Myspace Doesn't End At Death
[8/23/05]
(CNN) -- Two Wal-Mart employees were shot to death Tuesday in the parking lot of a company supercenter store in a Phoenix suburb, and police later nabbed a suspect after an areawide search, Glendale police said.
Police spokesman Mike Pena identified the man as 53-year-old Ed Liu of Peoria, Arizona. Pena said Liu would be charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
According to Pena, police received reports of shots fired at 1:20 p.m. (3:20 p.m. ET), and found the bodies of two men in the lot. Pena would not say what kind of gun was used in the killings.
The victims were identified as Patrick Graham, 18, and 19-year-old Anthony Spangler, both of Glendale, Pena said.
Police have not determined a motive for the shootings.
"He walked into their direction and fired several rounds at them which resulted in them dying of several gunshot wounds," Pena said.
A shopper who was loading purchases into her van said she saw Liu running back and forth in the parking lot before shots were fired.
"I had only half of my groceries in the car," she said. "I took my kids, and all three of us jumped in the car and we sat on the floor. ... Then I heard six or seven shots."
The woman said she saw one of the men collapse between two cars.
She said she felt safe enough to leave the van when she saw the store manager.
Video showed the second victim lying in a space reserved for shopping-cart returns.
The supercenter, which offers groceries, bakery goods, tires and other services, is in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix.
"This is something that you never imagine," Pena said. "This is a Wal-Mart located in the north sector of town, nice area and low crime -- something you don't expect to happen in that area."
| Published Tuesday, August 23, 2005 by Admin.
[8/22/05]
DYER | Lake County police continued Thursday to investigate the cause of a traffic accident that left a Schererville teen dead and his sister and another girl injured.
Nicholas Mittler, 16, of 2213 Deer Path Drive, died early Monday when his red four-door 2001 Kia Spectra struck a utility pole shortly before 3 a.m. Monday at 77th Avenue and Blaney Drive, on the southern outskirts of Dyer.
He was transferred to an Illinois hospital, where he later died. The Cook County medical examiner's office said the cause of death is multiple injuries due to an auto accident.
Two passengers in his car were treated at St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers, and were reported Thursday as released to their families.
Nicholas' sister, Leah L. Mittler, 15, suffered head injuries. Sandra Kukric, 14, of 2142 Deer Run Drive, Schererville, suffered injuries to the abdomen and pelvis.
Nicholas, remembered by his teachers as "bright, light-hearted, always smiling and friendly," died the day before he would have begun his junior year at Lake Central High School.
Sandra Sidock, an eighth-grade teacher at Grimmer Middle School who taught Nicholas in the 2002-03 school year, said he was "well liked and social," and always had a lot of friends. Nick could be counted on to help a new student feel more comfortable at Grimmer, she said.
The accident rattled the school system, Sidock said.
"We're really sad ... shocked ... it's unbelievable."
Lake Central High School made grief counselors available to students, administrators there said.
"It's a sad day for the Lake Central school corporation and community," said Assistant Superintendent Rocky Killion. "Our hearts go out to the family.
"You want to start the year out with better news," he said. "This puts a shadow over everything."
George Baranowski spoke highly of the young man who was a friend of his son and spent much time at their house.
And Ricky Barker said his friend "was good at pool and was really smart."
"He was friends with everyone."
While family and friends tried to deal with their loss, investigators attempted to piece together what happened.
Deputy Cmdr. James Tatge said investigators made measurements at the accident scene to estimate the speed of the vehicle before collision and were awaiting the results of toxicology tests to determine if alcohol or other controlled substances were a factor in the crash.
The initial police accident report states that Nicholas was westbound on 77th "at a high rate of speed approaching a hill crest just east of Blaney" when he attempted to stop. The car went sideways, striking a utility pole about 100 feet west of Blaney.
The report indicates the weather was clear and the road surface was dry. The officer making the report answered "Yes," to the question on the report, "Was this crash the result of aggressive driving?"
The report indicates Nicholas Mittler was wearing a lap belt and harness, but suffered head injuries.
| Published Monday, August 22, 2005 by Admin.
[8/16/05]
PLEASANTON — Police are investigating a hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of an 18-year-old Pleasanton man earlier this week. Authorities identified the victim as Vinh Tran.
On Tuesday about 10:45 p.m., Tran was riding a 2001 Yamaha R-6 motorcycle east on Bernal Avenue when a Dodge pickup turned left in front of him at the southbound onramp to Interstate 680, police said.
Tran collided with the right side of the truck, totaling the motorcycle and leaving him with mortal injuries. He was pronounced dead at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley.
Less than two hours after the accident, police located the pickup abandoned on Pleasanton-Sunol Road near Koopman Road. A search failed to locate the driver.
Investigators determined that a woman had rented the truck in Stockton. She told police she loaned it to a relative, a 29-year-old Tracy man, who was moving to the South Bay. Its believed the driver pulled off Interstate 680 while enroute to San Jose to buy fuel at the Shell station on Bernal Avenue. The accident happened as the truck headed back toward I-680. | Published Tuesday, August 16, 2005 by Admin.
[8/15/05]
Two college coeds used cocaine with a pair of convicted drug dealers and had fresh needle marks on their arms when they overdosed in a lower East Side apartment, sources said yesterday.
Police believe a bad batch of heroin may have contributed to the deaths of Mellie Carballo and Maria Pesantez, both 18 and with promising futures.
It was unclear who supplied the drugs, but heartbroken relatives of the victims blamed Roberto Martinez, 41, and Alfredo (Tito) Morales, 33, who were with the teens Friday when the students apparently overdosed.
"How is it possible that they are free?" asked distraught father Juan Carlos Pesantez outside the family's home in Jackson Heights, Queens. "With those [criminal] records? With two girls dead?"
Carballo, a second-semester student at Hunter College, and Pesantez, an NYU sophomore, were found about 6 p.m. Friday in an apartment at 484 E. Houston St. Carballo died 20 minutes later and Pesantez died Sunday.
The men admitted doing cocaine with the women, who met at St. Vincent Ferrer High School in Manhattan, a law enforcement source said.
Martinez, who placed a bouquet of red roses in front of the E. Houston St. apartment yesterday, told a different story to the Daily News. He said he came to the apartment, where Morales lives, after Morales called him in a panic.
"I saw [Pesantez] in the bedroom catching a seizure," Martinez said yesterday. "I tried to give her mouth-to-mouth and then I called 911."
Martinez said he met Carballo at a bar about a month ago and didn't meet Pesantez until Friday. He denied giving the women drugs, saying they brought drugs to Morales' apartment.
No one has been arrested and toxicology results are pending.
Morales was convicted in 1995 of possession of cocaine with intent to sell. Martinez, whose is on parole, has 13 narcotics arrests.
The coeds' friends told cops the women wanted to try heroin, a police source said. The friends also told police that Carballo, a former MTV intern, and Pesantez, a pianist and National Honor Society member, had done drugs before.
Relatives dispute that account.
"To my knowledge, she had never experimented with anything," said Celeste Carballo, 21, who shared a room with her sister at the family's West Side apartment.
| Published Monday, August 15, 2005 by Admin.
[8/14/05]
Former Overton baseball player and Belmont recruit Stephen Langston was killed early Sunday morning in an accident while riding in a pick-up truck in southern Williamson County, according to Overton baseball coach Mike Morrison.
Officials confirmed that Langston, 18, was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead early Sunday morning.
Another rider in the truck was injured and taken to Vanderbilt Hospital, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The accident occurred on U.S. 431 as the truck Langston was riding in was making its way back to Interstate 65. Morrison indicated that although the boys were out celebrating their final summer days before school started. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said alcohol was not a factor in the accident.
“It’s just a tremendous tragedy,” Morrison said. “Stephen was a kid who meant a whole lot to my son and was a good role model for people. He worked hard at the game and he’ll be missed by a lot of people. Stephen was one of the more-liked kids in our building and I never heard anybody say anything bad about him.”
Langston, who played shortstop for the Bobcats, played a crucial part in helping Overton get to the Class 3A state championship baseball game in Memphis this past May where the Bobcats entered the state tournament with a 32-4 record. Langston, batting in the third position, went six-for-16 during the state tournament, posting a three-for-four outing against Collierville to help Overton win 11-7 and advance to the championship game. The Bobcats fell in the final to Houston 9-1.
Langston, a three-year starter for Morrison, batted over .400 during his senior year and stole more than 20 bases.
“Belmont misses a chance to improve their team,” Morrison said. “He worked very hard at the game.”
Langston was an only child.
“The thoughts and prayers of the entire Belmont baseball family go out to Stephen’s Mom and Dad,” Belmont baseball coach Dave Jarvis said. “No words can describe what they must be going through. We felt Stephen was going to be a tremendous asset and would be able to contribute early and often. He was going to be a great fit for our program not only as a baseball player, but as a person too. Stephen was a gifted athlete and we were very fortunate to have recruited a player like that.”
| Published Sunday, August 14, 2005 by Admin.
[8/8/05]
Orinda, Calif. -- A college-bound Orinda 17-year-old who dreamed of running for public office one day has died from head injuries after he fell off a skateboard he was riding while holding onto a car.
Jonathan Sisto, a recent graduate of Miramonte High School, fell onto Dalewood Drive about 7 p.m. Thursday just after letting go of the back of a friend's car, police said.
"As far as we know, he was not wearing a helmet,'' Orinda Police Chief Larry Gregg said.
Police were already responding to a neighbor's complaint about youths riding skateboards while holding onto vehicles when they received the call that Sisto was injured, Gregg said.
"It looks like what happened is that he was being pulled by a vehicle down the road, and he let go of the vehicle at some point and then fell from the skateboard,'' Gregg said.
A police officer started cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and Sisto was airlifted by helicopter to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he was pronounced dead at 1:30 a.m.
The driver of the vehicle -- an 18-year-old former classmate of Sisto's -- was not arrested, and it is not clear whether he will face charges, said Gregg, who would not release the driver's name.
It is a violation of the California Vehicle Code to tow anyone behind an automobile on "toy vehicles,'' which would probably include a skateboard, he said.
Sisto graduated from high school in June and was expecting to head for George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in about a week, said a girl who lived next door to him.
Recently, Sisto, who had ambitions of running for public office, had become an Eagle Scout after building an access ramp at Lafayette Community Park.
Sisto had been living in recent years with his father in Orinda, but had lived previously with his mother, who is a resident of Lafayette, said Tom Steuber, scoutmaster of Troop 204 in Lafayette.
Steuber worked with Sisto for three years and called him a "real leader.''
Recently, a batch of 10-year-old boys joined the troop, and Sisto, despite being a senior in high school, made it a point to spend time helping them out, Steuber said.
"Jon was the guy who was consistently there. He was like a big brother to these boys who had just started,'' Steuber said. "They just thought he was a great guy.''
Sisto was active in sports in school, including football and track. He was "highly regarded by his friends and classmates,'' said Sharon Bartlett, an associate principal at Miramonte High School.
"This has caused almost like a mourning across the community,'' Bartlett said.
| Published Monday, August 08, 2005 by Admin.
[8/1/05]
LANCASTER -- The four Leominster friends were on the cusp of adulthood, spending a last carefree summer together before college and work, when they took a late-night, high-speed drive down the winding forest thoroughfare known locally as "rollercoaster road."
Early yesterday, all four were killed in a crash that so violently tumbled and twisted their car, police arriving at the scene could not figure out which of the four had been driving. None of the victims wore a seat belt, said police.
In Leominster, a city grieved for four young lives ended too soon: Hollie Duval, 18, wanted to be a detective; Christine Gallant, 20, planned to become a veterinarian; Todd Schofield, 20, had started training to become an electrician; and Nirmin Villahermosa, 20, had learned days ago that she would give birth in four months to a baby daughter -- she had already picked the name Iliana.
"It was that free summer before commitments, before the real world," said Hollie Duval's father, Chip Duval. "We're still in shock. Totally numb."
In Lancaster, devastated public officials yesterday discussed potential measures to improve safety on Old Union Turnpike, which had no speed limit signs on the mile-long stretch where the accident occurred despite local renown as an uninterrupted speedway.
At about 1 a.m. yesterday, a 911 call directed Lancaster police to a 1999 Oldsmobile Aurora registered to Gallant's grandmother wrapped around a tree.
"It was definitely excessive speed" that caused the accident, said Lancaster Police Chief Kevin D. Lamb. An investigative team retrieved a device from the car that could indicate its speed during the crash, and Lamb said yesterday afternoon that authorities won't know how fast the vehicle was traveling until that data is examined. Alcohol does not appear to have been a factor, said police.
The four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, with the three women's bodies still in the car and Schofield lying 40 feet away.
Yesterday in Leominster, four families and their extended communities mourned as they described four gregarious young people spending this summer at bonfire parties and countless hang-out sessions before starting on college or jobs this fall. A makeshift wooden memorial festooned with roses and daisies was left at the accident site.
It's not clear where they were headed when they died. But Cindy Duval said she heard joy in her daughter Hollie's voice when they last spoke, less than an hour before the crash.
"She called me at midnight and said she was out riding with Nirman," she said. "She was just having a good time."
Hollie Duval had planned to attend Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, where her family said she wanted to forge a career in criminology. But this summer was all about fun.
"She was an 18-year-old energetic teenager who enjoyed her friends and her freedom," said her father. "Her favorite thing was to go out, to enjoy life."
"She didn't take sides. She was everybody's friend," said Albert Walent, 21, remembering Villahermosa, his girlfriend and mother of his unborn child.
Her mother, also named Nirmin Villahermosa, was inconsolable yesterday, pointing to her daughter's photo and saying: "I'm never going to see that face again."
While Schofield's family refused to comment, a family friend, Berta Aikey, 49, recalled him as a dedicated student-athlete.
"When he was a student, he was a student, when he was a football player, he was a football player," she said. ''He was self-motivating and self-sufficient."
Three of the four victims had graduated from Leominster High School. Duval attended a private school.
In recent weeks, other similar tragedies have unfolded on Massachusetts roads: A 17-year-old died in a Billerica drag-racing incident last week, and a Woburn teen faces charges after an accident killed his 14-year-old girlfriend in June. However, there does not appear to be any upward trend in youth car accidents, according to state data covering 1998 to last year. A bill pending on Beacon Hill would require more training for young drivers and give police more power to restrict when and with whom teens drive.
Old Union Turnpike has a 40-miles-per-hour speed limit. There is no speed limit sign posted within a half mile of the crash site. Lamb, whose department has responsibility over the local speed limits and sign placement, said he thought the signs on the road were adequate. Last month, after local complaints, police temporarily put an electronic sign on Old Union that flashed the speed of passing motorists. But Lamb said his tiny police force -- two officers work each shift -- was hard pressed to thoroughly monitor the road.
"It's always been known as rollercoaster road," said Lamb. "Kids, adults have all gone up there and gone over the speed limit. I can remember doing it when I was young. Everybody took a turn at it."
Lancaster officials said they would seek ways to make the road safer, but one selectman, Shawn Winsor, yesterday wondered whether unsafe drivers are to blame. "The harsh accidents there usually involve young people," he said. "The road doesn't seem to be terrible if you're traveling at the speed limit."
| Published Monday, August 01, 2005 by Admin.
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