Mom thwarts plan to be famous (MD)

He promised her fame, but she picked life for her and her kids! I just hope that she has a safe place to be and stay there for a while when they release him from jail!! Way To Go, MOM!!!

Mom's Actions May Have Averted Murder-Suicide

Posted on May 07, 2009

LEONARDTOWN, Md. (May 7, 2009) -- A woman and her two children may be alive today because she had the presence of mind to flee her home and seek safety after her husband allegedly violently assaulted both teenage children and then displayed a handgun saying, "I am going to make you famous, I don't have anything to lose."

The husband, Donnie Smith, Sr., 41, of Lexington Park was arrested after local police executed a search and seizure warrant at his residence Tuesday. Police say the handgun was recovered at that time.

Sheriff's office patrol deputies say they were alerted to the situation in the home on Monday.

According to police, Smith first assaulted his 13 year-old son, who wears leg braces, by pushing him down stairs several weeks ago. On Sunday Smith allegedly assaulted his 16 year-old daughter by punching her in the face several times and pointing a handgun at her. Police say Smith then showed his wife the handgun and said, "I am going to make you famous, I don't have anything to lose."

The woman told police she took her children and fled the following day, Monday, because of her husband's propensity for violence.

Detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) picked up the investigation. The following day, Tuesday, detectives, with the assistance of the St. Mary's County Emergency Services Team (EST), executed the search and seizure warrant and made the arrest.

Smith was charged with First Degree Assault, 2 counts of Second Degree Assault, 2 counts of Child Abuse, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. He was incarcerated in the St. Mary's County Detention Center.

Scott E. Schmidt, charged in fatal shooting of his estranged wife (WI)

Man kills wife, and shoots her mother without killing her April 17, 2009

Original: http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090506/OSH0101/305060089/1987

By Jim Collar • Gannett Wisconsin Media • May 6, 2009

APPLETON — Scott E. Schmidt, charged with shooting his estranged wife to death last month, is trying to block the use of his jail medical records in efforts to determine his competency for trial.

♦ Audio: 911 call reporting Grand Chute shooting (contains graphic language)
♦ Photos: Scott Schmidt makes his initial court appearance
♦ Photos: Shooting in Grand Chute

Schmidt’s attorney, Gregory Petit, is asking for the return of medical records the Outagamie County District Attorney’s Office acquired through a subpoena.

The records are confidential under medical privacy laws unless Schmidt says otherwise, he argued in a motion filed last week.

"The patient has the right to refuse to disclose any physician-patient reports, and absent a release by the patient, no report should be given to any other parties,” Petit wrote.

Schmidt, 38, was charged with counts including first-degree intentional homicide after his April 17 arrest outside Kelly Wing Schmidt’s Grand Chute home.

Wing Schmidt, 39, was shot multiple times in the head and died several hours later at a Neenah hospital. Her mother, Barbara Wing, 66, was shot once and was treated at a hospital and released the same day.

Schmidt is scheduled to appear in court Friday for a hearing on his competency to stand trial.

Petit argued that the defense should have had an opportunity to oppose the subpoena seeking the jail medical records. The motion doesn’t describe what the reports contain.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Melinda Tempelis argued in a separate motion that the reports are vital to determine whether Schmidt is mentally capable of proceeding through a trial.

“The state believes these records should be provided to the doctor conducting the examination so that a complete and thorough evaluation and examination can be performed,” Tempelis wrote.

Jim Collar writes for the Appleton Post-Crescent.

Woman Critical After Apparent Murder Suicide Attempt (CA)

Man attempts to kill woman, then kills himself May 6, 2009

UPDATE: http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12315892?nclick_check=1

A 57-year-old woman involved in a bitter divorce was in "good condition" today as she recovered from a bullet wound inflicted in a West Hollywood parking structure by her husband, who then killed himself, authorities said.

"She's in good condition, and may be released sometime today or tomorrow," Sgt. John Corina of the sheriff's homicide bureau said this morning.

The woman's name was not immediately released. Her husband was Eric Steven Lesin, 59, of North Hollywood, a coroner's investigator said.

Lesin waited for his wife in an underground parking structure in the 9000 block of Phyllis Avenue Wednesday morning, said sheriff's Lt. David Coleman. At some point during their encounter, Lesin shot the woman in the neck, then turned the gun on himself, he said.

Paramedics were sent to the location about 9 a.m. Wednesday. Lesin was declared dead at the scene while his wife was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in critical condition.

Coleman said the pair were going through a bitter divorce, and Corina added: "He felt that she was to blame for his troubles."

Corina said Lesin and his wife had no children together.

Original: http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-murder-suicide,0,4524463.story

KTLA News Staff reporter

May 6, 2009

WEST HOLLYWOOD - A woman has been hospitalized in critical condition in an apparent murder suicide attempt, authorities said.

The shooting was reported shortly after 9 a.m. near the intersection of Doheny Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard, said Sgt. Diane Hecht of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.

The unidentified woman is said to be roughly 50-years-old and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in critical condition, county fire Inspector Steve Zermeno said.

The man, who was in his late 50s, died at the scene.

Investigators believe he shot the woman, said to be his wife, before turning the gun on himself.

Teen escapes as Fla. dad kills family, self (FL)

Husband kills wife and two kids, shoots at the other kid, then kills himself May 3, 2009

Wife, two boys shot dead; she had tried to leave home after a fight

LAKELAND, Fla. - His father and stepmother had fought before, and 13-year-old Nathan Bellar had no reason to believe their latest exchange would turn violent.

After an argument on Sunday, though, the teen watched his father gun down the woman as she tried to take her sons to their grandparents'. Nathan ran back through the house and heard his father shoot his younger brothers, but the gunfire wasn't over.

His father chased him through the cluttered garage and took aim, but tripped on a bicycle before he could get off another fatal shot. As Nathan ran screaming to the safety of a neighbor's house, the father killed himself in the front lawn.

The teen was staying with his grandparents Monday, a day after investigators said Troy Ryan Bellar, 34, shot and killed his wife, Wendy Bellar, 31, and their 5-month-old and 8-year-old sons. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the surviving teen was quiet and cried some after the shootings but also helped detectives piece together the deadly sequence of events.

"His entire family is gone," Judd said.

"What he witnessed, what he was engaged in, most people in this world will never witness," the sheriff later added.

Wife was trying to drive away
Wendy Bellar was carrying 5-month-old Zack James Bellar out the front door in a car seat when Nathan Bellar saw his father follow them with a 7.62 mm rifle, Judd said. She intended to take the infant and her 8-year-old son, Ryan Patrick Bellar, to her in-laws for the night but was shot down on the screen porch.

Nathan told deputies the earlier argument gave no indication that the evening would turn violent. Investigators said they had not found any suicide note, and a motive remained unclear for the killings in Lakeland, between Tampa and Orlando.

"They argued a little bit, but nothing significant," Judd said.

It wasn't the first argument for the couple who'd been married for 10 years. According to an arrest affidavit, Troy Bellar accused his wife of hitting, punching and scratching him in March. Wendy Bellar was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery, and the case was pending.

Sunday night's gunfire sent panicked neighbors to their phones to dial 911. One of them told an emergency dispatcher she saw the teen "running around in the garage with his hands up, and like screaming," according to a recording of the call.

After Nathan safely reached the home of another neighbor, that woman relayed information from him to a 911 dispatcher.

"A boy's here at my house that lives there and says that his dad shot his mom and there's a baby there," the neighbor, who was not identified, told a 911 operator.

"I know this is going to be very hard for you to ask him," the operator said. "Is his mom still alive?"

After an exchange between the neighbor and the boy, the woman told the operator: "She got shot in the head."

Wife, sons were found on porch
Deputies arrived at a horrific scene: Wendy Bellar and her two young sons dead from gunshot wounds in their screened-in porch and their father lifeless in the front yard. A preliminary investigation indicates that more than 10 rounds were fired in all.

"It left veteran detectives and crime scene technicians that do this for a living stunned last night," Judd said.

AP Wendy Bellar

Detectives praised the surviving teen for being helpful.

"He cried some, as you can imagine," Judd said. "As he should have done. And he was very quiet. And we were very delicate with him."

Investigators say Troy Bellar ran a home remodeling and handyman business, which next-door neighbor Doug Lane said seemed to do a steady business despite the economic downturn.

"He said the remodeling had dropped off, but he was doing repair work for commercial apartments and that sort of thing," Lane said. "He said that he was staying busy."

Judd couldn't say if the family was experiencing any financial difficulties.

Records show the husband had been arrested twice in the county, on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated battery in 1994 and for driving under the influence in 1999. He was convicted of petit/retail theft in the first case and of driving under the influence in the second.

But if the couple argued before, Lane said he never heard them. He said he saw them sitting outside together Sunday evening, giving no indication that anything was wrong.

"Troy and Wendy were good, good neighbors," Lane said. "Fortunate to know them. Just an awful shock."

Original: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30555915/

Deputies investigate attempted murder-suicide (FL)

Husband shoots wife (without killing her), then kills himself May 5, 2009

UPDATE: As of May 6, 2009 the wife has died from the gun shot wound. Apparently the husband left a suicide note and in it he was concerned for his wife's poor health.

BY HEATHER SCOFIELD
Staff Writer

Flagler County Sheriff's Office is investigating an attempted murder-suicide at a home in Plantation Bay this morning.

Initial reports from the scene indicate that Richard Nickel, 75, shot his wife, Gail, 72 and then turned the gun on himself inside the couple’s home on Kingsley Lane in the development.

Gail Nickel was transported to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where a hospital spokeswoman said she was in critical but stable condition. Richard Nickel was found dead.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is processing the scene and the investigation of the incident continues.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Original: http://www.news-journalonline.com/newsjournalonline/breakingnews/deaths050509.htm

Portland man dead, wife injured in suspected murder-suicide (OR)

Mans shoots wife, injuring her, then kills himself May 2, 2009

Original: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_050209_news_murder_suicide_portland.12446dbc.html

04:37 PM PDT on Saturday, May 2, 2009 By MIKE BENNER, KGW Staff

PORTLAND -- One man is dead and his wife injured after an attempted murder suicide in Southeast Portland.

Under overcast skies, more than a dozen investigators gathered outside the home Saturday morning. An hour earlier, detectives say, the woman who lives inside called police and said she had just been shot by her husband. It happened about 9 Saturday morning in the 1100 block of SE 135th.

“Based on things the woman was saying, they felt it was necessary to attempt a rescue of the woman inside the house,” said Detective Mary Wheat of the Portland Police Bureau.

Jolting awake neighbors who live nearby, a countless number of officers raced to the scene. “They were jumping out of the car with their assault rifles and running up the street. I don't know if they knew what was going on when they showed up,” added Greg Fort, a neighbor.

The officers broke down the door and rushed inside. That is where they discovered one man dead and his wife injured. “We believe, at this point, the husband shot the woman, his wife, and then himself,” said Wheat. The woman was taken to a local hospital, but detectives would not say how many times her husband shot her, or where.

“We're not going to comment right now on where she was shot. She is going to survive, which is great news,” added Wheat.

Some neighbors were too shaken to talk about the incident. Others said the couple was very interested in keeping their neighborhood safe. “He and his wife were going to help us put up some security cameras at the neighbor's house where we have some graffiti issues. They seemed like very nice people,” said Fort.

Detectives must now determine why the husband shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.

“[It's] Very sad, and we have to take a look at what was going on as far as domestic violence issues and we'll look at all that and try to make sure we get the victim the help she needs,” added Wheat.

Police were not releasing the names of the victims. They said no one else was inside the home at the time of the shooting.

Update on suspected murder-suicide near Galesburg (MI)

Man kills 16 yo, shot 15 yo; then himself April 29, 2009

Original: http://www.wwmt.com/articles/galesburg-1361990-suicide-suspected.html

April 30, 2009 - 3:17 PM

NEAR GALESBURG, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - New information is emerging about a suspected murder-suicide near Galesburg.

Two people are dead, a man and a teenage girl. Detectives are looking into reports that two teenage girls had been hired by Nicholas Arbutina on Miller Drive to do some cleaning.

The two teens, 16-year-old Tanika Heard, and 15-year-old Brianna Washington, were visiting the home.

67-year-old Nicholas Arbutina is believed to have pulled a gun on the girls, shooting and killing Tanika Heard with a shotgun.

Brianna Washington was also shot, but managed to take off running down the road, going to the gas station complex at Miller and 35^th Street for help.

Newschannel 3 cameras were there to capture the police presence that rushed into the area around 7:00 Wednesday night.

Nicholas Arbutina ultimately shot and killed himself.

Investigators say he lived alone at the home on Miller Drive.

The folks at the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department just released the name of that shooter late Thursday afternoon.

Newschannel 3 also spoke to the father of the 16-year-old girl who was killed. He says his daughter had been working for the shooter for about a year, doing chores at the house.

On Thursday, the father described his daughter as a beautiful, outgoing girl. Tanika Heard had just turned 16. Her 15-year-old foster sister, Brianna Washington, was her best friend.

The pair was at the house on Miller Drive Wednesday evening when the violence started.

Tanika was shot dead in the driveway of the home, and when Brianna took off running, her foster dad says she was shot in the back as she headed for the gas station complex to get help.

Police rushed to the scene, finding Tanika outside the house, along with the shooter.

67-year-old Nicholas Arbutina was a caretaker living in a house next to the main home on the Miller Drive property.

"We're still trying to put it all together," said Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller, "knowing they were familiar with each other, the people at the house had all been there before."

Tanika's father says the teenage girls had been doing chores for Arbutina for about a year. The only witness to the scene is Brianna, who is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the torso.

Tanika's father says Brianna told him that Arbutina tried to sexually assault one of the girls, and when Tanika hit him, he pulled a gun.

Newschannel 3 looked into Arbutina's criminal history, and back in 2004 he pleaded guilty to soliciting a prostitute. Investigators say Arbutina's family lives out of the area.

Investigators say they are looking into the allegations of assault, but have not confirmed anything at this point.

Newschannel 3 has been told that funeral arrangements for Tanika Heard are being handled by Langeland Funeral Homes.

Brianna Washington is currently in the hospital being treated for a one gunshot wound to the torso, she is listed as being in stable condition. Newschannel 3 has been told that she was able to talk to detectives and may be the one with the answers as to what exactly occurred.

Interestingly enough, I found this article: On day of victim's funeral, an alleged stalking victim comes forward. Apparently this man had a habit of trying to get young girls to work for him; and police confirmed that there may be others

Cameron Cook drove his wife off pier in Victoria

Ex-cop who drove wife off pier 'wanted to kill himself'

• February 6, 2009 - 4:06PM

Cameron Cook wanted to die. And he wanted to make sure his wife would witness it.

So he punched the woman he accused of having an affair, shackled her ankles, taped her mouth and bundled her into the back seat of his car.

After fastening her to a chain he'd secured around the front seat, he set off for Melbourne's Mordialloc pier.

When he got there, he planted his foot on the accelerator and drove off.

Sonia Cook would have died, prosecutors told a court on Friday, had a locked gate not stopped her husband from reaching the deep-water location he'd originally planned to use.

"The car would have sunk," Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert SC told the Victorian Supreme Court. "We would've had a murder-suicide."

Instead, Cook ended up driving into relatively shallow water off the pier, and Ms Cook, despite her restraints, was able to free herself from the vehicle.

The 42-year-old Cheltenham man has pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his wife in September 2007 after learning she was having an affair.

Mr Silbert told Friday's pre-sentence hearing that there was no evidence Cook felt any remorse for his actions.

But defence lawyer John Kelly said his client's actions were completely out of character, and Cook had not been coping with the breakdown of his marriage and family life.

He said Cook's aim had been to kill himself and for his wife to witness it.

"What happened on the 7th of September was utterly abhorrent and utterly atypical of him," Mr Kelly said.

"But he didn't know how to cope with what for him was an impending catastrophe.

"He just saw red for a couple of seconds."

In a statement Cook gave to police, which was read in court, he said: "I knew I was fked as soon as I hit her. In that instant I knew I had thrown away my life."

Cook has also pleaded guilty to reckless conduct endangering life and intentionally causing serious injury.

Friday's hearing was adjourned to a date to be fixed.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/excop-who-drove-wife-off-pier-wanted-to-kill-himself-20090206-7zp5.html