RICHMOND -- Four teenagers face potential life sentences in connection with the gang-rape of a 15-year-old girl outside her homecoming dance at Richmond High School, Contra Costa County prosecutors said Wednesday.
Three minors — 15, 16 and 17 — are each charged with felony rape with a foreign object. The charges all carry an enhancement that they acted in concert, which could make them eligible for life in prison if found true, Deputy District Attorney Dara Cashman said.
The 16-year-old also has been charged with robbery. Cashman charged a fourth suspect, 19-year-old Manuel Ortega, with robbery, assault causing great bodily injury, rape in concert and an enhancement that also makes him eligible for life in prison.
The youths were charged as adults "because this crime speaks to a high degree of callousness and viciousness," said Contra Costa Deputy District Attorney Dan Cabral, head of the office's juvenile division.
Cashman and Richmond police detectives said Wednesday that they expect to make more arrests in the case. A fifth suspect arrested Tuesday night, 21-year-old Salvador Rodriguez, remains in custody but has not been charged.
Police say the suspects all participated in the two-hour assault in a shadowy courtyard while students partied in a gym across campus Saturday night.
Detectives continued searching for more suspects Wednesday. They can only estimate how many participated in the rape — perhaps seven — after the victim fell into a drunken stupor in their company.
Police say the victim left the dance about 9:30 p.m. and walked north on 23rd Street, intending to phone her father for a ride home. But before she did, a classmate called to her from behind a chain-link fence that separates a campus courtyard from the street.
"Her friend called to her, then hopped the fence and escorted her" up Emeric Avenue to a low gate that led into a campus parking lot, Lt. Mark Gagan said.
They joined up with a group of other teens and young adults hanging out and drinking in the poorly lit courtyard.
The victim drank a large amount of brandy in a short amount of time while socializing, police said, then collapsed. Someone dragged her to a bench, where several people stripped her, beat her, stole her jewelry and other belongings, and raped her.
The sexual assault continued for about two hours, detectives estimate, with several men and boys taking part, possibly including some who arrived after the attack began, as word spread.
News of the ongoing rape eventually reached Raul Rubio from passers-by, as he stood on a corner with friends about a block from campus. After verifying the claim, he went to his girlfriend's nearby home, and she called 9-1-1.
Richmond police spent the next four days interviewing dozens of teens and young adults, leading them to the suspects. Detectives have recovered some of the victim's property, including her cell phone, Detective Ken Greco said.
The department offers a $20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.
The victim remained hospitalized Wednesday in stable condition, police said.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Teen Knowingly Pointed Loaded Gun At Girl
Boy Charged With Murder In Girlfriend's Death
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Deputies released new information Thursday in connection with the death of a 17-year-old girl who was shot in what deputies now say was a case of Russian roulette gone wrong.
Deputies said that Phillip Alexander Cannon, 16, told them that he knew the gun he pointed at his girlfriend, Kelly Nicole Kimbrell, was loaded. Cannon told deputies that one chamber in the gun was empty, and he thought that was the one the gun was set on. Cannon said he pointed the gun at Kimbrell, and said, "I'm going to shoot you," before he pulled the trigger.
Kimbrell was wounded in the chest and died at the scene just after 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Deputies had initially thought the shooting was accidental, but after interviewing Cannon and speaking to the solicitor, Cannon was charged with murder.
Investigators said that Cannon and Kimbrell were part of a group of teens who had skipped school at Boiling Springs High School. Cannon told deputies that they had "skipped school to get high."
Investigators said that they found marijuana in the apartment, but that they won't know if the students had used drugs until they get back the results of toxicology tests.
Officials said that Cannon and Kimbrell were boyfriend and girlfriend, but Thursday, Kimbrell's mother told WYFF News 4 that her daughter was not dating Cannon, and that she had been dating someone else for more than a year.
Deputies said that the .357-magnum handgun belonged to Cannon's father and the shooting happened in the apartment at The Haven on Maidstone Drive that the 16-year-old shared with his father.
According to sheriff's investigators, the gun was readily accessible in the home. State law does not require weapons to be concealed or locked up inside of residences.
Cannon's attorney, N. Douglas Brannon, said that Cannon waived his right to an arraignment Thursday night and signed a document on which he also indicated a not guilty plea.
Cannon is in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice, but officials will not say where he is being held, so it is unclear if he is in Spartanburg or if he has been moved to Columbia.
On Thursday, officials at Boiling Springs High School said that they were trying to make the day as "normal" as possible, though counselors were available on campus to help any students who needed grief counseling.
Why Is the Charge Murder?
Spartanburg County sheriff's Deputy Maj. Dan Johnson said, "One factor that's weighed heavily in the investigation is the fact he did have some knowledge the gun did have some live rounds in the handgun."
The sheriff's office said that there are other factors that cannot be discussed at this time.
Spartanburg County Coroner Jim Burnett ruled Kimbrell's death a homicide. In a written statement, Burnett said: "An accidental death would a death where the individuals involved would not foresee the result. It is my opinion that the handling of a loaded, deadly weapon (a firearm) can be foreseen as possibly leading to death or serious injury."
He also wrote the defendant "did fire at the gun at the victim intentionally knowing the gun was loaded."
The solicitor's office said that a murder charge is based on the presence of malice aforethought and lack of justification.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Deputies released new information Thursday in connection with the death of a 17-year-old girl who was shot in what deputies now say was a case of Russian roulette gone wrong.
Deputies said that Phillip Alexander Cannon, 16, told them that he knew the gun he pointed at his girlfriend, Kelly Nicole Kimbrell, was loaded. Cannon told deputies that one chamber in the gun was empty, and he thought that was the one the gun was set on. Cannon said he pointed the gun at Kimbrell, and said, "I'm going to shoot you," before he pulled the trigger.
Kimbrell was wounded in the chest and died at the scene just after 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Deputies had initially thought the shooting was accidental, but after interviewing Cannon and speaking to the solicitor, Cannon was charged with murder.
Investigators said that Cannon and Kimbrell were part of a group of teens who had skipped school at Boiling Springs High School. Cannon told deputies that they had "skipped school to get high."
Investigators said that they found marijuana in the apartment, but that they won't know if the students had used drugs until they get back the results of toxicology tests.
Officials said that Cannon and Kimbrell were boyfriend and girlfriend, but Thursday, Kimbrell's mother told WYFF News 4 that her daughter was not dating Cannon, and that she had been dating someone else for more than a year.
Deputies said that the .357-magnum handgun belonged to Cannon's father and the shooting happened in the apartment at The Haven on Maidstone Drive that the 16-year-old shared with his father.
According to sheriff's investigators, the gun was readily accessible in the home. State law does not require weapons to be concealed or locked up inside of residences.
Cannon's attorney, N. Douglas Brannon, said that Cannon waived his right to an arraignment Thursday night and signed a document on which he also indicated a not guilty plea.
Cannon is in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice, but officials will not say where he is being held, so it is unclear if he is in Spartanburg or if he has been moved to Columbia.
On Thursday, officials at Boiling Springs High School said that they were trying to make the day as "normal" as possible, though counselors were available on campus to help any students who needed grief counseling.
Why Is the Charge Murder?
Spartanburg County sheriff's Deputy Maj. Dan Johnson said, "One factor that's weighed heavily in the investigation is the fact he did have some knowledge the gun did have some live rounds in the handgun."
The sheriff's office said that there are other factors that cannot be discussed at this time.
Spartanburg County Coroner Jim Burnett ruled Kimbrell's death a homicide. In a written statement, Burnett said: "An accidental death would a death where the individuals involved would not foresee the result. It is my opinion that the handling of a loaded, deadly weapon (a firearm) can be foreseen as possibly leading to death or serious injury."
He also wrote the defendant "did fire at the gun at the victim intentionally knowing the gun was loaded."
The solicitor's office said that a murder charge is based on the presence of malice aforethought and lack of justification.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Cheerleader Killer Gets Life Sentence
Yolanda Thompson And Husband Lured, Stabbed Teen; Dumped Body
UNION, S.C. -- A Union County woman who pleaded guilty to helping kill her husband's teenage girlfriend was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday.
Yolanda Thompson's sentence was handed down just before noon on Friday.
Yolanda Thompson addressed the judge during her murder sentencing.
Prosecutors said Thompson and her husband lured 16-year-old Union High School cheerleader Marisha Jeter to a parking lot in January 2008. The Thompsons beat Jeter to the ground, stabbed her multiple times, and then dumped the girl's body over a bridge and burned her car.
"I am not an awful person, but I did do an awful thing," Yolanda told the court. "I allowed myself to be in a vulnerable situation that escalated to something that I regret and I'm extremely sorry for."
Six people spoke to the court on behalf of Thompson, including her parents, her aunt and friends of the family. They all asked the judge for mercy.
"My actions have broken a lot of hearts and has caused a flow of many tears that I don't have the power to heal," Yolanda told the court.
Yolanda's attorney painted her as a loving, intelligent woman whose inability to have a normal relationship with a man came from ongoing abuse when she was a child.
"What you have emerging is someone with extraordinary intellectual capacity, strong work ethic and then a very stunted or impaired emotional development," said attorney Harry Dest.
Marisha Jeter's brother, uncle and father addressed the court.
"They talk about [Yolanda] being abused, but she wasn't stabbed 33 times and her throat was cut and then thrown into a river -- that's worse than abuse," said Manning Jeter, Marisha's father.
Jeter's relatives talked about the fact that the teen's mother could not be in court due to the toll the case has taken on her health.
"I would like to ask just everybody, just please, just pray for my family," Jeter told WYFF News4's Mike McCormick.
The Jeter family asked the judge not to have mercy on Yolanda. The judge called it a "tragedy for everyone" and then handed down the sentence of life without parole.
It's the same sentence Yolanda's husband, Pernell, is serving. He pleaded guilty to the murder in September and by doing so, avoided a trial and the possibility of the death penalty.
Yolanda Thompson pleaded guilty to the murder in March but she wasn't sentenced then because she was supposed to participate in the prosecution of her husband at his trial.
Jeter's father said he's pleased with the sentences.
"Neither one of them has gotten what I feel they deserve, but being put where they're being put, there's no way they're going to ever be able to hurt anybody else and that gives me a little bit of relief," said Jeter.
UNION, S.C. -- A Union County woman who pleaded guilty to helping kill her husband's teenage girlfriend was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday.
Yolanda Thompson's sentence was handed down just before noon on Friday.
Yolanda Thompson addressed the judge during her murder sentencing.
Prosecutors said Thompson and her husband lured 16-year-old Union High School cheerleader Marisha Jeter to a parking lot in January 2008. The Thompsons beat Jeter to the ground, stabbed her multiple times, and then dumped the girl's body over a bridge and burned her car.
"I am not an awful person, but I did do an awful thing," Yolanda told the court. "I allowed myself to be in a vulnerable situation that escalated to something that I regret and I'm extremely sorry for."
Six people spoke to the court on behalf of Thompson, including her parents, her aunt and friends of the family. They all asked the judge for mercy.
"My actions have broken a lot of hearts and has caused a flow of many tears that I don't have the power to heal," Yolanda told the court.
Yolanda's attorney painted her as a loving, intelligent woman whose inability to have a normal relationship with a man came from ongoing abuse when she was a child.
"What you have emerging is someone with extraordinary intellectual capacity, strong work ethic and then a very stunted or impaired emotional development," said attorney Harry Dest.
Marisha Jeter's brother, uncle and father addressed the court.
"They talk about [Yolanda] being abused, but she wasn't stabbed 33 times and her throat was cut and then thrown into a river -- that's worse than abuse," said Manning Jeter, Marisha's father.
Jeter's relatives talked about the fact that the teen's mother could not be in court due to the toll the case has taken on her health.
"I would like to ask just everybody, just please, just pray for my family," Jeter told WYFF News4's Mike McCormick.
The Jeter family asked the judge not to have mercy on Yolanda. The judge called it a "tragedy for everyone" and then handed down the sentence of life without parole.
It's the same sentence Yolanda's husband, Pernell, is serving. He pleaded guilty to the murder in September and by doing so, avoided a trial and the possibility of the death penalty.
Yolanda Thompson pleaded guilty to the murder in March but she wasn't sentenced then because she was supposed to participate in the prosecution of her husband at his trial.
Jeter's father said he's pleased with the sentences.
"Neither one of them has gotten what I feel they deserve, but being put where they're being put, there's no way they're going to ever be able to hurt anybody else and that gives me a little bit of relief," said Jeter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
