine who is diagnosed and treated with PTSD or any other stress injury,” Major Dent said.

Pillars of Stability Shaken

When Mr. Smith was discharged, he felt unmoored. He resumed his work at Wal-Mart, where he would stay, at one store or another, until he was arrested. He started receiving a monthly disability check of $661. He bought a place of his own, a century-old fixer-upper in Pleasant Grove, Utah. But because he no longer participated in weekend Reserve training and because he was questioning his faith, he lost touch with two pillars of his existence.

Further shaking Mr. Smith’s stability, his parents were going through a bitter divorce after 25 years of marriage and 12 children. Mr. Smith’s father moved in with Mr. Smith, his oldest son, and 2004 turned into a very difficult year for both of them.

“He definitely changed,” said Mr. Quiñones, a mail carrier, who remained friends with Mr. Smith. “After Iraq, he found it hard to care about life anymore. He became bitter to the point of suicidal.”

Mr. Smith was hardly the only one in his company to experience darkness and dysfunction. Of the approximately 40 men in his platoon, post-traumatic stress disorder was eventually diagnosed in at least 10 others, according to several of the reservists. But Mr. Smith carried the dubious distinction of being the first. As a result, he missed out on the group counseling sessions with a Navy psychiatrist that were offered on drill weekends back in Utah.

While his discharge was being processed, Mr. Smith was required to report monthly to an Air Force base in Utah, and he saw a psychiatrist there a few times. He also, reluctantly and at the Marines’ insistence, reported to the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he attended a single group session for returning Iraq veterans.

“I’m sitting there and these guys are talking about the hard time they’re having because their supply unit heard some fire one time,” he said. “They never saw their buddies get hit. They never killed anybody. They had nothing to worry about. I never went back.”

V.A. officials, in consideration of his privacy, declined to discuss Mr. Smith’s health care. Speaking generally, Dr. Matthew J. Friedman, executive director of the agency’s National Center for PTSD, said it was “unfortunately not unusual” for veterans with combat trauma to report “for a session, maybe get some medications prescribed and a therapist assigned and never come back.” One of the central symptoms of the stress disorder is avoidance, he noted, and some veterans do not want “to retell what happened” and risk being retraumatized.

“We all would want them to come back and are trying to increase the odds that they will come back by working with community organizations, making follow-up phone calls and educating families through public service announcements,” Dr. Friedman said. “Through the retro-scope, there’s always something more that could have been done had we been able to foretell the future.”

For a while, Mr. Smith took some prescription medications to help him sleep and soothe his anxiety, but he quit the pills when they did not seem to work. Gradually, he felt himself getting worse.

“Nothing seemed to quiet the storm in my head,” he said. “I started having nightmares and flashbacks or hallucinations. During the day, I was functioning O.K., but I was feeling antsy. I couldn’t find peace.”

Two things helped: drinking — 18 to 24 cans a day of Utah’s lower-alcohol beer — and pulling a trigger. “One day, I went out skeet shooting with a buddy, and I realized I felt so much better having a shotgun in my hand and watching something explode,” he said. He bought three guns of his own.

Very late on the night of July 1, 2004, Mr. Smith reached for one of those guns after an argument with his father. Slinging it over his shoulder and grabbing 25 rounds of ammunition, he started walking toward the Wasatch Mountains. “I wanted to stop it all,” he said. “I didn’t feel like thinking about Iraq anymore. I didn’t feel like freaking out on the side of the road because someone slammed on their brakes. I didn’t feel like going rigid when I smelled diesel fuel. I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep.”

Mr. Smith left goodbye messages for everyone in his cellphone directory. One of his Fox Company buddies was awake, though, and took his call. He forced Mr. Smith to tell him his location and then he called the Pleasant Grove police. The police intercepted Mr. Smith near a trail head for Mount Timpanogos, and when he saw the officers approaching, he loaded his shotgun. He later told a close friend that he had been hoping for “suicide by cop.”

The police did not oblige. Capt. Cody Cullimore, the former assistant police chief, said Mr. Smith was compliant. He was taken to a mental health center and admitted briefly for observation.

“Sometimes I think,” Mr. Smith said, “that if I had taken my life that day, I would have saved Nicole’s.”

A Call for Help

In the fall of 2004, Walter Smith and Nicole Speirs met on MySpace. On her page, Ms. Speirs — a Scorpio, Honda lover and Utah Career College graduate — said, “I have been described as a preppie, punk, ska8er, tomboy and car chick.”

Mr. Smith and Ms. Spiers went on a few dates. Mr. Smith also dated other women.

In November, Mr. Smith called the Pleasant Grove police asking for help. The officer who was dispatched to his house was the one who had intervened in his suicide attempt five months earlier. Mr. Smith advised the officer “that he was having thoughts of taking the life of his girlfriend while she was asleep,” Captain Cullimore said. “He asked to be transferred to the hospital, which he was.”

That girlfriend was not Ms. Speirs. Once again, Mr. Smith was released after a brief stay.

Mr. Smith said that he slept with Ms. Speirs once. To her parents’ dismay, Ms. Speirs, not quite 21, got pregnant. Mr. Smith accompanied her on her first visit to the obstetrician, where she learned that she was carrying twins, but then he grew doubtful that the babies were his, he said. They broke up. Ms. Spiers was heartbroken. Mr. Smith was not. “I totally forgot about her,” he said.

Mr. Smith then started seeing another woman. One night, he came home with duct tape and demanded that the woman accompany him to the basement, said Mr. Searle, the prosecutor. Once downstairs, Mr. Smith turned to the woman and implored her to get away from him quickly before he did her harm. She ran away. The couple broke up. In a further sign of his deterioration, Mr. Smith filed for bankruptcy and moved in with a marine buddy.

Meanwhile, Ms. Speirs gave birth to twins two months early, in May 2005. Ms. Speirs was a very happy young mother but, she would confess on her MySpace page, lonely.

About seven months after the twins were born, Mr. Smith “popped onto MySpace” to see if Ms. Speirs had posted any news after giving birth. And there were the twins, he said, smiling out at him like carbon copies of his own baby pictures.

When Mr. Smith reappeared in Ms. Speirs’s life, she was ecstatic, her relatives said. “She had a perma-grin,” her mother said. “She was smiling from ear to ear.”

They moved into an apartment together in Tooele. Both of them were working at Wal-Mart, she as a cashier at the Tooele store, he as the manager of the photo lab at the West Jordan store. They did not fight, according to their friends and families, and “he was not mean to her,” said Pauline Speirs, her mother.

Nicole Speirs wanted more from the relationship than Mr. Smith was giving her — more communication, more love, a commitment to marry.

In the post-midnight hours of March 25, 2006, the couple took a bath after making love. Ms. Speirs turned to rinse her hair under the faucet, and Mr. Smith pushed her head underwater and held it there until she died. Then he left her in the tub, dressed, fetched the twins, put them in their car seats and drove off, as planned, to a family reunion in Idaho.

From that point forward, disconnecting from his actions, he tried to convince himself that he had not taken Nicole Speirs’s life, he said. From Idaho, he called her cellphone and left a message saying that he would be returning earlier than planned. When he got home almost a day later he put the babies to bed and followed the sound of running water into the bathroom. He lifted Ms. Speirs’s body from the cold water, laid her on the bathroom floor, tried to perform CPR and covered her with a green towel. He then called 911, telling the dispatcher that he had found his girlfriend “cold and stiff” in a full tub and was trying to revive her. The dispatcher heard the tub draining.

When the authorities arrived, they saw no sign of foul play and, after interviewing Mr. Smith, suspected none, according to a police report written the next day. Mr. Smith had no record of arrests or even traffic violations, the police had never been called to their home and the neighbors reported no audible fighting through the thin walls. The body showed no visible indications of trauma. A plastic shower curtain, which could have been a lifeline for a drowning young woman, was undisturbed.

Mr. Smith called the Speirses. “He said, ‘Nicole’s dead.’ Just like that,” Mrs. Speirs said.

“The whole thing doesn’t seem real,” Mr. Speirs interjected. “It seems like a bad TV movie. But, anyway, we went over. The police were there. She had had root canal in January. There was a half bottle of pills. They went on the assumption that she had committed suicide.”

Based on that assumption evidence was not gathered as it might have been if homicide were suspected.

Utah’s chief medical examiner performed an autopsy and found no explanation for her death. The police, a small department in a small city with no homicide team and only a handful of murders in the last decade, effectively closed the case, classifying the death as “a drowning from unknown causes.”

“The police never asked me if I had done it,” Mr. Smith said. “No one came out and said, ‘Walter, did you do it?’ I don’t know what I would have done if they did.”

The Confession

The Speirs family placed a death notice in The Tooele Transcript-Bulletin, saying that their daughter had “passed away unexpectedly” and that she would be remembered for her “cute smile, talent of drawing” and her “love for Walter and their twins and her family and friends.”

Mr. Smith cried once when it came time to choose a coffin. Otherwise, he was unemotional during the funeral proceedings, which some of Ms. Speirs’s friends and relatives noted.

“He threw his corsage on the casket, turned around and walked away,” said Robert Walkenhorst, Ms. Speirs’s grandfather. “It made me so mad.”

Asked about his behavior that day, Mr. Smith said, “Not to be coarse, but I’ve been around a ton of death, and it doesn’t affect me anymore.”

After the funeral, Mr. Smith and the Speirses began, essentially, to co-parent the twins. In the process, they developed a relationship. “I think that’s where he started feeling guilty,” Mr. Speirs said.

The summer after Nicole Speirs’s death, Mr. Smith began dating Michelle Zeller, a sales manager for a film company who supplied the photo labs at local Wal-Marts. Ms. Zeller, 34, knew about Ms. Speirs’s death, which she saw as a tragic accident. By September, Mr. Smith and Ms. Zeller, who has a daughter, were engaged and living together.

“He seemed pretty together,” Ms. Zeller said, “but he has told me since that he was faking it.”

Mr. Smith felt incredibly nervous, he said, that he was starting a new life, with three children involved, and that he had not “worked through my issues,” as he put it. He decided to give the veterans’ health care system another try, and soon he was commuting to Salt Lake City weekly to see a counselor, Ms. Zeller said.

“He told me they were trying to get in his head and help him deal with what had happened in Iraq,” Ms. Zeller said. “When he came home, he’d be distant and go lie down for an hour or so. One time, in late November, he slept for like a day and a half straight, waking up pale and with tremors. He seemed to be getting worse.”

On Dec. 3, 2006, Mr. Smith left the house to buy drywall at a Home Depot and never returned. “I took a left instead of a right and ended up heading to the V.A.,” he said. He called Ms. Zeller, crying, and told her he could not endure the thoughts in his head.

When Mr. Smith arrived at the hospital, he told them that he was “homicidal and suicidal.” Soon he was speaking to a counselor.

“I told them that I had done it,” Mr. Smith said, referring to killing Ms. Speirs. “The first person thought I was blaming myself for something I didn’t do. Then my uncle arrived. I told him, and he said, ‘We need to call the police.’ “

When the police arrived, Mr. Smith’s uncle told them that “Walter was essentially a good kid but that his tour in the Iraq war caused him some mental problems,” the police investigative report said.

After detectives advised him of his Miranda rights, Mr. Smith declared, “I am responsible for Nicole Speirs’s death.” It was an odd circumlocution. He declined further questioning until he obtained a lawyer.

Just before midnight, Mr. Smith’s father and uncle went to see the Speirses to tell them of Mr. Smith’s admission, which ultimately came as more of a relief than a shock. “They said Walter confessed because of us,” Mr. Speirs said. “I think he did care for us.”

At first Mr. Searle, the prosecutor, was cautious. “I didn’t want to just take his confession based on his history that we knew,” he said. Doubt was planted in part by something that Mr. Smith said to the police: “The biggest thing I want to get out of this is help.”

Further, when Matthew Jube, the lawyer hired by Walter Smith’s family, asked Mr. Smith what had happened, Mr. Smith asked him “which version” of events, the one that he had told the police or the one that he saw in his dreams. Mr. Jube began to think that Mr. Smith had given a false confession as a “cry for help,” motivated partly by guilt, both over his relationship with Ms. Speirs and about his killing of civilians in Iraq.

The prosecution had no evidence besides Mr. Smith’s confession. Although the Speirses agreed to allow their daughter’s body to be exhumed, the state medical examiner found nothing new, the prosecutor said.

‘What Is Justice?’

Mr. Smith’s lawyer sent a psychiatrist to see him a couple of times. During the second visit, the psychiatrist came away convinced that Mr. Smith had indeed killed Ms. Speirs, although he never offered any motive.

Asked during The Times’s interview why he had taken Ms. Speirs’s life, Mr. Smith said only: “I don’t feel she really had anything to do with it. Had it been someone else there at that time, it probably would have been them.”

Eventually, the prosecutor determined that Mr. Smith’s confession was valid. Then, the prosecutor said, “We fell back into, ‘What is justice?’ and ‘Justice needs to be done.’ ”

“It goes without saying that Utahans are, based on a religious perspective, very patriotic and loyal to their country,” Mr. Searle continued. “We looked at this case and said, ‘When he presents to a jury that he served his country like his country asked him to serve, and even his country admits, with his discharge and his disability pay, that he has severe psychological trauma’ — we felt there was a very good chance that the members of a jury would find him not guilty and basically punish the government for the position he’s in.”

“Washington, D.C., is 2,000 miles away,” he continued. “It wouldn’t matter to them. But to this community, it’s going to matter. We’ve got a mother of two that’s dead. Her family is affected. Her kids are affected. Walter’s affected.”

Further, Mr. Searle did not believe that Mr. Smith was guilty of murder. He felt that he was guilty of taking Ms. Speirs’s life intentionally “but acting under duress.”

“I can’t justify criminal activity,” he said. “But it would have been unjust to Walter and to society to throw out the circumstances that we as a society put him in.”

Mr. Searle and Mr. Jube negotiated an agreement under which Mr. Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which, according to state guidelines, meant a sentence of one to 15 years.

During Mr. Smith’s sentencing hearing in October, Judge Mark S. Kouris of state District Court asked him if he had anything to say. Mr. Smith hemmed and hawed, mumbling that he had already addressed the judge in writing. In the packed courtroom, the insufficiency of his answer hung in the air like a gasp. Lifting his head, he forced himself to speak.

“I didn’t plan on doing what I did,” he said quietly. “I wish I could take it back, but I know I can’t. All I can say is I’m sorry. I’m not asking for leniency.”

The judge asked him to turn and address his victim’s parents directly.

“I’m sorry,” he said to them, his head falling down once more. “There’s nothing else I can say beside that.” His face crumpled, his voice cracked and his eyes watered. “I couldn’t ask for better people to raise my children,” the former marine continued, adding yet again, as his and her relatives wept, “I’m sorry.”

Myspace Blog of Collin Lee McGlaughlin

MSK — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Taken and unedited from the Myspace Blog of Collin Lee McGlaughlin,arrested in connection to the murder of Bohdi Sherzer-Potter and Cody Thompson:

if u dont read this i will sneak into your house late at night and kill u
Current mood: too drunk to sleep

ive been in las vegas for the last week and ive had alot of time to myself

these are somethings i believe but just reallt havent had time to organize them all into one list but here it is

1 i entered this world screaming and covered in someone else's blood and thats how i intend to leave it

2 god does exist he has 2 heads one is a dragon the other is tim curry from the rocky horror picture show (special thanks to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds id u kno what i mean)

3 it is possible to drink a bottle of bourbon and still survive although it is not fun

4 if i could get away with it i would sell my neighbor into sexual slavery in mexico

5 im not anti-social i just really dont like people

6 robot chicken makes more sense than anything in the world

7 u may be able to outrun me but can u outrun a bullet???

8 i feel that if a person really needs it they should be able to walk down the street with a .357 killing people at random

9 i fuckin hate my neighbors

10 people say i crept out of hell when the devil was asleep actully i crept into the devils room bludgened him with a tiffany lamp made myself a drink stole his car and drove here

Collin Lee McGlaughlin and David Brian Smith arrested on suspicion of killing Bodhisattva Sherzer-Potter and Christopher Cody Thompson

MSK — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:23:00 GMT

A young man arrested in the deaths of two teenagers at a Mojave Desert bunker had posed with firearms and written darkly on an Internet blogging site of "killing people at random" but had no clear motive for the shootings, authorities said Friday.

Collin Lee McGlaughlin, 18, of West Covina was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of killing Bodhisattva Sherzer-Potter, 16, of Silver Lakes and her boyfriend, Christopher Cody Thompson, 18, of Apple Valley. A second suspect, David Brian Smith, 19, of Covina, also has been booked on suspicion of murder, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Victims

click to enlarge

Sherzer-Potter and Thompson were each shot in the head sometime after 4 a.m. Jan. 5, authorities said. They were the last people remaining at a birthday party at a defunct military installation near Helendale. Authorities allege that McGlaughlin was the one who shot the teenagers.

"There is no evidence that a robbery took place," said Cindy Beavers, a sheriff's spokeswoman. "The victims were taken into the bunker and they were executed. There was no sign of any struggle or resistance. No property was taken. There is no apparent motive or reason for this."

The killings stunned the high desert community. Both teenagers were good students with no history of problems at home or school. Sherzer-Potter wanted to make movies, and Thompson had recently graduated and was working as a contractor.

Some residents said they were relieved to hear that an arrest had been made because they worried that a killer was roaming free. Others, including the mother of the slain girl, renewed calls to demolish the graffiti-scarred bunker. "We need to shut this place down," said Leah Sherzer, mother of Bodhisattva Sherzer-Potter. "I understand there are 18 similar locations like this in the desert, and the government must shut them all down immediately."

McGlaughlin and Smith were arrested after an around-the-clock effort by investigators. Search warrants in Los Angeles and Riverside counties turned up two guns that authorities are testing to see if they were used in the killings. The suspects were being held without bail and are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Barstow.

McGlaughlin kept a chilling MySpace.com blog with photos of himself brandishing a shotgun and pistol. He calls himself an "Equal Opertunity (sic) Merchant of Death." The suspect says he is a student at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, but a spokeswoman for the two-year school said there is no record of him ever being enrolled.

McGlaughlin lists 10 things he believes: No. 1 is "I entered this world screaming and covered in someone else's blood and thats how I intend to leave it." Others include, "u may be able to outrun me but can u outrun a bullet???" and "I feel that if a person really needs it they should be able to walk down the street with a .357 killing people at random."

The blog was met with intense anger from friends of Sherzer-Potter and Thompson, who blasted it with responses. "God will make sure you get what you deserve! I hope everyday you wake up and realize what a horrible person you are," one said. "Why?" said another.

Court records show that Smith, the other suspect, was convicted of vandalism in February 2007, but there is no indication of any jail time.

Most of the 30 or 40 young adults who attended the party where the killings occurred came from Silver Lakes, a tightly knit high desert community between Barstow and Victorville. The deaths have fostered much confusion.

"I think there is an overwhelming sense of what a waste this was. Why would you murder these people? It's such a stupid thing to do," said Rick Piercy, president of the Lewis Center for Educational Research, an Apple Valley charter school that both victims had attended.

Piercy was one of a number of people who called for the bunker's destruction.

"There are a lot of hazards out in the desert, but this [bunker] in particular has such a feeling of depression and evil because of what happened that it must come down," he said.

The Air Force said that it hoped to demolish the site by the end of the year. The bunker is part of the old Hawes Auxiliary Field, a training site built during World War II. It has become a hangout for teenagers, target shooters and occasionally criminals. Bullet casings and broken glass litter the site.

Leah Sherzer, a school psychologist, expressed gratitude to the detectives who spent so many hours on the case.

"They have been tireless, and they took it so personally," she said. "The community needs to provide a safe place without booze or drugs where kids can have some independence in a safe environment. My daughter was very protected and watched over and yet this happened to her." Her voice cracked. "And nothing is going to bring her back."
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Update:

The two Los Angeles County teens were described by detectives as outsiders and opportunists visiting a grim, abandoned military bunker for a stranger's birthday party.

Collin Lee McGlaughlin and David Brian Smith, arrested late Thursday, are suspected of lingering at the remote High Desert hangout earlier this month to rob the night's final revelers. Instead, the victims were killed -- executed in chilling fashion, officials said Friday.

The bodies of Christopher Cody Thompson, 18, of Apple Valley, and his 16-year-old girlfriend, Bodhisattva "Bodhi" Sherzer-Potter, of Helendale, were found the next afternoon inside the graffiti-ridden bunker off Highway 58.

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Collin Lee McGlaughlin, 18, suspected of killing two teens.

Both had been shot in the head at close range before dawn Jan. 5. Nothing was taken.

"It appears the suspects took the two victims into the bunker and executed them," said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers. "And then they left the area."

McGlaughlin, 18, of West Covina, and Smith, 19, of Covina, both were booked into jail late Thursday night on suspicion of murder. They are being held without bail.

After two weeks of intense work, detectives picked up the suspects at their homes -- more than 100 miles from the bunker -- and interviewed them at sheriff's headquarters in San Bernardino. Arraignment is expected Tuesday in Barstow.

McLaughlin is believed to be the shooter, said sheriff's Sgt. Rick Ells. Further ballistics testing must be done on weapons recovered by detectives during searches of both suspects' residences and a friend's home in Mira Loma, he said.

Detectives do not believe the two had ever met the victims. Thompson and Sherzer-Potter were simply the last two at the party as it broke up at 4 a.m., detectives said.

"And that's what was unusual about this case from the get go," Ells said. "It was pretty senseless."

Thompson and Sherzer-Potter met at the Academy of Academic Excellence charter school in Apple Valley and had been dating nearly a year. Both were well-liked, artistic teens with interests in film, music and the outdoors.

"It was hard not knowing whether this was a personal attack," Sherzer-Potter's brother, 23-year-old Zen Potter, said Friday from his Costa Mesa home. "But it was always my guess that it wasn't. To this day I've never met a person that knew her and didn't like her."

Disturbing Words

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David Brian Smith, 19, suspected of killing two teens.

As word of the arrests spread, attention quickly focused on McGlaughlin's profile on the popular social networking site MySpace.com, which he last logged into on Sunday.

Under the headline "Equal Opertunity (sic) Merchant of Death," a photograph shows the suspect pointing a silver handgun directly at the camera. Another photo shows him holding a large black assault weapon.

Sheriff's officials confirmed that the profile, in which he says he is a student at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, is his.

"If u dont read this i will sneak into your house late at night and kill u," he titled a rambling blog entry from September, in which he brags of LSD use and describes a desire to walk down the street and randomly shoot people.

Friends of Thompson and Sherzer-Potter, who have showered the victims' profiles with hundreds of tributes, responded to McGlaughlin's words with anger and shock.

Some punctuated their comments with profanity while wishing the worst upon him, including the death penalty. One posted McGlaughlin's booking number at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Others were simply dumbfounded, saying "God help us all."

No one answered the phone Friday at a number provided for McGlaughlin's home in West Covina. A neighbor reached by phone declined to comment.

A woman who answered the phone at Smith's home said "no comment" and quickly hung up.

The Bunker's Future

Overshadowed by the arrests was word Friday that Air Force officials hope to have the bunker demolished by fall and the land returned to its natural state for use by its owner, the federal Bureau of Land Management.

"This is something we want to get done," said Philip Mook, senior representative for the Air Force Real Property Agency's western region office in Sacramento.

Mook said that the Air Force began talks with the bureau in 2001 to demolish remnants of the 1,200-foot radio communications tower deserted in 1986.

The Air Force has received some of the $500,000 required for the demolition process, and is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that a protected tortoise in the area is not disturbed.

Since being abandoned, "The Bunker," as local teens know it, was a gathering spot for target shooters, paintball players and partiers. The dirt floor inside the pitch-black bunker is littered with broken bottles and shotgun shells.

The cold, dark, concrete passages and chutes to hidden rooms fascinated young High Desert residents like Thompson and Sherzer-Potter, who partied there at night. Abandoned-site enthusiasts photographed its unique graffiti and cavernous interior during the day.

Zen Potter accompanied his younger sister to the bunker two years ago. He said the spot was a curiosity not unlike the private beaches and abandoned farmhouses that serve as meeting points for teens in other parts of America.

"It's this monolith; this 50s bunker," he said. "And anytime there's a hole in the ground, the kids are going to explore it."

The night of the bunker party, Potter was the last family member to see his sister alive. She had been staying with him in Costa Mesa, where a friend picked her up. He thought she was getting a ride home to Helendale, he said.

Instead, the two met Thompson and went to the party.

Potter said he doesn't blame the locale for what happened.

"It could have really happened anywhere," he said.

MySpace parties result in violence and death

MSK — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:17:00 GMT

MySpace parties can do more damage than severing a young man's relationship with his parents: they can cost lives.

Corey Worthington's infamous gatecrashing experience - and the $20,000 bill he may be handed by the police - was not the only party to attract front-page headlines this month.

The first resulted in the murder of Allen Joplin. The 17-year-old American high school student was shot dead by an uninvited guest at an underage party - one that had also been publicised through MySpace.

Another guest, a 13-year-old girl, was rushed to hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. Allen's MySpace page, once used to promote his rap-music demos, has been turned into an electronic memorial where friends have posted condolences.

Just nine days later, Corey Worthington made headlines in Australia. Corey's post-party antics and TV appearances amplified his story, giving it rather more attention than it deserved. But before that - before the yellow sunglasses, before the helicopter, before the police dogs or even the first police car - the question had to be asked: how did a 16-year-old pull a crowd of 500?

The answer lies with the ubiquitous MySpace and Facebook, the world's biggest and best-known online social network. Corey simply posted open invitations and bulletins that were then "broadcast" to the hundreds of "friends" he has on his contact list.

Tim Sabre, a nightclub promoter, didn't hesitate to offer him a lucrative contract - up to $10,000 - to join his team at Raw Promotions. Sabre admits, however, that the boy "may not have any real talent": he was most impressed by the teenager's ability to use technology "smartly".

"I don't think he would have been able to pull anything near that crowd without MySpace. There was a time when if you wanted to have a party like that, all you would get are neighbours and close friends," he says.

The Herald's online technology writer, Asher Moses, says that MySpace/Facebook parties are the most prone to gatecrashing because news of events can spread to uninvited guests via "newsfeeds". He suspects some party hosts are oblivious to the actual number of people who get the message. "It basically allows you to, intentionally or accidentally, post an event and pass the message on to every single person you may have added as a supposed 'friend'," he says.

In April, a 17-year-old Briton, Rachael Bell, hosted a "Skins-themed" party, named after a British television series about promiscuous drug-taking teenagers. The flyer, distributed on MySpace, was reportedly subtitled "Let's trash the average family-sized house disco party". Her parents were left with a $48,000 bill from police.

The following month, the Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox found herself in a similar position. Her 16-year-old daughter emailed 30 close school friends, but thanks to MySpace this grew into "hundreds". One witness described the house as a bombsite.

Corey Worthington's story was waiting to happen, says Phoebe Lucinda, who has hosted parties for years - supervised and unsupervised - and says that since joining MySpace in 2006, the process has been streamlined.

Still a teenager, she relates to Corey's bad party experiences, recalling her parents once coming home from holidays to find cigarette burns in the carpet and a gardening hose that had been cut into bits - by gatecrashers making homemade bongs to smoke cannabis.

Although she appreciates Corey's audacity, Lucinda rejects his behaviour: "What this teaches me, is that with so much ease [in distributing invitations] comes the need for caution."

And the timing is apt: Lucinda is hosting her own party at the family home in Bondi this weekend. "There are measures you can take. I'll be posting a closed-invite event, and I'll specify that friends must ask permission before bringing guests," she says.

There are always extra precautions that need to be taken, she says. "You'll always need someone at the party that is confident enough in themselves to turn people away. And you need to be able to trust that those who receive invites won't disrespect them."

Gatecrashing has existed as long as parties themselves. Moses says advances in technology - including those made before the advent of websites such as MySpace - have made it easier to disseminate the message. Jessica Bowles hosted an underage party that was gatecrashed several years ago when an invite list of 20 somehow led to a crowd of about 200.

Some boys who were not invited caused a fight and damaged the house. Police were called, but she was the one fined because the teens were too young to be held accountable. "This was during the time when mobile phones were becoming more prominent; it was easy for invites to spread through SMS," she says.