Thomas J. Leggs Jr. was convicted Thursday for fourth-degree burglary stemming from a September 11, 2009 incident where he allegedly broke into a woman’s home in Ocean City, Maryland. The victim claims she never gave the convicted sex offender permission to enter her house and she woke up in the middle of the night to find a naked Leggs standing at the end of her bed masturbating. He was given a three year maximum sentence from the judge.
On April 18, 2011 Leggs will be on trial for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 11-year-old Sarah Foxwell. Sarah’s body was found on Christmas morning and he is facing the death penalty in that case. If Leggs is, in fact guilty and responsible for Sarah’s death, there is an obvious escalation in sexual attacks between the alleged September 11, 2009 incident and the abduction of Sarah. Either before, or in the interim, police fear there may be other victims who have not yet come forward. Leggs was given a three year sentence from the judge on Thursday.
This case was running through my mind this morning. I was searching through my files and the date December 18, 2009 popped up. That was the last time I brought you the case of Jean Paul who was taken illegally from his bus stop. Since then, a grand jury issued a felony indictment for the felony offenses of kidnapping, aggravated perjury and interference with child custody against his father, Jean Philippe Lacombe.
Investigators say Jean Paul Lacombe was abducted by his non-custodial father, Jean Philippe Lacombe, on October 15, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas. Lacombe allegedly gave the court invalid Mexican Documents to overturn the case, and the judge gave him custody. Lacombe was supposed to show back up for a court hearing on Monday, October 19, 2009, but instead he fled with his son.
HISTORY OF CUSTODY:
Cliff Herberg with the Bexar District Attorney’s office in Texas says there are 1,400 pages pertaining to this case that have accumulated over the years in Mexican court. He has not had a chance to review every single page, but Mr. Herberg was able to provide a timeline and background of custody between the parents.
Ingmar Guandique, the man charged with murdering Chandra Levy, will appear in court today. The 28-year-old illegal alienfrom El Salvador pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges, and his attorneys are requesting a new venue for his trial. They believe massive media coverage will not allow him to have a fair trial.
Guandique was already serving a ten-year sentence in California for attacks on two other women in Rock Creek Park. In 2002, Chandra’s remains were found in the same park. Investigators believe Chandra was murdered on May 1, 2001. At the time of her death, Chandra was interning at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and was having an alleged affair with Congressman Gary Condit (D-Calif). Condit was never named a suspect.
A convicted serial killer who once appeared on the dating game in the 1970’s is now sitting on death row for the third time. Rodney Alcala represented himself in court in March for the rapes and murders of four women and one child, and police fear there may be even more victims. He was sentenced to death again, and is among nearly 700 other California inmates awaiting execution. During this investigation, authorities uncovered more than 100 pictures of unidentified women. The question is, are those women alive or possible victims? So far, investigators say they have positively identified 21, but they still have a long road ahead. Those women are alive, and don’t appear to be victims. Cold-case homicides in some stateshave been re-opened seeking possible links to this serial killer.
Investigators confirm the body they found at the Smith Gap Landfill in Roanoke, Virginia is in fact the body of 3-year-old Aveion Lewis. Police told me they tracked the trash collected along the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue, and that is what led them to the discovery. Thankfully, the trash company keeps very good records, and police were able to locate the truck in route to the landfill before it made a deposit. The truck emptied its contents in an isolated area at the landfill, and investigators sifted through the garbage. At this time, Roanoke police say they have not moved forward with homicide charges against Brandon Lockett, but that may change in the near future. He is scheduled to appear in court in March.
Investigators charged Aveion’s step-father, Brandon Lockett, with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect after a false report was filed that Aveion was abducted. Police canceled an Amber Alert for the child after Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the bogus abduction took place. Authorities say they were able to get this information and come to this conclusion after conflicting statements were given to authorities early on. Although police say Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the Amber Alert was issued, investigators early on did not know exactly where the child’s body could be.
This is a case that is close to the heart, and one I have brought you since day one. Marc Bookal was reported missing by his mother’s boyfriend, Cory Byrd on December 14, 2009. Marc’s family has gone through the freezing weather and the holidays without their child. He hasn’t been seen since Byrd told police that he found the downstairs door open, and Marc was missing. Today, police told me they called off the ground search to locate Marc, but the investigation to find out what happened to him is still on going.
Early on in the search, Sgt. Toomey with the Newburg police told me over the phone that Byrd thought Marc walked a few steps away in an adjacent building to visit his aunt, something he did frequently. The toddler has discoloration on the back of his hands from a recent burn injury, and he was last seen wearing a red long sleeved shirt, gray sweatpants, and Nike shoes. Anoymous tipsters have come forward to offer money to the fund to find this toddler including Carlie’s Crusade Foundation.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited children, more than 200,000 children are victims of family abductions every single year. This is another case out of California where investigators believe Mayra Cisneros kidnapped her daughter Mariana. A felony warrant was issued for Cisneros on March 30, 2009. Child custody cases are difficult on the children because the mother and father are usually dragging each other in and out of the court system for years, just like with the Jean Paul Lacombe case out of Texas. If you have any information on where Mariana or mother could be please contact: 1-800-THE-LOST
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....
