USEC IM USA Edition

The shocking moment Disney Cruise Line dining room server, 33, ‘molested girl, 11, in ship elevator’

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:48:37 +0000

By Daily Mail Reporter

Surveillance video shows the shocking moment an 11-year-old girl was allegedly molested by a Disney cruise worker at Port Canaveral, Florida just hours before the ship set sail.

Milton Braganza, a 33-year-old dining room server from Goa, India, allegedly fondled the girl’s breasts and forcibly kissed her shortly after the Brazilian adolescent boarded the Disney Dream ship on August 5 with her grandmother and sister for a five-night journey to the Bahamas.

Since Florida authorities were not informed, the suspect stayed aboard the ship as it set sail and has since been released by police in the Bahamas to return to his home country, angering U.S.officials.

Onboard: Surveillance video shows 33-year-old Indian dining room server Milton Braganza (right) hold open an elevator door for the 11-year-old victim (left)

Encounter: From the video, it appears the man lifts up his hand to usher the girl into the elevator (left). She stands inside while the cruise employee has his back turned to the camera

Claims: Though the suspect’s back blocks the camera view, he is seen speaking to the girl and bending down at some point during the encounter

CCTV: Disney Cruise Line server ‘molesting’ girl of 11

Surveillance video shows the young passenger encountering the cruise line employee at 2:54pm, near the elevators shortly after she boarded the ship. According to estimates, a five day journey on a Disney cruises costs an average of $900 per person.

The girl boarded the elevator, where she said the man grabbed her breast, groped her and then kissed her, putting ‘mouth on mouth,’ she said according to a cruise security report.

In the video, the man’s back is to the camera blocking a view of the girl.

She informed her grandmother of the assault and minutes later video shows the girl, her grandmother and her sister emerging from an elevator and making their way to the ship’s customer service desk to report the crime.

Suspect: The manager of the ship’s dining facility identified the man in the surveillance video as Milton Braganza, a 33-year-old dining room server from Goa, India

Allegations: Police in Nassau, Bahamas say the suspect Milton Braganza confessed to touching the 11-year-old girl’s breast on August 7, two days after the incident

Security officers on the ship began investigating an ‘inappropriate sexual act’ at 3:22pm and at 4:40pm the dining room manager reviewed the video and identified the man in the footage as Milton Braganza.

There are more than 1,458 employees crew members who work on the ship.

The ship left the port at 5:02pm.

Braganza was called to report into security at 7:50pm.

Florida law enforcement were informed of the incident several hours later, on August 6.

Though the crime is alleged to have occurred nine months ago, details are just coming to light as the cruise line has been criticized for not immediately alerting Florida authorities of the molestation.

Because the incident occurred while the ship was docked, police in Port Canaveral would have jurisdiction because the ship was 1,000 feet from shore, Port Canaveral police chief Joseph Hellebrand told WKMG-TV.

Since they were not immediately informed, the suspect wasn’t questioned by U.S. police or apprehended.

Instead, Braganza was questioned by Bahamian police on August 7 in Nassau because the Disney Dream is flagged with the Bahamian flag.

Cruise: The Disney Dream cruise ship can accommodate 4,000 passengers. Estimates suggest the average fare costs $900 per person

Jurisdiction: When the kid-friendly cruise arrived in Nassau, Bahamas (pictured), the suspect was interviewed by local police

During the interrogation, Milton Braganza admitted to police in the Bahamas, ‘I touched her on her right breast with my left hand,’ according to a police report.

Two days into the trip though, the girl’s grandmother told authorities that she did not want the crime investigated.

Authorities in the Bahamas let Braganza go and Disney paid for the man’s airfare back to his native India.

If it had been investigated in Florida, charges would have proceeded against the man in spite of the grandmother’s opinion, Chief Hillebrand said.

Florida law enforcement are dumbfounded as to why officials would let the man go free.

A spokesman for Disney Cruise Line told the local TV station that the company ‘took proper action’ in responding to the passenger’s allegations.

The company has maintained that cruise line officials did not know an alleged crime had occurred until after the ship had left Florida.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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Jodi Arias Says She ‘Deserves A Second Chance At Freedom Someday’

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:42:23 +0000

By BRIAN SKOLOFF and JOSH HOFFNER AP

PHOENIX — In a surprise jailhouse interview just hours after a jury began deliberating her fate, Jodi Arias spoke out Tuesday about her murder trial, her many fights with her legal team and her belief that she “deserves a second chance at freedom someday.”

Arias spoke to The Associated Press as part of a series of interviews with media outlets. She repeated many of her claims from previous interviews, testimony on the witness stand and her statements to the jury earlier Tuesday as she pleaded for mercy.

But she provided some new information about her case and how she believed her lawyers let her down by not calling more witnesses who could have bolstered her claims that she was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Travis Alexander.

Arias was convicted last week of first-degree murder in the June 2008 stabbing and shooting death of her one-time lover in what prosecutors described as a cold, calculated killing carried out in a jealous rage. Arias has maintained all along it was self-defense.

The jury began deliberating Tuesday as they worked to determine whether she should live or die for her crime. If the jury opts for a life sentence, the judge will have the option of determining whether she spends the rest of her days behind bars or is eligible for release after 25 years. Arias acknowledged it was unlikely she would ever be released, but believed she deserves a second chance.

Following her conviction last week, she told a local TV station that she preferred the death penalty. She said Tuesday night that she changed her mind after a tearful meeting with family members that same day, realizing that her death would only cause them more pain.

“I felt like by asking for death, it’s like asking for assisted suicide and I didn’t want to do that to my family,” she told the AP.

Arias said she fought from the beginning to keep cameras out of the courtroom to limit the media spectacle, and believes that the jury should have been sequestered. She stated flatly that she did not receive a fair trial.

“The prosecutor has accused me of wanting to be famous, which is not true,” she said.

However, Arias has sought the spotlight at every turn, providing TV interviews and even using a third-party to tweet throughout the trial.

Arias repeated her claims that she never wanted to go to trial in the first place but instead wanted to reach a deal with prosecutors on a second-degree murder count that would have carried a maximum of 22 years in prison. However, she said, “no deal was offered.”

She gave the interviews Tuesday after the judge lifted an order barring jail officials from arranging any media requests. The judge did not elaborate on the reason for the ruling, but Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office quickly began making the media arrangements that lasted late into the night.

A shackled Arias wore makeup for the interviews and showed up in a jail classroom with a comb in hand as she fixed her hair for the cameras. When pressed for details on some of her conflicting stories, she was mostly evasive, citing advice from her attorneys and possible pending appeals.

She was also asked about the conflicts she had had with her two court-appointed lawyers, Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott.

Arias said she wanted at least three people called as witnesses who could have testified to having seen bruises on her neck “when I was choked out” by Alexander but she said she was rebuffed by her lawyers. The prosecutor insisted her claims of self-defense were an exaggerated attempt to avoid being convicted.

She said her lawyers “felt a little betrayed” and blindsided by her post-conviction interview but that they gave their blessings for Tuesday night’s interviews, warning her to be cautious.

Arias said she sometimes wishes she’d never met Alexander, “just because of how ultimately everything ended and I say that for his sake and mine – not just a selfish thing.”

She said if the attack never occurred and she never crossed paths with the victim, she would likely now be a happily married 32-year-old with children, good finances and a successful wedding photography business.

Earlier Tuesday, Arias told jurors she planned to use her time in prison to bring about positive changes, including donating her hair to be made into wigs for cancer victims, helping establish prison recycling programs and designing T-shirts to raise money for domestic abuse victims.

Arias became emotional as she displayed for jurors photos of her friends, boyfriends and family members, including newborn relatives she has met only from behind bars.

She asked jurors to reject the death penalty for the sake of her family.

“I’m asking you to please, please don’t do that to them. I’ve already hurt them so badly, along with so many other people,” she said. “I want everyone’s healing to begin, and I want everyone’s pain to stop.”

Arias stabbed and slashed Alexander nearly 30 times, shot in him in the forehead and slit his throat, nearly decapitating him, before leaving his body in his shower to be found by friends about five days later.

“To this day, I can hardly believe I was capable of such violence. But I know that I was,” Arias told jurors. “And for that, I’m going to be sorry for the rest of my life.”

Her speech to jurors came a day after her attorneys asked to be removed from the case, saying the five-month trial had become a witch hunt that prompted death threats against a key witness in the penalty phase. They also argued for a mistrial. The judge denied both requests.

Alexander’s family showed little emotion as Arias’ mother, father and sister looked on from the other side of the gallery and cried.

After Arias finished speaking, Judge Sherry Stephens explained to jurors that their finding would be final.

The jury heard closing arguments later Tuesday, with Willmott citing Arias’ mental health problems and lack of a criminal record among the reasons to spare her life.

“The question now before you is: Do you kill her? Do you kill her for the one act that she did, the one horrible act, or can you see that there is a reason to let her live? Can you see that there is value in her life?” she said.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez said that despite Arias’ claims, there were no factors in the case that would warrant a sentence other than death.

He implored jurors to look at the “whole panorama” of the case, not just Arias’ statement Tuesday, and explained how Alexander’s family will live with the pain of their loss for the rest of their lives.

“They can’t forget that what happened on that afternoon, Travis Victor Alexander suffered immense physical pain,” Martinez said. “They can’t forget that.”

Source: huffingtonpost.com

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Ibragim Todashev, Questioned In Connection With Marathon Bombings, Shot And Killed By Police: Reports

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:40:42 +0000

By Benjamin Hart

NBC News reports that an FBI agent shot and killed a man who had been interviewed over ties to April’s Boston Marathon bombing.

The suspect, identified by friends as 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev, reportedly knew Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older, deceased Boston suspect through the world of Mixed Martial Arts. He had been initially cooperative with police, according to WESH-TV in Orlando. But at some point during the interview process, he allegedly attacked an officer, who then fired his weapon.

The station quotes a friend of Todashev, Khusn Taramiv, who said he was also interviewed.

“(The FBI) took me and my friend, the suspect that got killed. They were talking to us, both of us, right? And they said they need him for a little more, for a couple more hours, and I left, and they told me they’re going to bring him back. They never brought him back,” Taramiv said.

Taramiv also said that Todashev “felt inside he was going to get shot” by the FBI.

“We are currently responding to a shooting incident involving an FBI special agent,” FBI spokesman Dave Couvertier said in a statement, according to NBC. “The agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties. The suspect is deceased.”

Source: huffingtonpost.com

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Uzbek national facing terror charges to remain jailed in Idaho

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:38:41 +0000

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho – An Uzbek national facing terrorism-related charges in Idaho will remain jailed pending his trial after waiving his right to a detention hearing.

Lawyers for Fazliddin Kurbanov on Tuesday waived a hearing where a U.S. District Court judge was to have considered whether he should stay in Ada County jail in Boise until his July 2 trial.

Kurbanov is a refugee from Uzbekistan in Central Asia who arrived in Boise in 2009. He was arrested last Thursday.

The 30-year-old truck driver was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that included teaching people to build bombs intended to target public transportation.

It’s unclear whether the alleged targets were in the United States or elsewhere.

Prosecutors say they’ve contained Kurbanov’s threat, but haven’t said if more arrests are pending.

Source: foxnews.com

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FBI agent kills man linked to Boston bombing suspects

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:43 +0000

By Richard Esposito and Matthew DeLuca, NBC News

An FBI agent was involved in a deadly shooting connected to the Boston Marathon bombing case.

The man who was shot, Ibragim Todashev, had been interviewed about his connections to the bombing suspects before by the FBI and started out cooperative, NBC sources said.

The suspect then went to attack the agent and was shot, the sources said.

The suspect is deceased, the FBI said.

“We are currently responding to a shooting incident involving an FBI special agent,” FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier said in a statement to NBC News.

“The incident occurred in Orlando, Florida. The agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties,” Couvertier said. “We do not have any further details at this time. We expect to have more information later this morning.”

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Hailey Dunn’s Mother, Billie Jean Dunn, Talks About Missing Cheerleader’s Death

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:10:11 +0000

By BETSY BLANEY AP

LUBBOCK, Texas — The mother of a 13-year-old West Texas cheerleader found dead in March said Tuesday that since her daughter went missing more than two years ago she had feared the worst, including that the girl was chained and tortured or had fallen victim to human traffickers.

Investigators have given no indication that Billie Jean Dunn’s fears about her daughter are valid or under what circumstances Hailey Darlene Dunn might have been held captive, if she was. Officials have not released a manner and cause of death, and FBI spokeswoman Katherine Chaumont said Tuesday there was no new information she could release.

In the first public comments since Hailey’s remains were identified, Billie Jean Dunn said possibly the most painful part was picturing her daughter wondering why her mother and father hadn’t found her.

“I kept my hope the whole time. I did,” the 36-year-old mother said. “That fear that she was dead, I put it way in the back of my mind.”

Dunn reported her daughter missing in December 2010 in Colorado City, about 250 miles west of Dallas. Remains found in March near at a West Texas lake about 20 miles away were identified last month as belonging to Hailey.

No arrests have been made. Shortly after her disappearance, police called Dunn’s live-in boyfriend at the time, Shawn Adkins, a person of interest, but he has not been charged.

Dunn and Adkins split up early last year and last had email contact in August.

“I’ve learned a lot over the past few months and I feel pretty strongly that he could be involved,” she said. “I know there are other possibilities also.”

Adkins has denied involvement in Hailey’s disappearance. A call seeking comment from his attorney, Alex Eyssen, was not returned Tuesday.

From the start, Dunn said, her worry was that a “random weirdo” might have pulled off nearby Interstate 20 and abducted Hailey.

“Things you don’t think of normally just run through your mind, like what is somebody doing to her, what is she having to live through,” said Dunn, who works as an administrative assistant in Austin. “That would just worry me sick. That would really drive me crazy.”

Dunn’s attorney, John Young, said authorities have told him investigators are looking at “other cases that may in fact be related or may be the same type to the very specific facts of this case.”

Dunn said it’s “absurd” for people to question her having anything to do with her daughter’s disappearance or death.

“That question has always disgusted me,” she said. “It still does. This is my daughter. Hailey is my baby. She is my child.”

Hailey’s brother, 18-year-old David Dunn, is “very angry and very sad,” his mom said. He sobbed throughout a memorial service held Sunday at Hailey’s middle school where hundreds came to bid farewell to the girl.

“He couldn’t stand the sight of a `missing’ poster (about Hailey), of course, because it made it too real for him,” Billie Jean Dunn said. “Now it’s real and now he accepts it.”

Dunn said authorities still have Hailey’s remains, which she plans to cremate once they’re turned over to the family.

“They’re being very meticulous,” Dunn said of forensic experts. “They’re doing everything they know that they need to do to collect any possible evidence.”

Dunn said that while she got some answers from finally knowing where Hailey is, she “won’t have full closure unless there’s been an arrest made.”

Source: huffingtonpost.com

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Kathlynn Shepard Missing: Massive Search Underway For Abducted Teen In Iowa, Suspect Found Dead

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:08:51 +0000

By BARBARA RODRIGUEZ AP

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 15-year-old central Iowa girl who was abducted after getting off her school bus was still missing Tuesday, and authorities said a massive search was underway. Meanwhile, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said the man who is suspected of taking her and another girl committed suicide.

Dozens of federal, state and local law enforcement officials are searching by air, land and water for Kathlynn Shepard. She and a 12-year-old girl, who are friends, were taken Monday afternoon shortly after stepping off a school bus in Dayton, about 60 miles north of Des Moines. The younger girl, who was later able to escape, told authorities the girls had accepted a ride from a stranger.

DCI Special Agent Bill Kietzman said Tuesday that the body of 42-year-old suspect Michael Klunder was found Monday night with a red Toyota Tundra pickup at a rural property northeast of Dayton.

Kietzman said authorities have begun focusing their search for Kathlynn to locations within 20 miles of Dayton, including Klunder’s residence. Previously, the search covered up to 100 square miles of mostly rural areas.

Authorities have also coordinated with the FBI to update electronic billboards around the state with information about the search.

Kietzman would not elaborate on the likelihood of finding Kathlynn alive, though he remained optimistic.

“Time obviously is not your friend in these kinds of situations,” he said at a news conference. “Our plan is that we’re going to find her alive. That’s our hope.”

The 12-year-old girl, who has not been identified, told investigators she and Kathlynn were taken to an agricultural facility. But she was able to escape a short time later and ran to a rural residence for help, Kietzman said. She was then taken to a Fort Dodge hospital and released.

The abduction spanned several hours, officials said, with Klunder’s body being discovered nearly four hours after the girls were taken.

Kathlynn is described as being 5-feet-6-inches and 160 pounds. She has blond hair, blue eyes and braces. She was last seen wearing jeans, a gray hooded sweatshirt and a Minnesota Vikings baseball cap.

“The response by volunteers has been outstanding,” said DCI Director Charis Paulson.

Jessica Lown with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said authorities have been in contact with Kathlynn’s family and they have declined to comment.

“They’re continuing to search for the girl under the assumption that she is still alive because right at this point in time we don’t have information indicating otherwise,” Lown said. “That’s the way these things work for all missing children and missing person cases. We search until we find them.”

Klunder is listed on the state’s sex offender registry, prison records show. He spent several years in prison after being convicted on kidnapping and assault charges, including the 1991 abduction and assault of a Rudd woman and the kidnapping of two toddlers from an apartment complex in Charles City, according to the Mason City Globe Gazette. The girls, both 3, were found alive inside a dumpster.

He was released from a work release program in February 2011.

The abduction comes less than a year after the high-profile disappearance of two cousins in Evansdale, about 90 miles east of Dayton. Lyric Cook, 10, and 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins disappeared while riding their bikes last July. Hunters found their bodies in a remote, wooded area in December.

Evansdale Police Chief Kent Smock said investigators were looking into whether Klunder was involved in Lyric and Elizabeth’s kidnappings and deaths. DCI and FBI agents who have been involved in the search for the Evansdale girls have been dispatched to help search for Kathlynn.

Smock said investigators were trying to determine whether Klunder had any ties to the area.

“There’s a multitude of things we’re looking at to determine whether he may be a person of interest or not a person of interest,” he said. “It’s much too early in their investigation to be able to say with any degree of accuracy one way or another whether it’s related to our case at all.”

Authorities are asking the public for information about any interactions with Klunder, as well of any sighting of his pickup between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday.

___

Associated Press Writer Ryan J. Foley contributed to this report from Iowa City, Iowa.

___

Follow Barbara Rodriguez at http://twitter.com/bcrodriguez

Source: huffingtonpost.com

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Chandra Levy Murder Trial Judge Promises More Openness

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:07:38 +0000

By JESSICA GRESKO AP

WASHINGTON — A judge promised more openness Tuesday after months of confidential post-trial proceedings in the case of murdered Washington intern Chandra Levy, disclosing for the first time why a key prosecution witness could be discredited.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys were in court again Tuesday for a hearing in the case of Ingmar Guandique, who was convicted of Levy’s death and sentenced to 60 years in prison. Defense attorneys have said they intend to request a new trial for Guandique based on the information about the prosecution witness.

Before Tuesday’s proceeding, lawyers had met several times beginning in December, and the public and press were barred from hearing all or part of those proceedings. The judge in the case, Gerald Fisher, had said those hearings were closed because of unspecified safety concerns. News organizations including The Associated Press objected to the secrecy.

On Tuesday, the judge said most of the safety concerns have been dealt with, and the majority of Tuesday’s hearing was public, though attorneys did confer with the judge privately at the bench on several occasions.

The judge did not explain how the safety concerns had been dealt with or say what they were, though he was asked to by a lawyer for the media. The judge said he expected future hearings would be largely public, though he said a limited amount of information is still not ready to be disclosed.

The judge had previously said that the subject of the hearings was information brought to him after trial about a key prosecution witness, Armando Morales, a former cellmate of Guandique’s. Morales testified during Guandique’s 2010 trial that Guandique confessed to killing Levy while the two were cellmates at a Kentucky prison.

A Salvadoran immigrant, Guandique was charged with Levy’s killing in 2009, eight years after the 24-year-old disappeared after leaving her apartment in jogging clothes. Her disappearance rocked Washington and became international news after she was romantically linked with then-California Rep. Gary Condit, a Democrat. He was once the main suspect in her disappearance, but police no longer believe he was involved. Levy’s body was found in Washington’s Rock Creek Park in 2002, and Guandique, who had previously been convicted of attacking women in the park, was ultimately found guilty of her murder.

On Tuesday, the judge and lawyers said that while Morales had testified at trial that he had not previously cooperated as a government informant, that was apparently untrue.

Jonathan Anderson, one of Guandique’s lawyers, said after Tuesday’s hearing that Morales had “previously made numerous attempts” to testify against other individuals in exchange for benefits. He said the government either knew or should have known that information and turned it over to defense lawyers.

“The government sold the story to the jury by having him testify that he wasn’t seeking any benefit in exchange for his testimony and that he had never offered information against anybody else before,” Anderson said.

A lawyer for the government, David Gorman, noted in court that it was the government that brought the information about Morales to the attention of the judge in November. Gorman said the case against Guandique was strong and Morales was only one witness.

Prosecutors released a statement after the hearing that said Morales “never asked for or received any benefit for his testimony in this case” and said it was “premature to cast doubt” on his testimony.

Defense attorneys have said they intend to ask for a new trial based on the information about Morales. Anderson said Tuesday that motion would have to be made before the end of the year.

At Tuesday’s hearing, lawyers also sparred over a letter in which another inmate brought Morales to prosecutors’ attention. Defense attorneys said that two of the pages were turned over but not the first page, which had information about the fact Morales had previously talked with law enforcement. Prosecutors maintain all three pages were turned over.

Also Tuesday, the judge asked the government to review transcripts of the previous hearings to determine whether they can be made public either completely or with redactions. The judge said he expected all or most of the transcripts would be made public within 60 days.

___

Follow Jessica Gresko at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko

Source: huffingtonpost.com

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Susan Powell Case Under Investigation: Lawyer

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:06:24 +0000

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — The lawyer for the family of missing Utah woman Susan Powell said Tuesday that even as local police close the active part of their investigation into her disappearance, federal authorities continue to review the case – a claim that was denied by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City.

Anne Bremner made the announcement at a Seattle news conference a day after local officials in Utah said they had closed their active investigation into the Susan Powell case.

“This is not over,” Bremner said.

Newly released police records show that Utah officials believe Josh Powell likely killed his wife in late 2009, and that his brother, Michael Powell, helped dispose of the body, but authorities felt they didn’t have enough evidence to prove that theory in court.

Last year, as the investigation continued, Josh Powell killed himself and his two young sons in an explosive house fire, leaving nearly all of his life insurance proceeds to his brother, Michael, who later jumped to his death from a parking garage in Minnesota.

Bremner, who was joined at the news conference by Chuck Cox, Susan Powell’s father, said she and Cox were apprised earlier in the day of the federal investigation by an agent who has been directly involved in the case. She said she requested permission to announce the development at the news conference, and the agent granted it. Bremner said the scope involved looking into what Josh Powell’s father, Steve, knew about his daughter-in-law’s disappearance.

In response, Melodie Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Utah, issued a statement saying that federal agencies in Utah had assisted in the investigation and would be happy to do so again should circumstances warrant.

“However, we do not have plans to conduct any further investigation,” she said.

West Valley City Deputy Police Chief Mike Powell said he wasn’t immediately aware of any ongoing federal investigation but would look into it.

Steve Powell had a sexual obsession with Susan Powell and thoroughly documented it in journals seized by police. He is currently serving a prison sentence after being convicted of voyeurism charges for secretly recording young neighbor girls.

Utah police said Monday that they do not believe he was directly involved with Susan Powell’s disappearance but may know more about it than he has let on.

Both Bremner and Cox disputed the notion that prosecutors in Utah never had enough evidence to prosecute Josh Powell.

They cite his bizarre alibi – that he wasn’t home when his wife vanished because he had taken their two sons, then 2 and 4, camping in the Utah desert in the middle of a snowstorm.

They cite his unusual behavior – that he showed little concern for her, couldn’t explain why he had her cellphone with the digital SIM card removed, and, two days after she disappeared, he rented a car and drove it 800 miles.

They also cite potential motives: Josh Powell cleaned out Susan Powell’s retirement accounts 10 days after her disappearance, and – as the newly released documents revealed – he had apparently had an affair with a woman he met through a dating service months before his wife vanished.

Cox said the police “came to the wrong conclusion on the circumstantial evidence. I think there was plenty.”

Utah authorities have repeatedly said they didn’t prosecute Powell because they did not have a body or a crime scene. While that makes it tougher to prove a murder charge, prosecutors across the country have won convictions in such circumstances.

Susan Powell’s family plans to continue searching for her, with the help of volunteers and a private investigator.

“I’d like to find my daughter,” Cox said. “I’d like to lay her to rest.”

Police said both Steve and Michael Powell were uncooperative in the investigation.

They interviewed Michael numerous times after discovering he left his car at an Oregon junk yard weeks after Susan’s disappearance – a fact police didn’t learn until nearly two years later. Officials said he offered evasive answers about why he got rid of the car and how he had used it in late 2009.

His suicide left investigators without any person of interest in the case. While authorities believe the brothers were responsible for Susan Powell’s disappearance, they said repeatedly Monday that they never had enough evidence to bring charges – an assertion that has been questioned in the past by legal experts as well as law enforcement in Washington state.

“This is a circumstantial case, yes,” said West Valley City Deputy Chief Phil Quinlan. His fellow deputy chief, Mike Powell, added, “We didn’t have a body. We don’t have a crime scene.”

The Powell brothers used sophisticated computer encryption to communicate, Quinlan said. Investigators have been unable to decipher that secret communication.

The case file shows that in August 2010, police contacted a West Valley City woman, whose full name is redacted, after her phone number was discovered in Josh Powell’s phone records.

She told police she had a sexual relationship with Josh Powell after meeting him through a dating service about six or seven months before Susan Powell disappeared. The woman said she knew Josh Powell by the name John Staley, and she didn’t know he was married. It wasn’t until after she saw news coverage of the case that she discerned his true identity.

The woman called 911 just days after Susan Powell disappeared and claimed she had been having an affair with Josh Powell for the past two months, Maxwell wrote. At the time, however, she declined to provide corroborating information.

The file includes other details, and contained emails from Susan Powell’s father, who expressed hope his daughter might be found in the days after her December 2009 disappearance.

Cox believed Josh Powell poisoned his wife’s pancakes before she was taken from the couple’s house.

Susan Powell was reported missing after failing to show up for work.

Police found a small amount of her blood on the floor next to a recently cleaned sofa and carpet in their house, but not enough to consider it a crime scene, they said.

Josh Powell eventually returned to the couple’s hometown of Puyallup, Wash., where he got caught up in a battle with Susan Powell’s parents for custody of the boys, 7-year-old Charlie and 5-year-old Braden.

On Feb. 5, 2012, he locked a social worker out of a rental home at the start of a supervised visit, attacked the boys with a hatchet and set the house afire. All three were killed.

___

Follow Johnson on Twitter at . https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

AP writer Paul Foy contributed from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

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Jodi Arias’ Fate In Jury’s Hands

ollado — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:04:52 +0000

David Lohr

Jodi Ann Arias, who once boldly said a jury would never convict her, waited on Tuesday for jurors to complete deliberations that could end in sentencing her to death.

The same jury of eight men and four women who last week convicted Arias of first-degree murder in the death of her 30-year-old ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander are debating whether she should be sentenced to death.

In the hearing preceding the jury’s deliberations, defense attorney Jennifer Willmott asked the jury to save Arias’ life. “Jodi took Travis away. She took him away from his family and she took him away from this world, but two wrongs do not make a right … You have a choice … We are asking you to find that Jodi’s life is worth saving,” Willmott said.

But prosecutor Juan Martinez demanded death.

“Mr. Alexander was only 30 and will forever be 30,” Martinez said. “Mr. Alexander is no longer going to have any more yesterdays … You have a duty … the difficult thing under these circumstances — the only thing you can do — is return a verdict of death,” Martinez said.

Arias, 32, was convicted in the 2008 slaying of Alexander, who she stabbed nearly 30 times and shot in the head. The verdict, reached after more than 15 hours of deliberations, was a clear rejection of defense psychologist Richard Samuels’ contention that she suffered from PTSD and acute stress disorder.

The 32-year-old defendant, dressed in black on Tuesday, pleaded with the jury to spare her life. “I loved Travis and I looked up to him. At one point he meant the world to me,” Arias said. “To this day I can hardly believe I was capable of such violence.”

Arias maintained she was a victim of domestic violence, whether anyone believed it or not, and said she had a lot to offer other inmates if she received a life sentence. She said she could teach people to read and write, and could help raise awareness about domestic violence.

During her 19-week trial, Arias’ attorneys were unable to produce a shred of evidence to support her contention that she had been physically abused by Alexander. And, as the prosecution pointed out, there are no police reports or other supporting documents indicating abuse.

On Tuesday, Arias referenced a statement she made to the media on May 8, that she would prefer the death penalty.

“I’ve made many statements I would prefer the death penalty over life in prison … To me, life in prison was the most unappealing outcome … but as I stand here now, I can’t in good conscious ask you to give me death,” Arias said.

The jury began deliberating Arias’ fate around 6 p.m. ET. Members will ultimately decide if she receives the death penalty or life in prison.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

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