It looks like we are getting closer to a date for Billy's case, of course there
will be all kinds of last minute postponements which is to be expected, but
at least we can start to get out lives back.
Prosecutors said with 22 accused of murder and awaiting trial, they hoped to clear room on the court calendar, giving defendants the speedy trial they deserve and providing closure for families.
The trial date for 58-year-old Oregon resident Vickie Babbitt was set for March 15. She is facing first-degree murder charges in the 1972 shooting death of her husband, Marine Sgt. William Miller.
Her co-defendants — Rodger Gill and former local police chief and Babbitt’s ex-husband George Hayden — are to have their trial dates set Wednesday, December 9. A motion by prosecutors to try Babbitt and Hayden together has not been ruled on by a judge
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
ANOTHER COLD CASE MIRACLE
It is amazing when everyone gives up hope of finding their missing loved one, a miracle happends! Here is one that is for the books, this unfortunate woman was missing for 55 years. Cold cases have a way of finding life when all hope is gone, our 37 years is certainly overshadowed by this 55 year miracle.
PHOENIX — A murdered young woman buried as Jane Doe in Colorado 55 years ago. An Arizona family puzzled and saddened as Dorothy Gay Howard's disappearance stretched into decades.
It took a historian, a detective and a determined family member to make the connection after more than a half century that these two people were one and the same.
Howard's younger sister, Marlene Howard Ashman, the last surviving member of the immediate family, was relieved last month when authorities announced the identification.
"It was just complete and utter shock," said Ashman, who lives in Mena, Ark., but spoke to The Associated Press from Newport, N.C., where she was visiting her daughter.
"All these 55 years, I guess I learned as a child to put it in an abstract form so I could deal with it; it's easier to accept," Ashman said.
But the younger sister is grappling with the fact that Howard was murdered and is aching to know who killed her.
"Now that I know, it isn't so much that she died, but the horrible death," she said.
Boulder County Sheriff's Detective Steve Ainsworth, the lead investigator in the case, said Howard died of blunt-force trauma. She couldn't be identified because her body was found a week after she was killed, and animals had gotten to her face and fingers.
PHOENIX — A murdered young woman buried as Jane Doe in Colorado 55 years ago. An Arizona family puzzled and saddened as Dorothy Gay Howard's disappearance stretched into decades.
It took a historian, a detective and a determined family member to make the connection after more than a half century that these two people were one and the same.
Howard's younger sister, Marlene Howard Ashman, the last surviving member of the immediate family, was relieved last month when authorities announced the identification.
"It was just complete and utter shock," said Ashman, who lives in Mena, Ark., but spoke to The Associated Press from Newport, N.C., where she was visiting her daughter.
"All these 55 years, I guess I learned as a child to put it in an abstract form so I could deal with it; it's easier to accept," Ashman said.
But the younger sister is grappling with the fact that Howard was murdered and is aching to know who killed her.
"Now that I know, it isn't so much that she died, but the horrible death," she said.
Boulder County Sheriff's Detective Steve Ainsworth, the lead investigator in the case, said Howard died of blunt-force trauma. She couldn't be identified because her body was found a week after she was killed, and animals had gotten to her face and fingers.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
NEVER GIVE UP HOPE- I'M NOT A VICTIM-I'M VICTORIOUS"
Finally after 19 years, another cold case has found new life. A beautiful little girl from Dickinson, outside of Houston suffered a horrible ordeal. Her attacker has been free all these years while the fight for justice continued. Due to new DNA techniques, the search is over, bless this child!
An Arkansas man is back in Dickinson to face charges in the 1990 attack of an 8-year-old girl who was snatched from her bedroom, brutalized and left for dead in a field crawling with fire ants.
Bradford Dennis Earl Bradford, 40, waived extradition and arrived at the Dickinson police station Wednesday night. He was to be transferred to the Galveston County Jail.
He is charged with attempted capital murder in the attack on Jennifer Schuett, now 27and living in League City.
Although 19 years have passed since Schuett's attacker raped her and slit her throat, Dickinson police pursued her case and last month the FBI used new technology to extract DNA from clothes found near the crime scene. This week they announced they found a match in their DNA database and arrested Bradford in Little Rock.
Bradford, it turns out, lived just a quarter of a mile away from Schuett at the time of the attack, and the FBI said since then he's served time for abducting an Arkansas woman.
GALVESTON — Eight-year-old Jennifer Schuett awoke naked on a fire ant mound one August morning 19 years ago.
She didn't have enough strength to get up. The last thing she remembered was being dragged through a field by her feet.
Her throat cut, she lay bleeding in an empty lot for 12 hours before a group of children stumbled upon her. Despite her wound and ant bites that left scars all over her body, she survived the abduction and rape Aug. 10, 1990.
Schuett recalled that as a child she normally slept with her mother because she was afraid of the dark. But the night of the abduction, she had been ordered to her room because she had been kicking and keeping her mother awake.
She remembers reading and counting coins in her piggy bank before falling asleep.
The windows were shut tight, and the curtains drawn over the first-floor window overlooking the parking lot of what was then the Yorktown Apartments in Dickinson.
Sometime between midnight and 2 a.m., she awoke in the arms of a strange man carrying her to his car. He smothered her attempts to scream with his hand.
“I couldn't breathe. I couldn't scream,” she said. “I was terrified.”
He told her he was an undercover police officer, which she initially believed.
“At the same time in the back of my head I knew something was wrong because my mother would never let me go off with anyone,” Schuett said.
Her fear mounted as they drove, and she asked to see his gun to prove he was a police officer. He told her it was in the back seat.
They drove several miles through residential areas to Silbernagel Elementary School, where Schuett attended third-grade classes. He offered her candy, but she refused, having been told not to take candy from strangers.
After parking for a few minutes at the school, he drove to a field near the corner of California Avenue and 22nd Street.
She remembers leaning into the back seat to check for his gun, then everything went black. ‘I was bleeding to death'
The next thing she recalls was being awoken by burs scratching her back as he dragged her by her feet into the weed-choked empty lot.
Her throat had already been cut, but she didn't realize it. Schuett said she knew he thought she was dead, so she closed her eyes and remained motionless when he turned his head to look at her.
The next thing she remembers is awaking on the fire ant mound in daylight. “I was bleeding to death,” she said.
She tried to scream but couldn't because the knife had sliced her voice box. She could see passing cars through the weeds, but she wasn't seen.
Hours later, Schuett heard children playing and felt something touch her foot.
Then she recalls a police officer telling her to “stay with me. … Everything is going to be OK.”
A helicopter flew her to University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where doctors labored to save her life. When she was able, she wrote out answers to investigators' questions.
Regaining her voice Doctors said she would never speak again, but several weeks later her voice returned
“I feel like I got my voice back for a reason,” Schuett said.. “I can't live my life in fear,” I’m not a victim but instead Victorious”
Thursday, October 22, 2009
LEST WE FORGET!
Vicki Babbitt -George Hayden- Rodger Gill
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- A lot has changed in this Old South city since U.S. Marine Sgt. William Miller was ambushed and gunned down nearly 36 years ago.
In 1972, Western Boulevard, where Miller's body was dumped, was two lanes surrounded by fields, forests and few people. Today, its five lanes are lined with big-box stores and fast-food joints. A bustling subdivision anchors its northern reach.
Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown described the Jacksonville and nearby Camp Lejeune of three decades ago as wild and cleaved by the Vietnam War. Today, even with another war simmering, the city is busy and the base draws little attention. Miller's death didn't draw much notice back then.
"There were no portable phones in those days. News didn't travel so fast," said Brown, a 59-year-old barrel-chested sheriff.
Three decades later, word moves faster. And the arrest of two suspects in the North Carolina killing is drawing attention in Oregon, where one of the suspects had been living quietly.
This week at the Onslow County Courthouse, Vicki Lynn Babbitt of Bend and George Hayden, a former Marine and police chief of the tiny North Carolina town of Belhaven, were charged with first-degree murder in Miller's killing. Babbitt is the former wife of Hayden, and before that she was the wife of Miller.
Investigators say Babbitt, Hayden and Miller were players in a lovers' triangle
Miller returned to North Carolina from training in Okinawa, Japan, to find his wife and Hayden living together, they say. Soon after, on Sept. 16, 1972, Babbitt and Hayden lured Miller to the rural road and shot him twice -- in the head and in the back -- with an M-16 rifle, they say.
Onslow County sheriff's Capt. Rick Sutherland, one of two lead detectives, had not been born when the killing occurred. His partner from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Dan Carlin, is 36, making him just older than the killing itself. Hayden and Babbitt were prime suspects from the start, they said.
"Investigators had narrowed their focus early on," Sutherland said Friday. "Both were considered strong suspects. But each time the DA said there wasn't enough evidence
In pursuing the case, Sutherland and Carlin described a tedious and tenacious effort. They re-examined evidence that had been studied for decades, re-interviewed a lengthy list of people and traveled to four states, including Oregon.
The big break came with the help of a local newspaper reporter, Lindell Kay, who found a person who investigators missed in the case's early days.
"That new witness put us in a new direction," Sutherland said. "He led us to other persons out of state that corroborated the information to the point where the DA was satisfied."
Babbitt, 58, was arraigned Friday in North Carolina after a red-eye flight from Oregon. Like Hayden, she is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
On Friday, no one answered the door at the 1980s tan rambler in a tidy Bend subdivision where Babbitt lives with her husband
A bookkeeper for a high-end tile company, Babbitt commuted about 18 miles to an office park off Oregon 20. Co-workers at Austin Tile Design Studio & Gallery declined to comment Friday.
The company released a brief statement: "Vickie has worked for the company for 2 1/2 years, is well liked by all employees and is dedicated to her job."
After her arrest Tuesday, Babbitt declined to fight extradition to North Carolina. Her signature on a non-judicial waiver allowed a pair of Navy investigators to accompany her to Jacksonville.
Because Hayden was a former Marine and former police chief of Belhaven, the detectives said his arrest was more akin to a military operation than a standard procedure. Hayde is comfortable with weapons and knows police tactics.
"It was a total surprise," Sutherland said of Monday's arrest. "I can understand that, after you've been able to avoid detection for 36 years."
Hayden retired from the Marines in 1989 and went to work in local law enforcement. He spent time with the Carteret County Sheriff's Department and served as chief for Cape Carteret and Belhaven city police departments.
He was dismissed from his job in March for reasons town officials declined to discuss.
A report Thursday in the Jacksonville Daily News said he was fired for insubordination.
Rodger A. Gill, 56, was arrested Friday at Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System in Danville on the out-of-state murder charges and was arraigned Tuesday in Vermilion County Circuit Court on a charge of being a fugitive from justice. He is the third person awaiting trial in Millers death.
Despite the time it took to arrest the suspects in Miller's killing, Sutherland and Carlin say the experience hooked them on the rush of warming up old cases. They said Friday that they are in the process of opening another cold case that is decades old
Charles Pope; By Sherry Rainey
As we now know, the trials will not start until 2010, maybe as late as April, in the
meantime, all three suspects are out on bail enjoying their families and life as a
free person.
Now I also know, that there are those of you who are rolling your eyes at this statement, as stated in your blog remarks, we are accusing innocent people. I know also, that we will NOT stop our campaign for justice.
I would ask all of you who are offended by our remarks, to just stay clear of subjecting yourself to this issue by choosing to stay away, we do not want to offend you.
I am proud to state that our blog has almost 10,000 hits, from countries all over the world, there are people listening.
meantime, all three suspects are out on bail enjoying their families and life as a
free person.
Now I also know, that there are those of you who are rolling your eyes at this statement, as stated in your blog remarks, we are accusing innocent people. I know also, that we will NOT stop our campaign for justice.
I would ask all of you who are offended by our remarks, to just stay clear of subjecting yourself to this issue by choosing to stay away, we do not want to offend you.
I am proud to state that our blog has almost 10,000 hits, from countries all over the world, there are people listening.
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- A lot has changed in this Old South city since U.S. Marine Sgt. William Miller was ambushed and gunned down nearly 36 years ago.
In 1972, Western Boulevard, where Miller's body was dumped, was two lanes surrounded by fields, forests and few people. Today, its five lanes are lined with big-box stores and fast-food joints. A bustling subdivision anchors its northern reach.
Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown described the Jacksonville and nearby Camp Lejeune of three decades ago as wild and cleaved by the Vietnam War. Today, even with another war simmering, the city is busy and the base draws little attention. Miller's death didn't draw much notice back then.
"There were no portable phones in those days. News didn't travel so fast," said Brown, a 59-year-old barrel-chested sheriff.
Three decades later, word moves faster. And the arrest of two suspects in the North Carolina killing is drawing attention in Oregon, where one of the suspects had been living quietly.
This week at the Onslow County Courthouse, Vicki Lynn Babbitt of Bend and George Hayden, a former Marine and police chief of the tiny North Carolina town of Belhaven, were charged with first-degree murder in Miller's killing. Babbitt is the former wife of Hayden, and before that she was the wife of Miller.
Investigators say Babbitt, Hayden and Miller were players in a lovers' triangle
Miller returned to North Carolina from training in Okinawa, Japan, to find his wife and Hayden living together, they say. Soon after, on Sept. 16, 1972, Babbitt and Hayden lured Miller to the rural road and shot him twice -- in the head and in the back -- with an M-16 rifle, they say.
Onslow County sheriff's Capt. Rick Sutherland, one of two lead detectives, had not been born when the killing occurred. His partner from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Dan Carlin, is 36, making him just older than the killing itself. Hayden and Babbitt were prime suspects from the start, they said.
"Investigators had narrowed their focus early on," Sutherland said Friday. "Both were considered strong suspects. But each time the DA said there wasn't enough evidence
In pursuing the case, Sutherland and Carlin described a tedious and tenacious effort. They re-examined evidence that had been studied for decades, re-interviewed a lengthy list of people and traveled to four states, including Oregon.
The big break came with the help of a local newspaper reporter, Lindell Kay, who found a person who investigators missed in the case's early days.
"That new witness put us in a new direction," Sutherland said. "He led us to other persons out of state that corroborated the information to the point where the DA was satisfied."
Babbitt, 58, was arraigned Friday in North Carolina after a red-eye flight from Oregon. Like Hayden, she is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
On Friday, no one answered the door at the 1980s tan rambler in a tidy Bend subdivision where Babbitt lives with her husband
A bookkeeper for a high-end tile company, Babbitt commuted about 18 miles to an office park off Oregon 20. Co-workers at Austin Tile Design Studio & Gallery declined to comment Friday.
The company released a brief statement: "Vickie has worked for the company for 2 1/2 years, is well liked by all employees and is dedicated to her job."
After her arrest Tuesday, Babbitt declined to fight extradition to North Carolina. Her signature on a non-judicial waiver allowed a pair of Navy investigators to accompany her to Jacksonville.
Because Hayden was a former Marine and former police chief of Belhaven, the detectives said his arrest was more akin to a military operation than a standard procedure. Hayde is comfortable with weapons and knows police tactics.
"It was a total surprise," Sutherland said of Monday's arrest. "I can understand that, after you've been able to avoid detection for 36 years."
Hayden retired from the Marines in 1989 and went to work in local law enforcement. He spent time with the Carteret County Sheriff's Department and served as chief for Cape Carteret and Belhaven city police departments.
He was dismissed from his job in March for reasons town officials declined to discuss.
A report Thursday in the Jacksonville Daily News said he was fired for insubordination.
Rodger A. Gill, 56, was arrested Friday at Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System in Danville on the out-of-state murder charges and was arraigned Tuesday in Vermilion County Circuit Court on a charge of being a fugitive from justice. He is the third person awaiting trial in Millers death.
Despite the time it took to arrest the suspects in Miller's killing, Sutherland and Carlin say the experience hooked them on the rush of warming up old cases. They said Friday that they are in the process of opening another cold case that is decades old
Charles Pope; By Sherry Rainey
Monday, October 12, 2009
LINDELL KAY ENDING HIS COLD CASE ASSIGNMENT
Lindell will continue to report the news as it happends, but the cold case assignment has come to an end. He was to write an article on each cold case file in Onslow County and that has been completed with honors. When I speak of Lindell, I speak of a wonderful, honest, dedicated reporter that gave our family hope after 36years. Our case would never have been given new life if it were not for finding Off the Cuff on line and looking at the list of names appearing on Onslow County’s Cold Case Files. Not finding my brothers name, I contacted Lindell and asked him to include my brother’s name, William Miller, the rest of the story is the beginning of our blog and the continued fight for justice.
The victims of cold cases are called "The forgotten Victims", as it is now, agencies do not have the funds or man power to dedicate to these cases. countless families are experiencing the grief of not knowing where their loved ones are or having a loved one murdered and no one brought to justice for closure.
Lindell has given a ray of light to those still begging for help, cold case victims are constantly set aside.
Without a voice, who will listen?
It goes without saying, how much our family is in debt to Lindell and the Jacksonville News. Hero is a four letter word that comes to mind when describing the gratitude of the Miller Family to Cyndi Brown for encouraging Lindell to start his column.
The victims of cold cases are called "The forgotten Victims", as it is now, agencies do not have the funds or man power to dedicate to these cases. countless families are experiencing the grief of not knowing where their loved ones are or having a loved one murdered and no one brought to justice for closure.
Lindell has given a ray of light to those still begging for help, cold case victims are constantly set aside.
Without a voice, who will listen?
It goes without saying, how much our family is in debt to Lindell and the Jacksonville News. Hero is a four letter word that comes to mind when describing the gratitude of the Miller Family to Cyndi Brown for encouraging Lindell to start his column.
Friday, September 25, 2009
National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims
The victims are not forgotten, their voices must be heard!
Today, September 25, is "The National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims" it was established in 1999 by the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children. It was officially designated by both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives in 2007 as a day to acknowledge the tremendous loss suffered by the families and friends of murder victims. Keep them in your prayers.
Today, September 25, is "The National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims" it was established in 1999 by the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children. It was officially designated by both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives in 2007 as a day to acknowledge the tremendous loss suffered by the families and friends of murder victims. Keep them in your prayers.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
37TH ANNIVERSARY
Does the term Criminal Justice mean Justice for the Criminals??
Whoever made the statement “Time heals all wounds” surely did not lose someone close in a horrifying way.
We have now approached the 37th anniversary of Billy’s death, September 16, and we are still waiting for justice. It seems we cannot get a break; we are constantly fighting for a scrap of positive news of any kind.
As stated previously, our prayers go out to the families of the accused, they are caught in the web just like our family, but do remember, the accused are not martyr’s, they are not unjustly being prosecuted, this was a crime they freely lived with for 37 years, the curtain is about to come down.
We still have no date for the three trials, and George ,Vicki and now Gill are free, enjoying the comfort of their families.
This past year has been mentally draining beyond words, caught up in the slow turning wheels of justice, knowing that it’s at your fingertips and there is nothing you can do to control any aspect of it.
Our lives have been put on hold, knowing that any day we may hear some encouraging news, not wanting to make plans for fear it will collide with a court date.
Again, our gratitude to Sheriff Ed Brown, District Attorney Hudson and Reporter Lindell Kay, these people are our heroes.
On a positive note, I was feeling down a couple of weeks ago, due to the fact, that Gill’s wife was appealing to the public for funds to bail him out, I felt sorry for the wife, and respected her attempt, but it affected me negatively.
As I waited in line at a retail store that day, a woman approached me and stated "miracles still happen if you believe" and handed me The Miraculous Medal of Mary. I was shocked, as that certainly sounded familiar!
As I strongly believe in angels, I think I met one that day. Needless to say it put my mind at ease and a smile on my face.
All the support and prayers we have received and continue to receive are too numerous to mention,, but you know who you are, we take solace knowing that Billy hears them as well.'
Whoever made the statement “Time heals all wounds” surely did not lose someone close in a horrifying way.
We have now approached the 37th anniversary of Billy’s death, September 16, and we are still waiting for justice. It seems we cannot get a break; we are constantly fighting for a scrap of positive news of any kind.
As stated previously, our prayers go out to the families of the accused, they are caught in the web just like our family, but do remember, the accused are not martyr’s, they are not unjustly being prosecuted, this was a crime they freely lived with for 37 years, the curtain is about to come down.
We still have no date for the three trials, and George ,Vicki and now Gill are free, enjoying the comfort of their families.
This past year has been mentally draining beyond words, caught up in the slow turning wheels of justice, knowing that it’s at your fingertips and there is nothing you can do to control any aspect of it.
Our lives have been put on hold, knowing that any day we may hear some encouraging news, not wanting to make plans for fear it will collide with a court date.
Again, our gratitude to Sheriff Ed Brown, District Attorney Hudson and Reporter Lindell Kay, these people are our heroes.
On a positive note, I was feeling down a couple of weeks ago, due to the fact, that Gill’s wife was appealing to the public for funds to bail him out, I felt sorry for the wife, and respected her attempt, but it affected me negatively.
As I waited in line at a retail store that day, a woman approached me and stated "miracles still happen if you believe" and handed me The Miraculous Medal of Mary. I was shocked, as that certainly sounded familiar!
As I strongly believe in angels, I think I met one that day. Needless to say it put my mind at ease and a smile on my face.
All the support and prayers we have received and continue to receive are too numerous to mention,, but you know who you are, we take solace knowing that Billy hears them as well.'
Thursday, September 3, 2009
RODGER GILL IS BAILED OUT OF JAIL
1972 homicide suspect meets bail
September 03, 2009 6:35 PM
LINDELL KAY
A relieved and humble Rodger Gill bailed out of the Onslow County Jail late Thursday afternoon, happy to be somewhat free, but sad for the family of the man he is accused of helping to kill.
Gill, 56, posted a $25,000 bond with the help of Albritton Bonding Company in Kinston. He will be returning to Illinois, where he was arrested in January, over the weekend.
He is one of three former Marines charged with first-degree murder in the 1972 ambush shooting of Camp Lejeune Marine Sgt. William Miller.
Gill told The Daily News he was happy to out of jail and that he felt bad for the Miller family.
His attorney, Kinston lawyer Bill Gerrans said his client was prepared to testify for the state without the benefit of a plea deal and will still testify as to what he knows about the case since he was not involved.
District Attorney Dewey Hudson said he felt it was improper for a lawyer on either side of a court case to discuss the guilt or innocence of a defendant.
“That’s for the jury to decide,” he said.
Hudson previously expressed his unhappiness with Gill’s bond being reduced from $200,000 to $25,000 earlier this week.
Gill’s co-defendants, George Hayden and Vickie Babbitt, bonded out of jail after their arrests last year.
Prosecutors say Babbitt, who was married to Miller at the time, helped Hayden lure Miller to his death on Western Boulevard. Miller was shot in the back and head with an M-16, according to crime scene and medical reports.
Babbitt and Hayden — who became a local area police chief — were married and later divorced.
The District Attorney’s Office has recently filed for Hayden and Babbitt to stand trial together. A judge has not ruled on that motion yet.
Gill was a friend of Miller’s in 1972. He escaped the attention of the original detectives working the homicide but was dragged into the spotlight last year by a former fiancée who read about Miller’s unsolved murder in The Daily News. She told investigators that Gill was at the scene in September 1972 when Miller was killed.
“I did not shoot Bill Miller,” Gill told The Daily News in a statement earlier this year. “I was not involved in any plan or conspiracy to harm Bill Miller, nor did I participate in any such act. I have had no contact with Vickie Miller Hayden Babbitt or George Hayden in more than 35 years.”
September 03, 2009 6:35 PM
LINDELL KAY
A relieved and humble Rodger Gill bailed out of the Onslow County Jail late Thursday afternoon, happy to be somewhat free, but sad for the family of the man he is accused of helping to kill.
Gill, 56, posted a $25,000 bond with the help of Albritton Bonding Company in Kinston. He will be returning to Illinois, where he was arrested in January, over the weekend.
He is one of three former Marines charged with first-degree murder in the 1972 ambush shooting of Camp Lejeune Marine Sgt. William Miller.
Gill told The Daily News he was happy to out of jail and that he felt bad for the Miller family.
His attorney, Kinston lawyer Bill Gerrans said his client was prepared to testify for the state without the benefit of a plea deal and will still testify as to what he knows about the case since he was not involved.
District Attorney Dewey Hudson said he felt it was improper for a lawyer on either side of a court case to discuss the guilt or innocence of a defendant.
“That’s for the jury to decide,” he said.
Hudson previously expressed his unhappiness with Gill’s bond being reduced from $200,000 to $25,000 earlier this week.
Gill’s co-defendants, George Hayden and Vickie Babbitt, bonded out of jail after their arrests last year.
Prosecutors say Babbitt, who was married to Miller at the time, helped Hayden lure Miller to his death on Western Boulevard. Miller was shot in the back and head with an M-16, according to crime scene and medical reports.
Babbitt and Hayden — who became a local area police chief — were married and later divorced.
The District Attorney’s Office has recently filed for Hayden and Babbitt to stand trial together. A judge has not ruled on that motion yet.
Gill was a friend of Miller’s in 1972. He escaped the attention of the original detectives working the homicide but was dragged into the spotlight last year by a former fiancée who read about Miller’s unsolved murder in The Daily News. She told investigators that Gill was at the scene in September 1972 when Miller was killed.
“I did not shoot Bill Miller,” Gill told The Daily News in a statement earlier this year. “I was not involved in any plan or conspiracy to harm Bill Miller, nor did I participate in any such act. I have had no contact with Vickie Miller Hayden Babbitt or George Hayden in more than 35 years.”
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
ARE THE COURTS PARTIAL TO THE ACCUSED??
I WAS JUST INFORMED BY THE COURTS THAT RODGER IS OUT ON BOND AS OF TODAY, SPETEMBER 3,
HEADING BACK TO ILLINOIS. WHAT A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!
Bond lowered in 1972 homicide case
September 02, 2009
LINDELL KAY
Prosecutors are outraged that a visiting judge lowered the bond Wednesday of an Illinois man charged with first-degree murder in the 1972 shooting death of a Camp Lejeune Marine.
Rodger Gill, 56, was given a $200,000 bond after his arrest earlier this year in connection to the death of Sgt. William Miller more than 37 years ago. N.C. Superior Court Judge John Nobles, visiting Onslow County from Craven County, lowered the bond to $25,000 Wednesday at the request of Gill’s attorney, Kinston lawyer Bill Gerrens.
“Bill Gerrens bushwhacked us,” District Attorney Dewey Hudson said. “I question the propriety of what he has done.”
Hudson said he is extremely disappointed his prosecutors were not given a chance to be heard before Gill’s bond was reduced. He said assistant district attorneys in his office told the court earlier last week that since Gill’s situation hadn’t changed then his bond shouldn’t change.
Hudson said he thought that was the end of it, but then his office received a call Wednesday from a courthouse clerk informing them that Gill’s bond had been lowered.
Hudson accused Gerrens of judge-shopping and said lawyers should not seek out different judges to get a favorable ruling.
“It’s not just the amount — $25,000 for first-degree murder is outrageous — it is the circumstances around this thing,” said Hudson, the chief prosecutor for the Fourth Prosecutorial District, which includes Onslow County.
Gerrens said he didn’t do anything wrong and was only following the court’s instructions. He said he was told by Onslow County Senior Residing Superior Court Judge Charles Henry to bring the bond motion back to court this week.
“Mr. Hudson likes to call me bad names,” he said. “But I just did what I was told to do.”
Gerrens said the reduced bond was good news for the Gill family and he hopes they will be able to raise it.
HEADING BACK TO ILLINOIS. WHAT A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!
Bond lowered in 1972 homicide case
September 02, 2009
LINDELL KAY
Prosecutors are outraged that a visiting judge lowered the bond Wednesday of an Illinois man charged with first-degree murder in the 1972 shooting death of a Camp Lejeune Marine.
Rodger Gill, 56, was given a $200,000 bond after his arrest earlier this year in connection to the death of Sgt. William Miller more than 37 years ago. N.C. Superior Court Judge John Nobles, visiting Onslow County from Craven County, lowered the bond to $25,000 Wednesday at the request of Gill’s attorney, Kinston lawyer Bill Gerrens.
“Bill Gerrens bushwhacked us,” District Attorney Dewey Hudson said. “I question the propriety of what he has done.”
Hudson said he is extremely disappointed his prosecutors were not given a chance to be heard before Gill’s bond was reduced. He said assistant district attorneys in his office told the court earlier last week that since Gill’s situation hadn’t changed then his bond shouldn’t change.
Hudson said he thought that was the end of it, but then his office received a call Wednesday from a courthouse clerk informing them that Gill’s bond had been lowered.
Hudson accused Gerrens of judge-shopping and said lawyers should not seek out different judges to get a favorable ruling.
“It’s not just the amount — $25,000 for first-degree murder is outrageous — it is the circumstances around this thing,” said Hudson, the chief prosecutor for the Fourth Prosecutorial District, which includes Onslow County.
Gerrens said he didn’t do anything wrong and was only following the court’s instructions. He said he was told by Onslow County Senior Residing Superior Court Judge Charles Henry to bring the bond motion back to court this week.
“Mr. Hudson likes to call me bad names,” he said. “But I just did what I was told to do.”
Gerrens said the reduced bond was good news for the Gill family and he hopes they will be able to raise it.
Monday, August 31, 2009
AS WE AWAIT THREE TRIALS;
As we await three trials, it is not easy to be patient; we find it impossible to process the grief, anger and loss while the wheels of justice are slowly grinding, especially after waiting almost 37 years.
First, let me say, that we are not heartless, or crooks as some have labeled us. The families of the accused are angry at us for perusing our brother’s death; we are only doing what any other family would do for their loved ones.
Or brother died an ugly, brutal and horrifying death. His murder was not only savage, but it was filled with horrifying details, details that we know by heart, because we have played them time and again.
Our feelings are so big, consuming and overwhelming that we can only experience them a little at a time, new wounds have been opened. We cannot allow ourselves to process any more, we have to conserve all of our emotional strength,in order to have enough, to get through all that the criminal justice system demands.
All we feel for the defendants is sorrow; they have succeeded not only in delivering an unbearable loss to our family. Their families as well are left with confusion, loss and pain. They are left with the impossible task of trying to hold their family together all while waiting for answers. Our prayers go out to them.
We want all of you to cherish your loved ones and friends like there is no tomorrow.
First, let me say, that we are not heartless, or crooks as some have labeled us. The families of the accused are angry at us for perusing our brother’s death; we are only doing what any other family would do for their loved ones.
Or brother died an ugly, brutal and horrifying death. His murder was not only savage, but it was filled with horrifying details, details that we know by heart, because we have played them time and again.
Our feelings are so big, consuming and overwhelming that we can only experience them a little at a time, new wounds have been opened. We cannot allow ourselves to process any more, we have to conserve all of our emotional strength,in order to have enough, to get through all that the criminal justice system demands.
All we feel for the defendants is sorrow; they have succeeded not only in delivering an unbearable loss to our family. Their families as well are left with confusion, loss and pain. They are left with the impossible task of trying to hold their family together all while waiting for answers. Our prayers go out to them.
We want all of you to cherish your loved ones and friends like there is no tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
GILL'S WIFE ASKING FOR DONATIONS???
This is totally unbelievable!! As the family of the victim, we are wondering how we are going
to handle the financial burden of attending three trials. We will have to provide for plane fare, lodging, food and lost of income from employment.
Of course his wife thinks he he totally innocent, I doubt he would discuss what happened years ago with her or anyone else. They have been married a total of four whole years, yes, I am sure she knows him very well! Funny when criminals are caught they are all innocent!!
Now that he is in jail, we are supposed to feel sorry for him? What about our family?
Do we have pity on him?? No! We have pity on his family and what he has done to them.
I cannot condone the newspaper publishing a request for money to raise funds for bail. The tax payers of North Carolina are already paying for his attorney. LINDELL KAY
The wife of an Illinois man arrested earlier this year and awaiting trial in the Onslow County Jail for the 1972 shooting death of a Camp Lejeune Marine is asking for help in raising money to pay his bond.
“Rodger did not have anything to do with this murder,” Bobbi Gill, the wife of Rodger Gill said. Rodger Gill was arrested by Illinois authorities and turned over to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department in January after a grand jury indicted him on first-degree murder charges in the death of William Miller 37 year ago.
“Rodger and I have been married for four years and he is a kind and caring man,” Bobbi Gill said
Rodger Gill’s co-defendants both received bonds in the hundreds of thousands but were able to put up property as collateral and have been out of jail for several months. An Onslow County judge set Gill’s bond at $200,000 — an amount his family said they cannot afford.
“It's with great sadness that I write this but, we are in need of financial assistant,” Bobbi Gill said last week in an e-mail to The Daily News.
She said it is not fair that her husband’s co-defendants get to make bail while Rodger Gill — who she said has cooperated in every way with law enforcement — is still locked up.
Gill was brought to the attention of cold case investigators when a former fiancée of his told Sheriff’s detectives last year that Gill was present on Western Boulevard in September 1972 when Miller was gunned down.
“Bill and I were friends,” Rodger Gill told The Daily News earlier this year in a statement passed along by his attorney, Bill Gerrans.
In the statement, Rodger Gill said he was stationed with Miller at Camp Lejeune and lived with Miller and Miller’s wife Vickie in their home.
Vickie Babbitt has also been charged in Miller’s death. Investigators believe Vickie helped another then-Marine George Hayden — a former Cape Carteret police chief — to lure Miller to his death.
Miller was shot in the back and head with an M-16, according to crime scene and medical reports.
Babbitt and Hayden attended Miller’s funeral together and were married four months after Miller’s death. They later divorced.
Babbitt and Hayden both passed polygraph tests administered by Naval Criminal Investigative Services concerning Miller’s death, according to information provided by the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Office.
Investigators claim Gill made incriminating statements during 2008 interviews that make him culpable in Miller’s death, said Dewey Hudson, the district attorney for the Fourth Prosecutorial District, which includes Onslow County.
“I did not shoot Bill Miller,” Rodger Gill said in his statement. “I was not involved in any plan or conspiracy to harm Bill Miller, nor did I participate in any such act. I have had no contact with Vickie Miller Hayden Babbitt or George Hayden in more than 35 years.”
Rodger Gill was arrested on the way out of an Illinois hospital after knee surgery.
“I have not received the rehabilitation treatment I needed for my knee,” Gill said. “I fear my knee may never heal.”
While in jail, Gill was bitten by a brown recluse spider and had to be hospitalized, according to family
to handle the financial burden of attending three trials. We will have to provide for plane fare, lodging, food and lost of income from employment.
Of course his wife thinks he he totally innocent, I doubt he would discuss what happened years ago with her or anyone else. They have been married a total of four whole years, yes, I am sure she knows him very well! Funny when criminals are caught they are all innocent!!
Now that he is in jail, we are supposed to feel sorry for him? What about our family?
Do we have pity on him?? No! We have pity on his family and what he has done to them.
I cannot condone the newspaper publishing a request for money to raise funds for bail. The tax payers of North Carolina are already paying for his attorney. LINDELL KAY
The wife of an Illinois man arrested earlier this year and awaiting trial in the Onslow County Jail for the 1972 shooting death of a Camp Lejeune Marine is asking for help in raising money to pay his bond.
“Rodger did not have anything to do with this murder,” Bobbi Gill, the wife of Rodger Gill said. Rodger Gill was arrested by Illinois authorities and turned over to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department in January after a grand jury indicted him on first-degree murder charges in the death of William Miller 37 year ago.
“Rodger and I have been married for four years and he is a kind and caring man,” Bobbi Gill said
Rodger Gill’s co-defendants both received bonds in the hundreds of thousands but were able to put up property as collateral and have been out of jail for several months. An Onslow County judge set Gill’s bond at $200,000 — an amount his family said they cannot afford.
“It's with great sadness that I write this but, we are in need of financial assistant,” Bobbi Gill said last week in an e-mail to The Daily News.
She said it is not fair that her husband’s co-defendants get to make bail while Rodger Gill — who she said has cooperated in every way with law enforcement — is still locked up.
Gill was brought to the attention of cold case investigators when a former fiancée of his told Sheriff’s detectives last year that Gill was present on Western Boulevard in September 1972 when Miller was gunned down.
“Bill and I were friends,” Rodger Gill told The Daily News earlier this year in a statement passed along by his attorney, Bill Gerrans.
In the statement, Rodger Gill said he was stationed with Miller at Camp Lejeune and lived with Miller and Miller’s wife Vickie in their home.
Vickie Babbitt has also been charged in Miller’s death. Investigators believe Vickie helped another then-Marine George Hayden — a former Cape Carteret police chief — to lure Miller to his death.
Miller was shot in the back and head with an M-16, according to crime scene and medical reports.
Babbitt and Hayden attended Miller’s funeral together and were married four months after Miller’s death. They later divorced.
Babbitt and Hayden both passed polygraph tests administered by Naval Criminal Investigative Services concerning Miller’s death, according to information provided by the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Office.
Investigators claim Gill made incriminating statements during 2008 interviews that make him culpable in Miller’s death, said Dewey Hudson, the district attorney for the Fourth Prosecutorial District, which includes Onslow County.
“I did not shoot Bill Miller,” Rodger Gill said in his statement. “I was not involved in any plan or conspiracy to harm Bill Miller, nor did I participate in any such act. I have had no contact with Vickie Miller Hayden Babbitt or George Hayden in more than 35 years.”
Rodger Gill was arrested on the way out of an Illinois hospital after knee surgery.
“I have not received the rehabilitation treatment I needed for my knee,” Gill said. “I fear my knee may never heal.”
While in jail, Gill was bitten by a brown recluse spider and had to be hospitalized, according to family
Friday, July 24, 2009
THE GRIEF OF PARENTS IS A LIFETIME JOURNEY
A parents grief is boundless. It touches every aspect as they grieve for the rest of their lives. Their grief becomes part of them...They live with an empty space.
Through my journey of telling Billy's story, I have encountered many many kind people, who share their prayers and stories. It opened me to the hurt and helplessness one feels when their loved ones are taken in horrible ways, by uncaring sociopaths. Even after the murder, the hurt that effects families, as the years go by, continues to grow.
One story that touched my heart was the senseless murder of beautiful Sara Smart. Her story was brought to my attention through the prayer group of Tommye Allen, a friend of the mother in law of Billy's daughter. Tommye's daughter was Sara's best friend.
Sara was murdered in Muskogee, Oklahoma by her stepfather, who placed her body in a 55 gal. barrel. The barrel was deposited in a pond which formerly belonged to the stepfather, they searched for her until a year later, her body was discovered . Her stepfather who had been in jail on other charges, was formally charged in Sara's murder on July 1 . The father of the victim (Sara) committed suicide as a result of grief last year, and Sara's brother died of an accidental drug overdose. Three deaths in less than two years in that family seems unbelievable, as I stated the list of people suffering from a senseless murder keeps growing. This family needs your prayers and Sara needs justice. The following are two links to the story, please keep her in your heart.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14&articleid=20090202_298_0_MSOEnt388777
http://s2.excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?forumid=124565&threadid=2046728
The second story that I found a connection to was of Denise Huber, her father Dennis, went to high school with me. After hearing about Billy, he contacted me and recounted the horrifying murder of his beautiful daughter Denise, who disappeared one evening after getting a flat tire. They searched for three years until her frozen body was found in a freezer at the killers house.
The horror these parents had to endure, there are no words to describe. Please pray for the families of these girls, there is no closure for them.
Denise received a long awaited justice, Sara has not.
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/sep/06/local/me-29351
Through my journey of telling Billy's story, I have encountered many many kind people, who share their prayers and stories. It opened me to the hurt and helplessness one feels when their loved ones are taken in horrible ways, by uncaring sociopaths. Even after the murder, the hurt that effects families, as the years go by, continues to grow.
One story that touched my heart was the senseless murder of beautiful Sara Smart. Her story was brought to my attention through the prayer group of Tommye Allen, a friend of the mother in law of Billy's daughter. Tommye's daughter was Sara's best friend.
Sara was murdered in Muskogee, Oklahoma by her stepfather, who placed her body in a 55 gal. barrel. The barrel was deposited in a pond which formerly belonged to the stepfather, they searched for her until a year later, her body was discovered . Her stepfather who had been in jail on other charges, was formally charged in Sara's murder on July 1 . The father of the victim (Sara) committed suicide as a result of grief last year, and Sara's brother died of an accidental drug overdose. Three deaths in less than two years in that family seems unbelievable, as I stated the list of people suffering from a senseless murder keeps growing. This family needs your prayers and Sara needs justice. The following are two links to the story, please keep her in your heart.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14&articleid=20090202_298_0_MSOEnt388777
http://s2.excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?forumid=124565&threadid=2046728
The second story that I found a connection to was of Denise Huber, her father Dennis, went to high school with me. After hearing about Billy, he contacted me and recounted the horrifying murder of his beautiful daughter Denise, who disappeared one evening after getting a flat tire. They searched for three years until her frozen body was found in a freezer at the killers house.
The horror these parents had to endure, there are no words to describe. Please pray for the families of these girls, there is no closure for them.
Denise received a long awaited justice, Sara has not.
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/sep/06/local/me-29351
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
WE WILL NOT JUST LET IT GO!
Cold case/ unsolved murders is a national priority; and a national disgrace, the Bureau of Justice Statistics does not even keep track of the number. It is almost as though people do not want to know the scope of this problem.
Missing in action, as the numbers of unsolved murders have mounted into the tens of thousands has been the Justice Department. Not only is the issue of unsolved homicides missing from the list of top federal law enforcement priorities, funding for cold cases are cut back each year, until they are all but non existent.
As belonging to a family that has fought the system for 36 years, fighting for justice is next to impossible if you don’t have money, money is the name of the game. It opens doors, hires private detectives, hires excellent attorneys, but for the majority of cases, they are at the mercy of the justice systems, whose wheels turn slowly. Everyone with a loved one’s case sitting in cold case files, deserve to be heard, they will not go away! Pray for these people to find Justice for their loved one.
We are still fighting for justice, it amazes me that people want us to “just go away”, “get over it”, tell us we should” turn the other cheek”, I could go on and on, these statements hurt, this is not something we would wish for anyone to have to go through. I ask if it was your brother that was murdered by cowards, would you just get over it? On the other hand, I cannot thank the many many people, too many to count, that continue to give us encouragement with their prayers. It is comforting to know you are all out there behind us.
I totally understand the families of the suspects being in shock, they do not know that side of them, however, my brother did not shoot himself, and there is evidence that naturally is not going to be printed on the internet. A grand jury decided there was enough evidence to hold them for trial, and then a jury of their peers will decided their fate.
Attacking our family will not change the outcome; it will be in the jury’s hands and God Be with Us!
Missing in action, as the numbers of unsolved murders have mounted into the tens of thousands has been the Justice Department. Not only is the issue of unsolved homicides missing from the list of top federal law enforcement priorities, funding for cold cases are cut back each year, until they are all but non existent.
As belonging to a family that has fought the system for 36 years, fighting for justice is next to impossible if you don’t have money, money is the name of the game. It opens doors, hires private detectives, hires excellent attorneys, but for the majority of cases, they are at the mercy of the justice systems, whose wheels turn slowly. Everyone with a loved one’s case sitting in cold case files, deserve to be heard, they will not go away! Pray for these people to find Justice for their loved one.
We are still fighting for justice, it amazes me that people want us to “just go away”, “get over it”, tell us we should” turn the other cheek”, I could go on and on, these statements hurt, this is not something we would wish for anyone to have to go through. I ask if it was your brother that was murdered by cowards, would you just get over it? On the other hand, I cannot thank the many many people, too many to count, that continue to give us encouragement with their prayers. It is comforting to know you are all out there behind us.
I totally understand the families of the suspects being in shock, they do not know that side of them, however, my brother did not shoot himself, and there is evidence that naturally is not going to be printed on the internet. A grand jury decided there was enough evidence to hold them for trial, and then a jury of their peers will decided their fate.
Attacking our family will not change the outcome; it will be in the jury’s hands and God Be with Us!
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