Caylee Anthony Update 11 December

A Florida mother charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter sobbed in court Friday as a prosecutor speculated aloud that the toddler was methodically drugged and suffocated with tape.
Casey Anthony cried as prosecutor Jeff Ashton suggested that Caylee Anthony's killer restrained her arms, dosed her with something that knocked her unconscious and put duct tape over her mouth and nose.
Ashton offered the scenario when explaining why he believes the case would qualify for the death penalty.
"Her killer would prepare some substance in advance that would render her physically unable to resist," said Ashton during the pretrial hearing. "If the killer looked at her face, maybe the killer saw her eyes ... First one piece (of tape), then two, then three so that no breath was possible."
The cause of Caylee's death remains unknown, but duct tape was found on the body.
Ashton offered the scenario in response to a defense request to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.
Circuit Judge Stan Strickland said he would rule later.
Because the cause of death is still unknown, prosecutors are unable to prove that she suffered a heinous, cruel or atrocious death, which is the standard under Florida law for seeking the death penalty, said Andrea Lyon, one of Anthony's attorneys.
"The real reason the state has asked for the death penalty is because they wish to get as biased a jury as they possibly can," Lyon said. "It has the effect of coercing pleas in cases where that may in fact not be appropriate."
Anthony's attorneys contend that jurors in death-penalty cases, who are screened to eliminate those with moral objections to capital punishment, are more likely to convict defendants. The defense also says the threat of the death penalty could be used to coerce Anthony into making a plea agreement.
Anthony has pleaded not guilty and her trial is expected to start next year.

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Robbi Potter's Truck Spotted In Colorado

A nationwide manhunt for fugitive sex offender Robbi Potter, who is believed traveling with a small child and her mother, is now centered in Colorado, the U.S. Marshal's Service said today.

A surveillance camera at an Ampride gas station in Stratton showed pictures of the vehicle that authorities believe Potter is driving refueling at the station on June 2.

Potter is believed to be with his girlfriend, Candace Watson, 24, and her three-year-old daughter, Haylee Elizabeth Jade Donathan.

Potter is wanted on both state and federal warrants for parole violations.

The surveillance footage from the Stratton station shows a woman, who investigators believe is Candace Watson, attempting to purchase fuel at the gas pump. Neither Potter nor Haylee were seen in the footage. (Is she still with them? Have they done something to her? Little kids have to be fed, they have to be taking her out of the truck to use the bathroom. Why has no one seen her?)

Andrew Deserto, a chief deputy U.S. Marshal, said that investigators are doing everything they can to find Potter and believe there is a likelihood that Potter, his girlfriend and the child are inColorado.

"He is a convicted sex offender — the most dangerous kind — committing sex offenses against minors," said Deserto.

"We want to get the little girl and want the guy caught and put him where he belongs," he added.

Deserto said that Potter walked away from a halfway house and is wanted for escape. (Am I the only person wondering if this guy is so dangerous, why wasn't he wearing a tracking anklet?)

The footage from Stratton is the last confirmed sighting of the truck since it was previously seen at a Wal-Mart in Marion, Ohio, on May 31.

Potter walked away from a Mansfield, Ohio, halfway house on May 28.

The truck is a 1988 two-tone black and green Chevrolet pickup truck with Ohio plate ENS9729. The truck has running boards along the sides and orange lights along the top of the front windshield visor.

"Our task force is working around the clock to locate this fugitive and ensure the safety of this little child," said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott. "We ask anyone with information to please contact our hotline immediately and help us bring a peaceful
Haylee Donathan ( | )
end to this intensive manhunt."

The U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Potter's arrest. Anyone with information should call the toll free hotline: (866) 4WANTED. Callers may remain anonymous.
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Murder And Mayhem Links 1 June

Billy Bob's Daughter Charged In Death of Baby
Billy Bob Thornton's estranged daughter, Amanda Brumfield is being charged with child neglect. She was babysitting a baby who died in her care.

Baby Involved In Love Triangle Murder Plot
Nicole Walker was sleeping with a father and his son. And she didn't use birth control, got pregnant and doesn't have a clue who the daddy is. Now the son, Ryan Carson is accused of murdering his father, Brian, along with the help of Nicole and six others. Included in the six are Brian's daughter and wife.

Didn't Ryan stop to think that if Nicole was sleeping with him and his dad, that maybe the baby wasn't either of theirs. You know that she was probably sleeping with other people because that is some slutty crap. Only a paternity test will show if he murdered his father in vain.

Father, 2 Children Killed in Oregon Murder-Suicide
James Gumm shot his two children and then killed himself. Both 7-year-old Tyler Gumm and 6-year-old Kylie Gumm died. He is believed to been motivated by a divorce that became final last year. The divorce was started in 1992, long before the couple conceived either of the children, but took almost two decades to be completed.

This is the second parent in the area to murder their children in a week. Earlier

Amanda Stott-Smith, 31 tossed her two children off of Portland's Sellwood bridge into the Willamette River 75 feet below a week earlier. Four-year-old Eldon died but his 7-year-old sister managed to survive the fall.

Murder and Mayhem Links 28 May

Billions In New Cuts Loom For California- Including Eliminating Welfare and Closing Most State Parks
Arnold Schwarzenegger is hoping to turn California into a third world country. If the millionaire governor gets his way scores of children will be homeless, hungry, and sick. Expect a rise in crime, and a rise in the cost of treating children who are ill because of lack of medical care and hunger. But they won't be getting medical care because he is planning on cutting Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs too. Maybe it is time California recall another governor.

Bardstown Man Kills Toddler Son, Self
Timothy Frazier of Kentucky shot his 21-month-old son, Cole, then himself. It was all the tragic end result of a custody dispute.

St. Louis County Woman Held In Murder Of Her Own Child
Sharnique Jones is charged with suffocating her 3-month-old baby in 2008. Healthcare providers and social workers "had repeatedly warned Jones about the inadequate care she had been giving the infant," St. Louis County police said today. But nobody thought to remove the baby from her care. And here is the kick in the pants, they only arrested her after she tried to suffocate a second child. Very bad parents seem always seem to be extremely fertile, Sharnique gave birth to another baby on 26 January.

Daniel Hauser Returns To Minnesota

A 13-year-old cancer patient and his mother are back in Minnesota after fleeing nearly a week ago to avoid court-ordered chemotherapy, a sheriff's office said Monday.

The Brown County sheriff's office did not provide more details Monday before an evening news conference at the county seat of New Ulm.

Daniel Hauser and his mother, Colleen, had been due to appear in court last Tuesday for a hearing that could have resulted in a judge ordering chemotherapy to treat Daniel for Hodgkin's lymphoma. They missed the court appearance, and the search for them had focused on southern California and Mexico.

A message left for Daniel's attorney Monday afternoon was not immediately returned. An attorney for Colleen and Anthony Hauser was out of town and could not be reached for immediate comment.

Daniel has Hodgkin's lymphoma, which doctors say has a 90 percent chance of being cured in children if treated with chemotherapy and radiation. Without treatment, he has a 5 percent chance of survival.

Daniel underwent one round of chemotherapy in February, but stopped after that single treatment, citing religious beliefs. The family opted instead for natural healing practices inspired by American Indians.

A judge ruled that the parents medically neglected Daniel and ordered them to get him an updated chest X-ray as well as select an oncologist for a re-evaluation. After the X-ray showed a tumor in Daniel's chest has grown, the mother and son left town.

The American Cancer Society estimates there are 35 to 50 clinics in Mexican border towns that attract cancer patients looking for alternatives to traditional U.S. treatment methods.

An FBI affidavit alleges Colleen Hauser fled to avoid being prosecuted on two state counts of depriving another of custodial or parental rights. Brown County family services has been granted custody of Daniel to get him to a pediatric oncologist.

Last Thursday, Anthony Hauser appeared before reporters asking his wife to come home. "If you're out there, please bring Danny home so we can decide as a family what Danny's treatment should be," he said.

At a news conference Thursday, Brown County Sheriff Rich Hoffmann vowed to arrange a safe return for Colleen Hauser without an enforcement action if she shows "a good faith effort to come back."

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