☛ TS DA: Confession given in 32-year-old Siskiyou County murder
According to Siskiyou District Attorney James Kirk Andrus, 51-year-old Gregory Lynn Nelson admitted to killing 6-year-old Willie Cook Jr. after his abduction in August 1976.
Nelson and 69-year-old Suzanne Dorene Little, who also goes by Suzanne Aubrey, have both been charged with the kidnapping and murder, and have pleaded not guilty to charges.
According to Siskiyou County Sheriff Rick Riggins, 32 years ago Cook's father briefly left his son sitting in his pickup truck, parked at a service station in Happy Camp. When he returned to the truck, his son was gone.
After months of searching, no traces were found until nearly six months later when two teenage boys found his mostly decomposed body in an industrial cardboard barrel off Highway 96.
Although it was difficult to ascertain precisely how the boy died, Riggins said coroners believed he was strangled.
The reported confession was detailed in a statement given by Detective Nathan Mendez at a preliminary hearing in early December. Andrus said Mendez recalled Nelson confessed he had carried the screaming child away from his house to his vehicle when he put his hand over the boy's mouth and smothered him.
Mendez also reportedly testified that Nelson told him throughout the commission of the kidnapping he had been following orders from his then-girlfriend Joyce Croy and her sister, Little.
Croy has since died, Andrus said. Nelson and Little are scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 16.
Showing posts with label old cases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label old cases. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Hash pleads guilty to manslaughter
Nancy Huntzinger sat with her family in a Humboldt County courtroom on Friday, and watched as Stephen Daniel Hash, wearing shackles and an orange jail jumpsuit, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of her teenage son 18 years ago.
Judge Bruce Watson declined the plea, and advised Hash to speak with an attorney to discuss the ramifications of such an admission. The court then entered a plea of not guilty on Hash's behalf.
That move was anticipated by prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Wes Keat, who said it is typical for a judge to direct a defendant to speak with counsel before issuing a plea in a manslaughter case.
”It's a reasonable step and it's what I expected,” Keat said. “That doesn't mean it's going to be the result.”
Hash will wait in the Humboldt County jail for his next court appearance, scheduled for Dec. 10.
District Attorney Paul Gallegos said after the 53-year-old Hash was arrested Wednesday, he has been completely cooperative with investigators and has “expressed a great deal of remorse” for the murder of 14-year-old Curtis Huntzinger, who disappeared in May 1990.
His “absolute” cooperation is what led the District Attorney's Office to charge Hash with voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon, rather than murder, Gallegos said....
...Wayne Cox, an investigator for the DA's Office, said as years went by he saw interest in Curtis Huntzinger's disappearance taper off. About two years ago, he decided to take on the case.
”This case could have been solved a long time ago -- it simply wasn't,” Gallegos said. “There were leads that were not followed up that we merely followed up with.”
Hash's admission has brought some amount of closure to the Huntzinger family, Gallegos said.
The family, including Nancy Huntzinger and Curtis Huntzinger's sister, Sarah, attended the Friday arraignment.
Nancy Huntzinger said it is still too early to comment on her feelings about Hash's confession, but she looks forward to the outcome.
”I'm on pins and needles right now,” she said. “It's gone on too long.”...
☛ TS Hash pleads guilty to manslaughter
☛ sfgate Man arrested 18 years after teen disappeared
☛ Porchlight International for the Missing & Unidentified
☛ TS Never too late for resolution
☛ TS editorial Never too late for resolution
☛TS Hash receives 11 years in prison
◼ Curtis Huntzinger's mother wins wrongful death lawsuit
Judge Bruce Watson declined the plea, and advised Hash to speak with an attorney to discuss the ramifications of such an admission. The court then entered a plea of not guilty on Hash's behalf.
That move was anticipated by prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Wes Keat, who said it is typical for a judge to direct a defendant to speak with counsel before issuing a plea in a manslaughter case.
”It's a reasonable step and it's what I expected,” Keat said. “That doesn't mean it's going to be the result.”
Hash will wait in the Humboldt County jail for his next court appearance, scheduled for Dec. 10.
District Attorney Paul Gallegos said after the 53-year-old Hash was arrested Wednesday, he has been completely cooperative with investigators and has “expressed a great deal of remorse” for the murder of 14-year-old Curtis Huntzinger, who disappeared in May 1990.
His “absolute” cooperation is what led the District Attorney's Office to charge Hash with voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon, rather than murder, Gallegos said....
...Wayne Cox, an investigator for the DA's Office, said as years went by he saw interest in Curtis Huntzinger's disappearance taper off. About two years ago, he decided to take on the case.
”This case could have been solved a long time ago -- it simply wasn't,” Gallegos said. “There were leads that were not followed up that we merely followed up with.”
Hash's admission has brought some amount of closure to the Huntzinger family, Gallegos said.
The family, including Nancy Huntzinger and Curtis Huntzinger's sister, Sarah, attended the Friday arraignment.
Nancy Huntzinger said it is still too early to comment on her feelings about Hash's confession, but she looks forward to the outcome.
”I'm on pins and needles right now,” she said. “It's gone on too long.”...
☛ TS Hash pleads guilty to manslaughter
☛ sfgate Man arrested 18 years after teen disappeared
☛ Porchlight International for the Missing & Unidentified
☛ TS Never too late for resolution
☛ TS editorial Never too late for resolution
☛TS Hash receives 11 years in prison
◼ Curtis Huntzinger's mother wins wrongful death lawsuit
Friday, December 05, 2008
A good job, Paul post...cautiously. - UPDATED
UPDATED:
◼ Former Blue Lake Police Chief David Gundersen has been cleared of all major charges first filed against him in 2008. - Arcata Eye MARCH 2012
****
☛ TS Sebastopol man arrested in Huntzinger cold case
Eighteen years after 14-year-old Blue Lake resident Curtis Huntzinger went missing, an arrest has been made in connection with his death.
The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office arrested former Blue Lake resident Stephen Daniel Hash, 53, Wednesday on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter. Hash was reportedly living in Sebastopol.
”Mr. Hash gave us a complete confession,” District Attorney Paul Gallegos said Thursday night. “He's been very cooperative and very helpful, and we're very grateful to him for doing that.”
...Nine years after the teen went missing, a San Quentin State Prison inmate, Thomas Michael Fox, claimed he'd shot and killed the boy at Hash's home in 1990. Blue Lake police at the time said they believed that Fox's other murder victim, Daniel Williams, may have been used in a child pornography ring.
Officials searched Hash's home after Fox's statements, reportedly even pulling up the floor and sending carpets to the Department of Justice for forensic testing, but made no arrests.
At one point, Nancy Huntzinger reportedly told authorities that she had confronted Hash at his home, and that he had confessed to murdering her son, telling her where the boy's body was buried. But, search teams and cadaver dogs reportedly came up empty, and Hash was never charged in the case.
Gallegos said his office took over the cold case after the Blue Lake Police Department was disbanded in May, following the arrest of then Police Chief David Gundersen.
”It was an old case that we felt hadn't been adequately investigated,” Gallegos said.
DA Investigator Wayne Cox took the lead in the investigation, Gallegos said, and turned up some leads a couple of months ago, before the investigation really gained steam in November.
”What it really was was just dogged detective work,” Gallegos said. “It's a combination of the hard work of (DA Chief Investigator Mike Hislop) and (Cox), and the good work of (Assistant District Attorney Wes Keat), but it was also (Hash's) desire to get this off his chest. Personally, I think he's wanted to get this off his chest for a long time.”
When approached by investigators with new evidence in the case, Gallegos said Hash “decided to unburden himself.”
Curtis Huntzinger's body has yet to be recovered, Gallegos said, but the DA's Office has several leads as to its location and remains hopeful it will be discovered in the coming days.
”I'm hoping that with (Hash's) cooperation, we will be able to locate Curtis Huntzinger's body, and we will be able to put this to rest,” Gallegos said. “I know Nancy Huntzinger has wanted her son's body for a long time, and I'm hopeful we can provide her some solace in that.”
Gallegos said Hash's cooperation is part of the reason he was arrested on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter.
”What we've chosen to arrest him on and what we would have arrested him on if he hadn't cooperated with us -- I think it's reasonable to conclude they might be different,” he said. “Really what we wanted most for Nancy is her son's body, and without his cooperation we weren't going to get that.”
Reached Thursday, Curtis Huntzinger's sister, Sarah, said she wants her brother's body to be put at rest, so the family can have peace.
”I just want justice for my brother,” she said.
The DA's Office has called a press conference for this afternoon, when it is expected to offer more details in the case. Hash could be officially charged as soon as today, Gallegos said.
☛ TS A momentous find for a metal detector
Update:
☛ TS Never too late for resolution
☛ TS editorial Never too late for resolution
☛TS Hash receives 11 years in prison 1/3/09
◼ Curtis Huntzinger's mother wins wrongful death lawsuit
UPDATED:
◼ Former Blue Lake Police Chief David Gundersen has been cleared of all major charges first filed against him in 2008. - Arcata Eye MARCH 2012
****
◼ Former Blue Lake Police Chief David Gundersen has been cleared of all major charges first filed against him in 2008. - Arcata Eye MARCH 2012
****
☛ TS Sebastopol man arrested in Huntzinger cold case
Eighteen years after 14-year-old Blue Lake resident Curtis Huntzinger went missing, an arrest has been made in connection with his death.
The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office arrested former Blue Lake resident Stephen Daniel Hash, 53, Wednesday on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter. Hash was reportedly living in Sebastopol.
”Mr. Hash gave us a complete confession,” District Attorney Paul Gallegos said Thursday night. “He's been very cooperative and very helpful, and we're very grateful to him for doing that.”
...Nine years after the teen went missing, a San Quentin State Prison inmate, Thomas Michael Fox, claimed he'd shot and killed the boy at Hash's home in 1990. Blue Lake police at the time said they believed that Fox's other murder victim, Daniel Williams, may have been used in a child pornography ring.
Officials searched Hash's home after Fox's statements, reportedly even pulling up the floor and sending carpets to the Department of Justice for forensic testing, but made no arrests.
At one point, Nancy Huntzinger reportedly told authorities that she had confronted Hash at his home, and that he had confessed to murdering her son, telling her where the boy's body was buried. But, search teams and cadaver dogs reportedly came up empty, and Hash was never charged in the case.
Gallegos said his office took over the cold case after the Blue Lake Police Department was disbanded in May, following the arrest of then Police Chief David Gundersen.
”It was an old case that we felt hadn't been adequately investigated,” Gallegos said.
DA Investigator Wayne Cox took the lead in the investigation, Gallegos said, and turned up some leads a couple of months ago, before the investigation really gained steam in November.
”What it really was was just dogged detective work,” Gallegos said. “It's a combination of the hard work of (DA Chief Investigator Mike Hislop) and (Cox), and the good work of (Assistant District Attorney Wes Keat), but it was also (Hash's) desire to get this off his chest. Personally, I think he's wanted to get this off his chest for a long time.”
When approached by investigators with new evidence in the case, Gallegos said Hash “decided to unburden himself.”
Curtis Huntzinger's body has yet to be recovered, Gallegos said, but the DA's Office has several leads as to its location and remains hopeful it will be discovered in the coming days.
”I'm hoping that with (Hash's) cooperation, we will be able to locate Curtis Huntzinger's body, and we will be able to put this to rest,” Gallegos said. “I know Nancy Huntzinger has wanted her son's body for a long time, and I'm hopeful we can provide her some solace in that.”
Gallegos said Hash's cooperation is part of the reason he was arrested on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter.
”What we've chosen to arrest him on and what we would have arrested him on if he hadn't cooperated with us -- I think it's reasonable to conclude they might be different,” he said. “Really what we wanted most for Nancy is her son's body, and without his cooperation we weren't going to get that.”
Reached Thursday, Curtis Huntzinger's sister, Sarah, said she wants her brother's body to be put at rest, so the family can have peace.
”I just want justice for my brother,” she said.
The DA's Office has called a press conference for this afternoon, when it is expected to offer more details in the case. Hash could be officially charged as soon as today, Gallegos said.
☛ TS A momentous find for a metal detector
Update:
☛ TS Never too late for resolution
☛ TS editorial Never too late for resolution
☛TS Hash receives 11 years in prison 1/3/09
◼ Curtis Huntzinger's mother wins wrongful death lawsuit
UPDATED:
◼ Former Blue Lake Police Chief David Gundersen has been cleared of all major charges first filed against him in 2008. - Arcata Eye MARCH 2012
****
Friday, September 19, 2008
Angelel withdraws Writ of Habeas Corpus
☛ TS Former HSU professor hints about wife's death
Former Humboldt State University swimming coach Larry Angelel stopped short of an out-and-out confession, but said during a Sept. 11 court appearance that he was responsible for his wife's death -- and claimed the act wasn't premeditated.
A jury of six men and six women found Angelel guilty of first-degree murder of his estranged wife, Lonna Angelel, on June 24, 1997. He'd maintained his innocence throughout the trial. She was reported missing Dec. 17, 1995 and her headless body was found Feb. 10, 1996, two miles from the couple's Fieldbrook home on Simpson Timber Co. land under a pile of branches.
Ten days later, Angelel was arrested on suspicion of murder. After a lengthy trial, Angelel was found guilty and subsequently sentenced to 25 years to life. He was serving time at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. Angelel's appeal of his conviction was denied on May 5, 1999.
Angelel has been in Humboldt County since February 2007 to pursue a writ of habeas corpus. The action alleges that his public defender provided ineffective counsel by not ensuring DNA testing of hairs found on the victim's body that, he argued, may have pointed to another responsible party.
It was during the Sept. 11 court appearance on that matter that Angelel hinted to his culpability in Lonna Angelel's death.
”The Petitioner states he wishes to withdraw the Writ of Habeas Corpus, he states that he is responsible for his wife's death and it was not planned,” according to court file on the hearing.
Deputy District Attorney Max Cardoza -- who prosecuted the original case and was present at the Sept. 11 court appearance -- said the judge declined to deal with the request until Angelel's regular counsel got back into town....
The reasons behind Angelel's two-step toward a confession draw a variety of theories.
(Brad Smith, a former Humboldt County Coroner and Sheriff's evidence technician) said he suspected that Angelel was just tired of dealing with it. It's a sentiment shared by Angelel's stepson, Michael Angelel.
”The best I can figure,” Michael Angelel said in a phone interview with the Times-Standard, “he's either lost it, had some sort of conversion experience or knows he's dying.”...
Former Humboldt State University swimming coach Larry Angelel stopped short of an out-and-out confession, but said during a Sept. 11 court appearance that he was responsible for his wife's death -- and claimed the act wasn't premeditated.
A jury of six men and six women found Angelel guilty of first-degree murder of his estranged wife, Lonna Angelel, on June 24, 1997. He'd maintained his innocence throughout the trial. She was reported missing Dec. 17, 1995 and her headless body was found Feb. 10, 1996, two miles from the couple's Fieldbrook home on Simpson Timber Co. land under a pile of branches.
Ten days later, Angelel was arrested on suspicion of murder. After a lengthy trial, Angelel was found guilty and subsequently sentenced to 25 years to life. He was serving time at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. Angelel's appeal of his conviction was denied on May 5, 1999.
Angelel has been in Humboldt County since February 2007 to pursue a writ of habeas corpus. The action alleges that his public defender provided ineffective counsel by not ensuring DNA testing of hairs found on the victim's body that, he argued, may have pointed to another responsible party.
It was during the Sept. 11 court appearance on that matter that Angelel hinted to his culpability in Lonna Angelel's death.
”The Petitioner states he wishes to withdraw the Writ of Habeas Corpus, he states that he is responsible for his wife's death and it was not planned,” according to court file on the hearing.
Deputy District Attorney Max Cardoza -- who prosecuted the original case and was present at the Sept. 11 court appearance -- said the judge declined to deal with the request until Angelel's regular counsel got back into town....
The reasons behind Angelel's two-step toward a confession draw a variety of theories.
(Brad Smith, a former Humboldt County Coroner and Sheriff's evidence technician) said he suspected that Angelel was just tired of dealing with it. It's a sentiment shared by Angelel's stepson, Michael Angelel.
”The best I can figure,” Michael Angelel said in a phone interview with the Times-Standard, “he's either lost it, had some sort of conversion experience or knows he's dying.”...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)