Will Kyle Shaw Join A Private Fight Club In Jail If He Is Convicted?

One of the best factors in the war against crime is the stupidity of most thugs. Take the suspect of the alleged bombing of a Starbucks in New York. Kyle Shaw, 17, is either a liar or a criminal. He was arrested for allegedly setting off a small bomb on Memorial Day at a Starbucks coffee shop after he bragged about his exploit to friends. What's more stupid: committing the crime or bragging about doing something so stupid?

The 17 year-old Shaw allegedly told his friends prior to the explosion that "Project Mayhem" was about to begin. Shaw was allegedly obsessed with the movie "Fight Club. " He even allegedly imitated Brad Pitt's character from the movie. (Note: he apparently did not pay attention to the movie too well because "the first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club.") The 1999 movie includes a scene in which a Starbucks is destroyed.

Shaw is not a suspect in the other recent small explosions in the city ( bombings at the Times Square Army recruiting center and the Mexican consulate.) For the Starbucks explosion, Shaw allegedly made the small explosive out of a plastic bottle, firework powder, a metal cap and electrical tape. The Memorial Day blast damaged a nearby bench and shattered the store's windows. No one was injured; but the explosion was bad enough that someone could have been killed. Shaw has been charged with arson, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal mischief.

If Shaw truly wanted to be part of a fight club, he could have lawfully joined the WEC or the UFC mixed martial arts fighting contests. Now, if convicted, he will be doing his fighting without pay behind bars.

Shaw is to be considered innocent unless otherwise proven in a court of law.

Who Could Possibly Murder Byrd and Melanie Billings?

Maybe we just didn't understand it. Why else would Legal Pub ignore questions from readers why we have not covered the Pensacola, Florida murders? There are now seven men arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings, a couple known for adopting special-needs children. One more suspect is being sought. The couple cared for cared for 16 children over the years which were their biological children. (Ashley Markham was the biological daughter of Melanie Billings but not Byrd. Ashley told the press that over the years the couple has cared for 17 children. Each parent had two biological children but none together. Three have died. Nine children were present at the time of the slaying.)




The seven in custody will face murder charges. One of the suspects is a 16-year-old. The eighth person will likely be charged with aiding and abetting the crime. Currently all we know is that the couple was killed during what has been labeled as "a home invasion robbery. "Sheriff description. The seven suspects are as follows:


- Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., 56
- Wayne Thomas Coldiron, 41


-Leonard Gonzalez Jr., 35
- Gary Lamont Sumner, 30


-Donald Ray Stallworth, 28
- Fredrick Lee Thornton, 19
- A juvenile, 16, believed to be Rakeem Florence (To be charged as an adult per Escambia County State Attorney Bill Eddins.)
Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., a former National Guard member, is believed to have organized the crime. Gonzalez, Jr. was also an ex-convict that taught self defense classes to women and children. While it has been said that the crime was "very well-planned and methodical," it was captured on surveillance. Watch surveillance video. Stallworth also has military experience as a staff sergeant with the 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, based at Hurlburt Field in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.





Gonzalez, Sr. had worked at the Billings' home through a pressure washing business that he owned. Gonzalez, Sr. had hired Coldiron and Coldiron had been to the Billings’ property. Coldiron was basically a day laborer who had already served time in prison for murder.



The video shows five people dressed in black and wearing masks entering the home through two entrances. Drivers apparently remained in both of the vehicles involved in the incident. The couple were shot multiple times. Items were taken from the home consistent with robbery. For Melanie Billings' description of the loving couple watch this: Markham.

7-16-09 Update: The plot thickens: Pamela Long Wiggins will be charged with accessory after the fact of felony murder. Wiggins -- who was previously identified as Pamela Laverne Long was arrested Wednesday in Orange Beach, Alabama. Wiggins apparently rented property to Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., and was the suspect's family friend. The exact reason for the charges is not currently known. Keep in mind all suspects are innocent until otherwise proven in a court of law.

After completing the story, one still wonders "why?"

Charles Smith, Lance Battreal, and Mark Booher Trying To Be Rabbits On The Run?

And the town was searching every where for the rabbits on the run! So far, the rabbits have not been too successful. Three inmates escaped from the Indiana State Prison. By Monday afternoon, Charles Smith, 48, a convicted killer was caught near the vacation home of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Dailey's bodyguard held him at gun point until the police arrive. (Don't mess with Chicago Bear fans, they shoot back.) Smith was probably happy to be turned over to the Grand Beach Police instead of facing the wrath of an irate security guard.

Authorities warned the public to stay inside since a convicted murder and a rapist were still on the lose. The three convicts escaped from the prison through a tunnel system underneath the penitentiary. Ironically, Dailey's vacation home is eight miles from the penitentiary and has it's own security.

Still on the run, Lance Battreal, left, is a convicted rapist. Charles Smith, center is caught. Mark Booher (46), another convicted murderer, is still on the run. Booher is from New Castle, Indiana. He was also was spotted in Grand Beach. A woman in Grand Beach saw two men in her driveway and called police. But they have yet to be caught.

Convicted rapist, Lance Battreal is a 45 year old from Rockport, Indiana.

Indiana Department of Correction officials said the men were discovered missing about 10 a.m. Sunday. The convicts escaped by getting past bars in the tunnels and pipe chases under the grounds of the Michigan City prison. Two of the inmates did maintenance work in the prison's tunnel system. The three were in the same housing unit at the time of their escape. All three started serving time in the late 1990s. All three faced at least 30 more years behind bars. Now it will be longer...

Renee Pernice Disappears As Couple Awaits Divorce?

Renee Pernice, another byproduct of a dysfunctional divorce system or just a random disappearance? That is the question one Legal Pub reader submitted along with this story. Renee Pernice is a 35-year-old mother of two young children. She disappeared from her home in Kansas City, Missouri, in January of this year. No one has heard from her since.

Foul play is suspected; however, her body has not been discovered. Furthermore, no arrests have been made. Police have not named her husband, Shon Pernice, as a person of interest or a suspect in the case. On the other hand, "he's the last known person to see her alive," according to Doug Niemeier, a sergeant with the Kansas City Police Department. Renee's husband, Shon Pernice, is a firefighter. He allegedly entered Station #5, a local fire department's hazardous materials building (where cleaning supplies are stored) around 4:30 a.m. on January 3. Could this be related to Renee's disappearance shortly after the new year?

Renee was pursuing a divorce around the time she disappeared. Is her disappearance just a coincidence? Shon Pernice denies that he was involved in her disappearance. In a March interview, Shon Pernice said, "It's gut-wrenching thinking that either she's got a rich-ass doctor boyfriend somewhere and she's happy, or she's dead." Since his wife's disappearance, Shon has been accused of allegedly stealing a neighbor's gun and for disturbing the peace in an incident with that same neighbor on July 4, 2009. Has the media unfairly painted Shon Pernice as a villain? What happened to a presumption of innocence? Our system of justice demands a presumption of innocence After all the couple's two sons, ages 6 and 9, need their father. (While Shon currently has custody, Renee Pernice's mother has sought custody of the children.)

Renee Pernice was a nurse at St. Luke's Hospital. She was last seen with her dogs in her backyard on Friday, January 2, 2009. While she disappeared, her purse, coat and other items were still in the house. Renee's car was in the garage. Renee's cell phone was missing from the house. Her phone was found on January 3, 009, 15 miles from her home. A search of that area found nothing else.

There is a $25,000 reward being offered by the family. A white truck appears in surveillance video in an area where her phone was discovered may be related to her disappearance. Renee is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and has brown hair and blue eyes. Kansas City Police Department will welcome any tips at 1-816-474-TIPS.

Was Harry Douglas IV Home A Site For A Sexual Attack?

More bad publicity for an NFL team, the Falcons. First is was allegations of dog fighting. Now it's bad publicity about a party and an accusation of rape at one of the players homes on Hudllestone Lane in Bufford. Gwinnett County police are investigating an alleged sexual assault at the home of Harry Douglas IV, an Atlanta Falcons player. A woman told police that she attended a party at the home of Falcons widereceiver Harry Douglas IV. During the party, she went to sleep in one of the bedrooms. The woman claims that she was awoken by a man who was sexually assaulting her. (That man was not Douglas.)

Police said the alleged victim went to another location and called 911 to report the incident. Police do not believe Douglas was involved in the attack. In fact they don't think Douglas has any knowledge of the incident; however, the investigation continues. The female victim provided the police with the name of her alleged attacker and authorities are looking to speak with the suspect.

After an interview with the alleged suspect, police will decide whether charges are to be pursued.

Not So Sweet Ending For Vincent Smith II. Who Fell Into A Vat of Chocolate

Sweets can kill! Legal Pub has warned before of the danger. Obesity Link. Now there is even more disturbing evidence that sweets can be fatal. Take the case Vincent Smith II. Smith was an employee at a New Jersey chocolate processing plant. He fell into a vat of hot chocolate and died. At the time, Smith, 29, was dumping raw chocolate into the vat for melting. He apparently lost his balance and fell from a nine-foot high platform into the chocolate. The initial trauma was to his head from the vat's agitator which stirs the chocolate.

Three others were on the platform. Only Smith fell. One immediately shut the machinery off but it was too late. Cocoa Services Inc., owns the facility that is managed and operated by Lyons and Sons. The vat was 8 feet deep, 14 feet long and 6 feet wide. The chocolate was being made for Hershey's when the accident happened. Smith was a temporary worker at the Cocoa Services Inc. plant.

While we extend our condolences to the family of Vincent Smith II, let us be reminded that perhaps there is yet another reason to watch what we eat.

Nicole Bobek's Apparent Fall From Grace Is Especially Troublesome For Her Fans

What is it with figure skaters? First it was Tonya Harding trying to disable her competition and now it's apparently Nicole Bobek getting involved with the wrong people. The fall from grace is not pleasant. Nor is it pretty, especially in the case of Nicole who seemed to have so much going in her favor. Was it the pressure of the sport that left invisible scars or is it just the lure of easy money? Unlike Hardin, Nicole Bobek, 31, was an actual U.S. figure skating champion in 1995. She won the bronze metal at the World Figure Skating Championship also in 1995. Nicole was originally from Illinois. Recently she was living in Florida where she worked as a figure skating coach. She also operated several of her own businesses. Nicole appeared in the 2006 film, "All The King's Men" with Jude Law, Sean Penn, and Kate Winslet. Nicole was also the spokesperson for "Raising the Spirit - Touching the Heart", a campaign where she visits schools, hospitals and animal shelters as part of a community outreach program.

Now New Jersey police are accusing her of being part of a methamphetamine ring.

Bobek was arrested at her home in Jupiter, Florida, last week on a charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in New Jersey. Guy Gregory of the Hudson County prosecutor's office indicated that Bobek waived extradition. She made her first appearance in court on Monday via video. Bobek has plead not guilty and should be presumed innocent unless otherwise convicted. She was released on bond. In total about 20 people have been arrested in connection with the alleged drug ring. If convicted, Bobek could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison.

Bobek is represented by attorney Sam DeLuca. Those wishing to learn more about Nicole or to offer her a word of encouragement can visit her myspace page at: LINK.

Nicole Bobek like all suspects is to be considered innocent until otherwise proven in a court of law!