RI Federal and MA State Criminal Defense Attorney: January 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

Fernando Richter, Sophia Richter Face New Child Abuse And Kidnapping Charges

This is really a disgusting display of child abuse. It has now been found that this couple had a third child in confinement, unable to shower for six months. Read the article below:

FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) — A couple accused of imprisoning the wife's daughters in a Tucson home now face new charges in a second Arizona county where they lived previously.

Fernando and Sophia Richter pleaded not guilty Friday in Pinal County Superior Court to multiple counts of charges that include child abuse and kidnapping. Fernando Richter also pleaded not guilty to single counts of aggravated assault, child molestation and sexual abuse.

The Richters were arrested Nov. 26 in Tucson and later indicted in Pima County on kidnapping and child abuse charges. The couple moved to Tucson in 2013 from the Pinal County community of Catalina.

Allegations in the new child abuse charges include unreasonable confinement, emotional damage and being struck with a spoon and a stick, the County Attorney's Office said in a statement. A grand jury indicted the couple on Jan. 15 but the indictments were not made public until Friday.

The Richters lived in Catalina from March 2011 to August 2013, investigators said after the couple was arrested in late November. The girls were ages 12, 13 and 17 in November. Police discovered their captivity after the two youngest girls escaped and called 911 from a neighbor's house.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/31/fernando-richter-sophia-richter_n_4703671.html?ref=topbar

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The Law Office of John L. Calcagni, III offers clients representation in the areas of Criminal Defense, Military Defense, Federal Criminal Defense, OUI Defense in MA , Assault and Battery and all criminal matters.

As a Criminal and Military Defense Attorney and former prosecutor with the US Army JAG Corps, John Calcagni, is admitted to practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, as well as the state and federal courts in Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Florida and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Please call (401) 351-5100 to arrange for a free consultation about your case or visit our website at www,CalcagniLaw.com

If you cannot make it to one of our offices, we will to come to your home or detention center.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Melinda Lynn Muniz Faked Rape To Cover Up Murder Of Fiance's 2-Year-Old Daughter

My thoughts go out to the family of the little girl in this situation. The woman is now facing capital murder charges for the death of the little girl. Read the article below for more details on this case.

A Texas woman faces capital murder charges after police said she suffocated her fiance's daughter, then tried to cover up the killing by claiming she had been rapedin a home invasion that turned out to be staged.

Melinda Lynn Muniz, 25, was arrested Tuesday following a police investigation into the death of Grace Lillian Ford, her fiance's 2-year-old.

Muniz reportedly called her fiance claiming she had been attacked at home on Jan. 9. The man found Muniz with her mouth taped shut and her pants pulled down. Grace was found in her crib with her mouth taped shut.

Responders said Grace's lips and face were blue, but her body was still warm. The little girl died three days later, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Muniz told investigators she had been raped by an unknown male, but police soon identified conflicts in her story and said it was "inconsistent" with what they found.Lab results showed no signs she was sexually assaulted, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/29/melinda-lynn-muniz-faked-rape-murdered-baby_n_4686550.html?utm_hp_ref=crime

Monday, January 27, 2014

Maryland Mall Shooter Darion Marcus Aguilar's Diary Found

Hopefully authorities find the information that they are looking for with the journal that they uncovered. This is an awful situation with no apparent answers as to what drove this boy to kill two people and to kill himself. Read the article for further details.

COLUMBIA, Md. (AP) — The mall where a Maryland teenager gunned down two people before killing himself was set for a somber reopening Monday under increased security as police worked to figure out why the shooting took place and whether the gunman knew either victim.

Investigators found a journal belonging to Darion Marcus Aguilar, 19, but they would only say that it "expressed general unhappiness." The contents, however, were enough for an officer looking into the disappearance of Aguilar on the day of the shooting to worry about the teen's safety.

Police said Aguilar took a taxi to the Mall in Columbia in suburban Baltimore on Saturday morning and entered the building near Zumiez, a shop that sells skateboarding gear. He went downstairs to a food court directly below the store, then returned less than an hour later, dumped the backpack in a dressing room and started shooting.

Shoppers fled in a panic or barricaded themselves behind closed doors. When police arrived, they found three people dead — two store employees and Aguilar.

The shooting baffled investigators and acquaintances of Aguilar, a quiet, skinny teenager who graduated from high school less than a year ago and had no previous run-ins with law enforcement.

Aguilar, who had concealed the shotgun in a bag, fired six to nine times. One victim, Brianna Benlolo, a 21-year-old single mother, lived half a mile away from Aguilar in the same College Park neighborhood, but police said they were still trying to determine what, if any, relationship they had.

The other employee, Tyler Johnson, did not know Aguilar and did not socialize with Benlolo outside of work, a relative said.

Zumiez chief executive Rick Brooks said in a statement that when the mall reopens, there will be memory books to sign and visitors will be invited to float flowers in the mall's fountain in memory of Benlolo and Johnson.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Cody Cousins Charged With Murder In Shooting Of Purdue Classmate

It seems that they have finally charged someone for the shooting at Purdue University. There are more details in the article.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A Purdue University student accused in the shooting of a fellow student in a classroom was formally charged with murder on Thursday.

The Tippecanoe County prosecutor's office filed the charge against Cody Cousins, 23, shortly before a scheduled initial court hearing.

The court documents say 21-year-old Andrew Boldt of West Bend, Wis., suffered both gunshot and knife wounds when he was fatally attacked shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in Purdue's Electrical Engineering Building.

The charging document says several other people were in the classroom and witnessed the attack, but it doesn't give a possible motive.

To read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/cody-cousins-charged-murder_n_4653324.html?ref=topbar

Monday, January 20, 2014

Zakieya Avery, Mom Charged In Kids' Stabbing Deaths, Feared Devil

This is a very tragic situation and my thoughts are with the family members of the victims. Read more details in the article below:

GERMANTOWN, Md. (AP) — A Maryland woman charged with killing two of her children has told investigators that she thought an exorcism was necessary to remove the presence of the devil and evil spirits, a police captain said Sunday.

Zakieya Latrice Avery, 28, of Germantown, is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of the children, ages 1 and 2.

Montgomery County police responded to Avery's home Friday morning following a neighbor's 911 call. Police said they found the two children dead and two other siblings, ages 5 and 8, injured with stabbing wounds.

"She thought the devil was in the kids, and that's sort of the thing she centered it around as to why she had to conduct an exorcism," said Capt. Marcus Jones, director of the police department's major crimes division. "She just thought that there were evil spirits within the kids."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/20/zakieya-avery-feared-devil_n_4630890.html

Monday, January 13, 2014

Teens Trash Million Dollar Mansion

These teens probably thought that this “party" was all in good fun, but the victims of the theft don't agree. Hopefully the victims regain all of the missing property.

A mansion in La Habra Heights (California) was ransacked by 16 teenagers; they made off like bandits with over $1 million worth of property. It all began when some local teens noticed that the mansion was vacant (the homeowner was out of town). They announced a backyard party via Twitter.

The $7 million house was burglarized during the party. The teens made a party of the robbery, going as far as tweeting images of theft in progress.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Jacob Middleton, 17, Killed Father, Half-Sister Over 'Years Of Violence,' Police Say

This is a senseless tragedy, unfortunately the family is torn apart and ruined because of this, and this young man is deeply troubled. A crime of this depth was all allegedly a result of domestic violence, according to the article, and it is a sad thing when no one gets involved before something like this occurs.

A Louisiana teen was arrested Tuesday in the fatal shooting of his father and half-sister.

Jacob Middleton, Jr., 17, is locked up at the St. Tammany Parish jail on two counts of first-degree murder, the Times-Picayune reports.

Jacob Middleton, Sr., 35, and Makayla Middleton, 2, both died from gunshot wounds to the head, according to a coroner's report obtained by WVUE. The victims were found at a home near near Abita Springs.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Colorado Shooting Victim's Father Forgives Classmate Karl Pierson

Here is an amazing example of how forgiving people can be. This is a sad story but the parents of the victim are inspiring in their ability to move on.

DENVER (AP) — The father of a 17-year-old girl who was fatally shot at her suburban Denver high school said Wednesday that he and his wife have forgiven the killer, and he asked others to do the same.

Michael Davis said at a memorial service for his daughter Claire that the killer was blinded by anger and didn't know what he was doing.

"My wife and I forgive Karl Pierson for what he did," Davis said. "We would ask all of you here and all of you watching to forgive Karl Pierson. He didn't know what he was doing."

Sheriff's investigators say Pierson shot Claire Davis at Arapahoe County High School on Dec. 13. She died eight days later.

Pierson, 18, who was also a student at Arapahoe High, killed himself after shooting Davis.

Investigators say his target was a speech coach who had disciplined him, and Davis was a random victim.

Some law enforcement officers have vowed not to use Pierson's name and have referred to him publicly as "the murderer," but Michael Davis was conciliatory.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/02/colorado-shooting-victims-father-forgives-classmate_n_4530576.html?utm_hp_ref=crime

About Us

The Law Office of Calcagni offers clients representation in the areas of Criminal Defense, Military Defense, Immigration, and Complex Personal Injury matters. John L. Calcagni, III is licensed to practice in state and federal courts in the States of Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Florida, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A former military prosecutor in the United States Army JAG Corps, former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, and former member of a boutique civil litigation firm, Attorney Calcagni now offers his expertise in these areas for the defense of military and criminal matters such as drug charges, assault and violent crimes, and weapons related charges, as well as litigation of complex personal injury matters such as medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, product liability, and nursing home negligence.

John Calcagni Law Office has locations in Providence RI, New Bedford MA, Elmhurst NY, and Satellite Beach FL. Attorney Calcagni offers free initial consultations, and if you are unable to visit one of the office locations, arrangements can be made for in-home consultation as well.

For more information, or to arrange an appointment at your convenience, contact Law Office of Calcagni at (401) 351-5100 in Rhode Island or Massachusetts.

RI Federal and MA State
Criminal Defense Attorney