Man Sentenced To Six Life Terms, Plus.......

NORFOLK --Santiago Powell greeted two young female sailors at gunpoint in December 2009.

To prove he was the "baddest" gangster in the city, a prosecutor said, Powell held the women for hours while he robbed and raped them.

A jury on Monday convicted Powell of 28 felonies, including four counts of rape, abduction, robbery and weapons violations. Circuit Judge Mary Jane Hall followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced Powell to six life terms, plus 253 years.

The five-day trial brought testimony about Powell's role in a local affiliate of the Bloods gang.

"He thrives on power and he thrives on violence, and that's why he committed these crimes," prosecutor Charlotte Purkey said.

The first victim testified that Powell, 24, broke into her apartment on Dec. 9, 2009, and pointed a gun at her face. The woman, an active-duty Navy sailor, said that Powell robbed her, raped her and threatened to have her killed.

The woman said she thought her life was over. "This is it," she said she told herself. "It's not fair."

Purkey said the attack lasted three to five hours.

Powell stole the first victim's cell phone and, days later, used it to lure the second victim, according to testimony.

Powell and an accomplice traded texts to the second victim, also an active-duty sailor, and met her in a quiet neighborhood.

The two men pointed guns at the woman, blindfolded her, took her car and drove her around for several hours.

During the abduction, the accomplice, William Barco, used a phone that had been given to him by a Norfolk city employee and paid for with city funds, according to officials and court documents. Barco goes to trial this month.

After Powell dropped off Barco, he took the woman to a hotel and raped her three times, she testified.

"He took my life in his hands and played with it like a toy," she said.

The ordeal lasted for 13 hours, she said.

Powell was captured days later near Oceanair Elementary School. He was lured to the school by police and the first victim, who contacted Powell on her stolen cell phone. She pretended to be another woman wanting to meet him, according to testimony.

Instead, he was met by police.

The minimum punishment for the convictions was more than 100 years in prison. Defense attorney Daymen Robinson asked the jury for leniency, saying Powell had a difficult life and grew up in foster homes. Robinson said he plans to appeal.

The women said their lives had been permanently changed but vowed it would not hinder them. The second victim said she now looks forward to deployments.

"That was one place he couldn't get to me," she said, "out in the ocean."

www.hamptonroads.com

Horrorcore Rapper "Syco Sam" Pleads Guilty For Four Murders

FARMVILLE, Va. (AP) - An aspiring rapper in the "horrorcore" genre pleaded guilty Monday to killing his 16-year-old girlfriend, her parents and her friend days after the adults chaperoned the teens at a music festival featuring artists rhyming about raping, killing and mutilating people.

Richard "Sam" McCroskey, 21, was sentenced to life in prison as part of his agreement to plead guilty to two counts of capital murder and two counts of first-degree murder. He initially was charged with four counts of capital murder, which could have resulted in the death penalty if convicted on the charges.

His attorney, Cary Bowen, said after the hearing that the prospect of a conviction on capital murder charges was a major factor in agreeing to the guilty plea.

"Four bodies are pretty compelling evidence," Bowen said. "This is the kind of stuff that citizens any place in this country are terrified it could happen to them. This is the kind of case death penalties arise from."

McCroskey, from Castro Valley, Calif., arrived at the Prince Edward County Circuit Court shackled, in a loose-fitting orange jumpsuit and under heavy guard. He did not look at family members gathered on side of the courtroom, and showed little emotion during the hearing. He replied "yes" and "no" to questions from the judge in Prince Edward County Circuit Court.

He declined to offer a statement in court but Bowen said his client was preparing a message to give to the victims' families. He described McCroskey's mood as "somber."

"There are four people dead here," Bowen said. "He's not happy at all."

McCroskey pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend, 16-year-old Emma Niederbrock; her parents, Presbyterian minister Mark Niederbrock and Longwood University professor Debra Kelley; and Emma's 18-year-old friend, Melanie Wells of Inwood, W.Va. Their bodies were found last September in Kelley's home.

Family members and friends of the victims sobbed softly during the hearing in this college town 50 miles southwest of Richmond. They left without speaking to reporters, but issued a written statement: "We have endured a tragedy of unspeakable proportions. We are relieved that justice has been done.

"While we will never forget our loved ones or the circumstances of their deaths, we hope to move forward and begin the healing process."

Prosecutor James R. Ennis said that the women were bludgeoned with a wood-splitting tool _ a maul _ while they slept on Sept. 15, 2009. Mark Niederbrock was killed with the tool when he came to check on them a day and a half later.

Asked why McCroskey remained in the house, Bowen said, "I think he was contemplating suicide. He was contemplating what he had done, and not knowing what to do about it."

Ennis declined to speculate on a motive. "He's a closed individual," he said.

But Bowen said McCroskey had become increasingly angry with Emma and believed she "wasn't being loyal to him."

McCroskey and Emma Niederbrock shared an interest in the "horrorcore" genre, which sets violent lyrics over hip-hop beats.

McCroskey, a website designer and music promoter, had been rapping under the name "Syko Sam." He flew to Virginia to visit Emma, and her parents drove them and Wells to a horrorcore music festival in Michigan Sept. 12. Police found their bodies six days later after Wells' parents became worried that she didn't return home.

Bowen said McCroskey had confided to friends he had killed the four.

Asked if McCroskey's musical interests had fueled his rage, Bowen said, "Much of that music is so rampant with this exact kind of behavior, you can't help but notice the coincidence. But I don't have a sense the music led to this kind of behavior."

Ennis said McCroskey had no criminal record. He said he had discussed the plea agreement with the victims' families, and their sentiments played a role in structuring the plea.

"Anything can go wrong in a jury trial," he said. "Hopefully this can bring some measure of closure to the families."

On McCroskey's MySpace page, people have posted messages of support in recent weeks.

"free syko sam we need more tracks!!" reads a post under the name J.R.B. from last month.

www.wtop.com

Prison Sentences For Two On Charges Of Transporting Over 700 Pounds of Marijuana

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - On Monday, a man and woman were sentenced in Norfolk federal court on conspiracy charges involving over 700 pounds of marijuana seized in Virginia Beach and Nashville.

Ashlee Gina Bunn, 29, formerly of Virginia Beach, was sentenced to nine years in prison, and Antonio Allen Anderson, 29, of Newport News, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison.

According to court documents, Bunn was involved in transporting 200 pounds of marijuana from Tennessee to Virginia Beach for distribution. She recruited Anderson to help move the marijuana from Newport News to Virginia Beach. After her arrest, she recruited another person in Tennessee to remove 500 pounds of marijuana from the home she rented there.

Search warrants in Virginia Beach and Tennessee resulted in the recovery of over $50,000 in currency and 500 pounds of marijuana. Bunn will be transferred to federal court in Tennessee for trial there with another co-conspirator.

Bunn and Anderson previously pled guilty in May 2010.

www.wavy.com

3 Years In Prison For Dogfighting.......Is It Long Enough?

If this sounds like an animal lover to you then we have a huge difference in opinions. They all say it. Even Michael Vick tried it.....and I still don't trust him......and still don't believe he is "cured". Yet, they can't be man enough and admit they did it! They take an innocent animal and make it mean to watch it fight for money and yes, drugs and, oh of course, THE THRILL! How sick is that?

Do some reading on dogfighting. Find out how horrible it is for an animal that can not defend itself to exist in the world of this type of man. Read for yourself what they feed them, how they train them........from innocent puppies on. Find out how what they are fed causes them to go crazy, their organs to never develop and how they allow the small and weak dogs be horribly mauled to death by the stronger ones just to get rid of it.

This is real. And this is horrible. Not to mention a true nightmare for the innocent dog that never asked for anything except a little food, and alot of love. If this is the way men show their love to live creatures my guess is there are some abused humans in the mix too.

Throw this jerk and coward of a man in a pen with a crazed pitbull and let that dog chew on him. Let's see what tune this a__ sings to us then.


Richmond, Va. --

A Richmond man described by defense witnesses as an animal lover will serve three years in prison for a dogfighting conviction.

Substitute Judge Thomas N. Nance yesterday sentenced Deano A. Jones, 47, to five years in prison, with two of those years suspended, on a dogfighting charge.

The judge sentenced Jones to five years on each of two counts of animal cruelty but suspended all of that time. The hearing was held in Richmond Circuit Court.

Jones had entered an Alford plea to the dogfighting charge, meaning he does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him. He pleaded guilty to the two counts of animal cruelty.

Authorities seized 21 pit bulls from Jones' home in the 1700 block of North 23rd Street. Eighteen of the animals needed emergency care, according to testimony yesterday. Seventeen had to be euthanized.

Authorities also recovered a treadmill, steroids and other materials associated with dogfighting, said Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring.

Jones testified yesterday that he was not engaged in dogfighting. "I love my dogs," he said during the hearing. "I love just dogs in general."

Defense attorney Robert E. Walker Jr. suggested that Jones' dogs injured one another in scuffles when they escaped from their pens.

Walker characterized his client as an animal lover who fell on hard times when he lost his job and a previous home. The setbacks left Jones unable to afford to take his pets to the veterinarian, Walker said.

"The dogs were his family," Walker said. "You don't kick family out on the street because you don't have money."

Defense witness Candace Foxx said Jones treated his dogs like children. "He should have been a veterinarian," Foxx said.

Later, the judge declared, "He is not an animal lover."

Jones has a misdemeanor animal-cruelty conviction in North Carolina, Herring said.

Herring acknowledged that the defendant was articulate and did not seem like a predator but added, "one has to conclude that Mr. Jones has been cruel to his animals."

www.timesdispatch.com

Michael Vick's Uncle Sentenced To Prison For Heroin Distribution

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Michael Vick's uncle, Joseph Vick Jr., was sentenced Wednesday to serve 12 years in prison for his involvement in a heroin distribution ring that spanned the Virginia Peninsula, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Vick, 57, was one of 22 people busted by federal agents in December 2009 for distributing bulk heroin to Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson and Williamsburg, as well as Gloucester, James City, Matthews, Middlesex and York counties.

Agents say Vick was a mid-level dealer who typically distributed between 10 and 20 "bundles" or 10-packs of heroin per day.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia said back in December the bust was part of a year-long investigation into the organization.

FBI agent Phil Mann told WAVY.com the investigation began in September 2008, when an inmate died of a heroin overdose at the Newport News Police Department. An investigation was then launched, which revealed a startling trend, according to investigators.

"Within the past two years there were about 15 deaths as a result of heroin overdoses, as well as 27 heroin overdoses leading to something less than death," said Mann.

According to Mann, several of those overdoses have been attributed to heroin distributed by members of the drug trafficking organization.

Alleged ring leader Darryl Wright, 44, of Hampton was indicted January 13. Wright had allegedly brought heroin from New York and New Jersey to the Peninsula since at least January 2007.

According to the indictment, members of the heroin ring generally traveled by bus to New York or New Jersey, purchased 200 grams of heroin, and brought the heroin back to a "table top" home allegedly set up by Wright in the southeast community of Newport News. There, according to the indictment, the heroin would be cut and repackaged for street-level distribution.

www.wavy.com

Michael Vick A No-Show

TUCKER, Ga. - Michael Vick was a no-show at his celebrity golf tournament Sunday after probation officials restricted travel for the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback this weekend.

Vick spokeswoman, Judy Smith, said that Vick's travel has been at the discretion of his probation officer since he was released from prison in a federal dogfighting case in May 2009.

The restriction follows a prosecutor saying this week that while Vick wasn't involved in a shooting after his 30th birthday party in Virginia Beach, Va., that he was in a confrontation before the incident.

Vick missed the Michael Vick Celebrity Golf tournament in Georgia and also did not make a scheduled appearance at a youth football camp in Raleigh, N.C., this weekend.

Spokespersons for both events say they were notified Sunday morning that Vick would not be attending.

"They called early, like 2 o'clock in the morning, telling us he's not coming," said Cornelius Corprew, director of Camp Elite Sports' two-day football camp. "And then we couldn't speak to him. It was through one of his associates.

"We're not crazy. No state agency is communicating at 2 o'clock in the morning that he's not allowed to come. I think that was a selfish act."

Corprew, who said that he was told Saturday by Vick representatives that the NFL star would be there Sunday. He said Vick was paid a $2,000 deposit of a $4,000 fee. He said the camp was built around Vick's appearance, and that campers paid $175 each and were promised packages that included photos and autographs.

"I'm upset because our camp is built on integrity and character and that's what we teach to our kids," Corprew said.

Rema Miller, whose Atlanta-based company promoted the charity golf tournament, said she spoke with Vick on Friday and he indicated at that time he was meeting with the Eagles.

On Sunday, Vick told event organizers he could not appear.

"He was coming at the time, but unfortunately he had to go meet with Philly for a team meeting," Miller said. "He did send a message that he hates that he could not be here, but he appreciates everybody coming out to support the charities."

Terance Mathis, a former Vick teammate with the Atlanta Falcons, played in the golf tournament. He said he was disappointed Vick wasn't there, but admires Vick's charitable efforts.

"He's still doing a great thing, trying to raise money for charities and help the community," said the former NFL wide receiver. "It's an unfortunate thing that happened, and when that happens, law enforcement does what they have to do. But it doesn't change how I feel about the guy and what he's trying to accomplish."

Though the events were scheduled on the same weekend, Corprew said he was assured that it would not present a problem. He said he was told not to worry about the golf tournament — that Vick would take care of them first.

Corprew said Vick missed an opportunity.

"You talk about second chances," he said. "You're given a great second chance and this would've been the perfect place to show he appreciated being given a second chance."

The victim in the June 25 shooting has not be identified by the police, but Vick's attorney, Larry Woodward, said it was Quanis Phillips — a co-defendant in the federal dogfighting case that landed Vick in federal prison. Phillips was treated at a hospital and released the following day.

Woodward said Phillips, who was sentenced to 21 months for his role in the dogfighting operation, was not an invited guest at Vick's birthday bash.

Vick remains on three years' probation and is not allowed to associate with anyone convicted of a felony unless granted permission to do so by his probation officer.

Police said Vick is not a suspect in the shooting.

www.startribune.com

Paraplegic Gets Sentenced To Penitentiary For Drug Conviction

ACCOMAC -- A 66--year-old paraplegic was sentenced to serve time in a penitentiary last week in Accomack Circuit Court.

Ross Taylor of Atlantic was convicted in December of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute while possessing a firearm. On Thursday, Taylor was sentenced to serve five years in the penitentiary. The sentence is mandatory for the crime.

"This gentleman is 66 years old and has been a paraplegic for 30 years," said defense attorney Pat Robbins in a plea for leniency to circuit Judge Glen A. Tyler.

Robbins said the man's condition was the result of gunshot wounds. He described Taylor as having many health problems and said his client was "wheelchair-bound and bedridden." He said the man would have to go to a special facility, which would be very costly.

Robbins told the court that his client had "no prior record, no felonies, no drug charges." He said Taylor had family and friends in the courtroom to support him.

"I register a strong objection," said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew Brenner. "The five-year mandatory sentence is necessary. The defendant has many health problems, but he is selling drugs and is a community problem himself."

Asking about details of the case, the judge was told that the man had about $600 worth of cocaine and a loaded .32 caliber revolver in bed with him at the time of his arrest.

"This court has no discretion; the law does not allow the court to reduce the case," said Circuit Judge Glen A. Tyler.

Hearing this, Taylor, who was slumped over in his wheelchair, spoke up.

"I'm in bad shape, judge," he said.

Tyler responded that the Department of Corrections has "an elaborate and extensive system" for caring for people with physical and mental disabilities.

"You will be required to serve the sentence," he said.

Family members who accompanied Ross to the courtroom expressed shock, disbelief and anger.

"It's not right," said a woman who rushed to Taylor's side after hearing the sentence. "He was shot seven times and nobody did anything."

www.easternshorenews.com