Who decides

... what deaths were suicide, homicide or murder?
Buz sed,

All deaths ruled homicide by the Medical Examiner, and some even before, are reviewed by the Assistant State's Attorney for Violent Crime. He/she, in conjunction with their superiors, make the ruling of "justifiable"."

Well, BUZ, apparently even if the Medical Examiner's office says the death of a tied-up, buried woman might have been a strangulation, THAT is apparently not be not enough to get the police to classify or examine a death as a murder.

... what a wrenching story. That poor sister. What a nightmare.
And with 341 unclassified deaths in 2004-- 341!!-- how many more nightmares are out there?

Robberies, Armed

An armed robbery at 2024 N Charles St

... Maurice Young's bank- and home-invasion-robbery days are over, at age 43 with 38 Rod years ahead of him.

Only

six shootings this week.

An officer was hit by a car during a foot chase.

In Lusby, "Shopping On eBay As Girls Lay Dead"

The dollar may fluctuate, but there'll always be a use for delicious, omega-rich mackerel.

Peter Hermann says police are withholding basic crime info from the press, & "residents of this city know less and less about crime, the very thing they worry about the most."

The WSJ asks, "what ever happened to crime?"

Jayne Miller has entered the blog-o-sphere.

25 years for robbing the McDonald's, from the State hAead hOslappin office:

At a hearing Tuesday Judge John C. Themelis sentenced Shawn Johnson, 29, of the 4200 block of Fairfax Road to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and a consecutive five years in prison for robbery. A Baltimore jury convicted Johnson August 4, 2008.

On March 26, 2007 at approximately 3:00AM Johnson barged into the McDonald’s located on 25 N. Howard Street ordering the victim, an employee who had just arrived, to open the store and turn the alarm off. Johnson walked up behind the victim, placed black handgun to the victim’s head and ordered that he be brought to the safe, demanding that all the money be placed in a bag. Johnson threatened to shoot the victim; the victim complied and Johnson fled with the money. During the robbery, Johnson received a call on his cell phone and the victim heard a male on other end said “we gotta go, police are coming.”

Officers arrived and found co-defendant Stanford Reid coming out of the back alley with a jacket wrapped around his hands. He was stopped and found to be in possession of a handgun and a McDonald’s bag with $1419 currency in it. Reid fully cooperated and pled guilty August 3, 2008 to conspiracy to commit robbery and was granted a probation before judgment and one year probation. Reid and the victim both identified Johnson at trial.

Homicide #166*

An unidentified man found shot "near the 700 block of Allegany Place around near Carey Street about noon."
No s, no m.

* murder #164

That Live Entertainment Ordinance sounds jackassed.

Friday

Pat Jessamy doesn't like regional jury pools (which you wouldn't know from her efforts to shelve the Abell Foundation report), but is the idea constitutional?

As further proof that our political leadership is neither inept nor corrupt, the subpoenas continue for the Sheila Dixon investigation.

Carrie Everett of the Southwestern District of BPD received a reprimand after someone police captured committed suicide during her shift, and she's taken her story to the streets.

Two little dears were arrested for robbing a shoe store in Edmondson Village on September 24th. The issue was education here, as anyone could have taught them a shoe store is no place to rob.

A prosecutor turned appellate judge in Maryland argues against the Death Penalty in The Daily Record.

The economic crisis has even struck homes burgled, as evidenced by the random things nicked in today's blotter.

More on Squirrley McRobrob

His name is William Michael Miller, 44, and he's robbed three banks since Sept 26!... joke's on him, that cash won't be worth anything next week!

... because inflation will rob us all

Here's the article that inspired the new poll (thanks BBoy).
And here are MD's gold coin dealers.

Crabmeat, I Knew it!

Sentementes tracks down Johnny Hood, aka the Waverly seafood booster from yesterday's Blotter... don't miss the mug shot!

Today's "old man guilty of kiddie porn charges" link

#165

Michael Wilson, 24, of Belair Road was found shot multiple times in the torsoin Northeast Baltimore this morning. He later died at a nearby hospital. Interestingly enough, he was on probation from a drug conviction in 2006.

A man beaten to death in Essex was ID'd as Eddie Alonso Stewart, 24.

Broadwater tells the tale of attempted-murder victim Sean Levy.

The Ink details last week's murders, reports Delawntae Finley has been removed from the toll. If that's the case, then police are likely not counting the death of Anthony Coates, #121, which would explain the discrepancy between numbers.

Did area drug dealers steal the formula for happy pills?

A Salisbury woman was awarded $1.8 million after being wrongfully terminated from a pest-control company.

Some unspecified criminal charge was dropped in the case of a MoCo loon who threatened the gov, Hillary and Mikulski.

A TDR law blogger asks, "Should American courts be prevented from enforcing defamation judgments obtained in countries with weaker free speech protections?"

More on the probe into police spying. Your tax $ at work!

Gregory Barber, 23, the former live-in boyfriend of Kermia Hair, 25, of Bolton Hill, has been charged in her murder.

The ACLU wants more info on state police spying

How Can You Just Not Show?

According to this NYT map, the majority of MD's representatives--- Wayne Gilchrest, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Steny Hoyer and Christopher Van Hollen, Jr.-- didn't vote last night on the so-called "bailout" package ...
(see comments for correction)
Here's the financial mess explained handily, if you're interested.
Now back to our usual programming...

City council docs have been subpoenaed in the Dixon/Doracon probe-- and the state prosecutor now has new record-subpoena-ing powers.

Five years for the killer of Estefany Gonzalez.

The 15-year-old who was shot while standing on a porch in East Baltimore's Midway neighborhood was ID'd as Derrick "Terrell" Reed.

#164

43-year-old Helen Reightler, stabbed at the Inner Harbor, died Monday of her injuries.

Have you seen

this bald n squirrelly bank robber?

Two city twentysomethings were arrested in AAC for stealing catalytic converters.

Getting Away With Murder: a Primer

We've been long curious as to why Baltimore & MD have such astronomical rates of "undetermined" deaths compared to other areas; this J&B story about the postmortem of suspected prostitute Tyra McClary, who apparently tied herself up, removed her own underwear and buried herself, is enlightening.

Fifteen years for first-degree murder: it never ceases to shock the shit outta me. Today's lucky winner of that incredible deal was Marcus L. Pettiford, 22, of the 2000 of E. 31st Street, who pled guilty and got 50 years, all but 15 suspended, and 5 years probation from Judge Charles G. Bernstein. Details:

On June 5, 2007 at approximately 12:04AM in the 1700 block of East 30th Street Pettiford approached Tyrone Bonner, 29. After a brief argument, Pettiford pulled out a handgun and shot Bonner five times. Pettiford and an alleged co-defendant fled on foot. Emergency personnel transported Bonner to Johns Hopkins hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:33AM. Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Felsen of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.

See, it's dangerous in the burbs, too: a man was shot in the neck ... or was it the jaw? outside of the Manhattan Grill in Perry Hall.

Wouldn't You Know it

Rasslin' Luke Broadwater's butt-stapling story got picked up by PerezHilton.com-- with 3 million views, that easily makes it the Ex's most-read story ever!
PS., the buttmenz paper chain has endorsed McCain.
... seems a little premature, but that's how mavericks roll I guess!

Creepy: "Lawyers have started Googling and Facebooking prospective jurors to get a sense of whether they want them on the jury."

#163

A 28-year-old man died after he was found inside a van (... or was it a car?) at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday in the 1700 block of North Broadway in east Baltimore with gunshot wounds.

A man was shot in the leg and calf in south Baltimore; a woman was carjacked north of Butcher's Hill

Tyrell D. Tyler, 19, was convicted of attempted murder and gun charges.

A Paki guy got 33 Rosenstein months for his role in a green card/ buttlegging/ bribery conspiracy.

What the?! "Sheriff's deputies in southern Maryland on Monday continued to investigate the discovery of the bodies of two small children in a freezer"