By David Lohr
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| Sean Vincent Gillis |
October 26, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
LAFAYETTE, LA.— The trial of suspected serial killer Sean Vincent Gillis, 45, has been postponed, pending an appeals court decision regarding whether his alleged confession is admissible. Gillis was set to go to trial in November for the 2000 murder of Marilyn J. Nevils, 38. Marilyn is one of eight women Gillis is accused of killing during his alleged ten-year murder spree, which began in 1994. Gillis' attorney, Eric Neumann, wants his client's alleged confession thrown out because his client was allegedly denied a right to counsel during questioning. A hearing on that issue is pending. Gillis is scheduled to go to court for another murder trial in February, for the 2004 murder of Donna Bennett Johnston, 43. Earlier this month, Gillis' attorney asked the judge to throw out kidnapping and armed robbery charges in that case, claiming the kidnapping charge is without merit because the victim was a prostitute and willingly got into Gillis' car. In regard to the robbery charge, his attorney claims that taking her body parts did not constitute armed robbery, because they no longer had any value to her. State District Judge Bonnie Jackson is scheduled to hear those issues on November 2. In August, Gillis confessed to the 1999 murder of Joyce Williams, for which he received a sentence of life behind bars.
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| Joel David Rifkin |
BELLE TERRE, NY — Former Suffolk County District Attorney James M. Catterson, Jr., has died after a short illness. Catterson, 77, was best known for prosecuting serial killer Joel David Rifkin and mob boss Carmine John Persico. "My father was both compassionate and passionate, ethical and moral," Catterson's daughter, Lynn Catterson, told Newsday.com. "Very few people had the ability to give so much to so many people." Joel Rifkin was arrested in June 1993 when state police found a decomposing body in his truck. The following year, Rifkin was found guilty of nine murders and was sentenced to 203 years to life. Following his murder conviction, Rifkin admitted to committing 17 murders between 1989 and 1993. Carmine John Persico, 74, was arrested in 1985 for murder and racketeering. The following year, Persico was convicted and sentenced to a 100-year prison term. Despite the fact that he remains incarcerated, Persico allegedly maintains his rule as underboss of Brooklyn's Colombos. James Catterson is survived by his wife and two children.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
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| Matthew Macon |
LANSING, MI — The attorney for suspected serial killer Matthew "Chilly" Emmanuel Macon, 27, has asked the court to bar the media from attending Macon's preliminary hearing, saying that coverage of the case could hinder his client's right to a fair trial. According to court documents filed on October 18, Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III and Assistant Prosecutor Catherine Emerson are contesting the defense's motion, stating the courtroom should be open to the public "as required by the First Amendment to the Constitution." In September, investigators arrested Macon and charged him in the death of 64-year-old Sandra Eichorn. At that time, police said that Macon, a man who has been in and out of prison since 2001, was a suspect in at least seven unsolved murders that occurred this summer in central Michigan. Last week, police filed additional murder charges against Macon in the death of 41-year-old Karen Yates. Authorities say Macon could also face charges in the deaths of Ruth Hallman, 76; Deborah Cooke, 36; Debra Renfors, 46; Barbara Jean Tuttle, 45; and Carolyn Kronenberg, 60. Macon is being held without bond in Ingham County Jail. His preliminary hearing is currently scheduled to begin on October 30 before Judge Patrick Cherry.
PRETORIA, South Africa— Suspected Olievenhoutbosch serial killer Richard Jabulani Nyauza, 36, has entered a plea of "not guilty" to 16 counts of murder and four counts of rape. According to court documents, the victims were all women, and the murders took place between January 2002 and August 2006. Five of the victims' bodies were discovered in 2002, and 11 more were discovered in 2006. According to prosecutors, they have DNA evidence linking Nyauza to the crimes.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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| Terry Blair |
KANSAS CITY, MO— Jackson County Circuit Judge John O'Malley has ruled two murder charges against suspected serial killer Terry Blair, 43, be dismissed. However, O'Malley said both cases could be tried later. O'Malley also dropped charges against Blair in three rapes and an assault, citing that those cases involve living victims and that the facts do not relate to the six murder cases. The ruling comes after a motion filed in August by Blair's attorneys, asking that the cases be dismissed because police had either lost or withheld evidence, hampering their case. Blair is charged with killing eight women in 2003 and 2004. If convicted, he could receive a sentence of life without parole or the death penalty. Blair's trial is scheduled to begin March 10.
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| Alexander Pichushkin |
MOSCOW, Russia— A jury has found Alexander Pichushkin, dubbed "Bitsevsky maniac" by the media, guilty of 48 murders. In August, authorities announced that Pichushkin had confessed to committing at least 62 murders. Pichushkin asked that another 11 victims be added to his tally; however, the court rejected his request, citing a lack of evidence. During a recent court appearance, Pichushkin told the court, "A first killing is like your first love. You never forget it," adding, "In all the cases, I killed for only one reason. I killed in order to live, because when you kill, you want to live." Pichushkin was arrested last year after police connected him to a string of murders in southern Moscow. During his interrogation, Pichushkin told investigators that he had planned to kill 64 people, one for each square on a chessboard. He is due to be sentenced later this week.
REPUBLICOF GHANA, West Africa — Five years ago, Charles Quansah, alias "Paapa Kwabena Ebow," 43, filed an appeal for his conviction in the death of one of the 34 women he is suspected of killing. In addressing the current status of the appeal, the Accra High Court said that they have misplaced the records from the original court proceedings. Until those records are found, the case will not be heard. According to police, after his arrest Quansah confessed to killing nine women. Quansah denies admitting to the murders, and police admit that his alleged confessions were not videotaped or recorded.
NAIROBI, Kenya— Dickson Ndongai, 60, a man who has been in police custody for the last 17 years, has finally been charged in the deaths of five women he allegedly murdered between October 1989 and August 1990. Ndongai refused to enter a plea this week, stating that the state had violated his constitutional rights. According to the Kenya constitution, a suspect must be charged within 14 days for a capital offense and 24 hours for other crimes. The case has been discontinued until November 7.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
HARTFORD, CT— Police are looking for a link between the fatal shooting of a 59-year-old man and two similar shootings that have occurred in the last month and a half. "If there is a possible link, we aren't sure," Hartford Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts said in an interview with Courant.com. "I told the guys to look at this so we don't have a serial killer. I don't want to cause a panic yet." According to Roberts, all three of the victims were shot in the face, and each murder occurred within a 10-block radius. The identity of the latest victim has not yet been identified. The previous two victims have been identified as Kirk F. Taylor, 48, and Garrett B. Smith, 38. The investigation is ongoing.
MONTGOMERY, AL— A federal appeals court has reversed a district judge's order and granted multiple-murderer Danial Lee Siebert, 53, a stay of execution. Siebert successfully argued that medication he takes to treat his terminal pancreatic cancer would counteract with a lethal injection, inflicting unnecessary pain. (Apparently, the fact that the victims suffered "unnecessary pain" at his hands was a mute point with the courts.) Siebert received his death sentence in 1986, following his conviction in the murders of five people, including 24-year-old Sherri Weathers and her two sons, Chad, 5, and Joey, 4. Following his arrest, Siebert allegedly claimed responsibility for as many as a dozen more murders. Siebert was originally scheduled to die by lethal injection today. He has been on death row for over 20 years.
Friday, October 26, 2007
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| Ivan Milat |
AUSTRALIA— Convicted serial killer Ivan Milat's sister-in-law, Lisa Milat, is one of 35 candidates running for Senate under the Liberty and Democracy Party. When asked by Sydney's The Daily Telegraph whether she thought her family's associates would hurt her bid for election, Mrs. Milat responded, "It's not a problem at all. It's in the past; it's water under the bridge." Ivan Milat is serving a life sentence in Goulburn's Supermax Jail for seven counts of murder. Mrs. Milat is married to Ivan Milat's brother, Walter.
BABIL, Iraq — Police have arrested Raed al-Olwani, a man they allege is a serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least 150 people in the Bu Olwan region. al-Olwani's arrest comes after a year-long manhunt. No other details are available at this time.
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