CA- Colleagues shocked by CHP officer's suicide

1-20-2006 California:

A 40-year-old California Highway Patrol sergeant took his life three days after Folsom police searched the officer's home, investigating a claim that he molested a 3-year-old boy, officials said Thursday. CHP officials took away Brian Frank Nicholson's gun and badge Jan. 6, the same day Folsom police executed a search warrant, said John Rolin, assistant chief of the CHP Valley Division.

"We were all shocked here, these things are all shocking," he said. "He was a very good supervisor, a great investigator. To my knowledge, there's no history of anything like this," Rolin said of Nicholson, a 17-year CHP veteran.

Folsom police spokesman Kurt Knudsen said a family friend reported on Dec. 29 that Nicholson molested the boy in November. Knudsen said the alleged conduct would have amounted to a felony. "We did not even have an opportunity to interview Mr. Nicholson because he took his life on the 9th," Knudsen said. "This was very early stages of the investigation."

Passers-by on the west side of Lake Tahoe found Nicholson's body at daybreak in the parking lot of an overlook above Emerald Bay, said El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Marc Adams. Officials determined that Nicholson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators also found an audio recording, in which he addressed the Folsom Police Department, the CHP and his family. Adams said he would not elaborate further on the recording's contents, which were turned over to his family.

Knudsen said the 3-year-old boy was interviewed at the Sacramento County multidisciplinary interview center, which has child-oriented rooms where social workers interview possible victims of abuse and detectives watch through one-way glass. During the search of Nicholson's home, detectives confiscated two lap-top computers, a desktop computer, several cameras and two guns, said Folsom police detective Steve Robinson. "We haven't gone through the computers yet, but we didn't find anything that was startling," he said.

Folsom police notified the CHP of the investigation that day, Rolin said. The CHP began a routine investigation and relieved Nicholson of duty. "It's hard to trust our people when they're under investigation for that kind of thing," he said. ..Source.. by Christina Jewett -- Bee Staff Writer

PA- Child porn collector commits suicide

2-16-2006 Pennsylvania:

NORRISTOWN -- A day before he was to be punished for collecting more than 95,000 images of child pornography or erotica on his home computer, an Upper Providence man took his own life, authorities confirmed. Daniel Joseph Worth, 35, of Providence Forge, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head as he sat in a car outside a relative’s home in Perkiomen Township shortly after 2 p.m. Monday, according to Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Barbara Ashcroft.

The county coroner’s office ruled Worth’s death a suicide, according to prosecutors. Worth was pronounced dead at 2:23 p.m., authorities said. "On the eve of being sentenced for what was a very egregious child pornography possession collection, the defendant’s desperation over potentially doing substantial jail time may have played into his decision to end his life," Ashcroft said on Wednesday. Worth faced a possible maximum sentence of 49 years in prison on the charges. ..Source.. by Carl Hessler Jr.

IN- Firefighter Kills Himself After Out-Of-State Sex Arrest

2-18-2006 Indiana:

INDIANAPOLIS -- A Lawrence Township firefighter, who was arrested for traveling to Ohio to meet with a fictitious minor he had chatted with online, killed himself soon after the arrest.

Detectives said Cpl. Tim Craney, 29, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head early Saturday.

Marion County sheriff's deputies started searching for Craney at about 2:30 a.m. after family members found a suicide note in his apartment. His body was found at about 4 a.m., 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

Craney was a Lawrence Township firefighter for nine years. Chief Warren White had placed him on paid leave Friday after the arrest.

Police said Craney had traveled to Fairborn, Ohio to solicit sex from a minor. But, officials said the person he had been chatting with on the Internet was actually a Fairborn police detective.

"He was an above average firefighter," White said. "He was a good person, did his job, showed up on time. He had been incarcerated and, when that happens, we have a step program, and that program at that point was to put him on administrative leave until we found out the details."

The details will now remain at least partially unknown. Craney bonded out of jail in Ohio just 12 hours before he took his own life in a cornfield near his apartment.

"A family member had received a call from him indicating that he was requesting that particular family member to report to their home in the morning, that his wife would be upset," said Marion County sheriff's Maj. Larry Jahnke.

Craney was newly married. He leaves behind a wife and extended family. His firefighter family mourns one of their own.

"When one brother falls, no matter how, it's tough on everybody and we are just saddened," White said. "Taking their own life under an allegation -- I just would have hoped that we could have helped and that's the empty feeling that I think all of us feel."

The fire department has counselors available for any of Craney's colleagues. ..Source.. by INDYchannel.com

NV- Siskiyou deputy kills self after molestation charges

2-25-2006 Nevada:

LAKE SHASTINA - The search for a Siskiyou County sheriff's sergeant wanted on charges of molesting a teenager ended in a Las Vegas motel room, where his body was found Thursday morning with a bullet wound to the head.

The Clark County, Nev., coroner's office ruled the death a suicide, a spokeswoman said.

Sgt. Glenn A. Kruger, 43, of Lake Shastina, is survived by his wife and three sons. He had been with the Sheriff's Department for eight years and most recently was a patrol sergeant for the Yreka area.

"He was a great officer. I've been the sheriff for three years, and he was one of the best I had. Unfortunately, people sometimes make errors in judgment," Siskiyou County Sheriff Rick Riggins said about the allegations Kruger faced.

Kruger fled the north state area before he could be arrested on charges stemming from a complaint filed with the Lake Shastina Police Department by a 16-year-old, whose name and gender were not released.

Lake Shastina Police Chief Rick Alves told The Bee earlier this week that a $100,000 warrant was issued for Kruger on Tuesday afternoon on charges of sexual battery by restraint, attempted unlawful sexual intercourse, child molestation and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime.

Alves said the alleged sexual misconduct did not happen while the officer was on duty. He contacted Kruger asking him to come to the police station for an interview, but the officer left the area before the interview could take place.

"There's no doubt the teenager was right in making a report," Sheriff Riggins said, adding that counseling is available to the family "as well as for everyone in the department."

Riggins lamented the sergeant's death. "This is a very difficult situation for everyone concerned. For the department, it's like a death in the family."

Kruger was promoted to sergeant in September, 2005. He was a crisis negotiator for the Sheriff Department's special response team. He and six other members were recognized as Deputy Sheriff of the Year and County Peace Officer of the Year in 2004.

The sheriff said everyone on the team deserved their awards after a domestic violence shooting.

A memorial service is planned for March 3, in Mount Shasta. The Siskiyou County Deputy Sheriff's Association has set up a memorial fund at P.O. Box 42, Yreka, CA 96097. ..Source.. by Christine Vovakes -- Sacramento Bee Correspondent

GA- Man shoots himself during police standoff

5-25-2006 Georgia:

.WINDER — A man accused of child pornography possession shot himself Monday when authorities tried to arrest him at his home in Winder. Sam Summerville, 60, retreated into his home at 251 Natchez Circle when police and federal agents showed up shortly after 3 p.m. to arrest him for failing to appear in court, according to Special Agent Stephen Emmett, spokesman for the FBI in Atlanta. Before officers could get to Summerville, he shot himself, Emmett said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Summerville was supposed to stand trial in federal court last week for five counts of possessing child pornography, but he never appeared, Emmett said. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

A year ago, Summerville was arrested at the Huntcrest Publix off Old Peachtree Road in Lawrenceville, near his former residence in that city. It was unclear how long he been living in the Winder subdivision. Neighbor Lafae Duggan said Summerville lived with his mother, but she rarely saw either of them. She was outside sweeping when police arrived to make the arrest. “I heard the police yelling to open the door,” Duggan said. “Then I went and grabbed my 3-year-old daughter and went inside. I saw all the guns, there was lots of policemen around the house and I didn’t want my daughter to witness any of it.” A mother of two girls, ages 3 and 9, Duggan was unaware that the man down the street had a criminal history.

They say he had a warrants for child pornography,” Duggan said. “I had no idea that we had somebody like that so close. That is a scary thought.” Another neighbor, Sheila Spoto, was equally alarmed at Monday’s events. “That’s up the street from us,” said Spoto, who is pregnant. “I didn’t know anything about that. It’s scary.” Summerville’s arrest was the result of an investigation by the Safe Child Task Force, an FBI-led coalition of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that targets pedophiles, child molesters and the producers of child pornography. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will be assisting the FBI with investigating Monday’s shooting, Emmett said. ..Source.. by Andria Simmons, Staff Writer

WA- Molestation suspect reportedly kills himself

5-30-2006 Washington:

An accused child molester from Olympia stole some guns and drove into the Stampede Pass area off Interstate 90, then killed himself, Kittitas County sheriff's deputies said. The body of Michael A. Durbiano IV, 38, was recovered about noon Friday after authorities spotted his burned-out vehicle from the air, Undersheriff Clayton Myers said in a news release. According to Myers, authorities were notified by Durbiano's family Thursday night that Durbiano had stolen several guns and drove into the mountains near Stampede Pass, about 10 miles south of Snoqualmie Pass.

Durbiano was facing child molestation charges in Thurston County and, according to Myers, was reportedly ready to shoot any members of law enforcement who came into the area. With the aid of a Washington State Patrol aircraft, a Kittitas County sheriff's deputy spotted a burned-out vehicle about five miles south of the freeway at 10 a.m. Friday. Myers said the Kittitas County Special Response Team found Durbiano's body in the treeline about 50 yards from his vehicle. A loaded hunting rifle, shotgun and .45-caliber handgun were recovered.

A preliminary investigation indicated Durbiano torched his vehicle and then shot himself in the head, Myers said. The body was taken to Ellensburg for an autopsy. According to court records, Durbiano was charged with two counts of second-degree child molestation in January. That same day, an anti-harassment protection order was signed by a Thurston County judge. A trial date of July 19 was pending. A hearing in the case was held Thursday. Myers said Durbiano reportedly vowed he was not .going back to jail. ..Source.. by CHRIS BRISTOL, YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

GA- Domestic fight ends in death

6-5-2006 Georgia:

A registered sex offender living in Register killed himself Wednesday afternoon after setting his home on fire, investigators said. Robert Antonio Thompson, 30, Triple T Road, ran from responding law enforcement officers after his wife called for help, said Bulloch County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Gene McDaniel. The woman, whom investigators did not name, picked Thompson up Wednesday afternoon from Denmark Street in Statesboro, and stopped at a convenience store in Register on the way home, he said.

At The Store in Register (the name of the convenience store), the couple argued. They had been separated for about a month, he said. However, it was unclear what caused the disagreement, he said. After returning home a few miles away from the store, Thompson’s wife called law enforcement, he said. When Bulloch County Sheriff’s Capt. Lee Harris arrived at the Triple T Road home around 4:30 p.m., Thompson fled into the woods, he said. “That’s when Capt. Harris realized the mobile home was on fire,” McDaniel said.

Harris called for firefighters and for backup to locate Thompson. Local businessman Ellis Wood, who often assists law enforcement, arrived by helicopter to help officers in the search for Thompson while firefighters extinguished the blaze, McDaniel said. The mobile home, which was empty except for a small dog, was gutted, he said. The dog escaped the blaze uninjured. A short time later, Wood spotted Thompson’s body behind the home, he said. “He had apparently placed a pistol to his head and shot himself.”

Thompson was convicted of rape in August, 1996, according to information from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Department web site (www.bullochsheriff.com). He was also convicted in 1997 of criminal interference with government property, obstruction and underage possession of alcohol, serving a five-year sentence and released in August, 2001, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections web site. ..Source.. by HOLLI DEAL BRAGG

NY- Legal Action Continues After Apparent Suicide

4-5-2006 New York:

Gary A. Feinberg, 48, a physician's assistant at the Suffolk County Jail, was killed by a Long Island Rail Road train in an apparent suicide on March 27. Feinberg was struck by the eastbound train at about 11:35 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene at the Abraham's Path crossing in Amagansett, according to LIRR officials.

The Sag Harbor resident had been arrested in February and charged with five counts of official misconduct and 16 counts of sexual abuse in the second degree for allegedly fondling six female inmates while they received medical attention at the jail over the course of seven months. Feinberg pleaded not guilty to the charges.

One of those women, Rochelle Ramos, 40, filed a $10 million notice of claim last week against Feinberg for his alleged abusive behavior and against the county for its imprudence in hiring Feinberg, its poor supervision, and potential deliberate indifference by not following up on complaints made in the past.

Feinberg's death has not changed Ramos's legal course of action against the county, according to her attorney Robert Valli of Leeds, Morelli & Brown in Garden City.

Ramos, of Hempstead, was serving time for a probation violation — she had been convicted of forging medical prescriptions. A car accident several years ago left her wheelchair-bound for two years and during that time, she became addicted to painkillers, Valli said.

His client was serving time in the Nassau County jail when she reportedly had stomach pains and was diagnosed with a hernia. Ramos later witnessed an encounter between prisoners "that might have endangered her life," and guards moved her to the Suffolk County jail for protection. Despite her previous medical checkup, her condition required her to have a pre-admission medical exam. Feinberg was the attending physician.

What "doesn't make sense" is that there was reportedly a female physician's assistant in the room at first but she left, said Valli. "If you're a female prisoner, you're going to have a female attendant. There should have been a female attendant."

On or around December 28, Feinberg allegedly molested Ramos without using a glove. Although startled, "she doesn't scream," the attorney recounted. "She thinks 'if I scream I'm going to get in trouble.'"

When the exam is over, "He then stands her up and tells her how beautiful she is and tries to kiss her," said Valli, who is looking to speak with the other women who claim Feinberg abused them.

It is unclear if any policy has been established that requires a female attendant to be present during medical checkups of female inmates, and Valli will be investigating the matter.

Members of The Suffolk County Health Department, which runs the jail's medical unit and hired Feinberg in 2002, declined to comment.

Some have speculated that Feinberg's possible suicide implies guilt and makes the county vulnerable to further lawsuits.

Suffolk County Attorney Christine Malafi, who is handling the case, acknowledged that more people may come forward but she believes the county might be protected by the Dead Man's Statute. The law is designed to protect the decedent from fraudulent claims in civil cases by prohibiting a witness who may have something to gain from testifying about communication or transactions with the deceased.

Malafi also emphasized that it is unfair to assume Feinberg was committing suicide because he was guilty, or that the tragedy was even a suicide.

"Committing suicide just means you're going through something in your life that you can't handle," she said. "You could say that he couldn't handle all of these accusations coming out . . . that were false." As far as she knew, there were also no obvious signs of suicide, such as a note, she added.

A funeral service was held for Feinberg on Sunday at the North Haven Community Center. ..News Source.. by Carey London

CA- Molestation Suspect, Suspect's Father, Kills Himself

4-20-2006 California:

BAKERSFIELD -- The case of a child molestation suspect has taken a turn: His father, Steven Erbacher, has killed himself.

Bakersfield police said they were headed to the home on Redwood Hills Court on Thursday morning to arrest Stephan Erbacher on multiple counts of child molestation involving two female children under the age of 14. But when they arrived, they found that Erbacher had killed himself. Coroner's officials said he died from a gunshot wound to his head.

His son, Justin Erbacher, is facing 23 charges of sexual assault on five separate young women. He was in superior court on Wednesday, when his case was delayed to May.

A teenage girl also faces charges in the case. She will be in a juvenile courtroom in May. ..News Source.. by KERO23 ABC

---

Accusations recanted in Erbacher hearing

12-12-2008 California:

Three young victims are changing their stories as a man convicted of molestation tries to get a new trial. In their changed testimony, the victims say it was only the father of Justin Erbacher who abused them.

AR- Registered Sex Offender Fatally Shoots Himself

6-5-2006 Arkansas:

A registered sex offender shot and killed himself at a Mountain Home pawn shop where the man used a gun that was on display at the store.

Police say 49-year-old Samuel Gray took a shotgun off a shelf at Mountain Home Pawn and Gun on Saturday morning and stepped outside with the weapon. Then he loaded the gun and shot himself.

Mountain Home Police Chief Carry Manuel says Gray brought ammunition to the store, which he used to load the gun.

Gray was before a judge in February for a failure to register as a sex offender. Officials say Gray had to be removed from the courtroom after he argued with the judge.

Gray was pronounced dead at the store. ..more.. by AP

WI- Suspect in Murder of Darlene Darling Found Dead in Wisconsin

Posted in Related Deaths

5-6-2006 Wisconsin:

On Saturday June 3, 2006 a tactical team from the FBI’s fugitive task force searched the home of 35-year-old Jeffery Todd Antone’s mother in Tomah, WI. Antone had become the prime suspect in themurder of Darlene Darling. The tactical team found Antone’s body hanging in the garage with a suicide note nearby. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Antone’s death.

The investigation into the murder of Darling began in the early evening of June 1, 2006 when Saint Paul Police responded to a report of a foul odor coming from a car on the 600 block of Fuller Avenue.

Officers investigated and found the body of Darling in the trunk of her vehicle. The body was badly decomposed and detectives now believe Darling was probably killed on Sunday May 28th or early on Memorial Day, May 29th. Fingerprints obtained by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner were used by the Saint Paul Police Crime Lab to positively identify the victim as 47-year-old Darlene Darling. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner has ruled the death a homicide with a preliminarily determination of strangulation as the cause of death.

Detectives interviewed Darling’s ex-boyfriend and acquaintances to establish the following series of events surrounding Darling’s murder. Darling had been sober for several years before she went back to abusing alcohol and crack cocaine early in 2006. In April, Darling broke up with her boyfriend of eight years and began seeing Antone, a non-compliant sexual offender from Wisconsin. A criminal history check showed Antone was a convicted violent sexual offender with two active felony warrants from Wisconsin. Antoine had been living in a school bus behind an auto body shop in Shakopee for the past eight months.

A witness reported seeing Darling’s body in the trunk of her car on Memorial Day.

Detectives continue to investigate the murder of Darlene Darling and the case may be submitted to the Ramsey County Attorney for a review of charges against others who aided Jeffery Antone after the fact.

In response to this tragic crime Chief John Harrington noted, “Once again we are presented with a case that demonstrates the need to use all necessary resources to monitor sexual offenders and to aggressively track down those who are not compliant.” ..more.. by Police Report

IL- Suicide victim was being investigated for sexual assault

6-9-2006 Illinois:

A Streator man found hanging from a tree in a backyard Tuesday was a registered sex offender and under investigation for two recent sexual assaults.

Jeffery Delehanty, 26, of Long Point, was found dead 8 a.m. Tuesday in a yard in the 700 block of South Otter Creek Street, victim of an apparent suicide. Earlier that day, Streator police received two separate reports of alleged sexual assault against juvenile girls, in which Delehanty was identified as the suspect, said Streator police investigator Sgt. Deon Gotch.

One of the alleged incidents happened between 1:30 and 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, involving a 15-year-old girl. The other incident allegedly happened May 28 in Livingston County and involved a 9-year-old girl.

According to Illinois State Police's sex offender information Web site, Delehanty was a registered sex offender convicted of two counts of criminal sexual assault against a victim under age 18 in La Salle County. ..more.. by CRAIG WIECZORKIEWICZ

CA- P.G. girl's stalker found dead on Asilomar Beach

6-13-2006 California:

A 44-year-old man recently released from the county jail after serving time for stalking a Pacific Grove High School student was found dead Saturday morning in the Asilomar beach track area of Pacific Grove. Pacific Grove Police said the body of Benjamin Peter Munhall, 44, of Monterey was found in the vicinity of the stalking victim's residence. Police are withholding the cause of death pending an announcement by the coroner's office, but in a statement said that no foul play is suspected at this time. Sgt. Kathy Hale, who was on the scene, said she could not comment because of the ongoing investigation.

Police said Munhall was seen Friday night at Pacific Grove High School where the stalking victim was graduating. Officers searched the area all night for Munhall after being authorized by the Monterey County Probation department to arrest him on a parole violation. Munhall was arrested on June 28, 2005, on suspicion of stalking, child annoyance and prowling. At the time The Herald reported that Munhall had met the girl at a Pacific Grove High School football game in September 2003, when she was 14. A week later he followed her home and gave her a gift. The victim reportedly told her parents about the man, but at that time police didn't know his identity.

"He was infatuated with the young lady," said Pacific Grove Police Lt. Darius Engles. In June 2005, he tried to contact the girl again, showing up at her home at various hours of the day, calling her home and leaving gifts by her car. Neighbors reported seeing his car parked in front of the girl's house. He was arrested in his car in front of the girl's home, and appeared to be living in his vehicle. Police said at the time of his arrest that not much had gone on between Munhall and the victim between September 2003 and June 2005.

Munhall pleaded guilty to a charge of stalking and was sentenced Nov. 18 to a year in jail and 5 years probation. He was required to register as a sex offender and was ordered to have no contact with the victim. He was released Feb. 21 after serving 293 days from the date of his arrest. ..more.. : by Herald Staff Report. See also: Stalker's death ruled a suicide "Benjamin Peter Munhall, 44, of Monterey, was found dead Saturday morning in the Asilomar beach tract area. He died of a cut to the throat; a double-edged razor blade was found nearby, police said."

LA- Police: Suspect hangs himself

6-19-2006 Louisiana:

VILLE PLATTE — A 79-year-old man facing decades-old molestation charges after being implicated in a suicide note hanged himself in his front yard Tuesday morning, Evangeline Parish authorities said. The hanging comes a week after Charles Guillory, 1100 block of Bumpy Pass Road, Ville Platte, was indicted on three counts of molestation of a juvenile and one count of aggravated rape in connection with incidents involving three children in 1968 and 1970.

Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office Detective Joe Demoruelle said neighbors discovered Guillory’s body Tuesday morning. “An apparent suicide by hanging. … He tied on a tree in the front yard,” Demoruelle said. The detective said no note was found. “It’s a tragic way for this to end,” Evangeline Parish District Attorney Brent Coreil said. The sexual abuse investigation began earlier this year after a suicide note left by a man in his 40s referenced childhood molestation by Guillory.

Family members brought the note to authorities, and the other alleged victims came forward during the investigation, Coreil said. Guillory, who had no criminal record, had been free on $25,000 bond pending trial. The District Attorney’s Office was prosecuting the molestation cases under a 2005 change in state law that extended the statute of limitations on certain sex crimes against juveniles from 10 to 30 years after the victim turns 18.

Even with the extension, Coreil said, one allegation against Guillory fell outside the 30-year limit. Coreil said the time lapse might still have been an issue in the other cases, and he was researching whether the new state law could be retroactively applied to prosecute Guillory in the old cases. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in cases involving similar laws that a revised statute of limitations for sex crimes cannot be applied to cases in which the statute of limitations had already expired.

“All those questions become moot now,” he said. “I just feel sorry for the family.” Coreil said last week that he struggled with the decision to pursue the case, considering the age of the defendant and the age of the allegations. The prosecutor said he came to the conclusion that prosecuting Guillory might help other victims and that “even if he is 79, this has to be pursued.” Guillory could have faced up to 15 years in prison on each of the three molestation charges and a possible death penalty or life in prison on the aggravated rape charge ..more.. : by PATRICK COURREGES, Acadiana bureau

WV- Man killed himself before arraignment

6-29-2006 West Virginia:

The man who shot and killed himself in a downtown Charleston office building had confessed to police that he had sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl in 2005. Kenneth M. Davis II, 31, killed himself in the lobby of a legal aid services building on 922 Quarrier Street at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, less than an hour before he was to be arraigned on a 10-count indictment for sexual abuse of a minor by a guardian and third-degree sexual assault charges. According to court documents, Davis told police of several encounters with the victim from February to April 2005 at his South Charleston home and outside the girl's apartment. The victim's mother called police April 4, 2005, when she became suspicious of the relationship and Davis was arrested the following day, court records show.

Davis told detectives in a taped confession he met the girl's parents through work and had a three-year sexual relationship that ended in early 2003. Davis babysat the girl and her 8-year-old brother on several occasions and told them he knew magic, according to the victim's statements to police. Friendly hugging in February 2005 apparently later turned into kissing and fondling, Davis told police. Both Davis and the victim told South Charleston detectives they had sex on two occasions in March 2005, both of which were consensual. The victim said she had been given alcohol on many of her visits with Davis. The victim said Davis told her she was beautiful and how he wanted to make her happy. She told police that Davis wanted to marry her and though she didn't take his proposal seriously, she loved him.

On one occasion, the victim claimed he transformed himself into another person named "Jade." She told police she believed she was having sex with "Jade" who was inside Davis' body. Davis apparently wrestled with the girl and her brother and attempted to teach them self-defense techniques. He told police one occasion led them back to his bedroom. Tim Smith, Davis' public defender, told court officials of the suicide just before his 10:30 a.m. hearing in front of Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Duke Bloom. Smith did not return phone calls to his office. Charleston police are puzzled what drove Davis to kill himself in the Quarrier Street building even after finding a suicide note near his body. South Charleston Detective P.C. Rader, who interviewed Davis during his taped confession, said he had been the victim of an armed robbery while working at a 7-Eleven convenience store in July 2004. Rader hadn't spoken with Davis since the day of his arrest in April 2005.

"He went a long way to try to put this stuff behind him," Rader said. "To me, it shows some kind of underlying issue as well." Davis and his brother , Kraig, a 22-year-old sergeant in the Marines, were each shot three times while shooting pool at a Kanawha City bar in September 1999. Kenneth Davis, then 24, survived the attack but his brother was killed instantly. Kraig Davis was a nuclear, chemical and biological weapons defense specialist in the 2nd Tank Battalion of the 2nd Marine Division, according to military officials. Virginia Huffman, who lived next to Kenneth Davis on Pennsylvania Avenue in South Charleston, said she hadn't seen him for some time. "I knew him a little," Huffman said. "He was a wonderful person. I couldn't have asked for a better neighbor than that man." ..more.. : by Michael A. Jones, Daily Mail Staff

VA- Suicide of local airman may stem from tragic discovery

6-30-2006 Virginia:

A local airman who committed suicide carried a dark secret to his death.

That Air Force sargent was also accused of knowingly exposing a teenager to H.I.V. And he ended his own life before the case could go to court. His body was found Tuesday morning at the Grandview Nature Reserve in the Fox Hill area of Hampton at the end of Beach Road.

According to court records, last year a 15-year-old boy came forward saying for months he was being paid for sex by a man named Brett who he had met over the Internet. The investigation let to Brett Byerly, who confessed to the crime, but not that he was H.I.V. positive.

In this home, police say Brett Byerly paid the 15-year-old boy $100 each time they had sex. Police say it went on from April to July of 2005, around the time he posted this message to his parents: "Get the pork chops ready, I'm coming home".

TX- Sex offender commits suicide

7-22-2006 Texas:

A Decatur man committed suicide outside his home in a residential neighborhood Monday evening.

Decatur Police Chief Rex Hoskins said the police department received a phone call from a man who told officers where to locate the body of a suicide victim at 2705 South College Street in the Brookhollow Addition in south Decatur.

Hoskins said he went to the location and found the body of Gerald Merrick, 64, partially in the roadway in front of his home. He had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A note was found in the home. Hoskins said the note referred to some "bad things" he had done.

Merrick was a registered sex offender, according to the Wise County Sheriff's Office. The aggravated sexual assault, which took place in August of 2003, involved a 4-year-old male. ..more.. by Staff

CO- Drowning called suicide

7-26-2006 Colorado:

A Longmont computer engineer accused of luring a 13-year-old girl over the Internet for sex drowned himself, authorities said Monday.

The body of Sunil Mehta, 28, was found Friday in McCall Lake, about three miles west of Longmont. His death has been ruled suicide by drowning, according to the Boulder County coroner's office.

Mehta was arrested July 7 in Westminster after allegedly arranging to meet a Jefferson County investigator who was posing as a girl online.

They met after a series of explicit Internet chat sessions over nearly a month in which the "girl" was told to "keep it our dirty lil secret."

Mehta, who was free on bail, was facing charges of Internet luring of a child, enticement of a child and attempted sexual assault on a child, all felonies.

His wife and a friend reported him missing Thursday night.

Two suicide notes were found in his home, leading authorities to the city-owned lake, where his car and another suicide note were found, said Longmont police Cmdr. Craig Earhart. ..more.. by Rocky Mountain News

KS- Fugitive kills self

7-29-2006 Kansas:

.Sheriff's deputies standing on the porch while seeking a fugitive at 16511 Metcalf Ave., Stilwell, heard a gunshot. "When officers went into the home, they found Mr. Joey Carlton Ruttman, 29, in the bathroom with a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Master Deputy Thomas Erickson said at the scene.

An emergency medical helicopter landed in the back yard about 2:15 p.m. Monday. The crew flew Ruttman, 29, unconscious and suffering from a head wound, to Overland Park Regional Medical Center, where he died at 5 p.m.

"He had been basically on the run since ... May 17 when he missed a court date on these new charges," Erickson said. Ruttman, a registered sex offender, had remained free on $50,000 bond related to charges dating to 2005: two counts of indecent liberties with a child and two counts of sodomy, Erickson said.

The crimes involved a 14-year-old neighbor girl. In 2003, a court convicted Ruttman on a charge of sexual exploitation of a 17-year-old girl. Actions involving the girl had been videotaped.

TX- West Plano body identified as former soccer coach Dennis Drummond

8-4-2006 Texas:

.A body found Wednesday night in a West Plano home has been identified. The Collin County Medical Examiner’s office has determined the body to be that of Dennis Drummond, 65. County health officials say that the cause of death is a suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Drummond, a former soccer coach with the Plano Youth Soccer, was recently indicted on five counts of indecency with a child. According to Officer Rick McDonald, police spokesperson, authorities were dispatched on a welfare concern in the 1500 block of Sussex Drive near Park Blvd. and Alma Drive. Upon arrival they discovered a dead body in the home. ..more.. : by Joshua C. Johnson, Staff Writer