John Tassinari's Love of Guns Had Nothing to Do with Wife's Murder

April 30, 2008

"My wife has been cheating on me, and I just shot her dead. Please come arrest me. . . I'm sorry."

Twenty-nine-year-old John Tassinari spoke those chilling words to an Abington, Massachusetts police dispatcher last Tuesday evening, just moments after he shot his wife, 29-year-old Barbara Tassinari, over a dozen times, in what police have described as a jealous rage.

According to police, the couple, who married in November 2004, had no history of trouble with the law.

Tassinari has been described in the press as a science prodigy who excelled in high school and went on to graduate from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Following graduation, he became an engineer in his father’s machine firm.

Barbara graduated from Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree. From there, she went to work for her brother’s heating and air-conditioning company in Rockland. She also spent a lot of time volunteering at the Quincy Animal Shelter.

The couple had a one-year-old child together, and Barbara had a 10-year-old son from a pervious relationship.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Barbara's friends and family members have described Tassinari as an obsessive and controlling person who managed every aspect of his wife's life.

On the evening of the April 22 shooting, Barbara spent time chatting with friends and family at her sister's house. Around 9:45 p.m., Tassinari, who had reportedly been drinking, called and accused Barbara of cheating on him. After making the accusation, Tassinari allegedly demanded that she immediately come home.

Just 15 minutes later Barbara was dead. Police say Tassinari shot her dead in the driveway of their home, shooting her over a dozen times with both a .45-caliber and a .40-caliber handgun.

After placing the 9-1-1 call, Tassinari walked back outside, where he was greeted by his brother-in-law, Francis Scolaro, 44. Scolaro, who lived on the same street, had heard the shots and came running over. "You killed my sister!" Scolaro screamed as he pointed his own .32-caliber handgun at Tassinari's head...

Continue Reading About Barbara Tassinari's Murder

Image Credit: Contributed Photo

Police Say Josef Fritzl Had Seven Children With Daughter He Held Captive For 24 Years

April 29, 2008

Police in Amstetten, Austria are investigating a 73-old-man who they say held his 42-year-old daughter prisoner in a cellar for the last 24 years.  Police also allege the man, identified only as Josef Fritzl, fathered seven children with his daughter, Elisabeth Fritzl, one of whom died at birth.

Details remain sketchy, but it appears that the case began to unravel on April 19, when one of the imprisoned children, 19-year-old Kerstin Fritzl, fell seriously ill.  According to police, Josef took Kerstin to a local hospital for treatment.  He allegedly informed hospital staff that Kerstin was his granddaughter and that her mother had been missing since 1984.  However, unbeknownst to Josef, Elisabeth had hidden a note on her daughter, alerting hospital staff that she was being held captive in her father's basement.

While police investigated the case, the hospital issued a public appeal, asking that Elisabeth's mother come forward to help them diagnose Kerstin's ailments.  Elisabeth saw the televised appeal Saturday and somehow convinced her father to take her to the hospital.  As those events began to unfold, police reportedly received the results of DNA tests that the hospital had conducted which revealed that Kerstin's grandfather was also her father.  Shortly thereafter, police intercepted Josef and Elisabeth en route to the hospital.

According to police, Elisabeth appeared "greatly disturbed" and would agree to speak with authorities only after they promised her that she would not have to have any further contact with her father.  Once satisfied with the reassurances that she received from the authorities, Elisabeth began to recount a story which police would later refer to in the press as "one of Austria's all-time worst crimes..."

Continue Reading Josef Fritzl Incest Case

Photo's Courtesy of Austrian police

Police and Media Should Review Missing Person Guidelines

April 28, 2008

The evolution of crime journalism is both disturbing and disheartening. Too often missing persons go unreported by major media outlets because they do not fall into a specific category. If you're not white, blonde and good-looking, then you had better hope that you never go missing. If you do, there is a good chance that your case will receive little media coverage.  Unfortunately, this form of "media profiling" also spills over into unsolved homicide cases. If you are the victim of a homicide and your family wants the media to help catch your killer, you had better think ahead and do your best to ensure your murder occurs in a quiet suburban neighborhood, otherwise your case probably will not warrant even a two-minute mention on any of the major media outlets.

However, all is not lost. There are exceptions to the "white, blonde and good-looking" rule. If your death was horribly graphic, or if you have a social networking page on MySpace or Youtube, your case could provide the media with fodder for an editorial. A case in point is the recent murder of 17-year-old Heather Walker (photo here) in Dayton, Ohio...

Continue Reading: Police and Media Should Review Missing Person Guidelines

New Charges Filed Against Abbiejane Swogger, Former Teacher Accused of Hosting Teen Sex Party

April 25, 2008

Police now say Swogger posed nude with minors and had sex with at least one teen

In February, police in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, arrested 34-year-old Abbiejane Swogger, a former stripper and special education teacher's aide, after they found her in a hotel room with drugs, alcohol, condoms, and three teens. Since that time, there have been new developments in the case, resulting in the filing of 33 additional charges, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor, and selling or furnishing liquor to minors.

According to the latest criminal complaint, Swogger hosted a party on January 18 at the home of a 15-year-old boy, during which time she allegedly stripped in the presence of three men and four boys, whom she allegedly allowed to touch her inappropriately. Police learned of that incident after Swogger's February arrest, when photos taken at the party of a nude Swogger appeared on the Internet...

Continue Reading About New Charges Filed Against Abbiejane Swogger

Hip-hop Artist J-Dott Com Gunned Down in Eastern Pennsylvania

April 24, 2008

On the morning of April 21, an Allentown, Pennsylvania police dispatcher received a 9-1-1 call reporting shots fired near Martin Luther King Boulevard. When officers arrived on the scene, they found the body of 26-year-old Jean Armand Nerette, aka J-Dott Com, sprawled out on the ground next to his black sedan. Nerette was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene by Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim.

After securing the immediate area, investigators collected evidence at the scene and took Nerette's vehicle into custody for processing. An autopsy conducted later that day showed...

Continue Reading About Hip-hop Artist Gunned Down in Eastern Pennsylvania

Photo Courtesy of Mogul Ent.

The Missing - A Weekly Exposé of Lost Souls - Issue #10

April 23, 2008

In this week's edition of "The Missing," we revisit the sudden and mysterious disappearance of John James Morris, a 38-year-old resident of Dickerson, Maryland, who vanished in July 2007.

"I have been searching for my son since he disappeared after breaking up a 14-year relationship with his partner," John's mother, Madeline Morris, wrote in a recent e-mail. "After the break-up John moved back to his hometown in New Jersey, but after a brief stay he returned to Maryland to pick up his belongings. He has not been heard from since."

According to Madeline, John was last seen on the afternoon of July 30, 2007, in the driveway of his ex-boyfriend's residence on Whites Ferry Road in Dickerson, Maryland. On the day of his disappearance John had a brief telephone conversation with his mother, during which time he expressed his anger and dismay over the situation. Before hanging up, John told his mother he was waiting...

Continue Reading About The Mysterious Disappearance of John James Morris

Photo Courtesy of Madeline Morris

Ryan Schallenberger Arrested for Plotting "Columbine-Like" Massacre

April 21, 2008

A high school student from Chesterfield, South Carolina, was arrested this past weekend after his parents called police and alerted them to bomb-making materials that had been delivered to their home.  The teen's parents also told police about a journal they found, in which their son described his bomb plot as "Columbine III." Chesterfield police have identified the Eric Harris/Dylan Klebold sympathizer as 18-year-old Ryan Schallenberger, a senior at Chesterfield High School.

The plot unfolded on Saturday, when Schallenberger's parents opened a US Postal Service Priority Mail package that was delivered to their house. They were shocked to discover the box contained 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate, an oxidizing agent used in explosives.  The substance was most notably used as a bomb-making agent in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed nearly 200 people.

After opening the package, Schallenberger's parents did a little investigating and discovered a journal their son had allegedly written, in which he detailed...

Continue Reading Ryan Schallenberger Arrested for Plotting "Columbine-Like" Massacre

Photo Courtesy of Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department

Police in Indiana Investigate Murder of Purdue University Student Liette Martinez

"I've spent the past two years just trying to be me, when really I don't know me anymore. So much has changed that [it] makes my head spin. I've let life pass me by and I don't know how to catch up."

What you just read is from a March 31, 2008, MySpace blog entry, written by Liette "Lola" N. Martinez. Last week, the 22-year-old Purdue University student from Las Cruces, N.M. was found dead in her campus apartment, leaving many wondering how she became the 13th homicide in Allen County this year.

On the afternoon of April 18, Lola's roommate returned to her dorm room and found Lola lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Unable to elicit a response, the roommate called 9-1-1...

Continue Reading Murder of Purdue University Student Liette Martinez

Stay Tuned for Posts Resuming Monday

April 17, 2008

I will be posting to The Criminal Report Daily again beginning on Monday.  In the meantime, check out Investigation Discovery's other blogs including Hollywood on Trial and Bizarre Crimes of the Week.

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in Patrick Kennedy Child Rape Case

April 16, 2008

Patrick O. Kennedy, 43, is one of two people facing execution in the United States for a crime other than murder.  According to his lawyers, Kennedy's sentence is unconstitutional and should be deemed cruel and unusual punishment.  The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to begin hearing arguments in the case today.

On the morning of Mar. 2, 1998, Kennedy called a 9-1-1 from his New Orleans, Louisiana home and told the dispatcher his 8-year-old stepdaughter had been raped.  According to his own account, Kennedy was alerted to the incident when he heard screams coming from outside.  When he ran to investigate, he said he discovered his stepdaughter lying in the grass in a side yard.  Kennedy stated that she told him two boys had grabbed her and raped her.

When Deputy Michael Burgess of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office arrived at the Kennedy residence, he observed a small pool of coagulated blood in the side yard, but noticed no other signs indicating a struggle or rape had taken place at that location.  However, as Burgess walked through the garage, he noticed a trail of blood drops leading to the house.  The droplets suddenly stopped inside the house, but reappeared at the bottom of a nearby stairway and were visible leading up the stairs and to a bedroom, where he found the child lying on a bed, wrapped in a bloody blanket.  As Burgess surveyed the situation, Kennedy took a towel and began wiping blood from his hands.  When Burgess asked him how he got the blood on his hands, Kennedy said it was a result of carrying his stepdaughter from the backyard to the upstairs bathroom, where he said he cleaned her up.  This explanation might have been feasible; however, Burgess found it suspicious that Kennedy did not have any blood on his clothes.  It was also suspicious that he would clean her up in the bathtub, an action that would surely hinder investigators in obtaining evidence of the rape.

To read the complete article, click here.

The Missing - A Weekly Exposé of Lost Souls - Issue #9

April 15, 2008

In this week's edition of "The Missing," we revisit the mysterious disappearance of William "Billy" Smolinski, a 31-year-old resident of Waterbury, Connecticut, who went missing on August 24, 2004.

"We first learned of Billy's disappearance when his neighbor notified us that Billy had told him he was going out of town for a few days and needed someone to take care of his dog.  He said he was going to look at a truck he might want to buy," Billy's mom, Janice Smolinski, said in a recent email.  "This was the last time anyone saw or heard from Billy.  His keys and wallet were found in his truck, and it was parked in a section of his driveway where he would have never left it."

According to Janice, Billy had recently broken up with his girlfriend, Madeleine Gleason, a bus driver in Woodbridge, after finding out she was having an affair with Chris Sorensen, an elected official in Woodbridge.  As a result, Billy's family immediately suspected foul play but allegedly ran into several roadblocks from the start.

"When our family put up missing person flyers, Billy's ex-girlfriend went around and tore them down," Janice said, adding, "The Waterbury police didn't take his disappearance seriously and, in fact, lost 3 DNA samples the family had given them."

To read the complete article, click here.

Vermont Police Investigate Possible Murder-Suicide; Search for Missing Child

April 14, 2008

Police say Nicole Waring jumped into river holding 6-year-old daughter

Police in Wardsboro, Vermont are investigating an apparent murder-suicide that occurred over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of 40-year-old Nicole Waring and her daughter, 6-year-old Dakota Waring.  A second daughter, 2-year-old Grace Waring, remains missing.

On the morning of April 12, a dispatcher at the Vermont State Police barracks in Rockingham received a 911 call from the parents of Nicole Waring, who reported their daughter and two grandchildren had gone missing.  Nicole had been staying with her parents and had allegedly been acting strange and despondent in the preceding days, leading them to fear for her safety.

"The parents reported the mother being last seen at their residence at 2300 hours on 4/11/08," reads a press release issued by the Vermont State Police.  "At approximately 0100 hours on 4/12/08 family members report hearing noises indicating that someone had left the residence.  Upon further investigation the family members found that the mother and her two children had left the residence in an unknown direction.  Family members initiated a search in the general area which had negative results."

When state police troopers arrived at Nicole’s parents’ house they interviewed her family members and began to prepare for a formal search. State Police Sgt. Robert McCarthy then spotted Nicole and Dakota standing on the banks of a swollen brook, roughly 100 yards away from Nicole’s parents’ house.

What happened next was shocking. 

To read the complete article, click here.

Ten-Year-Old Girl Brutally Beaten by Bullies at a Playground in Erie, Pennsylvania

April 11, 2008

Your little girl is having fun at a playground when she spies a group of kids picking on her little sister.  Doing what any big sister would do, she intervenes, only to discover she has walked into the middle of a hornet's nest that results in her being shoved to the ground and stomped so severely that her hip is shattered and she requires surgery and weeks of physical therapy.  Upsetting?  Sure, but now add to that the fact that one of the perpetrator’s attorneys is moving to have the charges dropped against his client because he wants her to be able move on in her life with a "real appreciation" for what she did.  Oh, and did I mention that the alleged perps are aged 10 and 11?

The attack in question occurred on April 3, at the Pfeiffer Burleigh playground in Erie, Pennsylvania.  The victim, 10-year-old Rikki Triana (photo here), was playing when she saw a group of girls throwing water on her 8-year-old sister.  When Rikki yelled at the girls to stop, two of them allegedly turned their aggression toward her, pulling her off a jungle gym and shoving her to the ground.

"They started stomping on my head and legs," Rikki told the Erie Times-News .  "I couldn't do anything."

The alleged brutal assault continued until two adults ran to Rikki's aide and broke up the attack.  Moments later, Rikki's mother, Lisa Triana, arrived on the scene and ran to her daughter's aid.  Rikki's hip was shattered during the attack, and the pain she suffered from her injuries caused her to go into shock.  Looking up at her mother through her tear-filled eyes, she uttered these three words: "Mommy, I'm hurt."

To read the complete article, click here.

Pennsylvania Man Arrested for Beating Toddler to Death with Videogame Controller

April 10, 2008

I find it a challenge to be shocked by the atrocities committed by the human race.  I have covered everything from serial murder to baby rape.  The topic never changes - death, death, death - all day, every day.  Each crime is disturbing in its own right, but over time, I have developed a certain mentality to be able to continue writing about it.  Am I desensitized?  Perhaps, to a certain degree; however, every now and then, a case strikes a chord within me that reminds me of the despair I used to feel when I first became a professional crime writer.  Such is the case I am about to relate to you.

Whenever I research a case, I try to mentally and physically insert myself into it to acquire as many details as possible.  With today's case, I went to York, Pa., to visit the West Philadelphia Street home of 26-year-old Harve Johnson and 19-year-old Neida Baez.  Neida's daughter, Darisabel Baez, a wide-eyed and curly haired toddler, also lives inside the home.  Johnson is not Darisabel's biological father; however, he has assumed the role inside the household, more by necessity than choice.  Darisabel's father lives in New York, and the level of his involvement in her life remains unclear.

Darisabel is not a particularly difficult child by any standard.  She enjoys life and likes to play with the family's black Labrador, often sitting on the dog and trying to ride it as if it were a horse.  When not playing the role of a cowgirl, Darisabel loves to run and play, and she often seeks the attention of those around her.

The day is Sunday, April 6, 2008.  It remains unclear what Darisabel has done, but there is no mistaking the anger being directed at her.  The type of anger that is all-consuming and separates us from beasts.

A thud is heard.  Not the sound of a foot stomping the ground or a book hitting the floor, but more like the sound of plastic hitting flesh and bone.  With each thud comes a high-pitched shriek, and tears begin to flow down Darisabel's rosy cheeks.  The fear running through her little brain overwhelms her senses.  Her attempts to shield her head with her small hands are futile, and her cries are in vain.  With each blow, she slips further away.  Blood mixes with her tears, and before long, she drifts into unconsciousness, to a place where the pain cannot reach her, a place where she is safe from those who wish to do her harm.

To read the complete article, click here.

Father-Daughter Incest Couple Sentenced for Sexual Intercourse Resulting in Childbirth

April 09, 2008

There have been several cases of incest making headlines lately.  Last month, I covered a case in Germany in which a constitutional court rejected an appeal by a man - who fathered four children with his sister - who wished to overturn the country's ban on incest.  Then, last week, Gary C. King covered an incest case out of England, regarding twins who married unknowingly, only to find out later that they were committing incest.  Today, I bring you yet another unusual case, this time from Australia, that involves a father and his adult daughter who recently pled guilty to charges relating to a consensual love affair that resulted in the birth of two children, one of whom died shortly after birth.

According to court documents, John Earnest Deaves, 61, and his daughter, Jennifer Anne Deaves, 39, began their incestuous relationship roughly eight years ago.  The two had little contact before that, as Jennifer's mother, Joan, divorced John following his arrest and imprisonment on charges stemming from an armed robbery he committed when Jennifer was a toddler.  When father and daughter became reacquainted in 2000, John was living with his third wife, Dorothy, and their child.  Jennifer was also married and was living with her husband and two children, now aged 9 and 14, in Sydney, New South Wales. 

Both John and Jennifer's marriages were strained, and shortly after their reunion, Jennifer moved in with John so she could reassess her marriage.  During her stay at her father's house, the couple began to feel an attraction to each other but initially brushed it off.  However, later that year, they went on a vacation together, and upon their return, they ended both of their marriages and commenced living together as a couple.

"When they got back here, he informed me it was the best sex he ever had," John's ex-wife, Dorothy, told News.com.au, adding, "If that doesn't degrade you, I don't know what does.  It was my second marriage, and you feel like you get a very poor opinion of yourself."

Regardless of how outsiders viewed the relationship, John and Jennifer were supposedly happy in love and had difficulty understanding why they were so misunderstood.

To read the complete article, click here.

The Missing - A Weekly Exposé of Lost Souls - Issue #8

April 08, 2008

In this week's edition of "The Missing," we revisit the mysterious disappearance of Jessica Edith Louise Foster, a 21-year-old woman from Canada, who vanished from the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada in March 2006.

"Jessie was born in Calgary, AB, Canada on May 27, 1984.  She was the second daughter for Dwight Foster and myself," Jessie's mom, Glendene Grant, said in a recent email.  "On June 27, 1987, I moved back to Kamloops, BC, Canada, where I grew up and my parents still lived.  My mom & dad bought me the house I am still living in over 20 years later.  Jessie and her three sisters all went to the same elementary, junior high and high school that my siblings and I went to.  My mom passed away 10 years ago on March 22, 1998, and my dad still lives in the house I grew up in."

According to Glendene, Jessie stayed with her in Kamloops until she reached the age of 16 and moved back to Calgary to live with her father.   

"It was very sad for me, but you know, the Internet was something that makes you feel that others are no farther away than the other room," Glendene said.  "Jessie was on MSN chats with her sisters and me practically daily.  I remember hearing her belching from the other room and in a funny way, feeling nostalgic over it - you can only understand this if you ever heard Jessie's belching ringing throughout the house...it was loud and unbelievable for a beautiful, petite young woman to have that noise come from her. We laughed every time."

Jessie did well in school, and in June 2002 her mother and siblings drove to Calgary for her high school graduation ceremony.  After receiving her diploma, Jessie got her own apartment and began working two jobs to support herself.  She continued doing that until the spring of 2005, when she moved back to Kamloops to help her mom, who was having some behavioral problems with Jessie's 15-year-old sister...

To read the complete article, click here.

Body Floating in Michigan Creek Identified as Courtney Cook

April 07, 2008

In January I wrote an article about 28-year-old Courtney Cook, a woman who disappeared from her home in Marshall, Michigan.  Unfortunately, the case took a tragic twist last week when a body found in a local creek was positively identified as Courtney.

Courtney was last seen at 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 19.  According to her father, Tom Cook, 69, she was nowhere to be found when he awoke later that morning.

"I thought maybe she had just stepped outside and was going to come back in," Tom told the Battle Creek Enquirer. "I saw the door and she was gone.  She was just gone."

According to Courtney's parents, she was bipolar and had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which caused her to have hallucinations, mood swings, paranoia of hospitals, and the inability to feel temperature changes.

In the days following Courtney's disappearance, police received a tip that she had been spotted on the evening of Jan. 19 near Love's Truck Stop at Partello Road and I-94. Officers from the Marshall Police Department investigated the tip but were unable to find any clues suggesting where she went from there.

"My concern is the weather. Certainly we're concerned about the condition she was in when she left. But I think the weather is first and foremost," Sgt. Scott McDonald told 24 Hour News 8, adding, "We don't believe she had any footwear on, any coats [or] hats."

To read the complete article, click here.

Stay Tuned for Posts Resuming Monday

April 03, 2008

I will be posting to The Criminal Report Daily again beginning on Monday.  In the meantime, check out Investigation Discovery's other blogs including Hollywood on Trial and Bizarre Crimes of the Week. 

Police in Scotland Investigating Dismembered Body Parts Found on Arbroath Beach

April 02, 2008

A startling discovery made by two children at a beach in Scotland has investigators scratching their heads this week. According to Tayside Police, two girls, between the ages of four and six, were playing on the shoreline of Arbroath beach yesterday morning, when they discovered a black plastic bag containing a severed human head.

"Tayside Police has cordoned off a section of beach at Arbroath in Angus today after the apparent discovery of human body parts," reads a press release issued by the police department yesterday. "Officers attended at a stretch of foreshore near to South Street shortly after 10:30 a.m. after the grim discovery was made by children playing on the beach."

When investigators arrived at the scene they secured the area and scoured the beach over a half mile in both directions. It was not long before they discovered a second bag, which contained a severed human hand. Both body parts appear to be from an adult female; however, it remains unclear where the dismembered parts came from and whom they belong to...

To read the complete article, click here.

The Missing -- A Weekly Exposé of Lost Souls -- Issue #7

April 01, 2008

In this week's edition of "The Missing," we revisit the mysterious disappearance of Mary Edna Badaracco, a 38-year-old resident of Sherman, Connecticut, who went missing in August 1984.

"I need this issue resolved ASAP. Twenty-three-years of my life have gone by, and this has truly been a nightmare for me, as well as my family," Mary Badaracco's daughter, Beth Profeta, said in a recent e-mail.

On Aug. 23, 1984, Beth's stepfather, Dominic Badaracco, called Beth’s sister, Sherrie Passaro, asking her to come over to talk about their mother. When Sherrie arrived at the house in which her mother and stepfather lived on Wakeman Hill Road, she noticed her mother’s car, a 1982 Chevrolet Cavalier, was sitting in the driveway. Curiously, the driver's side windshield had been smashed. Badaracco told Sherrie that her mother had run away, taking more than $250,000 dollars of their money with her. As evidence, he pointed out that her clothes were missing, and her wedding ring and car keys had been left behind on the kitchen counter. Oddly enough, all framed photos of Mary that had once hung inside the house were also missing.

Investigators initially believed Mary had left to get away from her husband. It was no secret that their marriage was troubled. Mary had left in the past, and her coworkers later said it was not uncommon for her to have a black eye following an argument with her husband. Mary's daughters have also made similar statements, claiming that their stepfather was violent and abusive...

To read the complete article, click here.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Troop G at 1-800-376-1554 or 1-203-696-2564.

If you are a family member of a missing loved one and have a case you would like covered here, contact me via e-mail. If you are a reader who would like to help, please spread the word about this blog so others can find us. The more people who see these stories, the better the chance that someone might come forward with information.

Photo of Mary Badaracco courtesy of Beth Profeta