UPDATE: Fairfax County Police say investigators in Peru have arrested a man they believe is the serial butt slasher. Authorities captured and detained Johnny Pimentel, 40, and he is currently being held in Lima Hall awaiting extradition. A motive for the attacks have not been determined. More to come…
BACKGROUND: Investigators have issued a warrant for a man they believe has been slashing women since February. Fairfax County Police say Johnny Guillen Pimentel, 40, has targeted at least nine women all in their early 20s. The victims were slashed with a box cutter or razor and none were seriously injured. For many months police have issued surveillance photos, hoping someone would recognize the suspect.
Investigators have not been able to establish a motive. Investigators believe Pimentel is traveling in a 2003 Honda Civic, VA tags KLX2689.
Police are asking anyone with knowledge of Pimentel’s whereabouts to call the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-691-2131
Breeann Rodriguez (family released personal photo)
Investigators say Shawn Morgan, 43, was arrested over the weekend and charged with first degree murder. Authorities believe Morgan suffocated Breeann and disposed of her body. According to the probable cause affidavit, Morgan admits that he discovered Breeann standing on his pool ladder, he carried her inside and suffocated her with a white bag. “Morgan states he felt like it took an hour for the girl to die,” according to the court documents. Once Breeann stopped breathing, Morgan admits he then threw her body into the floodway ditch.
At this point, the search to find Breeann is a recovery effort. Investigators zoned in on Morgan’s home on Friday night and took him into custody Saturday. Along with first degree murder, Dunklin County Prosecutor has also charged Morgan with armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence. Morgan is held without bond and will appear in Circuit Court 9 a.m. Tuesday. The hearing Tuesday will indicate whether he will employ his own council .
UPDATE:Reports out of London indicate WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange was arrested earlier this morning. Assange turned himself into a London Police station after a European arrest warrant was issued and he will appear in court later today.
BACKGROUND: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is now a wanted suspect, but not for leaking secret United States military documents. Instead, Assange is wanted for alleged sex crimes in Sweden. Interpol issued an official red notice and added Assange to their current “most wanted” list. The charges are for sexual molestation, rape and illegal force stemming from two alleged incidents in August. The Red Notice is not an arrest warrant, but an official advisory request sent to 188 countries.
The WikiLeaks website has published hundreds of thousands of U.S. secret diplomatic cables from around the world. The release gives the public an in-depth view of the government’s foreign activities, private notes and conversations. The White House said the leaks could put troops’ lives in danger. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said this disclosure not only puts people’s lives in danger, but is a threat to our national security.
UPDATE: Arrest made in this case. Sanders was picked up yesterday at a truck stop in Gulfport, Mississippi. A source told me a tip came in last Wednesday from a truck stop that the suspect was coming in to shower on the weekends and buy candy bars. Authorities set up surveillance and he was picked up yesterday. The vehicle was also seized, Sanders swapped out the license plates on the car. More to come.
This case was originally brought to me a couple of weeks ago from one of my U.S. Marshal contacts. Yesterday, the investigation advanced to new levels and now the FBI and U.S. Marshals are on the hunt for a man they believe kidnapped Lexis.
It all began on October 8, 2010 when hunters in Harrisonburg, Louisiana stumbled across what they believed to be human remains. The men contacted the Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office and an immediate investigation went underway. Since then the FBI, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Postal Service, Office of Louisiana Attorney General and the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services have all been on the case.
It’s been nearly a month since 10-month-old Lauryn Dickens went missing in Memphis, Tennessee. Police say Shakara Dickens reported her daughter missing one week after she claims that she gave the child to a stranger on Sept. 7. Dickens, 19, was arrested and charged with aggravated child neglect and endangerment and filing a false police report. She appeared in court again on Friday with her attorney Murray Wells and a preliminary hearing is set for October 21, 2010. On that date the state will have to show probable cause. Investigators have executed search warrants and have searched her apartment numerous times looking for clues that would hopefully lead to answers, but sadly the child has not yet been found. Everyone wants to keep the faith that the child is still alive, but investigators admit based on the information they have they are fearing the worst.
Investigators say Morgan vanished on October 17, 2009 while attending a concert outside the John Paul Jones arena in Virginia. She was separated from friends around 8:30 p.m. when she walked out of the front entrance. Authorities say Morgan called her friends inside and told them she was finding a ride home, and that they shouldn’t wait for her. State police officials report Morgan was last seen by the ticket office on the University Hall side of the building. Morgan’s body was found on a farm in Albemarle County a little over three months after she vanished from the Metallica concert. Investigators told me her body could have been on the farm as many as 100 days.
Mitrice Richardson was only 24-years-old when she disappeared in Malibu, California on September 17, 2009. This beautiful woman is a California State Fullerton graduate, and was set to begin a doctoral program. She was arrested around 10 p.m. the night before she went missing for not paying an $89.00 tab at Geoffrey’s restaurant. Investigators in Malibu released the young woman around 1 a.m. without any identification, money, cell phone or a vehicle to drive. According to the website designed to find Matrice, she does suffer from mental and health issues. There were at least two possible sightings the next morning, but they didn’t pan out. Early on, nearly 300 volunteers turned out to search Malibu canyon for Mitrice, where they covered nearly 18-square-miles. This was the fourth search conducted for her. If you have any information about Mitrice, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department, Detective Steven Eguchi: (213) 485-2531
Laquan Javaris Fitzpatrick, 19, of North Little Rock was arrested and is being held on a charge of capital murder. Fitzpatrick was taken down at a relative’s home. Police say two suspects remain at large.
We will bring you more on this arrest later this morning…
Major Philip Wise had been working for the Salvation Army for more than 16 years when he was gunned down on Christmas Eve 2009 at the Little Rock, Arkansas location. Police say his three children witnessed their father’s murder with their own eyes. I spoke to Sgt. Terry Kuykendall from the North Little Rock police department this morning, and he told me his investigators are still working to prove or disprove leads that are coming in. At this point, the investigation is still wide open.
Police originally charged Clarence Darriel Coe, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina with First-Degree Kidnapping in the disappearance of Shaniya Nicole Davis. Police say they dropped those charges against Coe, and he will be released today, November 13, 2009.
10:30 a.m. – I just got off the phone with Lt. David Sportsman with the Fayetteville Police. He says his entire detective division is solely dedicated to this case, and to finding little Shaniya. They are still searching, conducting interviews. Dozens of leads and new information is taking investigators to more places to do more research on this case. Lt. Sportsman says during this investigation, his department found probable cause to charge Clarence Coe. He also confirms that Department of Social Services does have active cases involving Shaniya’s family, but would not go into detail about those cases involve children.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
