Tag Archives: violent crimes

Attempted murder suspect arrested

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Police arrested an attempted murder suspect in Vista on Tuesday, eight hours after he went on the run.

Kenneth Wayne Welch, 42, allegedly beat his girlfriend, then left the scene in his pickup truck with their 5-month-old son. Welch left the unharmed child with a relative.

Welch’s girlfriend said that he hit her on the head and tried to run her over with his truck. Luckily, the girl’s injuries were not life-threatening.

After spotting a police car, Welch crashed his truck on Mar Vista Drive and attempted to run, but gave up and surrendered to the deputies.

Welch has a criminal record that includes prison time for robbery, domestic violence and vehicle theft.

 

Body Found in Missing Woman’s Car in Kearny Mesa

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Homicide detectives were called to an area of Kearny Mesa south of State Route 52 for the report of a suspicious death on Thursday.

San Diego police officers were in the 7700-block of Convoy Court on official business when they discovered a person dead inside a vehicle.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, the car found at the scene is registered to Grace Ann Hall, 23. Police have not yet confirmed if the body found inside the vehicle was the person who the car is registered to.

A bulletin recently issued by the San Diego Police Department identifies Hall as a missing person. It describes her as a white female, 5-foot-7, 150 pounds with blond hair and hazel eyes.

According to the SDPD bulletin, Hall was last seen around 8 p.m. on Mar. 20 driving a grey Toyota Camry in the 9100 block of Rebecca Avenue in Serra Mesa.

The police bulletin says Hall was supposed to travel to Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles for a job interview at an unknown home. At the time the bulletin was issued, investigators did not know if Hall had ever arrived in the Sherman Oaks area.

Police say Hall’s credit card had been used in Mira Mesa since her disappearance, but hadn’t been used since Mar. 27.

As for the body discovered by police on Thursday, investigators do not yet know if the person died from natural causes or if a crime has been committed.

The deceased person has not been yet been identified.

Officers have cordoned off a section of the street and are awaiting the arrival of the personnel from the county medical examiner’s office.

Newport exec allegedly killed wife after divorce, money fight

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Commentary by Sam Spital, San Diego Criminal Attorney:

“The Los Angeles Times reported on October 15, 2012 the Orange County District Attorney planned later on the same day to file charges against a Newport Beach man for killing his wife in a dispute over finances and a possible divorce. The newsperson noted the family resided in a $2.5 million home and the husband was arrested for felony murder near the San Diego-Mexican Border by officers a few days earlier. According to a different person, the 48 year old man claimed another individual killed his wife and forced him to place her body on a truck and then drive his own vehicle toward the Mexican border. The article does not contain any other references so it is impossible to know the facts and provide an opinion regarding the allegations and potential defenses to the charges. Suffice to say, criminal defense counsel has a variety of strategies to employ in representing a client.”

Sam Spital, Criminal Lawyer

Slaying Suspect Speaks from Jail: ‘I Lost It’ (SAM SPITAL)

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“This is a case in which a man in his late thirties was caught two years after killing his wife, who was in her late teens a short time after she gave birth to their child. At the time of his arraignment he confessed to the crime, asserting his remorse and regret. Sadly, their infant daughter will no longer have her mother, and she will have to live her life knowing her father took her life away. What a horrific story. What a waste of human life. The slaying defendant claims he should not be guilty of first degree murder because he did not have a plan and it was not premeditated. Instead, he claims he “lost it,” and now blames society because he did not receive any treatment for his aggressive behavior.

We have so many places one can seek help for their violent tendencies. Does society take the blame for not unilaterally identifying such a problem &/or the friends and associates with whom such an individual came into daily contact? It is a very complex problem and probably not a single answer. However, it goes without saying each of us has to take responsibility for our own behavior. We have to find ways to find happiness and satisfaction in life, whether it be in positive goals, family, friends, work and/or creating strong beliefs.

The challenge for the defense will be to establish a defense as well as mitigation given the defendant’s many statements to the media, including that “there was no justification,” and “I’m not denying nothing (sic).” Nonetheless, the role of a great criminal defense lawyer is to create a strategy that protects and advances his client’s best interests regardless of the nature of the crime. That is why our American judicial system and the goal to provide due process of the law is the best in the world.”

Sam Spital, Criminal Defense Lawyer

 

San Diego crime rate hits 30-year low

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The crime rate in San Diego County has fallen to its lowest number in 30 years, according to a new report from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). This reportedly places San Diego third on a list of safest large cities in the U.S., which is determined based on the number of violent and property crimes in the region.

According to SANDAG’s “Thirty Years of Crime” report, violent crimes (which include homicide, aggravated assault, rape and robbery) have steadily dropped since it peaked in 1992. This was the case despite a concurrent decrease in the ratio of officers to citizens. The authors of the report believe the reasons for this are two-fold. First, county officials have aggressively investigated and prosecuted gang activity in recent years. And second, recent state and local laws have significantly increased the jail time and other penalties for violent crimes.

However, there has reportedly been an increase in violent crimes in recent years. There were 82 homicides in 2011, which was a 22 percent increase from 2010. Although the majority of these crimes were reportedly motivated by domestic abuse, the number of reported domestic violence incidents in 2011 dropped by 6 percent from 2010 numbers, hitting its lowest number since the late 1980s. It is unclear whether the number of domestic violence-related homicides plays into the overall number of domestic partner incidents, though.

On the whole, property crimes such as theft and burglary made up the largest percentage of the crime that took place in San Diego last year.

 

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