[NY] Could the killings committed by Corrections Officer Wolfe been avoided?

Kim Wolfe, who worked in the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow, was arrested on June 16 for allegedly murdering her uncle, Michael Williams and her ex-girlfriend Stacie Williams, as well as shooting her grandfather and kidnapping her niece... Wolfe and Williams had met to discuss a possible reconciliation but that the conversation turned violent and Wolfe opened fire, shooting Williams several times...

...[Stacie] Williams, a mother of three grown children, was to graduate nursing school in January... She lived life like it was golden... That was the motto for her... Williams was a vibrant person who always had a smile on her face... We lost a great health care professional... Stacie was a beautiful stain glass window for us and the hospital community... Stacie Williams worked at the hospital for 23 years... The hospital has lost a ray of light... Williams' son was struck by a car and suffered two broken legs as he raced to the hospital...

WHO KNEW? COULD THE KILLINGS HAVE BEEN AVOIDED? WERE THERE MISSED POINTS OF INTERVENTION?
..."We don't know who broke off the relationship at this point," said Lieutenant John Azzata. "We know the relationship had ended"... "They've known each other for some time. I would classify it as a[n] intimate relationship," Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey said. "We know they had a relationship that was strained in recent times"... According to Newsday.com, Wolfe voluntarily turned in a Glock 9-mm pistol in May 2009 and a .38 caliber revolver to the sheriff's department. Last Friday, she asked for their return. The 9-mm pistol was found in Wolfe's car...

NASSAU CORRECTIONS OFFICER KIM WOLFE PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO MURDER CHARGES: Defendant accused of killing NUMC nurse's aide arraigned in county court
By Mike Caputo
July 21, 2010
[Excerpts] Corrections officer Kim Wolfe pled not guilty on Wednesday morning at Nassau County Criminal Court to several murder, assault, kidnapping and weapons charges. Wolfe, who worked in the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow, was arrested on June 16 for allegedly murdering her uncle, Michael Williams and her ex-girlfriend Stacie Williams, as well as shooting her grandfather and kidnapping her niece... Judge David Ayres also issued Wolfe two orders of protection — one for her grandfather and another for her niece... According to defense attorney, Michael Dergarabedian, Wolfe had an "impeccable" record as a corrections officer at the county jail. That "makes this case more interesting... Because of her mental defect, she couldn't appreciate the consequences of her actions... Those who understand mental illness will understand this clearly." The judge set the next court date for Sept. 10, pending a psychiatric examination. [Full article here]

PSYCH EXAM ORDERED FOR NASSAU JAIL GUARD IN MURDER CASE
Long Island Press
By Timothy Bolger
Jul 21st, 2010
[Excerpts] The Nassau County jail guard accused of killing her ex-girlfriend, uncle and wounding her grandfather in a shooting rampage last month will have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Kim Wolfe, 43, pleaded not guilty Wednesday at Nassau County court to a grand jury indictment charging her with two counts of second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping and criminal possession of a weapon. She had originally not entered a plea when she was arraigned June 17. Police said Wolfe fatally shot 45-year-old Stacie Williams, a maternity ward nurse’s aide, outside Nassau University Medical Center on June 16. Wolfe and Williams had met to discuss a possible reconciliation but that the conversation turned violent and Wolfe opened fire, shooting Williams several times... Wolfe then drove to her Hempstead home, where she fatally shot her 56-year-old uncle, Marshall Williams Jr., and wounded her grandfather, Marshall Williams, 88... Wolfe took her 23-year-old niece, Mary Josey, hostage for several hours... Judge David Ayres ordered Wolfe to undergo a psychological exam after he issued orders of protection for the corrections officer to not contact her two surviving alleged victims. Wolfe will continue to be held without bail. Wolfe was a 19-year veteran at Nassau County jail, where she worked the midnight shift supervising inmates. Because of her experience at the jail, she is being housed at Riker’s Island. Outside the courtroom, her lawyer, Michael DerGarabedian, told reporters “It’s not what it appears to be.” He said Wolfe suffered “some sort temporary defect” or extreme emotional duress... [Full article here]

MENTAL-DEFECT DEFENSE IN KILLINGS
Newsday
Sophia Chang
Jul 22, 2010
[Excerpts] The attorney for a Nassau correction officer accused of murdering her ex-girlfriend and uncle and holding her niece hostage said yesterday he plans to argue that his client was mentally deficient at the time of the crime. "It's quite obvious it's a mental defect defense. In essence, she was not in the right mind to appreciate the consequences of her actions," said attorney Michael DerGarabedian of Rockville Centre... At Wolfe's arraignment yesterday in Nassau County Court in Mineola, acting State Supreme Court Justice David Ayres remanded her without bail and ordered a psychiatric evaluation. She is due back in court Sept. 8. Wolfe, of North Babylon, who was arraigned on a grand jury indictment, also faced jeers from the family of her ex-girlfriend, Stacie Williams, 45. "Keep your head up, baby," Barry King, the youngest son of Williams, yelled sarcastically at Wolfe as she was led into a police truck after court. Clad in a gray sweatshirt, Wolfe kept her head down and did not respond... Wolfe yesterday pleaded not guilty to charges of two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon... Ayres issued orders of protection for Josey and Marshall Williams. Josey, who attended the arraignment, declined to comment. Wolfe's mother and sister also attended the arraignment...

EARLIER:

CORRECTIONS OFFICER ALLEGEDLY KILLS 2 IN LI RAMPAGE: REPORT
MyFoxNY.com
June 16, 2010
[Excerpts] A Nassau County corrections officer allegedly went on a shooting rampage early this morning, killing her ex-girlfriend and uncle, shooting her grandfather and taking her niece hostage. Kim Wolfe, 43, allegedly went after her ex, Stacie Wiliams, 45, while she was on break at Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow where she was a maternity ward nurse. Williams was fatally shot multiple times around 1:30 a.m., police said. The hospital described the shooting as "a domestic dispute." Williams' son then was hit by a car as he rushed across Hempstead Turnpike to try to be by his mother's side before she died, cops said. Wolfe then reportedly shot two more people, killing her 56-year-old uncle and wounding her 88-year-old grandfather at 56 Vermont Ave. in Hempstead. The second shooting took place just before 2 a.m. Wolfe is also accused of kidnapping her 23-year-old niece at gunpoint at the second shooting scene... [Full article here]

LI CORRECTIONS OFFICER ARRESTED AFTER SHOOTING SPREE LEAVES HER EX-GIRLFRIEND AND HER UNCLE DEAD
nydailynews.com
BY Erik Badia, Kerry Wills AND Christina Boyle
June 16th 2010
[Excerpts] ...Kim Wolfe apparently snapped after dropping off food to her former lover, nurse's aide Stacie Williams, during her break at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow about 1:35 a.m. After a heated argument, Wolfe, who was off duty, shot Williams several times outside the hospital - then sped 3-1/2 miles to her family's home in Hempstead, where she caused even more bloodshed... Wolfe then gunned down her uncle, Michael Williams, 56, and shot her 88-year-old grandfather in the leg before kidnapping her niece for "protection" and attempting to flee with her in a Mitsubishi Montero to Atlantic City, police said. The murderous spree lasted just over four hours and ended when Wolfe was pulled over by cops at 5:45 a.m., with a 9-mm. handgun in her vehicle, and surrendered. Her 23-year-old niece was not injured. Compounding the anguish for Stacie Williams' family, one of her three sons, Frederick King, 28, was struck by a car as he ran across Hempstead Turnpike in a desperate dash to reach his dying mother's side.... "She lived life like it was golden," said one of Stacie Williams' sisters, Nicole Rogers, 38. "That was the motto for her"... Wolfe was hospitalized after having trouble breathing but was later turned over to homicide detectives. She was charged last night with two counts of second-degree murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and assault... "They've known each other for some time. I would classify it as a[n] intimate relationship," Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey said. "We know they had a relationship that was strained in recent times"... Cops said they also were looking at whether the weapon used in the attacks was issued by the Correction Department, where Wolfe had worked for 19 years supervising inmates during the midnight shift... [Full article here]

POLICE: NY JAIL GUARD KILLS EX-GIRLFRIEND, UNCLE
Google Hosted News
By FRANK ELTMAN (AP)
June 16, 2010
[Excerpts] ...[Off-duty jail guard Kim Wolfe] is suspected of fatally shooting Stacie Williams, a 45-year-old maternity ward nurse's aide at the Nassau University Medical Center, sometime after 1 a.m. Wednesday. Wolfe and Williams had been through a "romantic, intimate relationship," but then split up, police said. They met early Wednesday outside the hospital to discuss a possible reconciliation, but at some point the discussion turned violent and Wolfe opened fire with her 9 mm pistol, striking Williams several times, Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey said... Wolfe then drove to a home 3 1/2 miles away in Hempstead, where police say she began arguing with her grandfather Marshall Williams Sr. Wolfe's 56-year-old uncle, Michael Williams, tried to intervene and was fatally shot in the chest... Marshall Williams was then shot in the leg... Afterward, Wolfe ordered her 23-year-old niece at gunpoint to come with her... Stacie Williams, who wasn't related to Marshall and Michael Williams, worked at the hospital for 23 years... Williams was a vibrant person who always had a smile on her face, Civil Service Employees Association President Jerry Larricciuta said in a statement. "We knew Stacie as a hardworking professional who was a wonderful worker, and was a great asset to NUMC," he said. "Our hearts go out to the families involved in this tragedy. We lost a great health care professional today." Mulvey described Wolfe's pistol as her "service weapon" but said it was not clear if she bought it privately or whether it was issued to her as part of her job as a correction officer...the medical center... [Full article here]

DEADLY SHOOTING SPREE SUSPECT TO BE ARRAIGNED: Kim Wolfe, 43, Given Weapons 2 Days Before Allegedly Committing Deadly Rampage - Suspect A 19-Year Veteran At The Nassau County Jail, Was Given Weapons 2 Days Before Shooting
(CBS)
Jun 17, 2010
[Excerpts] ...There are published reports that say Kim Wolfe voluntarily surrendered her service weapons in May of last year. In a move approved by her supervisors, she was given her weapons back – just two days before taking off on a shooting rampage that police say was fueled by a break-up gone bad.... Police say the motive was a bad breakup with lesbian love Stacie Williams, a long-time employee at Nassau University Medical Center. "We don't know who broke off the relationship at this point," said Lieutenant John Azzata. "We know the relationship had ended"... "She never showed any signs of this behavior," said Donald Lanier, Wolfe's friend. "Going with this girl, one thing led to another." [Full article here]

CORRECTIONS OFFICER ACCUSED OF KILLING EX-GIRLFRIEND, UNCLE: Fox 5 Reporter Comes Face-to-Face with Suspect
myfoxny.com
By Kathy Carvajal
Updated: Thursday, 17 Jun 2010
Published : Wednesday, 16 Jun 2010
[Excerpts] ...Wolfe's first alleged victim was her ex, Stacie Williams, 45, of Hempstead... The maternity ward patient care assistant at the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow was shot multiple times outside the hospital at around 1:30 a.m. Police said a security guard found Williams on the sidewalk. Williams worked at the hopsital for 23 years. In a strange turn of events, Williams' son was struck by a car and suffered two broken legs as he raced to the hospital... According to Newsday.com, Wolfe voluntarily turned in a Glock 9-mm pistol in May 2009 and a .38 caliber revolver to the sheriff's department. Last Friday, she asked for their return. The 9-mm pistol was found in Wolfe's car on Wednesday... A Fox 5 News crew was working the story in Hempstead at around 6 a.m. when a beige, Mitsubishi Montero sped by at about 70 mph along Harriet Avenue. Police soon arrested the driver, who turned out to be Wolfe. Gusoff saw the SUV and the driver only a few feet from the news truck where Gusoff was sitting. She ducked as Wolfe took off. "It was shocking to tell you the truth. We've all been told at crime scenes that we must remain safe. We take that with a grain of salt. This is our job. But this time police seemed to be more serious. I yelled 'I think that's her' to my camera man... [Full article here]

CORRECTIONS OFFICER CHARGED WITH DOUBLE MURDERS IN L.I. MAYHEM: The son of one victim was hit by a car while rushing to the hospital
NBCNewYork
Jun 17, 2010
[Excerpts] A Nassau County corrections officer accused of going on a wild shooting rampage on Long Island has been charged with murdering her ex-girlfriend and uncle. Kim Wolfe, 43, faces charges of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault in connection with the deaths of nurse aide Stacie Williams, with whom police say she was romantically linked, and her own uncle. The Nassau County Corrections Officer is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges in First District Court, Hempstead, later Thursday... Detective Richard Laursen has told reporters that Wolfe and the victim had been romantically involved but had split up and were trying to reconcile... [Spokeswoman for the Nassau County sheriff's office Liz] Consolo declined to comment on Wolfe's disciplinary record or any other details of her employment. [Full article here]

EMOTIONS BOIL OVER AT CORRECTION OFFICER'S ARRAIGNMENT
Eyewitness News
Josh Einiger
June 17th 2010
[Excerpts] There was chaos outside the courthouse where a Nassau County corrections officer was arraigned Thursday. Kim Wolfe, 43, is accused of going on a deadly shooting rampage. She was ordered held without bail and is due back in court Monday... The arraignment took place amid tight security. Wolfe was in a holding pen behind frosted glass and was not visible to spectators, a move that angered family members of the victims. They say the system is giving her preferential treatment because she was a corrections officer. "We saw nothing," the victim's cousin, Anthony Smalls, said. "We heard a voice ask, 'Is she here?' Could she hear? She said yes and we never saw anything. We never saw her. She was not asked to, like every other suspect, inmate in there, to come to a podium, face a judge, face the people that are allegedly being represented. We were not afforded that right." Court officials have not commented on why that decision was made, but Wolfe's attorney says there are serious security concerns in the case. Wolfe will also not go to the Nassau County Jail where she worked, but will be remanded to Suffolk County Jail as the case goes through the court process. [LINK]

LI CORRECTION OFFICER KIM WOLFE HELD WITHOUT BAIL AFTER RAMPAGE LEFT EX-GIRLFRIEND, UNCLE DEAD
Daily News Writers
BY Kerry Wills, Erik Badia and Rich Schapiro
June 17th 2010, 12:55 PM
[Excerpts] The Long Island correction officer accused of murdering her former flame and uncle in a violent rampage sobbed Thursday before she was ordered held without bail. Kim Wolfe, 43, kept her head down, but could be heard crying, as she was led out of Nassau County Police Headquarters in Mineola... Wolfe went on a murderous spree Wednesday, fatally shooting ex-girlfriend Stacie Williams... Wolfe allegedly pumped several bullets into Williams, a nurse's aid, outside of Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow about 1:35 a.m., after dropping off a McDonald's sandwich and fries... Wolfe then sped to Hempstead, gunned down Michael Williams, 56, and shot her 88-year-old grandfather Marshall Williams in the leg... Stacie Williams' sister said Wolfe gave no indication she was harboring a grudge when her sibling's ex visited her just a few days before the shooting. "They didn't get into any arguments," sister Sharon Worley said. "Nothing got out of hand." Sources told Newsday that Wolfe had voluntarily surrendered two guns to the Nassau County Sheriff's Department on May 20, 2009, but got them back at her request on Monday. "I'm livid about that that," Worley said. Worley added that it was likely her sister was helping Wolfe get over the recent loss of her father. "She was loved by everyone," Worley said. "It's not just a loss for the family. The community is mourning as well." [Full article here]

NO BAIL FOR NY JAIL GUARD FACING MURDER CHARGES
The Associated Press
By Frank Eltman
Thursday, June 17, 2010
[Excerpts] ...During the arraignment, which took less than three minutes, Wolfe was kept in a holding pen covered with frosted glass rather than being brought into the well of the courtroom where spectators could see her. The courtroom was ringed with more than a dozen court officers, including some who stood down the center aisle separating the families of the victims and Wolfe's relatives. The only time Wolfe could be heard was when she answered "yes sir" to the judge's question of whether she understood the orders instructing her to have no contact with the victims' relatives. A dozen or more of Williams' relatives were seated in the front row. Anthony Smalls, who said he was Williams' cousin, complained afterward about what he considered preferential treatment because Wolfe was a jail guard. "It just wasn't handled properly," Smalls told reporters. "We heard a voice, but we never saw her." Daniel Bagnuola, a spokesman for the Nassau County court system, said Wolfe was kept behind the glass for security reasons. He said such issues are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Fred Annibale, the attorney who represented Wolfe at the arraignment, rejected the notion his client received special accommodations. "I think it was just a question that there were a lot of people in the courtroom and there's a lot of emotion here," Annibale said... [Full article here]

NUMC STAFF REMEMBERS STACIE WILLIAMS: Hospital hosts memorial service for fallen colleague
liherald.com
By Mike Caputo
July 7, 2010
[Excerpts] Staff members at the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow gathered on July 1 to remember colleague Stacie Williams, who was killed on June 16 as she was on a break during an overnight shift... Williams, 45, was loved by her co-workers. She was known to be a hard worker, with a bubbly personality and her bouncing curls, said Maureen Chase, head chaplain at the NUMC... Chase said that Williams greeted her like she did with everyone else: with a smile. "She was a very special lady who has touched so many here," Chase said. "We were all captivated by her smiling face. She showed us how to live with joy, hope and compassion. Stacie was a beautiful stain glass window for us and the hospital community"... Arthur Gianelli, president and CEO of NuHealth, reflected on the night after Williams' death... Gianelli said he asked the staff on the maternity ward to talk about Williams and tell stories about their beloved colleague. Most of the descriptions were the same: an "infectious smile" and "she brought joy to her co-workers." Another common theme about Williams that drew laughter from audience members was her "uncontrollable hair." "We endured that night — smiles emerged and laughter occurred," Gianelli said. " We needed to approach our jobs with her same enthusiasm. It's the best way we could honor her memory." Susan Novelli, head nurse in the Maternity Ward, touted Williams' work ethic and leadership through the overnight shift. Novelli said that Williams, a mother of three grown children, was to graduate nursing school in January. She never told her colleagues of her pursuit of a nursing degree. "She was the life of the unit," Novelli said. "We will miss her laughter and smiling. To know her was to love her." [Full article here]
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