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. Firefighters Discover Man's Body While Battling Apartment Fire in South L.A. Police Investigate No-Hit Shooting in Long Beach, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. I thank the world for the support.. He was raised in the church that I was raised in, she said. Ed Salmela wrote in a police report. There is no further timeline available. The family of a woman missing from Kyle since last month says she was found dead. 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 . Your email address will not be published. DNA found on her matched that of Reed. Police determined domestic violence resulted in the murder-suicide of a couple in their 30s in Fountain Valley early Sunday morning. Firefighters Discover Man's Body While Battling Apartment Fire in South L.A. Police Investigate No-Hit Shooting in Long Beach, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. He found support with local politicians and activists around the country, most famously including Kim Kardashian West. Eleven years after Stites murder, Texas Rangers investigated Fennell after a woman named Connie Lear accused him of raping her while he had her in custody. My son was arrested for the murder of Stacey Stites, said his mother Sandra Reed. Stacey Stites moved in with Fennell in an upstairs apartment in the same building as her mother. So little is known after Yuridia Espinoza's body was found in a grave on March 27 near Elgin. Upon arrival, officers discovered 29-year-old Jessica Lee dead inside of the apartment complex from at least one gunshot wound. She was like the white tornado, she told 20/20. That's exactly what they called her when she was little. This was quite a unique crew to show up in this little, sleepy county of Bastrop. Because If Stacey was killed at midnight or earlier -- and not 3 a.m., then Reed would be excluded as the killer. We have videotape of the body of Stacey stites being examined and manipulated and put into a body bag [with] her arms folded, Barry Scheck, another attorney with the Innocence Project, said. They haven't made any funeral arrangements just yet. Reeds legal team has also raised questions about the original investigation. She had her plans, and now somebody's taken that away, Carol Stites said at the time of the murder. All rights reserved. Carol Stites remembered the family had just held a bridal shower only days before. Sign up here for our free newsletters. . The prosecutor of the case is Assistant District Attorney Mike Fontenot. That's where Stacey met Jimmy Fennell.. When officials investigated after obtaining a warrant, they discovered the freshly buried body of Catherin Alonzo-Lopez, 28. All were trying to do is put a name and a face to an unknown body, and the best way we got to do that these days is through DNA.. The original version is as follows:The Bastrop Police Department is investigating the death of a woman. Therefore, the analyst said, if someone matched the DNA, it would indicate they committed the murder. Five days before his scheduled execution date, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously recommended that Texas Governor Greg Abbott grant Reed a 120-day reprieve. 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. HARAHAN, La. Kyle woman found dead in Bastrop County; man charged with murder Mary Huber mhuber@statesman.com 0:00 0:29 A 33-year-old woman from Kyle who was last seen in February was found dead in. 1) Robert Lee Willie. 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. When you have just witness after witness after witness coming it's taking a huge toll out of your client who's told you that, no, he did not do that, she said. 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. Last year, Texas officials granted Reed an indefinite stay of execution to examine claims that Reed is actually innocent. Detectives are actively following up on leads. MyNewsLA.com wont sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time. They're still investigating, but Campbell says they hope to have a suspect, or a better idea of what happened, soon. Reeds attorney, Lydia Clay-Jackson, said he denied it all.. She was looking for what everybody does, young love, Amen said. Well send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon. BASTROP COUNTY, Texas The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a teenage woman was found shot dead on FM 1704 last month. But, this is the situation that was handed to me so I have [to] accept that I did know her. . 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. I've been doing this a long time. Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice. 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. Officials would then compare that profile against the missing people in the NameUs database to begin building leads. Officials Sunday released the name of a 28-year-old woman whose body was found near an unused railroad track in Carson. 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. Both resided in the home. That's what I'm tryin' to do I have to hold onto my faith, and stand on this truth and the facts. (KTVE/KARD) On Monday, the Bastrop Police Department responded to a fatal shooting that occurred on 915 E. Cypress Ave, where officers were notified of a woman who had been. Ultimately, Fennell was cleared as a suspect. In no way am I denying that he committed a crime or that he didn't deserve to go to prison, because there was misconduct-- that he admitted and took responsibility for, Fennells attorney Phillips said. 14 children and 1 teacher were killed in the Uvalde school shooting, officials confirm, Moriah Wilson murder: What we know so far about the crime and Kaitlin Armstrong, Example video title will go here for this video. I didn't realize until then that what she told me had so much of an implication in the case.. Officials said the investigation began. The Bastrop Police Department is investigating a homicide after a woman's body was found in the woods on Sunday afternoon. The cops showed up, one being Jimmy Fennell Jr., and pretty much separated us apart so that they could figure out what was going on, Lear told 20/20 about the incident. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. The victim has been identified as 32-year-old Jessica Marie Jefferson Brown from Cedar Creek. The state argued that none of these methods establishing the time of death are totally reliable or have pinpoint accuracy, and Dr. Baden agreed. We know for sure that, 100% positive, that Rodney Reed murdered my sister., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 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. In the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 19, the Travis County Sheriff's Office's (TCSO) Criminal Investigations Division was sent to assist the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office regarding a. Family mourns teen they say was found dead in Bastrop, 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. Cook said that investigators arent suitably confident in the veracity of that confession, and that this renewed examination aims to verify the confession as well as connect the man who claims he killed the woman to her death. The Morehouse Parish Sheriffs Office said Lawhon called them to report he had shot his wife. Early on I was somewhat upset, just for knowing her. "Jimmy pointed out a piece of green colored plastic, Bastrop PD Det. 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. David Board said there were bodily fluids on the floorboard of the truck. I've seen that stuff on the news and stuff like that, but I don't know that person.. The defense says that time of death is the key to proving Reeds innocence. Those who choose to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. It'll be there. 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. Staceys family also considered whether Fennell might be responsible. That is very powerful scientific evidence that again, the time of death is way before that 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. window of the prosecution's case.. All rights reserved. The all-white jury unanimously decided Reed was guilty. ( 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. I cant imagine DNA will in any way, shape or form, 40 years later, open a criminal investigation, Goertz said. (AP) A Louisiana woman accused of killing her boyfriend's 6-year-old daughter and leaving . I saw that Rodney had been given an execution date. I have to accept that there was a relationship. lawmakers champion bills raising penalties for fentanyl dealers and accountability from online platforms, Mallard, shot in neck and cheek, gets second chance at life, Boats set sail from Balboa Pier to Ensenada for 75th annual race. Oliver and her mother say they had no doubts that Reed is responsible for Stites murder. Phillips told ABC News that Fennell was not in any way involved or connected to Stites murder. They said police never searched the apartment Stites shared with Fennell. 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. Family members say getting the phone call from police, hearing he was found dead, was like a punch in the gut. Tanner said Investigators could not figure out how he wouldve gotten back home after the murder. That same morning, Carol Stites got the call that her daughter didnt make it to work. 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. (KNOE) - Jurors are being selected on Tuesday, April 25, for the trial of Bastrop dentist, Dr. Tod Lawhon, who is accused of shooting and killing his wife just before Christmas day in . 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. Reed has appealed his case repeatedly from 2001 through 2015. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot. 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. HARAHAN, La. By the time the questioning was over, he was charged with Stites sexual assault, kidnapping and murder. Law enforcement officials and archeologists gathered around a grave site on June 19 in Elgin as a backhoe carefully clawed at the ground. She was really excited about getting married. Police arrested her boyfriend for public intoxication, put him in a patrol car and took him to the police station. Lawyers from the organization say they have the evidence to prove investigators arrested the wrong man all those years ago. To prematurely release information for the sake of being transparent, when the information could adversely affect an investigation, is not fair to the victims family, nor to the public. By the time she was discovered there was not enough soft tissue to where you could tell whether shed been stabbed or raped or anything. He wasn't a child without love, we loved that baby," Carter said. Saturday, June 13, 2020, on Spanish Town Road near N. 10th Street in Baton Rouge, La. I didnt see it at first. According to Interim Police Chief Anthony Evans, the body was. On the day that her body was found, Sheriff Maurice Cook refused to comment on the evidence or . *Update* The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office has identified the woman who was found in a parking lot in the 100 block of Stephen F. Austin Blvd. It was -- from a separate, earlier sex assault complaint against Reed. In May of 1998, a Bastrop County jury convicted Bastrop resident Rodney Reed of the murder of a young Giddings woman, Stacey Stites. Or what if.. Lawhons attorney is a Monroe-based lawyer, Lavalle Salomon. Anyone with information on the death was asked to call the Sheriffs Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. They asked Fennell, who had arrived at the scene, to unlock the truck and point out anything unusual. Investigators said they saw similarities between Schlueters assault and Stites murder, which led them to see if Reeds DNA was on file. Family and relatives of a woman found dead three weeks ago in Bastrop County are demanding answers. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department responded around 12:50 p.m. Friday to the 20800 block of South Santa Fe Avenue, near the San Diego (405) Freeway, regarding a person down. In an affidavit, Fletcher recalls Fennell saying he suspects Stites is sleeping with a Black man, while cursing and using a racial slur. It also says that the specific term of Dean's pregnancy has not been fully identified.Dean was from Austin and was employed as the Victim Services Coordinator for the Kyle Police Department.The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office says it is investigating Dean's death as a homicide and is partnering with several other agencies, including Texas Rangers, the Kyle Police Department and the Austin Police Department, in the investigation.This is an update to a previous story. Officials Sunday released the name of a 28-year-old woman whose body was found near an unused railroad track in Carson. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. DNA forensics was still in its infancy at the time of Stites murder. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. You try to figure it out in your head what happened and how did it happen? Officials added that the family of the female reported they were concerned because she had gone missing. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). The body of a woman in what authorities said was the middle stage of decomposition was found Friday in Carson. They had previous domestic disputes that police responded to, but there was never any physical violence, just verbal only, Hsu said. He was engaged to the woman, and they had been in a romantic relationship with each other for at least three years. He was then taken to an ambulance to an Austin-area hospital. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Check for a confirmation email, and then you're all set with MyNewsLA.com! That's why you look at all of the extraneous evidence as well in conjunction with just the DNA.. 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. After 10 years of hard time in a Texas prison, hes serving Christ in the mission field of the street of Austin. 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 . Were not looking to solve a crime here, Goertz said, as he drove from the Elgin Cemetery on June 19. Her body was found just hours later. Police initially looked at Jimmy as a suspect, which is normal given he was the fianc, Tanner said. 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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We're gonna get the truth out there. Eric Licas is a crime and public safety reporter for the Daily Pilot. A woman is found dead inside of a crashed vehicle in Bastrop County but deputies say the fatal injuries were from something else. A resident called 911 early Sunday and summoned officers to a residence on 17000 block of Santa Suzanne Street . Investigators determined her sex based off the morphology of the skeletons pelvis, which they said was broken at the time they found her body. MyNewsLA.com wont sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time. ET on ABC.*. She's buried with that wedding ring, and she's buried in her wedding dress. [We] think that he was just upset, Dobbs said. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department responded around 12:50 p.m. Friday to the 20800 block of South Santa Fe Avenue, near the San Diego (405) Freeway, regarding a person down. Stacey Stites was just 19 when she was killed in Bastrop, Texas. Investigators said she had been raped and strangled, then left on the side of the road. I didn't want to get involved, she said. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph . Stacey Stites was weeks away from marrying her fianc when she went missing. Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice Cook, District Attorney Bryan Goertz and other county officials looked on last week as Dr. Harrell Gill-King, director of University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, extracted bone samples from the woman's decaying skeletal remains. Ive stayed out here by this fire and watched just to make sure what if someone came back. She really loved Jimmy.. BASTROP, La. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A resident called 911 early Sunday and summoned officers to a residence on 17000 block of Santa Suzanne Street, Fountain Valley police wrote in a news release. Please reload the page and try again. Experts for the defense also claim the time of Stites death was hours earlier than the 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. window the prosecution argued at Reeds original trial. His truck was found in Bastrop and he was home in Giddings, Texas, which is some 30 miles away. Brown said when Reed learned of Stites murder, Reed told him he was afraid because he knew he was a Black male having sex with a white girl in Bastrop, and how that could be seen as unacceptable. The body of Jessica Jefferson Brown was found behind the wheel, but with injuries not consistent with a car crash. Angela Hamby, 12, was raped in September 1989, and prosecutors said that evidence from her case also matched Reeds DNA. A deputy. Many people in her life, from coworkers to acquaintances, were asked to provide a sample but no matches came up, including her fianc. Dr. Daniel Wescott, director of Texas States Forensic Anthropology Center who is not involved in the case, said that genetic profiles of unidentified people are often entered into the FBIs Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, which includes the genetic profiles of missing persons, convicted offenders and forensic samples collected from crime scenes. Micheal Waller and his fianc still cant believe what happened on the edge of their property on Sunday afternoon. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Exiting were photographers, serologists, physical evidence collection people. Hopefully theyll patrol the area a little more, like I said weve been hearing gunshots a lot more around here. He's had the same values I was raised with. BASTROP, La. Through every trial, hearing and court update, Sandra Reed is standing by her son. 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. I dont know. 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. 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. Copyright 2021 KNOE. Stites said her daughter wanted to make more money to pay for her wedding, so she got a job at a local H-E-B grocery company. It hit a little close to home for me. Required fields are marked *. My baby.. Carol Stites remembered how Fennell said goodbye to his fiance. Reed has been charged with raping Chapman and Hamby, but denies the charges. Forensically speaking, they did everything that was available to examine the truck forensically at the time, Tanner said. Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. I'll think about it. "She was like the white tornado," she told "20/20." "That's exactly what they called her when she was little. Deputies found Ambrosio Gonzales shot and killed in his car on May 24. . A Bastrop County murder suspect who told sheriff's investigators he beat the victim. It says that a preliminary autopsy report indicates that 29-year-old Samantha Dean died of an apparent gunshot. *Watch the full story on "20/20" TONIGHT at 9 p.m. What makes the story even more bizarre for Waller is how the day started. Sofia Vera, 19, was found lying in the roadway on . The police told me that his name was Rodney Reed.. Every year, Smithville has their jamboree. APD investigating after dead body found in south When officers responded to the scene, they found Lenora Lawhon dead in the couples home. Officials say the Travis County Medical Examiner will be doing an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Police found a broken piece of belt with the buckle attached, just outside of the drivers door. Rodney Reed has been serving time in prison for over 20 years. Brown explained thats why, at first, he said he didnt know her. She worked hard for that wedding dress, and we all decided that that's what she should be buried in.. Henry Hsu said Monday. With just weeks to go before his scheduled execution, Reed garnered attention from the national media, including Dr. Phil, Oprah and The New York Times. Her body was found in the parking lot at 118 Stephen F. Austin Boulevard at about 2 a.m. Wednesday morning. (CBS Austin file image) Detectives are investigating an early Sunday morning shooting after a woman was found dead in Bastrop County. Jurors are being selected on Tuesday, April 25, for the trial of Bastrop dentist, Dr. Tod Lawhon, who is accused of shooting and killing his wife just before Christmas day in 2020. They found Jones lying in an area overgrown with weeds near an unused railroad track in what authorities called the middle stage of decomposition. He previously spent four years as a staff writer with the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. BASTROP, La. Early the next morning, a patrol officer found a red truck in Bastrop at the high school. The man shot the woman and then took his own life, Hsu said. The complaint and search warrant were initially sealed by the court to avoid compromising the investigation.". Dr. Michael Baden, a physician and board-certified forensic pathologist known for investigating the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the Jeffrey Epstein and George Floyd autopsies, testified there are two reasons he believes Stites was likely killed earlier. The sentencing is set to be held on July 6 in the Bastrop courthouse at 1 p.m. I knew it was a lie instantly. Officials Sunday released the name of a 28-year-old woman whose body was found near an unused railroad track in Carson. 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. Officials said on Tuesday he remains in the hospital under guard. We're getting married, that was just about them, Carol Stites said. Fennell explained he was emotional and that all he could visualize was Stites lying dead in her casket. The jury took less than a day to come back with a decision in the Stites case, sentencing Reed to death for her murder.
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