Accused child molester found dead in Oklahoma

1-19-17 Oklahoma:

Jenks, Okla. — We have updated information regarding a man accused of molesting an 11-year-old in Jenks, back in 2009.

The U.S. Marshals Service says Russell Wilson bonded out of jail back in 2011 and then disappeared.

"One of our deputies here in the office went to work trying to find this guy and could not find a single trace for years and years," U.S. Marshals Service said.

Fast forward to 2015, when a hiker found a skull that appeared to have a gunshot wound. The skull was located at Arrowhead State Park, near Lake Eufaula.

CBS News 8 investigates: The death of Ronald Tatro

11-22-2014 California:

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CBS 8) -- We are learning more about one of the men implicated in the murder of 14-year-old Claire Hough at Torrey Pines State Beach 30 years ago.

Last month, San Diego police officers initially reported that Ronald Tatro died in a Tennessee boating accident in 2011. But, newly obtained incident reports, autopsy records and evidence photos are leading to questions about whether Tatro may have committed suicide.

Ronald Clyde Tatro, 67, drowned in Tennessee's Holston River in 2011.

Two fishermen found his body floating face down in three feet of water. His boat was found six miles upstream, according to an incident report from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

“I know some of his personal effects were found in the boat,” said Eddie Williams, an employee with Hawkins County EMS.

Untimely Death of Sex Offender Likely Overdose

3-24-2011 Connecticut:

The untimely death Thursday morning of a sex offender who lived in Fairfield was likely due to an overdose, according to police.

James Pinson died on his 31st birthday after police responded to a medical call at the Hoyden's Hill Road house where he lived with his stepfather and mother, police said. He had been depressed on and off for about five years and had been drinking and taking sleeping aids, police said.

Pinson, who was convicted in 2001 of risk of injury to or impairing the morals of children, was found on a couch in the home and suffered cardiac arrest about 6:10 a.m. as officers arrived, police said. He was taken by AMR Ambulance Co. to St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport and was pronounced dead, police said. The conviction stemmed from a 1999 case in Fairfield, details of which were not immediately available.

The State of Connecticut's Sex Offender Registry says Pinson was convicted March 12, 2001 and was released from custody on July 27, 2001. He was six feet, four inches tall and weighed 375 pounds, according to the registry. ..Source.. by Andrew Brophy

Suicide follows Coupeville school volunteer's child porn arrest

5-13-2011 Washington:

A man who volunteered in the drama department at Coupeville schools killed himself after being arrested for possessing child pornography, according to the Island County Sheriff's Office.

Detective Ed Wallace said the FBI provided the sheriff's office and the Coupeville Marshal's Office with initial information that 56-year-old Coupeville resident Charles Skow was in possession of child pornography.

As part of a joint operation, investigators from both offices served a search warrant on Skow's home on April 28 and seized a computer and associated storage devices.

Wallace, the department's computer expert, said an initial examination of the computer and storage media revealed numerous images and movies of child porn.

As a result, Skow was booked and held in Island County jail. On April 29, Island County Superior Court Judge Vickie Churchill found probable cause for Skow's arrest on suspicion of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit activities.

The judge released Skow on his personal recognizance and ordered him not to have contact with minors.

On May 5, the Coupeville Marshal’s Office received a request for a welfare check at Skow’s residence. A deputy marshal found Skow dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the sheriff's office.

Patty Page, superintendent of Coupeville schools, confirmed that Skow was a volunteer in the schools' drama program. He worked building sets.

"I understand that his involvement has been minimal over the last few years," she said, adding that he spent more time volunteering at the school years ago.

After being notified of the arrest, Page said she pulled Skow's volunteer status immediately. She said Skow, under district policy, never had unsupervised contact with students.

Wallace said detectives have no reason to believe any of the pornographic images involved children from Whidbey Island. He said the investigation has ended with Skow's death. ..Source.. by JESSIE STENSLAND

Death penalty? Inmate suicide precedes child porn indictment

8-9-2011 Virginia:

An inmate, a soldier who allegedly trafficked in violent child pornography, has been found dead in the solitary ward at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail. Officials say that Willis E. Coley of Alexandria apparently committed suicide August 2, nearly nine months after his arrest and two weeks away from a federal indictment.

A 27-year-old U.S. Army Specialist, Coley was a military photographer and reporter whose work is featured on numerous websites. But it was his use of another online application that brought the charge that preceded his death. ....

During a search of his apartment, Coley allegedly admitted to possessing the gruesome images and directed FBI agents and police officers to an external computer hard drive that contained additional horrors, including one video of a prepubescent girl getting anally raped.

"The child appears to be crying," states the complaint.

According to the Jail's Lt. Col. Roland Beauford, inmates on the four-cell "segregation" unit which housed Coley– along with accused UVA lacrosse killer George Huguely– spend almost all their time, including mealtime, in the cells, which contain a bed, sink, and toilet. Beauford says the inmates are checked every 30 minutes, and a guard observed that Coley was "fine" during one check, but on the next trip discovered him hanging from a torn bedsheet. Beauford says that revival efforts, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator, were to no avail.

"Our goal is to keep everyone safe," says Beauford, who notes that Coley was not on suicide watch and had previously been "nondisruptive."

Charged with a single count of transporting child pornography, Coley could have faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted. An investigation into his death, conducted by Albemarle County police, is ongoing. ..Source.. by Courteney Stuart

Inmate Accused Of Killing Ex-Girlfriend Found Dead In Cell

7-26-2011 California:

41-year-old Ronald Wayne Paoletto was found hanging from his bunk by a deputy preparing to deliver breakfast

Rancho Cucamonga (KTLA) -- A San Bernardino County jail inmate awaiting trial on murder charges was found dead in his cell, authorities said Tuesday.

41-year-old Ronald Wayne Paoletto -- a registered sex offender who was arrested in January -- was discovered by a deputy who was preparing to deliver breakfast to inmates around 7 a.m. Monday at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Paoletto had no cellmates. He was found hanging from a bunk.

Paoletto was arrested on charges of killing his ex-girlfriend, 33-year-old Tanya Marie Petro.

Petro was reported missing from her Lake Elsinore home in Riverside County on Jan. 7.

Four days later, her body was found in a wash in Landers.

Family members originally reported her missing after she failed to pick up her two young children who had been visiting their father in Arizona. ..Source.. by KTLA.com

Report clears Fond du Lac officers

Posted in Related Deaths

3-20-2011 Wisconsin:

Fond du Lac - The Fond du Lac County prosecutor says Officers were justified in defending themselves and firing at a gunman who had shot and killed a police officer in March, the Fond du Lac County district attorney's office ruled Monday.

A report issued by the DA's office says the gunman, James Cruckson, 30, sexually assaulted his girlfriend and refused to return her 6-year-old daughter. Several police officers responded. The report says Cruckson shot and wounded one officer who entered the home, and he riddled another officer's squad car with bullets.

As a third officer ran to investigate the sounds of gunfire, Cruckson shot him twice and killed him. One shot hit Officer Craig Birkholz, 28, in the abdomen below his bulletproof vest, and the second hit the top of the vest with fragments entering his torso.

Cruckson later killed himself. ..Source.. by DINESH RAMDE

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DOJ releases FdL shooting report

10-5-2011 Wisconsin:

MADISON - The Wisconsin Department of Justice has released more than one thousand pages of documents related to its investigation of the March shooting that killed a Fond du Lac police officer.

The Fond du Lac County district attorney ruled last month police acted appropriately during the shooting.

FOX 11 filed an open records request with the state to obtain the records from that incident. The DOJ handed them over Tuesday.

The department has since posted the report on its website. Click here to read it.

Authorities say James Cruckson shot and killed 28-year-old officer Craig Birkholz as he ran towards the scene. Cruckson also shot Officer Ryan Williams and his K9 officer Grendel, both recovered. Cruckson later took his own life.

As Fond du Lac officers battled his shots March 20, frantic calls poured into to 911.

"I believe I'm hearing gunshots," one caller said. "Yes, stay in your house, stay away from windows," the dispatcher responded.

"I'm on Division and Lincoln," another said.

"You need to stay in your house, we have an incident going on on Lincoln," a dispatcher responded.

The recordings are part of more than 1,000 pages of investigative documents, photos and video, released to FOX 11 by the Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation.

Some information has been removed to protect the victims, Officer Ryan Williams, James Cruckson's former girlfriend and Officer Craig Birkholz.

Dash cam video shows Birkholz racing to the scene. Other officers were already there, including Williams. Bullets were flying.

"Shots fired, shots fired, we got a sniper," officers say over radio.

The video goes black when Birkholz leaves the car. DOJ removed the video, because it captures Birkholz' death.

According to the autopsy report, Birkholz was shot twice.

Newly-released video from the Department is giving us a first look inside the duplex where it all began. Video shows the second floor where police say Cruckson fired nearly 50 rounds through a window.

Hundreds of pages of interviews confirm Cruckson was driven by a crumbling relationship. He spoke with a negotiator ten times during the standoff.

In the report, the negotiator describes Cruckson as having flat emotions. He said Cruckson never yelled during the conversations, but did admit killing an officer and raping his former girlfriend.

However, in audio previously released by Fond du Lac authorities, Cruckson blamed her for everything.

"You lied, that's why those cops got killed, so pretty much you killed those cops," Cruckson said on her voicemail.

Hundreds of photos show the aftermath of Cruckson's attack, Williams' vest pierced in several places, squad cars riddled with bullets and a community and department forever changed.

The report, like the Fond du Lac County district attorney, also concluded that officers acted appropriately to protect the community. ..Source.. by Lindsay Veremis, FOX 11 News

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SPECIAL REPORT - In Their Own Words: FdL Officer Shooting One Year Later

3-21-2012 Wisconsin:

Concerns about 6-year-old prompted police to enter Lincoln Avenue duplex

Jon Gutzmann

Capt. Jon Gutzmann has no regrets about his decisions and actions the morning of March 20, 2011.

He was one of three officers to first enter James Cruckson’s home at 24 S. Lincoln Ave. on the city’s west side after Cruckson’s ex-girlfriend, Josephine Warner, reported a sexual assault and that her 6-year-old daughter was still in the house.

That morning, he saw a bloody Officer Ryan Williams tumble into Officer Zach Schultz on the stairwell leading up to where the armed and suicidal Cruckson was situated.

Gutzmann later heard calls about Officer Craig Birkholz being shot by Cruckson and killed.

During the shootout, Gutzmann left the house in an armored vehicle only to return again with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team to find Cruckson dead on the first floor of his residence from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“Obviously, I have thought about this a great deal over the last year,” said Gutzmann, who continues to read reports and listen to dispatch tapes. “… Given the information I had that day, no, I would have not made any other decision. In speaking with other (officers) that were in that house, we all agreed that was the best method, given the information we had.

“I said all along that I don’t know if I could go back and sit in my house and look at my children if, in fact, the little girl would’ve have been in that home and harmed. … I took an oath to not let that happen.” ..This is a multi-page article, more in the original.. by Russell Plummer

2 Killed in Gulfport, Suspected Shooter Found Dead

Posted in Related Deaths

10-11-2011 Mississippi:

GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Police in Gulfport are investigating a double murder-suicide.

Gulfport Police say the crime happened on Monday around 1pm at a home on Kent Ave.

The victims have been identified as a minister's wife 45-year-old Karen Ferguson, and her son 21-year-old Trevor Cole, who has cerebral palsy. Both were found shot to death inside their home.

The alleged shooter, 70-year-old Paul Buckman, was found dead inside an apartment at Creekwood North Apartments on Oneal Road just blocks away. Police say Buckman died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators say Karen Ferguson is the wife of Minister Les Ferguson who works at the Orange Grove Church of Christ. Police say Buckman previously attended their church, but was accused of molesting their disabled son Trevor. Buckman was sent to jail, but bonded out a few days later.

Investigators say the couple's 5 year-old son was also home when the suspect entered the house, but Mrs. Ferguson told the child to run. The child was able to escape to a neighbors house. The neighbor called police.

Police are still investigating the case. News 5 will bring you more details as they are released on wkrg.com and News 5 at 5pm and 6pm. ..Source.. by WKRG Staff

Police say man killed self after assaulting woman

3-3-2011 Missouri:

COLUMBIA, Mo. • Authorities say a Lake Saint Louis man sexually assaulted a woman in Columbia and attempted two more assaults before killing himself early Wednesday.

A woman, 22, was forced into a pickup and sexually assaulted outside a Columbia grocery store late Tuesday, police said. The man drove off when she managed to escape.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that about 90 minutes later, an armed man threatened a female employee at a Boonville truck stop.

The man drove west and was involved in a brief standoff early Wednesday with Lafayette County deputies on Interstate 70. A county news release says the man shot himself in the head and died at the scene.

The Tribune identified the man as Lake Saint Louis resident Todd Rehkop, 41, who was also suspected in another attempted assault in Columbia. ..Source.. by sltToday.com

78 inmate deaths from 2010-11 not disclosed by Corrections

The full story is HERE. Below is only one who was serving time for a sexual offense and died or committed suicide.

5-11-2011 Oregon:

Ellis Dement: Suicide

..Source.. by Oregon DOC

78 inmate deaths from 2010-11 not disclosed by Corrections

The full story is HERE. Below is only one who was serving time for a sexual offense and died or committed suicide.

11-27-2011 Oregon:

Michael Halverson: Suicide

..Source.. by Oregon DOC

Police: Sexual assault suspect jumps in front of Red Line train

2-18-2011 Illinois:

A sexual assault suspect was killed Saturday night when he reportedly jumped in front of a CTA train on the South Side.

A southbound CTA Red Line train struck the man about 9:30 p.m. Saturday near the 87th Street station, CTA spokeswoman Wanda Taylor said.

He was dead on the scene after he reportedly jumped in front of the train, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Police identified the man as 32-year-old Theus Beal, who fled from the 8900 block of South Eberhart Avenue about 9 p.m. when officers responded to take a report from a teenage girl who accused him of sexual assaulting her earlier that evening at Beal’s home in the 0-100 block of East 121st Place, according to a police report.

After the alleged attack, Beal and the girl went to the Eberhart address, where he grabbed a butcher knife and threatened to harm himself with it after allegedly admitting to the assault, according to the police report. He told the people there that he was going to commit suicide and fled when officers began arriving the report said.

An autopsy is scheduled for later Sunday.

Power was shut off between the 79th Street and 95th Street stations, Taylor said, but normal service resumed as of 12:15 a.m. A shuttle bus service took passengers between those stations until 12:30 a.m.

Calumet Area detectives are investigating. ..Source.. by SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE

Man accused of sexually assaulting children found dead

4-18-2011 Nebraska:

The body of a man charged with sexually assaulting children is found dead in an irrigation ditch. And, the death is being called a suicide.

The body of 43-year-old Daniel Fischer was found Sunday by family members.

Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer said Fischer died from self-inflicted wounds.

The sheriff says Fischer's death was mostly likely last Wednesday, the day his wife was arrested.

Fischer was charged with nine counts of sexual assault of a child earlier this month.

He was released on bond.

When officers went to arrest him Wednesday on a separate charge, they couldn't find him.

Five girls, ages 7 to 15, reported being assaulted by Fischer at his home.

His wife, 38-year-old Deanna, has been charged with child abuse.

Authorities said she photographed one of the assaults. ..Source.. by KHAS-TV5

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Officials: Death of Sunday School Teacher Charged in Sex Assaults was Suicide

A Hershey man recently charged with sexually assaulting children was found dead on Sunday. Authorities say he committed suicide.

43-year-old Daniel Fischer was charged earlier this month with three counts of sexual assault of children. At that time authorities were still investigating, unsure how many more people might come forward. Fischer was released on bond.

"After our first arrest we, through continued investigation, we found more victims and they gave us more information which led us to getting a warrant issued for [Fischer] and his wife," said Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer.

Kramer says deputies went to Fischer's residence northwest of Hershey on Wednesday, April 13 to serve him with that other warrant. When they couldn't locate him, their initial thought was that he may have fled.

"In the beginning we were involved in the search as we would have any other fugitive that we thought was immediately avoiding arrest," Kramer said.

Fischer's truck was found near a canal on his property, and the Nebraska State Patrol assisted with an air search. When Fischer wasn't found, authorities stopped searching, but Kramer said Fischer's family continued to search for him. They found his body Sunday.

"It wasn't too far from his residence," Kramer said. "We knew from when we were out there before that he had abandoned one of the farm pickups nearby, near the canal, and that was the last anybody had seen or heard from him. That's where he was found was in the canal right near the vehicle."

Kramer wouldn't elaborate on cause of death for sake of the family, only to say that Fischer died of self-inflicted injuries. He said that foul play was not suspected.

"You always have to take that into consideration, that somebody might be very upset," Kramer said. "We didn't have contact with anybody that was that upset that they would have given us any impression that they would be emotionally involved enough to do something that extreme."

Fischer's wife Deanna was arrested on April 13 when deputies went to their residence. She has been charged with felony child abuse. Investigators say she photographed one of the assaults. Kramer said that investigation was completed when she was arrested, and that her court cases are still pending. ..Source.. by Megan Johnson

Matthew Anderson: Sex offender's suicide after standoff doesn't end worries in Northglenn

1-3-2012 Colorado:

Matthew Richard Anderson's suicide is reverberating two days later, and not just because Northglenn Police officer Dennis Alps is still recovering from a wound sustained during the standoff that preceded the sex offender's final act. Parents are aghast at learning that Anderson was living legally near Northglenn Middle School, despite a 2006 conviction for trying to entice what he thought was a young teen -- but which turned out to be a cop.

Although five communities in Colorado place restrictions on sex offenders living near schools, Northglenn is not among them -- so Anderson wasn't violating any procedures due to his choice of address. That came as a surprise to at least one parent featured in a Fox31 report on view below. View it after checking out a larger photo of Anderson and the original release issued by the NPD following the officer-involved shooting and its aftermath.

Northglenn Police Department release, January 3:

On January 3, 2011, at approximately 6:45p.m., Northglenn Police officers were attempting to execute a Felony search warrant at 1443 Bowman Place, on a Matthew Richard Anderson (DOB 10-26-70). Mr. Anderson had three Felony warrants out for his arrest, which included failed to register as a sex offender, internet sexual exploitation of a child and sexual assault on a child.

Officers attempted to make contact at the front door of the residence, when a male suspect fired numerous shots out the front door, hitting one officer twice. The suspect barricade himself in the residence. Officer Dennis Alps was ground transported to a local hospital with a wound to his right shoulder. The wound is non life threatening.

The Northglenn/Thornton SWAT team was activated along with other outside agencies. The SWAT Team attempted to contact the suspect numerous times over several hours with no success.

At approximately 2a.m. the SWAT Team made entry into the residence. A body was found inside the residence with a self inflicted wound to the head. We are currently waiting identification of the body from the coroner's office.

..Source.. by Michael Roberts

Child-rape suspect dies after jailing

12-9-2011 New Mexico:

Man charged with alleged crimes from 20 years ago

BERNALILLO, N.M. (KRQE) - An accused child rapist arrested late Thursday is headed for a mortuary instead of court after being found dead in his jail cell.

Rio Rancho police busted Stephen Vincent, 52, Thursday night after he eluded arrest for months on charges of child rape and child abuse.

Just after 3:30 a.m. the Sandoval County Detention Center notified the sheriff's department that Vincent had apparently committed suicide in his cell.

The official cause of death still must be determined by the state Office of the Medical Investigator.

Jail officials have not returned calls from News 13 asking for comment.

A grand jury in Albuquerque had indicted Vincent in September for alleged crimes dating to the early 1990s.

The district attorney's office said once they get a copy of Vincent's death certificate the case against him will be dismissed. ..Source.. by KASA.com Amanda Goodman

Washougal update: Case ruled a murder-suicide; suspect dead

Posted in Related Deaths

12-10-2011 Washington:

Deputies said Saturday the Washougal house fire and gunfire-filled standoff has been ruled a murder-suicide and that homeowner and suspect Steven Stanbary is believed dead.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office issued a release saying the heavily burned remains of at least two people have not been positively identified, but it’s believed Stanbary is one of them.

“Based upon the totality of information known to detectives at this time, investigators believe strongly that Steve Stanbary is the suspect and this his remains have likely been recovered,” the press release said.

Investigators believe Stanbury is dead because of circumstantial evidence and identifying items found close to the body. Physical evidence and video also show that Stanbary was found in one portion of the residence, while other remains were found on the opposite side of the house, said Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Allais.

One of Bernhard Goetz's victims kills self on anniversary of subway shoot

12-23-2010 New York:

Exactly 27 years to the day after Bernhard Goetz — famous in New York lore as the “Subway Vigilante’’ — shot four young men he thought were threatening him on a train, one of them killed himself by swallowing prescription pills in a low-rent Bronx motel, authorities said.

James Ramseur, 45, was found dead of an apparent overdose at 11:30 a.m. yesterday at the Paradise Hotel at 2990 Boston Road, law-enforcement sources said last night.

He was in bed and fully clothed.

Ramseur had checked in Tuesday and paid for two nights. He was supposed to check out yesterday morning.

When he failed to show up at the front desk, hotel staff went to his room and discovered his body.

In the toilet was the bottle that had contained the pills that apparently killed him.

But Ramseur had scraped the label off so the pills could not be identified, and toxicology tests will take at least a month.

Ramseur had an ID card on him, so he was identified immediately.

No suicide note was found and there were no wounds on the body.

Police believe he had spent the entire time in the hotel alone. They knew of no visitors.

Cops called Ramseur’s sister, and she confirmed his identity and his role in the storied 1984 shooting incident.

Ramseur had gotten out of prison only 17 months ago, after serving 25 years upstate for raping a young woman on a Bronx rooftop.

The shooting took place on Dec. 22, 1984, when Ramseur, 18, and neighborhood pals Darrell Cabey, Barry Allen and Troy Canty, all 19, were riding a downtown No. 2 train.

As it approached Chambers Street, they encountered Goetz, an electronics specialist. What ensued is in dispute.

Goetz told authorities the intimidating youths demanded $5 from him. The teens insisted they were only panhandling.

Goetz fired five shots from his Smith & Wesson, hitting all of them.

Ramseur was wounded in the arm.

Many residents of the city, which was then undergoing an unprecedented era of street crime, hailed him as a hero.

But since the four youths were black, others called him a racist.

He was convicted of illegally possessing a loaded firearm, but cleared of the more serious charges — four counts of attempted murder.

Cabey, who was paralyzed when Goetz shot him at close range, won a $43 million lawsuit. Goetz declared bankruptcy and hasn’t paid a dime.

Cabey, by far the most seriously injured, still is confined to a wheelchair and functions with the intellect of an 8-year-old.

Allen was convicted of robbery in 1991 and released from prison four years later.

Canty racked up a string of petty offenses and once served 18 months in a residential drug- treatment program. ..Source.. by JOSH SAUL

Suspect in child sex case commits suicide

12-21-2011 Illinois:

A former Will County mental health counselor killed himself a day before he was expected to plead guilty and be sentenced Wednesday for arranging to have sex with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl, authorities said.

When John Martynus, 40, of Plainfield was arrested outside a restaurant in Crete last December, he allegedly told police repeatedly that his life was over, according to court records.

Police have records of his sexually explicit online chats with the fictional 13-year-old girl -- who was actually a Crete police officer -- as well as sexually explicit chats with others on his iPhone, records show.

Martynus, who had no prior criminal record in Will County, faced up to five years in prison but likely would have received probation and been required to register as a sex offender. He worked for 10 years as a youth mental health counselor for the county health department before leaving the job in March.

The online chats started last December, according to records. He was arrested two days later.

Soon after, a judge denied his request to leave the state to take his wife on a cruise for her birthday. She was listed in court documents as a possible witness for prosecutors.

Martynus was found deceased by his wife at their Plainfield home Tuesday, said Kendall County deputy coroner Jacquie Purcell. ..Source.. by Steve Schmadeke Tribune reporter

Accused molester commits suicide

12-17-2011 Massachusetts:

The former Annisquam man and Big Brother volunteer charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy is dead — having committed suicide Thursday at his Central Masachusetts home.

Lt. Kathy Auld, Gloucester's chief of detectives, confirmed Friday that Frederick Lyman, 64, had taken his own life.

Lyman, who once served on Gloucester's Historic Commission but had since moved to New Salem, faced charges of five counts of forcible child rape involving incidents both in Gloucester and elsewhere with a boy he was mentoring through the Big Brother program.

If convicted on a forcible rape charge, Lyman would have faced life in prison.

Sources close to the case said Friday that Lyman — who was facing a new court hearing on Monday — committed suicide in his house, though neither Auld nor Gloucester Detective Jeremiah Nicastro, who handled the Lyman case, would confirm that for the record.

The Northwestern Massachusetts District Attorney's office, which is based in Northampton and covers the New Salem area, declined to comment on this story

Lyman, initially charged in Gloucester District Court, was indicted on the rape charges in October and arraigned in Salem Superior Court on Nov. 15. He had been out on $100,000 cash bail awaiting a pretrial hearing on Jan. 23.

But his bail agreement, Nicastro said Friday, required him not to leave the state. And detectives had evidence that Lyman violated that at least twice, he said.

Nicastro said Lyman was up for a hearing on potential bail revocation, through Salem Superior Court had not yet scheduled one.

Massachusetts State Police arrested Lyman at his home in New Salem in September following Nicastro's two-month investigation into the child rape allegations. The charges stemmed from five separate alleged sexual offenses involving the same boy between 2005 and 2007, and beginning when the boy was 13.

At least some of the incidents occurred in Gloucester, and one on trip to Chicago, according to police.

"I feel sad for (Lyman's) two children," Nicastro said Friday. "But I'm glad the victim doesn't have to go through the stress of a trial." ..Source.. by Steven Fletcher Staff Writer

Man facing 20 years for child porn found dead in jail

12-15-2011 California:

A Schertz man pleaded guilty Thursday to child pornography charges, but sentencing was canceled for another child-porn defendant from San Antonio because he killed himself in a federal jail.

Both men, Larry Joe King Sr. and Matthew Phillip Lehr, were investigated by the FBI in separate cases.

Lehr, 44, pleaded guilty Oct. 13 to distributing child pornography and was awaiting sentencing when guards found him about 2 a.m. Monday in his cell at the Central Texas Detention Facility in downtown San Antonio, authorities said.

That jail is run on a contract by Florida-based The GEO Group, which did not respond to calls seeking comment Thursday.

He had hung himself with a bed sheet and had slit his wrists, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed.

“He was not on any suicide watch,” said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Preston Browning. “Attempts were made by the jail staff there to resuscitate him, but it was too late.”

Earlier this year, the FBI found more than 100,000 images on Lehr's computers after searching his Northeast Side home. Lehr told agents he was addicted to child porn and that he sought out teenage boys for sex. He was not charged with anything beyond accessing peer-to-peer networks for child porn.

Larry Joe King Sr., 63, of Schertz, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to distributing child porn. The FBI raided his home Feb. 23, 2010. A forensic examination of his computer hard drives turned up 273 images and 56 videos of child porn.

He faces up to 20 years in prison when Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentences him Feb. 24. ..Source.. by Guillermo Contreras