Thursday, July 28, 2011

Breaking News: Terror Attacked Foiled at Fort Hood!

KILLEEN, TEXAS -- Police have captured a U.S. Army deserter near Fort Hood on suspicion of planning attacks against military personel. Private 1st Class Nasser Jason Abdo, a 21-year-old American Muslim, was apprehended after a tip from a gun store employee prompted a multi-agency effort to find him.

Abdo purchased six pounds of smokeless black powder, a box of shotgun shells, and a .40 caliber magazine from the Guns Galore store in Killeen. He raised suspicions in clerk Greg Ebert when he arrived and left in a taxi and indicated that he was not sure what he was buying.

After leaving the gunstore, Abdo had purchased a uniform at a military surplus store and patches of the sort worn by soldiers assigned to Fort Hood, apparently with the intent of infiltrating the facility.

Authorities have said they believe Abdo intended to create a bomb with the items he purchased at the gunstore and some other items discovered in his room at the Americas Best Value Inn at 1100 S. Fort Hood Street, to include some Christmas light timers. Police captured him there at 2:03 p.m. on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 27.

Abdo is currently being held in the Killeen City Jail, where he is facing federal bomb-making charges. Once charges are filed, U.S. Marshals will take custody of Abdo and bring him before a magistrate in Waco.

He had been on the run since July 4, after going AWOL from his duty station of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, after being sought on a warrant for possession of child pornography.

Abdo enlisted in the Army in March 2009, trained as an infantryman, and in June of that year was assigned to to 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. He was reportedly raised in Texas and of Palestinian descent.

Fort Hood was the target of a serious attack on November 5, 2009, when gunman U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist, allegedly opened fire in the post Soldier Readiness Center, killing 13 people and wounding 30 others. Hasan has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

On July 27, 2011, Fort Hood Chief Circuit Judge Colonel Gregory Gross set a March 5, 2012 trial date for Hasan to be court martialed for the Fort Hood shooting rampage with a recommendation for the death penalty.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Breaking News: 'Jerry Joseph' Sentenced to 3 Years!

On July 27, 2011, Haitian immigrant Guerdwich Montimere was convicted on three counts of Tampering with a Government Document and two counts of Sexual Assault on a Child and sentenced to three years in prison. He is currently serving his sentence at the Tulia unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Swisher, Texas, and is eligible for parole in May 2012.

Montimere became famous under the assumed name of Jerry Joseph when he became a star player for the Permian High School basketball team, in Odessa, Texas. At that point, he was 22-years-old and posing as a 15-year-old sophomore, in the course of which he dated and had sex with at least one underage girl. His deception was discovered in May 2010 and he was arrested soon after and held in the Ector County, Texas, jail while awaiting trial.

Joseph/Montimere is all the subject of the chapter "Friday Night Lies" in Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in the Lone Star State. See also "'Jerry Joseph' Jaws with GQ!"

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Breaking News: FBI Raids Medicaid Scammers in San Antonio!

SAN ANTONIO -- Heavily armed FBI agents launched raids against a number of former government employees and their relatives early on Tuesday, July 26, following an investigation into allegations that they used their official positions to perpetrate a Medicaid/Medicare scam.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Breaking News:6 Dead in Grand Prairie Roller Rink Massacre!


GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS -- A gunman went on a shooting rampage at a roller rink birthday party in this Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex community about 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, killing five people and wounding three others before fatally turning his weapon on himself.

A police spokesman identified the shooter as local resident Tan Do, 35, and said the party was for his 11-year-old son. Do reporterly ordered the children to leave the party and, after they ran and hid, opened fire.

According to officials, the victims of the Forum Roller World shooting include Do's estranged wife, Trini Do, 29, of Grand Prairie; her sisters, Lynn Ta, 16, and Michelle Ta, 28; her brother, Hien Ta, 21; and her sister-in-law, Thuy Nguyen, 25. Grand Prairie Police Chief Steve Dye said the incident was sparked by an apparent domestic disturbance between a husband and wife.

Police spokesman John Brimmer said the gunman was pronounced dead at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. The wounded survivors of the attack were taken to various area hospitals but their conditions have not yet been disclosed.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Interview: Jim Harold's Crime Scene

Had a great chat this week with radio host Jim Harold for his terrific "Crime Scene" show about Texas Confidential. He asked some terrific questions and I responded with some answers that I had not yet given on any other show. It runs about 35 minutes and anyone interested in listening to it can click here to do so.

Jim hosts a number of great shows and they are normally available by subscription, but he has very generously set up a special link for Texas Confidential Online readers so that they can listen to this show for free!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Breaking News: Texas 'Arab Slayer' Executed

HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS -- At 8:53 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice executed convicted murderer Mark Anthony Stroman in the state execution chamber.

Stroman had been on death row at the TDCJ's Polunsky since April 2002, when he was convicted of killing a Dallas-area convenience store clerk from India during a shooting spree that he said was in retaliation for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"Even though I lay on this gurney, seconds away from my death, I am at total peace," Stroman said a few miniute before his death, adding that he was "still a proud American, Texas loud, Texas proud." The former day laborer said hate in the world needed to end, said he loved his friends, and asked for God's grace shortly before receiving a lethal injection less than an hour after his final court appeal had been rejected.

"God bless America. God bless everyone," Stroman said. "Let's do this damn thing ... One, two, there it goes." Eleven minutes later he was pronounced dead.

In October 2001, Stroman went on a shooting spree throughout the Dallas area, killing two men, 49-year-old Vasudev Patel, an immigrant from India, and Waqar Hasan, an immigrant from Pakistan, and severely wounding Rais Bhuiyan, a native of Bangladesh. It was for the murder of Patel that Stroman was put to death.

Stroman claimed that he was motivated to kill people from the Middle East because of the September 11 terrorist attacks. None of his victims, however, were Arabs or from the Middle East.

Witnesses to the execution included five of Stroman's friends and a police officer who attended on behalf of Patel's family.

Bhuiyan had unsuccessfully attempted to have the execution halted, asserting that his Muslim religious beliefs required him to forgive Stroman. Bhuiyan had also requested to spend time with Stroman so as to learn more about why he had launched his rampage. Stroman shot Bhuiyan in the face with a shotgun, blinding him in one eye.

"Killing him is not the solution," Bhuiyan said. "He's learning from his mistake. If he's given a chance, he's able to reach out to others and spread that message to others." Unmoved by appeals to Muslim mercy, the courts denied his requests.

Stroman's execution was delayed for almost three hours while a state judge in Austin considered Bhuiyan's lawsuit to block it, until the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals barred him from doing so (see the chapter "Cruel Justice" in Texas Confidential for the Texas high courts hard line on death penalty cases). Earlier in the day the U.S. Supreme Court had rejected appeals in the case.

Stroman's claims of patriotism notwithstanding, he was a career criminal who commmitted his first armed robbery at age 12. He had previous convictions for burglary, robbery, theft, and credit card abuse, had served two terms in prison, and was free on bond for a gun possession arrest when he murdered Patel and Bhuiyan.

Stroman's execution was thus far the eighth in Texas in 2011 and at least another eight more are scheduled to meet their fates in the state's death chamber this year.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Welcome to Texas Confidential Online!

Welcome to 'Texas Confidential Online'! This site is an official online supplement to the print edition of the true-crime book Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in the Lone Star State, which was released just this month. This site will be home to an increasing body of content, including:

* Addenda, expansions, and updates to the chapters that appear in the book.

* "Behind the Scenes" pieces on the research, travel, and personal experiences behind some of the chapters in Texas Confidential.

* "Breaking News." This department mentions media coverage of things related to the material in Texas Confidential and includes links back to their stories on them. Current items on this sort on the site include Strange Family Ties: Man Discovers Mother Killed by Joe Ball, Police Raid Home on Tip from Psychic, and Court Rules Against Anna Nicole Smith Estate.

* Features on relevant groups and organizations. These will include articles on the Texas Rangers, Texas EquuSearch, and other entities involved in battling crime and its effects in the Lone Star State.

* Additional photos and graphics. For many chapters we were able to find images that did a good job of illustrating the text but which were too low-resolution to include in the print edition of the book, and we will make many of these available here.

* Travel information. An appendix on Travel Resources related to the chapters on Texas Confidential was one of the things that needed to get cut from the print edition of the book and a living version of it now appears on this site.

* Event listings. This will include everything from signings and appearances by the author of Texas Confidential to things like annual festivals associated with sites and episodes described in the book.

* Q&A This section will answer questions from readers, which they can pose as Comments to pertinent sections or send directly via email.

* "Where They Are Now." This department is exclusive to this site and provides updates on the status of people covered in Texas Confidential, to include incarcerations, releases from prison, deaths, and the like.

* Reviews, interviews, lists, links, tips, and other features designed to complement the book. Book reviews currently on the site include ones of conspiracy theorist Jimm Marrs' great The Rise of the Fourth Reich.

* New Chapters. These will include write-ups of historic and breaking episodes of sex, scandal, murder, and mayhem. Examples include pieces on iconic stripper Candy Barr, Rev. John Fiala, who not only raped young boys but also tried to have one his victims murdered, and freakish child rapist Warren Jeffs (sex); the Bush family crimes and connections to the Nazi regime during World War II, the Zambian boys choir enslaved by Baptist minister Richard Grimes, and the Comal County fire department that opted out of fighting fires in the summer of 2010 (scandal); Kennedy assassination theories; redneck couple Gayle and Sheila Muhs, who murdered a child for playing on public property near their home; the role of Houston doctor Conrad Murray in the death of Michael Jackson; and the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood (murder); and the Greer County border war, German submarines preying on shipping off the shores of Galveston, Ozzie Osbourne's indiscretions at the Alamo, the man Laura Bush killed when she ran a stop sign, David Koresh and the massacre at Waco, the Republic of Texas separatist militia, and the one-man Jihad against George W. Bush (mayhem).

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Breaking News: Casey Anthony Released from Jail!

Casey Anthony was released from the Orange County Jail in Orlando, Florida, where she has been incarcerated since being arrested in 2008 at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, July 13. Escorted by a heavily-armed sheriff's deputy, the acquitted accused murderess walked out of the county facility with her attorney, Jose Baez (shown here with Anthony), and the two drove off in a gray SUV to "an undisclosed location." An angry mob of protestors chased after the vehicle as it sped off.

Three journalists from different organizations were permitted to cover the release. Texas Confidential Online was not among those granted permission.

Where Anthony went after leaving the jail in Orlando is not yet clear but rumors have ciculated since Wednesday, July 6, that she was going to be relocating to Houston (see "Casey Anthony Moving to Texas!"). Varying reports state she was taken to the offices of Cheney Mason, one of her defense attorneys, and/or that she was taken to an executive airport and thereafter flown to Ohio or some other location. Decoy vehicles may have been used to help obscure her movements after leaving the jail.

Anthony was convicted on four counts of lying to the police and sentenced to one year in prison for each of them and, with time served and good behavior being taken into consideration, was found to have paid her debt to society. (Anthony is shown here after her arrest in 2008.)

CNN's Jane Velez Mitchell was among the talking heads who began discussing rumors that upon her release from jail Anthony would be travelling to the Lone Star State and moving in with an aunt. Motives for this include a desire not to move back in with her father, who she has accused of molesting her, avoiding the angry mobs that have gathered in Orlando and dismissed the validity of the jury's decision, and seeking anonymity in a large metropolitan area.

The ongoing Casey Anthony affair has another Texas connection in the form of Texas EquuSearch, a search organization headquartered in the Houston suburb of Dickinson, which played a big role in the search for missing infant Caylee Anthony. According to the group, it spent some $112,000 organizing searches for Caylee and now wants to be reimbursed by the Anthony family, as reported on by station KIAH in Houston: Texas Equusearch Founder To Sue Casey Anthony

* See also "Casey Anthony Trial — The Aftermath" on the Religion, Politics, and Sex site.

* See also "10 Years Ago Today: Andrea Yates Child Murders" to read about one of the more sensational cases of the same sort that occured in Texas. Yates is one of seven mothers profiled in "(Bad) Mothers of the Year," one of the Chapters in Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem in the Lone Star State.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Breaking News: 'Jerry Joseph' Jaws with GQ!

In May 2010, residents of Odessa, Texas, were stunned to learn that the standout sophomore Permian High School basketball player they knew as Jerry Joseph was really a 22-year old man.

Joseph -- aka Guerdwich Montimere, a naturalized immigrant from Haiti who played high school basketball in Florida (shown here hulking over a genuine high-school student) -- was arrested and has been jailed in Ector County, Texas, for the past 14 months and is awaiting trial on a half-dozen charges that include presenting false identification to a peace officer and statutory rape. Joseph/Montimere recently gave his first interview in more than a year to GQ magazine.

"Odessa is still dumbstruck," writes author Michael J. Mooney in the article. "Principal Garcia wonders if maybe the kid picked Permian because it's the school from Friday Night Lights. 'Maybe he thought we were all a bunch of dumb hillbillies?'"

Go to "Blindsided: The Jerry Joseph Basketball Scandal" to read the full text of the story in the July 2011 issue of GQ magazine. Joseph/Montimere is all the subject of the chapter "Friday Night Lies" in Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in the Lone Star State. See also "Jerry Joseph Sentenced to 3 Years!"

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Breaking News: Casey Anthony Moving to Texas!


The ongoing Casey Anthony murder trial drama got a Texas connection on Wednesday, July 6, when rumors began circulating that the acquitted accused murderess was going to be relocating to Houston.

Anthony was convicted on four counts of lying to the police and sentenced to one year in prison for each of them and, with time served and good behavior being taken into consideration, is now scheduled to be released on Sunday, July 17. (Anthony is shown here during her sentencing on the morning of Thursday, July 7.)

CNN's Jane Velez Mitchell was among the talking heads who began discussing rumors that upon her release from jail Anthony would be travelling to the Lone Star State and moving in with an aunt. Motives for this include a desire not to move back in with her father, who she has accused of molesting her, avoiding the angry mobs that have gathered in Orlando and dismissed the validity of the jury's decision, and seeking anonymity in a large metropolitan area. (Anthony is shown here after her arrest in 2008.)

* The ongoing Casey Anthony affair had another Texas connection in the form of Texas EquuSearch, a search organization headquartered in the Houston suburb of Dickinson, which played a big role in the search for missing infant Caylee Anthony. Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller has spoken out about his dissatisfaction over the Anthony verdict in a recent story run by KHOU in Houston: "Texas EquuSearch Founder: Casey Anthony Verdict 'Unbelievable'"

* According to Texas EquuSearch, it spent some $112,000 organizing searches for Caylee and now wants to be reimbursed by the Anthony family, as reported on by station KIAH in Houston: Texas Equusearch Founder To Sue Casey Anthony

* Other Texas experts stood by the results of the trial and have spoken out in support of them. These include Tyler, Texas, defense attorney Bobby Mims, whose expressed his views in an interview with the Tyler Morning Telegraph: "East Texas Defense Attorneys Say Casey Anthony Jury Did Its Job"

* Houston attorneys interviewed by KHOU also stood behind the Orlando jury's decision: "Attorneys Weigh-In On Casey Anthony Verdict"

* Many Texans without any sort of legal background, however, derided the decision of the jury, as reported by KDAF TV in Dallas: "North Texans React to Casey Anthony Verdict"

* See also "Casey Anthony Trial — The Aftermath" on the Religion, Politics, and Sex site.

* See also "10 Years Ago Today: Andrea Yates Child Murders" to read about one of the more sensational cases of the same sort that occured in Texas. Yates is one of seven mothers profiled in "(Bad) Mothers of the Year," one of the Chapters in Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem in the Lone Star State.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Breaking News: Los Zetas Gang Leader Caught

Mexican authorities announced July 3 that they had caught founding member of the Los Zetas drug cartel who is suspected of being involved in the recent murder of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.

Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar has been identified as third in command of Los Zetas, a dangerous criminal enterprise started by deserters from the Mexican army's special forces. Originally an enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel, over the course of a 10-year period the Zetas evolved into a drug-trafficking entity in its own right.

According to the Mexican federal police, Aguilar was captured without incident on Sunday, July 3, in the town of Atizapan, outside Mexico City. He was one of the most-wanted men in Mexico and the U.S. State Department had offered $5 million for information leading to his arrest (Aguilar is shown here at a press conference July 4).

In February, Los Zetas gunmen attacked ICE agents Victor Avila and Jaime Zapata while they drove along a road in San Luis Potosi state, wounding Avila and killing Zapata (shown at right). A week later, Mexican police arrested one of the gunmen, who said they had attacked the agents only because they thought they were members of a rival gang.

Aguilar joined the Mexican Army in 1993, became a member of its elite Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales in 1996, became an agent with the Mexican Attorney General's Office in 1997, and in 1999 deserted and helped establish Los Zetas.

Los Zetas Cartel active throughout Mexico and Texas and has expanded its operations to include contract killing, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, oil siphoning, and human trafficking. Its armaments include fully automatic assault rifles, submachine guns, heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, surface-to-air missiles, explosives, armored vehicles, helicopters, and body armor. The gang is blamed for much of the violence that has left more than 35,000 dead since December 2006.

Los Zetas Cartel is one of the criminal organizations covered in "Gangland Texas," one of the "Mayhem" chapters in in Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in the Lone Star State.