'Cold blooded' Paul Curry guilty of wife's 1994 murder

A "vicious, cold blooded" former nuclear engineer who was driven by an "insatiable appetite for money" was convicted of the 1994 murder of his wife.
Paul Curry gave a sleeping pill to his wife Linda and then poisoned her with a shot of nicotine because he wanted the $547.695 payout from her life insurance policy, prosecutors said.
The 57-year-old was questioned by cops after her death but it wasn't until 2010 that prosecutors put a case together and alleged that he murdered her.
Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh said she had a level of the sleeping aid Ambien, in her system after she was found at their San Onofre, Calif. home. This had not been prescribed to her, he said.
She also had injection marks on the temple behind her ears, he added.

"He had to make sure she was completely sedated before he injected the nicotine," he said, adding that high doses induce vomiting.
Curry admitted to fiddling his insurance but denied any role in her death.
However a California jury disagreed and he will sentenced for first degree murder at a later date.

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CORTNEY CLAYTON MURDER: SUSPICIONS RUN DEEP

Cortney Clayton went for an evening walk on the evening of Sept. 2, 1988 to get a soda from a nearby convenience store in her tiny hometown of Stamford, Texas. The pretty little girl never came home and on Sunday, March 26, 1989 the 7-year-old's remains were discovered in a field 50 miles away.
Her family said that she was a smart, adventurous and happy child. With just 4,000 people, many townspeople have always felt the killer was from Stamford.
''I have always felt that somebody here in town knows something,''  Candy Clayton, Cortney's mother, said in 2007. ''Even if they don't know they know it. 'One good thing about living in Stamford is that people here haven't forgotten about Cortney." By the time Cortney's body was found by a hunter, there was little evidence at the scene.
Anyone with information is asked to submit a tip thru the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website or contact us at the Missing Persons Watts Line: 1-800-346-3243 .

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EVELYN SHANK SHOT TO DEATH IN VEGAS IN 1959

She is the oldest unsolved murder victim in a city that has seen plenty of them during its wild existence. Evelyn Shank was the night clerk at the Travelodge and the victim of a kidnap/robbery, Vegas cops say. Her relief worker arrived to discover the switchboard/desk area unoccupied. When he could not locate Shank he called cops. Detectives learned that $174.50 had been taken from the till and an all-points bulletin was broadcast and road blocks were set up throughout the vicinity.
On February 7, 1959, Shank's body was found. A gunshot to the head delivered death. Cops say a 1949-1950 Ford sedan (possibly dark blue) with the headlights on was seen parked near the front door by the co-worker. When he returned from searching for Shank -- the car was gone. Anyone with information is urged call Las Vegas Metro Homicide Cold Case Detail at 702-828-COLD.

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JENNIFER PERSIA, 16, MURDERED DURING '94 BURGLARY

 

JENNIFER PERSIA was just 16 when she was found murdered on the living room floor of her home in Magnolia, New Jersey. She had been stabbed multiple times and cops soon discovered containers of coins and silver certificates were missing. That was April 4, 1994. The case is still unsolved. For information leading to an arrest and conviction in the slaying of Jennifer Lynne Persia. Anyone with information should call the Camden County Prosecutor's Office hotline at (856) 225-8476 or e-mail tipline@co.camden.nj.us. Offering a REWARD of more than $15,000.  SEE THE CLIP ABOVE

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HOESCHELE THOMAS 2007 KILLER BUSTED

THOMAS

HE was a loving father in the wrong place at the wrong time, but now four years on cops say they've caught Hoeschele Thomas's killer.
The 48-year-old was minding his own business outside his Largo, FL home when a vehicle approached him and the guys inside asked him if he wanted to buy drugs.
When he refused, an argument erupted and someone in the car blasted him.
The case went cold until Detective John Spoor began reviewing the case again this summer and was able to make a connection between the weapon used in Thomas' murder and one used in a drive-by shooting that occurred several weeks later.
And that weapon was in the hands of Lloyd Neal, 22, who is already serving a life sentence at the Taylor Correctional Institution in Perry for a 2007 Clearwater murder case.
When the diligent lawman interviewed several people who confirmed Neal shot Thomas and bragged about it, the sheriff's office said.
Thomas' family told The Tampa Tribune they are pleased to hear the news.
Thomas' son, Hoeschele Thomas Jr said: "It has been hard, and I don't have a father figure in my life. I had to be a man on my own."

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UNSOLVED NEW MEXICO MURDERS HAUNT 50 YRS LATER

AS PEOPLE said, they weren't hookers, they weren't criminals but a vicious monster snuffed out the lives of two New Mexico girls more than 50 years ago. He has never been caught.

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TEEN MICHAEL HINSON'S 1970 MURDER STILL UNSOLVED

ON Sept. 12, 1970 Michael Hinson, a Grade 11 Dorman High School baseball player, was shot while at the intersection of Asheville Hwy. and California Ave. in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The shooter is believed to be the front passenger in a green late 60’s model Plymouth Fury, and may have lived in the Cleveland Park community at the time.

Detectives are seeking information from witnesses and/or from anyone who may have knowledge about this cases. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 503-4509 or (864) 503-4596. Callers may remain anonymous.

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MYSTERY STILL SURROUNDS JEAN VIKEN'S SHOOTING

IN HAPPIER TIMES

SHE was a beloved mother of four young kids who was found executed in dense woods near her home.
But nearly four years after her 2008 murder a dark cloud remains over her memory as her killer's have yet to face justice for the horrific crime near Hawkins, WI.
Her sister Jane told WSAW: "We were celebrating her birthday when she didn't show up. So we were desperately worried about her.
"She was loving mom and a devoted daughter and sister. We were so scared. If anyone know's anything we'd urge them to come forward." 
Taylor County Detective Steve Bowers said that the web of clues scattered around the forest spelled out the clear message that the killing was not a random act.
He said: “Evidence we found at the scene indicated that she had been shot at least two, if not four times by a 357 revolver. She had then been transported from the scene."Her body was left in a rural location in Sawyer County and the vehicle was left at a different location."
He added: "On arrival officers noted there was a pan that appeared to have been cooking for a lengthy period of time and the purse that Jean Viken normally took with her everywhere was also in the house."
Her body was discovered by fishermen.  
At the time there were persons of interest in the case, but to date no arrests have been made
Authorities say just one tip could help in making an arrest. If you have any information please call the Taylor County Sheriff's Department at 715-748-2200.

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MOTIVE FOR RHONDA HINSON MURDER BAFFLES COPS

THIS CHRISTMAS will mark 30 years since Rhonda Annette Hinson was cruelly murdered after leaving her staff party. The 19-year-old Burke's County woman's shooting death remains unsolved and still frustrates detectives. There was never any apparent motive. On the evening of December 22, 1981 Rhonda had attended the Hickory Steel Company's party at the Legion in Hickory. She left around midnight. Picked up her car at a friend's house and called her boyfriend. On her way home, a bullet from a high-powered rifle was fired into her car, hitting her back and heart. She was later found dead lying in a  ditch. But there were

questions from the start. Tough questions: doctors felt she would have been incapable of getting out of the car after she was shot. Did her killer pull her from the car? Did she know him/her? Was it random? Mistaken identity? Ultimately, the question is: why?

To report information concerning the case of Rhonda A. Hinson, contact Lt. Becky Weatherman of the Burke County Sheriff's Office at (828) 438-5506, or Crimestoppers at (828) 437-3333. The e-mail address for the Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigation Division is cid@burkesheriff.org.

To report information concerning the case of Rhonda A. Hinson, contact Lt. Becky Weatherman of the Burke County Sheriff's Office at (828) 438-5506, or Crimestoppers at (828) 437-3333. The e-mail address for the Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigation Division is cid@burkesheriff.org. Remember, you may call anonymously and be eligible for the reward money listed above if your information leads to the arrest and conviction of Rhonda's killer.

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NO NEWS IN ANCHOR JODI HUISENTRUIT'S VANISHING

MYSTERY

SHE was a popular TV news anchor who simply vanished one morning in a mystery which has baffled cops and the general public for more than 16-years.
Cops believe there was a struggle before Jodi Huisentruit disappeared as her car keys were left in the parking lot along with a single shoe.
But although they suspect foul play may have been involved, no body has ever been found for the KIMT reporter, although she was legally declared dead in 2001.
Now a new book from former fellow TV personality Beth Bednar is raising new questions about the disturbing case and she's accusing cops in Mason City, IA, of not investigating properly.
She told KEYC that Dead Air:  The Disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit includes new leads which investigator's have yet to follow up.
She said: "I remember hearing about the case.  I followed a lot of the media as well, and her sister actually lived next door to my grandmother.
"I think someone knows something, I think perhaps more than one knows a lot more than they are telling. There are certain things that I wrote about in the book that the police never investigated adequately."
She also claims to have interviewed a woman who claimed she was in the vicinity at the time when Huinsentruit went missing and claimed to have relevant information to the case adding that supposed information was never followed up on by police.
She said: "It was a curious amount of secrecy in Mason City when I was talking to people about her disappearance, it is still very hush hush."
She also hopes information in this book will shed light on the case and play a role in reopening it.

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LIGHTSEY SAUL BUMPED OFF LOVE RIVAL BACK IN '88

KILLER

A DEADLY affair with his pals wife led Lightsey Nathan Saul to bump off his love rival and now 24-years on he's been convicted of murder.
Cops say that the 59-year-old murdered his pal Joe Daggett because he was hopelessly in love with his wife.
Cops believe that in March 1988, Saul disposed of his pal, whose body has never been found, before leaving his car in Midland International Airport car park.     
The whereabouts of Daggett still remain a mystery, but he is presumed dead.
Since the rancher's disappearance more than two decades ago, the Texas Rangers and local law enforcement doggedly pursued the case and ultimately tied Saul to Daggett's murder.
Saul was taken into custody by New Mexico State Police as a fugitive from justice and will now serve the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced to 60-years behind bars.
Two other suspects have also been tied to Daggett’s disappearance, George McIntyre and Robert Ezell, have also been indicted for conspiracy to commit capital murder.

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DID JOHN WAYNE GACY MURDER CANADIANS?

KILLER CLOWN

CANADIAN VICTIMS?

SERIAL KILLER clown John Wayne Gacy who murdered at least 33 teenage boys in America is now being eyed by Canadian investigators.
The Ontario Provincial Police are dusting off their case files to see if any of the eight unidentified bodies found in the crawlspace of his Chicago home are from their country.
It's believed Gacy may have regularly crossed the border during his prime killing years between 1972 and 1978.

He later became known as the "Killer Clown" due to his charitable services at fundraising events, parades and children's parties where he would dress as "Pogo the Clown", a character he devised himself.
OPP detectives will be now look at cases that fit Gacy’s profile, including the type of young men he targeted, from across a wide span of years.
While there are reports at least one Canadian family has contacted American officials to ask about a possible connection to a lost loved one, police have not given any details.
Sgt. Pierre Chamberland told the Toronto Sun they are waiting for U.S. officials — specifically the Cook County Sheriff’s Office that is spearheading the effort to identify the mystery eight — to contact them with more specific information.
He said: “We do have several unresolved cases."

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MARY RIVERA SENSATION: CHARGES DROPPED

DROPPED

THE ELDERLY fugitive who was busted for killing her husband more than 40 years after he died has had all the charges against her dropped.
As we reported here beck in 1970, Mary Rivera, now 76, was accused of killing her husband by "throwing hot grease on him and by throwing other substances and liquids."     
But after posting the $10,000 bond she fled from her Houston home with her three children, including twin sons, and eventually made her way to Lake Park, GA, near the Florida border.
Hiding in plain sight, she appeared to have evaded justice, until late last month, when she was picked up by the Harris County Cold Case team.
A spokesman said at the time: "The defendant was charged with committing a rather brutal murder of her husband. 
"Although she was able to elude authorities for over 40 years, she ultimately must face judgment in a court of law for the murder of her husband."
But now a judge has dismissed the charges because too much time had elapsed between when Rivera was indicted and when she was arrested, her lawyer has said. 
No word on when Rivera will return to Georgia

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NEW EFFORT IN 1981 CHRISTINE GUENTHER MURDER

IT HAS been 30 years since Christine Guenther was murdered, her body discovered by a hunter on Oct. 31, 1981. The 15-year-old's killer has never been caught. The resident of Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania vanished from a bus stop Oct. 26 after getting out of school. She had a doctor's appointment in Pittsburgh but never made it and instead ended up bludgeoned to death. Cops are curious about the five days she was missing which they think is the key. With new technological tools her family are hoping the case can finally be resolved and they can find peace. They've even started a website: www.chrisguenthermurder.com.  Anyone who has any information on the events surrounding Christine’s disappearance and murder is asked to contact the Allegheny County Police Department 24-hour tip line at (412) 473-3000 or the Allegheny County Homicide Unit at (412) 473-1300. MORE ON CHRISTINE

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ROOMIE BUSTED FOR 1995 MARY ANN O'NEILL MURDER

JUSTICE?

CAUGHT

HE was a suspect from the start, but Raymundo Pereda managed to evade authorities for more than 16-years for the brutal murder of his former roommate.
But investigators finally caught up with their man, hiding in plain sight and now they're hoping he'll face justice for the vicious murder of Mary Ann O'Neill.
Back in November 1995, the 53-year-old's body was found in the trunk of her car in her Placentia, CA.
She had been killed with a blow to the head.
Pereda, who had moved out about a month before her murder, was immediately suspected, but try as they might, cops couldn't catch up with him and the case went cold.
Then in 2009, Detective Jason Reger dusted off the case file and began an earnest hunt for her killer which would ultimately lead him to Pereda.
A partial fingerprint from the DMV,  blew the case wide open, when he cross-referenced it with the national crime database. 
That fingerprint matched one from Efran Calderon Castro, who had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Las Vegas – the same place detectives had found Pereda's pickup truck, abandoned, years earlier.
It was enough to bring him in.
Placentia Police Chief Rick Hicks told KTLA: "Not only was Pereda living under an assumed name, but he had adopted a different date of birth and had a Social Security number."
O'Neill's family were delighted with the news.
Her daughter Kelly Gaughran told KABC: "This is a wonderful day but it's bittersweet also, because we still don't have our mom. But at least someone is going to pay for what's been done."
Detectives brought Pereda back to Orange County Wednesday. His bail is set at $1 million.

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PREGNANT SOLDIER AMANDA GONZALES: REWARD UPPED

STRANGLED

THE KILLER of a pregnant soldier who was five months pregnant when she was viciously strangled to death will not be allowed to get away with murder, military investigators have vowed.
And now a reward of $125,000 has been offered by special agents with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command in a bid to smoke out her killer.
November 5 marks the tenth anniversary of Pfc Amanda Gonzales' brutal murder.
The army cook was just 19 when she was found dead in her barracks near Hanau, Germany, which has since closed. 
Her killing remains unsolved, despite DNA evidence taken from the scene on the base being analyzed.
Investigator's are however refusing to give up and her family continue to hope that one day they will see justice.
Back in 2008 her father Santos Gonzales told Stars & Stripes that he was still haunted by not knowing what happened to his daughter.
"It's frustrating as hell. that was my first daughter, my only daughter. It still hurts. I know she had been in a struggle. I want some answers and maybe get a little closure.
CID spokesman Chris Grey told KHOU: "Increasing the reward to $125,000 is a testament to the determination we have in solving this case and bringing the person or persons responsible to justice.
"We are confident that someone out there knows something about the untimely death of this soldier and her unborn child, and we are not giving up. We strongly encourage anyone with information to contact us immediately.If you have information on Gonzales’ murder, call CID Headquarters at 571-305-4349 or 571-305-4302.
Information can also be sent via email to usarmy.belvoir.usacidc.mail.crime-tips@mail.mil.
Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous may do so.

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'GRIM SLEEPER' LONNIE FRANKLIN JR - SIX MORE??

GRIM SLEEPER?

THE "Grim Sleeper" serial killer suspect has been linked to six more murders than the 10 he has already been charged with, cops say.
Lonnie Franklin Jr is accused of killing 10 women, all of whom were found in alleyways within a few miles of his home in downtown LA as we reported here.
All the victims, some of whom were prostitutes, were shot, strangled or both and most had been sexually assaulted.
The killer was dubbed 'the grim sleeper' because of the long gaps between the deaths, which began in the 1980s and ended in this century.
Cops were baffled for years, but they finally linked Franklin to the crimes after  a DNA database showed a convicted felon, his 28-year-old son, matched the genetic blueprint found at 15 crime scene locations.  
When they arrested him they found photographs and videos of another 100 women at his home.
Franklin, a mechanic, was arrested and indicted in July 2010 and indicted and now cops are investigating him in connection with another 250 murders.
The LA Times is reporting however that they will not immediately seek additional charges in the other killings because they don't want to complicate the case against Franklin as it moves toward trial.
Meanwhile, Franklin's attorney, Louisa Pensanti, said the new allegations are false.
She also accused authorities of making the allegations public in order to infect the jury pool.

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PI: 'I KNOW WHO MURDERED CONNIE EVANS IN 1964'

NO ONE will ever know for sure who murdered Mary Constance Evans on her 15th birthday--Oct. 24, 1964. The main suspect is dead but a private eye says the riddle is solved. Connie Evans vanished after leaving her West Goshen Township home on a two-mile walk to West Chester, Pennsylvania. The search dragged on for weeks with hundreds of volunteers scouring the area. Five weeks later her body was found in a shallow grave sending chills throughout the area. As cops beat the bushes for an arrest, the days dragged on, then years. The file grew to a staggering 2000 pages. Eileen Auch Law was just 11 when Evans was murdered and the case was hammered into her conscience. Eventually, inspired in part by the mystery, she became a private detective. And she thinks she knows who murdered Connie Evans in 1964. CONNIE EVANS MURDER MYSTERY

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HITCHIKER THEORY IN 1975 RUPERT MURDER DISPUTED

CHARLES and Leslie Rupert were newlyweds, deeply in love and passionate about the rehabilitation of ex-convicts. And then, in a flash, their lives were mysteriously snuffed out in February 1975. The University of Arizona grad students were found shot execution-style in a drainage ditch. On Feb. 1, 1975, the couple were driving home after a banquet for the Seventh Step Foundation, an organization that helped ex-cons. The Ruperts left the banquet at 10:45 p.m. and a day later a passing motorist found their bodies.  Charles had been shot once in the side of the head and twice in the back with a .38-caliber revolver. Leslie was shot once behind the ear. Their car was found hours later--wiped clean of fingerprints except for what appeared to be the
letter "p" written on the rear window. Cops ruled out robbery. A gas-station attendant near where their sedan was found said he saw a stocky, brown-haired man in his mid- to late 20s pull the car into his station between 1:30 and 5 a.m. Cops believe the pair were murdered by hitchikers but there are a lot of other theories. MORE ON 1975 RUPER MURDER

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TODDLER THE ONLY WITNESS DELORES THOMPSON SLAY

BLUDGEONED

HE witnessed something no one should see, let alone a two-and-a-half year old boy.
But Delores Thompson's son is still the only person who saw what happened to his 27-year-old mom and her pal Gwendolyne Fulce, 21, when they were viciously beaten back in September 1973.
Sadly he can't remember what happened, but by the time his father arrived to pick him up the two women had been brutally bludgeoned to death.
The toddler had been left among their bloody remains in her Portland, OR home.
Portland Police Cold Case Detective Meredith Hopper told KPTV: "He was laying on a couch near one of the victims. The victims were in different rooms and unfortunately, the father had to search for his son because his concern was if his son was also a victim."
The boy's brother Clark Thompson was only 7 years old when his mother was murdered and he has few concrete memories of his mother with him and his siblings.
He told the station: "The last memory I have of her was two caskets."
Hopper, who was not even born at the time of the murder, is however refusing to give up on the case and are determined to catch the killer and forensic evidence is now being re-examined with new technology in the hope of generating new leads. 
Clark Thompson meanwhile, just wants to see justice.
He said: "How would you feel if your momma didn't make it to 30? I just want justice to be served, you know what I'm saying? They took my mother away from me."
If you have any information, call Crimestoppers at (503) 823-HELP (4357).

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