Category: Violent Crimes
According to the Los Angeles Times, a 22-year-old man faces three counts of capital murder after a pregnant Venice woman was fatally stabbed. The 38-year-old woman, and the twins whom she was pregnant with, were killed during a robbery. The suspect accused of the murder has also been charged with rape. According to the report, while the suspect does have a history of burglary and trespassing, there was never any indication that he was predisposed to the violence found to have taken place in the Venice slaying. In any Los Angeles murder case, it is vital that all details of… Read More
The boyfriend of a slain 24-year-old Reseda woman has been charged with her murder. According to an abclocal.go.com article, the 30-year-old East Los Angeles man allegedly had an altercation with the woman on December 20, 2009, which reportedly ended with the woman being repeatedly stabbed with an ice pick. The boyfriend now faces one charge of murder with a deadly and dangerous weapon. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison term of 26 years-to-life, and is currently in custody on $1 million bail. The story explains that the woman’s body was discovered the following day in Winnetka. The woman’s brother… Read More
In 2008, the number of hate crimes nationwide dropped. However, the Santa Clarita Valley actually experienced a slight increase in such crimes, with the number of reported incidents increasing from 27 to 30. According to the-signal.com, the increase in hate crimes has come at the heels of a decrease in the number of violent and other more common crimes. Compared to other county areas, Santa Clarita’s hate crime numbers are still relatively low, although current numbers are more than twice what they were in 2004. From 2007 to 2008, the Santa Clarita Valley saw an 11% increase in hate crimes,… Read More
According to an article in L.A. Weekly, a Los Angeles serial killer dubbed the “Grim Sleeper” has resurfaced over the past few years, rekindling his propensity for murder that originally began in 1985. Reportedly, a composite drawing of the male suspect, as well as vehicle descriptions, have been re-released by the LAPD, in hopes that it might spark some clue as to the man’s identity. Police have been investigating the slayings for over two decades, and have connected both DNA and ballistics evidence to a slew of killings that have taken place over the years.The Los Angeles City Council has… Read More
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that a 28-year-old man’s request to have his death sentence removed was denied by a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge. The man was convicted for the murders of two past girlfriends, the second of which occurred because the second victim, the man’s girlfriend at the time, refused to help him cover up the murder of his first girlfriend. The judge labeled that man as “coldblooded” as he denied him a reduction in his prison sentence. Allegedly, the convicted man was motivated by jealousy in the first slaying. The second slaying apparently occurred simply because… Read More
Instances of white-collar crime involving Medicare have resulted in the indictment of 331 people across the country since March of 2007. According to the Associated Press, 20 people have recently been charged with filing fraudulent Medicare claims that amounted to the astronomical amount of $26 million. Reportedly, the fraudulent claims took the form of billing for pricey medical equipment that was not required to help any individual with his or her rehabilitation. In some instances, Medicare was billed for equipment that was never received, and in some cases billed for equipment that was supposedly purchased by individuals who were no… Read More
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that the Los Angeles Police Department and federal authorities teamed up in a raid that targeted a Los Angeles street gang responsible for crimes ranging from assault to drug charges to murder. The street gang in question calls multiple cities and areas in the Los Angeles area its home, has affiliations with prison gangs, and has a long history of committing violent acts against those whom they consider outsiders. The raid involved the detainment and arrest of a large number of individuals for a wide variety of charges. In such matters, it is important… Read More
A recent story put out by the Associated Press tells of a startling trend pertaining to homicides involving children. In Los Angeles, a woman stands accused of killing her two daughters, ages 11 and 17. In Orange County, a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old were allegedly wounded by their mother. And in Ventura County, a 12-year-old boy and his 7-year-old sister were stabbed to death allegedly by their father. In all of these cases, the serious question as to why parents are supposedly willing to hurt their children needs to be asked, and the circumstances surrounding the slayings and injuries need… Read More
According to Los Angeles’s KTLA-TV channel 5, the trial of a man responsible for a drunk-driving crash that took the lives of three people will be postponed for at least six months. Such a decision was determined after the private attorney defending the 22-year-old removed himself from the case, citing inability to adequately defend his client as the basis of his necessary leave. This particular case gained notoriety in that one of the crash victims was 22-year-old Nick Adenhart, a professional baseball player of the Angels. The motorist responsible for the accident now faces 54 years to life in prison… Read More
According to the Associated Press, a California man currently stands on trial for the 2000 death of his 4-year-old daughter. The young girl plummeted to her death from a 120 foot-high cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes. Speculation on the part of the prosecution claims that the father, in a wayward attempt at having to avoid paying child support, threw his daughter off the cliff. On the other hand, the defense claims that the whole incident was an accident and that the 47-year-old father loved his daughter dearly and would never do such a thing. This most recent trial is the… Read More