Cynthia Monacchio

~Murdered August 19, 2011

~Age 51
~Hometown: Day, NY

Police believe Robert Monacchio, Jr. strangled his wife, Cynthia, in their home on August 19th and then used a shotgun to kill himself. The couple had no known history of domestic violence but their marriage of 15 years was on the rocks. Mr. Monacchio, 51, had sought counseling to help keep his marriage together. Mrs. Monacchio, 51, no longer in love, stayed with her husband for the sake of their children.

The couple had lived in the rural Day, NY area, where Mr. Monacchio had family, for the past few years. Mr. Monacchio was employed by Target.

Mrs. Monacchio was originally from Maryland, and had attended college in Delaware. She worked as a bookkeeper.

The Monacchio's 11-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son were at their paternal grandparents' house at the time of the murder-suicide.

Sources
Times Union, Aug 22, 2011
Times Union, Aug 22, 2011
The Saratogian, Aug 22, 2011

~Posted August 23, 2011

Gina Reano

~Murdered August 3, 2011

~Age 45
~Hometown: San Gabriel, CA

Tragedy hit the E! Entertainment Television family on August 3, 2011 when an E! facilities director was accused of fatally stabbing his estranged wife, a former E! editor and producer, and injuring his estranged wife's sister, also an E! employee.

The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. in the San Gabriel, CA home where Gina Reano, 45, lived with her sister Grace Reano. Gina Reano died at the scene. Grace Reano was hospitalized with non-life-threatening stab wounds suffered when she came to her sister's aid. Alleged perpetrator, Sherman Dion Dorsey, 40, of Los Angeles, incurred self-inflicted stab wounds and was also hospitalized.

Dorsey is currently being held on $2.7 million bond. His arraignment is scheduled for August 23.

Dorsey's LinkedIn profile indicates he has been a facilities director at E! / Comcast since 1999. Prior to that he attended California State University - Los Angeles.

Gina Reano served as assistant editor or post-production coordinator for various E! documentaries between 2007 and 2011, according to IMDb. Among shows she worked on is TSH Investigates: Dating Nightmares.

Sources
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Aug 4, 2011
The Wrap, Aug 9, 2011 (also posted by Reuters)

~Posted August 23, 2011

Robert Higdon

~Murdered August 1, 2011

~Age 58
~Hometown: Augusta, GA

A high-heeled shoe is the alleged murder weapon in a recent Georgia domestic homicide. Police say Robert Higdon, 58, died in the early hours of August 1, after his live-in girlfriend, Thelma Carter, 46, hit him on the head with her shoe. The altercation followed an argument over the couple's puppy. Alcohol is said to have been a factor in the incident.

Carter was charged with one count of murder and is being held without bond. She has admitted to hitting Higdon with her shoe. Initial autopsy results, however, were inconclusive as to Higdon's cause of death. Additional toxicology tests will be performed.

Higdon had a grown daughter, who lives in South Carolina. Other surviving family members include his parents, brother, and a niece and nephew.


Thelma Carter

Sources
The Augusta Chronicle, Aug 1, 2011
The Augusta Chronicle, Aug 2, 2011 [obit]
WJBF-TV, Aug 1-2, 2011
WAGT-TV, Aug 12, 2011

~Posted August 23, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Memorial contributions may be made to Hamp Pope Recovery Fund, c/o Hale House, 402 Walker Street, Augusta, GA 30901. [Source: obit]

Audra McCullough

~Murdered January 18, 2009

~Age 19
~Hometown: Nashville, TN

An argument between a young couple turned deadly shortly after midnight on January 18, 2009. That's when police say Brandon Watson, 20, shot his girlfriend Audra McCullough, 19, to death in the Nashville, TN apartment they shared. Watson, who witnesses say was drunk, then shot himself in the head. He was hospitalized in critical condition as of the latest reports found online.

McCullough worked as a waitress. She leaves the son she had with Watson.


Audra McCullough; Brandon Watson

Sources
Nashville Police media report, Jan 18, 2009
WSMV TV News, Jan 18, 2009
WTVF-News Channel 5, Jan 18, 2009
The Tennessean, Jan 18, 2009
High Funeral Home webpage [obit]

~Posted January 20, 2009

Brittney Wells

Murdered January 14, 2009

~Age 17
~Hometown: Clarkston (DeKalb Co.), GA

Just after midnight on January 15, 2009 police, working on an anonymous tip, found the body of 17-year-old high school student Brittney Wells in a dumpster behind a Clarkston, GA apartment complex. Police arrested Shannon Cade,17, in connection with her death. Cade was Wells' boyfriend and lived at the complex where her body was found.

Police believe Wells, who was last seen the previous morning, went to Cade's apartment willingly but was later held there against her will. They say Cade strangled her to death after she refused to have sex with him. A 14-year-old who police say helped Cade dispose of Wells' body has been charged as a juvenile with concealing a death. Additional people may have been involved, according to police, who continue to investigate.

Wells was a student at Clarkston High School in Clarkston, GA. She is survived by her parents, 2 sisters and 1 brother.

Those who knew Wells describe her as "just a nice all around person" and someone who "never tried to pick a fight and never tried to have any trouble." Wells had many friends at Clarkston HS where was a member of Technology Students of America. She loved her little 7-year-old sister, who she often talked about, and eating at Wendy’s.


Shannon Cade

Sources
WSVB-TV, Jan 16, 2009
Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jan 16, 2009
Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jan 21, 2009 [obit]

Note: The victim's name is spelled Brittany Wells in some reports. Cade's age was listed as 18 in some reports but he is 17 according to his date of birth listed on the DeKalb County (GA) Online Jail Tracking System.

Special thanks to two individuals who knew Wells for providing information about her for this story.

~Posted January 21, 2009
~Updated January 24, 2009

Lindsay Tall

Murdered January 13, 2009

~Age 45 (some reports say 46)
~Hometown: Mission, TX

"I fucked up. I shot my wife," Joseph Anthony Mongiello told officers arriving at his Mission, TX in response to a 911 call he placed around 11:00 p.m. on January 13, 2009. Inside police found Mongiello's wife, Lindsay Parker Tall, with 4 to 6 gunshot wounds to the chest. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mongiello, age 48, reportedly later gave police a sworn statement saying he shot Tall, age 45 (or 46, reports vary). Police declined to release additional details about Mongiello's statement, saying their discussions with the suspect were still ongoing, but news reports suggest the shooting followed an argument.

Mongiello was arrested and charged with one count of murder. His bond was set at $3 million. He is said to be on suicide watch.

Police had no prior involvement with the couple for domestic violence. Some leaving online comments to news reports allege that Tall was abusive towards Mongiello, but these comments are unsubstantiated. A neighbor interviewed on local TV knew of no problems. Mongiello was arrested for DWI in conjunction with an August 2008 hit-and-run (the case is pending arraignment), but was not intoxicated at the time of the shooting.

Mongiello has a 26-year employment history with the US Customs and Border Protection and its predecessor agencies. He used to be the customs bridge director for the US-Mexico crossing at Rio Grande City, TX, but was put on non-duty status pending the outcome of his DWI case.

Tall was married previously but her first husband was killed during an overseas trip. She had two daughters from that marriage, whose ages were listed as 17 and 18 in one report and 17 and 23 in another. Tall was described as a dedicated mother who often participated in her daughters' school activities. She also enjoyed her dogs and horse, and doing volunteer work.


Lindsay Tall; Joseph Mongiello

Sources
The Monitor, Jan 14, 2008
KGBT-TV, Jan 15, 2009
KGBT-TV, Jan 15, 2009
Note: Tall's name is listed as Lindsay P. Mongiello in the police's probable cause document regarding the incident.

~Posted January 19, 2009

Tammy Saldana

Murdered on/around January 12, 2009

~Age 46
~Hometown: Casa Grande, AZ

A niece stopped by 46-year-old Tammy Saldana's Casa Grande, AZ home after not hearing from her in a few days. Seeing what she thought were bodies on the floor inside the home the niece summoned police. Police found Saldana and her fiancé, 53-year-old Vincent Sullivan, dead of gunshot wounds. Based on an investigation and autopsy results police determined Sullivan shot Saldana multiple times before turning the gun on himself. No motive was reported in the single news report of the incident found online.

Saldana owned and operated a Pita Pit Restaurant franchise in Casa Grande, AZ that she opened in March 2007. Her obituary describes her as an optimist and an adventurer. She is said to have loved the outdoors, riding her motorcycle, camping and fishing. She liked elephants, believing that they brought luck. She was a NY Jets fan. She had one daughter and one son (ages not specified).


Tammy Saldana (at her Pita Pit franchise)

Sources
Casa Grande Dispatch, Jan 16, 2009 [obit-hers]
Casa Grande Dispatch, Jan 17, 2009

~Posted January 18, 2009

Patricia Kavano

Murdered on/about January 11, 2009

~Age 63
~Hometown: Manchester, MO

On January 10, 2008 Frank William Kavano, 66, was served with a temporary restraining order baring him from abusing or threatening his wife, Patricia Ann Kavano, 63, or being in or near their Manchester, MO home. The next evening, police believe, Mr. Kavano used an antique revolver to kill both his wife and himself with shots to the head.

The restraining order was on the floor near Mr. Kavano when the bodies were discovered on January 12 by Mrs. Kavano's adult daughter from a previous marriage, leading police to speculate that the order might have set off the chain of events. A note left by Mr. Kavano - described by police as rambling and incoherent - alluded to marital problems but did not specifically mention the pending murder-suicide.

Some published reports say the couple had health and financial problems. (No additional details were provided.) Other reports say the couple's finances were satisfactory but that Mr. Kavano was mad about how much money his wife spent on her grandchildren.

In her request for a temporary restraining order Mrs. Kavano said her husband did things such as threaten to kill her son, hide her car keys so she couldn't go to work, lock her out of the house and put all her clothes in the car. She reportedly recently decided to seek a divorce. She filed once previously, in 2002, but then changed her mind. The couple had been married 10-14 years (reports vary).

Local police were well acquainted with Mr. Kavano - who they said had 'quirks' - because he would often call to report things such as speeding cars in the neighborhood. He did not get along with neighbors, but was not known to be violent. One neighbor and his two ex-wives, however, had restraining orders against him. One ex-wife was quoted as saying, "I've been so afraid of that man for so long. He harassed me and my kids."

Mr. Kavano was a retired plumber. His obituary says he is survived by Tony, Tracy and Nicole though does not specifically say if these are his children.

Mrs. Kavano worked as a registered nurse for Chrysler Corporation. She was previously employed by Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville, MO. She was active in the Catholic church and the American Legion Auxiliary. Her obituary says her greatest joy was her family. She leaves two daughters, one son and six grandchildren.


Patricia Kavano

Sources
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan 13, 2009
Suburban Journals, Jan 13, 2009
St. Louis Dispatch, Jan 14, 2009
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan 16, 2009 [obit-his]
Perryville Suntimes, Wk of Jan 12, 2009 [obit-hers]
Note: Mrs. Kavano's obituary is listed under the name Patricia Ann (Modde) Tiehes.

~Posted January 18, 2009

---

Donations in memory of Mrs. Kavano may be made to the Association of the Miraculous Medal, 1811 West Saint Joseph Street, Perryville, MO 63775. (Address from the organization's website.) [Source/obit]

Marie Cogburn

~Murdered January 10, 2009

~Age 34
~Hometown: Nashville, AR

Daniel Mark Gardner, 42, has been arrested in connection with the death of a woman he had been dating for a few months. The woman, 34-year-old Marie Harper Cogburn, was found dead of a single gunshot wound to her back in Gardner's home on January 10, 2009. The victim and suspect both lived in Nashville, AR.

Gardner is being held, pending arraignment, on $200,000 bond. Prosecutors still are deciding exactly what charges he will face. Gardner reportedly told police the shooting was not intentional. He said he was trying to push Cogburn in the back with an AR-15 rifle when it accidentally discharged.

Gardner worked as a police officer for a brief time in 1996.

Cogburn, affectionately known as Ree, worked as a manager at Murphy Oil. She leaves three sons from a previous marriage.


Daniel Gardner

Sources
KTBS-TV, Jan 12, 2009
Texarkana Gazette, Jan 13, 2009
Nashville Leader, Jan 14, 2009
Fox-16 News, Jan 14, 2009
Texarkana Gazette, Jan 15, 2009 [obit]

~Posted January 19, 2009

Tarneshia Jones

Murdered January 6, 2009

~Age 19
~Hometown: Milledgeville, GA

Tarneshia Jones, 19, had a son while still in high school but, nevertheless, graduated in 2008 and was pursing a college degree when her life was cut short. On January 6, 2009, police say, Darian Napier, Jones' former boyfriend and the father or her son, shot Jones in her Milledgeville, GA home and then turned the gun on himself. Both died at the scene.

Daquavious Napier, the couple's 2-year-old son, was at daycare at the time of the incident. He is now in the care of Jones' family.

Jones and Napier - high school sweethearts who recently broke up - had a tumultuous relationship according to news reports. Napier was on probation for simple battery stemming from a November 2008 incident in which he grabbed the wheel of a car Jones was driving causing it to crash. Jones' father said he didn't think the relationship involved physical violence, but a cousin described Napier as obsessed with Jones. Napier reportedly once said if he couldn't have Jones then no one could.

Friends say Napier had recently been depressed. The local sheriff believes this played a role in the murder-suicide.

Napier, who went by the nickname D-Nate, had been an all-region basketball player in high school. He was employed by Chik-fil-A. In addition to the child he had with Jones, he leaves another son.

Jones, known to friends as MuMu, was a freshman at Georgia Military College where she hoped to obtain a degree in nursing. She also was employed by Office Max.


Tarneshia Jones*, Darian Napier
*Picture from her Facebook page

Sources
The Baldwin Bulletin, Jan 6, 2008
Macon.com/The Telegraph, Jan 6, 2009
Macon.com/The Telegraph, Jan 7, 2009
WMAZ-TV, Jan 7, 2009
Union-Recorder, Jan 8 2009 [obit-hers]
Union-Recorder, Jan 9, 2009 [obit-his]

~Posted January 17, 2009

---

A fund has been established for Jones and Napier's son. Donations to the Daquavious O. Napier Trust Fund can be made at Exchange Bank in Milledgeville, GA. [Source/Obit]

Yoranda Ntahomvukiye

Murdered January 5, 2009

~Age 56
~Hometown: Nashville, TN

Five months after Yoranda Ntahomvukiye, 56, and her husband Pascal Gahungu, 63, immigrated to the US from Africa, she was dead and he was incarcerated for her murder. Police say Gahungu stabbed his wife to death in their Nashville, TN apartment on January 5, 2009 following an argument.

Two of the couple's adult children and a 7-year-old granddaughter were home at the time. The couple's 20-year-old son attempted to intervene and was almost stabbed himself in the process.

A language barrier initially complicated the situation for police. After locating a translator, however, police reportedly extracted a confession from Gahungu. Charged with criminal homicide and attempted criminal homicide, he remains held on $1.25 million bond.

Originally from Burundi, the couple fled that country in the 1970s, living in Rwanda and Tanzania before their recent arrival in Nashville. Six of their nine children live in the US.


Yoranda Ntahomvukiye; Pascal Gahungu

Sources
Nashville Police media report, Jan 6, 2009
WTVF-News Channel 5, Jan 6, 2009
WSMV TV News, Jan 6, 2009

~Posted January 20, 2009

Chronological List 2009

The posts in this blog are dated and included in the archive by the date of death, not the date of posting. The list below includes the posts written in 2009, listed in the order posted.

~Posted January 21~
Brittney Wells *1/24/09 update

~Posted January 20~
Likza Alvarenga
Audra McCullough
Yoranda Ntahomvukiye

~Posted January 19~
Marie Cogburn
Lindsay Tall
Maura Marroquin

~Posted January 18~
Tammy Saldana
Patricia Kavano
Darlene Sloan

~Posted January 17~
Veronica Williams
Sharon Glassman
Tarneshia Jones

~Posted January 16~
Kathryn Smith
Norma Lopez
Norma Fierro Lopez

~Posted January 15~
Arnaldo Amado

Maura Marroquin

Murdered December 31, 2008

~Age 23
~Hometown: Rio Grande City, TX

A 28-year-old San Antonio, TX man went on a two-day crime spree across south Texas at the end of 2008 that included kidnapping, four carjackings and murder. It ended with the man, Moises Gonzalez, fatally shooting himself in the head so police can only speculate on his motive, but it appears he was driven, at least in part, by jealousy over the break-up of his relationship with girlfriend Maura Marroquin. The 23-year-old woman from Rio Grande City, TX was killed during the crime spree.

On December 30, 2008 Gonzalez kidnapped Marroquin at gunpoint from her car in McAllen, TX. Later Gonzalez carjacked two cars. The next day he stole another car. Around 7 p.m. that evening he killed his ex-girlfriend in a Harlingen, TX H-E-B Supermarket, shooting her once in the back and a second time in the chest as she lay on the floor. Gonzalez then carjacked another vehicle. At 9:15 p.m. he drove into the Weslaco, TX Wal-Mart and rode through the store before crashing and shooting himself. Gonzalez died on the way to the hospital. Six people in Wal-Mart suffered minor injuries.

Marroquin and Gonzalez had what was described as an on and off relationship. For some period of time she lived with him in San Antonio, but had broken off the relationship before her kidnapping and murder. One report said the break-up occurred several months ago. Another suggests it may have been more recent.

Little information was published about Gonzalez other than that he was licenced to carry a gun and was arrested for burglary a few weeks prior to the crime spree described here. Marroquin reportedly described her ex-boyfriend as a very jealous person, but did not seem afraid of Gonzalez following their break-up.

Similarly, only a few details were provided regarding Marroquin. She was separated from and in the process of an amicable divorce from her husband of 6 years. He and the couple's 4-year-old son were visiting Mexico at the time of Marroquin's kidnapping and murder.


Maura Marroquin; Moises Gonzalez

Sources
The Monitor, Dec 31, 2008
KRGV-TV, Dec 31, 2008
KGBT-TV, Jan 1, 2009
KVEO-TV, Jan 1, 2009
The Monitor, Jan 1, 2009
KRGV-TV, Jan 2, 2008
The Monitor, Jan 2, 2009
The Monitor, Jan 13, 2009

~Posted January 19, 2009

Arnaldo Amado

Murdered December 27, 2008

~Age 42
~Hometown: Somerville, MA

According to police, on the afternoon of December 27, 2008, 30-year-old Kimberly Carmella Savini stabbed her live-in boyfriend Arnaldo Amado, 42, in the chest with a kitchen knife. The incident occurred in the couple's Somerville, MA apartment. Amado was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Savini, who called 911 to report the stabbing, is said to have told the responding officers, "Yes, I stabbed him, but he attacked me first." She is being held without bail on one count of murder. Her lawyer says Savini acted in self defense after being beaten by a drunken Amado following an argument. Savini reportedly had bruises on her face and upper body at the time of her arrest. The District Attorney, however, says information from neighbors suggests Savini was the aggressor in the troubled relationship.

The couple had been together 4 years and had a 1-year-old son. The child, who was in the apartment at the time of the stabbing but was unharmed, is in the care of his maternal grandparents.


Kimberly Savini

Sources
Somerville Journal, Dec 27, 2008
Boston Globe, Dec 29, 2008
Middlesex DA press release, Dec 29, 2008
Boston Herald, Dec 30, 2008
Somerville Journal, Dec 31, 2008

~Posted January 15, 2009

Darlene Sloan

~Murdered December 25, 2008

~Age 50
~Hometown: Forest Park, GA

In the wee hours of December 25, 2008 Bobby Sloan, 60, and his wife Darlene Brown Sloan, 50, were returning from a nightclub when they got into an argument. It was then, police say, that Mr. Sloan pulled out a handgun and shot Mrs. Sloan in the head. She died at the scene.

The Sloans, from Forest Park, GA, were visiting her relatives in South Carolina at the time of the incident. The shooting occurred in Charleston, SC. Mrs. Sloan attended high school in nearby Walterboro, where her mother still lives.

Mr. Sloan is being held in Charleston on charges of murder and possession of a firearm during commission of a crime.

Mrs. Sloan worked as a manager at McDonald's. She leaves one son (presumably from a previous relationship) and two grandchildren.


Bobby Sloan

Sources
WCBD-TV, Dec 25, 2008
Post and Courier, Dec 25, 2008
Post and Courier, Dec 26, 2008
Post and Courier, Dec 27, 2008
Community Times Dispatch, Jan 1, 2009 [obit-cached]

~Posted January 18, 2009

Likza Alvarenga

Murdered December 22, 2008

~Age 22
~Hometown: Miami, FL

When 22-year-old Likza Alvarenga was out shopping her estranged husband, Julio Duarte, hid in a closet of her Miami, FL home. Upon Alvarenga's return Duarte jumped out and chased her, ultimately shooting her multiple times and leaving her to die on the lawn. The couple's 3-year-old daughter witnessed the attack, which occurred around11 p.m. on December 22, 2008.

Duarte reportedly confessed to police following his arrest. No other details were provided in news reports located online.

The couple had been separated one year. Their daughter resided with Alvarenga. Neighbors said mother and daughter could often be seen playing outside together.

Sources
Miami Herald, Dec 23, 2008 [cached]
MMIX-TV News, Dec 23, 2008

~Posted January 20, 2009

Veronica Williams

Murdered November 20, 2008

~Age 28
~Hometown: Baltimore, MD

As Veronica Elizabeth (Graves) Williams, 28, was leaving a Baltimore, MD courthouse on November 17, 2008, a just-obtained temporary restraining order against her estranged husband in hand, she was stabbed repeatedly by the very man the order was to protect her against, Cleaven 'CJ' Williams, 33. An off-duty officer witnessed the attack and tried to stop it, first by tasing Mr. Williams and, when that didn't work, shooting him. Both Mr. and Mrs. Williams were rushed to the hospital. He survived. She did not.

Mrs. Williams' Jehovah's Witness faith precluded treatment with blood transfusions, though it is not clear it would have saved her anyway given the extent of her injuries. After several days in a drug-induced coma, during which she suffered a stroke and a miscarriage, Mrs. Williams died on November 20th.

The Williams met in 1998 when both attended Hagerstown Junior College. They married in 1999 and opened a barbershop together shortly thereafter. The 3 children that followed were home schooled by Mrs. Williams, who also assisted her husband in the barbershop.

Looking back, Mrs. Williams' family members say Mr. Williams seemed overly possessive from the start, but problems in the couple's relationship were not apparent until January 2005. That was when Mr. Williams choked, beat and pistol whipped his wife, and also shot a bullet at the floor near her feet. He pled guilty to second degree assault for the incident and received a 3-year suspended sentence and probation. (The couple's barbershop burned to the ground the day after the beating. The fire was deemed arson, but no one was ever charged.)

Although Mrs. Williams left the state for awhile afterwards, fearing for her safety, the couple eventually reconciled. By October 2008, however, Mrs. Williams decided she wanted to leave her husband. When she told him, he reportedly pinned her down and cut off all the hair on the back of her head. He then ordered her to leave their house, subsequently destroying some of her property. Mrs. Williams cited this behavior when requesting a restraining order in November, although she did not live long enough to reap any benefit from the order.

Mr. Williams was a barber by trade, although not regularly employed when his wife was killed. At that time he was serving as president of the Greater Greenmount Community Association in East Baltimore. Ironically the organization has a focus on stopping violence.

Mr. Williams is now incarcerated pending a trial in the murder of his wife. At a January 2009 arraignment he entered a not guilty plea on the first degree murder and deadly weapons violations charges against him.

Mrs. Williams, who was affectionately called 'V,' worked as a hair stylist. Comments left on the online guestbook accompanying her obituary described her as beautiful inside and out, loving, peaceful, warm, family oriented, and a devoted mother.

The couple's three children, Isis, Malik and Asia, ages 8, 7 and 5 respectively, are in the custody of Mrs. Williams' cousin.


Veronica Williams; Cleaven WIlliams

Sources
WBAL-TV, Nov 18, 2008
WJZ-TV, Nov 22, 2008
Baltimore Sun, Nov 19, 2009
Baltimore Sun, Nov 22, 2008
The Herald-Mail, Nov 25, 2008
Fayetteville Observer, Nov 30, 2008 [obit]
Baltimore Sun, Dec 14, 2008
Baltimore Sun, Jan 16, 2009
YouTube tribute video

~Posted January 17, 2009

---

A fund has been established for the Williams' three children. Donations can be made to the "Children of Veronica Williams Assistance Fund" at any Bank of America branch. [Source 1, 2]

Sharon Glassman

Murdered September 28, 2008

~Age 60
~Hometown: Boston, MA

On or around September 28, 2008 Christian Mogensen updated his MrMogensen.com website with R.I.P. messages for two people who died on that day. The two people were Mogensen himself, age 61, and his wife Sharon Glassman, 60.

In a 911 call around 10:00 p.m. on September 28 Mogensen told authorities he had just killed his wife and would kill himself when police came. Police entering the apartment the couple shared in an upscale Boston, MA high-rise found both Glassman and Mogensen dead of gunshot wounds.

The couple had no known history of domestic violence. A note Mogensen left said his actions were motivated by financial problems. In the note he wrote that he and Glassman were facing eviction over $6,100 in back rent and that he had $28,500 in unpaid loans. Police believe Glassman was completely unaware of her husband's plans to kill them both.

Glassman and Mogensen initially met in the 1960s but fell out of touch for many years, reconnecting only when both got jobs at IBM Lotus in the 1990s. They were married in December 1996.

Mogensen was a computer engineer who had worked for various software companies and most recently was self-employed as a web developer. In the 1970s, prior to embarking on a computer career, he played piano in Boston nightclubs. He was a jazz aficionado.

Glassman was born in Bronx, NY but had lived in the Boston area since the 1960s. She had a BA in arts education from Boston University. The past few years she worked as an administrative assistant at Boston's Brigham & Women's Hospital, where she was remembered as compassionate and dedicated. She previously held a similar position at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Glassman was active in local charities and enjoyed reading, museums, Broadway shows and watching videos.


Sharon Glassman


Sharon Glassman & Christian Mogensen
(Wedding day picture from his website)

Sources
Boston Globe, Sept 29, 2008
Boston PD News, Sept 29, 2008
WCVB-TV, Sept 29, 2008
Boston Herald, Sept 30, 2008
Boston Globe, Oct 13, 2008
BWH Bulletin, Oct 17, 2008 [obit-hers]

~Posted January 17, 2009

Kathryn Smith

Murdered August 25, 2008

~Age 58
~Hometown: Guyandotte (Huntington), WV

The day Robert Scott Frazier, 41, collected the first payment on a motorcycle he was selling was also the day an argument with his girlfriend apparently angered him so much he killed her with a single bullet to the head. The motorcycle buyer, a 19-year-old man not really well acquainted with either party, was at the couple's home in the Guyandotte section of Huntington, WV on August 25, 2008 to make a payment but left when he saw Frazier get his shotgun and then heard a gunshot in the other room. Police were subsequently summoned. Arriving at the scene they found Kathryn Gayle Smith, 58, dead in the bedroom of the home she shared with Frazier. Frazier was arrested a short time later nearby.

Frazier initially told police that Smith pulled the gun on him and was shot as he tried to take the gun from her. He reportedly later confessed that the shooting stemmed from an argument over Smith's request that he move out. The couple had a history of domestic violence according to neighbors.

Frazier was charged with murder and possession of marijuana. He has been incarcerated since his arrest. In January 2009 a grand jury indicted him on the murder charges. A trial date is pending.

Smith worked as a beautician at Master Cuts.

Sources
Herald Dispatch, Aug 28, 2008 [obit]
Herald Dispatch, Sept 5, 2008
WSAZ-TV, Jan 16, 2009
Note: News reports list the victim's age as 58; her obituary says 53.

~Posted January 16, 2009

Norma Fierro Lopez

Murdered July 4, 2008

~Age 32
~Hometown: Carlsbad, CA

For two days after Juan Ambrocio reportedly strangled his girlfriend, Norma Fierro Lopez, to death in her SUV he stayed in the car with her dead body. During this time, Ambrocio told police, he repeatedly apologized to her body and considered suicide. Turning himself in on July 6, 2008, Ambrocio is said to have admitted to killing Lopez on July 4th after she confirmed his suspicions that she had slept with other men. "I just snapped," is how Ambrocio explained his actions, according to police.

In January 2009 Ambrocio was ordered to stand trial for Lopez's murder. Bail in the case was set at $1 million.

Before his arrest, Ambrocio, age 24, lived in Oceanside, CA and was employed as a window washer. His prior police record includes only a drunk driving conviction.

Lopez was a 32-year-old resident of Carlsbad, CA at the time of her death. One news report described her as a mother, but no additional details were provided.

Sources
North County Times, Jul 9, 2008
Union-Tribune, Jul 9, 2008
Union-Tribune, Jan 15, 2009
Note: The victim's name is listed as Norma Fiero Lopez [Fiero with one r, not two] in some news reports.

~Posted January 16, 2009

Norma Lopez

Murdered June 30, 2008

~Age 49
~Hometown: Corpus Christi, TX

On May 5, 2008 Norma Lopez, 49, filed for divorce and requested a restraining order, saying that her husband Roberto Saucido, 55, had threatened to kill her. Less than two months later, she was dead. Saucido shot Lopez in the head and chest just outside the business she owned in Corpus Christi, TX on June 30, 2008. Saucido subsequently shot himself in the head and died two days later when removed from life support.

The couple, married in August 2001, had a history of domestic violence according to court documents filed by Lopez and information from friends. Lopez moved out of the couple's home in April 2008, presumably to escape her abusive husband. He apparently continued to stalk and harass her, however. She reported that in early May he beat her unconscious and threatened to kill her. Her adult son from a previous marriage received a phone call from Saucido just days days before the murder-suicide in which Saucido indicated that Lopez would 'pay for her deception.'

Saucido was a refinery worker. He had 4 sons from a previous marriage. They remember him as a great father.

Lopez was a seamstress who owned her own business, Seam & Stitch Alterations. Commenting on the story of Lopez's murder one customer wrote, "... She was a wonderful lady and one of the best seamstress in town ... She had talent ... All you had to do was show her a picture of a dress and she made it look like the original ... She was always so kind hearted, soft spoken and did everything to try and help someone who went in to her store..."

Lopez had three adult sons from a previous marriage. She was buried in her native Monterrey, Mexico, where she still had some family.


Norma Lopez

Sources
Caller-Times, Jun 30, 2008
Caller-Times, Jul 1, 2008
Caller-Times, Jul 1, 2008
KRIS-TV, Jul 1, 2008
KRIS-TV, Jul 1, 2008
Caller-Times, Jul 3, 2008
KRIS-TV, Jul 2, 2008

~Posted January 16, 2009

Mindrey Rodriguez-Sanchez

Murdered December 4, 2007

~Age 30
~Hometown: Tampa, FL

Police, responding to reports of what sounded like fireworks the evening of December 4, 2007, arrived at Humberto Cruz's Tampa, FL home to find it aglow in Christmas lights. Passing by the various holiday decorations in the front yard they saw the body of Cruz's estranged wife in the home's doorway. Mindrey Rodriguez-Sanchez, 30, had been shot to death.

Cruz, 65, was located the next morning on the banks on a nearby river, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Police have labeled the deaths a murder-suicide.

Exactly what led Cruz to commit the shootings is unknown. He may have been upset that his 10-year marriage ended in separation a few months earlier and that Rodriguez-Sanchez was reportedly seeing someone else, but this is only speculation. Cruz also recently told his family he had been diagnosed with cancer.

The couple's separation followed Cruz's September 2007 arrest for misdemeanor domestic battery; he was accused of choking his wife. The case was settled out of court, with Cruz referred to pretrial diversion. There were no other reported domestic violence incidents between the couple, but the assistant manager of the apartment complex where Rodriguez-Sanchez moved after the separation said Rodriguez-Sanchez was "petrified" of Cruz. However, Cruz's adult children from an earlier marriage doubt any claims of domestic violence, saying their father was not a violent man.

Cruz and Rodriguez-Sanchez had two children together, 8-year-old Rosalyn and 4-year-old Katherine. The children were not in the home when Rodriguez-Sanchez was shot. They are currently in the care of relatives.

Cruz was a retired watchmaker and security guard. A native of Cuba, he had lived in the Tampa area for 20 years. One story said he was the father of seven, including children he had during an earlier marriage that ended in the 1990s.

Little information about Rodriguez-Sanchez was reported. A family member, though, was quoted as saying she was "an excellent person."


Humberto Cruz

Sources
Fox TV Tampa, Dec 4, 2007
The Tampa Tribune, Dec 4, 2007
St. Petersburg Times, Dec 6, 2007
Tampa Police news release, Dec 5, 2007
The Tampa Tribune, Dec 7, 2007
Note: The victim's name is alternately reported as Mindrey Sanchez-Rodriguez in some news stories.

~Posted December 8, 2007

Wanda Love

Murdered December 4, 2007

~Age 35
~Hometown: Lake Charles, LA

Wanda Love, 35, died in the hospital on December 4, 2007, three days after being shot in the face in her Lake Charles, LA home. Her sometime boyfriend, Dwayne Hayes, 29, told police Love's gunshot wound was self-inflicted. Police, however, contend evidence at the scene points not to suicide, but rather to homicide. They arrested Hayes on a 2nd-degree murder charge in connection with Love's death.

Love and Hayes had a long history of domestic violence, according to police. Hayes' police record includes two prior arrests for 2nd-degree attempted murder, one involving Love.

Source
KPLC-TV, Dec 5, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007

Vanessa Garces

Murdered December 4, 2007

~Age 21
~Hometown: Copper Canyon, TX

Twenty-one-year-old Vanessa Nichole Garces lived with her parents in what is described as an affluent gated community in Copper Canyon, TX. That could not protect her, however, from a former boyfriend apparently intent on killing her. According to police reports the ex-boyfriend, Patrick Thomas Dyson, 26, rammed Garces' car as she entered the community's security gates the evening of December 4, 2007 and proceeded to shoot her multiple times. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dyson fled to nearby Hickory Creek, TX where he lived with his family. He held police at bay for over three hours, as he sat in his truck threatening suicide. Police eventually used tear gas to subdue him. He was arrested for the murder of Garces and is currently being held without bail.

Dyson was out on bail at the time of the shooting, following a July 2007 arrest for drug possession. The Dallas/Fort Worth CBS affiliate reported that Dyson has "a history of violent behavior," but no further details were provided. Dyson's motive in the current incident remains unknown, as the police investigation into Garces' death is in the preliminary phases.

Those who knew Garces describe her as vivacious and cheery; the kind of person who always had a smile on her face. She is survived by Zabrina, the two-year-old daughter she had with Dyson.


Vanessa Garces; Patrick Dyson

Sources
Cross Timbers Gazette / Pegasus News, Dec 5, 2007
Star Telegram, Dec 5, 2007
Denton Record Chronicle, Dec 5, 2007
Dallas Morning News, Dec 5, 2007
The News Connection, Dec 5, 2007
CBS-11 TV, Dec 5, 2007
WFAA-TV, Dec 5, 2007
Obituary, Dallas Morning News, Dec 8, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007
~Updated December 8, 2007 [Added obituary, info about Garces from comments to the original post]

---

A fund has been established for Garces and Dyson's daughter. Donations can be sent to the address below and should be marked 'Zabrina.' [Source/Obit]

Radius Display Products
800 Fabric Xpressway
Dallas, TX 75234

Maria Torres-Valle

Murdered November 27, 2007

~Age 18
~Hometown: Kansas City, MO

The body of Maria Guadalupe Torres-Valle, 18, was found on November 27, 2007 in her car, not far from the Kansas City, MO home she shared with her boyfriend, Jesus Sanchez, 24, and their two young children. She had been beaten and stabbed in the head.

Sanchez initially told police Torres-Valle had not returned from work the night before. When police received a tip from a neighbor that pointed to Sanchez in the killing, though, he reportedly confessed. Apparently Sanchez beat Torres-Valle unconscious with an aluminum baseball bat when she got home from work, drove her body a short distance from their home and then stabbed her several times. He was jealous because someone told him Torres-Valle was seeing another man.

Sanchez was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is being held in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.

Torres-Valle's mother spoke with her daughter via telephone a few days before the murder. Torres-Valle said she and Sanchez had a fight after which Sanchez had torn up all her clothes. She also told her mother she wanted to leave Kansas City for California where her parents had moved two years earlier.

She never got that chance. Torres-Valle will, however, be buried in California, thanks to the monies raised by family and friends in Kansas City to cover the expense of transporting her body.

Sanchez and Torres-Valle's children are currently in the care of an aunt in the Kansas City area. Her parents plan to seek custody.


Maria Torres-Valle; Jesus Sanchez

Sources
Crime Scene KC [blog], Nov 29, 2007
Kansas City Star, Nov 29, 2007
KCTV5, Nov 29, 2007
KMBC-TV, Nov 29, 2007
NBC Action News, Dec 2, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007

Diana Wright-Boisround

Murdered November 25, 2007

~Age 34
~Hometown: Kennesaw, GA

During a 911 call the afternoon of November 25, 2007 Juwell A. Sam, 39, reported he had killed his girlfriend and was about to kill himself. Police arriving at the Kennesaw, GA home the couple shared found Sam with a single gunshot to the head. He died later at the hospital. Already dead at the scene was Sam's girlfriend, Diana Wright-Boisround, 34, who had been shot twice in the head.

It appears Sam and Wright-Boisround lived together for just a short time. Neighbors, who describe the couple as quiet people who kept to themselves, say Sam moved in only two weeks before the murder-suicide. Wright-Boisround purchased the home six months earlier.

Sources
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nov 25, 2007
Marietta Daily Journal, Nov 27, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007

Anthony 'Tank' Keene

Murdered November 23, 2007

~Age 40
~Hometown: Trenton, NJ

Police called to a Trenton, NJ home in the early hours of November 23, 2007 found 40-year-old Anthony 'Tank' Orlando Keene with multiple stab wounds. He was transported to the hospital where he later died. Keene's girlfriend, Maya Bynum, 25, of the same address, was arrested on a homicide charge after she admitted to police that she stabbed Keene following an argument and physical altercation.

Bynum is currently being held on $250,000 bail. Her attorney indicated he plans to show the stabbing was self-defense. He further stated Keene was "super abusive," that neighbors had seen Bynum with bruises, and that Bynum suffered from battered women's syndrome. Bynum was treated for a bite wound on her shoulder immediately following her arrest.

The prosecutor in the case, however, said there is a strong possibility that Bynum will be convicted of homicide in conjunction with Keene's death. If so, Bynum would face a 10- to 30-year sentence.

Bynum was employed for the past two years in the cafeteria of The College of New Jersey. She has an 8-year-old son.

Keene, originally from Maryland, had lived in Trenton since 2003. He was most recently employed at Rees Scientific. He leaves three young children: Dontrell (Donnie), age 17, Zabriyon, age 4, and Angel, age 4.

Sources
The Times (nj.com), Nov 23, 2007
News Zap MD, Nov 30, 2007 [obit]
The Times (nj.com), Dec 3, 2007
The Trentonian, Dec 4, 2007
The Signal (College of NJ paper), Dec 5, 2007

~Posted December 6, 2007
~Updated December 8, 2007 [Edited info about Keene's children as per a comment to the original post.]

Lesley Justice

Murdered November 18, 2007

~Age 32
~Hometown: Starkville, MS

A Metairie, LA motel described as 'run-down' was the scene of a domestic dispute that ended fatally on November 18, 2007. Police were called when Terry Robinson, age 41 or 51 (reports vary), and girlfriend, Lesley Justice, 32, were heard arguing loudly in their room over 'an alleged infidelity.' They arrived to find Justice dead of multiple stab wounds.

Robinson was shot once by police in a subsequent scuffle that resulted when he lunged at deputies with a broken bottle. He survived and was charged with 2nd-degree murder in Justice's death. He also faces attempted murder charges for the broken bottle incident.

Robinson, who is from Starkville, MS, has a long criminal history. He was released from a Jefferson Parish, LA jail the morning of the stabbing. His girlfriend, also from Starkville, was apparently waiting for him at the motel. Police said drug paraphernalia was found in their room.

Sources
WWLTV, Nov 18, 2007
The Times-Picayune, Nov 18, 2007
WDSU-TV, Nov 19, 2007
The Times-Picayune Nov 20, 2007

~Posted December 10, 2007

Rosalin Guss

Murdered November 9, 2007

~Age 56
~Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ

Randall Marc Korelc told police investigating the November 9, 2007 shooting death of his girlfriend, 56-year-old Rosalin Guss, that she committed suicide. However, no gun was found in the Scottsdale, AZ apartment where she died and forensic evidence did not suggest a self-inflicted gunshot. After police obtained a search warrant and located a gun in Korelc's car, Korelc reportedly confessed to shooting his girlfriend during an argument .

Korelc was charged with 2nd-degree murder. He entered a plea of not guilty during a December 5th arraignment in Maricopa County (AZ) Superior Court. A pretrial conference has been scheduled for January 9, 2008.

Korelc and Guss started dating about six months prior to the shooting. It is not clear from published reports if they lived together. Although one family member said the couple "seemed happy," another reported a history of arguments, adding that Guss assaulted Korelc in June. Police said Korelc also had a history of domestic violence.

News stories mention that Korelc has two adult sons. No additional information about Guss was found.


Randall Korelc

Sources
KPHO-TV (Phoenix), Nov 10, 2007
East Valley Tribune, Nov 10, 2007
The Arizona Republic, Nov 13, 2007
Note: The victim's first name is spelled Rosalind in some reports. The suspect's middle name was spelled Mark in news stories, but Marc in the court docket (link to docket search page). Th ages of both Guss and Korelc were alternately reported as 47.

~Posted December 6, 2007

Toni Ann Dudor

Murdered on/about October 18, 2007

~Age 43
~Hometown: Forks Township, PA

Police investigating the disappearance of 43-year-old Toni Ann Dudor - also known by her married name Toni Ann Pautienus - found her body stuffed in a 45-gallon plastic storage bin in the garage her Forks Township, PA home on October 21, 2007. Last seen on October 18th, Dudor died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to the torso delivered, say police, by her husband, Aragon Emerson Pautienus, 33.

Pautienus is currently jailed on a charge of criminal homicide. Formal arraignment is scheduled for January 10, 2008. In addition to forensics recovered from the home, evidence against Pautienus includes a tape-recorded telephone call made from jail in which he talks about the killing. He also reportedly tried to sell the contents of the house prior to his arrest so he could flee the country. The man who bought a computer printer from him for $50 came forward saying that Pautienus told him he killed his wife.

Pautienus has a history of both substance abuse and domestic violence. His first wife as well as a former girlfriend sought protection orders against him in 2005. Just days after he married Dudor in September 2006 he was arrested for domestic battery. Dudor said he kicked her, tried to push her down the stairs and told her he wanted her dead. Pautienus pled guilty to a lesser charge (simple assault) and was placed on probation.

Following the incident, the couple continued to live together in the home that Dudor had owned since 2001. Pautienus ran a motorcycle repair business out of the garage.

Dudor, who held a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Rutgers University, was employed as a regulatory affairs manager by Sanofi-Aventis. She previously worked in similar positions at other pharmaceutical companies. For one such job she lived several years in Germany. Outside of work Dudor enjoyed caring for her pets and Karaoke singing.


Toni Ann Dudor; Aragon Pautienus

Sources
NBC-10, Oct 22, 2007
The Express-Times (PennLive.com), Oct 22, 2007
The Express-Times (PennLive.com), Oct 23, 2007
PennLive.com, Oct 23, 2007
Obituary, Courier News, Oct 27, 2007
The Express-Times (nj.com), Dec 8, 2007
Note: Most news stories use the victim's married name; her maiden name was used here as this is the name listed in her obituary.

~Posted December 8, 2007