In a 2016 filing, the state said her account is patently unbelievable and that she failed to mention the secret affair when she spoke to police at the time of the murder. He was charged on Friday with murder with a bond set at $1 million. Who was the suspected gunman in the Uvalde school shooting? That defendant divulged details of the bodys condition and location to sufficiently convince law enforcement at the time that he was the party responsible for the death, the district attorney offices motion for inquest read. DNA forensics was still in its infancy at the time of Stites murder. Stacey Stites was weeks away from marrying her fianc when she went missing. There was an impressive response to the scene, according to local independent investigator David Fisher. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. We certainly dont want the family to have some false hope, so were keeping all of that information close to our belts.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Michael Woodroof, a spokesman for the county coroners office. The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office said they were called to the scene of the crash around 4:10 a.m. Once there, they found 32-year-old Jessica Brown of Cedar Creek dead inside the car. Staceys sister said the family and Jimmy were devastated by her death. But once we knew that she had been raped, our emotions were like, it had to be somebody else.. Investigators determined her sex based off the morphology of the skeletons pelvis, which they said was broken at the time they found her body. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot. (CBS Austin file image) Detectives are investigating an early Sunday morning shooting after a woman was found dead in Bastrop County. 19-year-old found dead in Bastrop Stacey Stites was the youngest of Carol Stites' five children. According to the report from the 2007 Ranger investigation, other women had come forward with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against Fennell. The victim has been identified as 32-year-old Jessica Marie Jefferson Brown from Cedar Creek. Hes trying to put the pieces together to create a new world for himself., This is a person that is supposed to protect you, Lear said. She was really excited about getting married. When officers responded to the scene, they found Lenora Lawhon dead in the couples home. He also initially denied dating her and was asked to provide a DNA sample. I think he felt bad that he didn't get up and take her to work that day., Fennell himself has always maintained his innocence. Tanner said there are exceptions., There are no absolutes in science, I completely agree with that, she said. Alicia Slater, one of Stites coworkers at H-E-B came forward in 2014, and in an affidavit she claimed Stites told her she was having an affair with Reed. AUSTIN, Texas . Bastrop Police have yet to identify the woman, so who she is, remains a mystery. After three hours of deliberation, the jury came back with a manslaughter guilty verdict on April 27 around 8 p.m., according to the Ouachita and Morehouse Parish District Attorney Steve Tew. At the location, officers found . Jimmy stated that it was part of a glass that Stacey drank out of, and that it was not in the truck broken like that before. Please reload the page and try again. Sign up here for our free newsletters. Officials added that the family of the female reported they were concerned because she had gone missing. I described the man The police automatically knew who he was, Schlueter told 20/20. They presented [pictures of] six Africans Americans on a piece of paper. (KNOE) - UPDATE: The trial of Dr. Tod Lawhon, a Bastrop dentist who shot and killed his wife in 2020, has come to a close. All the latest on Orange County from Orange County. "My babies, my kids, my grandkids, they're my heart. 32-year-old Yuridia Anaya-Espinosa Nava was last seen Friday, Feb. 22, at around 8 a. m. after dropping her 5 . Betty Carter, "Red"s grandma, says she got the call from a friend, who works with Bastrop Police. Raul Anthony Caballero was flown to the hospital by helic Photo of Sofia Vera. Or what if.. He ended up pleading guilty to improper sexual activity with a person in custody, and kidnapping. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies responded around 12:50 p.m. to the . Its been eight years since the Innocence Project has picked up Reeds case and they have made repeated efforts to appeal and get a new trial. (KNOE) -It was on this trail right through here. Officials Sunday released the name of a 28-year-old woman whose body was found near an unused railroad track in Carson. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The DPS Crime Lab arrives down this dirt road in the middle of a pine forest, he said. Reed said he and Stites were having an affair. My baby.. After 10 years of hard time in a Texas prison, hes serving Christ in the mission field of the street of Austin. in Bastrop. Bastrop County's tip line is (866) 930-TIPS. An autopsy on the body was performed by the Travis County Medical Examiners office at the time, but there was no finding on the cause of death nor on her identity. I have to accept that there was a relationship. Im proud of the work my entire staff did on this case, Tew said. Officials said the investigation began. He is facing up to 40 years in prison. The two had been in a relationship for several years, Hsu said. The sample was taken to UNTs federally-funded DNA lab, where Gill-King and the Forensic Anthropology Unit will build a genetic profile of the woman and enter it into a federal DNA database in hopes that it might match the genetic profile of a family member already in the system. 10-year-old shot during argument, Marion man arrested, Black mans decapitated remains found after he warned his mom he was targeted by truckloads of white guys, KNOE Sunday Night Forecast with Jake Lambright, KNOE Sunday Evening Forecast with Jake Lambright, KNOE Saturday Night Forecast with Jake Lambright. It's awfully hard to find this evidence credible that he miraculously has this secret affair with this girl and somehow, his semen hangs around for several days, Tanner said. She was looking for what everybody does, young love, Amen said. The woman was identified as Shalynn Jones of Compton, according to the Los Angeles County coroners office. I've been doing this a long time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Check for a confirmation email, and then you're all set with MyNewsLA.com! Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph . She had her plans, and now somebody's taken that away, Carol Stites said at the time of the murder. A hearing for the defense to present new evidence, including questions about Stites time of death, has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy. Stacey was always on time, she said. Angela Hamby, 12, was raped in September 1989, and prosecutors said that evidence from her case also matched Reeds DNA. The sheriff's office said he had unexplained puncture wounds to his body and neck and he was unable to talk. Copyright 2021 KNOE. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? They hope to present new evidence at a hearing thats been delayed due to the pandemic. Its sit-and-wait now. In their response to the two affidavits, the State argued neither witness is believable because they waited so long to come forward. Fennell spoke with the media about losing his fiance. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Stacey Stites moved in with Fennell in an upstairs apartment in the same building as her mother. On the next morning, the same family members to went to feed the animals and located an area of disturbed ground in the backyard. And her voice will be heard, Oliver said. Were not looking to solve a crime here, Goertz said, as he drove from the Elgin Cemetery on June 19. There are outliers and I also understand that. The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office also addressed its delay in releasing information on the case. Police arrested her boyfriend for public intoxication, put him in a patrol car and took him to the police station. The Morehouse Parish Sheriffs Office said Lawhon called them to report he had shot his wife. The body of an adult woman was found at the edge of the property on Gurden Avenue intersecting with White Avenue in Bastrop around 3 pm on Sunday afternoon. Raul Anthony Caballero was flown to the hospital by helicopter after he . Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. When we take this to the actual medical examiner who testified, he gives us a sworn statement, said Bryce Benjet, senior attorney at the Innocence Project, who is representing Reed. David Board said there were bodily fluids on the floorboard of the truck. A deputy found the woman while doing a routine check of the lot. The Innocence Project, a non-profit legal organization that works to free wrongly convicted people, picked up Reeds case in 2012. He says the way the blood settled in the front of Stites body suggests she was killed before 3 a.m. and her body laid in a different position for hours before she was found on her back. The jury took less than a day to come back with a decision in the Stites case, sentencing Reed to death for her murder. We know for sure that, 100% positive, that Rodney Reed murdered my sister., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. But Amen said Stacey Stites became less excited about her relationship with Fennell as time went on. Most of the time the criticism is not founded on sufficient fact, so it is generally ignored. During his time on death row, Sister Helen Prejan became his spiritual adviser, and her relationship with Mr. Willie and another death row prisoner, Elmo Patrick Sonnier, was eventually dramatized in the 1995 film . It is unknown what the dispute was about, Hsu said. The man was identified as Josue Saravia-Argweta, 34. I wish [law enforcement] would have searched the apartment, Tanner told Roberts. If I wouldnt have known her, I wouldnt have been associated with her [and] I wouldnt be in this situation, Reed told ABC News in a 2019 jailhouse interview. Sheriff Capers said Saturday evening authorities widened the search to as far as 20 miles from the scene. Officials said the investigation began on May 6 when officials responded to a medical emergency on Upper Elgin Road. Linda Schlueter, who was also around Stites age, was attacked and had her car stolen seven months after Stites death. The Bastrop Police Department is investigating the death of a woman. The indictment. Your email address will not be published. I didn't do it.. That same morning, Carol Stites got the call that her daughter didnt make it to work. Micheal Waller and his fianc still cant believe what happened on the edge of their property on Sunday afternoon. MyNewsLA.com wont sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time. 2023 FOX Television Stations, North Austin neighborhood sees relief after flooding from storms, Wife arrested after shooting husband in Buckeye while kids were home, police say, Army says helicopters crashed in mountains, fair weather, Williamson County Deputies Association raising funds to give bikes to students with perfect attendance, 2 high schoolers killed, 4 others hurt in shooting at house party in Mississippi, Texas: The Issue Is - Armed officers on Texas school campuses, Texas: The Issue Is - Rep. 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Riverside County Firefighters Stop Forward Progress of Brush Fire in Thermal, Walk to End Genocide Held Sunday In Fairfax District, Asian Couple in Bel Air Terrorized in Home Invasion Robbery, Police Arrest 24 During DUI Checkpoint in Riverside, Riverside Police Arrest 24 People During DUI Checkpoint, Coroner IDs Man Who Jumped or Fell From Freeway Overpass. A woman is found dead inside of a crashed vehicle in Bastrop County but deputies say the fatal injuries were from something else. According to Interim Police Chief Anthony Evans, the body was. The complaint and search warrant were initially sealed by the court to avoid compromising the investigation.". Whoops! Required fields are marked *. The Travis County Sheriff's Office says the woman was discovered in the 100 block of Stony Point Drive, near the intersection of Pearce and Wolf lanes. All rights reserved. Both resided in the home. Carol Stites remembered the family had just held a bridal shower only days before. She says he told her to sit in the front of the car and realized something was wrong when they pulled into a secluded park and Fennell told her to get out. You kinda want to suspect the people nearest to her, Stacey Stites sister Crystal Dobbs said. And never once have I ever had a case where I didn't at some point say, gosh, I wish law enforcement would have done whatever it is, X.. I'm not gonna lie to you and tell you that, oh, it was okay. I knew it was a lie instantly. Stacey Stites and her fianc Jimmy Fennell. Prosecutors presented the case of Vivian Harbottle Chapman, who was 39 at the time and was raped six months prior to Stites death in October 1995. He was born in the Philippines, raised in the San Fernando Valley and is a Cal State Northridge alumnus. A woman is found dead inside of a crashed vehicle in Bastrop County but deputies say the fatal injuries were from something else. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). She told me that she wasn't that excited to get married, because she was sleeping with a black guy named Rodney. To hear that she was actually having an affair was shocking to begin with, but then that it was also with a black man named Rodney, she and I both, you know, proceeded to say, like, Wow, you need to be careful with this.. Officials say the Travis County Medical Examiner will be doing an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Officials would then compare that profile against the missing people in the NameUs database to begin building leads. The suspect in the death of a young woman in Elgin is in the hospital after a police chase Wednesday. The last words out of her mouth was, Mom, I love you. And I said, I know you do, Stites remembered. Reed has appealed his case repeatedly from 2001 through 2015. I sat out here all night.. they aint gonna sleep here tonight either he said confidently. In 1984, five years after the bones were discovered, Texas Rangers and Bastrop County sheriff investigators reopened the case after someone in their custody confessed to the womans murder, according to an inquest order executed earlier this month. When officials investigated after obtaining a warrant, they discovered the freshly buried body of Catherin Alonzo-Lopez, 28. Sign up here for our free newsletters. There has never been any evidence, whatsoever, there was any type of relationship, Stites sister Debra Oliver told 20/20. Theres no notes, theres no letters, no phone records.. "I remember I was asking her about her engagement ring, Alicia Slater said. I keep waiting for Mother Teresa to be the next witness coming in via epiphany from beyond the grave I mean, it's just nonsense.. She says he drove her home, handed her a business card, and told her they would do it again the next day. Bastrop dentist found guilty of manslaughter as trial comes to a close. They thoroughly vetted all the evidence they had, and they cleared him, Fennells lawyer Robert Phillips told 20/20.. Your email address will not be published. If there is no family reference sample or no DNA match, then theres not much they can do, Wescott said. Phillips told ABC News that Fennell was not in any way involved or connected to Stites murder. 2023 FOX Television Stations, North Austin neighborhood sees relief after flooding from storms, Wife arrested after shooting husband in Buckeye while kids were home, police say, Army says helicopters crashed in mountains, fair weather, Williamson County Deputies Association raising funds to give bikes to students with perfect attendance, 2 high schoolers killed, 4 others hurt in shooting at house party in Mississippi, Texas: The Issue Is - Armed officers on Texas school campuses, Texas: The Issue Is - Rep. 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I got an opportunity to be in the prison with Rodney on the day that stay came down we got a chance to tell Rodney of the stay of execution., Dobbs, Stites sister, says, It's just frustrating. During Thursday's press conference, they also said Brown was working her 2nd job, delivering newspapers to homes along a rural road in Bastrop County when she was murdered. My son was arrested for the murder of Stacey Stites, said his mother Sandra Reed. [It] was tremendous, Quinncy McNeal, an attorney on Reeds team, said. Reeds attorney, Lydia Clay-Jackson, said he denied it all.. Stites was murdered in April of 1996, and Reed was arrested a . The original version is as follows:The Bastrop Police Department is investigating the death of a woman. (AP) A Louisiana woman accused of killing her boyfriend's 6-year-old daughter and leaving . I knew we were in trouble, Clay-Jackson said. That's why you look at all of the extraneous evidence as well in conjunction with just the DNA.. Rodney Reed, the man whose DNA matched that found in Stites body, was convicted of her murder and has sat on death row for 22 years. (AP) A Louisiana woman accused of killing her boyfriend's 6-year-old daughter and leaving the child's body in a bucket outside the home where the girl's mother lives has been jailed without bond in a New Orleans suburb, authorities said. Through every trial, hearing and court update, Sandra Reed is standing by her son. He took out his weapon. It was definitely stressful for her just because she had to work and come home and she was expected to do laundry, clean, Amen said. The family of a woman missing from Kyle since last month says she was found dead. In October 2007, police were called to an apartment complex where Lear and her boyfriend were attending a friends party, after a neighbor complained that the couple was having a drunken argument. Later the same day, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals indefinitely stayed Reed's execution. A Bastrop County murder suspect who told sheriff's investigators he beat the victim. He was then taken to an ambulance to an Austin-area hospital. In the area where the vehicle was found the mailboxes are down, a stop sign appears to have been ripped off its post and trees are damaged. In 2017, Reeds defense attorneys tried to present forensic evidence from that 1996 murder that they said would prove his innocence in a hearing in Bastrop. He said he had hoped the jury would hear the evidence and see he was innocent. The body of an adult woman was found at the edge of the property on Gurden Avenue intersecting with White Avenue in Bastrop around 3 pm on Sunday afternoon. Whoops! She drove Jimmy's truck as she often did, Tanner said. Police realized the red truck they saw earlier was connected to Stites, whod just been reported missing, and the team returned to the truck. This is the one who attacked me. Reed has been charged with raping Chapman and Hamby, but denies the charges. The all-white jury unanimously decided Reed was guilty. Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice. A Bastrop County grand jury declined to indict a woman accused of exploiting girls living at the Refuge Ranch, a rehabilitation center that treats survivors of sex trafficking, according to . The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office says it got a call just after 4 a.m. about a vehicle that ran into a tree at the intersection of North Main Street and Old Highway 40. He found support with local politicians and activists around the country, most famously including Kim Kardashian West. . Gill-King declined to answer questions about this case or how forensic anthropology unravels the mysteries surrounding the deaths of unidentified bodies. The last time Carol Stites said she saw her daughter was on the evening of April 22, 1996, right before she and her fianc were about to head upstairs to their apartment. He previously spent four years as a staff writer with the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. She earned an extra 50 cents an hour to work in the produce department, but had to get to work very early in the morning. They say they have had plenty of leads, but no suspect has been identified, and they are considering everyone a person of interest, including members of Brown's family. When he was first questioned by police, he told them, I don't know a Stacey Stites. Officers had been called to their home multiple times over the years in response to verbal arguments, Hsu said. Anthony Bernard Fender, 31, of Tustin, was arrested Monday after a grand jury indictment alleged he sold fentanyl powder that led to the death of a 40-year-old man, officials said. That's what I'm tryin' to do I have to hold onto my faith, and stand on this truth and the facts. The defense says that time of death is the key to proving Reeds innocence. His truck was found in Bastrop and he was home in Giddings, Texas, which is some 30 miles away. He placed his utility belt and gun on the back of the car and pointed to what things were on the belt and then he jerked my pants down and he raped me., She says she didnt fight back because she was scared. Bastrop County law enforcement officials are relaunching an investigation into the identity of the woman, whose badly decomposed body was discovered along U.S. 290 east of Elgin by law enforcement . The gene sample collected from the skeletal remains can also be used to create a biological profile of the woman, which would estimate the womans ancestry, age and size. The body of Jessica Jefferson Brown was found behind the wheel, but with injuries not consistent with a car crash. The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances before he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 has died in hospice care in Louisiana, a coroner's report shows. The defense argued in legal filings the perpetrator would become Jimmy Fennell, because he said he was in the apartment with her that night. The successful conclusion of an investigation is paramount to public safety. He wasn't a child without love, we loved that baby," Carter said. [The medical examiner] said that, Nobody should have relied on what I said., The examiner wrote, My estimate of time of deathwas only an estimate, and should not have been used at trial as an accurate statement of when Ms. Stites died.. Lake sturgeon can grow to lengths of 8 feet and weigh up to 300 pounds. Please reload the page and try again. ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office said an arrest was made in connection to the murder of a woman found dead near Elgin in November. Fennell explained he was emotional and that all he could visualize was Stites lying dead in her casket. It hit a little close to home for me. She was into everything and did everything, and friends with everybody.. ( KTVE/KARD) According to Morehouse Parish Chief Deputy James Mardis, three teenagers are dead after an early morning shooting on Bentley Street in Bastrop, La. Tanner said Investigators could not figure out how he wouldve gotten back home after the murder. Tami Amen, who was friends with Stacey Stites in high school, said Stites had a carefree personality and was always cracking jokes. Mr. Willie was convicted and executed in 1984 for the kidnap, rape, and murder of 18-year-old Faith Hathaway. We cant give too much information, because even though we may have a glimmer of who we think this might be, we cant reveal that because we dont know that, Cook said. His DNA had been collected and stored in the system, though those charges were ultimately dropped. One is an insurance seller who was trying to convince Stites to purchase life insurance, to which Stites said shes too young and has no need for it, according to the sellers affidavit. Prosecutor Lisa Tanner said Stites left home at 3 a.m. to make her 3:30 a.m. shift at the grocery story, according to Fennell. The prosecutor of the case is Assistant District Attorney Mike Fontenot. It wouldn't have made any sense for them to keep it any longer than they did.. Bastrop County law enforcement officials are relaunching an investigation into the identity of the woman, whose badly decomposed body was discovered along U.S. 290east of Elgin by law enforcement officers 40 years ago. A host of celebrities and politicians have rallied behind Reed as well, pushing for him to be removed from death row and be granted a new trial, and bringing national attention to the case. "She had her plans, and now somebody's taken that away," Carol Stites said at the time of the murder. *Watch the full story on "20/20" TONIGHT at 9 p.m. And the scientific facts and findings have proven that he is innocent. The trial of Tod Lawhon began today, April 25. ELGIN, Texas The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office has charged a man with murder after an Elgin woman was found buried in a backyard earlier this month. All the bridal stuff was still sitting on my dining room table, she said. She grabbed the keys and she handed them to Jimmy so that he could go look for Stacey.. "It hit a little close to home for. You try to figure it out in your head what happened and how did it happen? She was like the white tornado, she told 20/20. That's exactly what they called her when she was little. We're getting married, that was just about them, Carol Stites said. The body was taken to the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office in Austin to determine the cause of death. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Read More 4873 LA-139, Collinston, LA 71229 Louisiana Bastrop LA-139 source: Bing 0 view Oct 02, 2022 12:48pm Carol Stites hopes the world remembers her daughter was human and all she wanted to do is get married and have a baby, she said. I thank the world for the support.. A spokesperson says the person will be interviewed. Chief Campbell says they found the body deep in the woods off of Shady Oaks Street in West Bastrop around five Wednesday afternoon, but he says it looks like it was dumped there. This is a developing story. Bunnak Landon, 43, of Harahan, was booked Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder . There's no way it's gonna go away.. BASTROP, La. They said police never searched the apartment Stites shared with Fennell. He had the wedding ring in his hand, and he put the wedding ring on her finger, she said. The police have not released how the woman died or made an arrest in this case. In an affidavit, Fletcher recalls Fennell saying he suspects Stites is sleeping with a Black man, while cursing and using a racial slur. She's buried with that wedding ring, and she's buried in her wedding dress. Law enforcement officials and archeologists gathered around a grave site on June 19 in Elgin as a backhoe carefully clawed at the ground. She really loved Jimmy.. We're gonna get the truth out there. Reeds legal team has also raised questions about the original investigation. In his interview with KEYE-TV, Fennell said its hard having the finger pointed at you."It's hard when they're saying, Yeah you killed Stacey, your fiance, he said. Ive kept my gun on me at all times, I didnt even let my daughters stay the night here last night. Police found a broken piece of belt with the buckle attached, just outside of the drivers door. They say now, all they can do is hope police find answers soon. His inspirations include his parents, Diane Arbus, Kurt Vonnegut, Ronnie James Dio, Randy The Macho Man Savage, John Waters, and his orange tabby cat named Critter. I have to accept that Im here now for something that I didnt do..
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