tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1 2008-09-23T04:26:20Z Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.463 2008-09-23T04:05:42Z 2008-09-23T04:26:20Z

WTSP Ch 10 News at Eleven aired an interview between reporter Mike Deeson and Willie Crain, Amanda's Murderer. I watched a man that appears to be losing his mind rant and rave about his innocence. Crain is stating that he...

WTSP Ch 10 News at Eleven aired an interview between reporter Mike Deeson and Willie Crain, Amanda's Murderer. I watched a man that appears to be losing his mind rant and rave about his innocence. Crain is stating that he was never advised of his Miranda Warning by investigators and how they said they would get him. He says that he asked for an attorney and was refused. Crain is challenging the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Forensics' expert about the blood and DNA. He showed a note that is from the alleged murderer. At times holding up copies of forms from the incident report, pointing to alleged mistakes. My opinion is that his time is close for execution. He is grasping at anything that he thinks will get him a new trial and save him some time. His arguments have been heard by the appeals court and his conviction has been UPHELD. There will be a hearing in December in regards to these allegations. The hearing will be held in Tampa. Crain, the clock is ticking. tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.462 2008-09-23T01:55:30Z 2008-09-23T02:55:34Z

I have tried since I became Admin of this site, to refrain from placing Willie Crain's picture or say much about him. He, in my opinion, is a slug of society but since he is scheduled to be coming to...

I have tried since I became Admin of this site, to refrain from placing Willie Crain's picture or say much about him. He, in my opinion, is a slug of society but since he is scheduled to be coming to Tampa in November for a hearing, I think his repulsive face should be seen to remind everyone that he murdered a 7 year old innocent child and disposed of her body without remorse. He can plead innocent all he wants but the facts were presented to a jury and he was convicted. In a recent interview when asked about the cancer and if will kill him, he stated that everyone has to die and he would like to be out for awhile before that happens. Well, well, so would have Amanda. She would have loved to grow and become productive in life but you took that away from her. If cancer rots your insides while you sit there on death row and you die before justice is carried out then we will have the satisfaction knowing that the cancer is slow and painful whereas the lethal injection would be quick and painless. On September 14, 1999 Willie Seth Crain Jr., the crab fisherman accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Amanda Brown last year, was found guilty of first-degree murder Monday and faces a potential death sentence. Crain was stoic as the clerk read the verdict, winking at his two daughters seated in the front row. Crain, 53, put an arm around each of their shoulders as he talked with his attorney, Danny Hernandez, for about 20 minutes before sheriff's deputies led him away. It has been 10 long years for Roy Brown and his family. Amanda has never been found and Crain refuses to tell. Hoping one day he will be released but those hopes seems dim as he is alleged to have cancer. Whatever his death, whether by lethal injection or cancer, let us pray it is soon. On September 11, 2008 Roy and friends visited the Courtney Cambell Causeway in memory of Amanda. It is believed that Crain disposed of Amanda's body somewhere in the waters of Tampa Bay. ]]> tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.461 2008-09-08T11:32:14Z 2008-09-08T12:26:44Z

Amanda Victoria Brown in her time of innocence and beauty. A child who was enjoying life and had so much ahead of her. A child who had just started the school year, making new friends and was on the road...

Amanda Victoria Brown in her time of innocence and beauty. A child who was enjoying life and had so much ahead of her. A child who had just started the school year, making new friends and was on the road to a bright future. A child who trusted everyone even, Willie Crain, the demon. Her disappearance nearly ten years ago affected many adults and children alike. As close as last month, two emails from childhood friends asking about Roy and Sylvia. These friends of Amanda, now in their teens still remember her and want to reach out to the family. They were given Roy's phone number to contact him. He knew them to be real friends as they related incidents that only they and the family would know. Roy was so happy when he called me. He told me of the conversations and I could hear the happiness in his voice. Though Amanda has not been found she remains in the hearts and minds of many. Amanda loved butterflies, thus the theme of this site in her memory. Not too long ago my wife and I were on the back patio when a beautiful and colorful butterfly fluttered about our heads. Both of us were surprised at the lack of fear by this creature as it fluttered about. Soon it settled on my wife's hand that was in her lap. It flapped its wings a couple of times leaving them in a vertical position. Soon my wife, with her other hand, softly stroked the butterfly wings. It sat there as most other pets would do and seemed to enjoy the affection. About a minute later took flight, fluttered about our heads again and was gone.Was it Amanda? We'd like to think so. Thursday September 11, 2008 you are invited to share stories, visit with Roy,Sylvia and remember Amanda. They will be set up at the boat ramp on the Courtney Cambell Causeway in Tampa greeting friends and sharing warm moments. BJ and Randy will represent Zach Bernhardt who at age 8 became missing from his home in Clearwater, FL on September 11, 2000. Ellen Fullwood mother of Coralrose Fullwood is also planning on attending.Coralrose was murdered September 17, 2006. Ellen says that a prior appointment will delay her leaving Northport until midday and Hurricane Ike may have influence her decision to travel or not. Between the three families you will have the opportunity to ask questions in regards to their lives after the loss of a child, whether by murder or just missing and never found. The Brown's have experienced the death, investigation, trial and sentencing but Amanda has never been found. The person responsible is sitting on death row awaiting execution and is still filing appeals. Zach Bernhardt has been missing eight years and the unknown is stressful to the family. BJ his aunt, will bring you up to date on Zach's disappearance. Ellen Fullwood has experienced the murder of her daughter Coralrose, a stressful investigation that accused family members of the death and now that an arrest has been made of an outsider, will go through the trial and sentencing process. Please stop by and show support to all three of these families on September 11, 2008 between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. There will be a candlelight vigil in memory of all three children and we would love to have you join us. ]]> tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.460 2008-09-07T10:31:00Z 2008-09-07T14:45:38Z

Roy and Sylvia Brown will be arriving in Tampa from Kentucky this week and are scheduled to be at the boat ramp on the Courtney Cambell Causeway September 11th from about 7:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., to greet friends and...

Roy and Sylvia Brown will be arriving in Tampa from Kentucky this week and are scheduled to be at the boat ramp on the Courtney Cambell Causeway September 11th from about 7:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., to greet friends and many of the people involved in the search at the onset. Please drop by, if only for a minute or two, and show your support to the Brown's. Amanda is not forgotten, nor will she ever be, and you are invited to stop in to visit with Roy and Sylvia in memory of Amanda. A candle light vigil is scheduled for 7:30 p.m in memory of Amanda Brown and Zach Bernhardt. Zach, at age 8, was reported missing from his home during the early morning hours of September 11, 2000 and has never been located. Members of Zach's family will be present with Roy and Sylvia also. These families have had tremendous losses and are survivors; your visit will mean so much. Next Thursday September 11th will mark ten (10) years ago that Amanda was kidnapped and murdered by Willie Crain. Although Amanda's body has never been found Crain was convicted of her murder and sits on Death Row at Florida State Prison. He has enjoyed the comforts of home all of these years. He gets his free room and board, medical attention when needed and most anything he wants, except his freedom. You and I, the tax payer, have funded his upkeep all of these years proving once again that the wheels of justice turn very slowly, at times seeming to stop completely. There is no reason that he should have survived the death penalty this long and should have been put to death years ago. Amanda had no choice, her life was taken at age 7 and the man who murdered her has lived on Death Row longer than Amanda lived on earth. On September 11, 2000, at approximately 4 a.m., Zachary Bernhardt disappeared from his residence in Clearwater. His mother went for a walk and upon returning, Zach was missing from his bed. Both families will answer questions in regards to the cases surrounding their losses and how it has affected their lives. UPDATE: I have just had contact with Ellen Beth Fullwood, mother of Coralrose Fullwood who was murdered September 17, 2006. She said that she has a previous appointment and depending on the weather, she will try to be at the boat ramp by 5 p.m. to join the others. Coralrose was a delightful imp of a child. She enjoyed getting dressed up in her favorite red dress. And then promptly playng in the mud with the tadpoles. She was full of life and did not deserve to die. Her broken body was found just a few blocks from her new home on September 17th, 2006. (Incidentally this was her sister's 9th birthday.) Coralrose was just shy of 7 years old. She had violet blue eyes and reddidsh brown hair full of waves. She had been sexually molested and violently murdered. We will continue to update the information as soon as we receive it. tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.459 2008-09-01T11:56:16Z 2008-09-01T12:50:59Z

Our desire to see Caylee found alive and well seems to be diminishing as the days pass us by. At first I believe everyone wanted the kidnapping theory to be true but as lie after lie was told it was...

Our desire to see Caylee found alive and well seems to be diminishing as the days pass us by. At first I believe everyone wanted the kidnapping theory to be true but as lie after lie was told it was obvious that more than a kidnapping has taken place. There are many scenarios of what may have happened to Caylee and the truth is still unknown but it appears Caylee is dead. At the onset the Anthony family wanted media attention in locating their precious gift, Caylee, but as the questions were asked and statements contradicted, the Anthony's became more and more defensive and combative with anyone in authority and the media. Law Enforcement has been sent on one wild goose chase after another by the family. Innocent people have been named in the family's lies causing unnecessary attention drawn to them and their families. Any of you that have been keeping up with the investigation know that Cindy Anthony, grandmother of Caylee, is in deep denial in the death of the child and that Casey, her daughter, may be involved. Cindy has refused to work with the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando and criticizes everything they do. She requested that The FBI become involved as she felt they would be more reliable and impartial while investigating the disappearance of Caylee. The FBI has had to work with the same lies and evidence as the OCSO therefore their findings have been similar with the exception that the FBI Lab has now revealed that the hair, stain and odor in the trunk of the car used by Casey Anthony is that of a decomposing body, Caylee. Cindy Anthony is not satisfied with their investigation either and wants another opinion. Well all I have to say grandma, You ain't gonna like what HE has to say either. It is written: 'Honor your father and your mother'; 'You shall not murder.';: 'You shall not commit adultery.' : 'You shall not steal.' Casey has violated a couple of these already and another is yet to be proven. Let us pray that you have not involved yourself in this so deeply that you also may be arrested and end up in jail. The trials here on earth are relatively simple but the final judgment day is the most critical you and your family will face. So many of us, like you, would love to have Caylee found alive and reunited in a family of love and caring but those chance seem pretty dim, at least as of today. Maybe tomorrow? May God hold Caylee in the palm of His hand and close to His heart, now and forever. ]]> 'We know we are probably looking for a body,' cop says Sara K. Clarke and Bianca Prieto | Sentinel staff writers September 1, 2008 Orange County sheriff's investigators turned their attention Sunday to the possibility that missing 3-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony is dead and joined with hundreds of volunteers to canvass wooded areas in southeast Orlando in search of the toddler. "Since we've gotten things back from the FBI lab, we know that we're probably looking for a body," said Sgt. John Allen. "We're to the point in the investigation where we think it'd be good to go back and retrace some of our steps." Caylee Marie last was seen in mid-June and was reported missing to authorities July 15. During a bail hearing in July for her mother, Casey Anthony, investigators said they had found strands of hair, a stain and dirt in the trunk of the woman's car, which had been abandoned in a parking lot. On Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office said air-sample tests from the abandoned car show that the trunk once held a decomposing human body. The results of DNA samples sent to FBI forensics labs have not been made public. Television stations said Sunday that Allen had gone further -- telling them lab results indicated the body in the trunk of Anthony's white Pontiac was in fact Caylee Marie. "We clearly have evidence that indicates that there was a dead body in the trunk of Casey's car, and that that body was Caylee," Allen told WFTV-Channel 9 in an interview that aired Sunday evening. Evidence not disclosed Allen told the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday night that the evidence suggests that the body in the back of the car was "likely to be Caylee." He would not disclose the type of evidence that was returned from the federal lab and would not confirm whether the child was dead. This information was the furthest the Sheriff's Office has gone in saying that the missing child is dead. In recent weeks, sheriff's spokesmen repeatedly have said the agency was looking for a live child. Meanwhile, Caylee's grandmother, Cindy Anthony, spoke out against general negativity in the case during a vigil Sunday night that drew more than two dozen supporters to the Anthony home. "We need a voice that's a lot stronger than theirs," she said. "I'm not going to give up." New bail appears unlikely Caylee's mother is back in the Orange County Jail after being arrested at the family home Friday night on bad-check charges. Her bondsman subsequently revoked her bail on earlier charges of child neglect and giving false information to authorities, making it unlikely she will be free again soon. She consistently has told sheriff's investigators she left the child with a baby sitter, who cannot be found. Investigators have accused her of lying and urged her to tell them what she knows. State prosecutors have offered her a limited-immunity deal if she will divulge information leading them to Caylee. The offer was scheduled to expire Tuesday. Earlier Sunday, the Sheriff's Office assisted a search staged by Texas EquuSearch, a volunteer organization called in by the Anthony family to organize search parties during the weekend for Caylee. Infrared search from air The Sheriff's Office sent its helicopter up with EquuSearch's infrared equipment to help map the search area and look for things such as recently disturbed areas or fresh tire tracks. About 215 volunteers gathered to help comb an area north of Orlando International Airport, roughly seven miles from the Anthony home in the Lee Vista area. Mandy Albritton, deputy search director for EquuSearch, said the group would stay involved until Caylee is found. "We will be here until we bring this community closure, no matter how many trips we have to make," she said. Mark Pino contributed to this report. Sara Clarke can be reached at skclarke@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5664. Bianca Prieto can be reached at bprieto@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5620. ]]> tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.458 2008-09-01T01:09:02Z 2008-09-01T01:11:13Z

By THOMAS W. KRAUSE The Tampa Tribune Published: August 30, 2008 TAMPA - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is hoping that jail inmates, with little to do but play cards, can help solve 52 cold cases from across the...

By THOMAS W. KRAUSE The Tampa Tribune Published: August 30, 2008 TAMPA - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is hoping that jail inmates, with little to do but play cards, can help solve 52 cold cases from across the state. For the third time in a little more than a year, the FDLE has released a deck of playing cards. Each card in the deck bears the photo of a missing or slain person as well as details of the case. As details of the current program were announced publicly Friday, Carole Bernhardt stood in an FDLE auditorium wearing a T-shirt adorned with several images of her grandson, Zachary Bernhardt. The pictures show Zachary at 8 years old, at 10 years old and at 14 years old. Only the first picture is real. The others are computer composites designed to show how he would look if his family were still able to photograph him. Zachary has been missing from Clearwater since 1999. He would be 16 today. "It's terrible," she said. "You have to watch him grow up on a T-shirt." Bernhardt said she is honored that Zachary is included in the new deck of cards. Maybe, she said, an inmate in one of Florida's county jails will see the picture and know something. Maybe, she said, an inmate will hear another inmate talking about the boy on the four of diamonds. Maybe an inmate will come forward with new information and Zachary will be found. In summer 2007, the FDLE released two decks of cards displaying cold case pictures and information. Two of those cases have been solved. A man is awaiting trial on charges that he murdered 53-year-old James Foote of Fort Myers. Foote was shot dead in 2004. An inmate who saw the cards provided information that led to the arrest. Donna Foote said her husband's death remained a mystery for two years, 11 months and four days - until the playing cards ended up in front of the right person. The 2004 slaying of Ingrid Lugo in Bradenton also was solved by an inmate who saw the playing cards, said Frank Brunner, executive director of Manatee County Crime Stoppers. That inmate waived his immunity and testified against Bryan Curry, who was convicted and is serving a life sentence, Brunner said. The playing cards are distributed in all of Florida's county jails and through Florida's probation offices. That means 206,000 decks will go to 65,000 inmates and 141,000 people on probation. The toll-free number for Crime Stoppers is on each card. Crime Stoppers collects anonymous tips and pays cash rewards for information that leads to arrests or convictions. The cards were purchased through a federal grant of more than $87,000. Each deck costs about 33 cents to produce. The idea for the cold-case playing cards originated in Polk County, inspired by U.S. troops distributing playing cards featuring Iraq's most wanted fugitives. After several quick successes, several law enforcement agencies in Florida followed suit. The concept has expanded to several states and international agencies, said Jim Madden, the special agent in charge of Tampa's FDLE office. Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com. tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.457 2008-08-29T14:20:53Z 2008-08-29T14:28:11Z

Published by Delano Massey on August 28, 2008 in Fayette Circuit Court . Tags: 12 counts of sodomy, Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson, Ernie Fletcher, Gayle Slaughter, Gov. Steve Beshear, Jay Blanton, League of Women Voters, Micro-City Government, Northpoint Training...

Published by Delano Massey on August 28, 2008 in Fayette Circuit Court . Tags: 12 counts of sodomy, Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson, Ernie Fletcher, Gayle Slaughter, Gov. Steve Beshear, Jay Blanton, League of Women Voters, Micro-City Government, Northpoint Training Center, partial pardon, right to hold office, right to vote, Ron Berry, the NAACP, Trey Grayson, Urban County Government. By Brandon Ortiz bortiz@herald-leader.com Gov. Steve Beshear has restored the right to vote and hold office to convicted child molester Ron Berry, the former head of the defunct Micro-City Government youth program. The partial pardon, which was signed on Aug. 20 and filed Wednesday in Fayette Circuit Court, does not restore Berry’s right to own a gun or serve on a jury. Berry, 64, was convicted of 12 counts of sodomy with 12- to 16-year-old boys in 2002. He completed a three-year prison sentence at Northpoint Training Center in 2005. A Lexington lawyer who was instrumental in Berry’s downfall was flabbergasted by the news. “I’m legitimately at a loss for words on this one,” said Gayle Slaughter, who represents several people who say they were sexually abused by Berry. “I guess it is good to know which side of the fence the governor is on in this battle against this scourge on society.” Slaughter said she doesn’t mind allowing Berry the right to vote. “But I think allowing him to seek public office is a bit much,” she said. In Kentucky, the governor must intervene for felons to have their civil rights restored. A spokesman for Beshear said the governor, as a matter of policy, automatically approves the partial restoration of civil rights if applicants have served their sentence, paid restitution and have no outstanding warrants. Having the right to vote automatically grants someone the right to run for office, spokesman Jay Blanton said. Prosecutors can object to the partial pardon, and Beshear actually doubled the amount of time prosecutors have to review the cases, Blanton said. Prosecutors have objected in 56 instances, and in each case the governor refused to restore civil rights, Blanton said. In Berry’s case, prosecutors did not object. He was prosecuted by Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Larson’s office. Blanton said Berry’s application was forwarded to Larson in June. Larson says he didn’t see it. If he had, he would have objected, he said. “We object to people who kill people, and people who are sex offenders,” Larson said. “And I just obviously didn’t see it.” He said it is too late for him to object now. Larson did not have an explanation for why it did not reach his desk. In March, Beshear, a Democrat, streamlined the process to make it easier for felons to have their rights restored. The move was praised by the League of Women Voters, the NAACP and some Republicans, including Secretary of State Trey Grayson, Blanton said. The previous governor, Ernie Fletcher, did not automatically restore rights and required written essays. Berry did not return a phone message seeking comment. Phone calls to a handful of his supporters were not returned. Micro-City Government, which was founded by Berry in 1969, provided summer jobs and educational programs for disadvantaged youths, hosted dances and parties for the teens, and offered free lunches in impoverished neighborhoods. Berry led Micro-City until 1997, when allegations against Berry became public. Micro-City was dissolved in 1998. More than 160 people have sued the Urban County Government, claiming city officials ignored or concealed information that Berry was molesting under-age boys and girls for decades. The lawsuits alleged that officials allowed the abuse to occur because Berry, once a prominent and powerful black leader, could deliver the black vote for them. Slaughter said the partial pardon confirms what Berry’s critics have long said. “Ron has friends in high places,” Slaughter said. “I guess Steve’s trying to get another vote.” Replied Blanton, “I think that is a ridiculous assertion.” “We apply the same standard for everyone,” he said. “It is irresponsible to make such a statement.” Reach Brandon Ortiz at (859) 231-1443 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 1443. « Police look for ties in church 4 Responses to “Ron Berry, convicted sex offender, gets partial pardon” # Does not surprise me just confirms what we alreay know. Gov will do anything to get a vote. We all know why Ronnie was allowed to be a child molester for so long He Brought The Votes from the african americans. And we all know the city glady paid out millions to his molested kids. # 2 Erin M. August 29, 2008 at 12:58 am Why give this man any rights? He has not earned them by his actions. In my opinion he forfitted his rights for anything when he violated the rights of others. He only served 3 years?! Justice was truly not given to this man. Now he is free to start all over again, and steal more innocence from those who we are supposed to be protecting. Instead the Governor is protecting a CHILD MOLESTER! It has been proven many times that these people don’t get rehabilitated. He says that he applies the same rules to all of those who have served there time. Why? We don’t apply the same punishment to everyone who commits a crime. So he is saying that it is o.k. to pardon a CHILD MOLESTER the same as you would pardon a burgalar? Let’s just pray that the truth comes out to the public if this man ever decides to run for office. # 3 jackglines August 29, 2008 at 1:01 am Geeeez Steve, Obviously these children don’t matter to you. Is that because none of them were yours? Did you realize he was ca convicted chil dmolester? I guess this state will go from one extreme to the next in the name of “leadership”…WOW…this state is spooooooky! From now on whenever you do something stupid or immoral…we’ll just say you pulled a “Fletcher”! # 4 Disgusted August 29, 2008 at 1:41 am Well he’s reached a new low! He has already hired a pardoned (before convicted) teamster operative who happens to be a half brother to one of the house leaders and who just happened to have been involved in alleged campaign finance violations for the benefit of a very forgiving Democratic governor. Made him a well paid labor liason. He then fired the most ethical transportation engineer we have for many years over a non issue, as described by the administration. Now he restores rights to a Democratic vote getter who has no respect for our most vunerable citizens most basic rights, our children. Berry was convicted of a crime that even disgusts the most hardened criminals. Must not disgust this governor though. ]]> tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.456 2008-08-28T21:31:20Z 2008-08-28T22:12:30Z

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Leonard Padilla revealed he was beginning work to revoke Casey Anthony's $500,000 bond on Thursday morning. Anthony is the mother of Caylee Anthony, 3, who has been missing since early June. Casey Anthony was released from the...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Leonard Padilla revealed he was beginning work to revoke Casey Anthony's $500,000 bond on Thursday morning. Anthony is the mother of Caylee Anthony, 3, who has been missing since early June. Casey Anthony was released from the Orange County Jail last week on bond and faces child neglect charges over the girl's disappearance. Casey Anthony left her house about 10 a.m. Thursday for a scheduled meeting with with her attorney, Jose Baez, which could last for as long as six hours. Anthony is not scheduled to meet with any representatives from the state attorney's office, Public Information Officer Danielle Tavernier said. Meanwhile, results of DNA tests in connection with the investigation were received by the Orange County Sheriff's Office. They're expected to be shared with the state attorney's office later on Thursday. Also, an air sample taken from Anthony's car was tested at a University of Tennessee laboratory and tested positive for the smell of human decomposition. A limited immunity deal for Anthony will expire on Tuesday. Earlier on Thursday, Caylee's grandfather left his home with an unknown passenger in the car. George Anthony departed from his home just after 6 a.m. He pulled out of his driveway, and another person in the car's front seat could not be identified. He returned shortly before 9 a.m. Stay with WESH 2 News and WESH.com for further details. tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.455 2008-08-28T11:56:33Z 2008-08-28T12:01:01Z

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Tests have confirmed the stench in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car did come from a dead human body and evidence indicates it is that of missing 3-year-old Caylee Anthony. A California bondsman is reconsidering his...

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Tests have confirmed the stench in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car did come from a dead human body and evidence indicates it is that of missing 3-year-old Caylee Anthony. A California bondsman is reconsidering his decision to put up the money to free Casey. Concrete results were back from FBI DNA tests on physical evidence found in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car. The samples, which included hair that investigators said was scientifically linked to Caylee, a stain and dirt, came back positive for signs of decomposition. Investigators said more results were expected from tests done on other evidence but all indications are Caylee Anthony is dead. The State Attorney's Office also confirmed on Wednesday that Casey Anthony was invited to their office to shed light on the disappearance of Caylee. The State Attorney's Office is not revealing details about the offer of limited immunity. Eyewitness News has learned there is a time limit on that offer, however. "Just putting the hair under the microscope, one can tell the difference between a normal hair root and one that's been infected with bacteria after death," said forensics expert Michael Baden. Baden said the inside linings of the mouth and nose release fluid when they begin to decompose. The fluid can be identified by DNA. Investigators from the sheriff's office and the FBI met with Casey Anthony on Wednesday afternoon at her attorney's office. Cindy Anthony was also there. Casey only met with investigators for about 10 minutes and said nothing when she departed. Cindy Anthony left later in the afternoon, followed by the investigators. An investigator went to the Anthony's home but only stayed for a few minutes. The sheriff's office, though, is not commenting on this development and issued the following statement late Wednesday afternoon: "Preserving the integrity of the investigative details of a case of this magnitude is paramount to its successful conclusion. We are unable to comment any further on information that has recently surfaced regarding the Caylee Anthony investigation. Any future returns in regards to evidence or submissions pertaining to this case will remain privileged or exempt unless the release of such information will be beneficial to the investigation or if it becomes a matter of public record in a legal proceeding." The Anthonys have disputed the results of the tests, pointing out that Caylee hasn't been found. Casey Anthony's attorney refused to comment. The family was holed up in its home, Wednesday night. Casey's attorney remained there well into the evening, even parking his car in the family's garage. It was Caylee's grandmother Cindy who first expressed concern about the disgusting stench that came from the trunk of Casey's car. It came during a 911 call when she reported Caylee was missing. "It smells like there was a dead body in the damn car," Cindy told the dispatcher. Cindy Anthony went on to change her story and say rotting pizza was behind the smell. Casey Anthony has another meeting scheduled with her lawyer Thursday morning. BOUNTY HUNTER QUESTIONS DECISION TO POST BOND Wednesday night, bounty hunter Leonard Padilla reiterated to Eyewitness News earlier comments he'd made about the decision to post Casey's bond. Padilla's nephew, a California bondsman, put up $50,000 to free Casey Anthony. Padilla said his nephew was deciding Wednesday night whether to revoke that bond. "I was wrong," said Padilla. "The people were right that said I should have left her in there." When asked where he thought Caylee was now, Padilla answered, "You know, the car was parked next to a dumpster. I would hate to think the worst. God, it's terrible to think she'd be at the local garbage dump. It's terrible to think that." In an interview Tuesday night on CNN's Nancy Grace, Padilla said he doesn't think he would have bonded Casey Anthony out of jail if he had read the information contained in 400 pages of documents released related to the case. "After reading it, I don't believe I would have talked my nephew Tony Padilla into posting the bond. And I don't think I would have come to Orlando after reading that. I mean, I'm still hoping that little girl's alive, but there's a lot of information in those 400 pages that would lead those people to believe something different," bounty hunter Leonard Padilla said during an interview with CNN's Nancy Grace. The released court records reveal how Orange County Detective Yuri Melich grilled her, saying she could seem "cold, callous and a monster who doesn't care, who's just trying to get away with something." He told her Caylee "may not be the way we or the way your family last remembers her. We need to find out from you where Caylee is. This, this, this right now is just, this has gone so far down hill and this has become such a mess." Casey replied, "Uh-huh." Then Melich said, "We need to end it. It's very simple. We just need to end it." Casey answered, "I agree with you. I have no clue where she is." The documents also show Casey's parents actually led investigators to search a new depression in the dirt near their backyard pool after they had done their own search and that they had their own lawyer the day after her arrest. The documents include a poem Anthony wrote on July 7, eight days before she reported her daughter missing: "What is given, Can be taken away. Everyone lies. Everyone dies." The State Attorney's Office released the more than 400 pages of documents Monday. Eyewitness News found out Casey wanted to give little Caylee up for adoption before she was born, but her mother, Cindy Anthony, was against it. Casey's own mother called her a sociopath and warned friends to stay away from her. Casey's ex-fiancé told detectives she had deleted more than 200 pictures of her with her daughter Caylee that were posted online. According to the transcripts, hours before Casey's arrest one detective told her, "Caylee's out there somewhere and her rotting body is starting to decompose." Casey replied, "I know my mom will never forgive me. I'm never going to forgive myself because there's that chance that I may not see Caylee again and I don't want to think about that." The documents also show investigators grilled Casey about what happened to her daughter, telling her after the lies she told them they were thinking either she "gave Caylee to someone that you don't want anyone to find out because you think you're a bad mom or something happened to Caylee and Caylee's buried somewhere or in a trash can somewhere and you had something to do with it." Casey kept insisting to investigators the last time she saw Caylee was June 9. The detective told her, "The longer this goes the worse it's gonna be for everyone, everyone." Casey kept insisting she doesn't know what happened to her except that she was last with Zenaida the nanny, who no one knows. She also told investigators she's absolutely petrified. ]]> tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.454 2008-08-27T22:28:41Z 2008-08-27T23:06:15Z

Air sample tests from Casey Anthony's car show a decomposing human body was inside the trunk, a sheriff's office official just confirmed. Officials have offered Anthony a partial immunity deal if she admits 3-year-old Caylee Marie died as a result...

Air sample tests from Casey Anthony's car show a decomposing human body was inside the trunk, a sheriff's office official just confirmed. Officials have offered Anthony a partial immunity deal if she admits 3-year-old Caylee Marie died as a result of an accident. If she takes the deal, any information Anthony provides to law-enforcement could not be used against her in prosecution. Danielle Tavernier, spokeswoman for the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, said they are not disclosing any details of their prosecution, but that Anthony had been "invited to our office to shed light on the disappearance of the victim in this case." During a bond hearing in July, investigators said they had found strands of hair, a questionable stain and bits of dirt in the trunk of Anthony's white Pontiac. That evidence led Orange County Sheriff's Office investigators to think it's possible that Caylee Marie is dead and her mother may be involved. Family members initially said the smell came from a rotting pizza. But a 911 recording shows Cindy Anthony -- the missing girl's grandmother -- said it "smelled like there's been a dead body in the damn car." Air samples from her car were sent to the University of Tenn. Body Farm and those results confirmed the investigator's preliminary conclusions. Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Office met with Cindy Anthony and her daughter at attorney Jose Baez Kissimmee office today. Cindy Anthony walked out with Baez at 4:45 p.m. without commenting to reporters. Baez said he would make a public statement at the Anthony's east Orange County home later today. Investigators left the attorney's office shortly afterward without commenting. Casey Anthony had left Baez's office more than an hour earlier, wearing dark sunglasses, a shirt with Caylee Marie's picture and the court-ordered monitoring device on her ankle. Meanwhile, California bounty hunter Leonard Padilla said Anthony has made no effort to help him find Caylee, he told the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday. "She has not communicated with us at all," Padilla said. "She has no interest in communicating with us." Padilla, whose nephew posted Anthony's $500,200 bail last week, said if he knew what he knew today about the case, and that the 22-year-old wouldn't cooperate with him, he probably would not have helped get her out of jail. Padilla said he still thinks Caylee is alive and that Anthony handed her off to someone. But he does not believe the toddler was dropped off with a baby-sitter named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, which is what Anthony has told detectives. "We don't believe [Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez] exists," Padilla said. "[Anthony's] got an invisible friend that's called Zenaida," he said. "She's got a world that she lives in that's apart from ours." Padilla said he is using Anthony's cell phone records as part of his own investigation and has spoken to some of her friends. Additional information from WESH TV: ORLANDO, Fla. -- Much-anticipated results from the University of Tennessee Body Farm reveal that the smell in the trunk of Casey Anthony, mother of missing 3-year-old Caylee, is human decomposition, a law enforcement source said Wednesday. Air sample tests taken from Anthony's trunk were sent on Aug. 10 by the Orange County Sheriff's Office to be analyzed at the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Facility, known as the "Body Farm." According to two sources, including one with direct knowledge of the investigation, initial tests on that foul odor in Casey Anthony's car have come back positive for human decomposition. The finding is the first scientific signal that a dead body was in Casey Anthony's car. Click here to find out more! The Body Farm is a place where human corpses are left to the elements, and every manner of decay is fully explored. More On Body Farm The missing toddler's grandmother, Cindy Anthony, originally told investigators that her daughter's car smelled like a dead body, but later the Anthonys argued that it was a combination of rotting pizza and cleaning fluid left in the hot car for 15 days that was responsible for the smell. Casey Anthony was arrested in mid-July and was held on charges of child neglect until a Sacramento-based bounty hunter posted her $500,000 bond on Aug. 21. A source in law enforcement close to the investigation also told WESH 2 that time is running out on a deal offered by the state to give Casey Anthony limited immunity for statements she makes, if it would help investigators find Caylee. The State Attorney's office confirms an offer was made on Wednesday afternoon. According to WESH 2's source, that deal will run out at the end of the business day on Thursday afternoon. Casey Anthony has been a focus in the investigation into her daughter's disappearance since her arrest. Investigators also searched the back yard of her parents' home. George and Cindy Anthony have stood by their daughter from the beginning and have repeated the message that the priority should be finding Caylee, passing out fliers and wearing T-shirts featuring the missing toddler's face. A prosecutor said that these odor results are admissible in court as forensic evidence, but he cautioned that they are nearly as strong as DNA evidence. DNA tests are not yet back on the hair and stain from Casey Anthony's car. Meanwhile, a couple from Pt. Saint Lucie, searching what has come to be known as Casey Anthony's "hide out." Deep within the 430 pages of documents released this week, was testimony from a childhood friend, that she and Casey Anthony used to come to a special place in the woods near her home to spend time. These amateur detectives said they drove to the area to take a look. "To find this little girl and if she's deceased she can be properly buried," Janette Holgerson said, adding that she personally did not have any hope that Caylee was still alive. Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, told WESH 2 that he will be making a statement from the Anthony family home later on Wednesday night. tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.453 2008-08-23T20:39:47Z 2008-08-25T11:35:20Z

Matthew 5:21: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. Another chapter in the death of Sarah Lunde has closed with...

Matthew 5:21: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. Another chapter in the death of Sarah Lunde has closed with the conviction of David Lee Onstott for Murder In the 2nd Degree. Although the chapter closes, there is another and another behind it. The appeals process will go on forever, just ask Roy Brown. His daughter murdered ten years ago September 11th is still having his emotions stirred with appeals and hearings. Other than the needless loss of a child, the hardest part, getting Onstott brought to justice and convicted. Now that it is over and there is some closure, there is no getting better as nothing will bring her back. May God bless both families and hold Sarah in the palm of His hand until you can see her again. Our thoughts and prayers are with you daily! Roy, Sylvia and the entire Amanda Brown Foundation. ]]> tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.452 2008-08-23T20:23:11Z 2008-08-23T20:26:07Z

By THOMAS W. KRAUSE The Tampa Tribune Published: August 23, 2008 TAMPA - Sarah Michelle Lunde's mother asked a judge on Friday to put David Lee Onstott in prison for the rest of his life. If he gets out, Kelly...

By THOMAS W. KRAUSE The Tampa Tribune Published: August 23, 2008 TAMPA - Sarah Michelle Lunde's mother asked a judge on Friday to put David Lee Onstott in prison for the rest of his life. If he gets out, Kelly May told the judge, he will kill someone else. Circuit Judge Ronald Ficarrotta seemed to agree. He turned to Onstott. "By your own words, you are a danger to this community," the judge said. "You are a volcano. ... You deserve the maximum punishment that I can give you." He sentenced Onstott to life in prison. In Florida, there is no chance for parole. Onstott's attorneys had asked for leniency for the man who was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder for the slaying of 13-year-old Sarah. Onstott said some words of his own, his first public statements since his 2005 arrest. Onstott thanked his friends and family for their support and said he was sorry for the pain he caused them. Then, he addressed May, a woman he once saw casually during a three-month sexual relationship. "For what it's worth," he said. "I'm sure she don't want to hear it: Kelly, you know, my condolences. I'm sorry." Kelly shot back. "No you're not," she said. During two weeks of trial, prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over key pieces of evidence. With no DNA or fingerprints linking Onstott to Sarah, the case was built mainly on conversations between Onstott and his mother, Onstott and his former wife and Onstott and a deputy at the jail. Some of the most contentious arguments in court may not have had much bearing in the jury room, according to one of the jurors. Karen Dill said the jury was thoughtful, hardworking and extremely conscientious over 13 hours of deliberation spread over two days. Fairly early in the deliberations, Dill said, all the jurors seemed to agree that Onstott killed Sarah. Their next task was much more important: to determine whether the evidence proved that he did. Without that, they would not convict. "We all said we're here for a reason," Dill said. "We chose to enter this trial with a fair mind." The jurors often referred to the jury instructions handed to them by the judge. They paid close attention to them and read them "over and over and over again," Dill said. They paid especially close attention to the words "credible evidence" and "reasonable doubt." "We had to discuss what was there and what wasn't there," she said. Recording Was Key The key piece of evidence, Dill said, was the recording of Onstott speaking to his mother. The recording was about 11/2 hours long. The jurors took five hours to listen to it. "We stopped, we replayed, we discussed, we relistened," Dill said. "We tried to discuss what it was and what it meant." The jurors were handed a transcript in court to help them follow along. The judge told them it was only a guide and the recording - not the transcript - was the evidence. Dill said the transcript was not entirely accurate and the jurors did not pay attention to it. One of the points of contention among the attorneys in the courtroom was a section of the tape where Onstott leans in to speak to his mother. Prosecutors contend he said: "Because I killed her." Defense attorneys argued that the tape was too muffled to make out what he said. Dill said some of the jurors, when they first listened, agreed with prosecutors. When they listened to it several times, however, they agreed not to consider it in their deliberations. As a group, they decided they would not give credence to anything unless they were sure they could make it out entirely. "We heard what he said," Dill said. "He did not say that. He said: 'Because I feel it.'" Eventually, the jurors all agreed that the totality of evidence did prove that Onstott killed Sarah. Almost immediately, Dill said, they agreed it was not premeditated murder. "We could not agree there was enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that it was first-degree" murder, she said. "We also threw out manslaughter right away." Eventually, all agreed that Onstott committed second-degree murder, meaning he acted with a depraved mind but not premeditation. "We were able to gather enough information that we were all able to agree with what we had beyond a reasonable doubt," she said. Dill said jurors also paid little attention to a portion of the evidence where Onstott tells his former wife that he has broken every one of the Ten Commandments. She said jurors thought the statements almost showed Onstott's human side - as if he were expressing remorse. Ultimately, however, they could not agree on whether Onstott was talking about killing, as was the prosecution's theory, or committing adultery, as the defense argued. Finally, all the jurors determined there was not enough evidence to prove the charge of attempted sexual battery - although most thought he did commit that crime, Dill said. Deliberation 'Was Very Difficult' Dill said the jurors were surprised when they were allowed to go home Wednesday night and return Thursday. She said it allowed them all to rest and gather their thoughts. "The deliberation was very difficult," she said. "When we went home, there were people on both sides and a lot of people in between. We really had to deliberate over a lot of issues." After their service was done, Dill said, she wanted to know more about the case. She was not allowed to watch or listen to any news for the past two weeks. She said she took that instruction very seriously. "Last night, when it was all said and done, I sat at my computer because I really wanted to know," she said. She watched an interview with Sarah's mom, Kelly May. In court, Dill said, May showed no emotion. Some jurors commented about whether May was an attentive mother, although the jurors agreed it had no bearing on the case, Dill said. When Dill saw May on television, she was relieved. "I was heartened to hear that she had a heart and a reaction and it was in the right place," Dill said. Outside the courtroom Friday, after Onstott was sentence to life, May spoke with reporters about the end of the three-year case against Onstott. Initially, prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty. That decision later was reversed. "Life in prison is death in my opinion," May said. "He's a piece of crap off the streets. Everyone should sleep a little easier." Case Had 'Many Hurdles' State Attorney Mark Ober said he was satisfied with the verdict and sentence, even though his attorneys had pushed for a first-degree murder conviction. "We had many hurdles in this case," he said. "But we were confident as we proceeded with this case." Asked whether he was confident in Onstott's guilt or confident he could get a conviction, Ober was quick with an answer. "I knew he did it," Ober said. He added that he was confident in his prosecutors' ability to present the evidence they did have. Regarding a statement Onstott made to detectives, one that the judge threw out because Onstott was not provided an attorney when he requested one, Ober was conciliatory. He said lawyers can sit in "high-backed chairs" and point out mistakes made in the heat of interrogation. "We learn," he said. "Sometimes we learn from our mistakes." Ober said he sat down with Sheriff David Gee this week, as he has done several times during this case. He told Gee that he was unsatisfied with the quality of the tape recordings. In the end, Ober said, justice was served. When Onstott told May that he was sorry, Ober said, it helps prove the right verdict was reached. "Perhaps what he said today was an admission," Ober said. "It seems to me, his apology is another admission of guilt." Onstott's public defender, John Skye, said he didn't agree. He said an appeal is expected. "I think he is telling Kelly May that he was sorry for her loss," Skye said. "I said the same thing and I didn't confess." Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com. Reader Comments tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.451 2008-08-22T20:45:25Z 2008-08-22T20:52:49Z

Casey Anthony is talking freely with her parents and helping with new leads into whereabouts of missing 3-year-old Caylee Marie, the family's spokesman said today. "She is being cooperative and is sincerely worried about the well-being of her child. There...

Casey Anthony is talking freely with her parents and helping with new leads into whereabouts of missing 3-year-old Caylee Marie, the family's spokesman said today. "She is being cooperative and is sincerely worried about the well-being of her child. There is no doubt that this child has been kidnapped," said Los Angeles-based spokesman Larry Garrison. He said she is providing more details she couldn't give in jail. Anthony, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of child neglect and filing a false report, was released from the Orange County Jail on Thursday after more than a month behind bars. Garrison refused to go into details about what information supports a kidnapping. Garrison said it would impact the ongoing investigation. Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Angelo Nieves could not immediately be reached for comment. Investigators have said that Anthony is the key to their missing-person case. But they said the 22-year-old mother has lied about what happened. After Anthony's release from jail, Nieves said this in a statement: "The fact that Casey Anthony has bonded out of jail changes nothing in our investigation and our determination to resolve this case." Dressed in the same light blue hooded shirt and jeans she was wearing on her arrest day, Anthony emerged from the jail at 10:28 a.m. Thursday shielded by her attorneys under a black umbrella. The trio was greeted by a throng of media who shouted questions at the woman deputies have named a "person of interest" in Caylee's disappearance. At one point, a seemingly frightened and frail Anthony leaned toward attorney Jos� Baez and asked him to remove the umbrella. " 'I'm innocent. I want to walk out of this place with my head high,' " Anthony whispered in Baez's ear, he later told reporters. But shortly after her request, the media swarm became too much. Baez shoved a reporter, and then shouted at the group to get back. Anthony was ushered into a waiting black Dodge Durango and they sped away. The 15-mile trip from the jail to the Anthony home on Hopespring Drive in the Lee Vista area was mostly silent, Padilla said. An entourage of vehicles rushed into the neighborhood. A pickup truck drove up onto Anthony's yard, blocking one side of the driveway, while a minivan stopped on the opposite side. The Dodge Durango pulled in between the vehicles and rushed into the open garage. The door immediately shut. It was behind closed doors and away from the media that the tearful reunion took place, Baez said. Home confinement Anthony has been placed on home confinement and can only leave her parents' house for a handful of reasons, including lawyer visits, court appearances and church. Anthony is scheduled to be back in court for a pre-trial conference Nov. 5. Walter Pacheco can be reached at wpacheco@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6262. Bianca Prieto can be reached at bprieto@orlandosentinel.com at 407-420-5620. Amy L. Edwards can be reached at 407-420-5735 or aledwards@orlandosentinel.com. tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.450 2008-08-18T12:10:20Z 2008-08-18T12:14:47Z

By John Davis Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 11:30 p.m. It was Jan. 16, 2007, almost four months to the day that 6-year-old Coralrose Fullwood's body was found in a...

By John Davis Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 11:30 p.m. It was Jan. 16, 2007, almost four months to the day that 6-year-old Coralrose Fullwood's body was found in a vacant lot near her North Port home. North Port Police detectives Carrie Olivo and Chris Morales sat across from Patrick Murphy in the Charlotte County jail. Patrick Murphy did not stand out when the North Port police processed him on a burglary charge. Finding Coralrose's killer was a top priority for North Port police, but other cases had to be worked as well, even small-time burglaries like this one. A stolen ATV had been found in the yard of Murphy's North Port home. Olivo and Morales were building the case against him. The pair had no way of knowing that they sat within arm's reach of the man who would later be charged with Coralrose's kidnapping, rape and murder. Murphy, 27, passed through Southwest Florida's legal system for years without drawing much scrutiny. He was inconspicuous because hundreds of others in the system appeared to be just like him: blue-collar guys who had let drugs get the best of them. Those who crossed Murphy's path in recent years say they never suspected that he could be capable of the crimes he is now accused of committing. He did not seem especially evil or stick out in any way. Even when Murphy came up as the case's prime suspect in law enforcement circles last month, Morales did not remember him. "He was just a typical burglar," Morales said. "No different than any of the other burglars we've been interviewing up to this date. Nothing stuck out." At the time of Coralrose's death, Murphy was on probation in Charlotte County for marijuana possession, a misdemeanor. Records show that he met with his probation officer on Sept. 5, 12 days before Coralrose was abducted and killed. Murphy met with his probation officer again on Oct. 5. During that time, multiple agencies were working to find Coralrose's killer. Hundreds of voluntary DNA samples would be taken from residents during the investigation, but Murphy's house, about two miles away from the crime scene, was outside of the police canvass area. He continued his career in petty crime, unconnected to the escalating search for Coralrose's killer. Records show that Murphy's probation was routine, his violations common: He skipped meetings with the probation officer and his court-ordered drug test came back positive for methamphetamine. In Charlotte County, a meth addict arrested for stealing is common, not enough of a crime to raise eyebrows. So in June of last year, when Punta Gorda police interrogated Murphy about other burglaries, his situation was unremarkable. The Coralrose case was nine months old when Punta Gorda detectives Thomas Lewis and Harvey Ayers met with Murphy at the Charlotte County jail. Murphy admitted to stealing tools and generators to trade for drugs, but nothing more serious, nothing that would set off any alarms. He asked for drug counseling. "I'm very sorry," Murphy told the detectives. "That drug takes over your body and you really have no control over what you're doing. You do but you don't." Even Lewis, now a captain in the department, did not remember questioning Murphy, though he sat with him for more than two hours. Lewis had to go back through police records to refresh his memory. "I didn't get like a pedophile vibe from him," Lewis said. Detectives in Punta Gorda and North Port did not know at the time that they were laying the groundwork for the felony conviction that would prompt the state to collect a DNA sample from Murphy. That sample matched the DNA of a sample taken from Coralrose's body, authorities said, and led to Murphy's arrest on Tuesday. He remains in the Sarasota County jail without bail. For others who had contact with Murphy in recent years, Tuesday's arrest is an example of how impossible it is to predict what someone might be capable of. "We were all feeling devastated for the loss," said Jon Embury, who was Murphy's probation officer for part of 2006 and is now a court administrator. "And just the fact that we had contact with him has devastated us," Embury said. If Murphy is guilty of raping and killing Coralrose, he held close to that secret even as he admitted to other crimes and let his drug use go unchecked. The secret was not revealed in interrogation rooms or by the law enforcement databases checked by Murphy's probation officer. And Murphy remains silent in jail, even as he faces murder charges and possibly the death penalty -- a far leap from the petty crimes for which he has already been convicted. "You never know. You just never know what else this person's done," Morales said. "Some other crime he committed elsewhere, and you're just talking to him about a simple burglary. You just don't know. You only go with what you got." tag:www.amandabrownfoundation.org,2008://1.449 2008-08-14T10:17:26Z 2008-08-14T10:20:22Z

By John Davis Published: Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. NORTH PORT - A year after 6-year-old Coralrose Fullwood's body was found in an empty North Port lot, Police Chief...

By John Davis Published: Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. NORTH PORT - A year after 6-year-old Coralrose Fullwood's body was found in an empty North Port lot, Police Chief Terry Lewis called a news conference to remind the public that the case had not gone cold and that the person or persons who committed the crime would be caught. Patrick Murphy is charged in the murder case. The odds were stacked against Lewis' prediction coming true. Experts say that most murder cases are solved within days or at most weeks of the crime, since that is when the evidence and any potential witness recollections are the freshest. Many skeptics pointed to Lewis' news conference itself as a sign that the Coralrose case had lost steam. All of that changed Tuesday with the announcement that Patrick Murphy, 27, a roofer in state prison for burglary, was being charged with Coralrose's rape and murder. Authorities said his DNA was found on her body. "It was a very, very good day for the community," said Lewis, noting that North Port officers are being congratulated while out on their rounds, and a handful of people have stopped Lewis at the supermarket to slap him on the back. The chief insists he never doubted that an arrest was forthcoming, though he admits that "there have been ups and downs" over the past 22 months. Wary at first that the DNA evidence was another false lead or dead end, among hundreds in the case, authorities are now confident enough to publicly accuse Murphy; Lewis is predicting more arrests. Public accolades aside, there has not been much time to celebrate in North Port. Murphy's arrest and renewed media interest have netted investigators dozens of new leads, and the case is ramping up to levels of manpower and resources not seen in months. Tuesday's developments will now touch off an intense investigation and complex legal process in which Murphy's life -- and possibly others' -- could ultimately be on the line. Experts say that investigators and prosecutors are now in a race to see whether they can catch other people thought to be involved in the crime and build a compelling case, starting with Murphy's DNA. "If this is something where other people were involved, they know from the newspaper accounts that the police think other people were involved," said Larry Byrd, a local criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. "So if they were to run, they would run by now." Murphy has declined to speak with investigators, and a judge has sealed the documents outlining the case against him. But authorities have confirmed that there is a DNA match and that investigators have been working leads in the case, including visiting Murphy's Kentucky birthplace. Prosecutors, according to Byrd, are using the growing investigation to look for evidence that will build on the DNA match. What they find will help them determine whether to seek the death penalty, and how much cooperation they will need from Murphy to close the case. "The state is not about to make a deal with anybody unless their back is really to the wall," Byrd said. Meanwhile, authorities remain tight lipped about whether anyone else was involved or whether DNA from more than one person was found at the murder scene. Coralrose was reported missing on the morning of Sept. 17, 2006, and her body was found a few hours later in woods near her North Port home. Experts say the first goal will be to catch everyone involved and build strong cases against them. If that proves difficult, Murphy could offer to help authorities. "The biggest thing in these sorts of cases a person has to bargain with is their life," said Drake Buckman, a Sarasota attorney who has defended people in capital murder cases. Buckman said that Murphy's DNA is formidable evidence that could be difficult to build a defense against, depending on other details such as the type of genetic material and where it was found. "Most people know what DNA is and they trust DNA," Buckman said. It could be a year or more before Murphy or any potential co-defendants go before a jury, but that has not stopped Lewis from predicting that, just as the Murphy break came this week, others will follow as investigators from the city, state and surrounding counties work to bring closure to the case. "I would much rather that Coralrose be in second or third grade at Toledo Blade Elementary School," said Lewis on Wednesday. "But that didn't happen." ____ Staff writer Todd Ruger contributed to this report.