Joe Horn Testifies Before Grand Jury

Do you think Mr. Horn will face criminal charges?

Horn maintains that he shot the men – two illegal immigrants police believe were part of an organized home burglary ring – in self defense.

But an autopsy report on the men indicated that they were shot in the back.



What if the burglars would have killed someone during their burglaries? Perhaps Mr. Horn saved a few lives.

Teen Mom Charged With Capital Murder In Infant's Death

How could anyone be so cruel and evil?

A 14-year-old Baytown girl has been charged with capital murder in the death of an infant found in a junior high bathroom toilet on April 2.

The teenaged mom was arrested at 8 a.m. Thursday. Baytown police say she showed no emotion and did not resist arrest. The eighth grader is being held in a Houston area juvenile detention center.

Mother Of Slain Children To Testify

Attention has now turned to the mother of the children murdered on Father's Day:

Jerilynn St. Cyr has been issued a subpoena to testify before a Harris County grand jury. While not a suspect in her kids’ murders, law enforcement sources said her various statements to police about Randy Jr. and Denim’s disappearances were “inconsistent” and they are seeking to get her comments on the record.

Father Of Slain Children Denies Committing Crime

Child murderer, Randy Sylvester, is in denial:

One day after leading authorities to the charred bodies of his two children, 27-year-old Randy Sylvester said Sunday night they were killed because he owed someone money.

He says he wasn't the one to kill the siblings, who were remembered Sunday night in an emotional vigil at the southeast Houston railroad tracks where they were found.

According to Sylvester, someone else killed his children yet he knew where their bodies were dumped.

Let's Give Thanks To The Innocence Project

Thanks to the Innocence Project, another innocent man has been cleared:

The Innocence Project on Friday asked a Texas court to toss out the convictions that sent an innocent man to prison for 25 years and keeps him on probation today.

DNA testing last year showed Steven Phillips was innocent of a 1982 sexual assault and burglary. In January, additional testing found that DNA evidence from the rape matched another man, Sidney Alvin Goodyear, who died in prison about a dozen years ago.

Phillips, who is on parole and lives in a halfway house as part of his probation, still has an extensive criminal record because he pleaded guilty to nine related sex crimes over fear that he would receive a life sentence if convicted, his lawyer said. Prosecutors now believe those sex crimes were also committed by Goodyear.

Father Of Missing Children Remains Primary Suspect

Let's hope they get to the truth soon:

As scores of volunteer searchers continued looking today for two Pasadena children who vanished on Sunday, police said they are searching for a wooden trunk and a suitcase that had been seen in the apartment of the youngsters' father.

Corbett said witnesses told police they saw Sylvester carrying the suitcase from the area of his apartment to his car Sunday afternoon at the Sandridge Apartment Homes, 4025 Burke. They said the wooden trunk that was in his apartment as late as noon Sunday was not there about 4:30 p.m.

No Amber Alert Issued For Missing Children

In order for an amber alert to be issued, there must be a reasonable belief that an abduction has occurred. No amber alert was issued in this case, you figure out the rest:

Investigators are continuing their search today, with help from the FBI, for two children who were last seen at a Pasadena apartment complex two days ago.

Police and others persisted through the night in the search for the 7-year-old boy and his 3-year-old sister, but no new leads were uncovered, a Pasadena police spokesman said.

The children's mother pleaded Monday for their return as police scoured the area around the Sandridge Apartment Homes, 4025 Burke Road, with search dogs and helicopters.

He Regrets His Decision

If he could do it all over again:

Joe Horn, the Pasadena man who shot and killed two burglars after they emerged from his neighbor's home last year, regrets that decision.

A Harris County grand jury has begun hearing evidence as it considers whether the 61-year-old retired grandfather should be indicted and face criminal charges, or be no-billed and have the case dismissed.

Student Arrested In Murder For Hire Plot

When a relationship ends, get over it:

A 17-year-old Pasadena student has been arrested and charged with plotting to have a 15-year-old classmate killed. Pasadena police arrested the Sam Rayburn High School student Wednesday after he met with a law enforcement officer posing as a hitman.

Police said Thomas Moses Ramirez wanted the girl dead because he believed she was instrumental in his breakup with a former girlfriend. The investigation revealed that Ramirez wanted the intended victim to be shot, stabbed or strangled in exchange for $150 and a small amount of drugs.

Houston Firefighter Charged With Sexual Assault

There is a sick pervert in the Houston fire department.

A Houston firefighter was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child after a routine traffic stop by Friendswood police early Wednesday. Sean E. Caruthers, 38, was pulled over at 1:36 a.m. in the 2600 block of South Friendswood Drive, police said.

Investigators said Caruthers had no proof of financial responsibility and was detained while officers interviewed a passenger in the car, a 14-year-old boy. The boy told officers he had been sexually assaulted by an older man. Caruthers was then taken into custody.

Police learned Caruthers and the boy had become acquainted on the Internet and had subsequently met in person several times. Investigators said Caruthers, who joined the Houston Fire Department in 1999, and the teen had been involved in at least four incidents of sexual activity.

Harris County Killer Gets Stay Of Execution

Boo hoo hoo; his death drug cocktail may be a little too strong. Do they expect us to shed any tears for this killer?

Two last-minute appeals filed today halted Texas' first planned execution after a nine-month hiatus.

The Court of Criminal Appeals granted the stay after attorneys for the Texas Defender Service took up Derrick Juan Sonnier's case in the last few days. The length of the stay has not been determined.

The 40-year-old was sentenced to die for the 1991 stabbing deaths of Melody Flowers, 27, and her 2-year-old son, Patrick.

The Texas Defender Service submitted an appeal arguing that the state recently made changes to its three-drug cocktail protocol. The changes have not been reviewed by any court. The second appeal also contends the lethal injection protocol violates the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. That contention has not been addressed by Texas courts after a Kentucky decision.

Polygamy Sect To Get Kids Back

Mothers to bear the brunt when no restrictions are placed on fathers:


A judge today ordered the immediate return of the more than 400 children taken from a polygamist sect's ranch, bringing a sudden end to one of the largest custody cases in U.S. history.

The order requires the parents to stay in Texas, to attend parenting classes and to allow the children to be examined as part of any ongoing child abuse investigation. But it does not put restrictions on the children's fathers, require that polygamy is renounced or that parents live away from the Yearning For Zion Ranch.