June 11th, 2009 // comments (0)

Lefty Blogs Quick To Make Political Points Of Body Counts

From my desk in the Chicago Tribune newsroom, I hear reporters chasing stories all day long. It brings me back to the days of smoke-filled news gathering areas where it was the story that mattered. These days, it’s less the story and more of the spin when it comes to measuring importance. Just the other day, a Trib reporter came over to my workspace and gave me a heads up on a developing…

June 7th, 2009 // comments (0)

David Carradine Hanging Picture Leaks – Thai Magazine Under Fire

A magazine in Bangkok, Thailand is under fire for releasing a picture allegedly showing actor David Carradine hanging in his hotel room closet. The photo below does nothing to quell rumors that Carradine died of something other than the originally reported ’suicide’. His hands are bound in a manner that appears to be impossible to do without the help of another.

David Carradine’s family is quite obviously upset about the release of…

June 1st, 2009 // comments (0)

The George Tiller Murder – Inside The Demented Mind Of Scott Roeder

There are a few subjects I distance myself from on the radio show. I’ve never been a big fan of talking about the conflict in Gaza — you don’t get anywhere and debate often turns to fisticuffs — and I like to keep my distance from the abortion debate for the same reason. Though I think emotion makes for great radio, I don’t enjoy spinning my wheels in a useless debate. Still, I…

May 12th, 2009 // comments (0)

Buffalo Flight’s Last Moments – Cockpit Transcript Released

We now have more insight into the final moments of Flight 3407 as it crashed into a suburb near Buffalo. I saw this one coming a mile away. You may remember, immediately after the story broke, I was questioning the experience levels of both pilots — especially the co-pilot. It looks as if both pilot and co-pilot shared my thoughts before human error seems to have ended the lives of everyone onboard…

May 8th, 2009 // comments (0)

Former NASCAR Driver Kevin Grubb Found Dead

Former NASCAR driver Kevin Grubb is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Grubb was suspended indefinitely from the sport after refusing to submit to a drug test in 2006. Rumor has it, he’s struggled with drug use from some time and he was clearly not in a healthy mental state. Kevin Grubb was 31.

April 24th, 2009 // comments (0)

X-Ray Photo: Man Dies After Being Shot With Nail Gun

30 times? He must have really pissed somebody off.

The decomposed body of the 27-year-old, also known as Anthony Liu, was found dumped in the Georges River last November, wrapped in a domestic rug.

He was bound with electrical wires and an extension cord and the carpet was neatly folded with each end tucked in and then bound with three strips of wire.

Detectives are still trying to piece together the details…

April 22nd, 2009 // comments (0)

Freddie Mac Suicide: Acting CFO Found Dead

Around 5AM this morning, Fairfax County, Virginia police received a phone call from family members of David Kellerman, acting CFO of Freddie Mac. “We were called from inside the house to come investigate an apparent suicide,” Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Mary Anne Jennings said.

Kellerman was responsible for Freddie Mac’s finances and has been under pressure since the government intervened to save the struggling company with taxpayer funds. Though Freddie Mac is…

April 19th, 2009 // comments (0)

Cell Phone Crash: 5 Children Dead In Houston

32-year-old Chanton Jenkins was apparently distracted by an ringing cell phone, leading to a crash that killed 5 Houston children (ages 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7). Jenkins also failed a field sobriety test after the crash, making it quite obvious that he was not only irresponsible and unlucky, but also criminal in the actions that led to the crash.

The dead include two girls (the 1-year-old and 3-year-old), who have…

March 16th, 2009 // comments (0)

Actor Ron Silver Dead At 62

One of the few outspoken Republicans in Hollywood has passed:

I am terribly saddened to report that the great actor and political activist, Ron Silver, died this morning at his home in New York. Ron was 62 and had been bravely battling esophageal cancer for the last two years. He leaves two children, Adam and Alexandra, his parents and his two brothers, as well as countless friends and admirers.

March 11th, 2009 // comments (0)

More Details On Alabama Slaughter

The burned out interior of the home of suspected gunman Michael McLendon’s mother Lisa McLendon is seen early today in Kinston. McLendon’s rampage began Tueday when he burned down his mother’s house, Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers said. Authorities found Lisa McLendon’s body inside, but they have not determined how she died.

We’re learning more about Michael McLendon — he once wanted to become a police officer himself and was even trained…

March 11th, 2009 // comments (0)

Snapshot: Media Circus In Alabama

Imagine this: You’re a Sheriff’s Deputy. You respond to a call of a shooting. Eventually, this shooting turns out to be a massacre. Among the dead, your wife, 1 1/2 year-old child. You learn that your other child, a 3-month-old baby girl named Ella Kay, was shot and transported to the local hospital. You’re told she will likely survive. Just when you begin to assess the chaotic situation that just unfolded and the…

March 11th, 2009 // comments (3)

Photo: The Face Of A Killer?

The man behind a massacre in Alabama that left 11 dead has been identified as Michael McLendon. Could this photo of a Michael McLendon of Alabama be the man behind the murders?

[Photo Removed Until More Details Roll In]

His website says he’s an ‘aspiring actor’ and he appears to be around the same age as the just-named suspect. I don’t have an definitive proof just yet, but I’ll keep digging…

New details:…

February 23rd, 2009 // comments (0)

New Boy Murder Case Causes Issues

PITTSBURGH — The attorney for a Pennsylvania boy accused of gunning down his father’s pregnant fiancee last week will ask a judge to move the case to juvenile court and allow the fifth grader to possibly be freed.

Dennis Elisco, the attorney for 11-year-old Jordan Brown, said he will file motions on Monday asking a judge to move the case to juvenile court and to let the boy’s father post bail so

…

February 19th, 2009 // comments (1)

Suicide At A California Mega Church

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — A man shot and killed himself in front of a cross inside televangelist Robert H. Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral on Wednesday as a nearby volunteer told a group of visitors about the church’s suicide-prevention program, police and church officials said.

The man handed a note and his driver’s license to two ushers, walked to the cross and then shot himself in the head as he appeared to be praying,

…

February 13th, 2009 // comments (0)

Muslim TV Founder Beheads Wife

So much for working to portray Muslims ‘in a positive light‘:

A prominent Buffalo area businessman who founded the BridgesTV network to improve the image of Muslims in the U.S. has been arrested and charged with murdering his estranged wife – by beheading her at his company’s office on Thursday.

Police have charged the husband, Muzzammil Hassan, 44, with second-degree murder in death of Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37.

In its logo, BridgesTV

…