Month: February 2015

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assault battery Bicycle Accidents Pedestrian Accident Personal Injury Wrongful Death

DNA Evidence Helps Put to Rest a 20 Year Old Murder Case

DNA Evidence Helps Put to Rest a 20 Year Old Murder Case

DNA Final Factor in 20 Year Old Multiple Murder Cases

 

Technology and Science is ever changing. It’s so amazing and a thing of awe what science can do today. Thanks to DNA evidence an arrest has been made against a man who is involved for the killings of two young women twenty years ago. The two women who vanished, ten months apart on bike rides. They were riding near Phoenix’s Canal System.

 

Police were able to arrest forty-two year old, Bryan Patrick Miller on late Tuesday. They got him for the stabbing deaths of two girls, twenty-two year old Angela Brosso and seventeen year old Melanie Bernas.

 

According to the report, Angela was killed in November of 1992. Melanie was killed almost a year later in September 1993. Both of the young women had disappeared while biking near the Arizona Canal. Angela’s body was found decapitated, near an apartment complex. Melanie’s body was found 1.5 miles away just floating in the water.

 

Police Use DNA Evidence to Solve 20 Year Old Case

 

Police said that they were able to use forensic evidence connecting the killings within years. However, the investigators weren’t able to identify a suspect back then. Luckily, some DNA evidence was recently collected by some undercover officers and were able to link Miller to the killings.

 

Sgt. Trent Crump’s Statement:

Within literally hours we had a hit from those two murders, scientifically linking him by DNA, linking him to those two murders over 20 years ago.

 

 

Officers were able to search Miller’s rental home overnight. They expected to be continuing the search for several days due to the home being full of unspecified material. It’s unclear of what though.

 

Miller was being held without bond for: two counts of first degree murder and kidnapping as well as one count of sexual assault. Miller did not have a lawyer when he appeared in court on Wednesday. However, during the police interview, he denied having any involvement in the killings.

 

Police Statement in Court Document:

The defendant could not explain how the DNA profile obtained from the defendant was a match to the DNA profiles obtained from the victims.

 

Even though Miller denied any involvement, he did admit to living in the area of the killings at the time. He even admitted to also riding his bike on the bike paths.

 

Police have stated in the past that these killings were like the killer specialized in military training and he also collected trophies from the victims. Either bike from the killings were never found. However during the search, police did find a bike in Miller’s shed. It’s unclear if it’s one of the victims bikes though.

 

Source:https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/south-phoenix/angela-brosso-melanie-bernas-update-bryan-patrick-miller-denies-involvement-in-death-of-girls

 

 

Criminal Defense Lawyers PLLC
668 N 44th St. Suite 300
Phoenix, AZ 85008
(480) 351-6445
https://www.criminaldefenselawyers.me

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assault Personal Injury

Former Teacher Sentenced for Sexual Misconduct

Former Teacher Sentenced for Sexual Misconduct

Former Physical Education Teacher Sentenced for Sexual Misconduct

 

It’s a sad world we live in now days. You can’t even trust your kids to be safe when you send them to school, that should be the safest place for them other than your home. Between the shootings and the sexual predators, it’s a little terrifying to send your child to school. It doesn’t stop when they reach high school either.

 

A former physical education teacher in Phoenix had been accused of some sexual misconduct with a female student. Apparently, she took the physical in physical education a little too seriously. Anyways, the former teacher has now been sentenced up to twenty years in prison as well as a lifetime of supervised probation.

 

Physical Education Teacher Sentenced

 

According to a Maricopa County Superior Court spokesman, stated that Nicole Wooten who is thirty-eight years old has been sentenced on Tuesday by Judge Sherry Stephens.

 

On December 1st of 2014, Nicole Wooten pleaded guilty to the charges of attempted child molestation, sexual conduct with a minor, and attempted sexual conduct with a minor.

 

The sexual misconduct happened when the victim was just an eighth grader. How sad and sick is that? That poor girl. She was a student at the Herrera School of Fine Arts & Dual Language which is in Phoenix. The sexual misconduct happened in 2005. The police say that the charges however, stemmed from incident that occurred at Wooten’s home in Mesa.

 

Which I’m not sure why the child was at the teacher’s home by herself with the teacher. Most teachers don’t have things going on at their home, so stuff like this doesn’t happen or can’t be accused of things happening. Let’s just hope if it did happen, that the little girl found some peace knowing that this woman will be in jail for some time and then supervised when she’s out.

 

 

Source: https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/ex-phoenix-teacher-sentenced-to-prison-on-child-sex-charges

 

 

Criminal Defense Lawyers PLLC
668 N 44th St. Suite 300
Phoenix, AZ 85008
(480) 351-6445
https://www.criminaldefenselawyers.me

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assault battery drug possesion felony Homicide Personal Injury Wrongful Death

Police Find Suspect in Deadly Armed Robbery

Shooting Suspects in Phoenix

Police Identify the Robbery Shooter and Victim

 

On Tuesday night things got deadly dangerous when a shooting happened in East Phoenix. The police have now been able to identify the victim in the shooting.  The Police officers say that the had to respond to a call about an armed robbery around eight o’clock in the evening at 52nd and Van Buren streets.

 

The police found a female victim when they got to the scene. The victim told the Phoenix Officers that she had been on her cell phone outside of her apartment building when the suspect pulled out a gun and then pointed it at her while demanding her money. The suspect was a twenty-one year old male. When she told the suspect that she did not have any money things got even scarier for the victim. The suspect then pointed a gun at her and demanded that she take off her clothes and he also tried to get her to go back into her apartment. However, according to the police, the young woman used her brain. She was able to stall by fumbling with the lock. That luckily gave her enough time to get into her apartment and she was then able to lock herself inside and away from him. She then immediately called the police.

 

Officers Arrive to Shots Being Fired at Robbery Scene

 

When the responding police officers came to the robbery scene they could hear gunshots being fired. They found a gunshot victim at the scene. The gunshot victim died at the scene, he was twenty-one year old Juan Guerava-Martinez. Eye witnesses told the investigators that Juan was on his cell phone outside when he was shot. Juan was able to make it back to his apartment and then sadly collapsed.

 

The witnesses say that they did see the male gun shooting suspect take off running northbound from the scene, he still had his gun at the time. Luckily the local authorities were able to bring him into custody not long after the shooting. He was caught as he was trying to run down an alley. The Police were able to positively identify the suspect as well as the weapon used in both cases. The male suspect told the officer that he had been on a methamphetamine binge and had been high/using meth for around five days then. Officers brought him in and he was charged and jailed on first-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, armed robbery, as well as possession of a dangerous drug.

 

Source: https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/pd-suspect-tried-to-rob-woman-fatally-shot-man

Criminal Defense Lawyers PLLC 668 N 44th St. Suite 300
Phoenix, AZ 85008
(480) 351-6445
https://www.criminaldefenselawyers.me

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assault Homicide Wrongful Death

Man Convicted for Phoenix Park Teenager Murder

Man Convicted for Phoenix Park Teenager Murder

Man Convicted For Murder of Teenager in Marivue Park

 

Parks are great places for families and children, most of the time anyways. Now days, you’re really not safe anywhere. You could be attacked in your own safe home. People are getting desperate and mean. A man has been convicted of killing a teenager in the West Phoenix Park, Marivue Park. The boy defended his younger sister from an armed robbery and he is now scheduled to be sentenced Friday for the murder conviction.

 

The man Vincent Quimayousie. He is to face life in prison for the first-degree murder conviction for the September 2012 death of  Andrew Murphy. Andrew was sixteen at the time. Andrew was defending his fourteen year old sister at the Marivue Park.

 

Vincent Quimayousie Convicted for Park Murder

 

Vincent will also be convicted of attempted armed robbery and misconduct involving a weapon. Police authorities say that young Andrew Murphy was killed after he had stepped in front of Vincent to confront him after he had tried to demand money from Andrew’s younger sister. Vincent was twenty years old.

 

Vincent Quimayousie did admit to being near the park on the day of the killing in an interview with the police investigators. However, he denied any involvement in the killing.

 

Hopefully the authorities will be able to find justice for Andrew. Andrew was very brave for protecting his little sister. I’m sure his sister has to live in fear of the once friendly park in her mind to that dark day of losing her heroic brother. I’m sure she will always mourn and remember her brother for his bravery and giving his life to keep her safe. Maybe one day she can get peace, knowing her brothers killer is behind bars.

 

Source: https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/sentencing-set-for-man-convicted-of-killing-teen

 

Criminal Defense Lawyers PLLC
668 N 44th St. Suite 300
Phoenix, AZ 85008
(480) 351-6445
https://www.criminaldefenselawyers.me

Categories
assault Personal Injury

Phoenix Woman Accused of Abusing Her Son

Phoenix Woman Accused of Abusing Her Son

 Woman Accused of Abusing Her Two Year Old Son

 

When you have a child, most people want to protect them and keep them from harm. How a woman could abuse her own son is beyond me. I can’t understand how anyone would harm a child, let alone your own flesh and blood.

 

A woman from Phoenix has now been accused of abusing her two year old son. She has pleaded no contest to the child abuse or the sexual misconduct with a minor charge. Seriously? That poor baby. You wouldn’t think a mother could do that to her own son. You usually have to worry about predators outside of the house, not in.

 

Woman Being Sentenced for Abusing Her Son

 

The Maricopa County prosecutors say that the mother, Rickesha Jovani Burns, twenty-two years old, has entered her plea on Friday. Burns is set to be sentenced on December Third of this year.

 

The Phoenix Police were called to the home in March 24, 2013. They found the suspect, Rickesha Burns holding her young son. The police say that the little boy was crying and bleeding. They immediately transported her son to the hospital in Phoenix. Burns told the police that her young son had been playing with a twelve year old little boy at the park that day. She claims the twelve year old had done something to her son.

 

The doctors said that her son had injuries around his rectal area, he even had to have surgery to remove a foreign object. That literally had me crying writing that. Who would be so sick to do that to anyone, let alone a little baby. I hope they find justice for this poor child.  Phoenix Police say that the didn’t find any evidence that a child had assaulted her son at the park.

 

Source: https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/phoenix-woman-pleads-no-contest-to-child-abuse

 

 

 

Criminal Defense Lawyers PLLC
668 N 44th St. Suite 300
Phoenix, AZ 85008
(480) 351-6445
https://www.criminaldefenselawyers.me