[GA] Vester Weaver (and the church?) now deny abuse by her Municipal Court Judge husband ever happened. (Jesus weeps.)

Tne day after Judge Willie Weaver's wife [Vester Weaver] publicly said he never hit her, we know more about what she told police a few weeks ago that led to Weaver's arrest... According to the police incident report from the alleged assault in May, Mrs. Weaver said she had issued between one and five complaints of previous abuse. Monday, she said there had been no earlier reports of abuse... According to the full police report, Vester Weaver told the initial officer her husband was intoxicated and hit her in the head with a beer bottle... She also told an officer her husband waived a gun and said he would "blow peoples heads off"... The report claims she received six stitches... And on that police report, where it does say 'children were present during the alleged crime', a box is checked "yes"... The [previous] Jan. 28 report, which is labeled "domestic violence unfounded," was filed by Lt. Carmelita Preston and was signed by supervising officer Capt. Mack Green. Green's house is where the May 21 incident occurred...


They were at a cop's house socializing when Vester got the beer bottle or mystery gash on her head. So why is no one mentioning the absence of witness statements? Since Vester said that Judge Weaver was waving a gun and yelling threats, why are there no statements saying he did or he didn't from the other adults present? And the church backing up Vester's recant? Jesus weeps.

To those of you who are unfamiliar with how frequently victims of abuse by law enforcement officers and public officials decide to say NOTHING HAPPENED after first reporting abuse, take a minute to run a search in this blog for the word RECANT. This happens all the time. (There are search boxes on this page.)

PREVIOUS POST:
[GA] Albany Chief Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver's wife treated for domestic violence injuries - ...The report indicated that the violence took place in front of children, there was alcohol involved and there had been between one and five previous incidents... The original report lists the charge as battery, but after the investigation GBI agents raised the level to aggravated assault, a felony. Typically this is because a weapon or object was used to hit the victim...

JUDGE'S WIFE MAKES OPPOSITE STATEMENTS

WALB

By Jennifer Emert

Jun 07, 2011

[Excerpts] One day after Judge Willie Weaver's wife publicly said he never hit her, we know more about what she told police a few weeks ago that led to Weaver's arrest. According to the full police report, Vester Weaver told the initial officer her husband was intoxicated and hit her in the head with a beer bottle. She did not make that claim to other officers. Mrs. Weaver told one officer she and her husband were talking about a text message when she felt something running down her face and then saw blood on her hands. She also told an officer her husband waived a gun and said he would "blow peoples heads off." The report claims she received six stitches. It's unclear how much of that information will be allowed into evidence in court because Mrs. Weaver could invoke spousal privilege and refuse to testify against her husband... [Full article here]

JUDGE'S WIFE CHANGES HER STORY

WALB

By Jennifer Emert

Jun 06, 2011

[Excerpts] The wife of Albany Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver, Vester, now claims her husband never assaulted her, and Monday she asked the state to drop the criminal charges and the stay away order against her husband... At a news conference at her church, Vester Weaver wouldn't answer our questions, as to why she changed her story. She simply made the statement and walked away from the podium, but the state may not honor her request. Mrs. Weaver had some strong words for the state with friends and members of her church behind her. "My husband did not hit me, nor has he ever hit me," she said. That goes against the Albany Police Domestic Violence Report on the incident that happened at Albany Police Captains Mack Green's house in May that says Weaver caused superficial injuries to his wife Vester and also made threats and used abusive language. Vester Weaver also wants the stay away order as part of his bond dropped. "I never requested this order and I wish to have this order removed so that my husband and I can live together and take care of our children that we are raising together," Mrs. Weaver said. The church also stood behind the Weavers. "Judge Weaver will treat you with respect," said Hope Center Pastor Loretta Boges. "Unfortunately there are many who are in positions of power in this community who does not like that. Those people who will not like that have come against Judge Weaver and we have seen that wrath over the last few days." "But she continues to find herself fearful and distrustful of the media and some law enforcement agencies and personnel," said Weaver's Pastor, Rev. James Bush.... "When we have people rallying behind something that is a crime then you have to wonder about what is this community thinking," [Liberty House Exec. Director Silke] Deeley said... According to the police incident report from the alleged assault in May, Mrs. Weaver said she had issued between one and five complaints of previous abuse. Monday, she said there had been no earlier reports of abuse. [Full article here]

DID VESTER WEAVER FALSIFY POLICE STATEMENT?

mysouthwestga.com

by Allen Carter

Posted: 06.07.2011

[Excerpts] On Monday the wife of Albany Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver said the charges that he attacked her are not true. However in the police report obtained by fox 31 officers she was attacked by her husband. Which means one of the statements is a lie, and if it's what she told police then it could also be a crime... According to the report Vester Weaver told officers that her husband was intoxicated and hit her in the head with a beer bottle. Weaver was taken here to Palmyra Park Medical Center and received six stitches. Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards is not working on the Weaver case and didn't comment specifically on it, but says giving a false statement to police is a felony crime... No charges have been brought against Vester Weaver and for now she says she plans to stand by her husband. If the victim doesn't want to testify it can make the case that much more difficult in domestic violence cases... Edwards says she would have spousal privilege not to testify, but there is one hang up. “If there is an event that occurs in the presence of children of the marriage, then you cannot invoke spousal privilege to not invoke spousal privilege relative to whatever the situation may be,” said Edwards. And on that police report, where it does say 'children were present during the alleged crime', a box is checked "yes"... [LINK]

The Albany City Commission votes to accept a request from Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver for an indefinite leave of absence from the court.

REPORT GIVES CONFLICTING EVIDENCE IN WEAVER CASE: A report on an alleged domestic altercation between a judge and his wife points to a wife with six stitches above her eye denying her husband did it.

Albany Herald

Pete Skiba

June 7, 2011

[Excerpts] The alleged victim in a case of domestic violence involving an Albany Municipal Court judge and his wife is far from cooperative. According to an Albany Police Department domestic violence report, Judge Willie Weaver’s wife, Vester Weaver, was struck in the eye, bled and received six stitches ... The report added that, while at a 704 Cantrell Lane party, “Vester Weaver questioned her husband about a text message he had received. After a brief discussion, she stated that she felt something running down her face and realized it was blood. She never stated how she received the injury, nor did she indicate that her husband assaulted her.” In many instances, the report states that Vester Weaver would not talk about who hit her or with what. The report states, at various points, that “She refused to answer,” “She said no” and “Vester continued to be evasive to the questions.” However, the report noted Ptl. John Fabian, the initial responding officer, stated that, “She told him that her husband was intoxicated and began waving a gun around and stating that he would blow people’s heads off. Ptl. Fabian stated that she told him that her husband had struck her with a beer bottle. He did not record her statement or obtain a written statement from her.”... [Full article here]

POLICE REPORT: WIFE CALLED POLICE IN JANUARY DOMESTIC ARGUMENT WITH JUDGE: Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver is free on a $10,000 bond after being charged with aggravated assault in a May 21 incident.

Albany Herald

J.D. Sumner

Jun 8, 2011

[Excerpts] The wife of embattled Albany Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver called police to their home in January following an argument in which he "snatched some keys from her hand," saying that she was scared because there was a gun in the house, police reports show... She was given a domestic violence resource sheet by the responding officer, the report states... The Jan. 28 report, which is labeled "domestic violence unfounded," was filed by Lt. Carmelita Preston and was signed by supervising officer Capt. Mack Green. Green's house is where the May 21 incident occurred, according to police reports regarding that case. In the January APD report by Preston, Vester Weaver told the responding officer that she and Willie Weaver had gotten into a verbal altercation after she said she believed he had been cheating on her. The report states that when she attempted to leave, he snatched the keys out of her hands. The report goes on to state Vester Weaver felt the need to call police "because she knows there is a gun in the residence and she was scared." Preston's report also states that Vester Weaver said the two "have had problems in their marriage for a while."... [Full article here]

WIFE: JUDGE DIDN’T HIT ME: Albany Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver is accused of hitting his wife with a beer bottle during a domestic dispute.

Albany Herald

Jennifer Maddox

Jun 7, 2011

[Excerpts] At the Cathedral of Praise on West Broad Avenue on Monday, the wife of Albany Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver stated publicly that her husband did not hit her with a beer bottle as he has been accused. Vester Weaver was surrounded by family and friends at a noon news conference, during which she made a brief statement regarding the May 21 incident in which a report from the Albany Police Department states that her husband hit her with a beer bottle... The group that surrounded Vester Weaver at the news conference included HOPE Center Pastor Loretta Boges and the Rev. James Bush, chairman of the Dougherty County School Board and pastor of the Greater Pines Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, of which the Weavers are members of... [Full article here]

EX-DOUGHERTY COUNTY POLICE OFFICER AND CURRENT GREATER PINES CHAPEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH REVEREND JAMES BUSH AT VESTER WEAVER'S CHURCH PRESS CONFERENCE:

"...Mrs. Weaver had wanted to make comments before today, but she continues to find herself fearful and distrustful of the media and some law enforcement agencies and personnel. She has been forced to learn that sometimes you hear things in the media that are not really based on the truth. She also has been forced to learn that you can be separated from your family members with no understanding of how and why it occurred. So, understandably, she is fearful and distrustful. Nevertheless, she has found the courage to stand before you today."

HOPE CENTER PASTOR LORETTA BOGES AT VESTER WEAVER'S CHURCH PRESS CONFERENCE:

"As busy as he is, he is a man who always takes time for the multitude of people who call upon him. When called, he goes,” she said. “He goes to many church programs, to the school functions, to the community events and even to the birthday party of the 80-year-old grandmother across town. He feeds the hungry and clothes those who don’t have sufficient clothing. I have seen him go into his own pocket time after time, never complaining. As a municipal court judge, he has applied the law but has been fair and just in doing so. He takes his job as a judge seriously, but also treats every person with respect. No matter what side of the table you find yourself standing on, he will treat you with respect. Unfortunately, there are people in this world in important positions that do not think everyone should be treated with respect. They do not like the fact that as a judge, Willie Weaver is that kind of person. So, as a result, this kind of thing happens... This process has been unjust, unfair and destructive of a strong black family,” she continued. “Some people cannot stand to see a hard-working man, who takes care of his wife and children and supports his community, do well. That is what is going on here. We stand here today and for the duration of this unbelievable injustice for Mrs. Vester Weaver, her husband, their children and family and ask that this injustice end now. For the sake of two small children, who need both of their parents at the same time, and for the sanctity of family unity with this family and every family in this county, we ask that the order forbidding this family from worshipping and living together end now. Today it is the Weaver family. If we don’t take a stand and insist that this craziness end now, my family or your family can be next."

A SAMPLE OF WEB COMMENTS

...if Vester Weaver is being abused, then she has to stop the cycle, get help and file restraining orders. Get out, and leave and never come back...

...After reading the police report on the Invisible beer bottle bashing of Ms. Weaver, it is real obvious that the two APD supervisors and investigator tried to cover up the fight and talk her out what she said earlier in the evening. That poor rookie officer is going to get fried by his senior weaver buddy supervisors and detectives. Hilarious that veteran PD party witness Green didnt see anything. This call was a total cover up until GBI took over...

...I guess the Weavers believe they are above the law. She blatantly lied at her church about their relationship. It is really underhanded of them both for putting law enforcement and their friends in a position to have to cover up and lie for them. He needs to go and soon. How can the public have any faith in his judgment since it appears that he is a bully at home? Maybe we should ask his ex-wife or former girlfriends what type of character this man has and if they were ever treated the way he treats this current wife...

...James Bush is just another entitlement person and in his case lives off the salary of his church person and Dougherty County School Board. He was a sorry police officer and didnt last... If you ever get bored and want to see the Weaver legacy, research his APD cop brother and former APD nephew!...

...He does judge the public standing before him in a court of law, so I personally hold him, members of the police, and clergy members to a higher standard. They are supposed to be leaders in the community and what kind of example has this incident set?...

...Please do not judge all church people by handful. Everyone attends church is not all bad. I am sure there are some things happen in other churches of different race. We are not to judge only God can and will judge each of us. We should be praying for God to help this couple because we know the problem here is the age difference and immaturity on Mrs. Weaver's part...

...There have been alot of talk about Judge Weaver. I think the community needs to stay out of it... We ALL are human. Just give the family some privacy...

...If Judge Weaver did not hit her, then there must be a simple explanation for the injury that sent her to the emergency room...

...In this city, church "leaders" = henchmen. And the really sad part is, the elected officials cave everytime they show up! Sorry Mrs. Weaver, my mom was a victim of domestic violence and she asked several times for the cops do drop charges against my father. I'm glad they didn't...

...I am appalled that church people would stand behind this behavior. It was not made up. Look at this couple's past police complaints. The paper was reporting what she said and witnesses said about the incident... ...

...If she has the gull to lie in a church then she will lie in court. What church was this anyway so I remember NEVER to attend?...

...She told the ER staff that her husband hit her...

...IF SHE SAID HE DIDN'T DO IT WHY CAN'T YOU ALL BELIEVE HER. IF THERE WERE A NUMBER OF POLICE THERE WHY DIDN'T THEY ARREST HIM THEN. WILLIE PARENTS DIDN'R RAISE HIM THAT WAY...

...No victim, no crime...

...Okay, so with all the law enforcement at the party, who hit her if it wasn't Willie? If it truly was not him, then why aren't the officers who were there naming who did it?...

...Wow. She called a press conference and dressed like THAT??!! If it were cut any lower we could see her belly button!...

...Haven't you heard? He is getting his pay during this, at the tune of almost 18,000.00 dollars for the ninety day "leave of absence". Sounds to me like they both are profiting off of this...

[public official involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety georgia state politics]

[ID] Fired Deputy Lee avoided death penalty for his crimes. His Mother Lynn will be remembered with love.

Fired Ada County Jail Deputy Michael James Lee has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexually assaulting his wife, fatally stabbing his mother, Lynn Marie Blake, and assaulting the woman who lived with his mother on January 4th, 2011. Pleading guilty to murder, kidnapping and a battery charge will allow Lee to avoid the death penalty. He was originally charged with multiple felony charges — including first degree murder, second degree kidnapping, rape, aggravated assault, battery, and use of a deadly weapon during a crime. He worked as a deputy until 2010. This information is brief because Michael Lee's crimes were so vicious that it will only hurt those involved to read the details again.

“Our hearts are broken and we have a huge void in our lives. Lynn’s whole life was her children and grandchildren. She had a huge heart! She was funny and smart. Lynn was a wonderful mother, grandmother and friend. She was an amazing woman! Lynn has always been and always will be a very important part of our lives. We are so grateful that her daughter-in-law was able to escape from the trunk of the car. Had she not, we fear more lives would have been lost. She is our hero! We wish to sincerely thank our friends, neighbors, and citizens of our community for their support and love during this tragic time. We want to thank the Ada County deputies and detectives for their quick response and wonderful support. We thank the Ada County paramedics and Saint Alphonsus (Regional Medical Center employees) for their valiant efforts to save our beloved Lynn. She will be missed. Please continue to pray for our family.

Thank you.”

UPDATES:

SENTENCING FOR CONFESSED KILLER MICHAEL JAMES LEE DELAYED UNTIL OCTOBER
Idaho Statesman
BY Patrick Orr
August 5, 2011
[Excerpts] Michael James Lee will find out in October how long he will go to prison for a brutal crime spree that culminated with the stabbing death of his mother last winter. Lee was originally scheduled for sentencing Aug. 31 by 4th District Judge Patrick Owen on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and felony battery, but that hearing is now delayed until Oct. 26 so Lee can get a mental health evaluation done first. Lee pleaded guilty... "I went there with the intention to take her life, and I did," Lee told Owen in May. Lee also admitted that he raped and kidnapped his wife and battered Blake's roommate. In exchange, Ada County prosecutors dropped charges of rape, aggravated assault and use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony. Prosecutors have agreed they won't seek a fixed life sentence, which means the 24-year-old Lee could one day be allowed out on parole. Ada County sheriff's deputies say that on Jan.4 Lee tied up and raped his wife at their Meridian apartment; placed her, still bound, in the trunk of his car; grabbed the couple's 4-month-old daughter; and drove to his mother's home in Eagle. While Lee and the baby were in the house, Lee's wife managed to get out of the trunk of the car and go to a neighbor's home for help, Eagle police arrived around the same time the roommate was able to escape from Lee, grab the baby and run out of the house. Prosecutors say Blake's roommate suffered torn eye muscles during the attack, and she continues to heal. Lee has not said publicly what motivated the vicious crime spree. Lee is being held with no bond in the Ada County Jail, where he briefly worked as a guard for the sheriff's office.

MAN WHO KILLED MOTHER, KIDNAPPED WIFE, SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON
KTVB.COM
October 26, 2011
[Excerpts] The Meridian man who killed his mother and kidnapped his wife was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole... The judge sentenced Lee to life in prison for the first degree murder charge. Twenty-five years of that sentence are fixed. For the kidnapping charge, he was sentenced to seven years fixed. He will be eligible for parole after 32 years. It's a sentence family of the victim, 46-year-old Lynn Blake, said they were satisfied with. "I knew from the beginning there would be no justice. You could sentence him for up to 400 years and I wouldn't call it justice -- it's basically, if you take the phrase an eye for an eye -- the eye that he took is so much more vast than anything that he as to offer in retribution," said David Lee, Lynn Blake's brother...
 [police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder mayhem brutal idaho state politics stabbed stabbing marital rape]

[TN] Deputy McCool's threat to blow off his wife's ____ head? Prove it.

A Murfreesboro Police Domestic Violence detective investigated the incident and determined there was no evidence to support statements from Rutherford County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph McCool or his ex-wife. The case is closed and Deputy McCool has been recommissioned.

PREVIOUS POST:
[TN] Deputy McCool allowed to work while on paid leave for domestic violence gun allegations

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal tennessee state politics teflon gun terroristic threats aggravated assault]

[US] DC Vice Officer Phillips charged with murdering Wynetta Wright. Little Jaylin's 1 year birthday is in heaven today.

Wynetta and Jaylin Wright.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

"FUNERAL SERVICES FOR WYNETTA & JAYLIN WRIGHT

HAVE BEEN CHANGED ON FRIDAY TO A NEW LOCATION: TEMPLE OF PRAISE, 700 SOUTHERN AVE SE WASHINGTON,DC 20032 @10AM-1PM. ALSO THE FUND HAS BEEN CHANGED TO A NEW ADDRESS DUE TO THE FAMILY CHANGING FUNERAL HOMES AS WELL. THE FUNDS TOWARDS THE WYNETTA WRIGHT & JAYLIN WRIGHT FUND CAN BE SENT TO THE PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT. C/O: WYVETTE WRIGHT 5303 CHRYSLER WAY UPPER MARLBORO,MD 20772.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!"

Jaylin Ariel Wright would have been one today. Jaylin's mother, 20 year old Wynetta Wright, had been participating for two years in the Prince George’s sheriff’s Explorers program in pursuit of her goal to be a deputy. Both their lives were stolen the night before Wynetta was to attend a hearing to establish paternity, child support, and health insurance for Jaylin. The night before the hearing Wynetta got a call from DC Metro Police Vice Detective Richmond Phillips to meet in an isolated spot - Oxon Run Stream Valley Park in Temple Hills. She was hopeful that this was the beginning of his wanting to start a relationship with the daughter he had never met. She let her mother what was happening, likely made Jaylin look her prettiest, and headed out into night optimistic. Wynetta and Jaylin never made the return trip home. The next day, married Detective Phillips showed up for their paternity hearing, agreeing to give DNA. June 3rd he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

Excerpts from below:

...Prince George’s police questioned Phillips about the missing woman and her baby... Phillips told investigators that he had not spoken with Wright in a year. However, Phillips’s telephone records indicate that the two had spoken more recently... Detectives have obtained surveillance video showing Phillips and Wright arriving a few minutes apart Monday in a parking lot of the Hillcrest Heights Community Center, at the edge of Oxon Run Spring Valley Park...

Two lives stolen. Wynetta had been shot. Jaylin, abandoned in her mother's car alone after it was moved by her mother's killer, is thought likely to have died from the next days' sweltering heat. Wynetta's other daughter is without a mother. Phillips' daughter is without a father. Both girls' young lives are now weighed down with this tragedy because of the killer's actions, for the rest of their lives. Their loss. Their burden. Please pray for them.

Learn from each tragedy. Look for what to not do. Share that with your friends and family - and lives could be saved.

Please pray for Janiya - Wynetta's daughter, Jaylin's sister. She doesn't understand yet what has happened to her world. May God's and family love surround her and protect her and make her strong.

From the Family of Wynetta & Jaylin Wright:

" I just want to thank everyone for showing soooo much LOVE"

FACEBOOK:

• Rest in peace Wynetta&Jaylin Wright
• JUSTICE FOR WYNETTA AND JAYLIN WRIGHT
• R.I.P WYNETTA WRIGHT (Tribute Video)

"Wynetta was a beautiful, humble and sweet young lady. How anyone that knew her could ever say anything bad about her, much less bring harm to her is still amazing to me. I Can't even put into words my thoughts about what he did to baby J. This is the saddest thing that I have ever heard of. I have analyzed the situation over and over again and cannot find one reason that this had to happen. Wynetta I Love you and you Dr. John Hayden Johnson Panthers Family Loves you and your Family." ~ Michael Tariq Sharrieff

COP CHARGED WITH MURDERS
DeMorning DeBonis, Washington Post
By Mike DeBonis
June 6, 2011
What D.C. cop Richmond Phillips stands accused of is horrifying... [Full article here]

BODIES IDENTIFIED AS WYNETTA WRIGHT AND DAUGHTER JAYLIN; DC OFFICER CHARGED IN WOMAN'S DEATH
Associated Press
By Eric Tucker
Friday, 03 Jun 2011
[Excerpts] A District of Columbia police officer was charged Friday in the death of a woman [Wynetta Wright] whose body was found along with that of her 1-year-old daughter [Jaylin] in what authorities are calling a case of domestic violence. Richmond Phillips was charged Friday with one count of first-degree murder and was being held without bond, said Gary Cunningham, a deputy Prince George's County police chief... The two had been reported missing to the Baltimore County police department on Tuesday by Wright's mother... Cunningham would not comment on the relationship between Phillips and Wright or discuss a motive. But Maryland court records show that the two were in a paternity dispute and a court hearing had been scheduled in Prince George's County for this past Tuesday. Wright's mother told reporters at the scene Thursday night that Phillips called her daughter the night before the hearing and asked to meet with her in Prince George's County. She said she became concerned after she did not hear again from her daughter... D.C. police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump said that Phillips' "police powers have been revoked," but did not elaborate... "This is a horrific crime, and our deepest sympathies go out to the Wright family," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said in a written statement... [Full article here]

WYNETTA AND JAYLIN WRIGHT FOUND DEAD; DC COP IN CHARGED WITH MURDER
wusa9.com
Jun 3, 2011
[Richmond] Phillips, an officer in DC's First District, is married with a 12-year-old daughter. The family, including Phillips' mother, lives at a home in Temple Hills. Phillips' mother tells 9NEWS NOW there is "no way" her son murdered Wright. "If he did, he's crazy," she continued. Phillips is being held without bond... Wynetta Wright, and her daughter, Jaylin were found dead in the Hillcrest Heights section of Prince George's County Thursday night... Court records indicate Wynetta Wright had filed a paternity case against Richmond Phillips. A court date was scheduled for Tuesday morning. Wright and her daughter had not been seen by family members since Monday night. [Full article here]

MOTHER OF WYNETTA WRIGHT SPEAKS OUT ON DEATH OF HER DAUGHTER
myfoxdc
By Bob Barnard
03 Jun 2011
[Excerpts] Wyvette Wright is planning a funeral for her daughter, Wynetta, and her granddaughter, Jaylin. D.C. Police vice officer Richmond Phillips is charged with Wynetta's murder and is suspected of leaving one-year-old Jaylin to die in her mother's pickup truck. The victims were found dead Thursday night. They went missing late Monday after the mother and daughter drove from Baltimore to meet with Phillips near his home in Hillcrest Heights. That was the night before a scheduled court date to discuss child support for Jaylin. Wyvette said Phillips had never before seen his young daughter. "My granddaughter's birthday is Monday," Wyvette told FOX 5 outside a relative's home in Temple Hills Friday afternoon. "She would have been one [year old] on Monday." About the accused, she said, "He didn't have to do that for no child support. If he paid, he paid. If he didn't, he didn't. He didn't have to do all that." On a swingset nearby, Wyvette's four-year-old granddaughter, Jiniah, innocently plays, not yet knowing she will never see her mother and baby sister again... She said Wynetta was excited after Phillips called Monday night. "Because she thought ‘You know, because he called, we're going to have mommy, daughter and daddy time,'" Wyvette said. "She wanted [Jaylin] to be in her dad's life. That's what she wanted. She just didn't have a clue that this [would] happen."... [Full article here]

OFFICER ACCUSED OF KILLING MOTHER AND CHILD
WDAM
June 04, 2011
[Excerpts] A police officer is facing murder charges, after his daughter and the girl's mother were found dead in Washington D.C. When 20-year-old Wynetta Wright and her 11-month-old daughter vanished Monday night family members knew something bad had happened. Court records show Wright was due in court for a child support hearing with the baby's father, Officer Richmond Phillips. "The night before their child support case, he called at 10 p.m. that night, told her to meet him at this park," said Wrights mother, Wyvette Wright. "We haven't heard from her since." Police officers found the young mother and child in the woods, the last place Wynetta Wright was seen with her baby's father... it is believed the woman was shot and dumped in the woods. Police believe Phillips then drove the baby about a half mile away in her mother's car and left her strapped in her car seat to die in the midst of the heat wave... Ironically, Wynetta Wright wanted to become a police officer and was active with the Prince George's Sheriff Department's Explore Club, earning the rank of private first class [Full article here]

D.C. OFFICER CHARGED WITH MURDER AFTER WOMAN, BABY FOUND DEAD IN PR. GEORGE’S
The Washington Post
By Paul Duggan and Clarence Williams
06/03/2011
[Excerpts] ...[D.C. police officer] Richmond D. Phillips, 39, of the 2900 block of Oxon Park St. in Temple Hills, was charged with murder in the death of Wynetta Wright, 20, said Prince George’s County Deputy Police Chief Gary Cunningham. Phillips had been subpoenaed to appear at a Tuesday morning hearing to establish paternity at the Prince George’s County courthouse, according to court records. Wynetta Wright alleged that Phillips fathered Jaylin Wright... Police found Wright’s body Thursday evening at Oxon Run Spring Valley Park, with what Cunningham called “obvious signs of trauma.” He would not say what those signs were. An autopsy will determine a cause of death. A short time after police found Wright, they found her car, also in the park. Jaylin still was in her car seat, and Cunningham suggested she may have died from heat exposure during the brutally hot week... Police put out a news release on Wednesday saying Wynetta Wright was missing. She was last seen Monday in the 3300 block of Curtis Drive in Temple Hills... Police had initially charged Phillips in the baby’s death, as well as Wright’s slaying. But officials are now awaiting autopsy results before deciding on charges in Jaylin’s death... [Full article here]

D.C. POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH WOMAN’S MURDER AFTER SHE AND BABY ARE FOUND DEAD
The Washington Post
By Matt Zapotosky and Paul Duggan
Published: June 3
[Excerpts] ...[married D.C. police officer Richmond] Phillips was due in court the next day for a hearing that would begin to determine whether he was the baby girl’s father and, if so, how much he’d have to pay to support her. The meeting ended horribly, police said. Phillips, 39, allegedly pulled out a gun and killed the 20-year-old Wright with a bullet to the head. He then left her body in the park, drove her car up a hill away from the scene and abandoned the baby in the car, according to law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the case... D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier called it “a horrific crime.” Phillips, a vice officer who joined the D.C. police force in 2003, was arrested by Prince George’s police Friday and charged with first-degree murder. A family member said Phillips, who is being held without bond, lived in the county’s Temple Hills area with his wife of 13 years and their 12-year-old daughter. Wright, an aspiring Prince George’s sheriff’s deputy, also lived in Temple Hills. She filed a court petition in February seeking to have Phillips declared the father of her daughter, Jaylin Wright, who was born June 6, 2010. She also asked the court to order Phillips to make child support payments and provide health insurance for Jaylin... Two county police officials familiar with the case, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing, said Wright told a friend that she planned to meet with Phillips on Monday to discuss what would happen Tuesday at a scheduled court hearing in the paternity matter. Detectives have obtained surveillance video showing Phillips and Wright arriving a few minutes apart Monday in a parking lot of the Hillcrest Heights Community Center, at the edge of Oxon Run Spring Valley Park... On Tuesday, Phillips showed up for the paternity hearing in Prince George’s Family Court and agreed to take a DNA test, said Paula Tolson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Human Resources. “The court was going to notify [Wright] that she and her baby also had to be tested,” said Tolson, whose agency oversees child support enforcement in the state. On Tuesday or Wednesday, Prince George’s police questioned Phillips about the missing woman and her baby, the police officials said. They said Phillips told investigators that he had not spoken with Wright in a year. However, Phillips’s telephone records indicate that the two had spoken more recently, according to the officials... Wright had been active for two years in the Prince George’s Sheriff Explorers program, in which young people learn about the discipline and skills needed to be a law enforcement officer... The group meets weekly for physical training, instruction and other activities, said Taylor, who likened the program to the Boy and Girl Scouts. She said Wright had recently been promoted to the rank of private first class. “She came to the program specifically because she was interested in becoming a sheriff’s deputy”... ... Phillips was assigned to the vice unit in the D.C. police 1st District statio... He worked in plain clothes on short-term investigations, making undercover drug buys and performing other anti-vice tasks... [Full article here]


[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities child infant toddler murder state politics]

[IN] Lisa "Nettie" Peterson's life stolen by her cop ex

Lisa "Nettie" Peterson was killed June 3. 2011 by her estranged husband Benjamin "Ben" Hankins. Hankins is a Gaston police officer, and a corrections officer. He has been jailed and charged with murder. Their three children are without them both.

UPDATE:

CHARGES STILL PENDING FOR COP ACCUSED OF MURDER

WISH

Monday, 06 Jun 2011

[Excerpts] The Gaston reserve police officer arrested for the shooting death of his wife, will have a pre-charge hearing Wednesday, Delaware County Prosecutors office said Monday. Benjamin Allan Hankins, 36, will meet, via video chat, with a representative of the Delaware County Prosecutor’s office at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Hankins is being held on preliminary charges of murder. Delaware County deputy prosecutor Zach Craig says if the office has not filed charges by tomorrow, they will request a 72-hour extension. “We want to get this done so we can get all the evidence and facts together. We don’t want to push this off,” Craig said... [Full article here]

EARLIER NEWS:

GASTON OFFICER ARRESTED FOR WIFE'S MURDER

WTHR

Jun 03, 2011 3:46 PM PST

[Excerpts] A reserve police officer was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife Friday morning. Officers were called to a home on North County Road 600 West in Delaware County Friday morning for a reported shooting. Deputies found 32-year-old Lisa Hankins shot several times. She was taken to Ball Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police arrested Ben Hankins, a reserve police officer in Gaston, for one count of murder. Investigators say the couple was having problems in their marriage and that the shooting was a domestic situation... [Full article here]

SHOOTING VICTIM IDENTIFIED AS OFFICER'S WIFE

Muncie Star Press

Andrew Walker

Jun. 3, 2011

[Excerpts] A Muncie woman shot dead early Friday has been identified by the Delaware County Coroner's office. The victim, Lisa A. "Nettie" Hankins, 32, died of multiple gunshot wounds Friday, according to Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn... Lisa Hankins filed for divorce last August and the case was still pending at the time of her death... The couple have three children. The shooting occurred early Friday... The property was outlined in police crime scene tape... Nearby Wes-Del Community Schools was also on lockdown... [Full article here]

..."It was a complete shock," said Gaston police Marshall James Oliver... "Our department right now is upside down," Oliver said. "It's like we have lost a family member, you know what I mean? He's our brother. I know his wife, a sweetheart. Very good kids. Very good family, and you know... It's tough"...

POLICE: GASTON OFFICER FATALLY SHOOTS WIFE: Ben Hankins Arrested In Wife's Deadly Shooting

theindychannel.com

June 3, 2011

UPDATED: June 4, 2011

[Excerpts] A reserve police officer found himself on the other side of the law in Greensburg Friday night. Authorities said Ben Hankins shot and killed his wife Lisa "Nettie" Hankins, 32. Police said Officer Hankins called 911 just moments after the deadly shooting... "She pulled my gun. I'm a Gaston reserve officer. She pulled my gun on me and I shot back," Hankins said on the call... Dispatchers said they tried to talk Hankins through CPR, but he refused... Delaware County Sheriff's deputies said they had made one run to Hankins house in September 2010, just one month after the couple filed for divorce. Authorities said the couple had three small children, two of which were at school while the third, a 4-year-old girl, was sitting in a car right outside the house when the shooting happened ... [Full article here]

POLICE: GASTON RESERVE OFFICER KILLS EXTRANGED WIFE: Police say Benjamin Hankins, 36, shot and killed his wife, Lisa A. Hankins, 32, Friday morning at his house in Harrison Township

Muncie Star Press

Written By Andrew Walker

8:25 PM, Jun. 3, 2011

[Excerpts] ...Benjamin Allan Hankins, 36, called 911 at 7:44 a.m. to report his wife [Lisa "Nettie" Peterson] had been shot in his house... He was taken into custody at the scene and has been preliminarily charged with murder, according to Capt. Richard Pickett with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office... The police captain said the shooting occurred after Lisa Hankins had stopped at her husband's home so their two oldest children could catch the bus to Wes-Del Elementary School... "My wife and I were having an argument," Hankins said during one of three separate conversations with dispatchers... Hankins sounded panicked as a dispatcher repeatedly urged him to try to perform CPR on his wife, whom he indicated was not breathing.... Lisa Hankins was still alive when police arrived at the scene. She was taken to the Muncie hospital, where doctors attempted a life-saving surgery... Benjamin Hankins has been a reserve officer with his department for about three years... "It's a sad day for us, it's a sad day for the family," [Gaston Police Cpl. James] Dixon said. "We knew their family well. They've come to all our events and things like that, so we need to let the investigation take its course"... [Full article here]

GASTON RESERVE POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH MURDERING ESTRANGED WIFE: A Department of Corrections employee and Gaston reserve officer made a frantic 911 call. Hours later he was in jail for murder.

WSBT.com, Fox59

By Kent Erdahl

June 3, 2011

[Excerpts] A reserve officer for the Gaston, IN, police department is under arrest for allegedly murdering his estranged wife [Lisa "Nettie" Peterson Hankins]. Ben Hankins, a reserve officer and Department of Corrections employee, made the initial 911 call, but hours later he was taken into custody for murder... Despite Hankins claim of self defense, Investigators point out that Lisa Hankins suffered multiple gunshot wounds. That's not all. "From all the evidence at the scene and from what other things we've determined he was charged with murder," Capt. [Richard] Pickett said. "It was a complete shock," said Gaston police Marshall James Oliver... "Our department right now is upside down," Oliver said. "It's like we have lost a family member, you know what I mean? He's our brother. I know his wife, a sweetheart. Very good kids. Very good family, and you know... It's tough."

Ben Hankins: "She's not breathing."

Dispatcher: "Are you the only one home?"

Ben Hankins: "My daughter is out in the car."

Dispatcher: "Okay, how old is your daughter?"

Ben Hankins: "She's four."

Invesigators say Ben Hankins other two kids were on their way to school before the shooting Friday morning... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder indiana state politics]

[TX] Before Evelia Villa was murdered she feared Arlington Police Officer Jose Mejia

It's reported that Evelia Villa lived for months in fear of Arlington Poice Officer Jose Mejia until May 23rd when she was found dead. Mejia was fired from Arlington Police May 12th.

..."She was afraid for her kids and herself," said the victim's brother, Jimmy Villa... [Friend, Jonay] Leon and others who knew Valencia said that she had been “terrified” for months of an Arlington officer against whom she had filed a complaint... "This is what they took away from me," said Augustine Villa, gripping a photograph of his daughter... Arlington officials have not disclosed the reason for his termination...

SLAIN WOMAN HAD BEEN THREATENED BY ARLINGTON OFFICER, LAWYER SAYS

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

By Mitch Mitchell

Posted Thursday, Jun. 02, 2011

[Excerpts] A woman whose children found her strangled in their apartment last week told an attorney just days earlier that she had received death threats from a fired Arlington police officer, the attorney said Thursday. Evelia Villa, 29, was one of three women who had complained to the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens about Jose Mejia, a police officer who was fired May 12, said Domingo Garcia, a Dallas attorney investigating the complaints. Villa was found strangled May 23 in her apartment... Her death was not reported until four days later when the Tarrant County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. In February or March, Garcia said, LULAC officials referred the women to Garcia's law firm, where another attorney helped them file a formal complaint against Mejia with the Arlington Police Department. Villa later told Garcia's associate that she had requested protection from the police after receiving death threats from the officer, and his office also told police about the threatening calls, Garcia said. He said he didn't know whether the Police Department acted on those requests, "We have no proof that he is involved in the murder, but we wanted the police to consider him as a suspect because he had motive," Garcia said... Villa told Garcia's associate that she had been harassed by Mejia more than once, Garcia said. The complaint to police stemmed from an incident that occurred about a year ago when, Villa said, Mejia came to her apartment and accused her of either selling or using drugs, Garcia said. Mejia ordered Villa to take off all her clothes while he stood in her apartment and watched, and then he left, Garcia said. Villa said Mejia threatened to kill her and her children if she ever told anyone about that night, Garcia said. Cellphone records After being told about Villa's death last week, Garcia said, he waited for news reports that never materialized. Finally, he sent a letter to Arlington police asking about the case. The next day, news of Villa's death was reported in print and on TV, Garcia said. "We have cellphone records of him calling Villa, and we assume that Arlington police also have those records," Garcia said. "It seems to me that they did not report it until they got our letter asking about what happened"... [Full article here]

Thank you to the Ellis County Observer that dug up the name of Jose Mejia. Main media was reporting on Evelia Villa's death without naming him. After the Observer posted his name June 1st, an article immediately appears from Fort Worth Star-Telegram naming him also. This is a step in the right direction. I would like to know why he was fired in May - the same month that Evelia was killed. This isn't a domestic case but there is something more here. Evelia's attorney says that Evelia passed 2 polygraph tests regarding then-officer Mejia ordering her to take her clothes off, then threatening to KILL her and her family if she told. A person who would do such thing - cop or not - could be predatory in a wider sense.

I am praying for Evelia's family and the investigators working on this case.

May the truth come to light,

whatever it is.

EVELIA VILLA - VALENCIA

Dallas Morning News

Published on May 28, 2011

Villa - Valencia, Evelia Age 29, of Arlington, Tx, died on May 23, 2011. Visitation today 2-9pm with a rosary 7pm at Carrillo Funeral Home, Burial Mexico. [LINK]

From the Ellis County Observer:

Jose Mejia

Puerto Rican/Bolivian

DOB: August 3, 1975

Served in military, was injured and honorably discharged

Drives a black Dodge Charger

EXCERPTS FROM EARLIER ARTICLES:

MOM FOUND STRANGLED NEXT TO INFANT IN ARLINGTON APARTMENT

WFAA

By Craig Civale

Posted on May 27, 2011

[Excerpts] Arlington police are investigating the death of a mother found strangled in her apartment next to her newborn daughter Evelia Villa Valencia, 29, was killed Monday afternoon after dropping off two of her children at school. She returned to her apartment with her 3-month-old daughter and was attacked. Sources told News 8 there were signs of a struggle inside. Valencia’s 11-year-old son returned from school to find his mother... Police have made no arrests, and said they are questioning those who knew her. News 8 has learned that includes a former Arlington police officer who was fired by the department on May 12. The officer was fired stemming from a complaint made by Valencia last year. The Arlington woman accused the officer of forcing her to take off her clothes in front of him. Police are not commenting on the circumstances of his dismissal or the specifics of the investigation. A spokesman for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) criticized the Arlington Police Department, saying it should have publicly notified the community of the death before Friday. “My perception is they sat on it,” said Lico Reyes, LULAC... [Full article here]

FBI ASKED TO INVESTIGATE POLICE IN SLAYING OF ARLINGTON WOMAN

Fort Worth Star Telegram

By Domingo Ramirez Jr.

Sunday, May. 29, 2011

[Excerpts] Local officials of the League of United Latin American Citizens are asking for the FBI to investigate the Arlington Police Department on their handling of a case involving an Arlington woman who was found slain in her apartment last week. LULAC officials want FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Casey to investigate Arlington police. Officials have criticized Arlington police, saying police officials should have notified the community on May 23 when Evelia Villa Valencia, 29, was found by her young son.. Arlington police have said the death was not reported until Thursday because that’s when it was ruled a homicide by the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office... Valencia worked as a bartender at Amigos to support her family, [friend, Jonay] Leon said. “She loved her kids so much. She was a good mother, a very good mother and a single mother at that,” Leon said. Leon and others who knew Valencia said that she had been “terrified” for months of an Arlington officer against whom she had filed a complaint. The officer was fired early this month, according to Arlington police... [Full article here]

ARLINGTON MURDER MYSTERY SPURS CALL FOR FBI PROBE

WFAA

By Craig Civale

Posted on May 31, 2011

[Excerpts] The League of United Latin American Citizens is calling for federal agents to investigate the murder of an Arlington woman [Evelia Villa Valencia]... Police continue to talk to friends and acquaintances of the victim, including a recently-fired Arlington police officer. Valencia had filed a complaint against that same officer last year. He was dismissed from the force three weeks ago. "This is what they took away from me," said Augustine Villa, gripping a photograph of his daughter. He fought back tears as he shared the pain of losing a child. Valencia, a mother of four, was found dead in her apartment in the 2400 block of East Park Row Drive with her infant daughter by her side. "She was afraid for her kids and herself," said the victim's brother, Jimmy Villa."It's real sad man, to do that to someone — especially in front of their three-month-old baby. They're heartless." LULAC has asked the FBI to find out why it took four days for police to discuss the crime. "These people are your eyes and ears, police department," said LULAC director Lico Reyes. "They help solve most of your crimes, and you're blinding them!"... "My heart is destroyed," Augustine Villa said. "I want there to be justice." [Full article here]

FATHER OF SLAIN WOMAN SAYS SHE FEARED ARLINGTON POLICE OFFICER

Fort Worth Star Telegram

By Mitch Mitchell

Tuesday, May. 31, 2011

[Excerpts] The father of a woman found strangled last week said he was in Arlington on the day she was killed to help her move to a new apartment because she had been threatened by a police officer. Augustino Villa, 56, of Chicago, said his daughter, Evelia Villa, called him, pleading for help in dealing with an Arlington officer who had threatened to have Child Protective Services take her children and have her deported... Arlington officials have not disclosed the reason for his termination or identified him. "I offered to help her move, but the day she was supposed to move, a friend who helped us find the new apartment called to tell me that she had been killed," Augustino Villa said through an interpreter Tuesday. "We don't know that he is a suspect, but we know that she was afraid of this officer." Villa answered questions Tuesday at a gathering at Arlington City Hall that was called by the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Lico Reyes, LULAC district director, said he has fielded at least four complaints from Arlington Hispanic residents regarding the fired officer... Evelia Villa's brother, Jimmy Villa, 26, said his sister was victimized by police because she was in this country illegally. "I just want justice for Evelia," Jimmy Villa said. "It's not right that a person be allowed to do this." The medical examiner's office last week reported her name as Evelia Villa Valencia. Her family said Tuesday that Villa was her correct last name. About two dozen people released balloons as they prayed for Villa's four children [Full article here]

[police officer involved violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder texas state politics]

[NYPD] Never forgetting Juliet Alexander

From Juliet's diary:

"The fear in me is so strong that I feel something is going to happen and happen real soon... I want to be free of Martin Peters. I want to be able to go on with my life, without living in fear. I want a miracle... If this is the way it has to end, I am prepared to meet my maker.

The End."

[U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Detention Enforcement Officer Juliet Alexander was murdered by the father of her 2 children, ex-boyfriend New York Police Sgt. Martin Peters on January 16, 2001. More here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder coverup fear new york state politics nyc police department united states federal cop on cop]