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Body of missing U student found in boxcar

1-27-2011 Minnesota:

The body of Keaton Murphy was found in industrial area behind TCF Bank Stadium.

The body of a missing University of Minnesota student was discovered Thursday in a boxcar in an industrial area near TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, police said.

Keaton Murphy, 20, disappeared last week shortly after being released from jail, where he had been taken on suspicion of distributing child pornography.

Murphy was last seen leaving the Hennepin County jail about 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 20. According to jail records, he was released that night pending the filing of a formal complaint. His parents told police they were concerned he might be depressed and suicidal.

University Police Chief Greg Hestness said on Thursday that Murphy's clothing and identification were on the body. He said the cause of death still was under investigation, but he did not believe it was a homicide. A rail worker discovered the body shortly after 10:30 a.m. Thursday, he said.

A woman who answered the phone at Murphy's Iowa residence said the family had been notified of the body's discovery. She criticized news coverage of the disappearance, saying if it were not for some stories, "this probably wouldn't have happened."

She did not elaborate.

Last weekend, U police put out a missing person release seeking information about Murphy's whereabouts. Although that release made no mention of him being a suspect in a child porn case, an alert issued on the department's behalf by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension did take note of the case, as well as the possibility of felony charges. The BCA alert was quoted by news outlets.

According to his hometown newspaper in Storm Lake, Iowa, Murphy was an Eagle Scout who excelled in academics and arts at Storm Lake High School.

In a statement, James A. Parente Jr., dean of the U's College of Liberal Arts, said: "We're deeply saddened to learn of Keaton's death. Anytime we lose a student, it is a tragedy for our community. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his parents, family and friends." ..Source.. by ANTHONY LONETREE, Star Tribune

Washington County Jail inmate serving more than 100-year sentence fatally stabs himself in cell

1-22-2011 Oregon:

A man, convicted last month on several sex crime charges, who was already serving a 100-year prison sentence committed suicide while in custody at the Washington County Jail Friday morning.

A deputy about 11:35 a.m. discovered 40-year-old Alexander Lawrence Jay unconscious from a self-inflicted wound in his cell, said Sgt. Vance Stimler, a sheriff's office spokesman. Deputies began CPR until emergency medical units were able to arrive, but Jay was ultimately pronounced dead in his cell.

Stimler said Jay used a jail-issued pencil to stab himself in the arm and hit an artery.

Sheriff's office detectives are investigating the incident, and Jay's body was released to the medical examiner's office, both of which are standard procedure, Stimler said. Jay reportedly was held in a single cell, with a secure door.

The deputy who found Jay was interviewed Friday, and will be interviewed again, before the investigation is completed, Stimler said. Her name was not released.

Jay had been in custody since December 2009, Stimler said. He was charged in Washington County Circuit Court with nine counts of first-degree rape, nine counts of first-degree sodomy, three counts of incest, two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object, four counts of fourth-degree assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon against another and three counts of coercion, records show.

The incidents, which involved child victims, occurred between June 2001 and January 2002, according to court records.

In a bench trial, Jay was convicted of six counts of first-degree rape, seven counts of first-degree sodomy, three counts of incest and one count of sexual penetration with a foreign object. His other charges were dismissed because of statute of limitation issues, said Washington County Deputy District Attorney Paul Maloney.

Jay's sentencing for those crimes was scheduled for Friday afternoon. Maloney said he planned to ask Judge Rick Knapp to impose a prison sentence of more than 100 years, to be served after the sentence Jay received in Marion County last year.

Jay went to trial before a jury in Marion County in October. He was found guilty on all counts, which included five counts of first-degree rape, one count of unlawful sexual penetration, two counts of first-degree sodomy, one count of second-degree assault, one count of coercion, two counts of second-degree sex abuse, one count of incest and one count of delivering meth.

According to court records, those incidents, involving four victims, occurred between 2004 and 2009. He was sentenced to more than 100 years in prison on those charges.

Maloney said since Jay's Washington County conviction, his mother died of cancer and his sister overdosed on painkillers. The extent of his sister's injuries is unknown.

Stimler said jail staff had no problems with Jay while he was in custody, and he showed no signs that he was suicidal. When someone is found guilty of serious crimes, Stimler said jail staff will talk to the inmate to see if they are having suicidal thoughts and will determine if they need to talk with medical staff.

Suicides in the jail, Stimler said, are relatively rare. Strangulation is the most common method of suicide in the jail.

Stimler said the last time an inmate committed suicide was July 28, 2008. In that incident, the inmate tied part of his jumpsuit around his neck. ..Source.. by Rebecca Woolington, The Oregonian

Hanging death in jail investigated

1-19-2011 Ohio:

The Franklin County sheriff's office is investigating the death of an inmate found hanging in his cell at the Downtown jail last month.

Paul J. Moore, 29, died at Grant Medical Center about an hour after he was discovered Dec. 29 hanging from a bedsheet. Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said her office is reviewing the case, but the death is likely to be ruled a suicide.

Moore was a convicted sex offender awaiting trial for failing to report a change of address, according to Franklin County Common Pleas Court records. Court documents listed his address as Hebron Road in Newark. He had been held at the jail since Aug. 31.

Chief Deputy Steve Martin said Moore was in a single cell and was not on a suicide watch. An incident report indicates that the hanging occurred between 2:01 and 3:39 p.m. He died in the hospital at 4:30 p.m., Gorniak said.

Martin said the internal investigation will determine whether employees followed jail policies and procedures.

Moore pleaded guilty to sexual battery involving an adult female in 2000, was sentenced to four years in prison and was required to register as a sex offender after his release. He was sent back to prison in 2005 and 2008 for failing to notify the sheriff's office when he changed addresses. ..Source.. by John Futty

Organist Sanger killed himself 'over child sex charges'

1-19-2011 United Kingdom:

An internationally-renowned organist took his own life after he was charged with child sex crimes, his family said.

David Sanger, 63, was found at his home in Embleton, Cumbria, in May last year three days after he appeared in court.

He was facing allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency dating back more than 30 years in London.

His brother Peter said he "strongly denied" the charges and he felt he was driven to suicide by the trauma.

'Cumulative trauma'

Mr Sanger resigned as president of the Royal College of Organists following his arrest in a bid to clear his name and told family and friends he was "outraged" at the allegations.

His brother said: "We firmly believe that David felt driven to suicide by the cumulative trauma of the events of his final week.

"The dramatic and unexpected nature of his arrest, the comprehensive searching of his home by the Metropolitan Police, the interrogation and the initial court hearing, being released on bail with no money and no means of contacting people - all these experiences had a most traumatic effect."

He added that his brother realised the nature of the charges against him effectively prevented him from pursuing his career.

He said: "He knew of other people whose careers had been ruined by false accusations and knew it would take him years to clear his name with no means of support."

'Body blow'

Mr Sanger did not enter a plea when he appeared before Whitehaven magistrates but indicated he would plead not guilty when the case was heard at crown court.

Mr Sanger said his brother's mood changed when he saw a report about the case in a newspaper.

A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of death was asphyxia.

The inquest in Workington concluded that Mr Sanger killed himself.

North and West Cumbria Coroner David Roberts said: "It is quite clear that the music, the organ and the teaching were all taken from him in one fell swoop.

"The evidence was that he was going to fight [the charges] but it is clear that, when he saw the newspaper article, it was a body blow and his resilience was undermined at that point." ..Source.. by BBC

Ex-Jailer Who Faced Sex Charge Found Dead In Texas

10-7-2009 Texas:

A former county jailer was who accused of sexual misconduct with female inmates has been found shot to death in Texas.

TEXARKANA, Ark. (October 7, 2009)--A former Miller County, Ark. jailer who was facing a charge of sexual misconduct with female inmates has been found shot to death in Texas.

The body of Patrick Drake, 55, was found outside a tire store in Bowie County about 8 a.m. Tuesday with a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said.

Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Neal said it appears the wound was self-inflicted.

Drake was due in court Tuesday for a pretrial hearing on a third-degree sexual assault charge.

Drake was fired and arrested in December when allegations surfaced that he and another guard had inappropriate sexual contact with female inmates in November at the Miller County jail.

Drake had maintained his innocence at earlier court hearings and his attorney said he was prepared to take the case to trial. ..Source.. by KWTX.com

Jackson man facing felony sex charge commits suicide

7-7-2010 Ohio:

MASSILLON, OH — Massillon city prosecutors have dismissed a felony sex charge filed against a Jackson Township man following his apparent suicide.

Carl Conley, 64, 4635 20th St. N.W., died overnight Tuesday, according to Keith Warstler, assistant city prosecutor. Warstler was unaware of the circumstances surrounding Conley’s death. Conley’s case had been scheduled to be presented Thursday to a Stark County grand jury for a direct indictment, Warstler said.

Conley was arrested last month for gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony. He was released from jail last Thursday after posting 10 percent of a $100,000 bond, according to Massillon Municipal Court records. The charge alleged Conley had sexual contact with a girl under the age of 13.

The alleged sexual misconduct occurred multiple times between May 1, 2007, and Feb. 1, 2010, court records show. ..Source.. by DOUG STALEY

Man found dead with former Harrison girl faced sex charge in Clare County

Posted in Related Deaths
10-28-2010 Michigan:

A 15-year-old Clare County girl was remembered Thursday as a kind, caring girl who was in Mid Michigan Community College’s Students of Promise program before moving to Osceola County a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the 38-year-old Newport man accused of killing Taylor E. Manley before killing himself Wednesday was out of jail on bond after being charged with having sex with the girl in July.

Christy McKinney of Clare said Manley was a friend of her son’s and often spent time at their home.

“She was a great kid,” McKinney said. “She was a very sweet girl.”

Tammy Alvaro, MMCC’s Students of Promise coordinator, said Manley was well known among students and that she was a sweet girl.

Alvaro saw Manley at MMCC’s Fall Festival and Barbecue recently and spoke to her about her plans for college in a few years, offering to help her in any way she could.

Alvaro received calls from students in the program who heard about Manley’s death Thursday.

She comforted the students.

“We’ll help them through it,” Alvaro said.

Clare County Sheriff John Wilson said Thursday that Raymond R. Bush was scheduled to appear in 80th District Court in Harrison Wednesday in Judge Joshua Farrell’s courtroom for a hearing to determine if there was sufficient evidence to be tried on a third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge against Taylor E. Manley, who was found dead with Bush in a van in a cemetery in Monroe County’s Newport.

Prosecutor Michelle Ambrozaitis said the hearing was set for 10:30 a.m.; she had spoken to Manley the day before and said her death is devastating.

Bush didn’t show for the hearing, where Manley was to testify, Wilson said.

Farrell issued a bench warrant after Bush failed to show up at the hearing, Wilson said.

Manley had until recently been a student at Harrison Community Schools and was living with her mother, Mary Beth St. Bernard, in the Dodge City area, Wilson said.

She left home about two weeks ago to stay with her father in Evart, the sheriff said.

State police troopers found Bush and Manley in a van in a cemetery in Newport, located in southeastern Michigan, Wednesday; Manley was shot in the chest, according to news reports.

Manley had been reported missing Wednesday morning, and state police issued an Amber Alert, indicating she had been kidnapped from the Reed City area.

State police also listed Bush as the suspect in the kidnapping, and troopers from the Reed City post notified the Clare County Sheriff’s Department immediately, Wilson said.

Wilson and victim advocates from his department were at St. Bernard’s home Thursday morning as state and national media converged on the community.

Grief counselors were also at Harrison Community Schools on Thursday to help students deal with Manley’s death, Wilson said.

Manley had been a student at Harrison, Farwell and Clare Pioneer High School, Wilson said.

Bush had befriended her family, the sheriff said.

“She looked up to him like a big brother,” Wilson said.

That apparently changed July 24 when Bush, who had Manley’s name tattooed on his neck, was arrested for third-degree criminal sexual conduct against Manley.

He was charged in September and had posted $50,000 bond, the sheriff said.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Manley’s death a homicide and said Bush died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Bush and Taylor both died from .22-caliber gunshot wounds to the head, and Manley was also shot in the chest, the Associated Press reported.

Bush’s ex-girlfriend told police that he called her late Wednesday morning and said that he killed Manley and planned to kill himself, according to the AP.

Bush later stopped at the ex-girlfriend’s home in Newport, were she saw a young woman’s body in the van, State Police Detective Sgt. George Pratt told the AP.

Manley was staying with her father as a precaution prior to the court hearing.

Her father spoke to her by phone from work at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday but when he got home at about 8 a.m., she was gone, the AP reported.

Wilson said funeral arrangements for Manley are pending at Stocking Funeral Home in Harrison.

Donations to help the family can be sent to Stocking Funeral Home, 165 W. Oak St., Harrison, MI, 48625. ..Source.. by SUSAN FIELD, Clare Managing Editor

Police say NW Pa. sex suspect shot self in head

1-13-2011 Pennsylvania:

State police say a northwestern Pennsylvania man fatally shot himself after briefly running from U.S. Marshals who came to arrest him.

State police say 37-year-old Robert Lee Sterner committed suicide shortly after marshals arrived at a mobile home in Titusville Tuesday afternoon. Sterner was wanted for the Nov. 7 sexual assault of a Titusville woman, and police say the marshals had traced him to a relative's residence based on a stolen vehicle allegedly connected to him.

Police say Sterner ran away but stopped after a short foot chase and, instead, shot himself in the head with a gun he had in his clothing.

State police were continuing to investigate the incident. ..Source.. by The Times Leader

Colo. Officer Shot While Executing Warrant

1-4-2011 Colorado:

Sex offender found dead after standoff

A registered sex offender who held Northglenn police at bay for several hours and fired at officers after they tried to enter his house was found dead early Tuesday morning after officers used a robot to enter his house.

Officers had arrived at a home in the 1400 block of Bowman Place near Irma Drive, looking for Matthew Anderson.

Officers had a warrant for his arrest and a search warrant for the address. Anderson, 40, was accused of attempting to lure a 13-year-old girl for sex over the Internet.

"When officers received no answer at the door, they breached the door and as soon as they got inside, gunfire came from inside the home, striking one of our officers," said Northglenn Police Chief Russell Van Houten.

Northglenn police officer Dennis Alps was hit.

“One of our officers was shot in the upper arm. Also another round, I was told, hit almost in the center of his body armor, in his chest,” Van Houten said.

“(Alps) was transported by ground ambulance down to Denver Health. He's been in the emergency department. And my understanding is if he hasn't already been released he's going to be released and go home,” Van Houten added.

Anderson was facing charges of Internet sex exploitation of a child, child inducement and Internet luring of a child. Anderson pleaded guilty in 2009 to similar charges filed in Jefferson County, according to Colorado court records.

After the SWAT team was called out a little after 6:45 p.m., some neighbors were told to stay inside their homes, while others were evacuated to an elementary school across the street.

After several hours with no communication from the suspect, police sent a robot into the house at about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

“We deployed a robot into the front door after several other methods including chemical agents and throwing a throw phone in (didn't work.) The robot went in, went up the stairs and found the deceased male's body inside,” said Van Houten.

Investigators believe Anderson had been dead for several hours. Van Houten suspects Anderson shot himself shortly after he shot at officers.

Officials said Anderson's home was in foreclosure and the utilities had been shut off for some time. ..Source.. by ANICA PADILLA

Anchorage jail inmate killed in jump from upper level

1-4-2011 Alaska:

ANCHORAGE: Parole violator was picked up on New Year's Day.

An inmate climbed the railing of a walkway and jumped to his death inside the Anchorage jail over the weekend, corrections officials say.

It was the fifth time an inmate has committed suicide by jumping from heights inside an Alaska corrections building since the state began tracking the statistic in 1984, said Laura Brooks, director of behavioral health for the Corrections Department.

Ralph Kosbruk, 44, of Anchorage had been taken into custody at about 11 a.m. on New Year's Day for a parole violation, said Department of Corrections spokesman Richard Schmitz.

A few hours later, Kosbruk jumped from a second-tier balcony at Anchorage Correctional Center East, Schmitz said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers say.

No foul play is suspected, according to troopers.

When new inmates arrive at a jail, they're asked if they feel suicidal or have a history of suicide attempts, Brooks said.

She wouldn't say how Kosbruk answered those questions, citing medical privacy laws.

But, she said, "I can tell you that if someone came in and made statements that raise any kind of suspicion, they would have been put on suicide watch for a minimum of 24 hours."

Kosbruk was not on suicide watch, she said.

A registered sex offender, he was convicted in 2005 of attempted sexual abuse of a minor, according to the state Department of Public Safety sex offender registry.

The state medical examiner's office has requested an autopsy, troopers said. Schmitz couldn't immediately say what Kosbruk did to violate parole.

The death is at least the second such incident in fewer than three years.

In October 2008, a 46-year-old man accused of setting his hotel room on fire died after diving from a second-story catwalk at the jail, troopers said at the time.

Inmates who are considered at risk for suicide are sometimes placed in an acute care psychiatric unit that -- unlike most housing units in Alaska jails -- has wire mesh on the upper tier that prevents people throwing things or jumping to the floor below, Brooks said. ..Source.. by KYLE HOPKINS

Sex assault suspect found dead before trial

1-3-2011 Maine:

BRENTWOOD — Roger S. Goode, 65, was found dead in Bridgeton, Maine, before he went to trial on sexual assault charges.

Goode was scheduled to go on trial today in Rockingham County Superior Court for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Hampstead.

Jacqueline Docko, a prosecutor for the Rockingham County Attorney's Office, said the state was ready to select jurors for the trial this morning when she learned Goode had been found dead.

"We have unconfirmed reports that it was a suicide," Docko said. "But I know the Bridgeton police are investigating."

Bridgeton police said they are not releasing any information at this point.

Goode was released on bail after posting $75,000 cash bail in February of last year. He was facing 11 charges for repeatedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2009.

The victim was notified of Goode's death and the trial has been canceled, Docko said. ..Source.. by Cara Hogan

Officials ID rape suspect who committed suicide near Puyallup

1-2-2011 Washington:

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has released the name of the man who apparently killed himself early Friday after he allegedly raped a neighbor.

The suicide of Scott David Shindle, 44, ended a five-hour standoff in the 11400 block of 63rd Street Court East just outside Puyallup, sheriff’s spokesman detective Ed Troyer said.

Shindle allegedly lured a neighbor into his home Thursday night and sexually assaulted her. The woman escaped about 9 p.m., got help from her neighbors and called 911, Troyer said. The Sheriff’s Department was not identifying the victim.

Troyer said deputies tried to negotiate with Shindle, but he barricaded himself in the home near Puyallup’s city limits and refused to leave.

Deputies evacuated neighboring houses. They fired flash grenades through windows, broke down a door and sent in a robot. By the time the robot reached Shindle, he had apparently shot himself, Troyer said. ..Source.. by THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Suspected rapist kills self

1-1-2011 Washington:

A Pierce County man suspected of raping a neighbor killed himself early Friday morning while sheriff’s deputies prepared to arrest him.

The suspect’s suicide ended a five-hour standoff in the 11400 block of 63rd Street Court East just outside Puyallup, sheriff’s spokesman Detective Ed Troyer said.

Deputies have not released the man’s name or age. The county medical examiner’s office was trying to reach his immediate family Friday.

He allegedly lured a neighbor into his home Thursday night and sexually assaulted her. The woman escaped about 9 p.m., got help from her neighbors and called 911, Troyer said.

Deputies arrived shortly afterward with a SWAT unit. Troyer said they tried to negotiate with the suspect, who they believed had a felony arrest record.

The suspect barricaded himself in the home near Puyallup’s city limit and refused to leave.

“Obviously we weren’t going to let him go, because he was armed,” Troyer said.

Deputies evacuated neighboring houses and prepared to enter the home about 2 a.m. Friday. They fired flash grenades through windows, broke down a door and sent in a robot. The robot discovered the suspect, who apparently had shot himself, Troyer said.

Troyer said the woman received care at a hospital and was released to her family.

The scene startled neighbors, who stayed up late into the night to watch the standoff unfold.

“We’re just a small, quiet Puyallup neighborhood,” Monica Flores told KIRO-TV. “With this happening, it’s pretty scary.” ..Source.. by Adam Ashton