Rana murder case may go federal; defense attorney proclaims client's innocence, blames co-defendant for 2008 slaying

◼ Rana murder case may go federal; defense attorney proclaims client's innocence, blames co-defendant for 2008 slaying - TS

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos indicated last week that the U.S. Attorney's Office is interested in taking over the cases of Ryan Christopher Carroll and Robert Lanham Lee, both of whom stand accused of murdering a 35-year-old San Francisco man. On Tuesday, Carroll's attorney Kathleen Bryson told the Times-Standard that Gallegos has broken off plea bargain negotiations in the case.

”I just got an email saying he's been advised the feds are coming in to take the case,” Bryson said. “He will not work toward a resolution because he said the feds are coming.”

...Gallegos indicated he planned on trying Carroll and Lee together once Lee was returned to California, but said Friday he was unsure what the U.S. Attorney's Office would do if it takes on the case.

Bryson -- speaking publicly about the case for the first time -- proclaimed her client's innocence and said Lee killed Rana.

”My guy didn't fight extradition (from Washington) because he's innocent,” she said. “He's eager to clear his name, and the evidence shows it was Robert Lee that did it.”

Bryson said it was Lee who shot Rana twice with a rifle, adding that he then forced her client at gunpoint to take Rana's car and set fire to it near Big Lagoon. Lee ultimately left Carroll in Washington, Bryson said, but threatened to kill him if he told anyone what happened on that dirt road in Southern Humboldt....

Investigators said they never believed Carroll acted alone and kept working the case. According to Humboldt County Sheriff's Sgt. Wayne Hanson, investigators caught a break about one year ago when Carroll's car was found in the Garberville area spray-painted black. Finding the car, Hanson said, led to new witnesses and new evidence that linked Lee to the killing.

◼ Murder suspect appears in Humboldt County court
Murder suspect Ryan Christopher Carroll appeared in Humboldt County Superior Court on Tuesday for a status conference. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for next week.

Carroll is a suspect in the murder of Reepaul Singh Rana, a San Francisco resident whose body was found in a forested area in Southern Humboldt County nearly two years ago. Carroll was arrested in January on a warrant for murder and charged with arson, vehicle theft and destruction of evidence....

An update - Reepaul Singh Rana Murder suspect arrested in Washington

◼ Murder suspect arrested in Washington
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office this morning announced that a suspect has been arrested for the 2008 murder of Reepaul Singh Rana whose body was found Sept. 13, 2008, north of Alderpoint.

The 35-year-old San Francisco man was shot to death. His SAAB sedan was found burning on a back road along Big Lagoon on Sept. 10, 2008. Three days later, Rana's body was discovered, dumped in the area of Dyerville Loop Road, north of Alderpoint Road -- more than 100 miles from his vehicle.

The Sheriff's Office reported the body appeared to have been dumped four or five days before it was discovered.

◼ Man suspected in 2008 killing has first court date in Washington


The man believed by law enforcement to have killed a San Francisco man and dumped his body in Southern Humboldt County in 2008 made his first appearance in a Washington court Wednesday.

The King County Prosecutor's Office charged Ryan Christopher Carroll, 29, with being a fugitive from justice.

”The purpose of that charge is to hold him pending his return to California,” said King County Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Dan Donohoe.

The CSI effect

Criminals now know that the evidence found in vehicles can sink them - so, looks like the news standard operating procedure is to burn the vehicle, and trust that all evidence will be destroyed. That and cutting out the blood soaked upholstery, I guess. Looks like it didn't help ☛ ER Josiah Miller. He's just been charged with murder.

Here's the latest one - ☛ TS Homicide investigation in SoHum
The victim owned a light/faded blue 1996 SAAB four-door sedan. A statewide lookout for the vehicle was sent out Sunday morning.
Humboldt Sheriff's deputies working the north area recalled a vehicle fire that Cal Fire responded to on Wednesday evening with a similar vehicle description. The victim's burned out vehicle was located on a dirt access area on the north side of Big Lagoon. The vehicle was completely destroyed in the blaze.
Additional Investigators from the Department of Justice Field Evidence Division and the Humboldt County Arson Task Force responded to assist in processing the victim's vehicle.

☛ ER Sheriff’s investigating possible murder in SoHum
A small to medium-sized black terrier-type dog ran loose near the body of the male when deputies arrived, wearing a leash and dog tags from San Francisco. The dog was missing its front right leg in a prior incident, the HCSO release stated.

After checking with authorities in the city, the identity of the male was confirmed.

In a possibly related incident, the victim owned a faded blue 1996 Saab that resembled a vehicle found burned on Wednesday night on the north side of Big Lagoon.

HCSO is investigating the possible murder and arson and are looking for any witnesses that recall seeing the car, dog or person in question.

Tuesday:
☛ TS Homicide suspected in death of San Francisco man

The body of a 35-year-old San Francisco man was found Saturday night in a forested area of Southern Humboldt, and authorities say they suspect homicide.
Investigators know the man's name and cause of death, but that information is being kept secret by law enforcement out of concern releasing it may jeopardize the investigation, said Humboldt County Sheriff's Lt. George Cavinta.
”It's obviously a homicide,” Cavinta said. “Right now the only people who know his name is us and the bad guys.”
According to information from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, the body was found in the forested area of Dyerville Loop Road, north of Alderpoint Road.
Cavinta said the body appeared to have been dumped in the area and Humboldt County Coroner Frank Jager said the man was probably dead four or five days before being discovered....

,,,The man is described as an East Indian adult, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 175 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes....
☛ ER Sheriff’s Office looking into possible murder

UPDATES:
☛ TS Suspected homicide victim died of gunshot wound

A suspected homicide victim from San Francisco, whose body was found near Alderpoint last week, died of a gunshot wound, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office reported Thursday.

Authorities are still working to uncover the details of how 35-year-old Reetpaul Singh Rana died, and are withholding additional information about the investigation.

Rana's body was found Saturday in a wooded area along Dyerville Loop Road, near Alderpoint. The body was found nearly 100 miles from the burned-out remains of his light-blue 1996 SAAB four-door sedan, which was found along the north side of Big Lagoon, Sept. 10.

According to Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. George Cavinta, the body appeared to have been dumped in the area. County Coroner Frank Jager said the man likely died about four or five days before he was discovered.

☛ ER San Francisco man died from gunshot wound