In the article “A teacher and his husband were found dead in August. Police say they sexually abused 8 boys” by Kristine Guerra, the author informs the reader of a case from earlier in the month about how Aric Babbitt, a teacher for an elementary school, and Matthew Deyo, his husband, sexually attacked eight minors and ended up dead later in the investigation. In late August, the author explains, the two men were found deceased on a Washington island in what authorities claim to be a murder-suicide. Reports state that Babbitt and Deyo disappeared as the investigation about the abuse cases turned its head toward them. The St. Paul Pioneer Press was able to obtain a replica of the file – 134 pages long - about the discontinued investigation which gave detailed descriptions about each of …show more content…
the victim’s stories and the locations where the former teacher and his husband sexually abused the minors. The two men became suspects of sexual assault when a teenager came to the St.
Paul Police on August 14th and informed them of his rape, quickly followed by several minors who had similar claims. When questioned, the teenager explained that he was drugged through an alcoholic beverage given to him by Babbitt and Deyo to impair his judgement of consent. This was confirmed by several boys, some revealing that marijuana was used to affect their consent as well. Aric Babbitt, being a school teacher, was seemingly trustworthy and would bait the minors with presents, road trips, and more to “butter them up.” Messages from mobile devices between the two men about the victims and their sexual fantasies with them led to a deeper investigation. Later on in August, authorities claim that shortly after a search warrant on the couple’s home revealed several items and devices linking them to the sexual assault charges, Babbitt and Deyo disappeared, having fled to the west to elude charges. When announced dead, Deyo’s family came to the investigators with a suicide note left behind from Matthew that informed the reader that he could not stay and face the humiliation the charges would inevitably
give. The St. Paul Public School Superintendent David Webb and other officials have been providing counselling to the student body and locals, as the investigation has left many residents afraid and fearful of what will happen next. Dana Babbitt gave a statement expressing her sorrow and pain about Aric and Matthew and claims that the families affecting by these horrible crimes are well. This article’s title is what caught my attention at first. I was immediately filled with shame, anger, and grief. Shame that two men, one an educator of younger children no less, would commit such awful crimes. Anger that this sick and revolting abuse went for so long. Grief for the boys who will be forever changed and possibly afraid for the rest of their lives. As a teenage girl, I have always been told to be wary of what I wear, how I speak, and how I present myself so I would not attract unwanted attention from men and women alike. For me to see boys my age going through what I and other girls have been taught to fear since we could comprehend thought is horrifying. This article has not only changed my views on the general fear for myself, but to also be more aware of the people I am around almost daily. The people you least expect are the ones who tend to do deranged things.
Christine Jessop was a nine year old girl who after bring dropped off by the school bus at her home in Queensville, decided to ride her bike to the park nearby to meet with her friends. After stopping to buy some gum at the local store, she was last seen walking her bike up her driveway by her friend Kim Warren. She did not keep her appointment with her friend at the park, and would never be seen alive again (Anderson & Anderson, 2009). This small town instantly became involved in the search for the missing girl, but with very little evidence to go on time passed, and hope began to diminish for the safe return home of Jessop. On New Year’s Eve 1984, eighty-nine days after Jessop went missing, her body was found badly decomposed in a bush by Fred Patterson fifty-five kilometers from Queensville. An autopsy would later revival that she was raped and mutilated (Anderson & Anderson, 2009). The police still did not have a suspect in the case nor did they have any leads, but now that her body was found the police and the small town were the topic of media, increasing pressure on the police to figure out what had happened to this little girl.
Charges were brought against the nine adult members found in the house, for the murder of Officer James J. Ramp (McCoy).... ... middle of paper ... ... 17 Nov. 2013. https://blackboard.temple.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3541666-dt-content-rid-41882923_2/xid-41882923_2>.
This case started on July 25, 1984, with the death of a nine year old girl by the name of Dawn Hamilton. The story plays out as follows: Dawn approached two boys and an adult male that were fishing at a pond in a wooded area near Golden Ring Mall in eastern Baltimore, Maryland. Dawn asked the boys to help her find her cousin, they declined the adult male however agreed to help her look. This was the last time anyone saw Hamilton alive. Hamilton’s body was found to have been raped, strangled and beaten with a rock. The police collected a boot print at the scene and DNA that was found in Hamilton’s underwear. The police also relied on the witness testimonies and line-ups, which in this case was the photo array. With the five eye witness testimonies and a tip the believed to be suspect was found. Kirk Noble Bloodsworth a prior U.S. Marine with no prior criminal record was taken into custody and charged with intentional first degree murder, sexual assault and rape. Bloodsworth was basically convicted on the eye witness testimonies. The state requested the death penalty. Bloodsworth was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. (BLOODSWORTH v. STATE, 1988)
On Thanksgiving evening, November 27, 1992, Sergeant Kenneth Mathison and his wife Yvonne drive their 1988 tan Ford van along Route 131 in Hilo, Hawaii. The rain is pouring down and before he knows it, Kenneth Mathison is awaiting police assistance as he cradles his wife’s dead body in the back of their van. Mathison, a sergeant of 25 years with the Hilo Police Department was allegedly informing his wife, a maternity nursing professional at the Hilo Medical Center, that he was being investigated in his second paternity suit. According to Mathison, when Yvonne heard the news, she jumped from the passenger side of the van. While he was looking for her in the blinding rain, Mathison purportedly ran over his wife. He then carried the body into the van and secured it with yellow rope in the back before attempting to find help. Will the forensic evidence support Mathison’s account of that fateful evening?
The murder of JonBenet Ramsey has become one of the nation's notorious unsolved murder mysteries. A wide range of crime scene investigators and police officials have searched for clues for JonBenet's killer, but countless authorities have already considered this murder to be one of the most inexplicable cold-cases in America. As the world marks the twenty first year anniversary of the tragic event with still no standing suspects, an abundance of evidence proven through research points to one suspect in particular.
... Works Cited: Bardsley, Marilyn, Bellamy Patrick. The “Murder of JonBenet Ramsey.” Crime Library. Turner Entertainment Networks, (2010).
The book Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8?, written by independent journalist and private investigator Ethan Brown, tells the horrific true story of the bayou town of Jennings, Louisiana located in the heart of the Jefferson Davis parish. During the four year duration between 2005 and 2009, the town of Jennings was on edge after the discovery of the bodies of eight murdered women were found in the filthy canals and swamps. The victims became known as the “Jeff Davis 8.” For years, local law enforcement suspected a serial killer, and solely investigated the murders based on that theory alone. The victims were murdered in varying manors, but when alive they all shared many commonalities and were connected to
The influence of the investigators parallels the influence of therapists in cases of sexually abused children's recovered memories. Works Cited 1)Silverglate, Harvey A; Takei, Carl:Mistrial- The Capturing of Friedman's DVD sheds new light on the case.
On June 20, 2001 a woman by the name of Andrea Yates, stunned the whole country with one of the most bizarre acts of violence that a parents could ever do to their own children. She called her husband at work and told him “I did it” confused by what was going on, he rush home only to find his house filled with officers of the law. The husband asked, “What is going on?”, and only to found out that his wife had drowned all five of their children.
July 15, 1999, was an ordinary night for Kristopher Lohrmeyer as he left work at the Colorado City Creamer, a popular ice cream parlor. Kristopher had no idea that his life was about to end. When Michael Brown, 17, Derrick Miller and Andrew (Andy) Medina, 15, approached Kristopher and demanded his money and his car keys. Before the boys knew it shots had been fired and Kristopher was dead. About an hour after the fatal shooting of Kristopher Lohrmeyer, all three men were in custody and telling their version of the night’s events. Michael and Derrick who had run away after the shooting confessed to police and named Andy as the shooter. According to the three boy’s testimony, they had only recently met and needed away to get some quick cash, so they developed a carjacking scheme and headed to Andy’s house to pick up 2 stolen handguns. The three boys were uneducated and had spent most of their time on the streets in search of drugs. The judge ruled that they would be held without bail and there was probable cause to charge them all with first-degree murder (Thrown Away, 2005).
In the town, of West Memphis, Arkansas, three eight year old boys (Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch) went missing May fourth, the following day they were found bruised, mutilated, hogtied, and stripped of their clothes with signs of rape present due to the dilation of the anus. The body of Byers was found submerged in the creek about 60 yards south of Interstate 55(Crime scene or dump site?). The other two bodies was located exactly five feet in both directions of Byers body. (It was determined that Moore and Branch both died from multiple traumatic injuries to the head, torso, and extremities with drowning; while, Byers died of the multiple traumatic i...
In 1989 Westley Allan Dodd was hanged to death for sexually assaulting and heinously murdering three defenseless children; all boys aged 11, 10, and 4. The details and events from his shocking diaries portray horrific accounts of the murders he committed and those he planned to enact had he not been finally brought to justice by one of his potential victims.
However, despite being regarded as unnecessary rumors by a section of the American society and government, many media people and houses reported harrowing incidents of murder, rape, carjacking and assaults. There were also media reports about a significant number of urban legends who sprouted at the height of the commotion brought about by Hurricane Katrina – systematic children rapists and a 7-year-old’s throat being slit. However, media reports aside, these contentions remain just that. Nevertheless, although a significant count of th...
On August 4, 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts a married couple was viciously murdered in their home receiving several blows to the head from an axe. The deceased married couple’s names were Andrew and Abby Borden. Almost all of the hits were specifically aimed at both of the victim’s heads’ which, in the end, caused them to be almost entirely unrecognisable. A known fact is that the first few hits would easily have killed the victims, yet the killer continued to hit the victims with an axe long after they were dead. The Bordens’ deaths spread through the media like wildfire; all the newspapers were printing about what happened, the entire United States knew of the Borden murders. Police investigated the case for weeks and there were different suspects, however none were truly able to match up. Much of the evidence along with motive all seemed to lead to one
On May 23, 1924, public newspapers reported the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old, Bobby Franks. This case not only enthralled the Chicago public, but also remains one that is constantly reinterpreted in modern society today. Both Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were considered wealthy and academically gifted young boys. The media produced reports that presented the public with enticing information and helped unfold the mystery of the case. However, journalists magnified details and are ultimately responsible for shaping the outcome of the case. The reinterpretation of the Leopold and Loeb case illustrates that it significantly altered America’s perception of childhood experience, mental health, and the media’s role in criminal cases.