Brazilian prosecutor accuses crime TV Host of plotting judge's murder

August 27, 2009

Earlier this month, police in Brazil accused Wallace Souza, the former host of the true crime television show "Canal Livre," of commissioning a variety of criminal acts - including at least 5 murders - to bolster the show's ratings. Since that time, officials have filed multiple charges against Souza and prosecutors are now saying that he even attempted to have a federal judge assassinated.

The most recent accusation in the case was made yesterday by Ronaldo Andrade, the lead prosecutor in the case. According to Andrade, Souza tried to orchestrate the murder of Judge Jaiza Fraxe in 2007, because of Fraxe's role in the arrest of one of Souza's associates. Andrade said the assassination plot was ultimately foiled when Souza's alleged gunman, Luiz Joao Macedo, refused to participate. Macedo was later murdered, leading to speculation that Souza was behind his killing.

Andrade also announced yesterday that his office suspects Souza was involved in as many as 19 killings.

Souza has yet to be arrested on a single murder count; however police have charged him with other crimes; including drug trafficking, gang formation and weapons possession. Despite those charges, Souza, a state congressman, remains free because of legislative immunity. Nevertheless, police say he is still under investigation and a state judiciary committee is expected to determine whether he should face further charges.

Prior to becoming a media personality and congressman, Souza worked as police officer. That career, which began in 1979, came to an abrupt end in 1987, when, according to state police intelligence chief Thomaz Vasconcelos, Souza was fired for his alleged involvement in a series of scams involving fuel theft and pension fraud. Souza has always denied the allegations, claiming that he was forced to resign because of a fraud scheme he was investigating. 

Ten years later, in 1989, Souza launched "Canal Livre," a TV show intended to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what he once described as "naked and raw reality" – everything from police pursuits and arrests to homicide cases.

The original reporting, along with Souza's outspoken personality, proved to be popular with viewers, and the show was soon a hit. Banking on his new-found fame, Souza was eventually elected to the state legislature; however, even after winning the position, he continued to host the program.

Souza's TV success did not go unnoticed; eventually, authorities began to question how he was able to get to so many crime scenes ahead of anyone else – including the authorities.

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Christine Mannina Resumes Blogging for Investigation Discovery

August 26, 2009

Detective Christine Mannina, formerly Minka, from Investigation Discovery's hit TV show The Shift, has resumed blogging for ID. Please be sure to visit her blog by clicking on the following link:

http://blogs.discovery.com/the_shift/

The Shift is a one-hour series that follows a team of homicide detectives at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Like every other big city, Indianapolis has its share of murders. Unlike many other cities, Indianapolis has an all-star squad of homicide detectives solving them and bringing justice to the victims.

At only 37-years-old, Detective Christine Mannina is one of the youngest homicide detectives in the field. With homicide, she feels as though she is working for the deceased to bring some sort of peace and closure to the victim's family. Detective Mannina enjoys the profession because she likes to be challenged on a daily basis; she wants to catch those criminals she considers to be the worst, murderers, and put them behind bars. Detective Mannina has been honored with several awards and citations, including Detective of the Year, Detective of the Month and, just recently, the Medal of Merit.

Click here for more information on The Shift

Related Links:
Investigation Discovery: TV Shows

Photo Credit: DCL

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.

Kelly Currin Morris vigil planned to mark 1 year anniversary

Sept. 3 will mark the one year anniversary of the disappearance of Kelly Currin Morris.

Kelly, a 28-year-old mother of two, went missing from her Stem, N.C., home on Sept. 3, 2008. The following morning, an arson fire destroyed her home. She has not been seen since, and her husband has been named a "person of interest" in the case.

Meanwhile, the search for Kelly continues every weekend. Anyone interested in becoming involved can receive more information by contacting the Kelly Currin Morris Command Center at 919-812-2310 or via e-mail at helpfindkelly@gmail.com. The command center is located at 2816 Old Weaver Trail in Creedmoor, North Carolina.

The family of Kelly Currin Morris is offering a $30,000 reward for information on her whereabouts. Anyone with information is asked to call 919-812-2310.

Discuss The Kelly Morris Case

Related Links:
Full Coverage: Kelly Currin Morris Case

Photo Credit: Currin Family

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Human Remains found in NC park identified as Jonathan Gardenour

Police in Durham, NC, have positively identified human remains that were found in a state park earlier this month as Jonathan Richard Gardenour, a 27-year-old local man who was reported missing in April.

Jonathan's remains were found by a hiker on August 2, off a network of trails in the woods of West Point, a 388-acre park that is located along a two-mile stretch of the Eno River. The location is approximately six miles north of downtown Durham.

"[The] human remains, very decomposed and in a very secluded area," Durham Police Sgt. Dale Gunter told newsobserver.com.

Jonathan was last seen walking near North Roxboro Road in Durham on March 31. No other details have been released in the case.

According to police spokeswoman Kammie Michael, a cause of death has not yet been determined.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Durham Police Department's Criminal Investigations Homicide Unit at 919-560-4440 or Crime Stoppers at 919-683-1200.

Related Links:
Human Skeletal Remains Found in Durham, NC
Investigation Discovery: Explore by Subject: Missing Persons

Photo Credit: Police file photo

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.

Classic Detective Slang Quiz

August 25, 2009

The fictional characters from the hard-boiled detective novels and pulp fiction magazines of the early 20th century were distinguishable from other genres of the time period, in that the crooks and cops would often speak in a form of slang that was not common to the everyday Joe.

For instance, take the following sentence: "A bull-out-of harness nailed a dip in the crib."

When you translate that to common speak, you get: "A plainclothes cop caught a pickpocket in the casino."

Unless you are a hard-core fan of the genre, then you've probably found that the latter of the two sentences made much more sense.

Old-time detective slang is rarely used today; however, it is still an art form that causes us to raise an eyebrow, whether it is through fascination or our own attempt at translation.

Take this quiz and test your knowledge to see if you have what it takes to be a true sleuth!

Click here to take the quiz

Related Links:
Investigation Discovery: Quiz Central

Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com/Jeff deVries

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.

What happened to crime writer Dale Hudson?

August 24, 2009

Earlier this month, true crime writer William "Dale" Hudson Sr., 56, author of such notable books as "Die, Grandpa, Die" and "Dance of Death," mysteriously disappeared while on a business trip. Dale's body has since been found; however the discovery has shed little light on what happened to him.

According to Dale's wife, Deborah Hudson, he left their Conway, S.C., home on the morning of Aug. 12 for an out-of-town business trip. At about 11:00 a.m., Dale called Deborah and told her he was suffering from a severe migraine headache and planned to pull over and rest. Unfortunately, that was the last time Deborah heard from her husband.

In the days that followed, Deborah's concern turned to worry, and on Aug. 14, she called police and reported her husband missing. Later that day, police located Dale's vehicle abandoned in a wooded area of nearby Marion County. There was no sign of Dale in or around the vehicle, so police called on a team of crime scene investigators and members of the violent crimes unit to assist in determining what had happened to him.

The search for Dale continued until Aug. 15 when two fishermen found his body floating in the Pee Dee River roughly two miles south of the bridge on U.S. 76.

According to the Marion County coroner, Dale was not killed, but the cause of his death is unknown. The coroner is now awaiting the results of toxicology tests to see whether they shed some light on the mystery.

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Blog Vacation FYI

August 13, 2009

Hello Readers,

I just finished up a quiz on classic detective slang today. It is now in the hands of our media department. As soon as I get the photos for it I will post a link here.

That being said, my long-awaited vacation has finally arrived! As a result, posting will not resume here until August 24. In the mean time, I encourage you to read through some of the archives and to check out the videos, games and other content that is available on the main site.

I look forward to providing you with the latest happenings in true crime upon my return. Until then, have fun and stay safe!

Regards,

David

Brazilian police accuse crime TV Host of organizing murders to boost ratings

August 12, 2009

Authorities in Brazil have accused Wallace Souza, the former host of the true crime television show "Canal Livre," of commissioning a variety of criminal acts - including at least 5 murders - to bolster the show's ratings.

Launched in 1989, "Canal Livre" was intended to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what Souza once described as "naked and raw reality" – everything from police pursuits and arrests to homicide cases.

The original reporting, along with Souza's outspoken personality, proved to be popular with viewers, and the show was soon a hit. Banking on his new-found fame, Souza was eventually elected to the state legislature; however, even after winning the position, he continued to host the program.

Souza's TV success did not go unnoticed; eventually, authorities began to question how he was able to get to so many crime scenes ahead of anyone else – including the authorities.

In one particular episode, a reporter filming a freshly burned corpse related to the viewers that it smelled like "barbecue."

A police probe was soon launched into the show, and when the investigation intensified late last year, it went off the air.

According to state police intelligence chief Thomaz Vasconcelos, the investigation revealed that Souza allegedly worked with a gang of former police officers who were involved in drug trafficking. Vasconcelos told the Associated Press that the killings served two purposes – to eliminate rivals and to increase ratings.

"We believe that they organized a kind of death squad to execute rivals who disputed with them the drug trafficking business," Vasconcelos said, adding, "[Souza] would eliminate his rival and use the killing as a news story for his program."

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Blog Update

August 11, 2009

Hello Readers,

I apologize for the lack of a post yesterday and today. One of my coworkers passed away last week and I had to travel to Virginia for the funeral.

That being said, I am currently working on a couple of new quizzes for ID that I think you will really enjoy. They should be finished and up on the site soon. Once they are, I will post a link here directing you to them.

Also, If you missed my weekend radio interview you can listen to it here.

As always, I wish you all a crime-free day!

David

Bounty Hunter William "Cobra" Staubs Wants His Freedom Back

August 07, 2009

One of the people at the center of the Haleigh Cummings case is William Eugene Staubs, aka "Cobra," a bounty hunter from Fort Lauderdale, FL, who has been involved in several high profile cases over the years, including the O.J. Simpson case and the take-down of an alleged terrorist in Fort Campbell, KY.

Despite an impressive record, which, by his count, includes the capture of over 8,000 fugitives – 199 of whom he says were child molesters – Staubs now finds himself at the center of his own criminal investigation – a case which he claims has been manufactured to silence him.

According to Staubs, he got involved in the Haleigh case just weeks after the tot was reporting missing by her father, Ronald Cummings.

"Pastor Richard Grund (father of Jesse Grund – Casey Anthony's former fiancé) got a call from a woman who was involved in the case, and she told him that there was something really wrong going on in this little girl's disappearance," Staubs said in an interview with Criminal Report Daily. "She said 'we need some type of investigator. These people are poor; they don't have any money.' So Pastor Grund contacted me, and we discussed it. I asked him what he thought and he said, 'I will tell you right now; it isn't going to be easy. It is going to be dangerous, so I suggest you prepare yourself.' So I called journalist Art Harris and asked him to come down to Satsuma to go behind the scenes with me, and I headed down there to get started."

Staubs says that within his first week in Satsuma he was able to meet with Haleigh's family and local police, during which time he uncovered a lot of inside information in the case. In addition, he also claims to have actively searched wooded areas in an attempt to find Haleigh.

"I worked an average of 20 to 22 hours a day every day," Staubs said. "Art Harris went with me, probably 5 to 7 days; in some cases, 16 hours a day. I conducted interviews and intense searches on land and in the swamps. I had to do stuff in the middle of the night because, you know, if you are walking around, somebody would shoot you. Also, I wanted to get into the underground, so I checked clients to see who is out on bond, and I got a list of names. I took that list, and I met with the sheriff, FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) and the assistant state prosecutor for Putnam County. I met with all these people, opened up all these files, laid them out and asked them if they had a problem if I go out for these folks right here. They asked me what I wanted them for, and I told them that some of them are wanted back by the bail bond agent and other ones I wanted to talk to and see where they are and, chances are, we might be revoking a few of them. They didn't have any problem whatsoever. Art Harris also filmed some of that and watched that interview go down."

One of the people Staubs was zeroing in on was a man who was free on bail after being arrested for alleged sex abuse. The individual caught Staubs' attention because of his alleged crimes and his allegations that he had attempted to donate furniture to the Haleigh Bug Center, a place where search volunteers would meet up. According to Staubs, the man's visit to the center – where children are often present – was a direct violation of the individual's bond. Staubs says he contacted the agency that held the bond and then went to the man's house on March 20, to pick him up.

"The insurance company that guaranteed the bond gave me the file," Staubs said. "I am a licensed agent with full arrest powers and everything, so I called the law to tell them I was going. When I got out there, I blew the horn and I heard a shotgun or something go off. I called the police and said 'There's a problem,' and the defendant started screaming at me, so now we are off to a real bad start."

Moments after arriving on the scene, Staubs was joined by two police officers, who stood watch as he threw the man to the ground and handcuffed him (click here to view video of the event as shot by Art Harris) before putting him into his vehicle for transport to the county jail. It was during that trip that Staubs says he received a call from people at the insurance company, who, he claims, said they had changed their mind, and told him to release the man.

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Arizona teen sentenced in father's senseless murder

August 05, 2009

One of the crimes covered here last year was the case of a teenage boy from Mesa, Arizona, who police say murdered his father because he banned him from accessing the Internet. That case has since gone to trial and a verdict has been reached.

For those of you not familiar with the case, 15-year-old Hughstan Schlicker called 911 on Feb. 6, 2008 and allegedly confessed to the dispatcher that he had shot and killed his father, 49-year-old Theodore Schlicker III.

"I hate my dad. [I] couldn't take it anymore," he said.

Schlicker said he was angry and depressed because his dad had banned him from accessing the Internet. Schlicker explained the reason for the ban was because his father had discovered suicide notes he had posted on MySpace.com. The lack of Internet access upset Schlicker, who claimed he often spent entire days online communicating with friends.

"It felt like I was stabbed with a knife and it went straight through and no matter how hard I pulled, I couldn't pull out the knife," Schlicker said during an interview with police.

Schlicker told police he had initially planned on punishing his father by shooting himself in front of him but then changed his mind and decided to shoot his father first, before turning the gun on himself.

Schlicker told police two different versions of how the shooting occurred. In the first, he allegedly said he intentionally shot and killed his father. However, in the second version he said it was an accident.

"It's like I was there, I wanted, I was so mad at my dad I wanted to shoot him and I couldn't really 'cause when it came down to it he was my dad. And then the dog came by and she tapped my leg and ... if I did look over I probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger."

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Human Skeletal Remains Found in Durham, NC

August 04, 2009

A hiker in Durham, NC, stumbled upon human skeletal remains in Eno River State Park this past weekend, sparking much speculation as to whether the remains could be Kelly Currin Morris, a 28-year-old mother of two, who went missing from her Stem, NC, home in September 2008.

According to Kelly Morris search coordinator Al Mignacci, the state park is located about 12 miles "as the crow flies" from Kelly's house.

The remains were found at about 6 p.m., Sunday, off a network of trails in the woods of West Point, a 388-acre park that is located along a two-mile stretch of the Eno River. The location is approximately six miles north of downtown Durham.

"These are human remains, very decomposed and in a very secluded area," Durham Police Sgt. Dale Gunter told newsobserver.com.

Authorities have yet to comment on the age, race, or sex of the victim. The remains have since been transported to the state medical examiner's office, where authorities are trying to make those determinations, as well as the cause of death.

According to a source close to the investigation, items found with the remains suggest that they are of an adult male; however, calls to the Durham Police Department to confirm this information have not been returned.

If the remains are male, they could be that of Jonathan Richard Gardenour, a 27-year-old man who was last seen walking near North Roxboro Road in Durham on March 31. Unfortunately, very few details have been released in that case. Investigators will only say that Gardenour is "endangered." He is described as a white male, 5 feet, 11 inches tall, and 170 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes.

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David Lohr, True Crime Expert & Writer is this weeks guest on Talk Forensics

Press Release

Talk Forensics, a new talk radio show hosted by Larry Daniel of Guardian Digital Forensics, is proud to announce David Lohr, True Crime Expert and Writer of The Criminal Report Daily for Investigation Discovery will be the guest on Talk Forensics Radio for the August 9th Episode.

David Lohr has been writing about crime and criminals for over 15 years. A former senior investigative crime writer for CourtTV's Crime Library, Mr. Lohr received national media attention in 2003, when Dennis Rader modified parts of a story Mr. Lohr had written about the BTK serial killer case and then sent it off to the media, along with proof that he was BTK. In 2005, Rader confessed to killing 10 people between 1974 and 1991.

Readers and critics alike regard Mr. Lohr as one of the most prominent and prolific crime writers of the 21st century.

Investigation Discovery

In January 2008, David Lohr joined Investigation Discovery, a new network from Discovery Communications. Lohr is now the True Crime expert for the networks online Website, Investigationdiscovery.com, where he covers breaking crime news for The Criminal Report Daily.

David Lohr is also a volunteer with several search and recovery organizations who help look for missing persons.

About the Show:

The purpose of our show is to educate and entertain the public on the various fields of forensic science, crime scene investigation, missing person searches and various aspects of the legal system as it relates to forensic science.

You can call (646) 727-3674 and ask questions of our Expert Guest during the live show.

About our host:

The host of our show is Larry E. Daniel. Larry is the primary expert for Guardian Digital Forensics. Larry is well known for his work on capital cases and is an expert in computer forensics. Larry also writes a popular internet blog on forensics at www.exforensis.blogspot.com.

The show airs on www.blogtalkradio.com/TalkForensics each Sunday at 4PM Eastern. Shows will be available soon after on iTunes as pod casts.

Press Information:
Guardian Digital Forenisics

150 Annaron Court
Raleigh, NC 27603

Contact Person:
Leslie Denton
Marketing Manager/Producer
Phone: 919-880-0658

Web: www.exforensis.blogspot.com