Camp Lejeune Marine Spent Mother's Day Grieving For Mom, Savannah's 22 Homicide Victim of 2016

Family, neighbors mourn loss of Savannah mother of 2 shot, killed on Ash Street
Savannah Morning News
Will Peebles
May 8, 2016

Tyler Schmidt traveled from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Savannah on Sunday. As an active-duty Marine, Schmidt’s work schedule would have prevented him from having time to visit Savannah for Mother’s Day, but he was granted leave given the grave circumstances.

Kathy Henry and her son Tyler Schmidt fish from a boat in coastal Savannah.

(Photo courtesy Richard Schmidt)

Sunday was a solemn Mother’s Day for Tyler Schmidt, the son of a 43-year-old Savannah woman who was found shot and lying in the street Saturday night — the latest victim of gun violence in the city.

“She’s a loving person,” said Tyler’s father, Richard Schmidt, about his ex-wife, Kathy Henry. Police found Henry about 8:45 p.m. on Ash Street, according to Eunicia Baker, police spokeswoman, only a few blocks from her father’s home.

Henry was taken to Memorial University Medical Center, where she died, Baker said.

“She’s never hurt anyone intentionally,” Richard Schmidt said. “If it was over money, she would’ve given them money. She would’ve given them anything they asked for. We’re still numb and in shock that something like this could happen.”

Henry’s death is the 22nd homicide in Savannah in 2016 — nearly twice the number of killings recorded by this time last year. She was shot and killed on the same day of the funeral of Hannah Brown, a mother of five, who died April 28.
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Johnathan Michael Gilotti Murder Leads To More Arrests

More arrests in January 5 Lake Cyrus murder case of Johnathan Michael Gilotti
WIAT News
By Brandon Varner
Published: March 25, 2016

HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — The Hoover Police Department has made two more arrests in the shooting death of Lake Cyrus resident Johnathan Michael Gilotti on Jan. 5.

The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office issued murder warrants in the names of 19-year-old De’Ron Keith Lucas of McCalla, and 16-year-old Darrian D. Bryant of Bessemer, according to a press release from the office. Lucas and Bryant were early suspects in the case, and were arrested at separate times.

Lucas was taken in on Jan. 7, and charged with “numerous felonies” that include car break-ins and the theft of the vehicle used in the murder in addition to the murder itself. He is currently in custody at the Tuscaloosa County Jail, according to the press release.
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Jonathan Michael “Mike” Gilotti (WBRC/Family photo)

Lake Cyrus community remembers lessons of slain war veteran Mike Gilotti
WIAT News
By Matt Fernandez
Published: March 25, 2016

HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — Many of Mike Gilotti’s neighbors spoke to CBS 42 News on Friday. The people that lived around Gilotti mostly said that this case reminds them to stay alert at all times.

An American flag still hung outside of the Iraq War veteran’s home on Friday. On that day, neighbors heard the news of the latest arrests.

“I think it is good they have been caught and apprehend now it’s time for the judicial process to do its course,” said resident Greg Stroud.
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Mike Gilotti Survived Iraq But Not Going to Alabama Gym

Beaten and Left in Road, Family of Veteran Needs Help to Bring Him Home

Ex-soldier from Michigan dies after assault, family seeks help bringing him home
MLive
By Bob Johnson
March 10, 2016

NASHVILLE — A former U.S. Army soldier from Michigan has died after police said he was assaulted in Tennessee on Sunday, March 6.

Seth Brabant Seth Brabant (Courtesy | Sabrianna Espinoza)

Seth Brabant, 24, of Chesaning in Saginaw County, died on Thursday, according to officials at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.

Police said Brabant was discovered beaten on the side of a dirt road four days earlier. Stewart County Sheriff's Department has arrested a second man on attempted murder charges. Those charges are likely to change now that Brabant has died, an official at the sheriff's office said.

The man currently is being held on a $600,000 bond.

Brabant had only been "out of the Army for a couple of months," a family member told MLive.
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Fort Campbell Soldier Died After Wife Found Dead

UPDATE: Soldier did U-turn on Interstate before hitting semi
Leaf Chronicle
Stephanie Ingersoll
March 3, 2016

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Clarksville Police say an 18-year-old woman found dead near the state line Wednesday had been assaulted by her husband, who then drove the wrong way on Interstate 24 and died before colliding with a semi.

At about 9:26 a.m., Wednesday officers of the Clarksville Police Department were called for a welfare check at 160 State Line Road, Apartment 13. Arriving officers found 18-year-old Katelyn Thomas (Baldoni) dead inside the apartment.

Investigators say she had been assaulted by her 21-year-old husband, Deashawn Thomas, a soldier at Fort Campbell. Investigators did not say how she was assaulted or whether that led to her death.
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Linked from Lexington Herald Leader

Headline Put Rescued Dog Above Vietnam Veteran Being Murdered?

UPDATE
Chicago man, woman charged with murder of veteran in University Village shooting



I read a lot of strange stories. This just made it to the top of my list of head exploding reporting! A Vietnam veteran served 3 tours and was dealing with PTSD. He adopted a rescue dog. Great story so far. Then I went to the link on Robert Howard to see what was reported by Sun Times Homicide section. The story on the dog was longer than the story on Howard.

Should we care a rescue dog was left homeless again? Sure, but have things gotten so bad in Chicago a story on a dog seems to mean more than a murdered veteran?

Apollo needs new home after his rescuer, Vietnam veteran Robert Howard, was shot to death in University Village Chicago Sun Times
by Brittany Reyes
Posted Feb. 9, 2016

Robert Howard Jr. was a graduate of VALOR (Veterans Advancing Lives of Rescues). He was killed on Jan. 26 and is missed by loved ones, Safe Humane Chicago members, and his emotional support dog, Apollo.

The death of Robert Howard Jr. left the dog he’d once rescued without a home and his best friend.

Howard, a 62-year-old Vietnam War veteran killed in a shooting in University Village on Jan. 26, was the proud owner of Apollo, a big, joyful puppy who was matched with Howard through Veterans Advancing the Lives of Rescues (VALOR).

VALOR is an 8-week Safe Humane Chicago program that pairs military veterans struggling with post traumatic stress disorder with animals that had been abused, neglected or used for fighting.

After struggling with PTSD since his three-year tour in Vietnam from 1970-73, Howard began participating in VALOR in early 2015. His experience with the program was so positive that he decided to adopt a dog for himself, according to Cynthia Bathurst, the organization’s executive director.

In April 2015, Howard acquired Rugby, an 8-month old puppy who’d been rescued through Chicago Animal Care and Control. Howard renamed his new companion Apollo, and documented their experience together in a feature for The Unexpected Pit Bull’s 2016 annual calendar.
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Jesse Lee RIchards, Iraq Veteran Murdered at Bus Stop in Texas

Iraq war veteran shot, killed at bus stop
NEWS 4 SA
BY MELISSA VEGA
JANUARY 7TH 2016

SAN ANTONIO - Police are stepping up efforts to find two persons of interest in the shooting death of a war veteran who was waiting at a bus stop.

Jesse Lee Richards, 28, was shot and killed at an East Side Bus stop around 10 p.m. back on December 20th. He was waiting for a bus to get home.

"He had a box of food in his hand and he was headed home. That's what makes this all the more disturbing that someone could just be sitting there waiting for the bus, and have somebody approach and shoot them," said Jesse Salame with the San Antonio Police Department.

News 4 has learned Richard served in the Army and toured in Iraq, and previously lived in Georgetown.
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Veteran With PTSD Needed Care, Ended Up Buried Under House

Mystery continues to surround Dayton body 
Cincinnati.com
Scott Wartman
December 29, 2015

Reis suffered various disabilities, including diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, police said. Russell isn't a professional caregiver.

Steven Reis (Photo: Provided)

Determining a cause of death for a body buried under a house for nine months has proven difficult.

What killed Air Force veteran Steven Reis, 55, remains a mystery almost four months after his badly decomposed body was found underneath the basement floor of a home in the 100 block of Sixth Avenue in Dayton.

Reis' caretaker, Christy Russell, remains in Campbell County Jail on $2,500 bond charged with credit card fraud for using Reis' credit/debit card to steal between $24,000 and $30,000 in his veterans benefits. She pleaded not guilty in December. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Jan. 11.
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Police Need Help After Tennessee Veteran's Body Found

Officials: Army veteran’s death being investigated as possible homicide
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Investigator William Wall at 931-648-0611 ext 13415 or Crime Stoppers at 931-645-TIPS (8477)

Human remains found in Palmyra identified as Army veteran
Clarksville Now
December 14, 2015

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – Investigators with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office have identified the human remains found in Palmyra Thursday morning as Melissa Sue Napier (Woodruff), 30, of Clarksville.

She had been reported missing on Dec. 8 by her brother.

Napier, originally from New York, is an Army veteran. She served in the military for four and a half years and rose to the rank of an E-5 Sergeant. She completed two tours in Iraq working as a Chemical Operations Specialist.

She leaves behind a young son. He is currently with his father in Ohio.
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Vietnam Veteran Buried with Care After Being Murdered

Murdered Vietnam Veteran Laid to Rest
WGRZ News
December 5, 2015

Friends and family came out to pay their respects to 69-year-old Norman Don Ball.

(Photo: Video News Service)

LEROY, NY - A somber occasion was marked out in the Genesee County Town of LeRoy Saturday morning. That's where a funeral service was held for a Vietnam veteran police say was killed by his neighbor this past week. Friends and family came out to pay their respects to 69-year-old Norman Don Ball.

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Family of LeRoy Victim, Don Ball, speaking out

Homeless Veteran "Riddled with Gunshot Wounds"

Police: Investigation into homeless vet's death continuing
Houma Today
By Maki Somosot Staff Writer
November 30, 2015

“He was truly a kind soul. It’s hard to read the path his life had taken him.” James Inman

Police are continuing to make headway in their investigation of the Nov. 13 shooting that killed a homeless veteran, Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman said.

The body of Edward Crowley, of Kirkglen Loop, was found riddled with gunshot wounds in a field near the 2600 block of Truman Street.

“We’re making progress, interviewing witnesses and analyzing our evidence, but we haven’t identified a suspect yet,” Coleman said.

Crowley's death marks the fourth shooting death in Terrebonne Parish over the past two months, preceded by Ernest Simms, 38, Corey Butler, 18, and Robert Swan, 24. Suspects have been arrested in connection with these three deaths.

Tri-Parish Veterans Shelter director and local Disabled Americans Veteran chapter president Roger Songe said that Crowley became homeless since filing for veterans benefits late last year. He did not notice any signs of drug or alcohol use on the Vietnam Era vet.
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Iraq Veteran Among Dead in Colorado

UPDATE

Planned Parenthood Victim Ke'Arre Stewart Tried to Save Others

Man killed in Colorado shooting was veteran, served in Iraq
AP
By KRISTEN WYATT and SADIE GURMAN
Nov. 30, 2015

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A look at the three people who were killed in a shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic:

COMBAT VETERAN, FATHER

Ke'Arre Stewart, 29, was accompanying someone at the clinic when he was killed, said Amburh Butler, a lifelong friend and family spokeswoman. Stewart leaves behind two girls, 11 and 5, who live in Texas. Stewart and Butler met when they were 11 in Waco, Texas and were high school sweethearts, she said.

They both joined the Army, but Stewart joined first, right after his high school graduation in 2004, she said. He served in the Fourth Infantry Division and was deployed to Iraq, where he would often send her letters describing the horrors he saw on the front lines.

"He would tell me how terrible it was, how many guys he watched die. It was terrible for him," Butler said. The Army stationed Stewart at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs in 2013, she said. He was discharged from the military the following year. "He went someplace where people expect to die, only to come back ... and be killed."

John Ah-King told The Denver Post that his daughter 36-year-old Jennifer Markovsky, was one of three people who died Friday when a gunman opened fire. He described Markovsky as a kind-hearted, lovable person with two children.

Garrett Swasey worked as a police officer at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. He was there when he was called to assist with an active shooter at the nearby clinic. read more here

Colorado Iraq Veteran Survived 3 Tours, Killed While Riding Bike

Bicyclist gunned down on Colorado street was Iraq War veteran
By The Associated Press
Tuesday - Nov. 3, 2015

DENVER — A bicyclist who begged for his life as a gunman killed him during a rampage on the streets of Colorado Springs was an Army veteran who survived three deployments in Iraq, his ex-wife said Tuesday.

Tina Myers recalled her former husband, Andrew Alan Myers, 35, as a decorated military veteran and caring father to their two young sons.

He was the first of three victims: A gunman shot him in daylight Saturday and calmly walked less than a mile to a home for people recovering from substance abuse, where he killed two women on the porch.

The shooter, Noah Harpham, 33, died in a gunbattle with police.
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Homeless Veteran Buried With Dignity After Being Murdered

HOMELESS VETERAN HONORED WITH MILITARY FUNERAL 
ABC 36 News Kentucky
By: Melanie Kendall
10/23/2015

WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (WTVQ) – A homeless veteran, murder in Lexington a week and a half ago was laid to rest Friday with military honors. James Holiness served in the U.S. Air Force.

He was honorably discharged. “I’m here to honor this U.S. veteran,” said David England with the Kentucky Patriot Guard.

“No veteran should be laid to rest without the military honors and without the dignity that he earned while he was a U.S. Veteran.” read more here

Woman Charged After Disabled Veteran Found Buried in House

Man Found Buried in Dayton Home was Veteran Who Suffered from PTSD
River City News
September 16, 2015

The man found buried under a concrete floor in a Dayton basement has been identified as the investigation continues into how he got there.

Steven Reis, 55, was found inside 121 Sixth Avenue two weeks ago. Police were investigating a separate case when a suspect told officers that he knew where a body was, Chief David Halfhill told The River City News on Wednesday.

Christy Mae Russell, 40, rented the building where Reis's body was found. Reis was a veteran of the United States Air Force and suffered medical conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, Halfhill said.

Reis collected benefits for that reason and on Saturday, Russell turned herself in to police and is charged with accessing between $20,000 to $30,000 of Reis's benefits through a credit card, the chief said.
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Houston Deputy Shot Dead While Pumping Gas!

Deputy fatally shot from behind at Houston gas station
The Associated Press
Aug 29th 2015

HOUSTON (AP) — A sheriff's deputy in uniform was shot and killed Friday night while filling up his patrol car at a suburban Houston gas station, according to authorities.

Deputy Darren Goforth, 47, was pumping gas into his vehicle about 8:30 p.m. Friday when a man approached him from behind and fired multiple shots, Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ryan Sullivan told The Associated Press. Once the deputy fell to the ground, the suspect fired more shots.

"In my 45 years in law enforcement, I can't recall another incident so cold-blooded and cowardly." RON HICKMAN, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF

Police described the suspect as a dark-complexioned male who is believed to be between 20 and 25 years old, and stands about 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall. He was wearing a white T-shirt and red shorts and driving a red or maroon pickup-style truck with an extended cab. Police said an intensive search for the suspect remained ongoing Saturday morning.
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Fort Campbell Soldier Shot and Killed

Fort Campbell soldier shot, killed outside home
WKRN News
By Talia Kaplan
Published: August 11, 2015

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Authorities are investigating after a 21-year-old Fort Campbell soldier was shot and killed outside his home early Sunday morning.

According to a release, Liperial “Savon” Easterling was shot as he approached his home located in the 2800 block of Teakwood Drive just after 1 a.m.

A man who lives across from Easterling said he heard about five gunshots, and when he looked outside, he saw a woman holding the soldier looking sad and frantic. He didn’t see anyone else.

Easterling, a High Point, North Carolina-native, was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.

“He loved the army; he loved it. He couldn’t stop talking about it. He loved serving his country. He didn’t deserve that,” said Shaperia Pegram, Easterling’s cousin.
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Man Convicted of Killing Iraq Veteran

Salem man charged with shooting, killing Iraq veteran in July
By KATU.com Staff
Published: Aug 12, 2015

He was charged Tuesday with shooting 30-year-old Matthew Pearce during a physical fight, the Statesman Journal reports.

Booking photo for Nicholas Anthony Ransom - Polk County Sheriff's Office

Police responding to reports of a disturbance found Pearce dead in the master bedroom of a house. A state autopsy says he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
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Army Reservist Due Promotion Killed in Her Home

Woman shot, killed remembered as loving mother, dedicated soldier
El Paso Times
By Aaron Martinez
POSTED: 08/01/2015

A 29-year-old woman shot to death Thursday night was known as a loving mother to an 8-year-old girl, a dedicated soldier and an all-around wonderful person, neighbors said at a vigil on Friday.

Blanca Rivera, 29, was shot and killed at about 9:15 p.m. at her home in the 11500 block of St. Thomas Way in East El Paso, police said. Her husband, Steven Quinteros-Rios, 25, was arrested in connection with slaying, police said.

Neighbors in the small gated community gathered Friday night in front of Rivera's home to pray and sing, including "Amazing Grace," in her memory. More than a dozen neighbors attended the vigil. They lit candles and left flowers and stuffed animals in front of her home.

"It is just heartbreaking," said Angel May, who lives across the street from Rivera. "I have known her for about a year. She was a soldier in the Army, she was funny, she was just a sweet girl all around. She loved her daughter so much. Blanca was such a great, loving mother."

Several neighbors said that Rivera served in the U.S. Army and was just two days from being promoted to staff sergeant.

Fort Bliss officials said Rivera was not stationed at the post, but was assigned to a local U.S. Army Reserve unit in the El Paso area.

"She was always friendly and would come talk to us and we would just laugh," said Maria Estela Cheung. She said she witnessed the start of the incident and called 911. "She was a wonderful person and an even better mother. It is just so sad that she lost her mother."
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Iraq Veteran Killed in Kermit Texas

Deadly Shooting Outside Bar in Kermit
NewsWest 9
By Kalene O'Brien
Updated: Jul 27, 2015

WINKLER COUNTY, TX - One person was shot and killed outside of a bar in Kermit over the weekend. Authorities are now working to figure out who’s at fault. It happened around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday at the Texas Moon Bar and Lounge.

It all started out as a fist fight and then quickly turned into a deadly shootout between four guys. Locals say it’s a shock for their small community. 25 year old Mark Stahlman was killed by the gunfire.

His brother was one of the four guys involved in the gunfight.

The other two guys were place in custody for just over four hours before they were released. read more here

Why Is Department of Defense Withholding Documents on Robert Bales?

Three years after Afghanistan killings, military again refuses to release report on Robert Bales
The News Tribune
BY ADAM ASHTON
Staff writer
July 1, 2015

The Defense Department is again denying a Freedom of Information Act request from The News Tribune seeking the release of an investigation into commanders who oversaw Staff Sgt. Robert Bales before he snapped and killed 16 Afghan civilians in March 2012.

A FOIA officer from U.S. Central Command on Tuesday told the newspaper that its latest request for the document would be declined under an exemption that allows the government to withhold information that could influence an ongoing law enforcement investigation.

The News Tribune has been seeking the report since August 2013, when Bales was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Army in March also rejected a clemency request Bales submitted to Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s I Corps.

Bales was a JBLM Stryker soldier serving at a small Special Operations outpost in Kandahar Province with a team from the 7th Special Forces Group when he twice sneaked out of the base to murder civilians sleeping in separate nearby villages.

Maj. Alison Aguilar, spokeswoman for Army Special Operations Command, said Wednesday that all disciplinary proceedings for that group of Green Berets have been completed.

As The News Tribune previously reported, one Green Beret was discharged from the military because he provided steroids to Bales. Another soldier from the Special Forces team received a reprimand for drinking alcohol on the deployment. One more was discharged from the Army because of a separate civilian criminal investigation that began before he arrived in Afghanistan.
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linked from Military.com