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Tag: homicide

  • Lisa Mearkle: Hummelstown Police Officer That Fatally Shot Unarmed Man Faces Homicide Charges

    Was police officer Lisa Mearkle acting in self-defense or did she just overreact?

    Pennsylvania VFW police service awardee Mearkle faces criminal homicide charges for shooting 59-year-old David Kassick twice in the back on February 2 without legal justification. The victim was facing down on the ground, incapacitated and unarmed.

    Reports say that Mearkle had attempted to pull over Kassick for expired inspection and emissions stickers. Kassick sped away and led a chase to his sister’s home. Mearkle stunned Kassick as he ran and shot him dead.

    The 36-year-old Mearkle told investigators that she shot the victim because he would not show her his hands.

    Defense attorney Brian Perry cried foul on the charges.

    “She felt like she had to do what she did,” Perry said. “This person was being commanded, begged, ‘show me your hands,’ and he kept going to his waist.”

    According to district attorney Ed Marsico, the strongest evidence against Mearkle is the video from the stun gun the officer was carrying.

    “At the time Officer Mearkle fires both rounds from her pistol, the video clearly depicts Kassick lying on the snow-covered lawn with his face toward the ground,” according to the arrest affidavit. “Furthermore, at the time the rounds are fired nothing can be seen in either of Kassick’s hands, nor does he point or direct anything toward Officer Mearkle.”

    Investigators did not find a weapon on Kassick nor did they find any evidence pointing to a threat on Mearkle’s life during the shooting.

    Hummelstown chief Charles Dowell has not yet commented on Mearkle’s case. The police department released a statement saying it had cooperated fully and called the case “an extremely difficult case for all involved”.

    “We are servants of justice and must now allow the judicial process to conduct a fair and impartial review of the allegations that have been presented,” the news release stated.

    Mearkle faces serious charges under the offense of criminal homicide including misdemeanor, involuntary manslaughter and first-degree murder.

  • Stephanie Moseley’s Friends And Colleagues Mourn Her Death

    On December 8, the bodies of actress and dancer Stephanie Moseley and rapper Earl Hayes were discovered inside their apartment. The police have concluded that Hayes shot himself after killing his wife. Moseley’s close friends and family are now mourning the tragic loss. “She was this wide-eyed, beautiful girl. She was cautious and she never wanted to be the focus of the room – unless she was on stage,” said Rachel Poirier, Moseley’s former dance teacher. Poirier taught Moseley from the ages of 12 to 18 years old, but the two remained friends.

    Stephanie was an actress from Vancouver who was last seen in the VH1 show Hit the Floor. VH1 released a statement right after her passing, saying, “VH1 and the entire ‘Hit the Floor’ family send our thoughts and condolences to her family and friends at this difficult time.” Moseley’s Hit the Floor co-star, Dean Cain, also expressed his grief. “Stephanie was exceptionally beautiful, an absolutely amazing and incredible dancer, and judging by how the other girls spoke about her, a lovely human being,” he said. “I’m heartbroken and saddened.”

    In a statement released by the LAPD, they discussed the details surrounding the case. According to the statement, police arrived at the scene after receiving reports of a shooting in the 300 block of Hauser Avenue. Additional gunshots were heard by the policemen who arrived at the scene. SWAT officers entered the apartment and found the bodies of Moseley and Hayes inside.

     

    Earl Hayes, son of Isaac Hayes, is known to be a close friend of boxer Floyd Mayweather. TMZ reported that Hayes was talking to the boxer on Facetime prior to shooting Moseley. According to reports, an infuriated Hayes told Mayweather of his plan to kill his wife because she was being unfaithful. Mayweather told him not to do it, but Hayes carried out the murder before shooting himself.

    It’s been reported that Mayweather acknowledges that he heard everything that transpired, but he will not divulge what he saw.

  • Bodies of Missing Arkansas Man and Infant Son Found

    The bodies of an Arkansas man and his 10-month-old son were discovered in a remote area of the Ouachita Mountains on Tuesday, concluding a four-day search.

    Brian Floyd, 33, and his son Harper Floyd were last seen on Friday morning with Brooke Floyd, the child’s mother. Brooke Floyd was found hours later, walking alone down a rural road in the area, which is situated roughly 80 miles west of Little Rock. Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey commented that Floyd appeared to be “cut up and scarred as if she had been in a wooded area.”

    Gilkey added that Floyd “spoke of a separation Friday night.” She also listed her marital status as “single” on the police report. “Investigators are still trying to get to the bottom of what caused the separation,” Gilky said.

    Floyd was detained on the charge of endangering the welfare of a minor, as she was initially uncooperative regarding the search effort for her husband and child.

    It is still not clear if Brooke Floyd is considered to be a suspect or a victim. She was being held on $50,000 bond, but made bail.

    Floyd eventually revealed the location of the family truck, which lead investigators to the bodies. Harper’s body was found in the mountainous region at roughly 1:30 p.m. and and Brian’s body was found nearly one hour later. Both bodies were transported to the state crime lab for autopsies.

    Gilkey didn’t mention if the deceased were accident or homicide victims, and commented during a press conference at the site, “It’s not the outcome we certainly had hoped for and our prayers and thoughts go out to the families involved.”

    Here is a clip of an interview with Brooke Floyd’s family:

    Gilkey said that investigators were presently meeting with county prosecutors to go over the case.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • One-Eyed Man Sought in 7-Eleven Double Homicide

    Authorities are searching for a one-eyed gang member who fatally shot two other men in front of a Van Nuys, California 7-Eleven convenience store early Thursday morning.

    According to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department, Angel Santana, 29, and another unidentified suspect allegedly began shooting at two men, after a brief confrontation which occurred at around 6 a.m. in the 8000 block of Sepulveda Boulevard.

    Capt. Todd Chamberlain with the LAPD Mission Division commented, “Santana is a known gang member and with his appearance, it won’t be easy for him to hide.” Chamberlain added, “We are still trying to piece together what motivated the shooting. But we do know enough to know that this was not some random act. It appears that there was some rivalry or animus between the groups.”

    The LAPD describes Santana as being 5 foot 7 inches tall and 150 pounds. The shooter is missing his left eye, and has tattoos on the right side of his jaw and neck and over his left brow. Santana owns a Ford F-150 pickup with California plates, and police have notified the California Highway Patrol and the United States Border Patrol to be on alert.

    Ed Winter, a spokesman for the coroner’s office, said that the victims have yet to be identified, though both appeared to be in their twenties and were shot during a verbal argument, according to Detective Juan Santa. A third bystander was injured during the shooting, and was taken to an area hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

    Image via The Los Angeles Police Department

  • Breastfeeding Overdose: Woman Guilty of Homicide

    In a tragic case of malicious neglect to a newborn child, the Associated Press tells us of a 39-year-old woman from South Carolina has been recently sentenced to 20 years of prison for killing her 6-week-old daughter by way of breastfeeding.

    Stephanie Greene continued to receive morphine prescriptions while pregnant and breast feeding by concealing her pregnancy from her doctors. As a former nurse, she intricately maneuvered between her primary care doctor and gynecologist to achieve this. It should be noted that Greene lost her nursing license in 2004 for attempting to obtain drugs illegally.

    Greene’s newborn baby girl, Alexis, was born healthy. Six weeks later, however, a 911 call made by Stephanie Greene reported Alexis being unconscious in her bed. A later toxicology report from baby Alexis’ autopsy showed that the level of morphine in her body would have been lethal for a full-grown adult.

    Although Stephanie Greene is reportedly overcome with grief from the loss of her fourth child, the courts found it evident that she was guilty of homicide by child abuse by breastfeeding her child while taking painkillers. Greene suffered chronic pain from a 1998 accident that cracked her skull and pelvis, and Alexis was an unplanned conception. The jury decided that this was no excuse– especially from a former nurse who surely knew the dangerous implications of taking painkillers while breastfeeding.

    Greene received the minimum sentence for a horrendous crime, and her lawyers plan to appeal. This is the first case in the United States of a mother being convicted of homicide through substances transmitted in breast milk. Greene also faces 38 counts of obtaining drugs through fraud that may or may not be pursued.

    Image via Youtube

  • Amber Alert: Relisha Rudd Missing; Homicide Linked To Case

    The amber alert for 8-year-old Relisha Tenau Rudd increased in urgency after D.C. police have located vehicles related to the search.

    Upon finding the body of a woman connected to the case at an Oxon Hill motel room, authorities issued a regional alert. It was reported that Andrea Denise Tatum’s death was a homicide and it was learned she was the wife of 51-year-old Kahlil Malik Tatum – a janitor who worked for the homeless shelter at which Relisha and her mother have been staying.

    Tatum had previously been caring for Relisha at the allowance of her mother, Shamika Young, who says she has known him for years.

    “I didn’t see anything wrong with him. He’s a good guy,” Young explained. She added: “When [Relisha] did go out with him, he brought her back. He would take her shopping, took her to see Disney on Ice, he bought her a tablet for Christmas, took her out to eat with his granddaughter.”

    “This Mr. Tatum was a friend of the family,” said Belinda Wheeler, Relisha’s paternal grandmother, “He was trying to be Relisha’s godfather.” She added that he brought her “a lot of gifts” but claimed he did not know the family prior to their residing at the shelter.

    Other family accounts shared by the police have said the mother asked Tatum to care for Relisha on Feb. 26., but Belinda Wheeler did not say where Relisha had been staying since she left with the janitor on that date.

    Since that date, Relisha had a string of absences from the elementary school she attended. The official reported receiving varying reasons from Shamika, including that she was staying with her grandmother.

    Some police officials have stated that Relisha’s mother had not considered her child missing and spoke to her by phone as recently as a few days ago. An updated, recorded plea was broadcasted from Shamika requesting the return of Relisha.

    “Bring my daughter back to me right now, please,” Young stated on broadcast news, “It’s crazy. I want to know what’s going on.”

    Tatum is now wanted for the murder of his wife.

    “Relisha is a sweet, quiet girl,” said Jamila Larson, executive director of the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project. She explained that staff and volunteers took leave of work to put up fliers and aid in the search efforts. She added:

    “Everyone just feels desperate to do something to help.”

    Relisha is described as being 4 feet tall, weighing 70 to 80 pounds, and may have her hair in braids and barrettes. As it has been weeks since she was last seen by any family members close to her, police cannot offer a description of what she is wearing.

    If you have any information on Relisha, please contact: 202-727-9099

    Anyone with information regarding the deceased should contact 1-866-411-TIPS

    Image via Youtube

  • NYC Triple Homicide: Queens Father Arrested in TX

    The man who is suspected of the brutal killing of his wife and two daughters was caught in Texas on Monday.

    The 28-year-old Queens father, Miguel Mejia-Ramos was found in a white van with NY plates when a team that included Texas State Troopers and U.S. Marshals nabbed him early Tuesday at a vehicle roadblock in Schulenburg, Texas, between Austin and Houston.

    The arrest was made just after a family memorial service honoring their slain loved ones was held on Monday night.

    Each of the victims had what police described as “multiple stab wounds” — Garcia and her 2-year-old daughter had multiple wounds to the torso; the 1-year-old had wounds to the chest. All three were pronounced dead at the scene soon after officers arrived about 7:07 p.m. on Sunday.

    “There are no words that I can explain for the pain I’m going through,” said Luz Mina, Garcia’s mother. “I always told her to leave him. She said, ‘I can’t because I have two daughters and he’s bringing the money home.’”

    It was a 12-year-old that discovered the bodies on Sunday night. He went into their apartment to play with the girls.

    When the boy, Rene Chuc, opened the door, the ghastly sight of Garcia on the floor in a pool of blood sent him running to his father, Romeo Chuc, Garcia’s uncle.

    “I don’t understand what happened,” Chuc said.

    Garcia and her girls were last seen alive by relatives at 9 p.m. Saturday at the apartment, police said.

    A police source said cops found five knives at the scene.

    A friend of Garcia had witnessed Mejia as an abusive spouse who once beat her in a church restroom during a baby shower. “They go in the bathroom, and he started to hit the wife,” said Diana Villa, 44, recalling the incident that occurred at the Iglesia Naciones Unidas en Cristo Church in Jamaica, where Garcia attended services.

    Police investigated two domestic violence incidents involving the couple last year.

    On May 30, Garcia told cops her husband pulled her hair during an argument, a source said. On Nov. 13, Mejia was accused of kicking his wife in the head and pulling her hair while she was in bed, the source said.

    Image via YouTube

  • Atomic Wedgie Murder: Ex-Marine Kills Stepfather With Underwear

    Oklahoma police say a man killed his stepfather when he performed an “atomic wedgie” on him.

    So what is an atomic wedgie?

    Definition: (noun) A prank in which a person’s underpants are pulled up sharply from behind up to the shoulders or higher, in order to wedge the clothing uncomfortably between the person’s buttocks.

    Atomic wedgie illustrated below.

    (image)

    Brad Davis, 33, was arrested and charged with first degree murder when Denver Lee St. Clair’s body was found in his home with the waistband of his underwear pulled over his head and tied around his neck.

    The former U.S. Marine claimed that he carried out the murder after his stepfather used  derogatory language against his mother after a night of drinking.  He also told the police that his stepfather tried to attack him and he administered the wedgie in self-defense.

    St. Clair, 58, died from an impact to the head and suffocation, authorities said.

    Investigators have said that they believe the scene of crime was altered by the accused to make it look like there was a fight before he made an emergency call on December 21.

    “We continued our investigation and uncovered evidence that led us to believe that this was more than just a fight,” said Sheriff Booth.

    St. Clair was under a permanent protective order filed by Tressia St. Clair, his wife. Mrs. St. Clair said she filed the order because Mr. St. Clair had physically abused her in the past. In 2004 and 2010, she wife filed for a divorce but her attempts were dismissed. Tressia St. Clair again filed for the divorce last year.

    Main image via YouTube and wedgie image via Wikipedia

  • JonBenet Ramsey Murder, Cold Case After 17 Years

    Seventeen years later and no arrest has been made in the death of 6-year-old beauty pageant tot, Jonbenet Ramsey.

    In 1996, Ramsey’s body was found the day after Christmas in the basement of John and Patsy Ramsey’s Boulder, Col., home right after the discovery of a ransom note asserting kidnap.

    The young pageant prototype was found with a fractured skull and suffered from asphyxiation through use of a cord.

    Numerous speculations formed from this case during the investigation, one being that the parents were abusive.

    The Grand Jury that investigated the murder case in 1999 voted to indict her parents. Yet, the court could not find reasonable doubt and ample evidence to accuse Mrs. And Mr. Ramsey of murder.

    This information was not released until last October, putting a new spin on Ramsey’s murder details.

    Even after the extraction of DNA testing in 2008, including the parents and brother, Burke Ramsey, Boulder police have failed to link a suspect to the crime.

    “The case is still open, but is not actively being investigated and there are no new leads,” said Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner.

    Now after so many years of change for the Ramsey family-Patsy has been deceased for seven years and John is remarried-the investigation has come to a halt.

    Boulder investigators have recently declared Ramsey’s slaying a cold case.

    A little bit of Ramsey’s life is detailed in John’s book titled “The Other Side of Suffering,” which was released earlier this year. He goes into detail about his faith in God and how it helped him survive through the nightmare he endured during the case.

    Ramsey revealed in an interview with Christian Post that the longer the investigation stretches, the more he felt that the case would go unsolved.

    It looks like his predictions were correct.

    However, Beckner assures that Boulder police still has hope that someday the killer will be found.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Arrowhead Homicide: Police Investigate Man’s Death

    During Sunday’s game, played by the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, a man was killed during an altercation in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium. Police confirmed the man’s death and say they are treating his death as a homicide.

    So far, no arrests have been made, but police are still continuing their investigation to find out who the killer is and the motive behind the murder. They currently have three persons-of-interest in custody.

    Eye witnesses described the incident to police saying that a father and his son walked to their car and noticed a man in their vehicle going through their belongings. A struggle took place, leaving the man lying unconscious on the ground. Paramedics arrived and took the man to the hospital where he later died. His name has not been released, and neither has the suspects.

    “Talking to several witnesses that were out here in the parking lots, there was an individual who came back to his vehicle, saw someone inside the vehicle that did not belong. A struggle ensued between the two. That’s when the individual collapsed,” Kansas City police spokesman, Darin Snapp, said.

    (image)

    The main focus right now is determining the man’s cause of death. “We don’t know if the person had a health condition, had a heart attack. We don’t know,” Snapp said. “We’re going to investigate this as a homicide until we hear differently. Right now it’s a suspicious death but we are going to investigate it as a homicide.”

    The men in custody are not being treated as suspects until the autopsy reveals the man’s cause of death. “Right now they’re persons of interest,” Snapp said. “Like I said, until we find out exactly how this person passed away, we’re going to investigate it as a homicide. They’re not suspects right now until we find out exactly what happened.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Arrowhead Homicide: Three Arrested after Man Dies

    Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte announced that a death that occurred in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is being investigated.

    There is no official update from police at this time, but KCTV reports that a man and his son returned to their Jeep in Parking Lot A during the game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday to find someone sitting in their SUV, “rifling through the vehicle.” A struggle then ensued between the two men.

    As the man and the Jeep owner began to fight, the owner’s young son ran for help. The man found in the Jeep, described as in his mid 20s, collapsed onto the pavement during the fight and was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

    Police officers were called to the scene at 5:20, arresting three persons of interest.

    (image)

    Kansas City police Officer Darrin Snapp said an autopsy will be vital in determining the cause of death since the man wasn’t stabbed or shot.

    “The main thing we’re trying to figure out now is exactly how this person died. The hospital says there’s no obvious signs of how he passed away, so we’re still waiting on that. We’re going to investigate it as a homicide until we find out exactly how the person died,” Snapp said.

    “Everyone was very cooperative when we got here,” Snapp said. “Everyone that we believed was involved is still here and we’re talking to them. Right now they’re persons of interest. Like I said, until we find out exactly how this person passed away, we’re going to investigate it as a homicide. They’re not suspects right now until we find out exactly what happened.”

    Image via Twitter

  • Detroit Barbershop Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 7 Injured

    At 5:47 PM Wednesday, Detroit police responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting that shots had been fired at Al’s Place Barbershop. Two minutes later, at 5:49 PM, police arrived on the scene of “one of Detroit’s more violent incidents,” according to Detroit Police Chief James Craig.

    Ten people total were shot in the incident, with two men dying at the scene and one dying after being transported to a local hospital. As it currently stands, authorities do not know the motivation for the shooting: “We’re not sure if this was over a bad debt. We have no idea.We know it’s a barbershop and gambling has occurred in this location,” reported Craig.

    Considering the case is currently under investigation, all details surrounding the investigation cannot be released. However, police have essentially reconstructed the events which transpired through eye-witness accounts. Police suspect that three vehicles approached the barbershop before the deathly shooting – 2 Chevy Impalas and a third, unknown car. A passenger in one of the Impalas exited the car and fired at the unknown vehicle. At some point during this exchange, the back door to the barbershop was opened and shots entered the building, wounding 7 and killing three. At the time of the shooting, many people were in the backroom of the barbershop gambling.

    “This was a violent act — basically what I’m calling urban terrorism,” stated Craig.

    Police have arrested one person of interest so far. The man, who was wearing body armor, was arrested in Rochester on a different felonious charge: “It’s unusual and tends to suggest things. Police officers wear body armor. Why a community member would, raises a number of questions,” opined Craig. Police are currently trying to determine if more than one gunman was involved.

    To date, there have been 289 reported deaths due to homicide in Detroit. This total is down 6% from this point in time last year, when 331 deaths had resulted from violent action. Because of the success of the city of Detroit to quell violence, Craig is confident in police attempts to solve this case: “You know, I have been talking about the fact that we’ve been driving down violent crime and I’m optimistic we are going to find these violent predators and bring them into custody.”

    [Image via Google Maps]

  • Francisco Garzon, Spanish Train Driver, Faces 79 Counts of Vehicular Homicide

    The driver of the train that crashed last Wednesday evening in Spain has been under arrest since it occurred, and just yesterday he was formally charged with 79 counts of homicide committed by ‘professional recklessness.’ Francisco Jose Garzon was granted a conditional release but saw his train operator’s license suspended for six months, also surrendering his passport and remaining under assignment to report to court each week. The 79th victim of the crash passed away in the hospital on Sunday.

    63 of the deceased were from Spain, while some of the other victims came from Europe, Latin America, and the United States. CNN reports the two American victims claimed in the crash as Ana-Maria Cordoba of Arlington, VA and Myrta Fariza, who was in Spain with her husband visiting a Catholic festival.

    This train wreck, according to the Guardian, was the worst rail disaster in Spain in almost 70 years. Occurring when the Alvia high speed train derailed at 210 kph or just over 130 mph, the train then slammed into a concrete wall just before the station in Santiago de Compostela.

    (image)

    Garzon had admitted, according to the police, his recklessness behind the wheel. A Reuters profile of Garzon suggests that, as the son of a railway worker, Garzon would have spent most of his life around trains. The main question revolving around the accident was why such an experienced operator would have taken the sharp curve at such high speeds.

    The bend where the wreck occurred exists to transition from a high-speed track into a traditional track. This places responsibility on the driver, who must manually slow the train because the system has no automatic brakes. CNN reports that the speed limit for the part of the track where the crash occurred is 80 kph.

    Reuters also notes the driver’s Facebook includes photos of his speedometer reaching high speeds, but also notes that the ‘high speed’ boasts are common among train drivers and that such speeds was normal for Garzon’s train and service record.

    The Guardian also reports that the rescue operation suffered delays in coordination, with the Spanish daily paper El País quoting emergency services as having a two hour delay to reach the state of alert needed to have help called in from neighboring provinces.

    The main image is from Garzon’s own Facebook. The article image is from Twitter.

  • Scientist Charged in Wife’s Cyanide Death

    ABC News reports that a neuroscientist from the University of Pittsburgh has been charged with homicide following the death of his wife from cyanide poisoning.

    Dr. Robert Ferrante, 64, allegedly killed his wife, Dr. Autumn Klein, 41, by lacing her creatine drink with cyanide on April 17.

    According to police records, the couple had been exchanging emails about conceiving a second child. The husband had suggested a regimen of creatine drinks would help them conceive. Police found a glass vial near a resealable, plastic bag holding a white substance in the couple’s home. Ferrante told them it was creatine.

    However, police now know that Ferrente had used a credit card to order cyanide not long before his wife’s death. He is a neuroscientist, but he was not involved in any experiments using the chemical.

    Police have discovered that there were arguments between Ferrente and Klein about whether she might be having an affair.

    Anolther witness reported seeing Ferrente himself drinking creatine samples in his lab in the days before his wife’s death. The cyanide he ordered was locked in a safe that only he and one other person had access to.

    Cyanide poisoning as a method of homicide or suicide is still not unusual. We reported here recently about a man who ordered cyanide just before his trial on sodomy charges involving a 14-year-old female. When found guilt, he took the poison right there in the courtroom and died rather than go to jail.

    Another man we reported on recently died of cyanide poisoning shortly after winning a lottery of $600,000. No arrests have been made in his death.

    Perhaps the most famous case of cyanide deaths was in the Jonestown massacre, where over 900 people drank cyanide-laced Flavoraid and followed their spiritual leader, Jim Jones, to their deaths.

  • Teen Tweets about Stalker Days Before Her Suspected Murder

    It’s possible that a series of tweets could play a role in solving a brutal homicide in Gainesville, Georgia.

    16-year-old Hannah Truelove was found dead last Friday (August 24th) in the woods next to her apartment. She had only been missing for a day. Police have yet to release autopsy results, but they are willing to say that her injuries “were indicative that she died from a violent death,” and that it points to homicide.

    Truelove sent her last tweet on August 23rd, just a day before she was found dead. But it is a series of tweets made in the days leading up to her death that have piqued the interest of investigators.

    This tweet, made on August 12th and mentioning a stalker, is now part of the investigation:

    “We think at this point it’s not a random crime. We think that this was a crime that involved persons who knew each other. We have no indication it was random,” Maj. Woodrow Tripp of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office told WSBTV.

    “We have to determine what she meant by stalker,” another officer told ABC News. “A stalker to a 16-year-old might not be a stalker to what may be Georgia code official. We’re trying to determine what she meant by that.”

    Other tweets made just days prior to her death may also be relevant…

    But of course, these tweets may only sound relevant in the context of her death. Police say they are definitely looking into the possible stalker, however. Friends and random people affected by the apparent tragedy have taken to using the hashtag #heartsforhannah.