ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Billie Jo Ribble, 36, of Bath, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer to kidnapping a mother and her 6-month-old child and transporting them from Pennsylvania to New York. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison, a maximum of life, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant abducted a mother and her 6-month-old child in Pennsylvania on March 1, 2013. At that time, Ribble was wanted by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office on charges of burglary in the first degree and grand larceny in the third degree, in relation to a residential burglary that occurred in October 2012. On March 1, investigators from the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police located and arrested the defendant in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. After being remanded to the Tioga County Jail in Pennsylvania, Ribble, who is pregnant, was taken to the hospital in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, for treatment in the maternity ward. While there, the defendant became violent, assaulted a Tioga County Corrections Officer who was assigned to guard her and escaped the hospital by climbing out a window.
Later on March 1, a woman and her 6-month-old daughter were asleep in the basement bedroom of a residence in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. At 11:30 p.m., the woman was awakened by Ribble, who was standing over her daughter’s crib holding a large butcher’s knife. While still holding the knife, the defendant picked up the child and threatened to kill the woman and her child and herself if the woman did not take Ribble where she wanted to go. Thereafter, the woman got into the driver’s seat of her car, and Ribble got into the front passenger seat, still holding the woman’s daughter and the butcher’s knife. At the direction of the defendant, the woman drove from Pennsylvania to an exit off Route 15 in Lindley, New York, where Ribble was dropped off. The woman then drove to a gas station in Pennsylvania and called the police.
After urgent investigation by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police, Ribble was located at her boyfriend’s residence in Corning, New York. Ribble initially barricaded herself in the attic but eventually surrendered to authorities without incident.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff David Cole; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Mark Koss; the Pennsylvania State Police, under the direction of Commissioner Frank Noonan; and the Wellsboro (Pennsylvania) Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jim Bodine.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Larimer.
Showing posts with label kidnapping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kidnapping. Show all posts
Friday, March 21, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Madeleine McCann Cops Poised to Make Arrests in Her Disappearance
London police appear poised to make an arrest in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the girl who was 3 when she vanished while on a Portuguese vacation with her family nearly seven years ago.
The arrests of a trio of alleged burglars who had been active in the neighborhood would be the result of Operation Grange, the reopening of the McCann investigation three years ago.
"We can confirm that a second International Letter of Request has been sent to the Portuguese authorities by the Crown Prosecution Services this week... in connection with Operation Grange,'' Scotland Yard told ABC News in a statement. The authorities would not discuss any further details.
The McCann family spokesman refused to comment about the investigation.
"I'm afraid we are saying nothing about any aspect of Operation Grange whilst the police work continues, least of all about any tabloid speculation surrounding it,'' the spokesman told ABC News.
Scotland Yard is reportedly working with Portuguese police to find, detain and question three men believed to be burglars who were operating in the area where Madeleine and her family were on vacation in Portugal.
After pouring over records containing hundreds of cell phone numbers used during the time Maddie vanished, police found a high number of calls were made between these men in the hours after her disappearance.
Last year, Scotland Yard said one of their significant lines of inquiry was the four-fold increase in burglaries in the resort where the McCanns had been staying, peaking in April 2007. Madeleine disappeared in May 2007. Two of the burglaries took place in April in the apartment block where the McCann family was staying. In both of the April burglaries entry was gained via a window.
Madeleine was just days away from her fourth birthday when she vanished from her hotel room bed while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were immediately named suspects by Portuguese police, but were eventually cleared.
For the past seven years since her disappearance, the McCanns have campaigned to keep her name and picture in the news, most recently making a heartfelt plea to anyone who has any information on her disappearance on Britain's version of America's most wanted late last year. The show featured a re-enactment of the most detailed sequence of events the night she went missing, generating more than 300 phone calls and 170 emails with specific lines of inquiry relating to Maddie's case.
Last July, when Scotland Yard decided to move from a review to an investigation, Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said he believed there is a possibility she is alive.
''There is no clear, definitive proof that Madeleine McCann is dead, so on that basis I still genuinely believe that there is a possibility that she is alive,'' Redwood said.
The arrests of a trio of alleged burglars who had been active in the neighborhood would be the result of Operation Grange, the reopening of the McCann investigation three years ago.
"We can confirm that a second International Letter of Request has been sent to the Portuguese authorities by the Crown Prosecution Services this week... in connection with Operation Grange,'' Scotland Yard told ABC News in a statement. The authorities would not discuss any further details.
The McCann family spokesman refused to comment about the investigation.
"I'm afraid we are saying nothing about any aspect of Operation Grange whilst the police work continues, least of all about any tabloid speculation surrounding it,'' the spokesman told ABC News.
Scotland Yard is reportedly working with Portuguese police to find, detain and question three men believed to be burglars who were operating in the area where Madeleine and her family were on vacation in Portugal.
After pouring over records containing hundreds of cell phone numbers used during the time Maddie vanished, police found a high number of calls were made between these men in the hours after her disappearance.
Last year, Scotland Yard said one of their significant lines of inquiry was the four-fold increase in burglaries in the resort where the McCanns had been staying, peaking in April 2007. Madeleine disappeared in May 2007. Two of the burglaries took place in April in the apartment block where the McCann family was staying. In both of the April burglaries entry was gained via a window.
Madeleine was just days away from her fourth birthday when she vanished from her hotel room bed while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were immediately named suspects by Portuguese police, but were eventually cleared.
For the past seven years since her disappearance, the McCanns have campaigned to keep her name and picture in the news, most recently making a heartfelt plea to anyone who has any information on her disappearance on Britain's version of America's most wanted late last year. The show featured a re-enactment of the most detailed sequence of events the night she went missing, generating more than 300 phone calls and 170 emails with specific lines of inquiry relating to Maddie's case.
Last July, when Scotland Yard decided to move from a review to an investigation, Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said he believed there is a possibility she is alive.
''There is no clear, definitive proof that Madeleine McCann is dead, so on that basis I still genuinely believe that there is a possibility that she is alive,'' Redwood said.
China gives doctor death sentence for stealing, selling babies
A Chinese court on Tuesday convicted a doctor of baby trafficking and sentenced her to death with a two-year reprieve, after she admitted in court that she stole babies from the hospital where she worked and sold them.
Zhang Shuxia, an obstetrician, told parents their newborns had congenital problems and persuaded them to give them up, according to the Weinan Intermediate People's Court in Shaanxi.
In China, suspended death sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment after two years.
The case exposed a baby trafficking ring that operated across several provinces centering on Zhang. According to online postings by the court, she sold the babies to human traffickers, who then resold them at higher prices. In a July case, Zhang pocketed 21,600 yuan ($3,600) when she passed a baby boy to a human trafficker, who resold the child for 59,800 yuan ($9,900) to a couple in central China's Henan province.
Altogether, Zhang sold seven babies to middlemen who resold the babies in central and eastern China between November 2011 and July 2013, the court said. Six of the babies were either returned or rescued by police, but one that was voluntarily abandoned by its parents and sold for 1,000 yuan ($165) in April later died.
Zhang worked in Fuping county in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
Child trafficking is a big problem in China, despite severe legal punishments including the death penalty. Families who buy trafficked children are driven partly by the traditional preference for male heirs, a strict one-child policy and ignorance of the law.
The case has added to public frustration with China's medical profession over rampant bribery and other abuses.
Zhang Shuxia, an obstetrician, told parents their newborns had congenital problems and persuaded them to give them up, according to the Weinan Intermediate People's Court in Shaanxi.
In China, suspended death sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment after two years.
The case exposed a baby trafficking ring that operated across several provinces centering on Zhang. According to online postings by the court, she sold the babies to human traffickers, who then resold them at higher prices. In a July case, Zhang pocketed 21,600 yuan ($3,600) when she passed a baby boy to a human trafficker, who resold the child for 59,800 yuan ($9,900) to a couple in central China's Henan province.
Altogether, Zhang sold seven babies to middlemen who resold the babies in central and eastern China between November 2011 and July 2013, the court said. Six of the babies were either returned or rescued by police, but one that was voluntarily abandoned by its parents and sold for 1,000 yuan ($165) in April later died.
Zhang worked in Fuping county in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
Child trafficking is a big problem in China, despite severe legal punishments including the death penalty. Families who buy trafficked children are driven partly by the traditional preference for male heirs, a strict one-child policy and ignorance of the law.
The case has added to public frustration with China's medical profession over rampant bribery and other abuses.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Target worker helps in capture of alleged abductor of girl, 7
An employee at a Target store in Pittsburg, in the San Francisco Bay area, is being credited with helping authorities find a man accused of kidnapping a 7-year-old girl from her Antioch, Calif. home, reports CBS San Francisco station KPIX-TV.
Shoplifting prevention specialist Roxanna Ramirez said she spotted a man in the store Friday who authorities wound up arresting that night on suspicion of kidnapping the girl.
“He was just being weird. Like, his activities were not normal,” Ramirez told KPIX.
Ramirez said she wrote down the license plate number of the man’s car as his behavior became even more bizarre after he left the store.
“He was pacing back and forth. He was changing his clothes in the parking lot. He started messing around with his backpack,” Ramirez said. “And at one point, he was sitting in the car, shaking his steering wheel.”
The suspect, identified as David Douglas, is quoted as admitting he kidnapped the girl, but now claims it was a cry for help.
In a jailhouse interview, Douglas told a reporter for the Bay Area News Group that he used a stick and not a gun when he abducted the girl from her home. He also said he did not sexually assault the girl, claiming he drove her around to try to calm her down. Douglas said he even took her to a McDonald’s and bought her some chicken nuggets, which she refused.
At the moment police caught him at the Anitoch Marina, Douglas said, he was telling the little girl that he was an angel, and was awaiting further instructions from God.
After an Amber Alert was issued, police said they were able to catch Douglas because Ramirez called them with his license plate number.
“I’m happy that the girl is with her family. I’m happy that she gets to live the childhood that she deserves. I hope she puts this tragic thing behind her,” Ramirez said.
Shoplifting prevention specialist Roxanna Ramirez said she spotted a man in the store Friday who authorities wound up arresting that night on suspicion of kidnapping the girl.
“He was just being weird. Like, his activities were not normal,” Ramirez told KPIX.
Ramirez said she wrote down the license plate number of the man’s car as his behavior became even more bizarre after he left the store.
“He was pacing back and forth. He was changing his clothes in the parking lot. He started messing around with his backpack,” Ramirez said. “And at one point, he was sitting in the car, shaking his steering wheel.”
The suspect, identified as David Douglas, is quoted as admitting he kidnapped the girl, but now claims it was a cry for help.
In a jailhouse interview, Douglas told a reporter for the Bay Area News Group that he used a stick and not a gun when he abducted the girl from her home. He also said he did not sexually assault the girl, claiming he drove her around to try to calm her down. Douglas said he even took her to a McDonald’s and bought her some chicken nuggets, which she refused.
At the moment police caught him at the Anitoch Marina, Douglas said, he was telling the little girl that he was an angel, and was awaiting further instructions from God.
After an Amber Alert was issued, police said they were able to catch Douglas because Ramirez called them with his license plate number.
“I’m happy that the girl is with her family. I’m happy that she gets to live the childhood that she deserves. I hope she puts this tragic thing behind her,” Ramirez said.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Doctor Admits Selling Patients' Newborns
A Chinese doctor has admitted in court that she stole babies from the hospital where she worked and sold them to human traffickers, state media and a court said.
Zhang Shuxia, a locally respected and soon-to-retire obstetrician, stood trial on Monday in northern Shaanxi province's Fuping county, according to online postings from the court.
Zhang told parents their newborns had congenital problems and persuaded them to "sign and give the babies up," the court postings said. Calls to the Weinan Intermediate People's Court and the local Communist Party propaganda department went unanswered.
The case exposed the operations of a baby trafficking ring that operated across several provinces centering on Zhang, who delivered babies at the Fuping County Maternal and Child Hospital.
Child trafficking is a big problem in China, despite severe legal punishments that include the death penalty. Families who buy trafficked children are driven partly by the traditional preference for male heirs, a strict one-child policy and ignorance of the law.
The indictment said that from November 2011 to July 2013, she sold seven babies to middlemen who sold the babies to "couples" in central and eastern China. Six of the babies were rescued, but one that was trafficked for 1,000 yuan ($165) in April later died.
Zhang was found out when a mother suspected her baby had been abducted and reported her to police in July. The official Xinhua News Agency reported that Zhang had taken the baby home with her and sold him to a man in a neighboring province for 21,600 yuan ($3,600) the same night. He in turn resold the baby to a villager in central China for 59,800 yuan ($9,900). Several other suspects have been detained in at least four provinces, Xinhua said.
The case has added to public frustration with China's medical profession over rampant bribery and other abuses.
The Beijing Times newspaper called for a "fair punishment" for Zhang to deter other doctors. "It will inject the authoritativeness of law into professional ethics of doctors and will warn doctors not to take the wrong step that brings them lifelong regret," the paper said.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Four Members of Colombian Guerilla Organization Indicted in Connection with 2000 Kidnapping
WASHINGTON—Four members of a violent guerilla organization were indicted today on conspiracy and hostage-taking charges stemming from the kidnapping of more than 60 people in Colombia in 2000, including three United States nationals. As a result of the ensuing captivity, three Colombian citizens who were taken hostage by the kidnappers died.
The indictment, returned by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by Ronald C. Machen, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Division.
According to the indictment, at the time of the crimes, the defendants were members of the Ejercito De Liberación Nacional (ELN), which in English translates to the National Liberation Army. Since its inception in 1964, the ELN has engaged in an armed conflict to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Republic of Colombia. The ELN has engaged in terrorist activity, including murder, hostage-taking, and the violent destruction of property.
Those indicted today include Eudes Ojeda Ovando, 44, also known as “El Tuerto” and “Martin”; Fidel Castro Murillo, 54, also known as “El Profe” and “Daniro Rodriguez”; and two others identified as John Does. They were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking resulting in death and three counts of hostage-taking. None of the defendants is in custody. If convicted of these charges following an extradition, each defendant would face a maximum term of 60 years of incarceration, which is the maximum sentence permitted under Colombian law for Colombian nationals extradited to the United States for prosecution.
“The indictment returned today alleges that four members of an armed and violent guerilla organization held more than 60 hostages—including American citizens—for ransom in the Colombian jungle,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “During this harrowing ordeal, members of this insurgent group allegedly fired at Colombian military helicopters searching for the hostages and armed themselves with bazookas to resist the military operation pursuing the guerillas. This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to pursuing members of foreign terrorist organizations who target Americans as well as our resolve to seeking justice for the three Colombian citizens who actually died during this hostage ordeal.”
“The ELN is a foreign terrorist organization whose members have engaged in violent acts against American and Colombian citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Steinbach. “These indictments today demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to bring these ELN members to justice. The outstanding, long-term cooperation between the Colombian National Police and U.S. law enforcement has dealt another blow to international terrorism.”
According to the indictment, the defendants were among the leaders of a series of kidnappings carried out on September 17, 2000. The three U.S. nationals—a woman, her brother, and her sister-in-law—were taken hostage at a country home roughly 30 minutes outside of Cali, Colombia. More than 60 others, all Colombian nationals, were taken hostage at two restaurants in the area. The restaurants and country home were all near kilometer 18 of a road that led from Cali to Buenaventura, Colombia. The hostages were forced into vehicles and taken into the Colombian jungle and mountains. One of the U.S. nationals, a 66-year-old man, was released at that point because of concerns he would not survive a journey through the jungle and mountains and would also slow down the kidnappers during their escape from Colombian authorities.
The indictment alleges that the defendants and their co-conspirators used firearms to keep and detain the hostages; threatened to kill the hostages; conducted or attempted to conduct negotiations for ransom with family members of the hostages; and demanded that military operations by the armed forces of the Republic of Colombia against the hostage-takers cease. On the second day of the ordeal, the kidnappers released another one of the U.S. nationals—a 58-year-old woman—so that she could personally convey one of their ransom demands. The third U.S. national, a 69-year-old woman, was released on September 20, 2000 after three days in captivity, but the kidnappers continued to hold her adult son as a hostage and continued to demand that she pay a large ransom for his release.
The rest of the hostages remained with the ELN, some for several weeks. During this time-frame, the indictment alleges, the ELN conspirators fired at helicopters of the Colombian military members who were attempting to locate the hostages, and also armed bazookas intended to be used against the Colombian military. Three hostages, all Colombian nationals, died as a result of the extreme conditions: Dr. Miguel Nassif, Carlos Alberto Garcia, and Alejandro Henao Botero. According to the indictment, all were denied medical treatment by their captors.
By early November 2000, the last remaining hostages were finally released to representatives from the Colombian Red Cross and the Colombian Peace Commissioner. Even after that, however, the kidnappers pressed on with ransom demands.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
The charges were the result of an investigation led by the FBI Miami Field Division and are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brenda J. Johnson and Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance also was provided by the FBI Office of the Legal Attaché in Colombia.
The indictment, returned by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by Ronald C. Machen, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Division.
According to the indictment, at the time of the crimes, the defendants were members of the Ejercito De Liberación Nacional (ELN), which in English translates to the National Liberation Army. Since its inception in 1964, the ELN has engaged in an armed conflict to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Republic of Colombia. The ELN has engaged in terrorist activity, including murder, hostage-taking, and the violent destruction of property.
Those indicted today include Eudes Ojeda Ovando, 44, also known as “El Tuerto” and “Martin”; Fidel Castro Murillo, 54, also known as “El Profe” and “Daniro Rodriguez”; and two others identified as John Does. They were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking resulting in death and three counts of hostage-taking. None of the defendants is in custody. If convicted of these charges following an extradition, each defendant would face a maximum term of 60 years of incarceration, which is the maximum sentence permitted under Colombian law for Colombian nationals extradited to the United States for prosecution.
“The indictment returned today alleges that four members of an armed and violent guerilla organization held more than 60 hostages—including American citizens—for ransom in the Colombian jungle,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “During this harrowing ordeal, members of this insurgent group allegedly fired at Colombian military helicopters searching for the hostages and armed themselves with bazookas to resist the military operation pursuing the guerillas. This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to pursuing members of foreign terrorist organizations who target Americans as well as our resolve to seeking justice for the three Colombian citizens who actually died during this hostage ordeal.”
“The ELN is a foreign terrorist organization whose members have engaged in violent acts against American and Colombian citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Steinbach. “These indictments today demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to bring these ELN members to justice. The outstanding, long-term cooperation between the Colombian National Police and U.S. law enforcement has dealt another blow to international terrorism.”
According to the indictment, the defendants were among the leaders of a series of kidnappings carried out on September 17, 2000. The three U.S. nationals—a woman, her brother, and her sister-in-law—were taken hostage at a country home roughly 30 minutes outside of Cali, Colombia. More than 60 others, all Colombian nationals, were taken hostage at two restaurants in the area. The restaurants and country home were all near kilometer 18 of a road that led from Cali to Buenaventura, Colombia. The hostages were forced into vehicles and taken into the Colombian jungle and mountains. One of the U.S. nationals, a 66-year-old man, was released at that point because of concerns he would not survive a journey through the jungle and mountains and would also slow down the kidnappers during their escape from Colombian authorities.
The indictment alleges that the defendants and their co-conspirators used firearms to keep and detain the hostages; threatened to kill the hostages; conducted or attempted to conduct negotiations for ransom with family members of the hostages; and demanded that military operations by the armed forces of the Republic of Colombia against the hostage-takers cease. On the second day of the ordeal, the kidnappers released another one of the U.S. nationals—a 58-year-old woman—so that she could personally convey one of their ransom demands. The third U.S. national, a 69-year-old woman, was released on September 20, 2000 after three days in captivity, but the kidnappers continued to hold her adult son as a hostage and continued to demand that she pay a large ransom for his release.
The rest of the hostages remained with the ELN, some for several weeks. During this time-frame, the indictment alleges, the ELN conspirators fired at helicopters of the Colombian military members who were attempting to locate the hostages, and also armed bazookas intended to be used against the Colombian military. Three hostages, all Colombian nationals, died as a result of the extreme conditions: Dr. Miguel Nassif, Carlos Alberto Garcia, and Alejandro Henao Botero. According to the indictment, all were denied medical treatment by their captors.
By early November 2000, the last remaining hostages were finally released to representatives from the Colombian Red Cross and the Colombian Peace Commissioner. Even after that, however, the kidnappers pressed on with ransom demands.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
The charges were the result of an investigation led by the FBI Miami Field Division and are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brenda J. Johnson and Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance also was provided by the FBI Office of the Legal Attaché in Colombia.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Three Sentenced After Being Convicted of Carjacking and Kidnapping Three Children
MONTGOMERY, AL—Joshua Roland Fuller Gilley, 26, of
Enterprise, Alabama; Westly Robert Rogers, 25, of Ozark, Alabama; and
Melissa Lynn Mione McGee, 37, of Daleville, Alabama, have all been
sentenced after pleading guilty to carjacking an Isuzu Rodeo in which
three children, ages 2 ½ years, 1 ½ years, and 2 months old were riding
in the backseat; and to kidnapping those same three young children,
announced U.S. Attorney, George L. Beck, Jr.
Gilley was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller to 46 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to carjacking. Rogers was sentence by Judge Fuller to 32 months’ imprisonment after pleading to carjacking, and McGee was sentence by the same judge to 210 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to kidnapping.
Around May 21, 2011, the victims, J.G. and A.L., were first introduced to McGee by someone they had met over the Internet named “Nate.” McGee claimed to be a human resources representative from Memphis, Tennessee, and offered to help the couple find jobs and a residence near Ozark, Alabama. As a result of this offer, the victims traveled to Ozark. In Ozark, the victims and their three children stayed in a motel room at the Ozark Inn paid for by McGee. During their stay at the Ozark Inn, McGee personally met with the couple, provided them small amounts of money and food, and promised to get J.G. a job paying $17 an hour.
On Sunday, June 5, 2011, the victims and the three children drove to a rural area outside Brundidge, Alabama, to meet with McGee and take possession of a mobile home McGee had promised them. When they arrived, McGee introduced them to Rogers and Gilley, whom McGee referred to as “Mike” and “Nate.” Rogers and Gilley immediately assaulted the young couple and forcibly removed them from their Isuzu Rodeo. Rogers and Gilley then climbed into the Isuzu and drove off with the three children still in the back seat. McGee drove a white SUV ahead of Rogers and Gilley and later took custody of the 2-month-old baby, while the 2 ½-year-old and the 1 ½-year-old were dumped in the driveway of a residence in Black, Alabama. Upon finding the two older children, the occupants of the residence brought the children to a nearby hospital.
Less than 48 hours after the crime occurred, law enforcement officers were able to track down the baby to a private residence in Dothan, Alabama. The woman who lived there told authorities that she had agreed to watch the baby for McGee, who had claimed the stolen baby was her own child.
“These three defendants not only endangered these young children by kidnapping them from their mother, but they dumped the two older children in a driveway in rural Alabama, showing no concern for their welfare,” said U.S. Attorney, George L. Beck, Jr. “Their behavior was inexcusable, and they should spend substantial time in prison. We are proud of our judiciary in this case for sending a message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
“The defendants’ predatory nature and their willingness to expose this family to such peril and harm is a serious criminal act which will not be tolerated by society,” stated Stephen E. Richardson, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mobile Division. “The FBI’s commitment to protect and ensure the safety of families and children is unwavering. We are pleased that these criminals face serious prison time.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is being assisted by the Dale County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshals Service, the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, the Ozark Police Department, the Walton County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the Dothan Police Department, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and other law enforcement partners. This case has been prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kent Brunson and Nathan Stump.
Gilley was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller to 46 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to carjacking. Rogers was sentence by Judge Fuller to 32 months’ imprisonment after pleading to carjacking, and McGee was sentence by the same judge to 210 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to kidnapping.
Around May 21, 2011, the victims, J.G. and A.L., were first introduced to McGee by someone they had met over the Internet named “Nate.” McGee claimed to be a human resources representative from Memphis, Tennessee, and offered to help the couple find jobs and a residence near Ozark, Alabama. As a result of this offer, the victims traveled to Ozark. In Ozark, the victims and their three children stayed in a motel room at the Ozark Inn paid for by McGee. During their stay at the Ozark Inn, McGee personally met with the couple, provided them small amounts of money and food, and promised to get J.G. a job paying $17 an hour.
On Sunday, June 5, 2011, the victims and the three children drove to a rural area outside Brundidge, Alabama, to meet with McGee and take possession of a mobile home McGee had promised them. When they arrived, McGee introduced them to Rogers and Gilley, whom McGee referred to as “Mike” and “Nate.” Rogers and Gilley immediately assaulted the young couple and forcibly removed them from their Isuzu Rodeo. Rogers and Gilley then climbed into the Isuzu and drove off with the three children still in the back seat. McGee drove a white SUV ahead of Rogers and Gilley and later took custody of the 2-month-old baby, while the 2 ½-year-old and the 1 ½-year-old were dumped in the driveway of a residence in Black, Alabama. Upon finding the two older children, the occupants of the residence brought the children to a nearby hospital.
Less than 48 hours after the crime occurred, law enforcement officers were able to track down the baby to a private residence in Dothan, Alabama. The woman who lived there told authorities that she had agreed to watch the baby for McGee, who had claimed the stolen baby was her own child.
“These three defendants not only endangered these young children by kidnapping them from their mother, but they dumped the two older children in a driveway in rural Alabama, showing no concern for their welfare,” said U.S. Attorney, George L. Beck, Jr. “Their behavior was inexcusable, and they should spend substantial time in prison. We are proud of our judiciary in this case for sending a message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
“The defendants’ predatory nature and their willingness to expose this family to such peril and harm is a serious criminal act which will not be tolerated by society,” stated Stephen E. Richardson, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mobile Division. “The FBI’s commitment to protect and ensure the safety of families and children is unwavering. We are pleased that these criminals face serious prison time.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is being assisted by the Dale County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshals Service, the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, the Ozark Police Department, the Walton County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the Dothan Police Department, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and other law enforcement partners. This case has been prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kent Brunson and Nathan Stump.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Blood found in car of Vegas dealer suspected of murdering 10-year-old girl
Brenda Stokes Wilson was identified in court Friday as the prime suspect in the slaying, although prosecutor Robert Daskas told a judge that authorities haven't positively identified the girl found dead Thursday in an undeveloped housing tract in North Las Vegas.
"It's no secret the defendant is the suspect in the murder of 10-year-old Jade Morris," Daskas said as he convinced Senior Clark County District Court Judge Joseph Bonaventure to increase Wilson's bail from $60,000 to $600,000 pending the filing of kidnapping and murder charges.
Daskas said a weapon was used in the slaying, but he didn't elaborate.
Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy said it could be Friday afternoon before
Wilson, 50, was arrested later that night after she was wrestled to the ground with razors in each hand following a face-slashing attack on a female co-worker, Joyce Rhone, at the Bellagio.
Wilson has been jailed on felony battery with a weapon, burglary and mayhem charges that could get her decades in prison. Police said she has offered no help in the search for the missing girl. Murder and kidnapping charges could get her life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
Wilson stood in court flanked by eight police officers as her lawyer, Tony Liker, clutching a Bible and a copy of the charging documents, asked the judge to postpone arraignment until Wednesday to give him time to meet with Wilson.
Liker declined comment outside court.
Police went public with the search for Jade Morris on Christmas Day, and the case received increasing attention after the relationship between the girl and Wilson became known. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson watched the proceedings in court Friday and called the case important for the community.
Wilson, who had been identified by police and prosecutors as Brenda Stokes, told the judge Friday that her full name was Brenda Stokes Wilson.
She used to date the missing girl's father, Philip Morris, and had a long and trusted relationship with Jade Morris, according to the missing girl's grandfather, Philip Tucker.
Philip Morris was removed from court Wednesday by armed court officers after shouting questions about his daughter's whereabouts to Wilson. He did not attend Friday's hearing.
Tucker said Philip Morris lived in Billings, Mont., and worked at a Flying J truck stop for more than a year. He would stay with Wilson when he visited Las Vegas, Tucker said.
Tucker said Rhone was Wilson's best friend and also knew Philip Morris.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the slaying. But Tucker said Wilson appeared to believe that Rhone and Philip Morris had become romantically involved. Tucker said he didn't know if Wilson's jealousy was well-founded.
"But whatever was going on with them didn't concern Jade," Tucker said. "How do you take a kid who loves you so much and hurt her?"
Jade Morris' family last saw the girl when Wilson picked her at about 5 p.m. Dec. 21. About two hours later, Wilson returned to another friend the red 2007 Saab sedan that she borrowed for the shopping trip.
Wilson allegedly had a razor in each hand when she attacked Rhone as Rhone dealt blackjack about 9:30 p.m.
Daskas said police have the vehicle and are testing blood found on the driver's door and steering wheel to see if it matches Jade Morris. Stokes later got a ride with a friend to the Bellagio, police said.
Rhone, 44, was hospitalized with deep cuts on her face, including one from her ear to the edge of her mouth. A police arrest report said Rhone also had several smaller cuts around her right eye.
Tucker said Rhone called him Saturday, speaking with difficulty and expressing surprise at the attack.
"She said, `I can't believe she would do something like this to me,"' Tucker recalled. "I said, `Was Jade with her?' She said she didn't know Jade was involved."
A police report said Wilson told investigators following her arrest that she visited her doctor last week, seeking to be admitted to a hospital "due to feeling like she wanted to hurt someone."
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