Archive for the 'Crime News' Category

Many fathers and daughters fight over typical issues like going on dates or extending a curfew.

Usually these disagreements between parent and child work themselves out in the end, but that is not true for all families.

According to a CNN article, Faleh Hassan Almaleki handled his situation differently when disagreeing with his daughter. He never approved of his daughter’s new westernized lifestyle. He claimed she abandoned her Iraqi roots while embracing the western culture.

Almaleki allegedly ran down his daughter - Noor Faleh Almaleki - and her boyfriend’s mother - Amal Eden Khalaf in a parking lot in Peoria, Ariz. with his Jeep Laredo.

Both women were walking across the lot when he struck them down with his vehicle.

Almaleki’s daughter suffered severe injuries and was “not responding” while in the hospital. She died shortly after the incident. The prosecutors called this an “honor killing.”

Eden Khalaf was hospitalized with serious injuries but she remained stable.

After the incident occurred, Almaleki drove to Nogales, Mexico where he abandoned the vehicle. He then flew from Mexico City to London, England. British authorities stopped him at the airport and denied him access to the country.

Almaleki was put on plane back to the United States. His plane landed in Georgia and he was then flown back to Arizona.

Almaleki and his family immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990’s. His daughter Noor had married an Iraqi man and moved to Iraq, but she left him and came back to the U.S.

Once Almaleki learned his daughter had left Iraq and her husband, he was very disappointed. But he was more upset to learn she moved back to the U.S. to live with her new boyfriend and his mother.

In an “honor killing,” the family gets together and appoints one member to kill a female relative who shamed the family’s honor in some way, shape or form - according to the Associated Press. This usually occurs when a woman has had an affair while married.

The county prosecutor – Stephanie Low – stated in the court that Almaleki, “by his own admission, this was an intentional act and the reason was that his daughter had brought shame on him and his family.”

Almaleki’s relatives spoke out about the incident and told the media that Amaleki claimed he was upset at his daughter because, “she had become too westernized and was not living according to the family’s traditional Iraqi values.”

Almaleki is currently being held in a county jail on two counts of aggravated assault, but he might face more severe criminal charges.

Popular blogging sites and social networks such as Facebook may now be portals for threats, according to a CNN article.

One man allegedly used social networking sites to threaten witnesses to keep silent after the recent murder of a young football player – Jasper Howard – at the University of Connecticut.

Christopher Mutchler - also a student at the university - wrote blogs online and allegedly made threats in attempt to keep witnesses from coming forward with any information about the murder.

On one site he allegedly posted, “”STOP the snitching and post the names of anyone you know who gave information to the cops.”

Howard and another football player – Brian Parker - were allegedly murdered by a small group of young men after a student dance at the campus. They were involved in an altercation with the men, and both student athletes were stabbed during the incident.

Parker suffered minor injuries during the fight. Howard was stabbed in the abdomen and taken to the hospital in Hartford. He later died as a result of the stab wounds.

Mutchler allegedly posted two threats online, one on the ESPNU sports network blog that posted the story of Howard’s murder. The second posting appeared on Facebook; a social group was started for the football player labeled “RIP Jasper Howard” and over 13,000 people joined to show support for family and friends.

CNN reported that Mutchler was charged with five counts including hindering prosecution, acts of terrorism and a few other misdemeanors. He has been released on a $15,000 bond.

The police stated Mutchler allegedly wrote, “Two separate internet postings that were threatening in nature and appeared to be directed at witnesses that either had or would provide information in conjunction with the investigation.”

The police stated that even though they had reason to believe that the postings were meant stop witnesses from coming forward, they now believe the postings are “empty threats.” Police continue to encourage anyone with information about the murder to come forward, CNN reports.

The men involved in the fight have been identified as 21-year- old John Lomax, 20-year-old Hakim Muhammad, and 21-year-old Jamal Todd. All young men are facing some serious criminal charges.

Lomax has been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit assault; Muhammad faces conspiracy to commit assault; and Todd faces charges of falsely reporting an incident and a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment. Todd pulled the fire alarm, causing the entire student body to leave the dance.

Police have not linked Mutchler with the other men involved at this point. The university is looking into the situation to determine if he violated any codes of conduct, and will then decide on the best action to take.

Jaycee Dugard, the 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped from a bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. in 1991, is starting to speak out about her 18 years of captivity.

According to a CNN report, the now-29-year-old mother of two says she is glad to be back with her family.

Dugard was kept in a backyard compound at the home of Phillip Garrido and his wife in Antioch, Calif. Garrido is allegedly the father of Dugard’s two daughters, who are now 11 and 15.

The transition from living in captivity to leading a normal life has been a tough one for Dugard and her daughters, according to CNN - but Dugard’s step-grandmother says the family is living a, “surprisingly normal life, considering the circumstances.”

Criminal charges against the Garridos include 29 felony counts connected to the kidnapping and rape of Dugard. She will testify against her captors - and will have to relive the kidnapping and 18 years of her captive life when she shares her story in court, CNN reported.

When a private jet was stolen from Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho just across the border from Canada last week, United States’ law enforcement had a new lead on a few other burglaries that have recently taken place in the region.

According to a CNN report, a teenager known as the “Barefoot Burglar” is the prime suspect for a series of crimes that have happened in the state of Washington in the past few years.

Colton Harris-Moore was first arrested at age 12 for a burglary, and had been arrested nine times before he was 15 years old. In light of recent events, police in five Washington counties are looking for him.

After he dropped out of high school, police suspect he was preying on Camano Island, a vacation community off the Washington coast, where he burglarized homes wearing no shoes - hence the nickname “Barefoot Burglar.”

In 2007, Harris-Moore was caught and plead guilty to three burglary charges. He was represented by a criminal defense lawyer.

He allegedly left a juvenile halfway house less than one year later - and police on Camano Island started to hear of burglaries that fit the style of the Barefoot Burglar.

The criminal dropped off the radar for a while, until last November when a private airplane was stolen from the San Juan Islands. Harris-Moore again became a suspect, and authorities thought he might be island-hopping and committing these crimes, according to CNN.

After the most recent plane theft in Idaho last week, the plane was found crashed in a clearing in Granite Falls, Wash. Additional reports of petty theft have come to the police - just things like food, blankets and clothing.

As of now, Harris-Moore is considered a fugitive, and has not been taken into custody.

When nude videos of ESPN sports journalist Erin Andrews appeared, concern arose wondering how the video was captured.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, Michael David Barrett, 47, was charged with interstate stalking - following Andrews to hotels in different cities. While that charge may have been deserved, Andrews’ lawyer doesn’t think Barrett is solely to blame for his ability to find the journalist.

How did he know where Andrews was staying? How was he able to book a room right next to her? The Los Angeles Times reported that at a Marriott in Tennessee, the hotel staff honored Barrett’s request to room next to Andrews - begging the question: Just how private and secure are hotel guests, celebrity or not?

The peephole on Andrews’ hotel door had been damaged so a cell phone video camera was able to capture footage inside the room.

Of seven Internet videos posted of Andrews, six of them seem to have been taken at the Marriott in Tennessee. The same person who posted those videos also posted nude videos of other women in hotel rooms, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Barrett is scheduled for a hearing today that will determine if he is to be escorted in federal custody to California to officially face criminal charges for this case.

Tom DeLay, former U.S. House of Representatives majority leader, is a current competitor on the hit television series “Dancing with the Stars,” and according to an Associated Press report, DeLay is also dealing with criminal charges of money laundering and conspiracy.

The charges were originally brought against DeLay four years ago, based on state legislative elections from 2002 - and the case is now waiting to be determined by appeals courts in Texas. The case may never even go to trial, the Associated Press reported.

While the pending charges are somewhat of a nuisance for the former politician, he’s nothing but smiles when it comes to “Dancing with the Stars.”

According to the Associated Press, DeLay has a great time on stage, and even takes time to give extra attention to the judges.

Prosecutors in DeLay’s criminal case have allegedly not paid much attention to the TV show, and have said they don’t see that it would affect the case in any way.

The well-known movie director, Roman Polanski, was recently arrested in Zurich, Switzerland by Swiss authorities because of a sex crime he committed in the United States in 1977.

In 1978, Polanski fled the U.S. to avoid sentencing for the charges against him - he allegedly had sex with a 13-year-old girl.

According to a New York Times report, supporters of the director are asking the question, “Why now?” After all, this crime was committed in a different country more than 30 years ago.

The Los Angeles district attorney’s office says the arrest was simply a matter of opportunity - Polanski was in a place at a time when the authorities “knew he would be available.”

Many people wonder why the arrest wasn’t made in the past, because authorities have apparently had the opportunity before, the New York Times reported.

Polanski has openly traveled around the world in the last 30 years - but has avoided visits to countries like Britain where extradition might be easier for Los Angeles authorities to achieve.

According to the New York Times, the victim of Polanski’s crime has publicly forgiven him.

Polanski, now 76, has appealed to Swiss authorities for his release, and a decision should be reached in the coming weeks. His defense lawyers have not made any official decisions regarding the case.

Many members of the film-directing world are very upset by the decision of American and Swiss authorities to arrest the Oscar-winning director.

Walking home from the grocery store one block from my apartment early Saturday evening with the supplies to make my dinner, I passed under the train tracks and started to cross the street. I heard shouting and obscenities including the “N” word, so of course I looked around to see what was happening.

Four men were arguing in the middle of the street - exchanging some harsh words and limited physical contact, including pushing. My friend wanted to stop and watch, but I refused and kept walking, thinking to myself, “if this escalates and they have a gun, we don’t want to be anywhere near here,” even though my apartment door was merely steps away.

When we got upstairs, we started to hear sirens within three minutes, and immediately went back outside to see what had gone down.

Sure enough, there was a lifeless looking man on a backboard in the middle of the road with paramedics surrounding him, preparing to intubate him. When I saw his body twitch, I had to look away.

Another man was walking around with a blood-soaked shirt, both front and back. He had been stabbed in the shoulder. So, too, had the man on the ground - I later learned from a Chicago Tribune article.

The crowds finally cleared, but the police tape and detective investigation remained outside my building for several hours. I approached a police officer to ask how long the entire road was going to be blocked off, and he simply said, “I don’t know exactly miss, but it will be a long time - there’s been a homicide.”

That’s how I learned the man in the road had been killed. Great - a homicide outside my apartment that I moved into less than a month ago - thanks, Red line.

Overall, Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood is quite safe - this was a disagreement between strangers that led to multiple stabbings and a death that just happened to occur outside the train stop right next to where I live. Or so I’ll keep telling myself so I can sleep at night.

As of yet, the Chicago Tribune reports that no one is in custody and no criminal charges have been pressed.

Read more: Argument leads to Stabbing in Edgewater