Child Porn Suspect Commits Suicide

6-1-2005 Pennsylvania:

(Swatara Twp - WHP) -- A Dauphin county man who was facing trial on child porn charges, apparently killed himself after setting his car on fire.

The body of 59-year old Richard Norris, Junior of Swatara Township was found yesterday morning behind the Wyndham Garden Hotel. Witnesses say Norris was pacing around his car, when he reached inside and it abruptly burst into flames.

Investigators say it looks like public suicide, but an autopsy will be performed
today.

Norris, who was free on bail, was due back in court July 7th. ..Source.. WHP580 Talk Radio

Child Porn Suspect Commits Suicide

10-7-2005 Florida:

A Lakeland man committed suicide Sunday, a day after he was released from jail, where he had been held on child pornography charges.

Timothy James Hickman, 27, of 1410 S. Warren Ave., was arrested Sept. 29 on 25 counts of possession of child pornography, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Hickman got out of jail Saturday after posting $25,000 bail.

He was found dead at home Sunday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Polk County Examiner's Medical office said. ..Source.. by The Ledger.com

AR- Suicide suspected in deaths of couple

12-11-2005 Arkansas:

RO GERS — A couple charged this week with myriad child-sex crimes, including incest and child pornography, committed suicide in their home Saturday evening, Rogers police said.

According to the police, Joe Billy Canoy, 41, and Shawna Lee Anne Canoy, 32, were found dead of suspected asphyxiation after a neighbor, thinking something was wrong, broke down the home’s door.

The neighbor found the Canoys inside a vehicle in the garage about 5 p. m., said Kelley Cradduck, spokesman for the Rogers Police Department.

“It’s pretty clear-cut,” Cradduck said. “We don’t believe there is any foul play.”

Cradduck wouldn’t say if police found a suicide note.

OR- Firefighter accused of sexual abuse found dead

12-28-2005 Oregon:

A Sutherlin man arrested last week on charges he sexually abused some boys was found dead Saturday afternoon in a Grants Pass motel room.

The body of Michael Shane Shipley, 35, was discovered after employees at the motel called police after becoming worried because they hadn’t seen Shipley in two days. Police officers entered the room at about 12:30 p.m. and found Shipley dead of an apparent suicide, said Detective Dave Daniel of the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety.

Shipley, a firefighter and paramedic who had spent the past five years with the North Douglas County Fire & EMS in Drain, was arrested Tuesday on two counts of third-degree sex abuse. He was taken to the Douglas County Jail in Roseburg, where he was cited and released.

Shipley had once served as chief of the Fair Oaks Rural Fire District east of Sutherlin. He also spent six years as a paramedic with Douglas County Search and Rescue and had worked at the Sutherlin and Winston-Dillard fire departments.

Police in Grants Pass did not say how Shipley died. An autopsy will be conducted by the Josephine County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.

Sgt. Darin Lux of the Oregon State Police, the lead investigator in the criminal case against Shipley, said this morning he wasn’t sure how he would proceed. If other victims say they were abused by Shipley, it would be good to identify them so they could receive counseling.

However, he said he doesn’t want to put anyone through further trauma for a case that will no longer go forward.

“I’m weighing the pros and cons on continuing the investigation,” Lux said. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do.” ..Source.. by John Sowell

ID- State AG concludes jailer committed suicide

4-16-2006 Idaho:

Investigation reveals inappropriate behavior with female inmates

The Idaho attorney general's office has concluded that former Blaine County jailer Michael Lance was "engaged in inappropriate behavior" with female inmates prior to committing suicide in August 2005.

In a letter dated Thursday to Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas, Deputy Attorney General Stephen Bywater wrote that the investigation was unable to determine if Lance had sex with former inmate Gretchen Biddle, who had alleged sexual contact with Lance in the Blaine County Jail in June and July 2005.

"Our investigation into the allegations of inappropriate sexual contact between Michael Lance and Ms. Biddle was unable to establish definitively whether or not Mr. Lance engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with Ms. Biddle," Bywater wrote. "It did reveal substantial evidence, however, that Mr. Lance engaged in inappropriate behavior with this and other female inmates of Blaine County."

Prior to his death, Lance's conduct was under investigation by the Magic Valley Critical Incident Task Force, an eight-county cooperative that assists law enforcement agencies with internal investigations.

The attorney general's office further concluded that Lance died from "a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head." His body was found Aug. 25, 2005, on a hill above Water Gulch Ranch, east of the Woodside area of Hailey.

Lance, who lived in Hailey, was 47. He had worked for the Blaine County Sheriff's Office for nearly 11 years.

The investigation into Lance's conduct did not involve convicted Bellevue murder Sarah M. Johnson, who alleged she was raped in the Blaine County Jail in 2004. Results of a lengthy investigation into her allegations were released Monday. Blaine County authorities concluded that Johnson lied.

The attorney general's office informed Thomas that it will take no further action in the Lance case. The investigation was requested by Thomas in September.

Neither Thomas nor Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling could be reached for comment. ..Source.. by TERRY SMITH, Express Staff Writer

PA- Inmate hangs himself in cell

5-4-2005 Pennsylvania:

An Allegheny County Jail inmate hanged himself in his cell early Tuesday, hours before he was scheduled to plead guilty to charges that he taped himself having sex with children.

Timothy Elkin Walker, 34, of Brookline, used pieces of his sheet and shoestrings to commit suicide, according to Warden Ramon Rustin and the county coroner's office. He died shortly after 4 a.m., the coroner's office said.

Walker's hanging comes despite new procedures put in place after Eugene DeLuca, a Chicago-area hit man who had been sentenced to life in prison without parole, hanged himself in his jail cell Jan. 12. Rustin said after that suicide that he ordered guards to check cells every half hour. Walker gave no indication that he planned to kill himself, Rustin said. ..News Source.. by The Tribune Review

TX- Principal dead of apparent suicide

4-24-2005 Texas:

ANGLETON — Angleton High School Principal Marcus Cloud, 38, was found dead in a Waller County roadside park Friday night, the victim of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Cloud’s death came hours after Hempstead Superintendent Mona Chadwick informed Angleton officials of allegations Cloud had engaged in improper conduct with a Hempstead student when he was a principal there, Superintendent Heath Burns said at an emergency meeting of the Angleton ISD school board Saturday.

The allegations initially were made Thursday evening, Chadwick said.

“There were allegations of improper conduct with a student,” Chadwick said. “There was nothing in there that said they had sex.”

Chadwick said the Hempstead Police Department is investigating the charges. The department is closed on the weekends and calls rolled over to the Waller County Sheriff’s Department

CA- Body found in Pinnacle Rock area

5-14-2005 California:

CLEARLAKE The Lake County Sheriff's Office has tentatively identified a body found in the Pinnacle Rock area of the Mendocino National Forest as that of Michael Willis, 44, sought by Clearlake Police on a warrant for child molestation. A post-mortem examination of the body has led the sheriff's office to believe that the subject died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The body was found 100 yards north of a rural roadway in the Pinnacle Rock area after deputies secured the area and found evidence, which along with the body, was transported to the mortuary for the post-mortem.

The deputies began investigating the scene because of a report of a suspicious vehicle by U.S. Fire Service ranger Matt Knudson. The vehicle was positively identified as belonging to Willis by the Lake County Sheriff's Department Central Dispatch.

Conclusive identification that the body was Willis' could not be made because of the estimated time lapse between the death and discovery of the body on May 3. In the approximate 30 days before the body was discovered, advanced decomposition had set in and there was apparent animal activity. : by Record-Bee ..more..

TX- Tarpley death ruled as a suicide by authorities - San Antonio resident was reportedly under investigation

5-18-2005 Texas:

Tragedy befell the quiet town of Tarpley two weeks ago. On May 5, Bandera County Sheriff's Office Deputy David McGilvray responded to a 911 call from a ranch on FM 470.

There, McGilvray found Kenneth E. Hendley, 64, of San Antonio, with a reported self-inflicted shotgun wound to his head. Justice of the Precinct 4 Lynn Holt pronounced Hendley dead on the scene at 1:10 p.m., according to Chief Deputy Don Berger.

Records indicate that Hendley was discovered by his son-in-law, Daryl Gillit, who said that Hendley was distraught over personal items in San Antonio. Gillit advised officers that Hendley was under investigation by Child Protective Services for child molestation. ..more.. by Jessica Hawley - Lifestyles Editor

FL- Sex offender wanted for questioning kills self

5-27-2005 Florida:

A sex offender who had been registered to live in Yankeetown killed himself May 20 rather than face an investigation by the Levy County Sheriff's Office into a new allegation of sexual crimes made against him in April. This week Capt. Chuck Bastak, spokesman for Sheriff Johnny Smith, said LCSO got a call last Friday from Marion County authorities informing them that George W. Hummel, 61, had shot himself in his head when a deputy tried to question him at his mother's house in Summerfield.

Bastak said Hummel had been the subject of an investigation initiated April 22 based on a claim that he had fondled a young girl, and sheriff's investigators had made the decision to arrest Hummel on a charge of lewd and lascivious battery on a child under 12 years old. However, officers had not seen Hummel since he didn't show up two weeks ago for a lie detector test they had agreed upon in a prior interview, and they believed he had left his registered address without notifying the sheriff's office as required by law. : by Mike Bowdoin ..more..

IN- Man misses court, found dead

7-7-2005 Indiana:

Brown County police officers, sent to the home of a man who missed a required court date, made a gruesome discovery last week.

The body of David Lee Allen, 39, was found by sheriff’s deputies Rick Followell and Brad Stogsdill in Mr. Allen’s Freeman Ridge Road residence last Wednesday morning, June 29.

Brown County Coroner Earl Piper said Mr. Allen died of self-inflicted lacerations, adding that he may have been dead for several days before being discovered.

According to Sheriff Robert “Buck” Stogsdill, Mr. Allen’s body was badly decomposed. He said the case is still under investigation and that officers are awaiting additional information from the coroner.

Mr. Allen was charged two years ago with child molesting, a Class A felony. He was scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. for a competency hearing to determine his ability to represent himself in the case. When he didn’t show up, Brown Circuit Judge Judith A. Stewart issued a warrant for his arrest.

Officers Stogsdill and Followell made their discovery at around 10:40 a.m.

Mr. Allen also failed to appear at a hearing on Monday, June 20. A warrant was not issued for him at that time because the court was concerned he did not receive proper notice. ..more.. by Rodney Margison Staff writer

ID- Father Who Molested Infant Daughter Takes Own Life

7-25-2005 Idaho:

Police say a 26-year-old Idaho father who was to be sentenced Friday for lewd conduct with his infant daughter has killed himself. Benjamin Nephi Wright had called himself a monster when he confessed to his wife that he had attempted intercourse with their 22-month-old daughter last September.

He was found shot to death in the chest Thursday at his mother's home in Athol, and police closed their investigation Monday, concluding Wright took his own life. Wright was facing punishment of up to life in prison and mandatory registration as a sex offender at Friday's scheduled sentencing hearing in First District Court. ..more.. : by KOIN TV6 Oregon

CA- Cop Facing Sex Assault Charges Commits Suicide

7-25-2005 California:

A San Francisco police inspector who was facing felony sexual assault charges in Solano County fatally shot himself in his Vacaville home last week, Vacaville police said. The Solano County Coroner's Office said Wilfredo Gonzalez Jr., 39, was found dead in his home at 9:07 p.m. June 21. The cause of death was a contact gunshot wound to the head, the coroner's office said.

Vacaville police said Gonzalez was facing sexual assault charges involving two alleged victims in 2002 and 2004. He was to have appeared in Solano County Superior Court on Thursday. Vacaville police Lt. Craig Courtemanche said another woman came forward about six weeks ago when she saw news articles about the charges against Gonzalez. Courtemanche said Gonzalez met the women on the Internet and arranged for them to come to his home. Police said Gonzalez faced seven charges regarding the alleged sexual assaults. ..more.. : by Bay City News

FL- Can suits exorcise ghost of coach?

Players are suing the estate of a soccer coach who killed himself after he was accused of sexually molesting them.

7-10-2005 Florida:

TAMPA - No one wanted to believe that about William Burton. No one wanted to think the man their kids had looked up to for years had done those things to their boys.

In life, he was a energetic businessman and an enthusiastic soccer coach. But when Burton, 61, committed suicide late last year after allegations surfaced that he had molested several boys on the Black Watch Soccer Club, death cheated the truth. In death, Burton became for some the ghost that will forever haunt their lives.

Now the families of two of Burton's alleged victims have turned to the courts for to quiet that restless spirit. Late last month, parents of two former Black Watch team members filed separate lawsuits in Hillsborough County against Burton's estate alleging that the late Gold Cup Coffee Service executive made sexual advances toward the boys and touched them inappropriately. The lawsuits also contend the soccer coach encouraged some teenage players to have sex with prostitutes during a team trip to Europe last year.

The lawsuits call for unspecified damages. But attorneys for the unnamed teens filed legal claims earlier this year in probate court seeking a total of roughly $1.25-million from Burton's estate.

J. Meredith Wester, an attorney for a 15-year-old Tampa player and his parents, said her clients were reluctant to file their June 22 lawsuit, but felt it was their only remaining avenue to justice.

"I'm convinced that there would have been charges against Bill Burton if he hadn't committed suicide," Wester said. "I think it's real unfortunate. I think there's a lot more victims out there that haven't come forward because of this situation."

Peter Catania, attorney for Richard Coleman, the father of another 15-year-old player, agreed.

"There's no criminal prosecution available,so there's no other alternative than the civil courts," Catania said.

A former Tampa resident, Coleman moved with his son to Massachusetts before filing the June 16 lawsuit, which also names the Black Watch Soccer Club as a defendant.

"He relocated with his son because he thought it would be best for his son to get a fresh start where no one was aware of the allegations," Catania said.

The lawsuits come seven months after a Gold Cup employee found Burton dead in a company minivan near his office on the morning of Dec. 17. Investigators found a gas generator and a suicide note in the vehicle. Burton's death followed a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into allegations that he and three other Black Watch coaches were involved in sexual misconduct.

No charges were filed and the FDLE closed the inquiry in March. But during the course of the investigation, teen after teen told FDLE agents about Burton's sexual advances.

The trouble always seemed to start when the team traveled for out-of-town tournaments. During a team trip to Dallas a boy woke in the middle of the night to find Burton rubbing his back and the soccer coach's hand sliding down his boxer shorts, according to investigative reports. Other boys reported similar encounters with Burton during a trip to Seminole County. Another boy also reported seeing Burton masturbating in a hotel bathroom during one of the trips, records show.

The allegations against Burton became more complicated after several team members reported that Burton and assistant coach Eddie Rodriguez allowed the boys to visit Amsterdam's famous red light district. One team member told investigators Burton gave another teenager 50 euros to pay a prostitute to perform oral sex on the boy.

Parents of the boys reported the allegations to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office last July. The FDLE took over the case because the alleged sexual misconduct had occurred in several different places outside the county.

The charges shocked many in the community who knew Burton as the ultra-fit coach of Jesuit High School's junior varsity soccer program and longtime youth soccer booster. Before taking over his family's beverage service business in Tampa, Burton spent 17 years working his way up to the top rungs of the Marriott Corp. The allegations were a blot on his otherwise stellar reputation.

When FDLE investigators interviewed Burton last summer, he told them he knew he was in serious trouble. He said he wanted to talk about what had happened, but he'd been advised by his attorney not to say more. His death four months later left parents of the players wondering about the man they had entrusted with their sons.

"The father's upset that his son was a victim of Burton," Catania said of his client. "I think most people would be upset if their kids were a victim of something like that."

Con Foley, the personal representative for Burton's estate, said he was aware of the lawsuits but did not want to comment until he had consulted with his attorney.

Black Watch attorney Colleen Fitzgerald declined to discuss the lawsuit pending further consultation with team leadership. But she pointed out that the allegations have been costly for all involved.

Wester says her client has suffered considerably since the allegations against Burton were made public. The teenager has trouble sleeping and has lost some of his hair, she said.

"These boys are like hand picked for this team when they're 5 and 6 years old and Burton was their coach for all that time," Wester said. "That's what makes it so traumatic for the victims because the victims have known him for so many years."

The events of the past year have also damaged relations between team members, Wester said. After her client told his parents about what happened, he had few friends left from Black Watch. He now plays soccer for a different team.

"Some of those boys blame him for what happened to Burton," Wester said. "You can tell them there's nothing you did wrong, this man was sick, but when you're 14 and 15 years old, it's hard to believe that."

Researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report. Candace Rondeaux can be reached at 813 226-3337 or rondeaux@sptimes.com ..more.. by CANDACE RONDEAUX

MI- Man accused of taping girls at art fairs kills himself

8-12-2005 Michigan:

LUNA PIER (AP) - A 49-year-old Birmingham man charged with videotaping up the skirts of girls apparently has committed suicide. Andrew Fowler was found dead this week in a motel in Monroe County. Ann Arbor and Plymouth police had charged Fowler with multiple counts of sexual misconduct. Birmingham police arrested Fowler at his home last week.

Police had seized his camera and discovered images of him following young girls and a young boy. The images up skirts appeared to be those of girls ages 10 to 12. Luna Pier police didn't say how Fowler might have taken his life. They don't suspect foul play. ..more.. : by WWMT

OH- Deputies find jailed man dead

1-16-2005 Ohio:

CANTON — A 39-year-old Jackson Township man arrested on sex-related charges after a 15-year-old California runaway was found in his home hanged himself in his jail cell just after midnight Saturday.

Richard L. Marshall, 39, of 2729 Blackfriars Dr. NW, spoke at 11:59 p.m. Friday to corrections officers at the Stark County Jail when they came to his cell in the “special precautions” wing, Sheriff Tim Swanson said. Prisoners posing a suicide risk are housed in separate cells that corrections officers check every 15 minutes.

“He wanted to know what time it was,” the sheriff said.

When corrections officers came back at 12:17 a.m., “They found him hanging, ran in and cut him down,” Swanson said.

Stark County Coroner Dr. P.S. Murthy said Marshall was pronounced dead at Mercy Medical Center at 1:06 a.m. Murthy said he died of asphyxiation from the hanging.

Marshall, who had nothing in the cell but the mattress and the specially-designed “suicide prevention” garment that can’t be torn or tied into a knot, had peeled the outer skin from the vinyl-coated mattress and used it to hang himself, said Rick Walters, Murthy’s investigator.

Marshall had been booked into the jail shortly after 2 p.m. Friday and held in lieu of $100,000 bond, jail records said.

He was arrested and charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, pandering obscenity involving a minor and importuning Thursday night after agents of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force found the girl in his apartment.

Court records said the Marshall arranged for her bus ride to Ohio, and that the two engaged in sexual intercourse. Task force agent Bobby Grizzard, who is also a Massillon Police detective, said that the girl met Marshall online and her parents were flying in from Sacramento to reunite with her.

Police said Marshall was unemployed and living alone when they found the girl.

Marshall’s brother, Raymond Marshall, said the girl had told his brother and several other family members that she is 23.

“Around the holiday time, he said he had been talking to a nice girl on the computer, that he had been slightly acquainted with her, and she had even talked to his daughters,” said his sister, Sharon Marshall.

He was the father of two girls, ages 11 and 13, and shared parenting with his ex-wife, she said.

A member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, Richard Marshall graduated in 1983 from Perry High School and went straight into the U.S. Marine Corps, said his brother, also a Marine.

After serving three or four years, he went to work as a truck driver for Fleming Foods, where he remained for 13 years, his brother and other family members said.

“He was a big Steelers fan,” said Raymond Marshall. “He loved to fish. He loved to bowl.”

Then he was severely injured in a car crash. He could no longer work.

“(Doctors) didn’t expect him to come out of it,” said Sharon Marshall. “He did, but it left him with a severe head injury and problems with motor skills and walking. Mentally, he was just as sharp as he always was. He was in accounting in the Marine Corps.

“Physically and emotionally, it took its toll. With his physical disability, it was harder for him to meet people. His right leg and his right arm shook like someone with Parkinson’s disease.”

In the year it took to recover, during which time he couldn’t leave the house, Richard Marshall grew interested in his computer, his siblings said. It provided a method of communication that kept him physically invisible.

Through it, family members and police confirmed, he met the girl from California.

When he was arrested Thursday night, Richard Marshall was being treated for severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, his brother said.

Sharon Marshall said her brother’s divorce, followed by the deaths of both parents, a grandmother and a sister, took as much of a toll on him as did recent news from doctors that his physical condition wasn’t improving.

Swanson confirmed Marshall was under special precautions. Swanson said corrections officers did what they were supposed to do and that no internal investigation is pending.

Murthy continued to investigate Marshall’s death on Saturday. ..more.. by Lori Monsewicz at (330) 580-8309 or e-mail: lori.monsewicz@cantonrep.com

CO- Austin rapist commits suicide in Colorado

7-15-2005 Colorado:

Bennett linked to six rapes in Colorado, one in Austin in '95

A Travis County fugitive who was being held in a Boulder, Colorado jail was found dead in his cell Wednesday with a sheet tied around his neck. Boulder County prison officials are waiting for an autopsy to confirm that Bradford Thomas Wagner's (36) death was a suicide.

Wagner, a real estate agent and former porn actor who, according to The Associated Press, took the alias Tim Barnett, was linked to six rapes in Boulder and Lakewood, Colorado and the 1995 rape of an Austin woman. The case in Austin remained unsolved for nine years until Wagner's arrest in Colorado in June 2004. Upon arrest, Wagner's DNA was entered into a national database which linked Wagner to the Austin rape.

"The jail staff said he was a model inmate," said Lt. Phil West of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. "He had been in the jail for 13 months and [was] not deemed to be a suicide risk."

WA- 3 deaths called murder-suicide

Posted in Related Deaths

12-12-2005 Washington:

Pullman police believe shooter is among bodies found in condo

PULLMAN – The shooting deaths of three people at a condominium complex here appeared to be a double murder-suicide, Pullman police said Sunday.

Louissa A. Thompson, 27; Peter A. Zornes, 25, of Oakesdale, Wash.; and Trevor S. Saunders, 29, of Moscow, were found dead inside Thompson's unit at the Statesman Condominiums, 1220 NE State St., on Saturday night.

Detectives said Sunday they recovered a semi-automatic pistol from the unit and believed the shooter is one of the people found dead.

OK- Suicide suspected by a Durant man accused of sex crimes

6-10-2005 Oklahoma:

DURANT, Okla. (AP) Suicide is suspected in the death of a man accused of child sex crimes along with the former mayor of Achille.

58-year-old Kennith McKinney was found dead Thursday, apparently after shooting a relative. McKinney's body was found by Bryan County Sheriff Bill Sturch.

Sturch says he was coming around the front of the house and saw legs on the ground. Sturch says McKinney terminated his own life.

Sturch says McKinney apparently shot his stepson in the face and abdomen. The stepson survived.

McKinney was friends with John Wigington, Achille's former mayor. The two were accused of molesting four children.

Court records show Wigington is charged with second-degree rape and forcible sodomy. He told authorities Thursday he's willing to turn himself in on Monday. ..more.. by News6OK

Sex abuse claimed at firehouse

Odenton volunteer committed suicide while police investigated

1-24-2008 Maryland:

Two former volunteer firefighters at the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company are suing Anne Arundel County, claiming they were molested by a now-dead company president while they were teenagers and that their superiors ignored pleas for help.

The men, who were unnamed in the lawsuit filed Friday in the county Circuit Court, claim Louis A. D'Camera, 41, a 26-year volunteer, sexually assaulted them, forced them to strip naked, and even sit on his lap.

Mr. D'Camera committed suicide in July 2005 - shortly after Baltimore City police caught him with an 18-year-old male prostitute and charged him with perverted practice. Anne Arundel County police also were investigating the volunteers' claims at the time of the suicide.

According to the lawsuit, the victims, who were 16 and 19 when the alleged abuse began, told their bosses at both the volunteer company and the county Fire Department, but were rebuffed and told to keep quiet. One of the two claimed company members spoke against him during a background check with a potential employer as retaliation for going to police, costing him the job.