TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Category: Crime

  • Bonelli appeal denied

    Mall shooter’s final appeal denied:

    Robert Bonelli, the Hudson Valley Mall gunman, has reached the end of his appeals.

    The state’s highest court won’t hear an appeal by the Saugerties man who went on a 2005 shooting spree inside the Hudson Valley Mall, effectively ending any chance Robert Bonelli Jr. had of reducing his 32-year sentence.

    In a prepared statement issued Monday, Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams said the Court of Appeals denial “marks the end of Bonelli’s appellate rights in New York state courts.”

    Bonelli, 27, had sought permission to appeal his sentence to the Court of Appeals, after the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court, Third Department, in June ruled it could find no compelling reason to reduce the sentence meted out by state Supreme Court Justice Michael Kavanagh.

    Bonelli pleaded guilty in March 2006 to 18 counts of assault, reckless endangerment, criminal use of a firearm, possession of a weapon and criminal mischief and was sentenced two years later to 32 years in state prison.

    He immediately appealed his sentence, claiming his attorney, Ulster County Public Defender Andrew Kossover, was ineffective and that the sentence handed down by Kavanagh was incorrect and excessive.

    The appellate court rejected Bonelli’s argument, ruling Kavanagh acted properly in imposing consecutive, rather than concurrent sentences on the assault and criminal use of a firearm charges because the crimes were committed through “separate and distinct acts.”

    If you remember Bonelli also had a Columbine “fascination”. (i.e. he’s a mutant) I guess you won’t see daylight Bobby until 2043 like the good little CHUD you are.

  • Ashton Glover’s killer pleads guilty

    Sugar Land teen pleads guilty in classmate’s killing:

    Matt McCombs, the sick S.O.B. who shot Ashton Glover in the head over morbid curiosity, has pleaded guilty to the crime.

    Under the plea, he was sentenced to 50 years in prison but he will be eligible for parole in 25 years.

    Ashton’s parents, Terry Glover and Sue Smith, were consulted by prosecutors about the plea arrangement before it was finalized and agreed to the terms. Both, along with other family and friends, were in court today.

    Since it seems like Ashton’s parents agreed to the plea I’m not going to complain.

    The article states that no court date has been set for McComb’s partner Sean Brown but as I’ve posted before an Oct. 2 court date was originally set.

  • More on Devin Moore’s appeal

    Moore’s appeal keys on racial makeup of jury:

    Like I predicted, not that it was that hard of a prediction, Devin Moore’s attorneys are not only using the GTA defense but they’re also playing the race card.

    Moore was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in the June 7, 2003, shootings of officers Arnold Strickland and James Crump and 9-11 dispatcher Leslie “Ace” Mealer at the Fayette Police Department.

    Angela L. Setzer, his appellate lawyer from the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama, told Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals judges that Moore didnÂ?t get a fair trial because the judge had disallowed expert testimony and the prosecutor improperly removed black jurors. She also charges that Fayette County District Attorney Chris McCool inflamed the all-white jury by comparing the crime to FayetteÂ?s own Â?9-11″ terrorist attack.

    Moore, 22, is black and his victims were white.

    He had just turned 18 and was about to be fingerprinted for car-theft charges when he grabbed Strickland’s .40-caliber automatic pistol and shot his three victims before escaping. Moore also tried to shoot out the glass on the police station door so he could re-enter to retrieve his brand-new, $85 K-Swiss sneakers.

    Let me enlighten some people. This was never about race. This was about Devin Moore’s car stealing then subsequent murder of two cops and a dispatcher.

    Would an all black jury bring those people back to life or go back in time and stop Moore from killing anybody? No. Then this appeal has no legs.

    Moore is a cop killer and he deserves to die.

    Link via GamePolitics.

  • GTA Killer appeals conviction

    Appeals court to hear Moore case:

    Devin Moore, aka the GTA Killer, is appealing his conviction in the murders of two Alabama police officers and a dispatcher. When he was arrested Moore said “Life is a video game. Everybody has to die sometime.”

    Of course, during his trial, The One Who Shall Not Be Named got involved and claimed that Moore’s violence was caused by the infamous Grand Theft Auto video game. The Nameless One went as far as to file lawsuits against the game manufacturer and the game retailer.

    The video game defense wasn’t even allowed into Moore’s trial. Moore was convicted and sentenced to death.

    Now Moore and his attorneys are appealing his conviction using the video game argument again…

    Moore, now 22, claimed the video game “Grand Theft Auto” and childhood abuse influenced his decision-making. His theory was rejected and the video game defense was disallowed during trial. He was convicted on Aug. 9, 2005, and later sentenced to death.

    Moore’s attorney, James Standridge, had said that his client suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Standridge argued that when Moore was in a Â?dissociative state” he automatically reverted to scripted behavior influenced by his repetitive video game exposure and childhood abuse.

    If the video game defense wasn’t even allowed into the trial what makes them think it will work in the appeal. If this actually works then there is no justice anymore.

    Link via Game Politics.

  • Torture victim held captive for a month

    Police Say Williams Abused for More Than a Month:

    Police are now stating that Megan Williams was held captive for a month, not a week, by the Deliverance Reject Family from West Virginia.

    Megan Williams went into the trailer home in Logan County where police say she was raped, beaten and tortured on Aug. 2, according to court testimony heard on Tuesday. Bobby Ray Brewster, 24, one of the six suspects in the case, got out of jail on Aug. 2 on charges he hit and threatened Williams, according to testimony from a Logan County sheriff’s deputy.

    So the first thing Cletus does is when he gets out of lock-up is to kidnap somebody.

    New charges have been filed as well…

    Besides Brewster, the others charged include his mother, 49-year-old Frankie Lee Brewster. Also on Tuesday, the original charges against suspect Frankie Brewster were amended to include first degree sexual assault, giving false information during the commission of a felony, kidnapping and three counts of misdemeanor battery.

    More details of the abuse…

    During the hearing, prosecuting attorneys presented a fly swatter, a knife and a wooden stick. Lawyers told the court the suspects used the implements to beat Williams. Each impliment had red and brown stains, but they will all be tested to determined what the material is. Deputies also testified that Williams went willingly to the home, but the suspects would later refuse to let her leave.

    And more of the family’s stellar record…

    The suspects had lengthy criminal records In 1994, Frankie Brewster was indicted on first degree murder charges, but pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of an 84-year old woman. In March of this year, her son Bobby Brewster, was charged with brandishing a deadly weapon. Last year he was charged with battery on a police officer. Combs’ criminal history includes a malicious wounding charge in 2006. Messer has several domestic violence charges, including second offense domestic assault and burglary. Karen Burton and her daughter Alisha have also been arrested on numerous occasions. Karen Burton has been charged with assault on a police officer. Her daughter was charged with domestic assault in May.

    It’s amazing that this family of scumbags were even out on the streets.

  • White’s lawyers appeal to Mo. Supreme Court

    Lawyers take school shooting case to Mo. Supreme Court:

    The lawyers for Thomas White are appealing to the Missouri Supreme Court to have White tried as a juvenile.

    Public defenders said Monday they have appealed to reverse a lower court’s July decision that Thomas White, 14, should be tried as an adult. He faces four felony counts related to the school shooting last October and a charge of attempted escape from juvenile custody.

    White was 13 at the time of the shooting at Memorial Middle School.

    Nobody was injured when White allegedly fired a single shot into the ceiling. Prosecutors allege that White repeatedly tried to shoot the school’s principal but that the gun jammed.

    The public defenders are just delaying the inevitable. Now all court proceedings will be postponed until the state supreme court issues a decision or reverts the case back to a lower court. My prediction is that the Missouri Supreme Court will more than likely refuse to hear the case.

    If they do hear the case I’m sure they’ll get a bunch of tear-stained letters from suburban housewives who think no teen is capable of murder. Just on that possibility alone, I wouldn’t hear the case if I was a Justice.

  • I guess this was bound to happen

    Groups press for hate-crime charges in woman’s alleged torture:

    First, let me tell you my stance on hate crime legislation. Personally, I think all violent crimes are hate crimes but I’m not opposed to any legislation that keeps criminal scumbags behind bars longer.

    Now let’s get to the story.

    Representatives of several black churches appealed to prosecutors Thursday to pursue hate-crime or civil-rights charges against six white people accused of torturing a black woman over several days.

    Normally I would agree with them but this is a special case. Like I’ve mentioned before the kidnapping and sexual assault charges carry more weight than the hate crime charges. The church leaders should be more concerned about justice being done than having prosecutors file charges that at this point would be nothing more than symbolic in nature.

    While black church leaders are calling for marches and protests the NAACP is taking a wait and see approach…

    The NAACP said it was monitoring the case. “We expect the authorities to do the right thing in bringing the responsible parties involved in these despicable and heinous events to justice with the full weight of the law,” Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, said in a statement.

    Remember the kidnapping charges carry a max life sentence and the sexual assault charge carries a max of 35 years. The hate crime charges only carry 10 years. Let them secure the kidnapping conviction first then file hate crime charges.

  • Amnesty International and the new Mumia film

    Death Penalty: Hard Hitting Mumia Abu-Jamal Film Launched:

    It seems that Amnesty International has its claws in a new movie about convicted cop killing scumbag Mumia Abu-Jamal.

    A new documentary film on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal will screen at the London Film Festival next month. The film has the support of Amnesty International as part of its international campaign to abolish the death penalty.

    The feature-length documentary, ‘In Prison My Whole Life’, examines the controversial case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther Party activist who has been in prison for murder in the United States since 1981, much of that time facing a death sentence. There are serious doubts about the fairness of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s original trial and he is currently appealing against his conviction. Amnesty international is calling for fresh trial.

    The only people who have doubts about Mumia’s conviction are the anti-death penalty zealots which AI happens to be a part of if not the head.

    Let’s hear from some of the said zealots…

    Livia Firth said:

    ‘The film illustrates another example of the many reasons why the death penalty is never an acceptable form of punishment.

    ‘Amnesty International has contributed to the making of the film, having previously called for a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal and we are thrilled that they have agreed to support the film as part of their ongoing worldwide campaign against capital punishment.’

    Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

    ‘It’s shocking that the US justice system has repeatedly failed to address the appalling violation of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s fundamental fair trial rights.

    ‘We’ve documented Mumia Abu-Jamal’s plight several times before and we strongly welcome this film as a fresh opportunity to focus attention on his situation. We hope that the film’s viewers will back our call for a fair retrial for Mumia Abu-Jamal – and also support our work opposing the death penalty in the US and around the world.’

    I wonder what AI’s stance on cop killing is? Amnesty International used to be an honorable organization. They had a big hand in having apartheid abolished in South Africa but it seems like ever since then they’ve been nothing more than a bunch of busybodies sticking their noses into letting criminals free. Mumia is not a political prisoner. He’s nothing more than a cowardly thug who is overdue on his appointment with a needle.

  • WV Torture follow up

    A ton of news has come out about the kidnapping and torturing of Megan Williams. I’m going to bring you all the “highlights” that I have.

    Brewster relative says Frankie and Bobby have had a hard life:

    I was wondering how long it would take for this one to come out. Like it could possibly excuse what these monsters did.

    Carrie Brewster confirmed that when he was 14, Bobby Brewster was accused of fatally shooting his father, Bisha Tomblin, in 1998. Other than that, the grandmother didn’t want to talk about her grandson’s or daughter’s criminal pasts.

    Boo-freakin’ Hoo. To me, that just means that Bobby Brewster should have been locked up a long time ago.

    Magistrate says torture suspect revealed plans to kill victim:

    Apparently, the Clampetts on Crack were planning on killing Megan Williams.

    One of the six defendants charged in the weeklong torture of a Charleston woman allegedly told a magistrate the group planned to take the woman to an area lake and kill her.

    Logan County Magistrate Leonard Codispoti says 49-year-old Frankie Brewster blurted out the planned killing during her arraignment this weekend.

    Not the sharpest tools in the shed are they?

    W.Va. Victim Knew Torture Suspect:

    Megan Williams knew at least one of her attackers…

    One of the six suspects arrested in the case, Bobby Brewster, had a previous relationship with the victim, Logan County Prosecutor Brian Abraham told The Associated Press. He said Brewster had been charged in July with domestic battery and assault after a domestic dispute involving the same woman.

    “She obviously had some sort of social relationship,” Abraham said. “That is based on the fact that she was present at his residence on a prior date.”

    I don’t care if they were knockin’ boots. I don’t care that Ms. Williams may not have been willing to get out of an abusive relationship. There is nothing you can say to me that is going to make disparage the victim. What was done to her was not even in the realm of humanity. It was more like being attacked by a pack of wild mangy filthy dogs.

    No Hate Crime Charges in Torture Case:

    Now before everyone gets their panties in a wad it’s not because authorities believe this wasn’t a hate crime. However, the kidnapping and sexual assault charges carry stiffer sentences. While the hate crime statute only carries a max sentence of 10 years the sexual assault statute carries a max of 35 years and the kidnapping statute carries a max of life. Personally, I think these rejects from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre should get death but WV does not have the death penalty.

    Locals: Torture Suspects Were Trouble:

    Surprise surprise. The neighbors weren’t too fond of the white trash De Sade family.

    Charlotte and Roy Williams tried to avoid their neighbors, a rowdy bunch who blared music for days on end. But the noise may have been the least of their offenses.

    “If I knowed that was happening up there, I would have gone up there myself to try and help that girl,” said Roy Williams, who is not related to Megan Williams.

    Police tape remained at the scene in Big Creek, and empty beer cans filled a rusting shopping cart next to the mobile home. An empty TV dinner tray collected rainwater near the front door.

    Like many in Big Creek, Roy Williams, 61, and his wife, Charlotte, 49, avoided the property.

    “We know everyone over here in this area – except them,” Charlotte Williams said. “We didn’t want to know them.”

    Since 1991, police have filed 108 criminal charges against the six.

    Frankie Brewster was charged in 1994 with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter and wanton endangerment. She was released from prison in 2000 after serving five years in the death of an 84-year-old woman, court records show.

    Bobby Brewster was accused in March of attacking his mother with a machete, according to court records. The outcome of those charges domestic assault, brandishing a deadly weapon and obstructing an officer – was not immediately clear.

    He also faces domestic battery and assault charges after a dispute involving Megan Williams in July. A court date has not yet been set.

    The Brewsters were constantly fighting, drinking and disrupting the otherwise quiet hollow in southern West Virginia, Roy and Charlotte Williams said.

    “Sometimes we’d hear music playing really loud,” Charlotte Williams said. “We could tell you what the words to the song was, it was so clear. It would go for three or four days, 24 hours a day sometimes.”

    Quite literally the neighbors from hell. I hope they go back there soon.

  • Trial date set for Ashton Glover’s murder

    Murder trial set for Oct. 2:

    A lot of people have been asking me when Matt McCombs and Sean would be going on trial for the murder of 16-year-old Ashton Glover. I originally heard that it was going to be the first week in October. That is still true but now we have a specific date. It is going to start on October 2nd. Here’s hoping that justice is served with extreme prejudice.