Pro-Choice Violence in Virginia
A report by Dr. Brian Clowes, Director of Research and Training at Human Life International, for the website www.prochoiceviolence.com.
Content
“Pro-Choice” Violence and Illegal Activities in Virginia
Alexandria Charlottesville Dale City Norfolk Richmond Strasburg Troy
Death Threat We hear a lot of sniveling from "pro-choice" groups about how "anti-choice rhetoric leads to violence." Yet none of the groups that are so very concerned about "hateful language" had any problems with the following. None of them condemned it, which showed (by their own logic) that they supported it. On May 30, 1998, “Deja News” forwarded the following message entitled "Fight Fire with Fire" to Rev. Donald Spitz of Pro-Life Virginia. It originated with [email protected] on from the talk.abortion newsgroup. Note that the names of prominent pro-lifers were slightly changed by the author of this screed. Evidently, christian suicide-minded terrorists of Paul Hill's type, people so intent on doing harm that they are willing to die in order to hurt others, can still be deterred from violence by a plausible threat to the safety of their families. Our goal should be to make such a threat plausible, and to make right-to-lifers everywhere aware that if they harm an abortion provider they will be placing their own children in harm's way. The clearest and most effective way to accomplish this would be to answer each act of any-abortion terror by making an example of the wife and children of a prominent right-to-life terrorist or pro-terrorist. For the collective moral improvement of the right-to-life community, the family members of right-to-life terrorists ought to be granted the opportunity to die in order to discourage copycat terrorists in future. Greater safety for abortion providers and the patients they serve would justify the assassinations of the family members of right-to-life terrorists. Their assassinations would therefore not be murders, but justifiable homicides, provided they were carried out for the purpose of deterring further
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acts of violence against abortion providers. We are aware that Karen, Justin, Gloria, and Joy Hill moved to Memphis after Paul Hill's conviction. We expect shortly to learn their exact address, and we intend to make this information available to the public. Additionally, we are compiling a list of anti-abortion terrorists and pro-terrorists, together with their family members' names and addresses at home, at work, and at school. We trust our readers to act with forethought, discretion, and appropriate timing. Here are the top ten fictional articles which we hope will resemble actual events in the future: NUMBER TEN: Marjorie Bleed and family die in bombing. NUMBER NINE: Children of Michael and Jayne Prey massacred. NUMBER EIGHT: He's unwelcome in church so they got him at home: excommunicated priest David C. Tropf doused with CH3CH2HC2COOH NUMBER SEVEN: Donald Stump and wife Thea shot in trailer home (8882 Shillelagh Road, Chesapeake, VA) NUMBER SIX: "We have your parents. Surrender to the law or we will execute them," kidnappers tell bombing suspect Eric Robert Rednose NUMBER FIVE: Killing at Obsolete Dominion — Clark Ryan Mutton gunned down with wife (Patricia) and son (Junior) NUMBER FOUR: Shelley Shannon dies in prison NUMBER THREE: Karen Kill forced at gunpoint to eat the flesh of her children (Blister, Globula, and Boil) NUMBER TWO: Jon Salvi smothers self in cell using shoelaces, cotten [sic], and a plastic bag (oooops! Not fictional) ... and the NUMBER ONE fictional article we hope will resemble an actual event in the future: Michael Hippogriff escapes, kills former mentor John Turd.
Alexandria, Virginia
Gross Negligence Abortionist Anthony A. Dunkwu received only a public reprimand, the mildest type of sanction, after grossly botching an abortion. In March 2000, Dunkwu estimated that one of his patients was about 10 weeks pregnant. He did not order a sonogram, and began the abortion. Dunkwu thought that he might have perforated the woman's uterus, and stopped the procedure. A member of his staff took the patient to Inova Alexandria Hospital so that he could complete the abortion under general anesthesia. He examined her again, and estimated her pregnancy at 12 to 13 weeks. He felt a separate mass, which he identified as a fibroid. But the "mass" he had mistaken for a tumor was actually the woman's uterus! He cut open the uterus and removed a lifeless male preborn child weighing about 2.7 pounds. Dunkwu estimated that it was 20 to 22 weeks old. In fact, it was 30 weeks old and probably viable. Alexandria Hospital placed Dunkwu's clinical privileges on probation for 29 days, one day short of the punishment that has to be reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank. An informal board committee found Dunkwu to have been "grossly careless," according to the board order, and reprimanded him.
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Reference: Liz Szabo. "Patients in Peril: How Virginia's Medical System Lets Questionable Doctors Continue to Practice." Landmark News Service, February 2, 2003. Gross Negligence Vivian L. Williams filed suit against Harmer Vander Woude and the Alexandria Women's Clinic abortion mill, stating that the clinic had failed for two years to notify her of an abnormal pap test, allowing her cervical cancer to progress beyond a treatable stage before it was diagnosed. Lawyers for the abortuary claimed that Williams should have contacted the clinic after a routine examination the year after the first pap test and again in April of 1984, when she sought treatment for abnormal bleeding and was finally told she had cancer. William's attorney stated that the cancer had spread into her spine. A court ruled in her favor in September of 1986, and she died about six months later. Reference: Washington Post, September 23, 1986 and April 5, 1987.
Charlottesville, Virginia
Capital Murder Tammy Lynn Baker, 24, was eight months pregnant with the baby of her boyfriend, "pro-choicer" Coleman L. "Mike" Johnson Jr., 29. The only problem was that he did not want the baby to be born. So in 1997, he planted a pipe bomb on the sidewalk outside Tammy Lynn's apartment. She picked it up, it exploded, and both she and her near-term preborn baby were killed instantly. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Giorno said in his opening statement at the sentencing hearing "The primary motivating factor in this case is the basest and most vile human motivator of greed," because Johnson did not want to pay child support. Defense attorney Gerald Zerkin tried to excuse Johnson with the usual flimsy rationalizations, blaming his actions on anyone but the perpetrator himself. Zerkin urged the jury to consider that Johnson came from a dysfunctional family. "As terrible as it is to say and as difficult as it will be for some people to hear, Mike had the misfortune of being raised by his mother," he said. Johnson's sister and aunt testified that his mother had a string of relationships with men and that Johnson lacked a father figure throughout his life. But the victim's brother, Walter H. Baker IV of Louisa, testified that he and his sister also were raised without a father. He was killed in a 1976 accident at the North Anna nuclear power plant. Baker said his sister was very excited about having a child, especially since she thought she was not able to get pregnant. "I lost my little sister. I also lost my best friend. She was my confidant," he said. On May 23, 2001, Johnson was convicted of capital murder in the case. Reference: "Death Penalty Sought in Bombing Conviction." The Virginian-Pilot, May 24, 2001.
Dale City, Virginia
Murder (3 counts), Killing a Fetus (3 counts), Accessory to Murder and Abduction (3 counts)
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On January 27, 2005, Carlos Diangilo Williams went to the home of his pregnant 17-year-old pregnant girlfriend Cheri Washington and demanded that she have an abortion because he did not want the baby. She refused. So he asked a cousin, 19-year-old Stephen James Covington Jr., to bring him a baseball bat. He then restrained Cheri, duct-taped her so she could not move, then savagely punched her, kicked her, and beat her with the bat, deliberately targeting her abdomen. When she was near death, Williams asked another cousin, 17-year-old Erik Ernugh Spencer, to help him clean up. Then Williams ejected her from the home, telling her not to let anyone know what had happened. A neighbor found her as she staggered down the street, and she was transported to Potomac Hospital, where she revived long enough to tell police that Washington had held her against her will in his house and beaten her with a baseball bat. Cheri, who was five months pregnant, died the next day of her injuries. Williams had beaten her so badly that she suffered multiple contusions and lacerations, brain and chest internal hemorrhages, a ruptured liver and a split placenta. Williams was arrested shortly after the murder, and Covington and Spencer turned themselves in a few days later after warrants were issued for their arrest. Covington was indicted on charges of murder, killing a fetus and abduction. Spencer was charged on a juvenile petition as an accessory after the fact on charges of murder, killing a fetus and abduction. Prince William Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert said that he was disappointed that he could not seek the death penalty for Williams, because there was no evidence to show that he had purposely killed Cheri — he was intending to kill their preborn baby. Ebert said "His intention was only to kill the fetus. Otherwise, it would have been capital. It is a horrendous crime ... If there was ever a capital case, I wish this was it." Prince William Police Chief Charlie T. Dean said that Williams "did not want her to have a baby, and he was going to kill the unborn child." Natasha Washington, 23, the victim's sister, said the family was upset that prosecutors could not seek the death penalty. "He took two lives, but whether it's in prison or not, he gets to wake up every morning. I don't think he deserves to get to live." On December 20, 2005, a Prince William County judge found Williams guilty of unintentional murder, feticide and abduction. Ironically, DNA tests showed that Williams was not the father of Cheri's preborn child. On January 26, 2006, as part of a plea agreement, Stephen Covington was sentenced to three years in prison. References: Ian Shapira. "Three in Va. Indicted Under `Feticide' Law." The Washington Post, February 8, 2005, page B05; Rob Seal. "Trial Set for Man Accused in Beating." Potomac News, October 4, 2005; Rob Seal. "Judge to Decide Williams' Fate." Potomac News Online, December 20, 2005; "Man Convicted of Murder, Feticide." WJLA Television 7 News [ABC, District of Columbia], December 21, 2005; "Man Who Witnessed Beating Death Gets Three Years." WJLA Television 7 News [ABC, District of Columbia], January 27, 2006..
Norfolk, Virginia
Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Assault and Adulterating a Drink This database documents a number of cases where cowardly “pro-choice” men have demanded that their girlfriends get abortions. When the women refuse, the men slip easily-available abortifacient drugs
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into their drinks or food. Sometimes the men grind up the RU-486 abortion pill and slip it into a drink; other times they use drugs intended to make cattle miscarry. This sneaky attack is typical of the selfish and cowardly “pro-choice” mentality, and is significant because no national “pro-choice” group has ever condemned them.
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Daniel Riase's girlfriend was pregnant and did not want an abortion, so he decided to abort her without her knowledge or consent. In fact, he had punched her in the stomach when she told him that she was pregnant. So, in February 2006, he slipped the abortifacient drug Cytotec, or misoprostol, into her drink, and she miscarried at eleven weeks. At first, she thought that she had lost her preborn child due to natural causes, but then found one of his e-mail messages detailing how he had purchased the abortifacient on the Internet. In November 2007, Riase pleaded guilty to aggravated malicious wounding leading to the involuntary termination of a woman's pregnancy and one count of adulterating a drink, and was sentenced to five years in prison. Reference: "Virginia Man Who Caused Miscarriage Gets 5 Years." Appleton Post-Crescent, December 6, 2007. Assault and Battery and Destruction of Property [Chesapeake] Abortionist Olugbenga Oredein attacked a pro-life picketer and destroyed his video camera on September 11, 1993. References: "Doctor Charged After Scuffle." Washington Times, September 12, 1993, page A13; "Abortion Clinic Doctor Charged with Assault." Chesapeake Daily Press, September 12, 1993, page B5; "Abortionist Faces Charges in Assault of Pro-Lifers." Life Advocate, October 1993, page 27. Forced Abortion, Battery, Criminal Abortions, Insurance Fraud and Violation of Health and Safety Standards Abortionist Chris Simopoulos was arrested on July 25, 1984, for attempting an abortion on an undercover policewoman who was not pregnant. His medical license was suspended, and the Virginia Board of Medicine said that he "posed an imminent danger to the public safety and welfare." In 1979 he had injected a 5½-month pregnant high school girl with a saline solution and she delivered her dead preborn baby in a hotel room two days later. His conviction was upheld by the United States Supreme Court. An insurance company won a judgment against the abortionist for giving false answers on his insurance application. The insurance company claimed that Simopoulos "gave false answers to several questions in his application for coverage, including criminal background and medical license information." Simopoulos had been convicted of performing second-trimester abortion outside a hospital, and had had his medical license revoked in 1980. He answered "negative" to questions relative to any restrictions on his license and convictions for any crimes. One National Organization for Women (NOW) spokesperson described his abortion mill: "It was dark and dirty. There were blood stains on the bathroom wall and they had been there for several days." Another suit against him claimed battery and sterility in committing an abortion performed on the
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woman against her will. His license was suspended and his insurance voided on the charges of performing abortions on non-pregnant women. He finally fled to Greece to escape extradition, leaving behind a condominium and a $400,000 house. References: Global Report. "Convicted Once, Abortionist Expands." ALL About Issues, May 1984, page 33; New York Times, July 28, 1984; Associated Press, July 28, 1984 and June 10, 1988; Elizabeth Moore. "Clinic's Doctors Run Up Against Law." National Right to Life News, February 1980, page 20 (on the incredible misadventures of abortionists Harvey Jacobs and Chris Simopoulos). Elizabeth Moore. "Physician Convicted of Illegal Abortion." National Right to Life News, April 1980, page 24. "Convicted Abortionist Back in Business." National Right to Life News, September 15, 1980, page 3. Debra Braun. "Simopoulos Arrested in Scheme to Abort Non-Pregnant Women." National Right to Life News, August 16, 1984, pages 1 and 14.
Richmond, Virginia
Capital Murder, First Degree Murder (4 counts), Feticide, Attempted Murder (2 counts), Abduction, Malicious Wounding (2 counts), Illegal Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony (7 counts) and Death Threats (7 incidents) Christopher Goins was just another typical "pro-choice" male who liked his girls young. He was twenty years old, and Tamika Jones, who was only fourteen years old, was seven months pregnant with his child. He did not want to be a father to Tamika's baby, and he had threatened to kill the entire family because he was upset that Tamika was pregnant by him. On October 14, 1994, Goins carried out his murderous threats. He entered the home of Tamika's parents and went on one of Virginia's worst murder sprees. Using a heavy .45 caliber Glock pistol, he murdered Tamika's parents, James Nathaniel Randolph and Daphne Jones, her nine-year-old sister Nicole, her four-year-old brother David, and her three-year-old brother Robert, by shooting them all at least once in the head. He concluded his killing spree by trying to kill both Tamika and her preborn baby. He went to the bedroom where she was hiding, and shot her nine times, including three times in the stomach. One of these bullets pierced the head of Tamika's preborn daughter, killing her. Finally, he shot her 21-month-old sister Kenya, who also survived. A jury convicted Goins of capital murder, four counts of first degree murder, two counts of malicious wounding, and seven counts of illegal use of a firearm in the commission of those felonies, and sentenced him to death. Tamika Jones, now 20 and living in California, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch just before Goins' execution that "I just want him off this Earth. I just want him away from here so he can go to God and let God deal with it." The State of Virginia executed Christopher Cornelius Goins by lethal injection on December 6, 2000. His final words were "There's no God but Allah." David Hicks, who prosecuted Goins, said afterward that Goins "died showing no remorse." References: Goins v. Commonwealth, 470 S.E.2d 114 (1996); Goins v. Virginia, 117 S.Ct. 222 (1996); Goins v. Angelone, 52 F.Supp.2d 638 (E.D.Va. 1999); Goins v. Angelone, 121 S.Ct. 649 (2000); Goins v. Angelone, 226 F.3d 312 (4th Cir. 2000).
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First-Degree Murder, Attempted Murder, Abduction, Malicious Wounding, Illegal Possession of a Firearm and Assault (4 incidents) Deborah Denise Randall was eight months pregnant by her boyfriend Richard Johnson and was happily awaiting the birth of her child. The only problem was a major one — Johnson was 18 years older than her and did not want his baby. On June 9, 1990, he beat her up, striking her in the face, neck and back with his fists. On October 28, when she was four months pregnant, he dragged her across the yard and sidewalk, hit her in the temple, and kicked her in the side. And on November 2, he beat her up again, and pulled her legs from under her, causing her to fall onto the floor on her stomach. Johnson then squeezed her hard, knowing that she was pregnant. The next day, Johnson was arrested on assault charges. He waived his right to an attorney and received three 60-day jail sentences on November 19, 1990. He was ordered to pay $132 in court costs. General District Court Judge Jose R. Davila Jr. suspended the jail time and Johnson returned to the streets. Early in the morning of January 24, 1991, Deborah and a companion, George Sylvester Jackson, had just driven up to her home. Johnson approached the vehicle before the couple could exit and had a few words with Deborah. As she attempted to enter her home, Johnson aimed a 32-caliber pistol at her and fired bullets into her head, neck and chest. He then returned to the vehicle, ordered Jackson out of the car, and made him walk a short distance to Johnson's pickup truck. When his weapon misfired, Johnson pistol-whipped Jackson. Johnson was arrested a few minutes later as he was driving away from the murder scene in his truck. Doctors at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital kept Deborah on life-support machines long enough to save Donnie. He was born less than two hours after the shooting. His mother, who never regained consciousness, died 12 hours later. Johnson's lawyers argued that Jackson could have killed Deborah, but the jury was not persuaded. They convicted Johnson, and he was sentenced to life for first-degree murder, six years for attempted homicide, eight years for abduction of Jackson, 12 years for malicious wounding, two four-year sentences for possession of a firearm and two years for use of a firearm. Reference: Hazel Trice Edney. "Tragedy Robs Youth of Life with Mother." Sacramento Observer, July 21, 2003. Solicitation to Commit Murder (2 counts) In July of 2008, Raymond Martin Scott's girlfriend Nakeisha Holliday told him that she was pregnant, and he was definitely not happy about it. Nakeisha told police later that "He became very agitated — we started talking about an abortion." She described Scott as "very ambitious" and "goal-driven," and a baby would definitely get in the way of his plans. So Scott tried to hire a hit-man, Kenneth Daniels, to murder Nakeisha for $1,300. But Daniels thought that killing a pregnant woman was "cowardly" (although he said he would have taken the job if the hit was on a man), and he contacted police and agreed to help them set up a sting on Scott. Scott told Daniels he wanted Nakeisha murdered because she was a snitch. He took Daniels to the Henrico County Bank of America where she worked on December 4, 2008, to look the place over. The next day, police recorded a conversation in the wired car in which both men were sitting. Scott said that he wanted both Holliday and the baby dead. He said "I don't want the baby saved, man," before handing Daniels a bag containing a .380-caliber pistol and a box of bullets. Police arrested Scott shortly after the
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meeting. Nakeisha said that "It's been rough. Him saying "I'm sorry" is not enough. I need to know why he would do this. ... It's not a conversation [with my child] you can sugarcoat. He decided our lives are less important than his." She said that she missed six months of work after the incident and is still in therapy, suffers anxiety attacks and won't let anyone else care for her child for fear of what might happen. Managing Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Tracy Thorne-Begland said that "That baby and his mother, Nakeisha, got in the way of his ambition. The choice that he made was to annihilate his son and annihilate the woman that bore that child." In April 2009, Scott pleaded no contest to charges of solicitation to murder Nakeisha and solicitation to kill her preborn child. On June 17, 2009, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Walter W. Stout III sentenced Scott to 30 years in prison with eighteen years suspended. Reference: Wesley P. Hester. "Richmond Man Sentenced for Plan to Kill Ex-Girlfriend, Unborn Child." Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 17, 2009. Forced Abortion Shontrese Otrey won a $25,000 settlement from Emergency Shelters, Inc., of Richmond, Va., after she was pressured by staff members to get an abortion. Otrey said she was told that the shelter did not provide services for pregnant homeless women. A staff member drove her to the bank to withdraw money for the abortion, then took her to the abortion mill. References: Richmond Times Dispatch, October 29, 1999; Post-Abortion Review, January-March 2000. Malpractice and Felony Practicing Medicine Without a License (4 incidents) On February 8, 2002, abortionist Rodger A. Fraser had his medical license suspended by the Virginia Board of Medicine for botching an abortion on November 20, 2001 at the Commonwealth Women's Clinic abortion mill in Falls Church. But the lure of money was just too strong. Ignoring his suspension, the abortionist committed 22 abortions the very next day, pocketing $1,440 at the Capital Women's Health Clinic abortion mill in Western Henrico County, Virginia, in just three hours of work. Just four days later, he applied for a job in a Jackson, Mississippi abortion mill. On April 23, 2002, Henrico General District Judge Burnett Miller III certified to a county grand jury four felony counts of practicing medicine without a license against Fraser. On June 12, 2002, Henrico County Circuit Judge L.A. Harris Jr. convicted Fraser on four felony counts of practicing medicine without a license. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. On August 27, 2002, Henrico Circuit Judge L.A. Harris Jr. sentenced Fraser to four months in prison. Fraser will now never be able to legally practice medicine in the United States, and was working as a motel night clerk before his incarceration, a job that was a little more in line with his skills. References: "Abortion Practitioner Charged for Unlicensed Abortions." Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 18, 2002; Pro-Life Infonet, April 22, 2002; "Henrico Charges Abortion Doctor." Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 24, 2002; "Abortion Practitioner Convicted of Doing Unlicensed Abortions." Associated Press, June 13, 2002; Mark Bowes. "Owner of Abortion Clinic Wasn't Told of Suspension." Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 13, 2002, pages A1 and A8; Alan Cooper. "Abortion Doctor
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Convicted: Practiced After License Suspended." Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 13, 2002, page A8; Pro-Life Infonet, June 14, 2002; "Felony Convictions For Abortion Doc." TimesDispatch.com, June 19, 2002; "Abortion Practitioner Sentenced for Unlicensed Abortions." Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 28, 2002; Pro-Life Infonet, August 29, 2002; Alan Cooper. "Physician Sentenced to Four Months." Times-Dispatch, August 30, 2002. Violation of Civil Rights Joe Christian summarized this incident: On Tuesday, March 11th 2003, I had my hearing before a judge in reference to the accusation that, on February 1st 2003, I had trespassed while exposing the reality of abortion to participants of a Democratic fund raising dinner at the Richmond [Virginia] Convention center. I was scheduled to have my hearing with Judge D.E. Cheek but due to a back up in cases I was sent before Judge Robertson. In this case Scott Cardani, who did an excellent job, defended me. Both sides where called before the Judge and the case began by officer Bryan Hixson defending why he arrested me. He began by saying he was called to the scene by the security of the Richmond Convention Center and when he arrived he saw 15-20 people protesting in front of the Convention Center. In an effort to smear my reputation officer Hixson said that when he pulled up he heard someone, whom he could not identify, screaming to the participants of the fund raising dinner, "You're going to Hell." However, to my knowledge no one ever screamed these words. He then went on to say how he approached me and told me five to six times to move out from under the overhang because it was private property. He then said that since I refused to leave he arrested me. The whole time he defended the assertion that the sidewalk under the overhang was private and that is why I was arrested for trespassing. Then Scott Cardani showed the court the property deed for the Richmond Convention Center, which clearly showed that not only the sidewalk was public but that the building was public because it was a political sub-division of the City of Richmond. Once presented with this information both sides rested their cases and Scott moved to strike the charges against me. The charges were dropped and the Judge reprimanded both officer Hixson and the representatives from the Richmond Convention Center. He told them that "they were in a big mess" and that "more crap like this was going to happen" if they did not change the Richmond Center from being a political sub-division of the city of Richmond. After this both Scott and I thanked the Judge and the case was over.
Strasburg, Virginia
Capital Murder (2 counts) and Assault with a Deadly Weapon (ADW) 16-year-old Brenda Paz was four months pregnant and was being sheltered by the Federal Witness Protection Program for her cooperation in investigating members of the notorious Salva Maratrucha (MS-13) street gang. She decided to leave the Program, believing she was safe. But, in July 2003, two MS-13 gang members, Oscar Grande and Ismael Cisneros, who both knew Brenda was pregnant, stabbed her 13 times, slit her throat, and dumped her body along the shores of the Shenandoah River in Virginia.
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In the twisted `logic' of gang members, Rivera and others had urged Brenda to have an abortion so that they would not have to endure the guilt of killing a preborn child. In May 2005, a jury found Grande and Cisneros each guilty of capital murder. On September 9, 2005, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee sentenced them to life in prison. Cisneros had been deported in 1999 after he stabbed a 15-year-old boy at a Fairfax, Virginia mall. References: Matthew Barakat. "Two Convicted, Two Acquitted in Gang Slaying of Witness." Burlington County Times, May 17, 2005; WJLA Television 7 News [ABC, Washington, D.C.]. "Gang Members Get Life in Prison for Killing Pregnant Teen." September 10, 2005; "The Fight Against MS-13." 60 Minutes [CBS News], December 4, 2005.
Troy, Virginia
First-Degree Murder, Kidnapping, Assault with a Deadly Weapon (ADW), Assault, and Use of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony In April 2001, Shantay Latrice Wheeler, who was eight months pregnant, was on her way to a baby shower in Troy, but she never arrived. Her married boyfriend, Irvin Fountain, took her to a remote area near Boswells Tavern in Louisa County and shot her at least four times in the head and back. He left her body there to rot. A month after he had killed Shantay, Fountain choked his wife so badly that she was coughing up blood, and then kidnapped her. As he slowed at an intersection, his wife took the opportunity to escape from him, rolling out of the car. Then Fountain turned, accelerated toward her, and struck her with the car. She survived the impact with minor injuries. For these offenses, Fountain served nearly three years in prison, a relatively short term since his wife was reluctant to testify against him. While in prison, Fountain called a friend and said that he needed help in burying the body of a dog that he had shot in the woods. Shantay's body was not discovered until five months after Fountain murdered her, and her remains had been scattered by earthmoving equipment by that time. This made it difficult for investigators to assemble their case, but they were persistent. In December 2006, police arrested Fountain and charged him with capital murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. During trial testimony, experts said that Shantay had been shot at least four times in the back and head. Testimony revealed that Fountain did not want the child and had wanted Shantay to get an abortion, which she refused to do. On September 7, 2007, a jury found Fountain guilty of first-degree murder and recommended life imprisonment, because prosecutors had previously taken the death penalty off the table. References: Calvin R. Trice. "Suspect in Louisa Cold Case Faces Trial." Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 3, 2007; Calvin R. Trice. "Murder Trial Begins for Boyfriend." Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 3, 2007; Christina Mora. "Guilty Verdict in Wheeler Murder Trial." WVIR Television 29 [Charlottesville, Virginia], September 7, 2007.
― End of Virginia Listing ―
(updated March 31, 2011)
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Alexandria Charlottesville Dale City Norfolk Richmond Strasburg Troy
Death Threat We hear a lot of sniveling from "pro-choice" groups about how "anti-choice rhetoric leads to violence." Yet none of the groups that are so very concerned about "hateful language" had any problems with the following. None of them condemned it, which showed (by their own logic) that they supported it. On May 30, 1998, “Deja News” forwarded the following message entitled "Fight Fire with Fire" to Rev. Donald Spitz of Pro-Life Virginia. It originated with [email protected] on from the talk.abortion newsgroup. Note that the names of prominent pro-lifers were slightly changed by the author of this screed. Evidently, christian suicide-minded terrorists of Paul Hill's type, people so intent on doing harm that they are willing to die in order to hurt others, can still be deterred from violence by a plausible threat to the safety of their families. Our goal should be to make such a threat plausible, and to make right-to-lifers everywhere aware that if they harm an abortion provider they will be placing their own children in harm's way. The clearest and most effective way to accomplish this would be to answer each act of any-abortion terror by making an example of the wife and children of a prominent right-to-life terrorist or pro-terrorist. For the collective moral improvement of the right-to-life community, the family members of right-to-life terrorists ought to be granted the opportunity to die in order to discourage copycat terrorists in future. Greater safety for abortion providers and the patients they serve would justify the assassinations of the family members of right-to-life terrorists. Their assassinations would therefore not be murders, but justifiable homicides, provided they were carried out for the purpose of deterring further
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acts of violence against abortion providers. We are aware that Karen, Justin, Gloria, and Joy Hill moved to Memphis after Paul Hill's conviction. We expect shortly to learn their exact address, and we intend to make this information available to the public. Additionally, we are compiling a list of anti-abortion terrorists and pro-terrorists, together with their family members' names and addresses at home, at work, and at school. We trust our readers to act with forethought, discretion, and appropriate timing. Here are the top ten fictional articles which we hope will resemble actual events in the future: NUMBER TEN: Marjorie Bleed and family die in bombing. NUMBER NINE: Children of Michael and Jayne Prey massacred. NUMBER EIGHT: He's unwelcome in church so they got him at home: excommunicated priest David C. Tropf doused with CH3CH2HC2COOH NUMBER SEVEN: Donald Stump and wife Thea shot in trailer home (8882 Shillelagh Road, Chesapeake, VA) NUMBER SIX: "We have your parents. Surrender to the law or we will execute them," kidnappers tell bombing suspect Eric Robert Rednose NUMBER FIVE: Killing at Obsolete Dominion — Clark Ryan Mutton gunned down with wife (Patricia) and son (Junior) NUMBER FOUR: Shelley Shannon dies in prison NUMBER THREE: Karen Kill forced at gunpoint to eat the flesh of her children (Blister, Globula, and Boil) NUMBER TWO: Jon Salvi smothers self in cell using shoelaces, cotten [sic], and a plastic bag (oooops! Not fictional) ... and the NUMBER ONE fictional article we hope will resemble an actual event in the future: Michael Hippogriff escapes, kills former mentor John Turd.
Alexandria, Virginia
Gross Negligence Abortionist Anthony A. Dunkwu received only a public reprimand, the mildest type of sanction, after grossly botching an abortion. In March 2000, Dunkwu estimated that one of his patients was about 10 weeks pregnant. He did not order a sonogram, and began the abortion. Dunkwu thought that he might have perforated the woman's uterus, and stopped the procedure. A member of his staff took the patient to Inova Alexandria Hospital so that he could complete the abortion under general anesthesia. He examined her again, and estimated her pregnancy at 12 to 13 weeks. He felt a separate mass, which he identified as a fibroid. But the "mass" he had mistaken for a tumor was actually the woman's uterus! He cut open the uterus and removed a lifeless male preborn child weighing about 2.7 pounds. Dunkwu estimated that it was 20 to 22 weeks old. In fact, it was 30 weeks old and probably viable. Alexandria Hospital placed Dunkwu's clinical privileges on probation for 29 days, one day short of the punishment that has to be reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank. An informal board committee found Dunkwu to have been "grossly careless," according to the board order, and reprimanded him.
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Reference: Liz Szabo. "Patients in Peril: How Virginia's Medical System Lets Questionable Doctors Continue to Practice." Landmark News Service, February 2, 2003. Gross Negligence Vivian L. Williams filed suit against Harmer Vander Woude and the Alexandria Women's Clinic abortion mill, stating that the clinic had failed for two years to notify her of an abnormal pap test, allowing her cervical cancer to progress beyond a treatable stage before it was diagnosed. Lawyers for the abortuary claimed that Williams should have contacted the clinic after a routine examination the year after the first pap test and again in April of 1984, when she sought treatment for abnormal bleeding and was finally told she had cancer. William's attorney stated that the cancer had spread into her spine. A court ruled in her favor in September of 1986, and she died about six months later. Reference: Washington Post, September 23, 1986 and April 5, 1987.
Charlottesville, Virginia
Capital Murder Tammy Lynn Baker, 24, was eight months pregnant with the baby of her boyfriend, "pro-choicer" Coleman L. "Mike" Johnson Jr., 29. The only problem was that he did not want the baby to be born. So in 1997, he planted a pipe bomb on the sidewalk outside Tammy Lynn's apartment. She picked it up, it exploded, and both she and her near-term preborn baby were killed instantly. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Giorno said in his opening statement at the sentencing hearing "The primary motivating factor in this case is the basest and most vile human motivator of greed," because Johnson did not want to pay child support. Defense attorney Gerald Zerkin tried to excuse Johnson with the usual flimsy rationalizations, blaming his actions on anyone but the perpetrator himself. Zerkin urged the jury to consider that Johnson came from a dysfunctional family. "As terrible as it is to say and as difficult as it will be for some people to hear, Mike had the misfortune of being raised by his mother," he said. Johnson's sister and aunt testified that his mother had a string of relationships with men and that Johnson lacked a father figure throughout his life. But the victim's brother, Walter H. Baker IV of Louisa, testified that he and his sister also were raised without a father. He was killed in a 1976 accident at the North Anna nuclear power plant. Baker said his sister was very excited about having a child, especially since she thought she was not able to get pregnant. "I lost my little sister. I also lost my best friend. She was my confidant," he said. On May 23, 2001, Johnson was convicted of capital murder in the case. Reference: "Death Penalty Sought in Bombing Conviction." The Virginian-Pilot, May 24, 2001.
Dale City, Virginia
Murder (3 counts), Killing a Fetus (3 counts), Accessory to Murder and Abduction (3 counts)
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On January 27, 2005, Carlos Diangilo Williams went to the home of his pregnant 17-year-old pregnant girlfriend Cheri Washington and demanded that she have an abortion because he did not want the baby. She refused. So he asked a cousin, 19-year-old Stephen James Covington Jr., to bring him a baseball bat. He then restrained Cheri, duct-taped her so she could not move, then savagely punched her, kicked her, and beat her with the bat, deliberately targeting her abdomen. When she was near death, Williams asked another cousin, 17-year-old Erik Ernugh Spencer, to help him clean up. Then Williams ejected her from the home, telling her not to let anyone know what had happened. A neighbor found her as she staggered down the street, and she was transported to Potomac Hospital, where she revived long enough to tell police that Washington had held her against her will in his house and beaten her with a baseball bat. Cheri, who was five months pregnant, died the next day of her injuries. Williams had beaten her so badly that she suffered multiple contusions and lacerations, brain and chest internal hemorrhages, a ruptured liver and a split placenta. Williams was arrested shortly after the murder, and Covington and Spencer turned themselves in a few days later after warrants were issued for their arrest. Covington was indicted on charges of murder, killing a fetus and abduction. Spencer was charged on a juvenile petition as an accessory after the fact on charges of murder, killing a fetus and abduction. Prince William Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert said that he was disappointed that he could not seek the death penalty for Williams, because there was no evidence to show that he had purposely killed Cheri — he was intending to kill their preborn baby. Ebert said "His intention was only to kill the fetus. Otherwise, it would have been capital. It is a horrendous crime ... If there was ever a capital case, I wish this was it." Prince William Police Chief Charlie T. Dean said that Williams "did not want her to have a baby, and he was going to kill the unborn child." Natasha Washington, 23, the victim's sister, said the family was upset that prosecutors could not seek the death penalty. "He took two lives, but whether it's in prison or not, he gets to wake up every morning. I don't think he deserves to get to live." On December 20, 2005, a Prince William County judge found Williams guilty of unintentional murder, feticide and abduction. Ironically, DNA tests showed that Williams was not the father of Cheri's preborn child. On January 26, 2006, as part of a plea agreement, Stephen Covington was sentenced to three years in prison. References: Ian Shapira. "Three in Va. Indicted Under `Feticide' Law." The Washington Post, February 8, 2005, page B05; Rob Seal. "Trial Set for Man Accused in Beating." Potomac News, October 4, 2005; Rob Seal. "Judge to Decide Williams' Fate." Potomac News Online, December 20, 2005; "Man Convicted of Murder, Feticide." WJLA Television 7 News [ABC, District of Columbia], December 21, 2005; "Man Who Witnessed Beating Death Gets Three Years." WJLA Television 7 News [ABC, District of Columbia], January 27, 2006..
Norfolk, Virginia
Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Assault and Adulterating a Drink This database documents a number of cases where cowardly “pro-choice” men have demanded that their girlfriends get abortions. When the women refuse, the men slip easily-available abortifacient drugs
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into their drinks or food. Sometimes the men grind up the RU-486 abortion pill and slip it into a drink; other times they use drugs intended to make cattle miscarry. This sneaky attack is typical of the selfish and cowardly “pro-choice” mentality, and is significant because no national “pro-choice” group has ever condemned them.
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Daniel Riase's girlfriend was pregnant and did not want an abortion, so he decided to abort her without her knowledge or consent. In fact, he had punched her in the stomach when she told him that she was pregnant. So, in February 2006, he slipped the abortifacient drug Cytotec, or misoprostol, into her drink, and she miscarried at eleven weeks. At first, she thought that she had lost her preborn child due to natural causes, but then found one of his e-mail messages detailing how he had purchased the abortifacient on the Internet. In November 2007, Riase pleaded guilty to aggravated malicious wounding leading to the involuntary termination of a woman's pregnancy and one count of adulterating a drink, and was sentenced to five years in prison. Reference: "Virginia Man Who Caused Miscarriage Gets 5 Years." Appleton Post-Crescent, December 6, 2007. Assault and Battery and Destruction of Property [Chesapeake] Abortionist Olugbenga Oredein attacked a pro-life picketer and destroyed his video camera on September 11, 1993. References: "Doctor Charged After Scuffle." Washington Times, September 12, 1993, page A13; "Abortion Clinic Doctor Charged with Assault." Chesapeake Daily Press, September 12, 1993, page B5; "Abortionist Faces Charges in Assault of Pro-Lifers." Life Advocate, October 1993, page 27. Forced Abortion, Battery, Criminal Abortions, Insurance Fraud and Violation of Health and Safety Standards Abortionist Chris Simopoulos was arrested on July 25, 1984, for attempting an abortion on an undercover policewoman who was not pregnant. His medical license was suspended, and the Virginia Board of Medicine said that he "posed an imminent danger to the public safety and welfare." In 1979 he had injected a 5½-month pregnant high school girl with a saline solution and she delivered her dead preborn baby in a hotel room two days later. His conviction was upheld by the United States Supreme Court. An insurance company won a judgment against the abortionist for giving false answers on his insurance application. The insurance company claimed that Simopoulos "gave false answers to several questions in his application for coverage, including criminal background and medical license information." Simopoulos had been convicted of performing second-trimester abortion outside a hospital, and had had his medical license revoked in 1980. He answered "negative" to questions relative to any restrictions on his license and convictions for any crimes. One National Organization for Women (NOW) spokesperson described his abortion mill: "It was dark and dirty. There were blood stains on the bathroom wall and they had been there for several days." Another suit against him claimed battery and sterility in committing an abortion performed on the
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woman against her will. His license was suspended and his insurance voided on the charges of performing abortions on non-pregnant women. He finally fled to Greece to escape extradition, leaving behind a condominium and a $400,000 house. References: Global Report. "Convicted Once, Abortionist Expands." ALL About Issues, May 1984, page 33; New York Times, July 28, 1984; Associated Press, July 28, 1984 and June 10, 1988; Elizabeth Moore. "Clinic's Doctors Run Up Against Law." National Right to Life News, February 1980, page 20 (on the incredible misadventures of abortionists Harvey Jacobs and Chris Simopoulos). Elizabeth Moore. "Physician Convicted of Illegal Abortion." National Right to Life News, April 1980, page 24. "Convicted Abortionist Back in Business." National Right to Life News, September 15, 1980, page 3. Debra Braun. "Simopoulos Arrested in Scheme to Abort Non-Pregnant Women." National Right to Life News, August 16, 1984, pages 1 and 14.
Richmond, Virginia
Capital Murder, First Degree Murder (4 counts), Feticide, Attempted Murder (2 counts), Abduction, Malicious Wounding (2 counts), Illegal Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony (7 counts) and Death Threats (7 incidents) Christopher Goins was just another typical "pro-choice" male who liked his girls young. He was twenty years old, and Tamika Jones, who was only fourteen years old, was seven months pregnant with his child. He did not want to be a father to Tamika's baby, and he had threatened to kill the entire family because he was upset that Tamika was pregnant by him. On October 14, 1994, Goins carried out his murderous threats. He entered the home of Tamika's parents and went on one of Virginia's worst murder sprees. Using a heavy .45 caliber Glock pistol, he murdered Tamika's parents, James Nathaniel Randolph and Daphne Jones, her nine-year-old sister Nicole, her four-year-old brother David, and her three-year-old brother Robert, by shooting them all at least once in the head. He concluded his killing spree by trying to kill both Tamika and her preborn baby. He went to the bedroom where she was hiding, and shot her nine times, including three times in the stomach. One of these bullets pierced the head of Tamika's preborn daughter, killing her. Finally, he shot her 21-month-old sister Kenya, who also survived. A jury convicted Goins of capital murder, four counts of first degree murder, two counts of malicious wounding, and seven counts of illegal use of a firearm in the commission of those felonies, and sentenced him to death. Tamika Jones, now 20 and living in California, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch just before Goins' execution that "I just want him off this Earth. I just want him away from here so he can go to God and let God deal with it." The State of Virginia executed Christopher Cornelius Goins by lethal injection on December 6, 2000. His final words were "There's no God but Allah." David Hicks, who prosecuted Goins, said afterward that Goins "died showing no remorse." References: Goins v. Commonwealth, 470 S.E.2d 114 (1996); Goins v. Virginia, 117 S.Ct. 222 (1996); Goins v. Angelone, 52 F.Supp.2d 638 (E.D.Va. 1999); Goins v. Angelone, 121 S.Ct. 649 (2000); Goins v. Angelone, 226 F.3d 312 (4th Cir. 2000).
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First-Degree Murder, Attempted Murder, Abduction, Malicious Wounding, Illegal Possession of a Firearm and Assault (4 incidents) Deborah Denise Randall was eight months pregnant by her boyfriend Richard Johnson and was happily awaiting the birth of her child. The only problem was a major one — Johnson was 18 years older than her and did not want his baby. On June 9, 1990, he beat her up, striking her in the face, neck and back with his fists. On October 28, when she was four months pregnant, he dragged her across the yard and sidewalk, hit her in the temple, and kicked her in the side. And on November 2, he beat her up again, and pulled her legs from under her, causing her to fall onto the floor on her stomach. Johnson then squeezed her hard, knowing that she was pregnant. The next day, Johnson was arrested on assault charges. He waived his right to an attorney and received three 60-day jail sentences on November 19, 1990. He was ordered to pay $132 in court costs. General District Court Judge Jose R. Davila Jr. suspended the jail time and Johnson returned to the streets. Early in the morning of January 24, 1991, Deborah and a companion, George Sylvester Jackson, had just driven up to her home. Johnson approached the vehicle before the couple could exit and had a few words with Deborah. As she attempted to enter her home, Johnson aimed a 32-caliber pistol at her and fired bullets into her head, neck and chest. He then returned to the vehicle, ordered Jackson out of the car, and made him walk a short distance to Johnson's pickup truck. When his weapon misfired, Johnson pistol-whipped Jackson. Johnson was arrested a few minutes later as he was driving away from the murder scene in his truck. Doctors at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital kept Deborah on life-support machines long enough to save Donnie. He was born less than two hours after the shooting. His mother, who never regained consciousness, died 12 hours later. Johnson's lawyers argued that Jackson could have killed Deborah, but the jury was not persuaded. They convicted Johnson, and he was sentenced to life for first-degree murder, six years for attempted homicide, eight years for abduction of Jackson, 12 years for malicious wounding, two four-year sentences for possession of a firearm and two years for use of a firearm. Reference: Hazel Trice Edney. "Tragedy Robs Youth of Life with Mother." Sacramento Observer, July 21, 2003. Solicitation to Commit Murder (2 counts) In July of 2008, Raymond Martin Scott's girlfriend Nakeisha Holliday told him that she was pregnant, and he was definitely not happy about it. Nakeisha told police later that "He became very agitated — we started talking about an abortion." She described Scott as "very ambitious" and "goal-driven," and a baby would definitely get in the way of his plans. So Scott tried to hire a hit-man, Kenneth Daniels, to murder Nakeisha for $1,300. But Daniels thought that killing a pregnant woman was "cowardly" (although he said he would have taken the job if the hit was on a man), and he contacted police and agreed to help them set up a sting on Scott. Scott told Daniels he wanted Nakeisha murdered because she was a snitch. He took Daniels to the Henrico County Bank of America where she worked on December 4, 2008, to look the place over. The next day, police recorded a conversation in the wired car in which both men were sitting. Scott said that he wanted both Holliday and the baby dead. He said "I don't want the baby saved, man," before handing Daniels a bag containing a .380-caliber pistol and a box of bullets. Police arrested Scott shortly after the
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meeting. Nakeisha said that "It's been rough. Him saying "I'm sorry" is not enough. I need to know why he would do this. ... It's not a conversation [with my child] you can sugarcoat. He decided our lives are less important than his." She said that she missed six months of work after the incident and is still in therapy, suffers anxiety attacks and won't let anyone else care for her child for fear of what might happen. Managing Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Tracy Thorne-Begland said that "That baby and his mother, Nakeisha, got in the way of his ambition. The choice that he made was to annihilate his son and annihilate the woman that bore that child." In April 2009, Scott pleaded no contest to charges of solicitation to murder Nakeisha and solicitation to kill her preborn child. On June 17, 2009, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Walter W. Stout III sentenced Scott to 30 years in prison with eighteen years suspended. Reference: Wesley P. Hester. "Richmond Man Sentenced for Plan to Kill Ex-Girlfriend, Unborn Child." Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 17, 2009. Forced Abortion Shontrese Otrey won a $25,000 settlement from Emergency Shelters, Inc., of Richmond, Va., after she was pressured by staff members to get an abortion. Otrey said she was told that the shelter did not provide services for pregnant homeless women. A staff member drove her to the bank to withdraw money for the abortion, then took her to the abortion mill. References: Richmond Times Dispatch, October 29, 1999; Post-Abortion Review, January-March 2000. Malpractice and Felony Practicing Medicine Without a License (4 incidents) On February 8, 2002, abortionist Rodger A. Fraser had his medical license suspended by the Virginia Board of Medicine for botching an abortion on November 20, 2001 at the Commonwealth Women's Clinic abortion mill in Falls Church. But the lure of money was just too strong. Ignoring his suspension, the abortionist committed 22 abortions the very next day, pocketing $1,440 at the Capital Women's Health Clinic abortion mill in Western Henrico County, Virginia, in just three hours of work. Just four days later, he applied for a job in a Jackson, Mississippi abortion mill. On April 23, 2002, Henrico General District Judge Burnett Miller III certified to a county grand jury four felony counts of practicing medicine without a license against Fraser. On June 12, 2002, Henrico County Circuit Judge L.A. Harris Jr. convicted Fraser on four felony counts of practicing medicine without a license. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. On August 27, 2002, Henrico Circuit Judge L.A. Harris Jr. sentenced Fraser to four months in prison. Fraser will now never be able to legally practice medicine in the United States, and was working as a motel night clerk before his incarceration, a job that was a little more in line with his skills. References: "Abortion Practitioner Charged for Unlicensed Abortions." Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 18, 2002; Pro-Life Infonet, April 22, 2002; "Henrico Charges Abortion Doctor." Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 24, 2002; "Abortion Practitioner Convicted of Doing Unlicensed Abortions." Associated Press, June 13, 2002; Mark Bowes. "Owner of Abortion Clinic Wasn't Told of Suspension." Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 13, 2002, pages A1 and A8; Alan Cooper. "Abortion Doctor
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Convicted: Practiced After License Suspended." Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 13, 2002, page A8; Pro-Life Infonet, June 14, 2002; "Felony Convictions For Abortion Doc." TimesDispatch.com, June 19, 2002; "Abortion Practitioner Sentenced for Unlicensed Abortions." Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 28, 2002; Pro-Life Infonet, August 29, 2002; Alan Cooper. "Physician Sentenced to Four Months." Times-Dispatch, August 30, 2002. Violation of Civil Rights Joe Christian summarized this incident: On Tuesday, March 11th 2003, I had my hearing before a judge in reference to the accusation that, on February 1st 2003, I had trespassed while exposing the reality of abortion to participants of a Democratic fund raising dinner at the Richmond [Virginia] Convention center. I was scheduled to have my hearing with Judge D.E. Cheek but due to a back up in cases I was sent before Judge Robertson. In this case Scott Cardani, who did an excellent job, defended me. Both sides where called before the Judge and the case began by officer Bryan Hixson defending why he arrested me. He began by saying he was called to the scene by the security of the Richmond Convention Center and when he arrived he saw 15-20 people protesting in front of the Convention Center. In an effort to smear my reputation officer Hixson said that when he pulled up he heard someone, whom he could not identify, screaming to the participants of the fund raising dinner, "You're going to Hell." However, to my knowledge no one ever screamed these words. He then went on to say how he approached me and told me five to six times to move out from under the overhang because it was private property. He then said that since I refused to leave he arrested me. The whole time he defended the assertion that the sidewalk under the overhang was private and that is why I was arrested for trespassing. Then Scott Cardani showed the court the property deed for the Richmond Convention Center, which clearly showed that not only the sidewalk was public but that the building was public because it was a political sub-division of the City of Richmond. Once presented with this information both sides rested their cases and Scott moved to strike the charges against me. The charges were dropped and the Judge reprimanded both officer Hixson and the representatives from the Richmond Convention Center. He told them that "they were in a big mess" and that "more crap like this was going to happen" if they did not change the Richmond Center from being a political sub-division of the city of Richmond. After this both Scott and I thanked the Judge and the case was over.
Strasburg, Virginia
Capital Murder (2 counts) and Assault with a Deadly Weapon (ADW) 16-year-old Brenda Paz was four months pregnant and was being sheltered by the Federal Witness Protection Program for her cooperation in investigating members of the notorious Salva Maratrucha (MS-13) street gang. She decided to leave the Program, believing she was safe. But, in July 2003, two MS-13 gang members, Oscar Grande and Ismael Cisneros, who both knew Brenda was pregnant, stabbed her 13 times, slit her throat, and dumped her body along the shores of the Shenandoah River in Virginia.
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In the twisted `logic' of gang members, Rivera and others had urged Brenda to have an abortion so that they would not have to endure the guilt of killing a preborn child. In May 2005, a jury found Grande and Cisneros each guilty of capital murder. On September 9, 2005, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee sentenced them to life in prison. Cisneros had been deported in 1999 after he stabbed a 15-year-old boy at a Fairfax, Virginia mall. References: Matthew Barakat. "Two Convicted, Two Acquitted in Gang Slaying of Witness." Burlington County Times, May 17, 2005; WJLA Television 7 News [ABC, Washington, D.C.]. "Gang Members Get Life in Prison for Killing Pregnant Teen." September 10, 2005; "The Fight Against MS-13." 60 Minutes [CBS News], December 4, 2005.
Troy, Virginia
First-Degree Murder, Kidnapping, Assault with a Deadly Weapon (ADW), Assault, and Use of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony In April 2001, Shantay Latrice Wheeler, who was eight months pregnant, was on her way to a baby shower in Troy, but she never arrived. Her married boyfriend, Irvin Fountain, took her to a remote area near Boswells Tavern in Louisa County and shot her at least four times in the head and back. He left her body there to rot. A month after he had killed Shantay, Fountain choked his wife so badly that she was coughing up blood, and then kidnapped her. As he slowed at an intersection, his wife took the opportunity to escape from him, rolling out of the car. Then Fountain turned, accelerated toward her, and struck her with the car. She survived the impact with minor injuries. For these offenses, Fountain served nearly three years in prison, a relatively short term since his wife was reluctant to testify against him. While in prison, Fountain called a friend and said that he needed help in burying the body of a dog that he had shot in the woods. Shantay's body was not discovered until five months after Fountain murdered her, and her remains had been scattered by earthmoving equipment by that time. This made it difficult for investigators to assemble their case, but they were persistent. In December 2006, police arrested Fountain and charged him with capital murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. During trial testimony, experts said that Shantay had been shot at least four times in the back and head. Testimony revealed that Fountain did not want the child and had wanted Shantay to get an abortion, which she refused to do. On September 7, 2007, a jury found Fountain guilty of first-degree murder and recommended life imprisonment, because prosecutors had previously taken the death penalty off the table. References: Calvin R. Trice. "Suspect in Louisa Cold Case Faces Trial." Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 3, 2007; Calvin R. Trice. "Murder Trial Begins for Boyfriend." Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 3, 2007; Christina Mora. "Guilty Verdict in Wheeler Murder Trial." WVIR Television 29 [Charlottesville, Virginia], September 7, 2007.
― End of Virginia Listing ―
(updated March 31, 2011)
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