By Jules Hammer

Talbot then went on to lie to the police and in media interviews about her knowledge of Gray's last hours. She and two friends had given him a ride from his job at Wal-Mart, dropping him off at the border of Vermont, she claimed. The lies of this deadly group quickly unraveled.

Four people are now being held in the case of Christopher Gray's death: Talbot and Robie for conspiracy to commit murder, plus their friends Anthony Howe, 18, for hindering apprehension and Timothy Smith, 23, for second-degree murder. Robie had been in the Grafton County jail for about a month on parole violation charges when Gray was murdered. That was also when the four began hatching their plan to kill Gray, phone records show.

The complaint alleges that on the night of October 7, 2008, Talbot and Howe drove to the Woodsville Wal-Mart to pick up Smith after he was finished working at the Subway sandwich shop inside the store. They also picked up Gray, who was getting off work. Talbot then dropped the 3 off at the home she shared with Howe and Smith in North Haverhill, NH, then left on her own some time around midnight. Two hours later, Smith called Talbot to tell her “it was done.”

Smith recently confessed to stabbing Gray. He claims that he and Gray got into an argument which became physical, that he “instinctively” pulled out a knife and stabbed Gray “a lot.” According to court documents, during the struggle, Howe pinned Gray and told Smith “do it now!” Both Howe and Smith then covered Gray's body with debris, and buried Gray's body on the property the next day. Acting on tips from inmate Robie, the pair tried to clean up the evidence, which, any genius knows, consists of tossing it in a nearby well and using brown spray paint to cover blood stains.

All involved, including the victim, had various "social networking" websites. Several of those belonging to the accused have been removed or dramatically altered since October 9th. One of the victim's MySpace websites - a new account- was last accessed on October 6. The tagline reads "chris gone to bed dont feel good” and his Mood was changed to "sick." His other MySpace, which seems to be his regular account, hadn't been accessed in months. I wonder if the accused created a new MySpace for Gray and attempted to set him up as being despondent as a reason for him to go missing the next day. It surely wouldn't be the first time that's happened, as readers of True Crime know well.

Adding to the horror of this murder is Chris Gray's "diminished capacity" or "disability" as it has been called by various friends and family in the media. Gray was a trusting person, who liked to hang out with friends and have a good time. According to a few people who knew him, he was a bit naive. So why was Robie set on making sure he was killed? Was Chris a witness to something Robie had done? Was he the reason Robie was arrested for parole violations? Prosecutors aren't releasing any information as to motive yet.

Another victim of this disgusting crime is the most innocent of all: Talbot and Robie have a 2 month old baby.

According to authorities, all four may face additional charges in this twisted murder plot.

By Jules Hammer

Last month, Joseph Edward Duncan, III was sentenced to death for the kidnapping, torture and murder of a 9-year old boy, Dylan Groene. The jurors deliberated a mere 3 hours before delivering their verdict on August 27.

Three hours. That somewhat surprised me, after reading about their horrified reactions to watching the disgusting video Joseph Duncan made of himself torturing and nearly killing little Dylan. Those jurors had to suffer through the gory evidence, photos, testimony and video and were still able to do their duty and deliberate for three hours on the death sentence, when I'm sure there was an overwhelming urge to make a round of "thumbs down" votes around the table and get it over with ASAP.

Once the judge certifies the death sentence for Duncan in this federal case, it is expected that Riverside County, CA will charge him with the kidnapping, torture and murder of Anthony Martinez in 1997- if they can get the U.S. attorney general to release him for that state trial. Duncan is now a federal inmate, and will be placed on death row in a federal prison. How long it may be before his execution date is anyone's guess. He may press for a speedy execution, refusing to appeal.

It has been said that in order to receive the "automatic" appeal for a federal death sentence, Duncan will need to request it, and he has not. He barely defended himself in court, acting as his own lawyer. I think he intends to get it over with as quickly as possible, as he is known for speaking out against going back to prison, and claiming to prefer death over capture. He is, after all, a coward of the highest order.

In a letter to his brother Bruce from 2006, Joseph Duncan writes,

"...but if I'm sent to prison, I will not even ask for protective custody. I could get killed, but I would rather be tortured to death than run to "the man" (the devil) for protection. God will protect me- and if he has to kill my body to do it then what's it matter? My body is already dead one way or another!"

Joseph Duncan has yet to be sentenced for several other federal charges to which he pleaded guilty. Those charges are related to the kidnapping and sexual abuse of the two children, and various firearms and stolen vehicle charges. That hearing, originally scheduled for October 15, has been postponed until November 3 because of scheduling conflicts among all the attorneys involved.

On August 30, fellow ICB'er Burl Barer invited me on his "True Crime and..." radio show. Once the call line was switched on :) Burl, his co-host Don, and I talked about this case and a bit about internet sleuths. I also revealed a couple of things about Joseph Duncan relevant to this case which I had been keeping mum about for 3 years. Follow the link above for the archive of Burl's radio shows.

Wayne Nelson Corliss, 58, was arrested at his apartment in Union City, New Jersey, about midnight Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Interpol said in a written statement.

Corliss later confessed to the allegations during police questioning, Interpol said.

He is believed to have worked as an actor using the name "Casey Wayne," and also to have worked as a Santa Claus in New York City during the holiday season, Interpol said.

He is believed to have been around 50 years of age at the time the photos were made, but as these photos are thought to be 7 to 8 years old, the man would obviously appear older now.

These photographs were found in March, 2006 on the hard drive of a Norwegian man who was charged with sexual abuse of children. The two year investigation failed to yield any clues to the identity of the man in the photos, so Interpol made the decision to release several of the photos in hopes that the public might once again help them identify a child molester.

Last October, Interpol appealed to the public for help in identifying a child molester whose image had been digitally altered by a photo-editing “swirl" effect.

Experts were able to undo the photo-editing effect, but still hadn't any leads on the man's identity until the photos were released to the world. Christopher Paul Neil, a 32-year old teacher from Canada, was identified and captured in Thailand 10 days after the public release. Neil's child sex abuse trial in Thailand is scheduled for June.

The man in these latest photos is considered a dangerous predator and was pictured raping at least 3 young Southeast Asian boys who appeared to be between the ages 6 and 10. The photos are believed to have been made in Thailand.

The Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble:

"The law enforcement community around the world has done all it can to find this man who clearly presents a danger to young children, and we are now asking the public to help identify this predator and protect other potential victims from abuse.

When we made a similar appeal last year, it was information provided by the public which helped identify and locate Christopher Paul Neil, who is now in jail facing child abuse charges. We hope that people around the world will again play a vital role in tracing this man who could otherwise continue to sexually abuse young children."

Josef Fritzl would leave his prisoners in their dungeon while he vacationed- apart from his wife- in Thailand. Numerous photos (and video) of the pot-bellied Fritzl sporting a Speedo on a beach in Thailand have surfaced. In one video, he is receiving a body massage from a young girl. In others, he is pictured with other single men while sightseeing.

Thailand is a popular destination for child molesters around the globe, and sometimes men like Fritzl and those he is pictured with choose to vacation there for one reason- the smorgasbord of children and teens offered for sex.

***

One day after this second appeal to the public, Interpol is chasing 200 leads on “Mr. Ident,” as he has been dubbed.

Tips on this man's identity can be made to one's local police, or by using the Interpol e-mail form.

By Jules Hammer

Wednesday, Joseph Duncan again requested to serve as his own counsel for this federal trial through Mark Larranaga, one of his attorneys. For the few readers unfamiliar with this case of a convicted pedophile who spent years in prison honing his craft until he was released back into society to achieve his murderous goals, as described in his personal blog, I've listed those 10 counts below. The three which could earn Joseph Duncan the death penalty in this federal case are highlighted in red.

1. Kidnapping Resulting in Death
2. Kidnapping
3. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor
4. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor
5. Sexual Exploitation of a Child Resulting in Death
6. Felon in Possession of a Firearm
7. Using a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence Resulting in Death
8. Transportation of a Stolen Firearm
9. Possession of an Unregistered Firearm
10. Transportation of a Stolen Vehicle

US District Judge Edward Lodge recently imposed a gag order on all parties involved with this federal trial, including court employees. Ostensibly, this is to avoid “contaminating” the jury pool among the lower 16 counties of Idaho from which the 325 potential jurors were selected. Juror selection is expected to last several more days, perhaps until the end of April, with the trial commencing in early May. In response to the gag order, The Spokesman-Review has petitioned the Court on behalf of their own and other organizations' access to court proceedings.

On Wednesday, 28 prospective jurors were considered. Six were dismissed based on their answers on questionnaires. Twenty-two were brought into court for individual questioning; of those, seven were dismissed. Six more were challenged by attorneys on either side, but the judge overruled the challenges.
[...]
The first prospective juror to be questioned told the court, “I just feel that anybody that does that kind of thing shouldn’t have a choice, and they should be put to death just like what they’ve done.” Under questioning from the judge, she said, “My feeling of it is that he should get the death penalty.” The juror was challenged by the defense, and the judge granted the challenge and excused her from service.

Of the seven prospective jurors eventually dismissed, all but one were challenged by the defense. One called the case a “slam-dunk death penalty” on his jury questionnaire, while another described Duncan as a “monster.” Another said he has a 9-year-old son – the same age as Duncan’s victim Dylan Groene. Asked by the judge if he thought he could be fair in this case, the young father appeared to struggle with his answer, then said, “No.”
[...]
One juror whose challenge the judge overruled told the court that she, too, has a 9-year-old son. Defense attorney Judy Clarke told her, “We’re going to ask you to watch (a video of) very graphic, sadistic sexual abuse with a 9-year-old child.”

The woman said she thought she likely would be emotional. “It will be difficult for me to sit through, absolutely,” she said. But under questioning from the judge, she said, “I do feel I can be fair.”

Regardless of the outcome of this federal case, Joseph Duncan was sentenced to life without parole for kidnapping the Groene children in the State of Idaho vs Duncan case. He still faces the death penalty in Idaho on three murder charges - previously deferred by the state judge until this federal trial is completed - for the slaying of the Groene children's family members. (In contrast, Louisiana is waiting for a Supreme Court ruling this June which will decide if that state may execute a man for raping an 8-year old.)

Joseph Duncan may also face the death penalty in California, for the abduction and murder of 10-year old Anthony Martinez from Beaumont, CA on April 4, 1997. Less likely are his chances of facing the death penalty in Washington, for the abduction and murder of two young half sisters, Sammiejo White and Carmen Cubias on July 6, 1996, if those indictments ever materialize.¹

Further, there are many questions which still exist about Duncan's involvement with several other missing & murdered child cases, two of which are:

¤ Russel Turcotte, 19, was last seen at a truck stop in Grand Forks, ND July 12, 2002, after spending the night with friends in Fargo, ND- where Joseph Duncan resided- on his way home to Montana from the Rainbow Gathering in Michigan. Surveillance cameras have placed Joseph Duncan at the same truck stop as Russell within hours of the past time Russell was placed there.

Russell's skeleton was discovered in November of 2002 in a wooded area along US RT 2 outside of Devils Lake. Russell's skeletal remains exhibited the same massive head trauma as the skeletal remains of Anthony Martinez, Sammiejo White and Carmen Cubias, and the corporeal remains of Brenda, Mark & Slade- the three people Joseph Duncan has admitted to bludgeoning to death in order to kidnap the young children.

¤ Leanna “Beaner” Warner, 5, was last seen around 5 p.m. On June 14, 2003 down the street from her home in Chisholm, MN, soon after returning home from an outing at a nearby lake. Joseph Duncan was familiar with this area- especially its lakes- having traveled to this part of Minnesota many times to scuba dive. Duncan tended to “protest too much” in his Fifth Nail blog, as many readers know. His protestations along with his efforts to document where he was and what he was doing when “Beaner” was abducted tend to stand out.

This blogger obtained a video and photos made by Joseph Duncan on that day, at a ND airport where several of his coworkers and acquaintances were skydiving. On this video, Duncan chats with another man (out of camera range) about scuba diving in the Chisholm area in recent days past. Earlier in the video, Duncan spent an extraordinary amount of camcorder resources on capturing footage of his coworkers' and friends' children running about the hangar.

According to sources who were present that day, Joseph Duncan left the airport in plenty of time to drive to Chisholm, MN and scope out Leanna Warner and her mom at the lake he was familiar with, follow them to their home, then snatch Beaner as she wandered her familiar street looking for a neighboring playmate.

1. More information on the death penalty by state can be found at: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state/

[open thread on this case can be found by clicking here. ]

Geoffrey P. Schaub was an assistant pastor who led bible study groups at a Presbyterian Church in Oviedo, Florida. The 62-year old also had past convictions for molesting children.

Schaub was killed yesterday by sheriff's deputies who were investigating him on charges that he raped one or more children. He allegedly tried to flee in his vehicle, and aimed a flare gun at the deputies. I think we all know how that usually turns out.

Schaub, who went by the name “Geoff,” had been an occasional babysitter to the 7-year old. The charges were brought after an admission he made in a phone call with his young victim's parents, which was being recorded by the police.

Schaub's previous convictions were in Miami and New York in the 70's and 80's. Despite Florida's tough Sex Offender laws, Schaub's crimes were old enough that he was not required to register as a sex offender. It's looking like he was living it up, because the evidence is stacking up against him and the list of possible victims is growing.

Neighbors said Schaub had moved into the neighborhood in the past month. As recently as June, according to my search of the county tax collector, he had been living in Orlando and working as a painting contractor. Other possible victims are said to be in Orlando:

“Schaub also is believed to have multiple victims that he raped in both Orange County and the city of Orlando. Since the shooting, investigators were seen pulling bags and boxes of evidence from his home in a rural east Orange County neighborhood. “

See video, “Child Rapist Killed By Deputies Was A Minister” from the story linked above. Footage shows police taking evidence from Schaub's home, including a computer.

Schaub also had previous Florida addresses listed in Cloud Lake, Key West, Greenacres, West Palm Beach... see where this is going?

According to the church's website and now-defunct message forum, Schaub had been listed as a member and bible study leader for at least the past two years. That church has posted a Call for Prayer on its website,

“Our hearts are broken in the wake of the tragic recent events. Words cannot express the sorrow and pain borne by the victims and their families. Our minds struggle to comprehend what has taken place.

Please join in prayer knowing that while we might not know how to pray as we should, that God’s Spirit that is within us will pray with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)

Please pray for the victims and their families, the sheriff deputies, Geoff’s family and friends, our church family, and the young and vulnerable. ”

I don't think this will be the last we hear of Geoff Schaub.

Last March 23^rd , a skeleton was found in an overgrown stand of trees in Ft. Myers, Florida by an ecologist surveying land for a developer. That gruesome find led to the discovery of eight total skeletons, all of white males between the ages of 18 and 49. A forensic anthropologist and other scientists determined that the remains had been left in the woods between the 1980's and 2000. The bones were not buried, no clothing was found, and all but one had well-cared for teeth and even expensive dental work. Authorities are still working on establishing causes of death.

Talk of a serial killer naturally followed, with reports that authorities were casting an eye at Daniel Conahan, the so-called “Hog Trail Killer” in Florida who was arrested in 1996 and sentenced to death for raping and killing one man, and suspected of killing at least five others. Other possible theories offered were related to mob hits, human trafficking, mass suicide, and even a shifty funeral services company.

Last November, two of the eight were identified through DNA matches with samples sent in by people with missing loved ones. Two Florida men, John C. Blevins (DOB 11/19/69) of Ft. Myers and Erik D. Kohler (DOB 6/23/74) of Port Charlotte, had both gone missing in 1995. Blevins wasn't reported missing due to his transient lifestyle. Kohler was reported missing by his aunt in 1999. Reportedly, he was last seen at a friend's or relative's house in October, 1995.

Since then, the investigation has taken a biographical turn. Who were Blevins and Kohler, authorities are asking, and who were their friends? They both went missing around 1995, but precisely when? And why?

Soto implored anyone with information about either of the men to contact the police department.

The tip line is: 877-667-1296

Today, John Walsh and America's Most Wanted filmed a segment on this case which is set to air on January 19^th. Facial reconstruction is being performed on the remaining unidentified skulls and they will be shown on America's Most Wanted in the hopes someone will recognize their missing loved one, and help catch their killer.

The front of the building had exploded, windows and doors blown out into the street. People frantically tried to escape the damage, many severely injured from flying debris and the concussive blast. Unbelievably, police headquarters in Danbury, CT had just been bombed! A few minutes later, a nearby bank was held up for about $55,000.00 in cash and travelers checks. The robbers set off another bomb in their wake as they fled the scene in a stolen car. Three minutes more, and yet another explosion in the parking lot of a shopping center. The getaway car, too, had been demolished by explosives.

Over 20 people were injured, miraculously none killed. The perpetrators of this 8-minute horror scene? The Pardue brothers: 23-year old James and 27-year old John. The date was February 13th, 1970, and this was their second such explosive bank heist in exactly 3 months. Linking the two helped the FBI narrow down their suspects and arrest them.

Three months before the Danbury, CT bombings and robbery, the Pardue brothers had used the same diversionary tactic in Union, Missouri. James Pardue planted his homemade timed explosives in the county courthouse building, which also housed the sheriff's office. The ensuing devastation and chaos from this blast offered them plenty of time to rob the United Bank of $18,000.00.

I wondered why the sheriff's men weren't coming. Generally they're here right away," Neher said. "As soon as the men left, I called the FBI and sent a mail up to the sheriff's office. He came back and said, 'It's been blown up'. ¹

The stolen getaway car was later found abandoned. Nine people were injured in the blast, none seriously.

Six months prior to the Union, MO bombing and robbery, James and John robbed the Citizens Bank in Pacific, MO for $80,000.00. No explosives were used to divert police in this, probably their third robbery, however as they made their getaway another man robbed a different bank in town and was apprehended. Serendipity? One can assume all the attention paid to this second bank robber afforded the Pardues a little breathing room when hiding from the law, and possibly giving them the idea for future "distractions" when pulling off their heists. The prior known robberies included no diversionary tactics, and the later two employed the timed explosives.

Robbing banks was one thing. Using explosives targeting the police to create diversions was something wholly other, and the FBI immediately linked the Danbury, CT case to the Union, MO case. Two people from the Union, MO area had been reported missing a few days after the courthouse bombing and United Bank robbery: John "Russell" Pardue and his mother, Daisy Link Pardue. They were James and John's father and paternal grandmother and they lived on a 120-acre farm a few miles outside of Union. Their car and a small travel trailer were missing.


Locals knew that Russell, who had recently moved to the area from Southport, CT, had two sons "back east" who had been seen on the farm. They fit the description of the robbers in the two Missouri cases, as well as the Danbury, CT case and another from Wilmington, DE which occurred 11 days before the Danbury heist.² This information hit the newspapers 10 days after the Danbury, CT heist but by then, Russell and Daisy Pardue were dead.

Not only were they dead, their bodies were wrapped in plastic inside their travel trailer, parked in James Pardue's friend's driveway in Westport, CT. James was down in Lusby, MD at the time with a backhoe, trailer, and truck he had stolen from the U. S. Army, digging a really big hole on his property. Within a week, James would return to CT for the trailer tomb and drive it to Maryland to be buried. James was arrested there three weeks after the Danbury, CT bombings and robbery. His brother John was arrested on the same day while still in CT.

As is the case with many kids growing up in the 70's, my siblings and I were quite interested in stories and movies about bank robbers. When our parents told us they went to high school with one, and my dad had been good friends with him, we were fascinated. We wanted to know everything about this "crazy" guy our dad had known. As we got older, my parents shared with us more details- the uglier ones- about the Pardue brothers' crimes.

My father became good friends with James "Jimmy" Pardue in their teen years. He says Jimmy was nice enough, but his older brother John was the scary one, "crazy, and really mean." Jimmy was considered extremely intelligent (his father was a chemical engineer for Shell Oil) and it wasn't a surprise that he'd excelled in his ordnance and explosives training he received from the U. S. Army from 1966-1967.

In the early months of 1968, Jimmy tried to get my father to join him on a mercenary mission to Africa as part of Mike Hoare's operations. When Pardue returned after 6 months, he had changed. My father asked him how the mission had gone and Jimmy smiled and replied, "It was fun- they had spears, we had machine guns!" Very shortly afterward, perhaps a couple weeks, Jimmy and his brother John pulled off their first known bank heist. They robbed the National Bank in Lewisburg, NY on August 17, 1968 and Jimmy would then commit his first known murder- in this country.


Part Two will be published in the coming days here at In Cold Blog.


Sources
1. "Franklin county courthouse bombed," Daily Capital News , 14 November 1969, p.1
2. "Holdups, disappearances probed," Jefferson City Post-Tribune, 23 February 1970, p.1