Thousands of protesters expected at RNC

About 50,000 are expected Monday, despite no-shows by Bush and Cheney.

ST. PAUL -- Despite the big-name cancellations because of Hurricane Gustav and the preconvention police raids, organizers expect thousands of anti-war demonstrators to march Monday from the State Capitol to the site of the Republican National Convention.

Protesters say their passion will not be dampened now that President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are not going to be doing their convention speeches.

Protesters say they are concerned that aggressive police tactics could cull their numbers, which they estimate could reach 50,000 Monday.

Today, over 400 Veterans for Peace protesters solemnly followed a flag-draped casket through St. Paul's narrow streets.

Veterans for Peace were met by dozens of Ramsey County sheriff's deputies in full riot gear, who detained nine people. David Harris, 73, of Red Wing, a retired surgeon, was among seven booked into jail. Two nuns were ticketed and released.

Authorities have conducted a series of raids in Minneapolis and St. Paul since Friday, targeting an activist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee. Five people are in custody pending possible conspiracy charges.

Independent Journalists and Bloggers in town for the RNC have been stopped, searched and had gear confiscated. A woman driving a bus with an "Earth Activists" sign was surrounded by police cruisers on Interstate 94 near the Cretin Avenue exit Saturday night.

Code Pink, who attended the DNC in Denver, said their van was searched by police Saturday. Police only found banners.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, said, "the Denver police walked a fine line, but these police are doing a terrible job."

Items seized in the raids, which included Molotov cocktails and tools to disable buses, convinced police that the RNC Welcoming Committee was planning to engage in criminal behavior, not just voice their disdain for the Bush administration. MORE

Get news about the RNC at: Star Tribune

D. Brian Blackwell
Brian Blackwell QI Services, Inc.

DNC Denver Police Arrest Total: 152

From Saturday through Thursday night, police made arrests of various offenses, including obstructing police and throwing stones.

There were a total of 10 arrests on Thursday, the last day of the convention.

Monday was the biggest day for protests and for the highest number of arrests made, with 100 people being arrested.

Police in riot gear clashed with about 300 protesters about a mile from the Pepsi Center, and police had to pepper spray a few of the protesters in order to defend themselves and maintain order.

Approximately half of the protesters arrested pleaded guilty the next morning in court.

September Hall

Sex offender sentenced to death

BOISE, Idaho -- Joseph Edward Duncan III - a longtime sex offender - was sentenced to death Wednesday for the 2005 kidnapping, torture and murder of a 9-year-old northern Idaho boy after federal jurors who watched video of some of the brutality deliberated only three hours.

Relatives of the victim, Dylan Groene, remained somber as the jury's decision was announced.

The piece of walking dung named Joseph Edward Duncan III murdered Dylan's mother, older brother and his mother's fiance' to kidnap him and his younger sister, who was sexually abused along with her brother but survived.

Duncan smiled as the verdict was passed to the judge.

Duncan took Dylan and the boy's then-8-year-old sister, Shasta, to a remote western Montana campsite where he raped, tortured and threatened them before shooting Dylan in the head and burning his body.

Jurors viewed horrifying video Duncan made of himself sexually abusing, torturing and hanging Dylan until the boy lost consciousness.

With an eye toward kidnapping the two children, Duncan stalked their family. In 2005, he entered their Coeur d'Alene area home and used a hammer to fatally bludgeon their 13-year-old brother, Slade Groene, his mother, Brenda Groene, and her fiance', Mark McKenzie.

Duncan was arrested and Shasta rescued weeks after the kidnappings when a waitress at a Denny's restaurant in Coeur d'Alene called police after recognizing the two as they ate.

Duncan pleaded guilty in December to 10 federal charges involving the kidnapping and murder of Dylan. He pleaded guilty to the other three murders in state court, where he also could be sentenced to death.

Duncan was convicted of raping a boy at gunpoint in 1980. He killed two half-sisters from Seattle in 1996, and he is charged with killing a young boy in Riverside County, California in 1997. MORE

Do you have a sex offender living in your neighborhood? You probably do and don't even know it. Find out here

Inv. D. Brian Blackwell

DNC News: Anarchists and police clash in downtown Denver

Police in riot gear had to use pepper spray on protesters about a mile from the Democratic National Convention tonight.

The confrontation erupted in front of the Denver City and County Building as police tried to disperse a crowd of about 300 that was disrupting traffic. Members of the crowd described themselves as anarchists. Police led two people away. CBS 4 News

Sara Kilgore

FBI: Couple offered sex with girl, 5, for used car, apartment and child care

A San Antonio, Texas couple have been arrested for trying to trade sex with the woman's 5-year-old daughter for an apartment, a used car and child care for her 10-month old daughter.

The 25-year-old walking dung named Jennifer Richards and her 40-year-old sack of crap married boyfriend Sean Michael Block appeared in court Friday.

Richards is charged with using interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor. Block is charged with distributing child pornography.

According to an affidavit unsealed August 19, the investigation began when an informant told the FBI about a text message sent by Block reading: "Nice piece 5 yrs old belongs to my gf and she wants to sell it."

Richards and Block crafted a deal that, in addition to the apartment and used car, included child care for Richards' 10-month-old daughter, who the couple intended to sell later, Rex Miller, the FBI's lead agent on the case, testified.

The couple had also hoped to blackmail the informant, Agent Miller said.

Richards "was of the belief that these sexual interactions would be a positive experience for her daughter and that Richards would receive sexual gratification from watching, according to the affidavit.

Authorities say both children are no longer in Richards' custody and that neither child was sold for sex.

After reviewing computers the couple used and listening to taped conversations, Agent Miller determined Block and Richards were making further plans to abduct, rape and "carve up" a teenage runaway.

Block sent an e-mail with a link to a Russian child pornography site, according to the affidavit.

The couple worked at the Cheesecake Factory at North Star Mall in San Antonio, where he was a bartender and she was a waitress.

Court records show that Block's now-estranged wife Sarah Block filed for a protective order on behalf of the couple's 14-month-old child. Her attorney says she filed for divorce on Friday. MORE

D. Brian Blackwell
Brian Blackwell QI Services, Inc.
www.BrianBlackwell.com

John Edwards new lie exposed

The lies seem to never end with John Edwards

The day before Edwards' admission to an affair on ABC's Nightline, Rielle Hunter and her 6 month old daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter, were flown out of the U.S. onboard a chartered Learjet.

The private flight cost $50,000 and was paid for by Edwards' pals and not campaign money, says Edwards.

Rielle and baby were the only passengers aboard the 8-hour flight.

Destination: St. Croix in the Virgin Islands!

Rielle and the baby stayed in a luxurious oceanfront home owned by controversial trial lawyer Lee Rohn, another close friend of Edwards.

Virgin Island Senator Anne Golden has confirmed Rielle and baby were in St. Croix and stayed with Lee Rohn.

Rielle and Edwards' love child returned to Santa Barbara on August 17. Rielle's California home is being paid for by Edwards' former finance chairman Fred Baron.

And Rielle now has an off-duty police officer guarding her house.

None of this is paid for by Rielle. The money continues to come from Edwards' network of supporters, with no explanation from Edwards why he is having his friends continue to support Rielle now that the affair has been made public.

What else is he hiding?

Edwards is not only aware of the hush money payoffs but orchestrated it with his team of former campaign advisors and it has been recently discovered that a team of six more lawyers have been involved in the coverup and are funneling payments to Rielle, who has no money and no means of support.

Rielle's own lawyer advised her to allow Edwards to take a paternity test but she refused. Edwards can continue to deny the baby is his as long as he doesn't submit to a paternity test.

Rielle believes Edwards will marry her after the death of his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth.

Edwards is still in constant communication with Reille.
MORE

Edwards admits affair on ABC's Nightline
You Tube - Edwards feeling pretty

Inv. D. Brian Blackwell
BrianBlackwell.com

DNC News: Package Blown Up, Streets Closed

Just hours before the start of the Democratic National Convention, a suspicious package was blown up in downtown Denver early Monday.

RTD made the call to police about the package. By about 3:30 a.m., Denver Police and Denver Fire had detonated the package, located on Colfax and Broadway, and rendered it safe.

The incident forced streets to be closed temporarily.
More DNC News

September Hall

Two arrested in DNC protests

DENVER COUNTY COURT -- The first session of DNC Court was convened at 4:15 p.m. today in Denver County Court.

Four people appeared, but only two had been arrested in relation to convention protests.

The court was filled with over a dozen sheriff's deputies.

A number of deputies who normally aren't assigned to court duty, as well as judges and other court staff, sat in on the first session to see how things were to be handled.

Four male criminals were led into court in handcuffs and leg shackles.

Among them were two "John Does" who refused to give police their names and were arrested near 7th and Lawrence Streets for giving false information to an officer.

Denver County Judge John Marcucci told the two pieces of walking dung that if they didn't give their names, he couldn't set bond and they would remain in jail. They both coughed up their names.

Austin Hunter, 23, wearing a black T-shirt that read, "Spreading the Hardcore Reality" plead not guilty, of course. His bond was set at $100 on a charge of giving false information to an officer.

Frank Anello, Jr., 34, of course, also plead not guilty to the false information charge and to interference. His bail was set at $200.

During a protest, Hunter and Anello had their faces covered with cloths and bandannas. As police passed by, they ducked down and acted like they were hiding items behind a row of portable toilets. When approached by police, they refused to give their names or produce identification.

Matthew Waldron also appeared on charges of disturbing the peace and trespass, but his incident took place at a restaurant on the 16th Street Mall and wasn't related to the DNC. His bond was set at $100 on a charge of giving false information to an officer.

Another arrest also was not related to the DNC.

Shawn Jones, a transient, appeared on charges of trespassing and panhandling at a gas station near 34th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

Sara Kilgore
Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

Man arrested carrying weapons at Pelosi hotel

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefly evacuated from her downtown Denver hotel Saturday when a man carrying two hunting rifles and two pistols tried to check in to the hotel.

According to the Secret Service, 29-year-old Joseph Calanchini, of Pinedale, Wyoming, faces a charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon after police officers at the Grand Hyatt hotel noticed him carrying a rifle-type case while checking in. Calanchini did not have a concealed weapons permit, which is required by law.

Authorities are not releasing information about whether the weapons were loaded because the case remains under investigation.

The charge is the same whether the weapons were loaded or unloaded, according to police.

Calanchini remains at the Denver City Jail on $10,000 bond. Rocky Mountain News

UPDATE from KUSA 9 News

September Hall
Brian Blackwell QI Services

DNC officials told to watch out for fake emergency vehicles

Security officials around the cities hosting this year's political conventions are being told to watch out for phony emergency vehicles.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) memo says terrorists could use "cloned" emergency or commercial vehicles to conduct surveillance or carry out an attack.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau says faking such vehicles can be cheap and easy.

The Secret Service says it doesn't have any specific information that cloned vehicles are being used for terrorist or other illicit purposes at the Democratic convention in Denver or the GOP convention in St. Paul. KKTV

D. Brian Blackwell

Brian Blackwell QI Services

DNC Countdown: Protesters Prepare For Confrontations

A few dozen protesters with the group Re-create 68 met in Lincoln Park today to take lessons from martial arts experts on the eve of their first demonstration.

Leaders of the group say they are training their people to keep them safe during the convention.

"At our demonstrations we get counter-demonstrators, people who are looking to cause trouble and sometimes looking to engage people in physical conflict so we're trying to give people tools not to create a violent situation but to be able to get themselves out of a difficult situation and be able to defend themselves," said Mark Cohen, one of the group's leaders.

Re-create 68 plans to march from the State Capitol to the Pepsi Center to protest the Iraq War at 9 a.m. Sunday. The group claims it will be Denver's largest anti-war demonstration.

Rocky Mountain News
9 News

For months, there has been a lot of chatter over the Internet about violent protests at the Democratic National Convention.

Sara Kilgore
Brian Blackwell QI Services

Gas stolen from trucks bound for DNC

The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office says 400 gallons of gas was stolen from delivery trucks bound for the Democratic National Convention.

The sheriff's office says the drivers discovered the thefts when they ran out of gas while making deliveries Friday. Sean Crowley at Distinctive Tent Rentals said all of their trucks had been drained.

Trucks were scheduled to go out early Friday morning to install numerous tents and structures for the DNC. The supplies were delivered later in the day.

Security cameras recorded a white Ford flatbed truck with barrels on the bed being driven in the area while the gas was being siphoned from the trucks. Crowley says it took the thieves about a half-hour. The stolen gas is estimated to have been worth $1,250. 9 News

September Hall

DNC Countdown: Police Remove 2 From DNC Front Lines

Because of whining from protesters, Denver Police have had to remove two of their officers who were videotaped having to beat a 57-year-old criminal who resisted arrest after he assaulted an undercover police detective from working crowd control during the Democratic National Convention.

The above paragraph is the truth about the incident.

You can see the biased report from the news media and see the videotape here, but you won't see or hear all the facts in the case.

The videotape only shows when police attempted to arrest the criminal. The beginning of the incident was conveniently not videotaped.

9News report

Sara Kilgore
BrianBlackwell.com

DNC Countdown: Inmates Moved To Make Room For DNC Arrests

Tents have been going up across Denver in preparation for the Democratic National Convention. That includes one at the Denver County Jail. As part of the preparations, the Denver County Sheriff's Department is making more room in the jail should there be mass arrests.

An additional 50 inmates can be housed in the tent at the Denver County Jail. The tent is air conditioned and the one time it was used before, inmates practically begged to be moved there.

The gym is also being prepared. It can house 50 to 75 beds called "boats."

Around 100 inmates are being shipped out to other jail facilities in different counties.

Wednesday, the news media was allowed to see inside the warehouse that was converted into a processing center for those arrested during the convention. CBS4Denver

Sara Kilgore
Brian Blackwell QI Services

DNC Countdown: No Razor Wire For DNC Jail

The Temporary Arrestee Processing Center that police will be using during the Democratic National Convention will not have razor wires on the holding cells after all, city officials said today.

Instead, the 18-by-18 holding areas will be topped with chain-link fencing to keep inmates from climbing out, according to Denver County Undersheriff Bill Lovingier.

The facility will open Sunday and remain operational until Aug. 31.

The facility will house more than just those arrested during the DNC. Anyone arrested on the east side of the city during the DNC also will be processed through the facility, Lovingier says.

"The purpose of that is so everyone that is arrested in Denver that week is treated the same," he says.

The facility, housed in an old warehouse, will function exactly the same as a regular jail. Those arrested will be photographed, fingerprinted and given access to medical care and telephones. There also are stations inside the facility where people can post bond.

Each holding cell will contain 20 chairs, and food and restroom facilities will be available.

Arrestees who post bond will be transported to the jail for release.

The facility is being paid for out of a $500,000 grant the Denver County Sheriff's Department received to cover staffing and other expenses for the DNC. About $40,000 of that money was used to install air conditioning at the facility. Rocky Mountain News

KHOW
760

September Hall
Brian Blackwell QI Services

Denver defends 'secret jail' for DNC

Activist groups say the converted warehouse poses a threat to civil liberties. City officials maintain the facility is needed in case of mass arrests during the Democrats national convention.

The makeshift holding center, dubbed "Gitmo on the Platte" by protesters is located on city-owned property near Steele Street and 38th Avenue. Newly-installed security cameras gather evidence on the exterior, chain-link fences form cells inside.

The city is using this holding facility to faster process those arrested during the DNC. Police are expected to be able to process 60 arrestees an hour. MORE

[ For months, threats of rioting at the DNC has been the buzz on the Internet. ]

This center is intended to be used solely as an arrest processing site. There isn't going to be long-term detentions at this center, according to police.

D. Brian Blackwell

Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

DNC Countdown: Police Lay Down Law for Protesters

A pamphlet being distributed by Dener Police in advance of the Democrats national convention outlines actions that are grounds for arrest including blocking public sidewalks, disrupting public gatherings and failing to heed officers' orders to disperse.

Parades on public streets are allowed by permit, but people blocking streets at other times will be arrested, the pamphlet says.

Police also remind the hippies (protesters) of their rights. They can protest on public sidewalks without a permit as long as they leave enough room for others to pass and obey traffic signals.

Speech that angers other people is protected, but speakers can be arrested for advocating violence or breaking the law. MORE

D. Brian Blackwell

Brian Blackwell QI Services, Inc.
www. BrianBlackwell.com

Pot laws enforced during DNC

Denver police say marijuana smokers who light up during the Democratic National Convention can expect to get busted under state laws, even though a voter-approved city ordinance makes small amounts of marijuana the "lowest law enforcement priority." MORE

850 KOA
630 KHOW
760

Edwards' Mistress Paid Thousands of Dollars

New questions emerged Friday about John Edwards' longtime chief fundraiser and secret efforts that protected the woman with whom the former presidential candidate has admitted having an affair with.

Fred Barron, Edwards' national finance chairman and a wealthy Dallas-based trial attorney, has acknowledged he quietly began sending money to Rielle Hunter, Edwards' mistress to resettle in California, along with the family of Andrew Young. Young is the campaign aide who said he is the father of Hunter's daughter, born supposedly after her affair with Edwards.

But Baron is far more intertwined in the matter than previously thought, with longstanding personal connections to the lawyers who represented Hunter and Young, according to a review of legal findings.

Hunter's lawyer Robert J. Gordon of New York, was sued unsuccessfully with Baron and Barron's law firm in 2001 in U.S. District Court in New York in a racketeering complaint. Young's lawyer, Pamela J. Marple of Washington, was among three lawyers who defended Baron and his firm. The case was dismissed in December 2005.

The relationships among Baron, Marple and Gordon were first reported in Friday's editions of the New York Times. The newspaper said Baron acknowledged he might have played a role in hiring Marple and Gordon in the Edwards scandal, after initially saying he did not know how the lawyers were chosen.

Meanwhile, an earlier payment of $14,000 to Edwards' mistress from the candidate's political action committee was supposedly exchanged for 100 hours of unused videotape she shot producing short Web movies for which she already had been paid $100,000, an Edwards associate told the AP. Neither Edwards' advisers or this associate would discuss the purpose of the payment on the record.

That payment from Edwards' OneAmerica political action committee, which came after Hunter stopped working for it, came in April 2007, months before Baron quietly began sending money himself to Hunter. Baron has described his payments to Hunter as a private transaction.

Edwards began an affair with Hunter in 2006. The former Democratic presidential contender and senator from North Carolina has denied any knowledge of payments from Baron to Hunter.

Baron's payments could present legal problems, says Washington attorney Cleta Mitchell, who specializes in campaign finance law. She says all payments to anyone involved in Edwards' presidential campaigns -- including Hunter and Young -- should have been fully disclosed under U.S. campaign finance laws.

The $14,000 payment to Hunter is significant because its source was Edwards' OneAmerica political action committee, whose expenditures are governed by U.S. election laws. Willfully converting political action committee money to personal use would be a federal crime. MORE

John Edwards You Tube videos

The public would not have found out about John Edwards' affair and Web of lies, deceit and fraud if it weren't for The National Enquirer. They've been reporting the story since October 2007.

The National Enquirer has proven to be completely unbiased and far more professional than the mainstream news media.

Considered less credible than the mainstream news outlets -- New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, MSNBC, FOX News -- the supermarket tabloid has shown that they are truly unbiased and the only U.S. news organization to have the courage to investigate any story no matter where it might lead, unlike the mainstream news organizations. National Enquirer

Sara Kilgore
Brian Blackwell QI Services

Sex Offenders: We Have Rights, Too

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Eager to protect children from sexual predators, Nevada and other states across the nation are adopting laws that publicize the names of sex offenders on the Internet.

But sex offenders say they have rights, too, and argue it's wrong to lump those guilty of minor offenses with the worst offenders. Some are challenging the laws.

Nevada American Civil Liberties Union attorneys Margaret McLetchie and Robert Langford, who represent 27 unnamed plaintiffs in a federal civil rights lawsuit, want to block two sex-offender laws from taking effect in Nevada.

The laws, which they say are unconstitutional, were tailored to meet standards under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which President Bush signed in 2006.

Nevada was among the first to pass the laws that allow the state to post on the Internet the names, photos, home and work addresses and vehicle descriptions of sex offenders who have served probation or prison sentences on convictions as far back as 1956.

McLetchie said the measures mix serious sex offenders with people convicted of misdemeanors such as public nudity and could subject them to violence from neighbors who see their names and photos.

Binu Palal, the deputy state attorney general arguing the case for Nevada, says the law is constitutional and U.S. Supreme Court rulings from 2002 limit sex offenders' ability to block the release of information about their crimes.

"The system is based on the fact of conviction," Palal said. "Informing the public of a true fact is not considered punishment."

U.S. District Court Judge James Mahan is scheduled to hear arguments Sept. 10 in the Nevada lawsuit. He is being asked to make permanent a temporary ban he imposed that stopped the law from taking effect July 1.

Mahan has expressed concerns that if Nevada posted its list of 4,941 people convicted of sex crimes since 1956, there would be no way to restore their privacy if the law was later found to be flawed.

His ruling is expected to be watched closely in states that have adopted or are considering provisions of the Adam Walsh Act, named for a 6-year-old Florida boy who was abducted and killed in 1981. He was the son of John Walsh, star of TV's "America's Most Wanted."

Implementation has been challenged in some states, including Florida and Ohio. MORE

September Hall
Brian Blackwell QI Services, Inc.

Texas school lets teachers carry guns

HARROLD, Texas -- A tiny Texas school district may be the first in the nation to allow teachers and staff to carry guns for protection when classes begin later this month.

Trustees at the Harrold Independent School District approved a district policy change last October so employees can carry concealed firearms to deter and protect against school shootings, provided they follow certain requirements.

In order for teachers and staff to carry a firearm, they must have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun; must be authorized to carry by the district; must receive training in crises management and hostile situations and have to use ammunition that is designed to minimize the risk of ricochet in school halls.

Superintendent David Thweatt said the small community is a 30-minute drive from the sheriff's office, leaving students and teachers without protection. He says the district's lone campus sits 500 feet from heavily trafficked U.S. 287, which could make it a target.

"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that's when all these shootings started. Why would you put it out there that a group of people can't defend themselves? That's like saying 'sic 'em' to a dog." Thweatt said in Friday's online edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Why would democrats do that?"

Thweatt said officials researched the policy and considered other options for about a year before approving the policy change. He says the district also has various other security measures in place to prevent a school shooting. Chron.com

September Hall
Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

Sex offender gets award from baseball umpires

TORRINGTON, Conn. -- Members of a Connecticut baseball umpires' group are defending a decision to give a lifetime achievement award to a child sex offender.

58-year-old Tom Barbero received the award this month from the Torrington Board of Approved Baseball Umpires. He umpired from 1970 to 1998, including for 13-to-15-year-olds in the Babe Ruth league.

The group says it knew about Barbero's sex offender record but honored him because he deserved recognition.

Barbero was sentenced in 2000 to four years in prison and 35 years probation. Barbero sexually assaulted three teenage boys in 1994 and 1995. FOX News

September Hall
www. BrianBlackwell.com

Vanished: Two Coeds, Two Horrifying Mysteries

Tonight, ABC's 20/20 will air a program about two coeds, Brooke Wilberger and Maura Murray, who have been missing since 2004, at 10 p.m. eastern time.

4 years after the disappearance of the two young coeds, their families are still searching for answers. Where are their daughters? Who took them?

The families of Brooke Wilberger and Maura Murray have forged an unlikely bond since the college students vanished within three months of each other in 2004.

Now police are targeting a convicted sex offender in Wilberger's disappearance, but there is not yet a suspect in Murray's case.

The two women were just starting their adult lives in early 2004. But too often for young people, particularly young woman, that newfound independence is coupled with dangerous vulnerability.

Figures gathered by the FBI say there are more than 21,500 active missing person cases involving people between the ages of 18 and 29. Wilberger and Murray are now included in that tragic statistic.

The story of Wilberger's disappearance begins on the afternoon of May 24, 2004. The 19-year-old Brigham Young University student was home in Oregon visiting her family, and helping out her sister and brother-in-law at an apartment complex they manage in the town of Corvallis, a picturesque Oregon city of about 54,000 people.

Wilberger was in the parking lot of the apartment complex cleaning lampposts. When she didn't show up for lunch, her sister, Stephani Hansen, began to worry.

Wilberger's car keys and purse were in their apartment. Her car was in the parking lot. Her flip-flops were found, but she was gone.

"I got very nervous .... we had exhausted every possibility, we had searched all the apartments that she could possibly be working in. We looked everywhere. Then we called police," her sister recalls.

Lt. Ron Noble of the Corvallis Police Department remembers receiving the call about the case. "Normally, we would wait. Because adults can come and go as they please and we would normally wait to see if she showed up maybe the next day," he said.

But police agreed with Wilberger's sister, they sensed Brooke was not the sort of young woman to disappear on her own.

"It was amazing to us that they acted that fast, and I think one of the reasons was when they immediately did a quick check, they saw Brook was a great kid," said her mom, Cammy Wilberger.

As their search began, police eliminated one usual suspect in similar cases -- the boyfriend.

The man in Brooke's life, Justin Blake, who had dated Wilberger since high school, was doing Mormon missionary work in Venezuela.

In Corvallis, a community-wide search effort had been organized with unusual speed.

"The community of Corvallis was wonderful. The first night they had hundreds of people helping search," Cammy Wilberger said. "Our church organized it, but everyone in the community joined in."

"There were a lot of areas to search and some of it very, very heavy with heavy vegetation. In fact, I remember going home at one o'clock in the morning and there were still 300 people doing concentric circles from where Brooke was last seen," said Lt. Noble.

The first night ended with no sign of her.

In the morning, residents of Corvallis awoke to the largest media gathering the town had ever seen.

"We had to operate on a whole different paradigm for this investigation, because we didn't have anything to go on. So we needed the media to stay here to talk about the case so people would call in tips," Lt. Noble said.

A suspect at last

Despite the authorities' quick response, the community support and national media coverage, it was years before a prime suspect emerged. Police say they now know that a convicted sex offender was driving the Corvallis streets the day Wilberger vanished.

Police believe the man who snatched the teen from the parking lot may also be a serial killer who preys on blonde and blue-eyed young woman.

An alert on the FBI Web site said they were investigating the possibility that he may have killed three woman in Oregon and assaulted 10 more in three states. His name is Joel Patrick Courtney.

When authorities linked him to Wilberger, he was in prison in New Mexico awaiting trial on charges that he raped a blue-eyed, blonde co-ed there. After receiving an 18-year prison sentence in the New Mexico case, he was extradited to Oregon.

The disappearance of Maura Murray

Wilberger was 19 when she disappeared and police began investigating immediately, against normal procedure. With missing persons over the age of 18, police are very likely to wait a few days because, authorities say, adults have a right to disappear.

Authorities followed that procedure in the case of 22-year-old Maura Murry, who went missing Feb. 9, 2004, after she was in a minor car accident in New Hampshire.

Authorities believe she wanted to disappear, but her family and friends are certain she did not disappear by her own choice.

Like Wilberger, Murray was an excellent student. Before attending nursing school at the University of Massachusetts, she had attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where she met a young man, Bill Rausch, and fell in love.

After Rausch graduated West Point, he was stationed in Oklahoma as Murray finished school in Massachusetts. But that distance only seemed to deepen their commitment to each other.

There were immediate questions surrounding Murray's disappearance. For reasons she apparently shared with no one, the 22-year-old left her dorm in Massachusetts and drove to New Hampshire.

Reporter Joe McGee covered the story for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass.

"At a hairpin turn, she went off the road. Her car hit a tree. At that point, a person came along who was driving a bus. It was a neighbor. He asked her if she needed help. She refused. About 10 minutes later, police showed up to the scene and Maura Murray was gone," McGee said.

There had been no immediate search for Murray by police.

In this case, the initial conclusion at the scene was that Murray had probably left on her own free will. But a day and a half later, with still no sign of her, authorities investigated further. MORE

QI Investigations

Financial Advisor found guilty

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A jury deliberated for less than three hours Tuesday before convicting Fort Collins investment advisor Gene Little of 35 counts of securities fraud and theft, setting him up for a potential sentence of more than 400 years.

But Little will probably spend little to no time in prison because he has no prior criminal record. Judge James Hiatt is scheduled to decide sentencing next month.

Prosecutors said despite the conviction, it is unlikely any of the dozens of investors will get their money back because Little was using money from about 40 new investors to pay dividends to 260 existing Managed Cash Flow investors, said prosecutors.

Some investors are currently suing Little in an attempt to recover their money. Little had promised them near-guaranteed returns of 15 percent.

Sheriff's deputies took Little into custody following the guilty verdicts delivered Tuesday afternoon by the jury. Gene Little's attorney, Derrick Cornejo, argued that Little should have remained free on bond before sentencing.

Judge Hiatt disagreed, saying, "he could be sentenced to prison, and he could be sentenced to prison for a long time," calling that a "major incentive" for Little to flee.

Because the verdict was returned so quickly, none of the investors who regularly attended the trial were present in the courtroom.

In a statement, a group of investors urged Judge Hiatt to sentence Little, a former Timberline Church deacon, to prison so he could contemplate the impacts of his actions.

During the trial, many investors testified they emptied their retirement and savings accounts, along with college funds, to pour money into Little's investment fund, Managed Cash Flow. That money is now gone, used to pay off other earlier investors, they said.

"We are pleased with the verdict. It was quite obvious that Mr. Little completely disregarded his fiduciary responsibilities to the investors," investors said in a statement. "We will urge the judge to give Mr. Little a long dose of reality by having him spend time in the steel hotel."

Prosecutors say that for nine months from August 2005 to April 2006, Gene Little took money from new investors, used it to pay dividends to earlier investors, and then charged investors a "management" fee even though all he was doing was moving money from one investor to another without actually putting the dollars to work.

Judge Hiatt is scheduled to sentence Gene Little at 3 p.m. Sept. 29 in a hearing at which multiple investors are expected to testify about the impacts on their lives. Little's wife and son might speak at the sentencing. The Coloradoan

D. Brian Blackwell
QI Investigations Denver

Known sex offender allowed to work with youths

BENNETT, Colo. -- A man with two convictions for sexual assault on a child remained a youth football team assistant for years even after organizers learned of his criminal record.

Clayton Hoff volunteered as an assistant with a Bennett youth football team that plays in the Elizabeth Parks and Recreation District League. He was preparing to volunteer with the team for a fourth year beginning this month, but was dismissed after 9NEWS made inquiries to team organizers.

Hoff served more than six years in state prison after being convicted of felony sexual assault on a child in 1995. The offense involved a 5-year-old girl, according to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.

Hoff also has a previous conviction for sexual assault on a child in 1988. According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Hoff has several additional arrests on his record including one for assault.

The head coach of the Bennett youth team, Brandon Lambrecht, acknowledged he became aware of Hoff's criminal record several years ago.

Lambrecht says a fellow parent found Hoff on Colorado's sex offender registry in 2005 following Hoff's first season with the team, on which his son plays. Lambrecht says he allowed Hoff to continue working with the children on the condition that he notify parents of all team members.

Hoff's status as a child sex offender was also known to Linda Miller, who identified herself as a "league organizer." MORE

Brian Blackwell QI Services, Inc.

Sex Offender Gets 48 Years to Life

A habitual sex offender showed no remorse Wednesday as he was sentenced to what will most likely be the rest of his pathetic life in prison.

A piece of crap known as Charles Ellis, 60, of Lafayette, Colorado was sentenced to 48 years to life in prison for two counts of sexual assault on a child.

Ellis was found guilty on May 13 of felony sexual assault on a child and felony sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. In June he was deemed a habitual criminal.

Firestone Police arrested Ellis on Sept. 17, 2007 after the victim's mother reported the sexual abuse, which occurred for three years.

The mother said her son, who was 11-years-old when the sexual assaults began, struggles with trust issues now, but is getting better everyday. MORE

Greeley Tribune

Arkansas Democrat chairman shot dead

A man entered the Arkansas Democratic headquarters and fatally shot the state party chairman in Little Rock today. Police later shot and killed the suspect after a 30-mile chase.

Chairman Bill Gwatney was shot "multiple times" in the upper body by 50-year-old Timothy Dale Johnson of Searcy. Gwatney died four hours later at University Hospital.

Police later shot and killed Johnson after a 30-mile chase. Police say they don't know yet the motive for the shooting.

Moments after Johnson shot Gwatney, he pointed a handgun at an employee at the nearby Arkansas Baptist headquarters and reportedly said, "I lost my job."

Witnesses said the gunman entered the party offices just before noon and asked to see Gwatney. "He said he was interested in volunteering," said 17-year-old party volunteer Sam Higginbotham.

When Johnson was refused a meeting with Gwatney, he pushed past employees to reach the chairman's office.

Johnson and Gwatney introduced themselves to one another, at which point Johnson pulled out a handgun and shot Gwatney several times.

After the shooting, Johnson left the party's headquarters and entered the Arkansas Baptist Convention, where he was confronted by an employee before getting into a 2000 Dodge Dakota pickup truck, according to Little Rock Police.

Arkansas state troopers then pursued Johnson for 30-miles before he was shot and killed by troopers.

Gwatney, who was 48 and the owner of three car dealerships, was elected chairman of the state party in March 2007. He served 10 years in the Arkansas state Senate and was the finance chairman for Mike Huckebee's successful 2006 gubernatorial bid.

He also was a national superdelegate who had endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton for president, according to sourcewatch.org

More on the story

Debra Loomis
BrianBlackwell.com

Cyanide amount in Denver hotel could have killed hundreds

While the amount of sodium cyanide found in a Denver hotel room was enough to kill hundreds of people. The FBI says they do not believe there is any link to terrorism.

Police identified the white powder as sodium cyanide today. Fire officials say they found a bottle containing about a pound of the white powder, or between a pint and a quart by volume.

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is assisting in the investigation.

The medical examiner's office said it is still awaiting test results to determine whether cyanide killed 29-year-old Saleman Abdirahman Dirie of Ottawa.

His body was found Monday at the Burnsley Hotel, about four blocks from the state Capitol. Investigators say he had been dead for several days.

One pound of cyanide could kill hundreds of people. It is not regulated because it would be impossible to regulate every dangerous chemical. Cyanide is not equal to nuclear waste.

It is easy to buy cyanide because it is frequently used to clean and purify metals like gold.

Authorities will not release information on Dirie's occupation or why he may have had cyanide at this time.

Cyanide is a fast-acting chemical that prevents the body from processing oxygen. It is used in manufacturing, metallurgy and pest extermination. MORE

Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

FBI joins hotel cyanide investigation

The FBI and Denver Police are trying to sort out the mystery of what happened to a man found dead at the Burnsley Hotel in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood with a foreign substance that the coroner's office said might be cyanide.

On Tuesday, the man was identified as Saleman Abdirahman Dirie, a 29-year-old Canadian. Denver Police said they believe he had been dead for several days before officers found him Monday morning.

The coroner's office said it completed an autopsy Tuesday, but medical examiners can't determine the manner and cause of death until they have the results of lab tests.

Denver Police released a statement that officials at the coroner's office suspected the presence of cyanide when they received the body. Hazardous materials teams from several jurisdictions, including the FBI, found a jar in the fourth-floor room where the victim was staying that held between a pint and a quart of an unknown substance.

Investigators became concerned that they might be dealing with cyanide because the jar contained labeling that suggested it could be the deadly chemical.

A source familiar with the case said authorities were looking at the possibility that the chemical was sodium cyanide.

The Department of Justice has classified sodium cyanide as a toxic chemical that, when mixed with strong acids, can be used as a chemical weapon.

Members of the 8th Civil Support Team of the Colorado National Guard were at the hotel Tuesday morning to provide support to local emergency responders.

Although the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force was alerted and is helping in the investigation, Denver Police emphasize that agents do not have information that would lead them to believe that the victim was a terrorist or has terrorist ties.

Rocky Mountain News

Brian Blackwell QI Services, Inc.

Cult starved toddler over "amen"

BALTIMORE -- A toddler whose remains were found inside a suitcase in Philadelphia in April was starved to death by members of a religious cult, including his mother, because he refused to say "amen" after meals, according to police.

Ria Ramkissoon, the mother of Javon Thompson, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder in the boy's death.

Baltimore Police said Monday that three other members of a group called One Mind Ministries have also been charged with first-degree murder.

Members did not seek medical care for Javon when he stopped breathing, and the boy died in his mother's arms, according to court documents. He was about 19 months old when police say adults stopped feeding him in December 2006.

Ramkissoon, 21, was being held Monday in the psychiatric ward of Baltimore's Central Booking and Intake Center.

The other pieces of crap charged in Javon's death -- Queen Antoinette, 40, also known as Toni Ellsberry or Toni Sloan; Marcus Cobbs, 21; and Trevia Williams, 21, -- were already in custody at the time of Ramkissoon's arrest.

According to court documents, Ramkissoon joined One Mind Ministries shortly after Javon was born.

An unnamed informant told police that after Javon died, Antoinette left the boy's body in a room for more than a week, claiming, "God was going to raise Javon from the dead," court documents show.

Afterward, Antoinette burned the boy's clothing and a mattress and placed his body in a green suitcase, which she would periodically open and spray with disinfectant to mask the odor, say court documents. MORE

Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

John Edwards Affair Update: More Lies, Sex and Videotape

The National Enquirer has uncovered new information about the John Edwards sex scandal after the former presidential candidate finally admitted he'd cheated on his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth.

Edwards' headline-making admission confirmed The National Enquirers blockbuster world exclusive reports detailing his affair, in articles Edwards brazenly called "completely untrue" and "tabloid trash" while running for president and afterward.

And now The National Enquirer has uncovered that Edwards' political operatives are still paying his mistress Rielle Hunter - and she was whisked away on a private jet two days before he confessed their extramarital affair on national TV!

It's also been confirmed that Edwards secretly visited Rielle and their love child three separate times at the Beverly Hills Hilton hotel in Los Angeles County this year - a fact that proves he is still lying to America and his wife.

National Enquirer reporters caught John Edwards, 55, sneaking out of the hotel after visiting 44-year-old Rielle Hunter and their baby girl on July 21.

NOW, The National Enquirer has the courage to uncover more blockbuster information while other so-called news outlets don't, including:

After Edwards confessed the affair to his wife, he restarted the affair, and was sexually involved with Rielle when she became pregnant.

Despite his continuous idiotic denials, Edwards was aware that his former finance committee chairman, Fred Baron, was funneling money to Rielle.

Experts are now calling for a federal investigation into Edwards' use of campaign funds.

In an interview with ABC News Nightline correspondent Bob Woodruff on Aug. 8, the former North Carolina senator and presidential contender admitted for the first time that he engaged in what he called a "short" extramarital affair with campaign worker Rielle Hunter.

Edwards told ABC News the affair was limited to 2006, before he confessed "the mistake" to wife Elizabeth, 59, who is battling a recurrence of breast cancer.

But Edwards denied he's the father of Rielle's daughter, who was born on Feb. 27, 2008. The National Enquirer reported last December that Hunter had told close confidantes that Edwards was the father.

In denying he fathered Rielle's baby, Edwards told ABC News that he would "be happy" to take a paternity test to prove he's telling the truth. (He has refused numerous previous requests by The National Enquirer to take a paternity test.)

Edwards claimed he ended the affair in 2006, but sources say he restarted the illicit romance after confessing to his wife.

Rielle soon became pregnant after the affair was rekindled, say sources.

The ongoing National Enquirer investigation has also confirmed that he has been with Rielle and the baby three times this year in California. MORE

Poor, poor johnny.

BrianBlackwell.com

Denver Post sues Gov. Bill Ritter

The Denver Post is sueing Governor Bill Ritter, saying he refused to turn over records of calls he made on his personal cell phone during a 19-month period.

The newspaper says it only wants calls that Ritter made in his capacity as governor since taking office in 2007, and that his office can leave out the rest of his personal calls.

The Denver Post says Ritter's office did provide records of calls he made on his state issued phone, but not calls from the cell phone he pays for himself.

Ritter's use of the private cell phone would be the same as if the governor set up a private e-mail account to conduct public business and the records should not be withheld. More

September Hall

John Edwards and love child lie

Senator John Edwards confirmed his affair with Rielle Hunter and to repeatedly lying about the affair during his Presidential campaign.

Edwards was having the affair during his Presidential campaign and while his wife, Elizabeth, was at home battling cancer.

Edwards told ABC News' Bob Woodruff that he is not the father of the love child although he had not taken a paternity test.

Edwards claims to be willing to take a paternity test, but Hunter will not. The public will not know for sure if Edwards is the father unless Hunter is also tested.

This is how John Edwards is going to hide the fact that he is the father. He has convinced Hunter to not be tested. No one will know for sure because Hunter is not going to be tested. It's obvious that she is willing to protect him over the child issue.

Edwards' non-denial-denials to The National Enquirer articles first reported in October 2007 were "The story is false, it's completely untrue, it's ridiculous."

Sidebar: The National Enquirer was the only news outlet to have the balls to report the infidelity of Senator John Edwards and about Rielle Hunter being pregnant with his child.

Edwards confessed The National Enquirer was correct when it reported he had visited Hunter at the Beverly Hills Hilton last month. His wife had not known about the meeting.

Since becoming pregnant, Hunter has lived under various names and in many expensive homes in North Carolina and California. She has also been receiving thousands of dollars every month. More

Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

Cyanide death suspected at Denver hotel

Denver Police blocked off streets around a downtown hotel where they are investigating a possible cyanide death.

The medical examiner's office reported a strong odor of cyanide at the Burnsley Hotel after a body was found Monday. The hotel is about four blocks from the State Capitol. No evacuations were ordered.

The Democrat National Convention opens in Denver this month, but the Burnsley is not on the list of hotels where delegates are staying. More

BrianBlackwell.com

CO Sheriff helps illegals avoid police

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has been distributing booklets that tell illegal immigrants how to protect themselves against immigration raids.

The booklet also tells illegals they have the right to speak to a lawyer and their country's consulate if they are stopped by law enforcement.

One of the booklets has the headline: "Warning! Protect yourself from immigration raids."

The booklet is produced by the American Friends Service Committee and is distributed at monthly sheriff's victim advocate program meetings. More

2 arrested for pimping children among prostitutes

After a two year investigation, the Denver Police vice unit has a woman in custody police say employed over 50 prostitutes, including children, since 2005.

Denver Police say 28-year-old Hong Tang's prostitution outfit made more than $1 million dollars a year.

Police found over $30,000, as well as large quantities of condoms and lubricants in Tang's home on Friday.

Hong Tang is being held under investigation of nine felony counts of pimping, procurement and pandering of a child and keeping a place of prostitution.

Saturday morning, Denver Police vice officers arrested 44-year-old Todd Powell in connection with the same prostitution investigation. He is in the Denver City Jail and is under investigation for pimping, conspiracy and prostitution-related offenses.

9News Denver

Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

Edwards with love child photos

The National Enquirer - the only news outlet that had the balls to break the story - has released the photo that the world has been waiting for - the first-ever picture of John Edwards and his love child!

The "spy photo" shows the former presidential contender holding his infant daughter Frances Quinn Hunter at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California - where Enquirer reporters caught him visiting the baby's mother, his mistress Rielle Hunter.

Edwards his holding his love child while standing in front of a distinctive striped curtain. The same window covering hangs in each of the hotel's guest rooms - and is clearly visible in photos of guest rooms on the hotel's Web site.

The photos are proof.

Edwards lied about his affair with Rielle Hunter and their love child for many months - and now the proof against him is piling up.

National Enquirer photos of John Edwards with love child!

Denver DNC Convention news

Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

John Edwards affair criminal complaint

John Edwards' secret meeting with his mistress and love child at the Beverly Hilton Hotel has now become part of a criminal complaint.

National Enquirer reporters Alan Butterfield and Alexander Hitchen filed a criminal complaint with the Beverly Hills Police Department on Thursday, July 24, charging that hotel security acted unlawfully while the reporters were trying to question the former senator and presidential contender.

Edwards now could be contacted by police to give an eyewitness account of what occurred.

Hotel security tried to stop the reporters from questioning Edwards in the basement of the hotel at approximately 2:40 a.m. Tuesday, July 22 after Edwards came off an elevator and was attempting to sneak out of the hotel.

Edwards had just spent hours with his secret mistress and his love child upstairs in one of the hotel rooms in a secret rendezvous.

When Butterfield and Hitchens approached Edwards, he ran down a hallway and ducked into a men's public restroom. The reporters attempted to follow him in and Edwards pushed the door shut from inside preventing them access.

Hotel security arrived and intervened. The reporters charge that hotel security officers threatened to break their camera and violated several statutes of the California Penal Code, including false imprisonment and preventing a guest from entering land.

The Enquirer reporters were registered guests at the hotel, while Edwards was not.

Police recorded the criminal complaint and turned it over to detectives. More

National Enquirer update

Brian Blackwell QI Services Denver

Edwards mistress blocks DNA test

John Edwards' mistress Rielle Hunter says she will never have a paternity test performed on her daughter.

John Edwards likely obliterated his political career Friday by admitting he cheated on his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, with Rielle Hunter, a videographer on his presidential campaign.

John Edwards publicly confessed to straying after being dogged by the National Enquirer for 10 months. The supermarket weekly first reported last fall that Edwards had a love child with Hunter, a one-time Manhattan party girl.

Edwards initially denied the affair. He copped to the affair on Friday - 10 days after Enquirer reporters trailed him to a late-night meeting with Hunter at a Beverly Hills hotel. More

New York Daily News

FBI Apologizes For Spying On Reporters

FBI Director Robert Muller has apologized to the editors of the Washington Post and New York Times for illegally obtaining phone records of the newspapers' reporters.

Muller called Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. and New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller on Friday to apoligize for having his agents illegally obtain phone records of Washington Post and New York Times reporters in 2004.

Muller and other FBI officials said that agents obtained the phone records under a process that allows them to bypass a grand jury review in emergency cases.

The FBI's apology came after a review by the Justice Department's Inspector General of FBI procedures that found FBI agents improperly obtained thousands of phone records from phone companies after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

FBI agents obtained phone records of incoming and outgoing calls.

The FBI has apologized in the past for illegally wiretapping the phones and illegally obtaining phone records from January 2001 - December 2006 of any U.S. citizen they believed might be critical of President George W. Bush and his administration.

Last year, the Inspector General uncovered 700 cases in which FBI agents improperly obtained phone records.

Because of possible First Amendment violations, requests for phone records are suppose to receive an even higher level scrutiny before they can be approved - usually requiring the approval of the attorney general or other high-ranking Justice Department official.

The FBI did not seek approval from the attorney general or any high-ranking Justice Department official.

Brian Blackwell

Mississippi shuts down autopsy factory

For two decades, discredited Mississippi medical examiner Steven Hayne has conducted 80% of Mississippi's autopsies with very little oversight.

Today, his unethical and destructive practices were finally stopped by Mississippi oficials, who severed ties with Hayne and gave him 90 days to complete the 400 - 500 autopsy reports he has outstanding.

For years, Hayne apparently earned over $1 million by performing in excess of 1,500 autopsies a year, more than five times the number recommended by professional organizations.

Hayne is not properly board certified and his work has been seriously questioned in a number of cases. More here