Search warrants that were issued in connection with the Zahra Baker case have revealed startling new information about the investigation.
The warrants were unsealed by a judge late Tuesday afternoon. The 11 warrants were issued in October; they include eight warrants for the Baker’s Hickory home and three warrants to access social media accounts owned by Zahra’s stepmother, Elisa Baker.
In total, the documents provide 121 pages of new details into the investigation.
According to the documents, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office investigated a claim that Zahra Baker had been killed by one or two men who had raped her at a house in Hildebran. The men--cousins--are related to Baker's ex-husband. The tipster alleged that Zahra had been left at the home, and when her mother returned, the little girl had blood on her private area and legs.
According to the search warrants, one of the men had a relationship with Elisa Baker.
Lewis James Young, one of the two men, tells NewsChannel 36 that, to his knowledge, Zahra Baker, has never been in his house. He says he was questioned for ten hours about the allegation and passed a lie detector test.
When police searched the Burke County home, the warrants indicate a mattress with a dark stain was discovered. Young said, "I had gotten really drunk and urinated on it."
Police did not remove the mattress.
Young said his brief interactions with Zahra at Christmas last year were always good. "She was a very respectful little girl...always happy."
He says he offered his help to the investigators who questioned him. "I told them, I said, 'Guys, whatever I can think of--if I can think of anything else--I'll let you know. I'll help you in any way I can.'"
A woman who answered Young's cousin's phone hung up when NewsChannel 36 called for comment. Neither man has been arrested. A source close to the investigation tells NewsChannel 36 police do not put much stock in the allegation.
Most of the detail in the warrants concerns searching police made of the Baker’s home in Hickory. There, warrants say, investigators removed drain pipes and traps looking for blood. They also removed sections of the wall where they believe there was blood evidence.
The warrants detail the locations Elisa Baker directed them to search. They include a dumpster at an apartment complex in Hickory where Elisa Baker told investigators she and Adam had ditched Zahra's prosthetic leg, a dumpster at an apartment complex in Granite Falls where Elisa allegedly said they'd left Zahra's mattress, and a dumpster in Hudson where Baker's lawyer told police a car cover and bed comforter used to transport Zahra's body parts had been dumped.
According to the warrants, Baker also communicated that latex gloves stored in their home in Hickory had been used to dismember Zahra's body.
One warrant reveals that Elisa Baker submitted to a lie detector test and when asked if she had harmed Zahra or knew anyone who did, her answers were said to be deceptive.
From Selena Childs, project director for the N.C. Child Welfare Workforce Collaborative Project at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work and former executive director of the N.C. Child Fatality Task Force:
When I hear about a child's death, my chest tightens and my stomach clenches. I hold my children close and give thanks for their safety. I tear up thinking about the fear and pain the child might have experienced and think about loved ones left behind, who are hurting beyond my comprehension. When I learn that the Department of Social Services was involved with the family, my compassion extends to the workers and agency leaders who I know are experiencing a heartfelt loss themselves.
As the public tries to make sense of an inconceivable loss, inevitably blame is sought. As a parent I understand that, because when I hear of a child death I am desperate to find a reason that helps me do away with the anxiety I experience as I hope nothing bad will ever happen to my children. And there is no better target for blame when a child dies than the social service agency charged with protecting children, or so the public seems to believe. I understand that reaction, and I might share it if I didn't know what Child Protective Services workers actually do. If I only knew the negative stereotypes of social workers from TV, I would be on the front lines of attack - "Where were you? Why didn't you do more to prevent this tragedy?"
But I know better. About 80 percent of the families that Child Protective Services/DSS workers serve are families who are unable to meet some of their kids' basic needs. In those cases CPS workers assess the family's needs and work with the family to connect them to resources. Most of those families are helped to help themselves and most importantly, helped to take care of their kids on their own. In the other 20 percent, the caretakers are unable to keep their children safe and may be the source of physical/sexual/emotional abuse. In those instances, CPS workers have the charge and the authority to remove children from those unsafe situations and place them in a safe home.
Most of the time the system works. Most of the time kids are protected. Most of the time the good work of CPS goes unnoticed, unheralded, un-reported in the news. But when a child is a victim of a violent crime and CPS has a history with the family, CPS is blamed, almost as if the workers and agency had committed the crime themselves.
On behalf of the families and children who have been well-served by DSS/CPS, I suggest that the public would benefit if the media and DSS partnered to paint a more complete picture. Reporters might attend a Child and Family Team meeting; shadow a DSS director through the day; and talk to the kids and parents who are better off as a result of the service they received.
I understand the temptation to blame DSS when a child dies - the alternative, that we as a society have failed, is almost too big to comprehend. If there's a worker or agency to blame, then you and I can worry less that it could be us who someday experiences such a devastating loss. But I know better. And you, the public, should have accurate information about the good work of our departments of social services so you know better, too.
Hundreds of people packed Hickory's Union Square Tuesday evening to remember Zahra Baker on what would have been her 11th birthday.
Though police now say Zahra is dead, the birth date of the once-missing child was an opportunity for the strangers who've been touched by the story of her disapperance to celebrate her life. Many people traveled from miles--even states--away to light candles in Zahra's memory at a vigil in central downtown Hickory.
"My wife and I just felt we had to be here," said Tom Trinchera, who came from Johnson City, Tennessee.
Hickory's mayor Rudy White spoke, as well as Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins.
"39 days ago, most of us did not know Zahra Baker, but in this past month, we have fallen in love with her and we are better people because of it," Chief Adkins said. He relayed stories he's heard from Zahra's friends and family during the investigation into her death. "Nothing would slow her down. She wanted no pity. She wanted to be like every other child."
"As you pass that flame on to your neighbor," explained Adrienne Opdyke, of the Catawba County Children's Protection Council, as participants lit candles, "Promise not to forget Zahra's story and promise to make a difference in the lives of the children that you know."
Zahra's stepmother's sister, April Fairchild, was at the vigil. She says her rocky relationship with her sister kept her from knowing Zahra well, but she describes this time as "painful" for her family.
"All we have ever wanted is just closure," she said. She said her sister Elisa, suspected but not charged in Zahra's disappearance, deserves punishment if its due, but "Adam Baker deserves to be sitting right beside of her...I just pray that just like everything else, Hickory Police Department, all of the law enforcement, all of the people who have helped--shed tears--about this case, does not let this fall through the cracks like she fell through the cracks with DSS."
On what would have been her 11th birthday there are cards, toys and flowers outside the home in Hickory where Zahra Baker lived. But there also some new banners and signs hung on the house, signs with an angry tone.
One calls for justice for her father Adam Baker and her stepmother, Elisa Baker.
Another sign demands to know why the girl was "thrown out like the trash."
District Attorney James Gaither, who is handling the Investigation, said in a lengthy interview Tuesday that he will not pressure Police investigators to make an arrest.
"It is not my responsibility to push them or make something happen when the investigation is ongoing," Gaither said.
Gaither says he understands the growing frustration over what happened to the 10-year old girl who so many feel they have come to know and wish they could have helped.
Certainly the recovery of the remains of Zahra Baker was a critical part of the investigation but it doesn't mean that investigation is complete or that we are ready at this point to go forward with charges.
Gaither also raised questions about Lisa Dubbs, the lawyer who has been appointed to represent Elisa Baker if she is charged with murder. Gaither questioned why Dubbs and a private investigator working for her went out and picked up important physical evidence in the case.
Dubbs told NewsChannel 36 that Gaither should know that the defense always has the right to look for evidence. She says that in this case the unspecified item was brought to Gaither himself to prove that Elisa Baker would cooperate truthfully.
Gaither says that is a matter he will continue to look into.
"I believe there are some reasonable minds that differ on whether that is an appropriate function of defense council," said Gaither.
Zahra Baker's body was dismembered and the remains hidden across several rural locations, a court document said for the first time Monday, days after police said that the 10-year-old cancer survivor is dead.
The court filing is a motion by Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, asking the court to reduce her $65,000 bond for obstruction of justice. The motion, filed Monday afternoon in Superior Court, provides specific and at times grisly details of what Elisa Baker says happened to the young girl's body.
The document doesn't indicate how Zahra died or who may be responsible, but the motion argues that Baker's bond should be reduced because of her extensive and continuing cooperation.
"The only credible evidence released to the public by law enforcement related to this case is evidence that was collected after Elisa Baker told law enforcement where to look and what to look for," the motion says.
Elisa Baker's attorneys met with her for two hours Monday, but declined to speak with reporters. They couldn't be reached for comment Monday night.
It wasn't clear Monday why Elisa Baker, in admitted some knowledge of Zahra's death, could be asking for a lower bond. Police haven't given a motive in the case.
Speculation has centered around Elisa and Adam Baker, Zahra's father, since shortly after the girl was reported missing on Oct. 9.
A family member interviewed by CNN's Nancy Grace described talking with Elisa Baker in jail.
"As we talked with her, she cried over missing Zahra and how her husband has left her to take all the blame for what has happened when he played a big part in this terrible situation," the cousin said in the interview. The cousin spoke on condition of anonymity because of death threats the family has received.
The owner of a crime memorabilia website is selling two letters he claims he received from Elisa Baker saying her stepdaughter, Zahra, is dead, and that her husband did something "horrifying" to the girl after her death.
"We didn't really kill her but what he did after the fact is kinda horrifying," says one of the letters Eric Gein claims he got from Elisa Baker, who is in jail. "Makes me scared of him."
In Monday's motion, they say she has been instrumental in the investigation into the death of the girl who moved to the United States from Australia in 2009, after her father Adam married Elisa Baker.
Zahra Baker, who was hearing-impaired and walked with the help of a prosthesis after losing her left leg to cancer, was reported missing by her father in a call to police.
On Friday, after more than a month of investigating, police said they had credible evidence that Zahra was dead, and had unearthed remains of a child they believe was Zahra.
Both Adam and Elisa Baker have denied any wrongdoing in the case. Elisa Baker was arrested on Oct. 10 on unrelated charges, then charged with obstruction of justice on Oct. 12 after investigators say she admitted writing a bogus ransom note.
According to Monday's motion to reduce bond, Elisa Baker told her attorneys on Oct. 22 that she had information about the disappearance and death of Zahra Baker.
Elisa Baker's defense attorneys notified police the next morning, indicating that Baker was willing to cooperate with investigators. But, they said, investigators had to move fast because weather could destroy evidence, according to the document.
Investigators were told that Zahra Baker was deceased, that her body had been dismembered and that body parts would be discovered at different sites. The defense team suggested that Baker needed to be present because of the remote locations of the sites.
Baker went out with law enforcement agents to three sites on Oct. 25, according to the court document. At each site, she described what would be found there and told officers where to look.
At one point, she was photographed by television news cameras inside a red SUV being driven by law enforcement agents.
The document says officers recovered the gel liner of the prosthetic leg near Christie Road in Hudson because of Baker. The site is near where Elisa Baker used to live.
Investigators also found evidence at two other sites because of Baker, the document says: a bone later identified as Zahra Baker's at the Christie Road site and remains believed to be those of Zahra Baker at another Caldwell County location along Dudley Shoals Road.
The document says Baker also directed investigators to other sites where possible evidence was located, including the dumpster where Zahra's mattress was discarded and undisclosed items found at the family's home.
Baker has continued to cooperate with authorities, the motion says. She was still in Catawba County jail Monday night. It was unclear Monday evening when a judge is expected to rule on the motion.
He seemed a little confused and unsure of his surroundings. Karl Kraus sat alone in a cell, his blue, watery eyes following me as I entered the holding area of a Chiang Mai courthouse. Karl Kraus is 90 years old, hard of hearing, frail and, according to the police, a dangerous pedophile.
I'd wandered into the cells sure I would be rebuffed. Instead, the Second World War veteran seemed keen to talk to me. He explained how the allegations against him are motivated by greedy neighbors. He claimed they are trying to blackmail him. It's an argument he will make to judges in the coming weeks. Karl Kraus is thought to be the oldest person ever accused of child molestation in Thailand's over-burdened penal system.
Last year, 2,888 people were charged with having sex with children under 15 in Thailand. Thailand has become the destination of choice for sex tourists looking to prey on children. But now the police are raising their game, determined to turn the tide.
Police Lt. Col. Apichart Hattasin leads a small but very determined unit of officers in Chiang Mai, all dedicated to tracking down pedophiles.
The workload is going up each month; officers here aren't sure whether that is because they are simply uncovering more cases, or whether more and more pedophiles are choosing to relocate to Thailand.
But Col. Apichart is on a mission to catch them and that's not easy. He opened his files to CNN, showing us dozens of surveillance videos, photos and cases histories of suspected pedophiles. While he and his men may be convinced someone may be sexually molesting children, proving it in court is another matter. Often a case pivots on the testimonies of the young victims and that means defendants are often tempted to buy off families.
"Money can change a lot, it can change even the mind of the victims." he said.
"The suspect might try to approach the victim or the family of the victims, to convince them or give bribery to make them change their statement. And if they change their statement, it could be different or totally different I would say. That is the most challenge."
And Col.Apichart is clear the law needs reform.
"There is no specific law about having child pornography in possession," he said. "Thailand should issue the new law about child pornography specifically."
Ronnasit Proeksayajiva is with a small NGO called the Counter Human Trafficking Unit. He works closely with Col. Apichart, often accompanying officers on raids. His assessment is frank -- and bleak.
"Honestly right now I don't think it is getting better, I think it is getting worse, because I don't know, maybe they believe that Thailand is the best place for them to come to have sex with the children."
Karl Kraus is alleged to have lured girls into his modest rundown bungalow in Doi Saket near Chiang Mai. Just a few houses away, I met the mother of the four girls Karl Kraus is accused of abusing. She denied his claim that she is trying to extort money from him. Instead she breaks down and weeps as she goes into harrowing detail about the ordeal her daughters endured. The youngest girl Kraus is accused of abusing is just seven years old.
Kraus' case has received media attention because of his age, but there are many thousands of other cases in Thailand, which largely go unreported. Like Swiss banker Cornel Wietlisbach, who pleaded guilty to abusing young boys in Chiang Mai -- he was facing a four year sentence, but this was halved because he cooperated with the police. In the end, he was granted parole immediately and was deported back to Switzerland after he'd paid a 4,000 baht fine (about $125).
Such cases do little to discourage pedophiles from coming to Thailand. Col. Apichart says online forums are abuzz with talk about Thailand being a child molesters' paradise.
"There is a group of the pedophiles online, it is a community, they talk with each other and they like to come to a third world country where the criminal justice system is not strong enough to deal with them."
Another case working its way through the penal system is that of Robert Cutler, a U.S. Fulbright Scholar teaching biology at a Chiang Mai University. The police accuse him of sexually abusing young boys, something Cutler denies. Col. Apichart had him under surveillance for weeks. The photos show Cutler talking to groups of young boys on the street and taking other boys swimming at a local pool. A video of a police search of his apartment revealed semi-clothed youths in his bedroom. All this will form part of the case against him, which is due to start later this month.
Col. Apichart has this message to pedophiles thinking of coming to Thailand: "I would welcome them to come here, I'm looking for them and if they think they can escape let's try. I will get them one way or another. I will make sure they get punished."
Pro football NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was indicted Wednesday by a suburban New York grand jury on charges of third-degree rape and patronizing a prostitute.
The indictment follows his May 6 arrest at a Holiday Inn in Ramapo, N.Y., where prosecutors say he paid a 16-year-old girl $300 to have sex with him.
Taylor had been charged previously in Ramapo Town Court, but the indictment transfers the case to Rockland County. He is scheduled to appear July 13.
The former New York Giants linebacker also was indicted on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, and sexual abuse and criminal sexual act in the third degree. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. He has denied the charges.
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said the 16-year-old told investigators that she had been verbally threatened and physically assaulted by a pimp who drove her 26 miles north to the hotel where Taylor was waiting.
"One of the most effective ways to target prostitution is to go after the johns,'' Zugibe said. "This indictment underscores our serious commitment to prosecuting those defendants who create a market for the region's growing sex trade.''
Taylor's attorney reiterated his client's innocence Wednesday.
"Mr. Taylor and his legal team made a strategic decision not to present any evidence to the grand jury, including him testifying or any witnesses in his defense,'' said defense attorney Arthur Aidala.
The evidence includes sworn testimony by a 23-year-old woman who says she accompanied the accused pimp and the 16-year-old girl to the hotel where Taylor was staying. She said Taylor did not rape the girl. The teenager returned to the car with $300 in cash and said: "It was weird ... we didn't even have sex.''
The statement was given to investigators working for the defense team and seen by The Associated Press on the condition she not be identified.
Taylor's longtime business manager, Mark Lepselter, said they were looking forward to the legal process "and Lawrence being able to move forward with his life.''
A federal criminal complaint filed against the accused pimp, Rasheed Davis, recounts the victim's version of events and makes no mention of a third person in the vehicle at the time of his arrest in the Bronx. Davis has been charged in federal court with sex trafficking.
Authorities said the teen did not know whom she was meeting at the hotel room. The girl sent text messages to her uncle saying she was in trouble, police said. He called the NYPD, who arrested the suspected pimp once he returned to the Bronx with the teenager. The girl provided information about the hotel.
Taylor anchored the Giants' defense and led them to Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991. He was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-time Team.
A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL's MVP in 1986 and Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986.
The weight-loss company NutriSystem Inc. dropped Taylor as a spokesman because of his arrest.
The man who authorities say set up Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor with a runaway for sex told the woman to tell Taylor she was 19 years old and not 16, according to a court statement taken from an FBI special agent.
The special agent filed the statement as part of the case against Rasheed Davis, who was charged with sex trafficking of a child in a federal complaint filed Friday in Manhattan federal court.
Davis was to appear in federal court later Friday on a charge of sex trafficking of a minor. If convicted, he faces at least 15 years in prison and could face a life sentence.
In the complaint, authorities claim the 51-year-old Taylor, referred to as "Client-1" in the document, told police following his arrest Thursday that he had taken a car service from Newark International Airport to a hotel north of New York City to meet "Victim-1."
Taylor told police officers in Ramapo, N.Y., that he admitted paying $300 in cash for sex with the 16-year-old runaway Wednesday.
The girl, who was reported missing by her family in March, met Davis at a Bronx bus stop two to three weeks ago. The federal complaint says she told investigators that the 36-year-old parolee offered her a place to live and a way to make money.
She said that Davis gave her Ecstasy and marijuana before causing her "to engage in multiple commercial sex acts" for prices ranging from $80 to $150. He advertised her services by sending cell phone photos of her and posting ads on websites, the complaint says.
On Wednesday, Davis sent the girl a text message in which he said he wanted her to have sex with "Client-1" for $300, the complaint says. When she refused, Davis assaulted her, drove her to the hotel against her will and waited outside while she had sex with Taylor, it says.
Late Wednesday and early Thursday, the girl sent text messages to her uncle saying she was in trouble. The uncle called police, who arrested Davis once he returned to the Bronx with the teenager.
Police believe Taylor used a middleman to arrange the liaison, but said Friday they hadn't identified that person.
Davis was sentenced in April 1994 to eight to 25 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter. He was paroled in March 2008.
Taylor, the former star player for the New York Giants, was charged Thursday with third-degree rape and patronizing a prostitute. His lawyer, Arthur Aidala, has denied the charges, saying Taylor did not have sex with the girl and did not rape her.
Ramapo Chief of Police Peter Brower would not comment on whether Taylor knew the girl's age; third-degree rape is a charge levied when the victim is under the age of consent, which is 17 in New York.
Taylor was released on $75,000 bail and is due back in court on June 10.
Taylor anchored the Giants' defense and led them to Super Bowls titles in 1987 and 1991. He was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.
A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986.
The weight-loss company NutriSystem Inc. said Friday it had dropped Taylor as a spokesman because of his arrest.
NFL Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was arrested Thursday in connection with a reported rape in the New York City suburbs, police said. The victim reportedly was a 15-year-old girl.
Ramapo Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said the former New York Giants linebacker had not been formally charged, but that police were investigating a reported rape that occurred earlier Thursday at a hotel in Montebello.
According to lohud.com, the victim was underage and was beaten during the attack. Taylor was charged with third-degree rape, the web site reported.
Police said they would hold a news conference Thursday afternoon. They did not immediately respond to questions about the circumstances of the arrest and whether Taylor, 51, had a lawyer.
Taylor was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1999 and competed in ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” last year. He had a highly publicized struggle with drug addiction and has had multiple legal run-ins in retirement.
A quick, fierce and athletic linebacker who redefined his position, Taylor anchored the Giants’ defense and led New York to Super Bowls titles in 1987 and 1991. He was selected to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.
A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986. He recorded 132.5 sacks, which doesn’t included the 9.5 sacks in 1981 when the statistic wasn’t official.
In 2001, Taylor was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia in New Jersey. The conviction stemmed from the September 1998 discovery in a hotel room of a butane torch and other materials commonly used to smoke crack.
In 1996 and 1997, he was arrested in South Carolina and Florida on drug charges. In those cases, he either admitted his guilt or agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program.
In 2000, he drew five years of federal probation for filing false tax returns and for tax evasion.
A 13-year-old Yemeni girl has died of injuries to her genitals four days after a family-arranged marriage, a human rights group said.
The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in Yemen and has drawn the attention of international rights groups seeking to pressure the government to outlaw child marriages. Legislation that would make it illegal for those under the age of 17 to marry is in serious peril after strong opposition from some of Yemen's most influential Islamic leaders.
The 13-year-old girl from Hajja province, northwest of the capital, died on April 2, four days after her marriage to a 23-year-old man, said Majed al-Madhaji, a spokesman for the Sisters Arab Forum for Human Rights. A medical report from al-Thawra hospital said she suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding.
Authorities detained the husband.
The Yemeni rights group said the girl was married off in an agreement between two men to marry each other's sisters to avoid having to pay expensive bride-prices. The group said that was a common arrangement in the deeply impoverished country.
Yemen's gripping poverty plays a role in hindering efforts to stamp out the practice, as poor families find themselves unable to say no to bride-prices in the hundreds of dollars for their daughters.
More than a quarter of Yemen's females marry before age 15, according to a report last year by the Social Affairs Ministry. Tribal custom also plays a role, including the belief that a young bride can be shaped into an obedient wife, bear more children and be kept away from temptation.
Last month, a group of the country's highest Islamic authorities declared those supporting a ban on child marriages to be apostates.
A February 2009 law set the minimum age for marriage at 17, but it was repealed and sent back to parliament's constitutional committee for review after some lawmakers called it un-Islamic. The committee is expected to make a final decision on the legislation this month.
Some of the clerics who signed the decree against a ban sit on the committee.
Further imperiling the effort is the weak government's reluctance to confront the clerics and other conservative tribal officials, whose support is essential to their fragile hold on power.
The issue of Yemen's child brides got widespread attention three years ago when an 8-year-old girl boldly went by herself to a courtroom and demanded a judge dissolve her marriage to a man in his 30s. She eventually won a divorce, and legislators began looking at ways to curb the practice.
In September, a 12-year-old Yemeni child-bride died after struggling for three days in labor to give birth, a local human rights organization said.
Yemen once set 15 as the minimum age for marriage, but parliament annulled that law in the 1990s, saying parents should decide when a daughter marries.
Two adults and three juveniles have been charged with gang-raping a 7-year-old girl who was sold by her 15-year-old stepsister during a party at a crime-ridden apartment building, police said Saturday.
Details on the arrests were announced at a Saturday night news conference at police headquarters in Trenton, the state's capital city.
The arrested people include Gregory Joseph Leary, a 20-year-old man who already had been charged Friday with having sex with the 15-year-old. The other four are a Tiemear Lewis, a 19-year-old Trenton man and three boys ages 13, 14 and 17. Each was charged with aggravated sexual assault and child endangerment.
Police said further arrests may be made.
Authorities say the 7-year-old girl was offered for sale by her 15-year-old stepsister on March 28. They say the teen went to a party with some men on the 13th floor of the Rowan Towers apartment building and the younger girl tagged along because she worried about her stepsister's safety.
Police say the 15-year-old sold sex to men, then took money to let them touch the younger girl. They say touching turned to forcible sex as at least seven men raped the 7-year-old.
Before the arrest announcements, the 15-year-old had been charged with promoting prostitution, aggravated sexual assault and other crimes; police have not released her name, and she remained in juvenile detention Saturday night.
Mayor Doug Palmer said he met with the victim's relatives at his office on Thursday to offer help and make sure they were able to move out of the neighborhood over safety concerns.
"We made sure they got out of the area," he said Saturday afternoon, before the news conference.
He credited the police force for its hard work but said "we're still not finished." He pledged to spare no expense "to make sure that everyone responsible is brought to justice."
"We're still asking the community to let us know if they have any more information on this heinous crime," he said.
Palmer met with the parents, the 7-year-old girl and her two younger siblings. The woman is the mother of the 7-year-old girl, and the man she lives with is the father of the 15-year-old. The man and woman also have two toddlers together.
He said police officers had taken the case "very personally." Police Director Irving Bradley would only say "it's still an active investigation."
Police earlier in the week were urging residents to come forward, but neighbors said they were scared of retaliation from gangs that prowl the streets if they spoke up.
Rowan Towers sits on a stretch of West State Street near downtown Trenton and is surrounded by blocks of abandoned, boarded-up homes. It's fronted by a well-manicured lawn and features a colorful playground and a basketball court. An American flag hangs from a pole to the right of the front door.
Rowan Tower has a bad reputation. Gangs walk the streets nearby, and police are a constant, and some say ineffective, presence at the 15-story apartment building a stone's throw from the Statehouse's golden dome.
A 13-year-old girl was killed last year in a drive-by shooting a block away, and not a single person stepped forward to help police identify the attackers. This week, though, the mothers, grandmothers and children who live in the tower saw crime there sink to a new depth.
The reported gang rape of a 7-year-old girl who police say was offered for sale by her 15-year-old stepsister to a group of grown men has shocked residents and put them in a quandary. If they identify the men responsible, they risk violent retaliation from the street gangs that stalk the neighborhood.
"We are mothers," said tenant Shawntel Abner. "If we aren't here, there is no one to watch our children. You are asking a lot of us. You are asking us to put our lives on the line."
Police said the rape unfolded this way:
The 15-year-old went to a party Sunday with some young men on the 13th floor of the building; her 7-year-old stepsister tagged along because she worried about the older girl's safety.
The 15-year-old sold sex to men in the room, then took money to let them touch the younger girl. Touching turned to forcible sex as at least seven men raped the 7-year-old. The little girl then put her clothes on and left the apartments. That's when two women found her crying and took her home.
The 15-year-old has been charged with promoting prostitution, aggravated sexual assault and other crimes; police have not released her name.
A 20-year-old man has been charged with having sex with the 15-year-old, but police don't know who might have attacked the 7-year-old. Officials say, though, that someone in Rowan Tower does and are urging, even threatening, neighbors to identify them.
"People absolutely know who these men are," Mayor Doug Palmer told The Associated Press on Friday. "If you were there and didn't participate, you really need to come forward. If you don't come forward, then you are going to be charged like you participated."
'We all care'
Rowan Tower sits on a stretch of West State Street near downtown Trenton and is surrounded by blocks of abandoned, boarded-up homes. It's fronted by a well-manicured lawn and features a colorful playground and a basketball court. An American flag hangs from a pole to the right of the front door.
Tammy Blake lives in apartment 13-F, just down the hall from where the rapes are said to have happened. She said that she didn't hear anything but that loud music and raucous behavior are the standard, not the exception, in the building.
"You get so used to the way things are here," said Blake, 47. "We all care because this is where we live."
But fear, she said, keeps people quiet.
"It's hard for us because there's drugs, crime and gangs," she said. "If we speak out, we never know what's going to happen. There could be someone kicking our door in and putting a gun in our face because they heard or saw that we were talking to someone. People here, they're thinking about their lives. It's not that they're being inconsiderate about the 7-year-old girl."
Neighbor William Johnson said police come and go from the tower all the time.
"I don't see how that can happen," he said of the rape. "Where were the adults at?"
Sixty-year-old Frances Claridy has lived in the building for 19 years and said that there are good neighbors and bad — and that the two groups don't socialize.
"Our apartments are good," Claridy said. "It's just some people in this building are not."
Unrelated sweep
Claridy and several other residents were picked up on warrants for minor infractions Thursday during a police sweep, an effort Palmer says was planned before the report of the March 28 rape. But those caught up in the raid said police clearly had the girl's rape on their minds.
In 2009, the same neighborhood was reeling from drive-by shooting death of 13-year-old Tamrah Leonard during a block party for a City Council candidate less than a block from the tower. Not even cash would drew information out, Palmer said.
"People knew," he said. "They even offered a reward, and no one took it."
The size of Trenton's police force did not budge in 2008, according to data from the attorney general's office, despite an increase in rape and thefts in the city. Law enforcement agencies, however, appeared to be making progress as violent crime overall was slightly down.
The rape case comes as Trenton stands to lose police officers to layoffs if state lawmakers approve a $42.3 million reduction in aid.
Gov. Chris Christie told the AP he was floored by reports of the rape.
"What happened in Trenton with that young girl is deplorable," Christie said Thursday. "For a parent, it's nightmare-inducing."
Destroying Tiffany Wright's Character to free a Violent, Repeat Offender (Royce Mitchell) with a criminal background of Murder, is exactly what North Carolina & Charlotte DSS Officials are attempting to do.
Why?
Its a Charlotte DSS Cover up. Continuing reading and you'll learn more about this disturbing tragedy.
Here are 17 Important Facts in Tiffany Wright's Murder case.
After reading them you decide whether or not you believe Charlotte-Mecklenburg County's DSS Dept is Legally & Solely Liable for Tiffany Wright's death:
Some of those individuals listed are also Fraternity/Sorority associates, Masons and Church friends.
2) On September 14, 2009 Tiffany Wright, a pregnant, African-American teen living within North Carolina's Foster Care system, was shot to death while standing at her school bus stop.
3) Tiffany Wright, Tiffany Wright's Family, Royce Mitchell and Mitchell's Co-Murder Conspirator Adrian Powell, all hail from Buffalo, NY.
What a coincidence.
4) The City of Charlotte hired Royce Mitchell a dangerous Convicted, Violent Felon with an extensive Criminal History.
After serving 5 years in Federal Prison, he was released for "good behavior".
Mitchell's criminal past also includes Stabbing people & Murder.
Yet....
He was released early for "good behavior"? Go Figure.
5) Royce Mitchell was Indicted for another Murder (in New York) but mysteriously acquitted at Trial.
I guess his Colombian Drug Lords paid off New York Prison Officials just like they probably tried to influence Charlotte Officials.
6) Royce Mitchell was also a Freemason which provided him with "Special" connections.
No doubt Mitchell's Freemason connections, his Light-Skinned, Bad Boy looks and most likely FEAR helped him land a job with the City of Charlotte despite his terrible past.
Can you believe someone with his background was hired by the City of Charlotte?
7) Royce Mitchell's Wife filed a complaint against him for Domestic Violence (he beat her) and separated from him.
8) After his wife left him, Charlotte DSS Officials allowed Royce Mitchell a Convicted Felon with a dangerous criminal history which includes Drug Trafficking ($1M a year in Cocaine Trafficking) & Murder, to have temporary custody of Tiffany Wright after her Foster Care Mother died.
No one was residing in the home but this Violent Drug Dealer (Mitchell) and a 15-year-old girl of which NC DSS Officials didn't seem to care two cents about.
A recipe for Statutory Rape disaster don't you agree?
9) Royce Mitchell had Sex with Tiffany Wright and she became pregnant not longer after.
According to NC Statutes, this constitutes as Statutory Rape:
§ 14‑27.7A. Statutory rape or sexual offense of person who is 13, 14, or 15 years old.
(a) A defendant is guilty of a Class B1 felony if the defendant engages in vaginal intercourse or a sexual act with another person who is 13, 14, or 15 years old and the defendant is at least six years older than the person, except when the defendant is lawfully married to the person.
(b) A defendant is guilty of a Class C felony if the defendant engages in vaginal intercourse or a sexual act with another person who is 13, 14, or 15 years old and the defendant is more than four but less than six years older than the person, except when the defendant is lawfully married to the person. (1995, c. 281, s. 1.)
10) After Tiffany Wright reported to Charlotte DSS Officials she had Sex with Royce Mitchell, they still allowed her to remain in Mitchell's home for several more weeks before removing her.
11) Charlotte Police detectives interviewed Tiffany.
12) Despite her unstable, painful life, Tiffany's Teachers stated she was a good student, who dreamed of becoming a Lawyer like Michelle Obama(one of her idols).
13) Prior to her tragic death Royce Mitchell tried to influence and force Tiffany into having an Abortion because he thought the baby she was carrying was his. When she refused not longer after she was Murdered. Shot three times while standing at her school bus stop.
Strangely enough Tiffany Wright was shot after her new Foster Care mother who usually waits with Tiffany at the bus stop until the bus arrives, went back in the house to get something.
Is this a coincidence?
I think not. (Planned, Pre-Meditated Murder Conspiracy)
14) Now Charlotte Law Enforcement Officials and the Charlotte Observer want you to believe Adrian Powell (the other Murder Suspect) is the real father of Tiffany's dead baby.
If you believe Adrian Powell(Murder Suspect no. 2) is the father of Tiffany Wright's dead baby, I have some swamp land in Florida I want to sell you.
If so than why did it take Charlotte's Medical Examiner Office & Charlotte DSS six months to reveal this fact?
What were they trying to hide?
(For the record I don't have any swamp land in Florida to sell.)
15) After Tiffany's death a Warrant was issued for Royce Mitchell's arrest.
The charge? Statutory Rape.
Since Mitchell was on Federal Probation, that illegal act violated his probation and landed him back in Jail per a Fair, Honest Federal Judge.
16) The Charlotte D.A.'s Office and Charlotte's Criminal Justice System has a long history of practicing Racial Discrimination, including intentionally failing to prosecute Killers of Charlotte's Black Youth.
17) The Charlotte Observer, NC DSS, Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Commissioners, Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Manager and Charlotte DSS are now involved in a Cover-Up of Tiffany Wright's horrible, premature Death.
A death caused through NO fault of her own!
Now if Tiffany had been related to a Black Fraternity/ Sorority or Black Politician member it would have been a different story. But unfortunately she wasn't.
During her young life she was Molested on numerous occasions and had engaged in many Sexual encounters.
To Tiffany having sex with Royce Mitchell was normal because NO One had taught her differently.
What about her Foster Mother?
Its obvious she had not.
I'm not saying Tiffany Wright's Foster Mother Alma Wright wasn't a good person but most of the time people just adopt or raise Foster Care Children to get a Check, not because they really love them.
Charlotte's current D.A. Peter Gilchrist, a man widely known for NOT doing anything to punish Killers of Charlotte's Black Youth, didn't want to do anything to bring Royce Mitchell to Justice.
Peter Gilchrist considers ALL of Charlotte's Black Youth to be "thugs" who don't deserve to live, much less walk on the same of the street he walks on.
Gilchrist claims because Tiffany was dead she couldn't defend herself.
Let's see how many Killers of dead White Women has Peter Gilchrist prosecuted?
I'll remind you of one, Kim Thomas.
Kim Thomas was a Wealthy, White Charlotte Woman murdered in 1990.
Charlotte's Lopsided, Racist Criminal Justice System prosecuted and punished Kim's Killer even though she wasn't alive to "Defend" herself either.
Kim Thomas' Wealthy White, Influential husband was eventually charged with her Murder but the charges were dropped after he raised a ruckus.
A Black Man was later linked to and imprisoned for her death.
Now a New probe has been opened into the Kim Thomas Murder Case.
All of this "Justice" has taken place and yet Kim Thomas NEVER testified to defend herself because she's DEAD! Just like Tiffany Wright.
In addition there are no Character Assassination tactics being used against Kim Thomas, as in the case of Tiffany Wright.
How was Charlotte's current D.A. (Peter Gilchrist) able to prosecute someone for Kim Thomas death but yet NOT do so for Tiffany Wright's?
Both were Murdered, neither could testify to defend themselves, however their cases were handled with different levels of Justice.
So other than Racism what's Peter Gilchrist's excuse?
I presume that since Tiffany Wright was Black and Poor, she wasn't a victim of Statutory Rape.
No since she was Black, she was just a Whore in Peter Gilchrist's, in the eyes of Charlotte DSS and in the eyes of Charlotte Observer Editorial Staff.
Did Charlotte Police botch Tiffany Wright's case? NO!
Charlotte's Racist D.A.'s Office did!
(North Carolina's Criminal Justice System is extremely Racist. No doubt Gilchrist is a part of that racism. How else can he explain NOT doing anything to punish Killers of Charlotte's Black Youth?)
Even though the Charlotte Police had collected evidence linking Royce Mitchell to Tiffany Wright's Murder and despite Mitchell's terrible, Violent past Gilchrist claimed "he didn't have a case".
Even though Charlotte's Police department presented ALL their evidence to Peter Gilchrist and was willing to fully cooperate, he still claimed "he didn't have a case".
I wonder which North Carolina and Charlotte's "Powers that be" influenced him NOT to pursue this case.
I wonder if any of Royce Mitchell's Freemason or Drug Lord Connections also influenced Peter Gilchrist NOT to prosecute Royce Mitchell.
Don't forget Royce Mitchell a $1Million a year Drug Dealer, was previously Indicted for Murder in New York but somehow mysteriously acquitted at Trial.
Also Don't forget that Gilchrist is a part of North Carolina's Racist Criminal Justice System.
Thanks to a Federal Judge and Federal Prosecutors, at his Probation Violation Hearing, Royce Mitchell was found to have violated his Probation for sleeping with Tiffany (Statutory Rape).
He was than sent back to jail for a measly 30 months.
Now its time to charge him with Murder.
Do I believe Royce Mitchell is directly linked to Tiffany's Murder? Yes!
Do I believe Royce Mitchell paid Adrian Powell to shoot and kill Tiffany? Yes!
Do I believe Adrian Powell is the real father of Tiffany's baby? No!
Do I believe Royce Mitchell is the REAL father of Tiffany's baby? Yes!
Do I believe Royce Mitchell should spend the rest of his life in Prison? Yes!
Do I believe Adrian Powell should spend the rest of his life in Prison too? Yes!
Do I believe Charlotte Officials are afraid of Royce Mitchell? Yes!
Do I believe the Federal Gov't needs to remain involved in this Murder case because the local Legal System is Corrupt & Racist? Yes!
Do I believe Charlotte DSS is solely responsible for Tiffany death due to their extreme Negligence?
Yes and they know it which is why they are trying to destroy her name with these Charlotte Observer Character Assassination articles.
Do I believe there is definitely a Charlotte DSS Cover Up taking place? Yes!
Double Jeopardy won't allow the American Criminal Justice to try Mitchell again for the previous Murders (he was acquitted at Trial) but his past is proven to be extremely Dangerous and Violent.
Since the people responsible for Tiffany's death are Corrupt Democrats and Pres. Obama is a Democrat known for slinging "Chicago Politics" because he only cares about the next election, its obvious we can't count on him to help.
Pres. Obama is so desperate for votes to pass his Health Care Plan which is going to hurt our nation more so than help it (Debt), I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't somehow involved in Tiffany Wright's Murder Case Cover Up just to get enough votes.
With the exception of perhaps one or two people (NOT Mayor Anthony Foxx), Charlotte doesn't have any real, Bold, Black Leaders who are willing to stand up for our Black Youth.
Certainly NOT the tired local NAACP! (Charlotte's NAACP is a Joke.)
However we can count on JESUS to be her Advocate and to properly vindicate her!
Tiffany Wright's Killers WILL be bought to Justice along with everyone involved in the cover up of her Murder.
Now check out the articles & videos below which help to prove that Charlotte DSS is Negligent for Tiffany Wright's death, to learn more about Charlotte DSS's Cover Up scheme and Charlotte Racist D.A.'s Office.
Timeline compiled from court and prison records and interviews with family members and police:
NOV. 4, 1993: Tiffany Wright is born in Buffalo, N.Y.
1995-1996: At age 2, Tiffany is put in foster care in Buffalo, N.Y., with Alma Wright, who later adopts her.
1999: Royce Mitchell, Wright's grown son, is indicted in Buffalo and later convicted in connection with a drug trafficking operation.
NOV. 2003: Mitchell is indicted in a 1998 murder but acquitted at trial.
2004: Wright and Tiffany move to Kings Mountain.
APRIL 2007: Mitchell is released from federal prison and is under four years' post-release supervision. He moves to Charlotte and gets a job as a city street maintenance worker.
JAN. 25, 2009: Wright dies of natural causes at age 77.
JAN. 30, 2009: Tiffany's adoptive brother, Mitchell, seeks to become her legal guardian.
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009: Tiffany gets pregnant.
FEB. 5: The court appoints Mitchell as temporary guardian.
FEB. 27: A court orders a home study of Mitchell's household. Tiffany is soon placed in foster care again.
JULY 27: DSS reports allegation of statutory rape by Mitchell, police say.
AUG. 19: Police interview Tiffany.
AUG. 20: CMPD detective Teresa Johnson leaves message for Mitchell to come talk to police. When he doesn't respond, she phones social workers and a probation officer over the next two weeks to get the message to Mitchell.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 11: Detectives leave a message for Mitchell's wife, asking her to call back to talk about Tiffany.
MONDAY, SEPT. 14: Tiffany is shot and killed at her school bus stop. Her daughter, named Aaliyah, is delivered at Carolinas Medical Center. Mitchell is arrested and charged with statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a child.
SUNDAY: Baby Aaliyah dies after a week in critical condition.
It's a tragedy that's taken many twists and turns. A pregnant Charlotte teen gunned down at a bus stop.
The latest twist ... who the baby's father is.
Sources tell NewsChannel 36, DNA proved 17-year-old Adrian Powell, a former West Meck student, was the father of Tiffany Wright's baby.
"It does give me some pause," says Dr. Jennifer Hartman, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at UNCC.
Wright and Royce Mitchell have been linked. She was 8-months pregnant when she was murdered last September at her school bus stop. Mitchell was initially named as a person of interest.
Testifying at a hearing for Mitchell, Powell told a federal judge Wright kept calling and telling him he was the daddy.
But Powell said he wore a condom and they had sex last May, and the timing was all wrong.
Hartman says none of the new information looks good for Powell.
"Did he lie, I think it’s a convenient defense right now and I think it will be interesting to see what happens as this case unfolds," says Hartman.
Powell moved to Buffalo, N.Y., shortly after the killing.
Wright's grandmother also lives there.
"I think at this point it's time for Charlotte to make Adrian Powell come down and answer a few questions like 'why did you lie?' " says Shirley Boston, Tiffany Wright's grandmother.
Police still have not made an arrest in this case, but say they are confident that they will.
Police are investigating “a person of interest” other than Dr. Ed Friedland in the murder 20 years ago of his wife Kim Thomas.
Though Charlotte-Mecklenburg police declined Tuesday to say whether Friedland is no longer a suspect, it is the first time since the mid-1990s that the department has acknowledged investigating anyone other than Friedland.
This latest development in the high-profile murder case comes two weeks after police revealed that new evidence had surfaced. They won’t say what that evidence is.
In a Feb. 24 letter to the chief of police and the district attorney, Friedland’s lawyer asked they indicate that the new evidence does not relate to Friedland, “preferably stating that Dr. Friedland is no longer a suspect.”
Attorney David Rudolf’s letter noted that a newspaper in Pensacola, Fla., where Friedland now lives, planned to publish a story about the case. Without a statement exonerating Friedland, Rudolf wrote, the newspaper story would “do enormous damage to the medical practice he has worked so hard to build in that community.”
A response from CMPD police attorney Mark Newbold stopped short of clearing Friedland. “I have been advised,” Newbold wrote, “that a person of interest other than Dr. Friedland is currently being investigated by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in connection with the murder of Kim Thomas.” Newbold declined to elaborate, either about Friedland’s status in the case or about the other person.
Friedland, a kidney specialist, has claimed for 15 years that Marion Gales killed Thomas. Gales lived nearby and did yard work for the couple, and was seen in their neighborhood the morning of her murder, July 27, 1990.
Police said in court that Gales and at least five people other than Friedland were suspects early in the investigation, but they had been cleared through fingerprint analysis or interviews. Police contended Friedland killed Thomas as a way out of their marriage.
The killer handcuffed Thomas, chased her through her home off Wendover Road and slashed her more than 20 times. The murder gripped the city not only because of its brutality, but also because of suspicion that Friedland was the killer.
Police charged him four years later, and since then the case has been in and out of the news. A prosecutor dropped the criminal charge in 1995 due to insufficient evidence. Then Friedland sued Gales in civil court for wrongful death and a jury in 1997 awarded Friedland $8.6 million.
Friedland also filed a malicious prosecution suit against police, but a judge dismissed that lawsuit in 2001, ruling that authorities had reasonable grounds to prosecute him.
To families involved in the case, it looked as if the murder might never be solved. But in 2008, two things happened that brought the case back into the news:
Gales was charged with killing a female acquaintance, and is now in prison in Tabor City.
Investigators turned to a new "touch DNA" technology that allows forensic scientists to scrape evidence for skin cells left by someone who may have briefly touched the items. The extracted genetic material can help identify a suspect.
Police won’t say whether that’s the new evidence in the case or to whom the evidence points.
Royce Mitchell was pressuring 15-year-old Tiffany Wright to end her pregnancy - and took her to an abortion clinic - according to new court documents that may shed light on why police say Mitchell should be prosecuted for statutory rape.
The documents, released Tuesday, say Mitchell took Tiffany - his adopted sister - to a Charlotte abortion clinic in mid-July but was turned away because, at 21 weeks of pregnancy, she was too far along.
Within days, Mitchell planned a trip to an Atlanta clinic where Tiffany's pregnancy could be terminated, the documents say. Tiffany refused to go.
On Sept. 14, Tiffany, a Hawthorne High junior, was fatally shot as she waited for her school bus on Mallard Creek Road. Doctors delivered her baby girl, but the infant died.
The new information comes in affidavits from the day of the killing, when police sought search warrants for Mitchell's south Charlotte home and an apartment police say he visited that day.
Police call Mitchell, 36, a "person of interest" in the killing, but they haven't charged him. On the day of Tiffany's death, Mitchell was jailed on charges of statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with Tiffany.
But those charges were dropped last week by prosecutors after a DNA test showed Mitchell was not the father of her baby. Without Tiffany alive to testify about her relationship with Mitchell, prosecutors said the case lacked enough evidence.
The move angered Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, who criticized the prosecutors' decision. Police said they believe there's "probable cause" based on "evidence gathered" to prosecute Mitchell on the sex charges - even without DNA evidence.
The affidavits released Tuesday say Tiffany's foster parents reported that Mitchell picked her up on July 20 at about 10:30 p.m. "to take her to visit a dying relative." Tiffany later reported she was really being held against her will by Mitchell and an unidentified female "as they attempted to convince Tiffany to engage in an abortion by non-medical personnel," the affidavits say.
The documents also say that Mitchell scheduled an abortion in Atlanta for the next day and wanted to pick up Tiffany at 5 a.m. from the foster home. But Tiffany refused.
The affidavit also says that Mitchell moved away from his wife and kids in July, at the request of the Department of Social Services, because of allegations he'd committed statutory rape with Tiffany. But Mitchell's wife told detectives that he showed up at the house at 6:45 a.m. on Sept. 14, less than an hour after Tiffany was shot. He took a shower and changed his clothes, the affidavit says.
Police seized a T-shirt, shorts, a tank top and a letter during their search of the home.
Police declined to discuss how Mitchell's actions alleged in the affidavits might have aided the prosecution. Deputy Chief David Graham said he can't comment, but said, in general: "No one piece of evidence standing alone means much, but when tied together helps establish direction for an investigation and possible motive."
Mecklenburg District Attorney Peter Gilchrist stood by his decision to drop the sex charges, saying his office knew about the information in the affidavits.
That evidence, he said, can't be used in court because it's hearsay evidence, and Tiffany can't testify to corroborate it. "What a person who is dead may have told someone else is not admissible," Gilchrist said.
He said defendants must be able to cross-examine those who testify against them.
Mitchell remains in the Mecklenburg jail. He's accused of violating the conditions of his release from federal prison in 2007 because sex charges were brought against him.
Mitchell served five years for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy in Buffalo, N.Y., and remains under federal supervision. The conditions of his release require that Mitchell have a job, meet regularly with a federal officer and stay out of trouble.
Mitchell lost his job on a street crew for the city of Charlotte after he was charged with statutory rape. A city news release said he was fired for "falsifying his employment application, which is in violation of city policy."
Mitchell has a hearing set for Thursday in federal court. A judge must decide whether there's probable cause that Mitchell violated the conditions of his release and whether he should remain jailed without bond while the federal case proceeds.
If a judge later finds that Mitchell violated the terms, he could be sent back to prison.
To prove a violation, prosecutors have a lower burden than they would at trial. They must prove only that the preponderance of the evidence shows that Mitchell committed sex acts with Tiffany, but need not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.
"When state prosecutors dismissed the charges, they didn't say he didn't do it," said Greg Forest, chief of the federal probation office in Charlotte. "They said they didn't feel like they had the evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt....We don't have to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
New details have emerged over the case of a mother who police say left her kids home alone and they later died in a house fire.
Newschannel 36 has learned the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services had been investigating Orgal Opata for repeatedly leaving her child home alone with claims going back two years.
One-year-old Gabriel Hawthorne and his big brother, two-year-old Josiah, were both killed in that fire.
They were left home alone with their four-year-old brother and seven-year-old sister when fire swept through the family's home on Rowan Street.
“It’s a tragedy for all of us,” says Mecklenburg County Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts.
But could the tragedy have been prevented?
NewsChannel 36 has learned DSS had been called to the home in October, 2009.
Court documents show that's when Josiah was found wandering the street in his diaper.
DSS released a statement showing the agency had actually been dealing with Opata since June 2008, when DSS got a referral alleging the children were left unattended.
DSS provided sleeping materials and recommended services for Opata and the case was closed in august of 2008.
But then came the October 2009 incident.
In a statement from DSS they say a social worker was assigned to the case and had regular contact with Opata.
They go onto say all information obtained by DSS indicated the children were receiving appropriate supervision.
The deadly fire happened just four months later.
The county oversees DSS and the commission chair plans to figure out if the agency could have done more to save these kids.
“Once something has happened you never feel like it was enough, you always ask 'could we have done something more, could we have noticed one more thing, one more phone call or one more intervention?' We may ask for additional information just for a comfort level, to know that protocols were followed and things were done as they should have been,” Roberts says.
Tiffany Wright stood alone in the dark, waiting for her school bus.
It was just before 6 a.m., and her foster grandmother had walked back home to get Tiffany's water bottle.
Tiffany, 15, was eight months pregnant but determined to stay on track in school. She wanted to be a lawyer. And after just a few weeks at Hawthorne High, she had impressed teachers as smart and ambitious, despite a difficult childhood.
At 5:51, Tiffany sent a text.
"Wheres the bus?"
One stop away, replied her friend, already on the bus.
At 5:55, as the bus lumbered toward Tiffany's stop, people began calling police to report gunshots.
A school bus dispatcher radioed Tiffany's bus driver: Change course - something's happening ahead.
Tiffany lay dead in the road, shot in the head, that morning, Monday, Sept. 14. Her baby girl was delivered at the hospital and lived a week, but died Sunday.
Nobody's charged in the killings, but police call Tiffany's adoptive brother, Royce Mitchell, a "person of interest."
In the months before she died, local agencies took steps aimed at stabilizing her home life and keeping her safe. But her story exposes failures in the system that was supposed to protect her.
Among the missteps:
•In February, a Mecklenburg court clerk appointed Mitchell as Tiffany's temporary guardian - even though he was a felon who served time in federal prison. He was also tried in 2006 for murder, but found not guilty. And last year, he was accused of domestic violence, though the case was dismissed.
•In July, social workers told police that Mitchell, 36, might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany, but police didn't question him about it for seven weeks, and didn't charge him with the rape until after Tiffany was killed.
•This month, Mecklenburg social services failed to cut off communication between Tiffany, who was in foster care, and Mitchell, said a source close to the investigation.
On the day of Tiffany's killing, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police jailed Mitchell for statutory rape and indecent liberties with a child, naming Tiffany as the victim.
Police defend their work, saying they followed the industry's best practices - which takes time. Police didn't feel a need to rush, they say, because they believed Tiffany was secure, hidden in a foster home with no threat to her safety.
Police say it's hard to prove statutory rape: Of the 262 reports of statutory rape police received over three years, only 16 percent - 42 cases - were accepted by prosecutors.
Experts say statutory rape cases are complicated because they involve victims ages 13, 14 or 15 who often consider themselves voluntary participants in sex with someone at least six years older. So victims can be reluctant to help police.
But child advocates say in cases like Tiffany's, police should act more aggressively. An immediate arrest sends a signal to a suspect and can persuade them to stay away from victims.
"The cases may be difficult to win, but they're not difficult to charge," says Brett Loftis of Charlotte's Council for Children's Rights.
UNCC criminologist Paul Friday says: "Often, nothing is done in these kinds of cases because they're based on improper assumptions about the rationality of someone that age. But the minors are often unaware of disease, birth control and they can be exploited by someone."
Adopted by foster mother
Tiffany first entered the child welfare system as a toddler in Buffalo, N.Y., when her mother lost custody.
She was adopted at 4 by her foster mother, Alma Wright, an older woman with eight grown children, who was excited about raising another child.
One of Wright's grown sons was Royce Mitchell, a star quarterback in high school who'd gone on to play for a semi-pro team in Buffalo. But Mitchell also was indicted in 1999 as part of a drug trafficking ring and went to federal prison.
While he was in prison, authorities also charged Mitchell with an earlier murder, but a jury found him not guilty.
In 2004, Alma and Tiffany left Buffalo for North Carolina, settling near Kings Mountain. Tiffany made friends easily at school and church. She ran track at Bessemer City High School.
In 2007, Mitchell was released from prison and followed his mother to North Carolina.
But last fall, Alma Wright got sick. Friends at church helped out with Tiffany, inviting her for dinners and weekends. Tiffany spent time with Mitchell and his wife, too.
Alma Wright died Jan. 25, and Tiffany moved in with the Mitchells in Charlotte.
On Jan. 30, Royce Mitchell asked a Mecklenburg court to appoint him and his wife as Tiffany's guardians.
On his application, he wrote: "We are seeking guardianship because we were requested to do so by Mrs. Alma Wright before she died."
He wanted to transfer Tiffany to West Mecklenburg High School.
The court set a hearing for Feb. 5 and appointed a child advocate to study the situation and look after Tiffany's best interests in court.
There's no transcript of what happened in court, and the clerk who handled Tiffany's case declined to discuss his decision.
Frederick Benson, a Mecklenburg assistant clerk of superior court, appointed Mitchell the temporary guardian of Tiffany's welfare.
It's unclear if Benson, a lawyer, knew about Mitchell's criminal background. Court clerks are not required to perform background checks in guardianship cases, says Clerk of Superior Court Martha Curran. It's up to each clerk to decide what checks are necessary, and they often rely on court-appointed child advocates to advise them in such cases.
Tiffany's advocate, lawyer Martha Efird, declined to discuss her actions in the case.
It was in the weeks surrounding the Feb. 5 court hearing that Tiffany got pregnant, if hospital estimates are accurate.
But friends say Tiffany, who started at West Mecklenburg High in February, wouldn't realize for four or five months that she was pregnant.
On Feb. 27, clerk of court Benson ordered DSS to conduct a "home study" of the Mitchell household. Officials won't release their findings.
But Mitchell didn't keep custody long, according to several of Tiffany's friends in King's Mountain.
In late March, Mitchell left Tiffany at a group home called With Friends in Gastonia, according to Marlene Jefferies and Cruceta Jeffeirs, two adult family friends who watched Tiffany grow up.
The group home wouldn't confirm that. But the friends say the home reported to social services that Tiffany was abandoned. And she was soon back in foster care.
On March 31, Jeffeirs, a Shelby pastor, wrote a letter to Benson seeking custody of Tiffany: "My desire is to see Tiffany accomplish all the goals that she has set for herself and I believe she can do that in a stable environment with lots of guidance and love."
DSS officials in Gaston and Mecklenburg won't discuss Tiffany's case or answer questions about what steps they took to protect her.
But friends and family say Tiffany was eventually placed in the care of foster parent Susan Barber, in a townhome off Mallard Creek Road in Derita.
By July, it was clear Tiffany was pregnant, friends say.
Barber tried to shield Tiffany from talking to those she believed might be bad influences, according to Tiffany's cousin Brittany Page. But a source close to the investigation said Tiffany and Mitchell continued communicating.
Despite repeated attempts, Barber could not be reached.
As the school year approached, Tiffany prepared to change schools again, this time to Hawthorne High in Charlotte, which offers a special program for pregnant students.
Delayed investigation
On July 27, social workers reported to police that Royce Mitchell might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany.
It took eight days for a detective to look at the case, and three days more for it to be officially assigned to Teresa Johnson, a detective with CMPD's youth crime and domestic violence unit.
Another 12 days passed before Johnson interviewed Tiffany.
It's unclear when detective Johnson discovered Mitchell's background, but it wasn't enough to ramp up the investigation. Investigators say they believed Tiffany was safe in a foster home and faced no threats from Mitchell.
Police say their performance in the case followed procedure and met standards.
Police interview alleged victims immediately if the crime has occurred within the previous 72 hours, so they can gather evidence that may remain. But in cases like Tiffany's - where months had elapsed since the alleged offense - police try to arrange just one interview when children and teen victims of abuse are involved.
Police acknowledge that strategy takes time but minimizes trauma and reduces the chances that young victims might be led into inaccurate testimony by repeated questioning.
Police also let such victims decide when they want to be interviewed at the county's child-victim center called Pat's Place. There, specially trained interviewers talk to victims, while social workers, psychologists, police and others watch from another room.
Tiffany chose an Aug. 19 interview. She didn't say much during the formal interview. But later that day, Johnson won her trust and obtained enough information to move forward with the investigation.
No response from Mitchell
The next day, Aug. 20, the detective made her first call to Mitchell to ask him about the charge, she says. Johnson left a message and gave him a few days to call back.
When Mitchell didn't respond, she made calls over the next two weeks to social workers and a federal probation officer to ask Mitchell to come talk to police.
Police say they didn't immediately arrest him because they believed they could get better information if he talked voluntarily.
On Sept. 9, a federal probation official told Johnson that Mitchell was not coming in.
On Sept. 10, a team of social workers, police and other agencies held a standard follow-up meeting to discuss how to proceed in Tiffany's case.
On Friday, Sept. 11, detective Johnson phoned Mitchell's wife and left a message. She asked her to call back to discuss Tiffany, Johnson says, but didn't give details of the rape allegation.
That Monday, Tiffany was shot and killed.
As emergency vehicles rolled to the scene, Tiffany's school bus was diverted from its normal route. But the students could see flashing lights. Tiffany's friends on the bus, Cimone Black and Tamia Corpening, began to worry.
"I kept texting her phone...," Cimone said. Then she started calling, but all she got was voice mail.
The bus continued on to Hawthorne. For Tamia, the hourlong ride was excruciating.
Seventy-six-year-old C.L. McClure would talk to a reporter only through his front door intercom Tuesday – three days after police said he shot and killed a 15-year-old suspected of robbing him and his wife.
“I'm not in any condition to talk,” said the retired building fireproofer through the faint static of his intercom speaker. He wouldn't elaborate.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said Tuesday that two separate investigative units – robbery and homicide – are trying to unravel what happened in a home invasion that ended with the death of 15-year-old Marcus Fluker.
The CMPD said home invasions are down this year by 19 percent, along with nearly all categories of violent crime.
And instances of a victim shooting at a perpetrator, let alone wounding or killing one, are extremely rare, said CMPD Capt. Mike Smathers, who commands the department's robbery unit.
Police also said Tuesday they want to prevent any possible retribution against McClure. A CMPD cruiser was parked Tuesday a few doors down from the McClure residence, and officers have made visits to the home to check on the elderly couple in northeast Charlotte's Newell community.
“I think there's a concern. They just want to be extra careful. It's extra upsetting to have a 15-year-old shot and killed,” said Smathers. “I don't care who you are; that's terrible. They're just trying to make sure peace is maintained.”
Police say McClure's brick home was the starting point of the complex crime scene.
According to a Saturday interview with McClure's son Larry, four teens entered the home while McClure was eating ice cream in his basement hobby shop.
The robbers, one armed with a gun, bound him with duct tape and held his wife at gunpoint. They ransacked the house and made off with some jewelry and a wallet, police said.
After they left, McClure broke free. “He checked on my mother,” said Larry McClure, who lives next door, “and he assumed he knew their route. He thought they might have been driving, and he wanted to get a tag number.”
“In his mind,” Larry McClure said, “he was worried they'd be back.”
His son said McClure grabbed his gun, got into his dark green van and guessed the thieves would head toward nearby Ginger Lane. Larry McClure said his father told him he was in his van when he saw one of the suspected robbers and thought he was armed. C.L. McClure fired his pistol when the teen turned toward him, his son said.
Fluker died later at Carolinas Medical Center. Police said they didn't recover a gun from where he fell.
Family and friends of Fluker say he was a good kid and got in with a bad crowd. They said they wished McClure had merely called police and waited.
Officers took McClure to headquarters for questioning, but he was released Saturday without being charged. In North Carolina, it's legal to kill someone in defense of yourself or another. N.C. law also protects homeowners who shoot to defend their property.
As of Tuesday police hadn't charged McClure. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office will make a final decision.
Police have charged the other three teens with robbery and burglary.
Police identified them as Joseph Graves, 17, Matthew Everett Morgan, 17, and Tahjaue Wiley, 18.
Morgan already had a pending charge of robbery with a dangerous weapon from last summer and was scheduled to go to trial in October. He was convicted in May of bringing a weapon onto school grounds.
Graves and Wiley do not have any convictions on their N.C. record. Fluker's mother told the Observer her son had not been arrested or jailed before. Criminal records for minors are not available.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer has been suspended for violating policy when he shocked a teen with a Taser gun for about 37 seconds, contributing to the teen's death.
Police announced Wednesday that Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. held the Taser trigger until 17-year-old Darryl Turner fell to the floor during a confrontation at a north Charlotte grocery store. The officer later shocked Turner a second time for five seconds.
Turner, who worked at the grocery store, died from cardiac arrest. The autopsy showed the teenager's heart was pumping so fast and chaotically from the stress of the confrontation and the Taser shot that it stopped pumping blood properly.
“We have deep regret and sympathy for that family. Officer Dawson also is in a great deal of pain,” said Deputy Chief Ken Miller, who oversees training. “Nobody feels good about the outcome.”
Prosecutors announced last week they would not charge Dawson, and found his use of force appropriate under N.C. law.
But police suspended Dawson, a 15-year veteran, for five days without pay. They released a surveillance video from the store Wednesday and more details about the March 20 confrontation.
Dawson, 39, will receive additional training on the proper use of a Taser.
His suspension follows an internal affairs investigation and a private hearing Tuesday before a review board of his supervisors, internal affairs investigators and a civilian.
“After a thorough review of the evidence, the board determined that the initial decision to discharge the Taser was within our procedures, but the prolonged use of the Taser was not,” police said.
A Taser is a weapon that typically uses compressed nitrogen to shoot two tethered needle-like probes that penetrate skin and deliver an electric shock. It's designed to temporarily subdue a person.
CMPD teaches officers to pull and immediately release the Taser trigger to deliver a five-second shock. Officers may repeatedly pull the trigger in extreme circumstances when necessary to control a suspect. Holding down the trigger violates department policy.
Police said they're reviewing their Taser policies.
In 2005, after reports raised questions about Taser safety, CMPD prohibited prolonged shocks because they appeared to increase the risk for respiratory failure, Miller said.
Unlike some police departments, CMPD does not limit how many times an officer can shock a suspect, although it encourages officers to minimize their use of force.
Officer Dawson told investigators that he held down the trigger because the shock did not subdue Turner. Despite commands to stop, police said, Turner stepped toward the officer then walked past him.
“He didn't think he was getting the full energy so he held it,” Miller said. “He was afraid if he undid it, Turner would be violent and possibly harm the store manager or himself.”
Turner's death was the first Taser-related fatality in the CMPD's history. It happened during a three-month period earlier this year when police also shot five suspects with firearms – killing one and wounding four. Not since the fall of 1998 had police used deadly force as frequently.
Officers used Tasers about 100 times in both 2005 and 2006.
Surveillance video from the Food Lion shows Turner at the customer service desk, knocking over a display, then throwing an umbrella. Turner then moves closer to a store manager and employee, at one point raising his arm and pointing at the manager. A customer at the desk pushes her child away from the confrontation.
Officer Dawson is shown walking through the front door, and seconds later, carrying what appears to be his Taser. Dawson approaches Turner with the Taser pointed at him. Turner takes a step toward the officer, then continues to walk past him. It's unclear from the video when Turner is shocked, but police say it happened as Turner stepped toward the officer.
Turner then walks toward the front door, followed closely by Dawson, whose Taser remains attached to Turner.
Both then walk out of the camera's view.
Mecklenburg District Attorney Peter Gilchrist said Wednesday his office made the right decision in not prosecuting Dawson.
“The fact that the police department has decided he violated policies does not make the actions of the officer a criminal offense,” Gilchrist said.
Turner family attorney Ken Harris disputes prosecutors' claim that the use of force was appropriate. Harris said Wednesday he's had concerns about how long Turner was shocked.
“We're happy that this information, including the videotape, has been released to the public,” said Harris, who is considering a lawsuit over the death. “We look forward to a jury interpreting the videotape.”
Turner's mother says her son came home for lunch on March 20 and told her he'd stolen a couple of Hot Pockets from the store. Tammy Fontenot said she told her son to return to the store and admit what he'd done.
Turner returned to work after lunch, and a supervisor told him to remove a lollipop from his mouth and tuck in his shirt. The teenager began cursing, prosecutors said.
The supervisor contacted the store manager to inform him what was happening. She told him she felt threatened and was going to call police.
Here's what police said happened then:
Dawson responded to a call around 1:15 p.m. about a disturbance at the Food Lion on Prosperity Church Road.
When Dawson arrived, he saw Turner throwing objects at the store manager and yelling. The officer also saw Turner walk toward store personnel in a threatening manner.
Dawson ordered Turner to stop. But Turner turned and started to walk toward Dawson, police said. That's when Dawson discharged his Taser.
Turner continued to walk while he was being shocked, then grabbed a small store rack and threw it across the floor.
“Officer Dawson held the trigger of the Taser down until Mr. Turner fell to the ground,” the police statement said. “The continuous duration of this discharge was approximately 37 seconds.”
Police said Dawson then ordered Turner to put his hands behind his back. When the teen didn't comply, Dawson discharged his Taser again, this time shocking the teen for five seconds.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe pledged in a statement Wednesday that he will release as much information as possible about such cases of public interest, as long as it doesn't interfere with an investigation or violate personnel laws.
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