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Sex charge man in car fire suicide

8-29-2007 United Kingdom:

A CREWE man charged with 'horrific sexual assaults' on a young boy drove to a North Wales beauty spot to gas himself to death.

An inquest heard that Edward Evans, 60, of Davenham Crescent, had been due to appear in court that day charged with the rape of a 12-year-old but the case was put on hold when the charred remains of a body were found on Anglesey.

An investigation was launched in October after firefighters found his burnt-out car at Cable Bay, a coastal retreat popular with bathers.

No immediate clues were available from the remains to establish his identity. Edwards had been wearing false teeth, which had melted, and all his personal belongings were destroyed in the blaze.

The inquest this week at Llangefni heard how forensic experts used DNA samples to confirm his identity.

North West Wales coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said it was a 'classic suicide situation' possibly caused by the 'stress of court proceedings'.

He added: 'The cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning but it cannot be determined if this was from the exhaust fumes or from the interior of the vehicle being set alight by Evans.'

North Wales Fire Service could not rule out the car being set ablaze by Evans. Investigators believed it was less likely for a stationary car to develop a fault causing a fire.


Test revealed no alcohol or drugs in his body but a high concentration of carbon monoxide.

Evans had been due to stand trial at Cambridge Crown Court. It was alleged he had sexually assaulted and raped a boy brought to his first floor flat by his co-defendant, Kenneth Tracy, 76, of Orwell, Cambridgeshire.

Evans had denied the offences which involved 'horrific sexual assaults' on the boy in his flat, the inquest heard.

Six weeks after Evans was found dead, Tracy admitted grooming the youngster for sex and subjecting him to months of abuse. He was jailed for a minimum of three years and six months.

Speaking to the Chronicle in October, Tracy's sister, Eunice Jones, 78, said her brother had often spoken of Evans, his friend for 20 years.

She said: 'Ken told me Evans was terrified of jail and would kill himself rather than be sent down.'

Evans, who lived alone, was described as a 'quiet man' by neighbours in Davenham Crescent. ..more.. by Jan Roberts, Crewe Chronicle

Body found in Rappahannock River

It's unclear whether body is that of a man reported missing in the area earlier this month.
8-27-2007 Virginia

UPDATE: The Stafford County Sheriff's Office announced that the identity of the body found in the Rappahannock River on Friday evening, August 24 is that of missing Stafford County resident Gregory Rex Riley. Riley was last seen on Saturday, August 18. His car was found abandoned at Falmouth Beach in Stafford County. The identity of Riley was established by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Richmond. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

The body of a white male was discovered in the Rappahannock River Friday evening by a woman walking her dog, the Sheriff's Office announced this morning.

The body was found about 200 yards upriver from Falmouth Beach, said Bill Kennedy, a public information officer with the Sheriff's Office.

The body has been sent to the medical examiner's office in Richmond to determine the man's identity and the cause of death.

Stafford authorities announced last week that they were seeking the public's help in finding a man who has disappeared under "unusual circumstances" in the Falmouth Beach area.

Gregory Rex Riley, 40, of Stafford was last heard from Saturday, Aug. 18, sheriff's spokesman Bill Kennedy said.

His car, a white, two-door Toyota Celica, was found Monday, Aug. 20, at Falmouth Beach off River Road with its windows open. It had apparently been parked there since Aug. 18.

According to an affidavit for a search warrant filed in Stafford Circuit Court, Riley's estranged wife reported him missing.

Riley is on probation for an April 2005 conviction of taking indecent liberties with a child. The offense involved a 10-year-old girl who was a friend of his daughter's.

Riley was arrested after he called the child's mother in August 2004 and told her that he had touched the child improperly. He then checked himself in for psychiatric treatment.

He was ordered to serve two years in prison and is a registered sex offender. Riley had no prior criminal record. - ..more.. by Staff reports

Dead doctor in spotlight

Inmate's lawyer points finger in 1987 slaying
8-24-2007 Colorado

FORT COLLINS - Dr. Richard Hammond, 44, died (by his own hand injecting cyanide) in disgrace in 1995, but on Thursday he was essentially on trial in the grisly 1987 slaying of Fashion Bar manager Peggy Hettrick.

Hammond, an eye doctor who took his own life after he was arrested in a sexual exploitation case, is center stage in a long-running fight to win a new trial for Tim Masters, now serving a life sentence in Hettrick's slaying.

Hettrick, 36, was stabbed in the back in the early morning of Feb. 11, 1987, apparently as she walked alone. Her killer then sexually mutilated her.

Slowly and methodically, in a hearing that lasted all day and is far from finished, attorney David Wymore built his case against Hammond - showing that he had access to knives, that he was an insomniac who came and went at all hours of the night, that he led a secret life, and that he was obsessed with pornography.

Ex-trooper, motivational speaker commits suicide

8-26-2007 Mississippi

Former state trooper Pete Collins, sentenced to 10 years on Friday after being convicted of fondling a 13-year-old girl, hanged himself in his cell today at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County.

He was discovered at 2:44 p.m. by a correctional officer during a security check and pronounced dead by medical staff at 3:16 p.m., according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

A then-13-year-old girl said Collins fondled her during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2004 while she was spending the night at a home where Collins was visiting in Lee County.

Circuit Judge Thomas Gardner III sentenced Collins, 62, of Madison to 15 years with five years suspended. Because fondling is a sex crime, Collins was required by law to serve the 10 years.

Collins had been a motivational speaker as well as a decorated trooper. During his law enforcement career, he had been named Statewide Trooper of the Year, and President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Citation for an Outstanding Enforcement Officer in 1994. He made captain in 1997 when the state Legislature honored him and mandated his promotion. He retired a year later/

State House Appropriations Committee Chairman Johnny Stringer, who is among the supporters listed on Collins’ Web site, had told The Clarion-Ledger on Friday that he didn't believe Collins was guilty.

However, former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jim Ingram, who was in office during Collins' time as a state trooper, had said Collins was dishonest. Ingram had testified for the prosecution during Collins' trial last week.


Collins was housed at the reception and diagnostic unit at Central Mississippi, where he had passed the agency medical screening, according to MDOC.

Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps said initial findings reveal no foul play in Collins' suicide, but an investigation is under way. ..more.. by The Clarion-Ledger

AZ- Couple accused of molestation found dead

Posted in Related Deaths
8-12-2007 Arizona:

A Mesa couple suspected of molesting a 10-year-old girl has been found dead, the apparent victims of a murder-suicide.

Paul and Myrtis Gauthreaux were found Thursday morning on U.S. 60 in Gila County near Globe in their parked car.

The Gila County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

The couple had been the subject of an FBI investigation but had not been positively linked to Internet pictures of a girl being molested, said FBI spokeswoman Deborah McCarley.

Law enforcement found the couple dead of apparent gunshot wounds.

They were found holding hands and with a suicide note explaining their motive, a Gila County Sheriff's Office spokesman said. The spokesman declined to elaborate on the note's contents.

The couple was being investigated under the "innocent images" program operated by the FBI. The program seeks to investigate cases of child pornography on the Internet. ..more.. by

NY- Fired sex offender shoots 3, kills self

Posted in Related Deaths
9-27-2005 New York:

New Windsor – Victor Piazza, 55, walked calmly into the offices of Verla International during lunch hour and shot three company officials in the head, witnesses told New Windsor police. Piazza then put the .38-caliber revolver to his own head and killed himself, police said.

All three of his targets – Verla International owners Mario Maffei, 57, and Robert Roth, 65, and office manager JoAnne O'Brien, 48 – survived the shooting but remained hospitalized last night.

Maffei staggered downstairs to the lobby seconds after being shot about 12:30 p.m.

He yelled to employees that he was hit and for someone to call police.

Then he pushed through the building's doors and collapsed into the parking lot.

Another inmate dies at Sacramento County jail

8-3-2002 California:

SACRAMENTO – A convicted child molester apparently committed suicide Thursday in Sacramento County jail by overdosing on psychiatric medication.

The death was the second in two days at the jail and potentially the seventh suicide so far this year. Sheriff’s Department officials vowed to take action to stop the death toll.

“I don’t think it can get any worse,” Sheriff Lou Blanas said. “We need to find the answer.”

Sheriff’s officials said they believe the inmate died by suicide, but they are awaiting final toxicology reports that may indicate he died of natural causes.

However, officials believe 44-year-old Steven Mitchell Griffin had been hoarding drugs he had been prescribed, apparently planning his death for some time. Officials found 36 pills hidden under his mattress, suggesting he had saved the eight pills he received daily or bought some from other inmates.

Griffin also wrote four suicide notes saying goodbye to his mother and others, authorities said.

He was convicted recently on charges of molesting two small children and was facing a court date today where he could have been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Another high-profile inmate suicide at the jail involved accused multiple murderer Nikolay Soltys, who hanged himself in his jail cell earlier this year despite being under electronic surveillance.

Blanas asked the county Thursday to give him control of medical staff at the jail who now report to the county coroner. He said he also plans to hire two consultants to evaluate all procedures at the jail.

But officials say they may only be able to do so much to stop the epidemic of suicides at the jail, which some deputies have begun to refer to as “the morgue.”

“The sophistication of the inmates may have become such that they simply can devise ways to overcome our efforts to prevent suicides,” Undersheriff John McGinness said.

Officials have already tried to stop hangings – used in six of the suicides this year – by altering the bunks in the jail. ..more.. by Associated Press

Accused Child Molester Commits Suicide

1-3-2007 Vermont:

Police say he admitted to fondling two little girls at his wife's in-home day care. On Wednesday, Ralph Guillette killed himself at the house where the alleged molestation took place.

Police say 53 year-old Ralph Guillette was found near the back door of his house on Patchen Road in South Burlington. It's where his wife, Cheryl, has run a daycare for more than 15 years until last weekend when it was shut down.

Guillette reportedly shot himself as officers approached the house. Police were called to the home by a family member who was concerned he'd try to hurt himself. A suicide note was found.

Guillette's suicide comes a day after he was in court to face charges for allegedly fondling a 7 year-old girl. And police say he admitted he molested a 5 year-old as well.

Since his court appearance, the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations has received other calls from concerned people in the community. Some of those calls have pointed police to at least one other potential victim.

Guillette had been released on bail after his arrest on Saturday. It's unclear what the suicide note said. Police did not indicate if there was an admission in it.

The investigation into the suicide and the alleged molestations will continue. ..more.. by Darren Perron

Prosecutor seeks other possible victim of alleged child molester

8-1-2007 Michigan:

HURLEY -- Although a 57-year-old Chico, Texas, man committed suicide before he faced sexual assault charges of a minor in both Oneida and Iron counties, there may be some unknown victims that need assistance.

Iron County District Attorney Marty Lipske said Michael E. Walters had been coming into the area for about two years, and had made contact with a number of boys.

According to an Iron County complaint filed on June 12, Walters' 15-year-old victim said he "tends to surround himself with younger men," and affirmed that Walters was doing it for "inappropriate reasons."

Lipske said he's concerned there may be other victims, and he would like them to come forward so that they, too, can put those incidents to rest.

"We have a duty to any other victims to provide them with services such as counseling," Lipske said.

Victims, or anyone with information about other vicitms, are asked to contact Iron County Victims Services at 561-5671.

"All contacts will be strictly confidential," Lipske said.

Walters was charged in Oneida County Circuit Court with two felony counts of sexually assaulting a child under 16 and a misdemeanor count of exposing genitals stemming from incidents at a motel in Minocqua last March.

Walters also faced a felony count of second-degree sexual assault of a child in Iron County Circuit Court. Initially reported to the Vilas County Sheriff's Department, the Iron County incident allegedly occurred in early June at Walter's house on Feely Lake Road in Mercer, Lipske said.

According to the Iron County criminal complaint, Walters was stopped in Vilas County on traffic charges. A 15-year-old boy, with a Chico address, was in the vehicle.

The Oneida County criminal complaint said Walters was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and was transported to the Vilas County Sheriff's Department, along with the boy.

When the boy was interviewed by police, he said that he had been sexually molested in both Vilas and Iron counties, the complaint said.

The boy said he initially got to know Walters when he and some friends worked for Walters around Christmas time last year, taking down Christmas lights around Walter's home in Chico.

The complaint said Walters asked the boy to come to the area to help him work on his home. The boy said he came to the Mercer area with Walters during spring break, around March 15. ..more.. by MARGARET LEVRA

MI- Accused child molester kills stepdaughter, commits suicide

Posted in Related Deaths
9-18-2001 Michigan:

MONITOR TOWNSHIP (AP) A man apparently killed the stepdaughter he was accused of molesting before turning the gun on himself, just hours before he was due in a Bay County courtroom on a sex charge, police said.

The bodies of Herbert O. Sweebe, 61, and Christine Pickelmann, 21, were found early yesterday in the mobile home where the stepfather had lived with his wife and Pickelmann.

Pickelmann was killed by a rifle blast, and arriving police officers heard a second shot before finding the bodies, The Bay City Times said. Lt. John Parker, commander of the Bay City Post of the Michigan State Police, said troopers found the bodies of Pickelmann and Sweebe at opposite ends of the home.

Gail Sweebe, Pickelmann"s mother and Herbert Sweebe"s wife, was treated for a hand wound. It wasn"t clear how she was injured.

Sweebe was to be arraigned Monday by Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on a charge of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. Pickelmann had accused Sweebe of groping her and offering to buy her a car if she would have sex with him, according to a Michigan State Police report.

But Pickelmann also had told police about sexual assaults she said were made by Sweebe when she was 15, shortly after he married her mother, police said. Bay County Sheriff"s Sgt. James Chlebowski said his department was about to charge Sweebe with first-degree criminal sexual conduct. A conviction on that charge carries a maximum sentence of up to life in prison.

Police went to the home Pickelmann shared with her mother and stepfather on Aug. 26 to handle a domestic dispute.

Pickelmann told police Sweebe had been sexually grabbing her and that she had evidence on tape Sweebe agreed to leave the home, the newspaper said.

The following day, Pickelmann obtained a personal protection order against Sweebe, preventing him from approaching or harassing her. The order did not prevent Sweebe from being at the mobile home.

Sweebe was arrested Aug. 31, and freed on a $10,000 bond on Sept. 3.

Early yesterday, neighbors gathered outside the home.

Linwood Krueger, 53, said he heard someone running through his back yard yelling, "Why are you doing this?" ..more.. by The Michigan Daily