Lindsay Ann Hawker murder

Lindsay Ann Hawker murder: Tatsuya Ichihashi refusing to cooperate with police

Tatsuya Ichihashi, the Japanese man arrested in connection with the killing of Briton Lindsay Ann Hawker, is refusing to cooperate with investigators.
Ichihashi, 30, was arrested in Osaka after being on the runsince March 2007, when the body of Ms Hawker was found covered in sand in a bath tub on the balcony of his Tokyo apartment.

After his arrest, as he waited to board a ferry to the remote southern islands of Okinawa, police quoted Ichihashi as telling them, "I have no excuses and I don't want to say anything."

Officers have been questioning him at Gyotoku Police Station.

Takeshi Ootani, a police spokesman, told The Daily Telegraph: "Two officers started the questioning this morning and we have spent all day interrogating him," he said. "We plan to continue into this evening as well.

"The suspect has refused to say anything to the officers but we will continue to question him," he said.

Ichihashi is being held on a technical charge of abandoning a body and can be held until November 22nd, according to Ootani. At that point, he is likely to be formally charged, enabling the police to keep him in custody and continue to interrogate him about Ms Hawker's death.

The maximum penalty for murder in Japan is the death sentence, which is carried out by hanging.

In Gifu, Ichihashi's home town in central Japan, his father said that he was "relieved" his son had been arrested.

In a message to his son in an interview on national broadcaster NHK, Masayoshi Ichihashi said, "You committed a crime. You must be brought to justice. I want you to atone for what you have done."

Ichihashi said he and his wife, Nobuko, had been praying for Ms Hawker every day since March 2007 and hoped his son would make amends for her death.

"You probably think my son is a monster, but for us, he isn't like that. He was a sweet boy.

"These have been painful days for us," he added. "I cannot bear the thought of him undergoing plastic surgery to try to get away with this crime.

"Running away must have added to the pain and sorrow of the family of Miss Lindsay, as it has to us," he said.

Further information has also emerged about Ichihashi's 32 months on the run from the authorities, including reports from former colleagues at the construction company where he worked for 13 months before his arrest that he was a loner, saved his money carefully and constantly wore a baseball cap and square-rimmed glasses.

He was also involved in a fight with another employee last summer.

A colleague intervened and later warned Ichihashi that could have killed the other man - at which point he reportedly broke down in tears.

Ichihashi earned around Y150,000 (£1,005) a month as a labourer and earned a reputation in the company as a diligent worker.

Police believe he saved his wages to pay for a series of plastic surgery procedures to radically alter his features and continue to evade police.

A search by police of his room in a company dormitory have revealed a number of mirrors, an English dictionary and a partly completed application form for a passport in the name of Kosuka Inoue.

Shortly before the release of a new photo of Ichihashi subsequent to his latest facial operation, he collected his pay from the construction site and disappeared. And despite a televised plea to hand himself in to authorities from his mother this week, police believe Ichihashi was planning to keep running.

A ticket officer at Osaka port contacted police on Tuesday evening to report that a man who may have been the suspect had purchsed a ticket for the 18-hour voyage to Okinawa. Wearing a baseball cap, dark-rimmed glasses and a flu mask, police approached Ichihashi shortly before 6 p.m. and questioned him for 10 minutes before he finally admitted, "I am Ichihashi."

News From: www.telegraph.co.uk

Jeff Lacy Brother Shooted Police Officer

Jeff Lacy: Brother Shooted Two 2 Florida Officers, Suspect Killed in Shootout

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Authorities and a fugitive holed up in an attic fired more than 100 shots at each other Monday in a firefight that killed two officers, wounded a deputy U.S. marshal and led to an hourslong standoff that ended when the suspect was found dead inside the home.

St. Petersburg Police spokesman Michael Puetz said the suspect was found dead when officers went into the home Monday afternoon, about six hours after the shootout, the latest in a recent rash of shootings across the nation that have killed or wounded law enforcement officers.

Law enforcement had been at the home to arrest Hydra Lacy Jr., 39, around 7 a.m. on an aggravated battery charge, and investigators believe he is the one who opened fire on the officers, Puetz said.

He said Lacy had a long record that includes convictions for armed robbery and sexual battery.

He had been listed as a sex offender with the state since 1996 and failed to register in December with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department, which he was required to do four times a year.

Deputies had been looking for him since then, and local officers on Friday had been told to be on the lookout for Lacy.

"He was somebody we wanted to get off the streets, " Police Chief Chuck Harmon said. "Who expects to walk into a house and get gunfire from the attic?"

The marshal was shot twice but was doing fine, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Tom Figmik said.
One officer, the marshal and a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy were the first ones at the house and were told by a woman that Lacy was in the attic. The three called for backup, and soon after

Jeffrey Yaslowitz, 39, and Tom Baitinger, 48, arrived. Police had initially said they were among the first three to arrive.

The chief said Yaslowitz and the marshal, who was not identified, went up to the attic and exchanged fire with the suspect. Both were hit. Yaslowitz went down in the attic, while the marshal tumbled to the first floor after being hit in his bulletproof vest and lower torso.

Baitinger was one of several officers who came to rescue the other two and was hit when Lacy fired through the attic floor.

Hostage negotiators arrived, and the SWAT team exchanged more gunfire with the suspect. The SWAT team eventually got Yaslowitz out of the house, destroying about a third of the home in the process. He was later pronounced dead. Authorities had tried to force out the gunman by cutting off the home's electricity and water before discovering he was dead.

Baitinger had worked with the department since 1996 and is survived by his wife. Yaslowitz started his career there in 1999, working with a K-9 unit and his dog partner, Ace. He is survived by his wife and three children.

"In my mind as a police officer, this crook, this criminal, this murderer, cop-killer, whatever you would like to call him, did a terrible injustice to two of my people today and two of the people that served this community," Harmon said during an afternoon press conference.

The home, situated in a middle-class neighborhood on the south side of St. Petersburg, was listed in Lacy's name, according to property records.

Court records show Lacy failed to show for his scheduled trial Nov. 1 on the aggravated battery charge, and an arrest warrant was issued the next day.

State records show Lacy was convicted in 1989 of armed burglary, resisting arrest with violence and other charges. He was released from prison 1991. In 1992, he was convicted of sexual battery with a weapon or force and false imprisonment of a child. He was released in from prison 2001.

Monday's shooting comes four days after two Miami-Dade County detectives were killed by a murder suspect they were trying to arrest. That suspect was killed by another detective.

The officers were being remembered Monday at a funeral, where news of Monday's shooting added to the grief already palpable among the thousands gathered at American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami.

On Sunday, a man opened fire inside a Detroit police precinct, wounding four officers including a commander before he was shot and killed by police. The officers' injuries were not considered life-threatening, said Police Chief Ralph Godbee.

And on Monday, a Lincoln City, Ore., police officer was critically wounded when he was shot during a traffic stop.

Newws From:www.foxnews.com

30 year old Amanda Bennett died from a gunshot

Police find four people dead in Austin house 30 year old Amanda Bennett died from a gunshot

AUSTIN, Ind. (WISH) - The Scott County Coroner has completed the autopsies on four people found dead in a southern Indiana home Friday afternoon.

At 4:21 p.m. Friday, Austin City Police forced their way into a house in the 300 block of New York Street in Austin, Ind. to check on the people in the home. When police entered, they found “parts of the home had been burned,” Indiana State Police officials say.

Indiana State Police are investigating the deaths. They say 30 year old Amanda Bennett died from a gunshot wound to the head area and smoke inhalation. Her two daughters, 14 year old Jasmine Abbott and 9 year old Katelynn Bennett also died from gunshot wounds to the head area, as well as her son, 4 year old Ryan Bennett. Katelynn also suffered from smoke inhalation.

At this time detectives are not ready to release any more information about the investigation and are continuing several interviews.

School administrators from the Scott County School District #1 say they will have extra counselors at the schools on Monday to help anyone cope with the tragedy.

News From: www.wishtv.com

Michelle Obama's State Dinner Dress

Right-Wing Fashion Police Attack Michelle Obama's State Dinner Dress

The right-wing media attacked First Lady Michelle Obama for wearing a red dress to the White House State Dinner, suggesting she did so to honor "Commie Red China."

The Drudge Report displayed a prominent picture of Mrs. Obama with the words "Commie Red" underneath. This echoed remarks from pundit blogger Jim Hoft who called the event the 'Commie Red China Obama State Dinner.'

Popluar conservative columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin featuered a guest post on her blog from Doug Powers suggesting that the dress, and other preparations were conciliatory to China.

"As for the state dinner for the Chinese president, Michelle Obama appropriately enough wore a red dress, and an all-star cast of Broadway stars performed a rousing musical rendition of 'If my friends could see me Mao' to close out the evening," he wrote.

The comments follow an event that itself was marked by partisan politics. A number of Republican politicans refused to accept the invitation to the State Dinner from the Democratic White House.

Ohio's John Boehner, the new Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, declined the invitation, saying he was meeting with Hu Thursday on Capitol Hill. He has declined invitations to the dinners every time.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also declined his state dinner invitation, he cited logistical reasons. Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada also cited similar reasons for not showing up.

News From: www.ibtimes.com

Two Miami-Dade killed police officers Aarrest

Two Miami-Dade police officers killed in attempted arrest

For the first time in decades, two Miami-Dade police officers were killed in the same incident.

Two Miami-Dade police officers were shot and killed in a gunfight with suspects as they tried to serve a warrant for a violent fugitive in a Miami home Thursday morning.

It was the first time in decades two law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty.

The dead male officer was identified as Roger Castillo, of Davie, a 21-year-veteran. The female officer was identified as Amanda Holworth, 44, of Miramar, a 23-year veteran. Both had been wearing bullet-proof vests.

``Two angels from our police department were murdered today and I'm angry about it,'' said Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus, who held an emotional afternoon news conference. ``Our worse nightmare has visited upon us again.''

The suspect, identified as Johnny Simms, 23, was killed in the gun battle. He was shot by officer Oscar Pasencia, one of the four officers at the scene. Another suspect was taken into custody, said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez.

Investigators say they're not looking for any other suspects. Late Thursday, investigators were questioning as many as four other persons who were inside the home at the time of the shooting.

``It's shocking. It's hurtful,'' said explained Alvarez, who rushed to the scene. ``Really, I can't put it into words. Needless to say, I'm taking it extremely personally. They were professionals working in a professional, elite unit. Their mission was to go after violent career criminals.''

Commander Nancy Perez, who broke down when she announced the news of the first officer's death shortly before 12:30 p.m. Thursday said: ``We're asking for the community's prayers.''

The county detectives were attempting to arrest Simms on a murder warrant for a slaying that happened in October in Miami, Loftus said.

Simms, according to state corrections records, was released from prison in September on probation. He had been imprisoned for armed robbery and selling cocaine and had a long rap sheet, police said.

Simms was wanted for the Oct. 16 murder of Cornelious Larry, 27, who was shot to death in a parking lot at an Overtown apartment complex at 1535 NW First Pl. According to Miami police, Simms shot Larry to death after the man began yelling and cursing at Simms' sister.

Details were sketchy about Simm's deadly encounter with police on Thursday, but this much was known: The shooting erupted between a suspect and police at a home near Northwest Seventh Avenue and 69th Street.

A total of four officer had knocked on the door when the firing began. Also injured was Officer Diedra Beecher, who sustained a knee injury. The fourth officer, Pasencia opened fire, killing Simms, Loftus said.

``He was shot at -- he shot back,'' Loftus said.

Castillo died at the scene. Haworth was pronounced dead during surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center.

Later Thursday, the bodies of the officers were brought to the Miami Dade Medical Examiner's office, their stretchers covered with an American flag. Officers formed a double line - their hands covering their hearts - as the bodies were rolled in.

Haworth is one of a handful of women officers killed in the line of duty in South Florida, and is the first shot and killed by a suspect in Miami-Dade. She was a single mother raising her 13-year-old son, according to her mother.

Miami-Dade Police Officer Cheryl Seiden was killed in 1982 during a robbery in a parking lot outside her Kendall apartment complex. She was off-duty at the time of her death.

News From: www.miamiherald.com

Camden, NJ, One Of America's Most Dangerous Cities

Camden, NJ, One Of America's Most Dangerous Cities, Lays Off Half Of Its Police Force

Budget pain hit home in Camden, N.J., on Tuesday, as nearly a sixth of city employees lost their jobs in one of America's most dangerous cities, AP reports.

The layoffs are just the latest consequence of devastating budget strains that have crippled the nation's cities. As Camden attempts to cut spending to compensate for diminished revenue, the city has begun to execute a plan, approved last month, to cut a fourth of the municipal workforce. Residents fear the cuts will deal a critical blow to the already struggling city.

About 335 municipal workers lost their jobs Tuesday, according to mayor Dana Redd. That includes about half of the police force, and a third of firefighters. Already, Camden is one of the nation's most dangerous cities: An analysis of recent FBI data ranks it number two.

Layoffs will turn Camden into a "living hell," according to a police union advertisement in a local paper, AP reports.

While Camden faces severe challenges, it's hardly alone. After the worst financial crisis since the Depression, the nation's cities have seen their revenue wither. As enormous pension obligations come due -- one estimate places the unfunded liabilities of city pension plans at $574 billion -- cities are having to make cuts that seemed unthinkable just half a decade ago.

As Camden lays off workers, nearby Newark is dealing with the effects of having fired more than 13 percent of its police force late last year. A recent spike in crime has left many Newark residents worried that the layoffs have made their city more dangerous. The city contends, though, that re-deployments have ensured that the same number of officers are patrolling Newark's streets.

Outside of New Jersey, other cities have also resorted to seemingly desperate measures. Prichard, Alabama, has illegally stopped paying its pensioners. Hamtramck, Mich., has repeatedly tried to enter bankruptcy. Detroit is considering a plan that would deprive a fifth of its city of basic municipal services, like trash collection and police protection.

As cities are forced to make tough choices, officials tend to cast public unions in a negative light. Redd, the Camden mayor, said public employe unions' refusal to accept a pay cut made layoffs necessary. But unions resist such talk.

"We get paid to do a service, and we do that service very well," Gregory Floyd, president of the New York City local division of the Teamsters union, told the Huffington Post. "We're not rich, we don't retire rich, and we don't have lucrative pensions."

Lakewood Police News Reports

Police killer Maurice Clemmons' accomplices sentenced

TACOMA, Wash. -- A Pierce County judge sentenced three friends and family memebers of Maurice Clemmons Friday for their actions following the murder of four Lakewood police officers.

In November 2009, Clemmons shot and killed Sergeant Mark Renniger and Officers Tina Griswold, Greg Richards and Ronald Owens at a Parkland coffee shop.

In December 2010, a jury convicted Clemmons' aunt, Letrecia Nelson, on one count of rendering criminal assistance. Nelson was accused of helping Clemmons hide from police after the killings. Pierce County Judge Stephanie Arend sentenced Nelson to six years in prison.

The same jury found Eddie Davis, Clemmons' cousin, guilty of rendering criminal assistance. Prosecutors said he gave Clemmons rides and lied to police about knowing where Clemmons had been while on the run. Police said Davis had been in possession of one of the officer's guns, which had been taken by Clemmons.

Douglas Davis, a friend of Clemmons, was found guilty of unlawful possession of that firearm.

Eddie Davis received a sentence just under 10 and half years and Judge Arend sentenced Douglas Davis to seven and a half years.

Fiancee slain Lakewood Police Officer Chris Matlosz speaks out about loss

LAKEWOOD — The fiancee of Lakewood Police Officer Chris Matlosz who was fatally shot Friday afternoon expressed her devastation over the loss of her husband-to-be.
"Chris was my best friend and soulmate. We did everything together. In the last 4 years, we both lived our life to the fullest," Walsifer said in a statement.
Kelly Walsifer and Matlosz were supposed to be married in June 2012.
"He was my life and my world. He made me laugh, he made others laugh, and we have been surrounded by the best of friends and co-workers throughout our time together," said Walsifer.
"He just lost his father and now it brings me some peace to know that he is with him."
A Facebook page created in memory of Matlosz had more seven thousand followers just before 6 p.m. today who expressed condolences to his family. Many of them had changed their profile pictures to the Lakewood police crest adorned with a blue and black line, some bearing Matlosz's badge number: 317.

Golden-Voiced' Ted Williams: My daughter attacked me!

'Golden Voiced' Internet Sensation Briefly Held by Los Angeles Police

'Golden-Voiced' Ted Williams: My daughter attacked me!

Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, now sporting a new haircut and clean clothes, appears on the Morning Zoo program at WNCI (97.9 FM) in Columbus, Ohio.

LOS ANGELES -- A homeless man whose smooth radio voice made him an Internet sensation had to do some quick talking to Los Angeles police.

Officers were called when Ted Williams and his daughter got into a heated argument Monday night at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, Officer Catherine Massey said.

"I don't know how loud they were" but the argument at about 9 p.m. led to a disturbance report, Massey said Tuesday.

"It was minor. Both parties were angry but there were no signs of visible abuse," Massey said. "They were brought in, calmed down, talked to and released."

She said she did not know the nature of the argument.

Williams and his daughter, whom Massey declined to name, were held at the Hollywood police station for less than an hour and they were not arrested, she said.

It was not immediately clear whether the two returned to the hotel. Calls to a hotel marketing representative seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Williams, 53, trained to be a radio announcer but found his life derailed by drugs and alcohol in the 1990s. He has served time in prison for theft and forgery and has been cited with numerous misdemeanors, including drug abuse.

Williams became famous almost overnight after The Columbus Dispatch newspaper posted a web video of him last week. Viewers were enthralled to hear a deep, honeyed professional voice coming from the shabbily dressed man.

Since then, he has done a TV commercial for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, appeared on various news shows, recorded voiceover promos for cable news and was offered an announcing job with the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.

Although he says he has been clean for more than two years, the recovering addict has acknowledged that it has been challenging dealing with sudden fame.

"I wanted a nerve pill yesterday, to be honest with you," he told CBS.

Falmouth police: Man rearrested after escape

FALMOUTH – A resident of a Locust Street halfway house was on the lam for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon after escaping from the police officers who had taken him to the hospital after arresting him in a Simpson Lane parking lot.

At 3:30 p.m., police arrested Stephen Anthony Michalik, 54, on two outstanding warrants. He had allegedly been wandering around the parking lot of an auto body shop and appeared intoxicated when officers responded, according to police.

While booking Michalik at the Falmouth police station, the man began rolling on the floor, complaining of chest pains he said stemmed from a recent heart surgery, police said.

Police transported Michalik to Falmouth Hospital, where he allegedly escaped from the emergency room, police said.

Nearly two hours later, a woman reported her black Ford Taurus stolen from the parking lot of the Visiting Nurse Association on Ter Heun Drive, which is across the street from the hospital.

Michalik allegedly stopped by a Mashpee school to ask students for cigarettes and money before heading down Route 151 and entering Route 28 South, according to police.

Police eventually caught up with Michalik at 6:18 p.m., almost three hours after he was initially arrested, because he rolled over the stolen Taurus near the Thomas B. Landers Road off-ramp, police said.

This time, he was booked at the police station without incident, police said. He was uninjured in the crash, they said.

Michalik was charged with several offenses including being a fugitive from justice on a court warrant, larceny of a motor vehicle and several traffic violations.

He is the fifth resident of the Locust Street halfway house in the past three weeks to be charged with a serious crime by Falmouth police.