2011 NEWSMAKERS: Big crime stories of the year: County saw 14 homicides, including two murder suicides [Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif.]
By Cathy Kelly and Stephen Baxter, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Several of the year's high-profile homicide victims were women, and their accused killers are pending trial as the year draws to a close.
CELESTIAL CASSMAN
Celestial
Police arrived and saw Galaway leap from a 100-foot cliff into the ocean, where he was rescued some hours later. Cassman was found dead under a nearby tree, police said. The coroner said she died of asphyxiation.
Galaway is due in court
Cassman and Galaway had dated on and off for about five years, family and friends said.
Cassman was born on
GRUESOME SCENE
There were 14 homicides in the county in 2011, a figure that includes two men who were responsible for two murder-suicide cases. There were 18 homicides in 2010, a figure that also includes two murder-suicide cases.
On the most gruesome in 2011 occurred
A coroner's report said Stearns was strangled, beaten and kicked to death. Clauer initially was arrested on a parole hold and months later was charged with murder, authorities said.
His case is set for a preliminary hearing
FATAL AND INTENTIONAL
On
Forty-eight-year-old
Weers is due back in court
STAIN OF GANG VIOLENCE
Gang-related slayings also left their mark on the community in 2011.
On
Escobedo was a student at
While playing basketball with friends, Escobar and another man came on the court and asked them if they were in a gang, according to court testimony. The boys said 'no,' the pair left, then Escobar returned and fired several shots at them, killing Escobedo, authorities said.
Escobar was trying to avenge the shooting of his brother,
Escobar's accomplice, 27-year-old
DRUG-RELATED KILLING
In another case, prosecutors said in a 2011 trial that drugs and greed sparked a brutal beating that killed a
Two jury trials dealt with the murder of
Prosecutor
Another man,
In August, Hunt was acquitted of murder but convicted of robbery. Clamp was convicted of murder and has not been sentenced.
On
Skuba is expected to be sentenced
FATAL FAMILY DISPUTE
A family disagreement in
The standoff began about
Hull answered the door and spoke with Magdayao for about six minutes, saying he had been in a fight with his father and that his father had a gunshot wound to his head, but had left the house, Lt.
Magdayao followed him inside and saw
Fearing Hull was going to retrieve a gun, Magdayao fired his gun, McCartney said. Hull slammed the front door. Magdayao tried to kick it open, but Hull fired seven rounds from a .223-caliber rifle through the door, police said.
A Sheriff's Office SWAT team arrived along with more than 40 officers from other agencies.
After several failed attempts to communicate with Hull, deputies blew the lock off the front door and sent the bomb squad robot inside with a camera. When they heard and saw nothing, the SWAT team burst in and found both men dead, as well as stockpile of ammunition and four weapons.
The Coroner's Office has not concluded its report on the incident, and it's not yet clear if the same gun was used to kill both men. A review of the case concluded that Magdayao acted properly.
"We feel extremely fortunate that Tony was not injured or killed; it was very likely he could have been," McCartney said of his officer.
Authorities dealt with another murder-suicide case when 90-year-old
Investigators said the health problems led to the shooting.
SKATEBOARD COLLISION
Another tragic death came this year when an 83-year-old
On
The teen and his mother have written letters to the family expressing their remorse and condolences. Just this month, the teen began what is hoped to be weekly meals to Maryann's husband, George, who says he misses his wife's Italian cooking.
Police said it is illegal to skateboard in
In August, the
In a case sparking civil action, the
In October, a judge set a
In August, Kakkar was given 30 days to fix code violations at the inn but failed to make the fixes, said
Kakkar's attorney,
The property in its heyday hosted movie stars like
ANOTHER TEEN HOMICIDE
On
Lopez, 14, and his friend were shot by a man in the other car, deputies said. The friend survived, but Lopez died from gunshot wounds.
Lopez's family said he was a curious, outgoing young man who liked to work on bikes. They said he was not a gang member, but deputies said everyone at the turnout that night had gang ties.
Later that night, four men were arrested on suspicion of gang participation and fighting in public outside a convenience store at the corner of Laurel and Chestnut streets in
"He was just a nice kid and everyone will miss him," said classmate
TEENAGE GANG SLAYING
A homicide of a
Accused of his murder are
After a preliminary hearing that lasted nearly a month, Escalante, Onesto and Reyes were held to answer
The deadly confrontation was sparked when the driver of the car Tenorio was in,
Five to eight men quickly squared off against the four teens, according to witnesses. Tenorio, who the coroner said was drunk, was stabbed 17 times and died in the 3-minute fight, prosecutors said.
And while police initially said Tenorio was not a gang member, and his family maintains that is true, testimony at the preliminary hearing called that into question. Tenorio's accused killers are in
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(c)2011 the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.)
Visit the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) at www.santacruzsentinel.com
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