Dallas police say shot that killed suspect in officer-involved shooting was self-inflicted

8-21-14 Texas:

Updated at 3:30 p.m., by Tristan Hallman: Terence Michael Groessel's death has been ruled a suicide, police said in a news conference Thursday afternoon.

He shot himself in the head with his gun, said Maj. Jeff Cotner of the crimes against persons division.

Dallas police also released the names of the involved officers, both part of the North Central Division's crime response team. Officer Jay Jankowski has been on the department for almost five years. Officer Michelle Herczeg has been a member of the department for almost six years, according to police.

Cotner said Herczeg gave investigators a preliminary walk-through at the scene. Jankowski has not given a statement yet.

She tapped on the window of the truck and saw Groessel lean forward, hop up a little and then point a handgun at Jankowski, who was on the other side of the pickup.

The officers retreated, pulled their guns and started shooting at Groessel, Cotner said.

He said Groessel also appeared to extend his arm out of the window and point his gun at officers again.

A mother's love for a lost son — the sex offender found dead Saturday

Posted in Related Deaths

11-10-2014 Missouri:

On Nov. 10, 1992, Lewis Green, then 22, shot himself in the head during a game of Russian Roulette.

That left him partially paralyzed on his left side and with mental problems, his mother said.

Twenty-two years and five days later — on Saturday — Green, 44, was one of three people shot to death at a north side Springfield hotel that often is home to transients, as well as families down on their luck.

"I loved my son," said Green's mother, Kaye Green, Tuesday before she went to start making funeral arrangements. "I loved my son in spite of himself."

Green was living in room 149 of the Economy Inn where he was required to have his address posted online because he was a registered sex offender. Also killed in the same room were Danielle J. Keyes, 29, and Trevor L. Fantroy, 43. One man survived, Christopher K. Freeman, 24. No arrests have been made.

Kaye Green, 63, a former machine operator who retired from Solo Cup after 24 years, said her son moved to the Economy Inn about five months ago. She said he could afford the payments on his checks from Social Security disability and the motel didn't do background checks on who lived there.

The owner of the motel has not returned repeated phone calls from the News-Leader.

Kaye Green said she doesn't think her son's status as a sex offender had anything to do with his death. Police have not commented on whether they are investigating a possible connection.

"Whoever did that was a coward because he couldn't run," she said. "He was trapped in his own body."

Dallas police say shot that killed suspect in officer-involved shooting was self-inflicted

8-24-2014 Texas:

Updated at 3:30 p.m., by Tristan Hallman: Terence Michael Groessel’s death has been ruled a suicide, police said in a news conference Thursday afternoon.

He shot himself in the head with his gun, said Maj. Jeff Cotner of the crimes against persons division.

Dallas police also released the names of the involved officers, both part of the North Central Division’s crime response team. Officer Jay Jankowski has been on the department for almost five years. Officer Michelle Herczeg has been a member of the department for almost six years, according to police.

Cotner said Herczeg gave investigators a preliminary walk-through at the scene. Jankowski has not given a statement yet.

She tapped on the window of the truck and saw Groessel lean forward, hop up a little and then point a handgun at Jankowski, who was on the other side of the pickup.

The officers retreated, pulled their guns and started shooting at Groessel, Cotner said.

He said Groessel also appeared to extend his arm out of the window and point his gun at officers again.

Police said the officers saw a single flash inside the pickup and heard a gunshot. They found Groessel dead. He had also been struck in the shoulders twice.

Suicide suspected in death of Worcester child-killer

5-24-2014 Massachusetts:

A Worcester man convicted of beating to death his 7-year-old son on Father’s Day in 2009 died yesterday — the third suspected suicide of a Bay State prisoner in less than three months.

Leslie Schuler, 41, was pronounced dead at 5:50 a.m. at Norwood Hospital — about 90 minutes after he was found hanging in his cell at MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole, according to the 
Department of Correction. ..Source.. by Erin Smith

Police: man raped girl, committed suicide

12-19-2014 Maine:

BENTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The Waterville man who killed himself in the Benton Elementary parking lot Wednesday had kidnapped and raped a teenage girl the day before, said police.

The Morning Sentinel reports that Anthony Harding, 41, had planned the kidnapping and the rape. Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey said that Harding took the girl to a storage unit with a hidden makeshift room with enough food to last three or four days, along with some furniture.

Police confirmed that Harding and the girl knew each other prior to the abduction. Harding allegedly told the girl after taking her that he had been contemplating suicide for some time. Police said he told the girl he didn't think he had the courage to do it, but if he committed a heinous crime, he would be able to kill himself.

Police said they received a call Wednesday afternoon from a woman who said she was taking a girl to the emergency room because the girl told her she had been raped. Police went to the hospital and talked to the girl who identified Harding as her abductor and rapist. She said Harding had taken her from her home and then to a storage unit, said Massey. While there, he allegedly pulled out a handgun and told her he was he was going to rape her and if she told her mother or police, he would kill her.

Rape charge may have triggered domestic homicide

Posted in Related Deaths

4-22-2014 Indiana:

GRIFFITH | Police continue to look for what triggered a murder-suicide Monday outside St. Mary's School where a Gary man killed his estranged wife

He later turned the gun on himself when confronted by police outside his garage.

"We are still trying to find the specific cause of the event," Griffith Police Chief Greg Mance said. "At this time, everything still points toward a domestic situation that turned violent."

The violence took place 10 days before the killer, Remanard Castro, would face a judge and the possibility of a 20- to 50-year sentence on charges he had raped his victim, Nina Castro, in November.

Laura Berry, executive director of the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence in Indianapolis, suggested Tuesday the upcoming court hearing may have been the trigger.

She said if the rape took place last fall and the charges were only recently filed, Remanard may have deluded himself "into thinking he got away with it, and once he knew he had an initial hearing coming up, all of a sudden he is facing incarceration."

LAPD detective commits suicide after molestation allegations, authorities say

12-5-2014 California:

A detective for the Los Angeles Police Department who once investigated sexual assault cases killed himself Thanksgiving morning after two relatives accused him of sexually abusing them, authorities said Friday.

The body of Dennis Derr, 52, a 17-year LAPD veteran, was found in his car in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Palmdale, law enforcement officials said. Derr died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Los Angeles County coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

Brian Hudson, a sergeant in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau, confirmed two adults made sexual abuse allegations against Derr shortly before he committed suicide. Hudson declined to provide any other details about the investigation into Derr, but other sheriff’s and LAPD sources with knowledge of the case said the two accusers were relatives of Derr.

Although he said the investigation was in its early stages, Hudson said that at this time there have been no other molestation allegations made against Derr.

LAPD detective commits suicide after molestation allegations, authorities say

12-5-2014 California:

A detective for the Los Angeles Police Department who once investigated sexual assault cases killed himself Thanksgiving morning after two relatives accused him of sexually abusing them, authorities said Friday.

The body of Dennis Derr, 52, a 17-year LAPD veteran, was found in his car in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Palmdale, law enforcement officials said. Derr died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Los Angeles County coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

Brian Hudson, a sergeant in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau, confirmed two adults made sexual abuse allegations against Derr shortly before he committed suicide. Hudson declined to provide any other details about the investigation into Derr, but other sheriff’s and LAPD sources with knowledge of the case said the two accusers were relatives of Derr.

Although he said the investigation was in its early stages, Hudson said that at this time there have been no other molestation allegations made against Derr.

Philip Derr, the detective's son, said in an interview that two adult men related to Derr recently confided in each other that Derr had molested them when they were teenagers. One of the relatives alleged that he had been abused repeatedly, while the other could recall one instance of abuse a few years ago, Philip Derr said.

Police: man raped girl, committed suicide

12-19-2014 Maine:

The Waterville man who killed himself in the Benton Elementary parking lot Wednesday had kidnapped and raped a teenage girl the day before, said police.

The Morning Sentinel reports that Anthony Harding, 41, had planned the kidnapping and the rape. Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey said that Harding took the girl to a storage unit with a hidden makeshift room with enough food to last three or four days, along with some furniture.

Police confirmed that Harding and the girl knew each other prior to the abduction. Harding allegedly told the girl after taking her that he had been contemplating suicide for some time. Police said he told the girl he didn't think he had the courage to do it, but if he committed a heinous crime, he would be able to kill himself.

Police said they received a call Wednesday afternoon from a woman who said she was taking a girl to the emergency room because the girl told her she had been raped. Police went to the hospital and talked to the girl who identified Harding as her abductor and rapist. She said Harding had taken her from her home and then to a storage unit, said Massey. While there, he allegedly pulled out a handgun and told her he was he was going to rape her and if she told her mother or police, he would kill her.

Inmate at San Juan County Adult Detention Center fatally hangs self

12-22-2014 New Mexico:

FARMINGTON — An inmate died after hanging himself with a shredded bed sheet in his cell at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on Monday, according to authorities.

Stephen Freeman, 53, from Bloomfield, was scheduled for a jury trial in Aztec District Court on Dec. 30 for narcotic drug charges among other charges, according to court records. He also was a convicted sex offender, according to court records.

Freeman showed no signs he was contemplating suicide, said Cory Tanner, a San Juan County Sheriff's Office detective lieutenant.

"His neighboring cell mates said that he didn't say anything about it," he said.

Deputies were dispatched to the jail before noon, according to a sheriff's office press release. Sheriff's office Detective Sgt. Kyle Lincoln said medics also responded.

Accused child molester found dead in Marion County Jail

12-4-2014 Indiana:

Officials are investigating the death of a Marion County Jail inmate.

Mark Snyder, 37, was found dead Wednesday inside of a jail cell block from an apparent suicide, according to a news release from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. No foul play is suspected.

The investigation is being conducted by the Sheriff’s Office, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Marion County Coroner’s Office, officials said.

Snyder was taken into custody on May 21 on nine counts of felony child molesting and two counts of felony incest. He was also facing three counts of felony child molesting in Morgan County. ..Source.. by Justin L. Mack

Ex-deputy found dead on day molestation trial was to begin

11-10-2014 Georgia:

A former Clayton County deputy accused of child molestation was found dead of an apparent suicide Monday morning after he failed to show up for his trial, according to police.

Phillip Emanuel Richards, then 42, was arrested in March for allegedly assaulting a 13-year-old girl, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. The girl told police she awoke to find Richards attacking her so she ran, climbing out of a window and running for help.

Richards’ trial was to begin Monday morning, according to the Clayton County Superior Court docket. He was charged with aggravated child molestation, child molestation, aggravated sodomy and sexual battery, court records showed. He was out of jail on bond.

Convicted rapist Danny Cromeans found dead in prison cell at state's Supermax Unit

11-11-2014 Arkansas:

An inmate with a long criminal history in Columbia and Lafayette counties was found dead in his prison cell on Tuesday morning.

Danny Cromeans, 38, who was serving a life sentence for rape, used a bed sheet to hang himself in a single-man cell at the Supermax Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction in Varner, spokeswoman Dina Tyler said.

Tyler said that Cromeans was last seen alive about 3 a.m. He was found dead at 6:08 a.m. Cromeans was being held at the Supermax unit due to disciplinary problems, Tyler said.

The Arkansas State Police will investigate Cromeans’ death, which is standard procedure in such cases.

Cromeans was sentenced July 19, 2002 by Lafayette County Circuit Court to life in prison for rape, and to an additional 240 months on a related kidnapping count.

In January 1996, Cromeans was sentenced by Columbia County Circuit Court to 10 years in prison on separate counts of residential burglary and criminal mischief first degree.

Man Accused of Raping and Filming Son Found Hanged in His Jail Cell

11-30-2014 Alabama:

A man who was accused of imprisoning, raping and filming sex acts with his young son was reportedly found dead on Monday night.

Carl Philip Herold was facing some 18 child sex counts in Alabama. He was found hanged in his cell as he was headed to face federal charges in New York.

Herold's attorney, Adam Bollaert, said that Herold likely committed suicide as he prepared to face the charges on Nov. 21 in a Syracuse federal court.

Bollaert said that when he last saw Herold last week, “he had great spirits, he seemed up and was ready to continue fighting this case. So, we don’t understand what happened.”

Herold was arrested in Alabama in November 2013. The 33-year-old man had a computer programming background and ran a popular YouTube channel where he livestreamed programming lessons.

Anson Co. Sheriff: Registered sex offender killed 2-year-old girl, self

11-25-2014 North Carolina:

ANSON COUNTY, N.C. — Anson County deputies said the man who killed a 2-year-old girl and then himself in a murder-suicide was a convicted sex offender from Kentucky.

Investigators came to the home on Horne Store Road Monday around 5 p.m. Monday after someone called 911. "Yes, I need some help over here ... Anson County, I need y'all help. Please hurry," said the 911 caller.

She said her brother-in-law had committed suicide. Investigators discovered George Rufus Harris, 33, shot to death in a shed behind the home. Inside a bedroom, they found the body of that 2-year-old girl and they found a suicide note.

“He admitted he killed the child regretted it and was going to take his own life,” said Sheriff Tommy Allen.

Officers didn’t have a motive, but said Harris was a registered sex offender who was wanted for a probation violation and failing to report. Eyewitness News checked and found he was convicted of sexually abusing a 14-year-old.

Carl Philip Herold found hanged in Alabama jail, faced multiple child sex charges in Huntsville

11-4-2014 Alabama:

Carl Philip Herold, charged with multiple counts of sodomy and child sex abuse along with his domestic partner, was found dead of an apparent suicide in a Clay County jail last night.

Herold, 33, was being transported by U.S. Marshals from the Madison County Jail to New York last week to face federal child pornography charges.

He was found dead last night, hanged in his cell, his attorney Adam Bollaert said this afternoon. Herold was scheduled to appear in federal court in Syracuse on Nov. 21.

Bollaert said today that Herold had been transferred by the U.S. Marshals from the Madison County Jail last week. Herold was taken to a federal holding facility in Cullman and transferred with Clay County, which also houses federal prisoners, sometime over the weekend.

Inmate suicide reported at MANCI

10-29-2014 Ohio:

MANSFIELD – The investigation into the apparent suicide of Mansfield Correctional Institution inmate Evan A. Donoho is still active, according to JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

The Findlay man, imprisoned for killing his wife three years ago, died Oct. 21.

Donoho, 29, was pronounced dead Oct. 21 at OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield Hospital. His body was taken to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to Richland County Coroner’s Office investigator Tom Stortz.

Donoho was a U.S. Army veteran who served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was not eligible for parole until 2040, according to news reports.

In 2012 Hancock County Common Pleas Judge Joseph Niemeyer sentenced Donoho to at least 29 years in prison for killing his 29-year-old wife in their home, leaving her body in a field south of Findlay, getting rid of the hammer he used in the murder and for the incident in which he downloaded child pornography, according to The Toledo Blade. The judge sentenced him to 15 years to life for the murder, then ordered he serve the maximum prison terms on the other charges consecutively. ..Source.. by Lou Whitmire

Toxicology reports to determine what killed Turlock sex offender

10-14-2014 California:

Police are awaiting results of toxicology test results before declaring that suicide was the reason for the death of a Turlock man who had pled guilty to sexually abusing a young girl and awaiting sentencing before he was found dead at a Ceres church.

Robert Daniel Gomes, 34, was found dead at 12:44 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 in the parking lot at St. Jude's Catholic Church at 3824 Mitchell Road in Ceres. His body was inside a black Chevy Tahoe parked outside the church.

The death is a suspected suicide from drug overdose, but the investigation will remain open pending toxicology results, according to the Ceres Police Department.

In August Gomes entered guilty pleas to eight felony counts of sexual abuse, including continuous sexual abuse of a child, sodomy, oral copulation, and unlawful sexual intercourse.

Gomes was accused of assaulting a 13-year-old girl over a three year period while he was dating her mother. The victim reported the abuse when she was 16 years old.

Pocatello man who apparently killed himself after leading law enforcement officers on chase had long list of criminal offenses

10-7-2014 Idaho:

POCATELLO – The city man who apparently committed suicide in his car after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit Saturday night had an extensive criminal history dating back to 2000.

The approximately 25 minute chase ended at a mobile home park off Wilson Avenue when suspect Bryan Seward turned his gun on himself, authorities said. He then involuntarily crashed his vehicle into an unoccupied mobile home. Seward had fired at law enforcement officers from his car after initiating the chase but no one was wounded, authorities said.

The 46-year-old Seward last got in trouble with the law on Oct. 31, 2013, when he was charged with lewd conduct with a child under 16 in Bannock County. The charge carried a penalty enhancement because authorities deemed Seward to be a persistent violator.

Sheriff - Brunswick inmate kills self in cell

9-11-2014 North Carolina:

A Brunswick County jail inmate who earlier this week led police on a car chase apparently killed himself in his cell, an official said.

Michael Rago, 33, was found unresponsive in his jail cell at 11:14 a.m. Thursday, said Brunswick County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Emily Flax.

"He is the victim of an apparent suicide," Flax said in a new release. "During the initial stages of these investigations, there have been no indication of foul play, nor have there been any apparent violation of (sheriff's office) policies and procedures."

Rago and Elizabeth Ashley Ventiquattro, 35, both of Ocean Isle Beach, were arrested Monday after security officers accused the two of shoplifting and returning stolen merchandise for cash at the Walmart in Southport, said Southport Police Chief Jerry Dove.