From Robert Nelson to Steven Zelich

It's never really been safe out there . . . my stories just highlight the good, the bad and the ugly. I expect to be back in the swing of things soon. Did you guys miss me while I was running around the Big Apple?

Authorities exhume body in 1980 murder Technology may help ID victim

Published 10:13am Thursday, August 14, 2014

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BLUE EARTH — Authorities exhumed the body Tuesday of a woman discovered dead in 1980 in a rural Blue Earth drainage ditch in hopes of discovering her identity with new technology.

The woman, known by police as Jane Doe, was dug out of the Riverside Cemetery in Blue Earth by the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, according to a press release.

A farmer originally discovered Jane Doe on May 30, 1980, in rural Blue Earth in a drainage ditch along Interstate 90 between the Blue Earth and Frost exit.

The perpetrator, Robert Leroy Nelson, was an on-duty Minnesota State Patrol trooper. He confessed to the crime nine years later. The woman was an apparent hitchhiker.

The press release states the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office has received hundreds of leads during the last 34 years on the identity of the woman, and officials hope an accurate record of her DNA profile could match her to any of her family members.

Also assisting with the investigation and exhumation was the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, the Midwest Association of Forensic Scientists, a forensic anthropologist, the Blue Earth Police Department, Patton Funeral Home, Faribault County Attorney Troy Timmerman, G&S Drainage and Excavation and The Riverside cemetery maintenance and grounds crew.

Anyone with information about Jane Doe or the case is asked to contact the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office at 507-5276-5148.

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Back in Minnesota come Sunday

Looking forward to presenting at Winona State. Always good to be in the company of our futures. 

On going Ferguson Mo. saga

Finally some transparency. After a week it appears that Michael may have been involved with a strong armed robbery? Policing is difficult. Questions that continue to loom; Why doesn't the community believe in their Police Dept? Why does the Dept seem to be confused on what information can be released in the interest of transparency? Why did some citizens of Ferguson loot and commit acts of arson in their own community? One thing is for sure, I agree with the National Black Coalition member who pointed out, that there is a moral decline in this great country of ours. 

Michael Brown . . . Ferguson Missouri

With Justhis we have already looked at what happens when the police make a mistake. So now the President, the Governor and the whole country is wondering why. In Brand of Justice we peeked into police actions. Washington Post journalist was subjected to some of the," head into the door" business, that was included in my Brand of Justice. So you see, the truth seems to be coming out.
New York City has been grand, now I am hanging out near the Canadian Border, may have to get myself pointed in the direction of Ferguson. Be careful out there, truth hurts more than fictional accounts of bad decisions.

Airports, Fans and Jesse Ventura

Hanging out in an airport and got to thinking how lucky I've been. Many thanks for all of you who I've been fortunate enough to cross paths with. From RAT in Maine to Dave in Fargo to Margo in Valentine . . . it's all been great.

It all was possible because of Brand of Justice. It's a story that resulted in my passion shared by Barry Scheck and his Innocence Project. Is the story true? Well, it's located in the fictional zone but who knows. . . perhaps it could be placed in the gonzo fictional zone. Patience please with your thoughts and concerns. I'll make attempts to address them as soon as time is on my side as Mick Jagger once sang.

In the Minneapolis International Airport.

Spotted by a fan who had many kind words about JusThis.

Governor Jesse Ventura hanging with yours truly in a prior life.

  

Brian Fitch kills claiming he hates cops and is guilty . . .

He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man. From all indications it sure seems that Mr. Fitch is a beast. Anger begets anger and can it be said . . . 'He who makes a beast of himself also makes a beast of others'? Angst rises from the mass of humanity and so the song remains the same. Laura indicates that actions speak louder than words. So now what? More of the 'us' against 'them' mentality, as blood flows in the streets of the free and brave?

Laura W 

World news stated that
policemen deaths are up by 65% since 2011 and most are from ambushes. Police
departments can’t really be surprised by this. As much as I hate hearing of a
policeman’s death it doesn’t surprise me.

It never ceases to
amaze me how police departments are always saying how they don't understand why
people aren't more sympathetic when a police officer is injured or killed. Well
it is their fault. Social media has exposed their brutality towards people and
their pets on a daily basis and with everyone armed with a camera they will
continue to be exposed. Their own actions have desensitized people to what
happens to them----and for those who aren't yet desensitized it is just a
matter of time. Police openly break the law without consequences daily as evidenced
by all the available video online and they wonder why they are not given
any respect. You have to give it to get
it.

A policeman used to be someone you could look
up to and go to for help but not anymore. Now people tend to take care of themselves
rather than call the police due to their lack of trust in the police. I have known some very good policemen in the
past but can’t say too much about now. I keep seeing the words “Police State”
used to describe people’s respective police department which doesn’t bode to
well for policemen. Again you have to
give respect to get it…….

Been touring the country and lovin' it. Will make attempts at sorting out this the sordid tangle of experiences soon enough but first off to The Big Apple.

Sorry we missed you a few weeks ago, Curt & Peggy!  Wow, landing pretty much in the backyard is funny!  Sorry you lost the phone number!! Yes, when in LG, we shop AT that Piggly Wiggly!  Yes, you were about 1 mile from the (Suitcase) crime scene.....(that scenario continues to majorly unfold)....

Many thanks to Bonnie for reading and reviewing Brand of Justice

Many thanks go out to Bonnie for her comments regarding my story. Without readers there would be no writers. Here goes. Kurt Vonnegut once said . . . "Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style." That's me in a nutshell. I have an inner angst screaming to be released. This angst demands checks and balances regarding a Criminal Justice system run amok.

That being said, I agree with Bonnie, who feels there wasn't enough suspense. My work, Brand of Justice, includes elements of suspense and drama. It does not read like a Clive Cussler or Stephen King novel. It holds different human behaviors in the balance and looks at the ramifications of said behavior. Please take this into consideration before reading Brand of Justice. Thanks again for Bonnie for taking time to share her thoughts.

 3.0 out of 5 stars

 Three Stars, July 22, 2014

By 

BONNIE - See all my reviews

Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Brand of Justice: Righting a Wrong, Making it Right! (Kindle Edition)

Slow. Not a lot of suspence.

Off The Beaten Path Bookstore & Coffeehouse, Steamboat Springs Colorado.

Planning on being on the Beaten Path come Tuesday. Will be there from 11 until 1. Many thanks. Keep reading. Oh, if you're wondering about my angst, my drive, my sense of going gonzo in the fictional sense, please read the following. Remember, it can happen to you and yours.

DALLAS (Reuters) - A 57-year-old Texas man who spent 12 years in prison for rape was exonerated on Friday, with legal experts saying his case marked the first time someone has been cleared of a crime by DNA testing that was not requested by the convicted person.

Michael Phillips was released from prison in 2002 and prosecutors said his innocence was proven through a new program by the Dallas County district attorney's office to analyze untested rape kits, even if the defendant does not make a request.

"Untested rape kits should not just sit on a shelf and collect dust. The exoneration continues to expose the past weakness in our criminal justice system,” Dallas County prosecutor Craig Watkins said in a statement.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, Phillips' case marks the first time in the United States an exoneration of this nature has occurred. The group said the case became the 34th exoneration by the Dallas District Attorney's Conviction Integrity Unit.

Phillips was exonerated at a hearing on Friday. The actual culprit in the 1990 rape of a 16-year-old girl was identified through the DNA testing but cannot be prosecuted because the statute of limitations has expired, officials said.

The man lived in the same motel as Phillips and the victim.

Philips was identified in a lineup by the victim and said his attorney urged him to accept a plea deal because a jury likely would not side with a black man accused of raping a white teenage girl, the National Registry of Exonerations said.

After his release in 2002, he spent an additional six months in jail for failing to register as a sex offender. During that time, Philips challenged his conviction in court but when that failed, he gave up trying to clear his name.

He has been living in a nursing home, wheelchair bound from sickle-cell anemia.

"I never imagined I would live to see my name cleared. I always told everyone I was innocent and now people will finally believe me,” Phillips said in a statement.

Under Texas law, Phillips is entitled to $80,000 compensation for each year of wrongful conviction plus an additional $80,000 each year for life.

Plenty of Good to go around, also . . . folks.

So a couple go on a carjacking rampage yesterday in Denver. I'm going to be there next week. Was glad to see the State Trooper confront and handle the situation as he did.

Who knew that writing books entailed so much hurrying up to wait?

Polk County Iowa Shooting . . . and then the lies start . . .

Shooting' on Video

The officer have no idea what's going on here. They start beating on the windows and the officer attempts to change which hand he is holding the gun in and it's clearly an accident. Hey, accidents happen. But then . . . the spokesperson says it was accidentally fired as the officer attempt to holster the weapon. Who ya going to believe? Your eyes, or the spokesperson? You can clearly see the weapon was being thrust towards the vehicle and not the officers hip where holsters are located. Accidents happen but the lies have to stop before we can learn something from 'em! This kinda of thing (the lies) have to stop but they won't. 

Stopped in Hornell, New York for some fun . . .

And now for something completely different . . . fun in upstate New York as in the RBI Tavern. The bartender gave us a tour and sang while serving up Yuengling from Pottsville Pennsylvania. This is, by the way, the oldest brewery in the Unitied States followed by Minnesota's own Schells. There ya go folks, ya learned something today, so you can now take the rest of the day off.

Many thanks to Detective Malloy for validating JusThis! Thanks also to the reader for forwarding this to me.

NYPD detective charged with filing fake crime tip for reward

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York police detective has been arrested and charged with filing a fake crime tip in an attempt to cash in on the $1,000 reward, prosecutors said on Thursday.

John Malloy, 46, was arraigned in state court in Manhattan on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to felony counts of forgery, and filing a false claim, and lesser charges of official misconduct and attempted petty larceny, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said. He was released on his own recognizance after the hearing.
Prosecutors said Malloy, a detective with the department's Operation Gun Stop program since 2006, filed a fake tip report in November 2012 for a firearm that had already been recovered inBrooklyn. An arrest in the case had also been made without any tip, prosecutors said.
Malloy then forged the signatures of a fellow detective, a supervising sergeant and a police inspector in an effort to claim the reward, prosecutors said. The case was reported to the police department's Internal Affairs bureau for further investigation.
In a statement to investigators, Malloy said he forged the signatures merely to placate superiors who were pressuring him to file a report for a detective who took in a tip the night before, court documents show.
"I couldn't read his handwriting, so I recopied the form and signed his name and (the sergeant's name). I know I shouldn't have. I could have asked them to do it," Malloy told investigators, according to court documents.
"I was having health problems and under a lot of stress," he added, according to the documents.
An attorney for Malloy could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.
The Gun Stop Program is run by the New York City Police Foundation as a way for civilians to report illegal gun activity. Since its inception in 2001, tips coming into the program have led to more than 5,600 arrests and the recovery of 3,350 illegal weapons, its website said.
Police have approved over $2.1 million in rewards, the website said.

Rene Michael Lima-Marin . . . What'd ya think?

My husband Rene Michael Lima-Marin was incarcerated in 1998 at the age of 19 and served 10 years of his 16 year sentence for robbery in which he used an unloaded gun and no one was hurt. He was released in 2008 and placed on parole which he successfully completed in 2013. But in January 2014 it was determined that a clerical error had been made and he was sent back to prison for an additional 90 years.  

During his six years of freedom, Rene strived to be a productive member of society.  He had been rehabilitated and took full advantage of this second chance; we had a child, purchased a home, and got married. He coached his step-son’s soccer team, mentored other youth to stay out of trouble, and maintained full time employment so he could support our family.

To take him away from our family and lock him up for the rest of his life is unjust.

I certainly do not want to make light of the mistakes that Rene made as a teenager but I do call into question the life sentence Rene and our family faces. Does a man that was formally released from the penal system, met all the conditions of this release, and turned his life around deserve this type of justice? Are we as a society really willing to accept that a clerical error is enough justification to rip apart a family?  

Rehabilitate means to help re-adapt, as to a former state of health or good repute. The entire penal system was created to rehabilitate and restore individuals to be productive members of society.  

Please sign my petition asking Attorney General John Suthers, Arapahoe County Chief Judge William Blair Sylvester, and Colorado Appeals Chief Judge Alan Loeb to release Rene from this unjust sentencing. I ask for this so he may return home where he can continue to be a tax paying model employee, an engaged and loving father and a supportive husband.

All the advertising on this page is annoying. So annoying . . .

What does Barry Sheach . . . The Innocence Project . . . The Divide . . . Brand of Justice . . . all have in common?

They all involve highlighting improvements that need to be made in the Justice System. Mr Sheach created the 'Innocence Project' in 1991. It has since resulted in the release of 317 from prison. 18 were on death row. The Divide is set to air tomorrow night on WE tv. It highlights cases of injustice based on 'The Innocence Project'. Brand of Justice is an all too real story of a young man involved in a life or death struggle, which pits him against a justice system that has gotten it all wrong.  

Roy Hazelwood and his book . . . Dark Dreams.

If you truely have a desire to understand the madness of sex morphing into death this is a must read. Scary as anything out there . . . but as they say, the truth trumpets non-fiction everytime. I studied under the auspices of Mr Roy Hazelwood and a community I policed in, benefited immensely. I had the honor of tracking down a serial rapist.

Again, why would Chief Padgett respond in this fashion?

While attempting to understand police behavior as in the 'we did nothing wrong' comment tendered by the West Allis Police Chief, regarding Steven Zwlich, consider this passage from JusThis . . .

Corruption is and always has been imbedded into the fabric of governmental systems. When a simple truth is revealed that might be construed as threatening, action is quickly taken to silence the voice of truth. The status quo must be maintained. Words are used to confuse and impede. The reins of power are held tightly in the hands of a few privileged individuals.

Steven Zelich (Off-duty Officer) picks up prostitute but Department did nothing wrong . . .

Zelich, an off-duty police officer picks up a girl and arranges for a $500 dollar private dance. He starts choking her out and attempts to handcuff her but she breaks free and blots out the door. She runs into two cops who arrest her for prostition. Zelich isn't arrested for solicitation not to mention assault. He quietly resignes and moves on to security work.

Now West Allis Chief of Police Padgett is claiming the cops did nothing wrong. Here's why he's dead wrong (pun intended).

1. Officers are screened for mental issues upon hire. Did the screeners miss something here?
2. If a gal is arrested for prostition shouldn't the 'john' be held accountable? Isn't having a woman choked off by a man (whether an officer or not) just plain wrong?
3. Having the need to look perfect all the time isn't cutting it Chief Padgett. Cops are people, nobody is perfect, thus, well figure it out Chief.
4. Did the lack of transparency contribute to these deaths?

A minister told me, people wouldn't read my story . . . JusThis . . . because they have to have full faith and trust in those they wanna believe are there to keep them safe. Well . . . who knows, perhaps ignorance is bliss but I don't buy it. The truth is a key componet of the safety game and the whole 'see no evil don't get choked out game' ain't working. But if it floats your boat . . . keep tellin' your daughters, to have full faith and confidence in authority figures.

Just plain wrong to have young ladies end up in a ditch in Geneva.

The Suitcase Murder

This was sent to me by a reader of this blog. So riddle me this . . . readers . . . why was there no record and/or info for the securtiy company to uncover prior to hiring Mr Steven Zelich? Second quick question . . . how many victims are out there that haven't been discovered? I wonder if this fellow is going to be charged with a homocide? Dead people tell no tales.

Our Geneva Township crews were mowing the ditch, discovered the 2 suitcases & (as per protocol), moved them to the roadside for next day garbage pickup......later in the day, it happened that (Dan, the guy who did our excavation/landscape) was en route to his nursery....
Saw the flies/maggots & immediately called the township police....less than (1/8 mi) from the crime scene.   Ummmm...many of us are wondering (how) the crews could not have noticed the magnitude of flies, etc.....when they moved the suitcases????  Glad Dan called it in....

And of course you all know where the Microtel place is in Roch.......yikes.  Too eery!  We were over in Waukesha when ( Our County ...Walworth County Crime Lab) descended upon his place in West Allis, in their suits confiscating everything including a fridge.....

Interesting that his ( security company employer) indicated the state & fed background check showed nothing on this guy in the past.....you likely read where he resigned from West Allis Police Dept a few years prior, due to ( a prostitute complaining of his weird misconduct).......hmmmm she escaped from him, ran down the street in handcuffs....
Oh, his father, now passed, was a former Sgt with West Allis PD.....

So now this guy is in our County Jail in Elkhorn......Yaah Curt, as you said on your blog, this guy clearly validates your work!!!   You can write yet another book, as this is still unfolding with the newly identified second body!!!  Very sad.