Crime
Mother of killed teen demands answer from West Palm Beach police
Marla McKenny is the grieving mother of 18-year-old Kelvi McRay, the victim in a murder-suicide in March.
“I feel like my daughter called the wrong number,” she said Monday about a 911 call.
To this day she questions how West Palm Beach police handled the response to her daughter’s domestic violence case.
“Maybe if she called the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department, maybe Riviera she’d still be here. West Palm Beach didn’t help her,” she said.
McCray was killed March 6, investigators say by her former boyfriend, Keisean Shaw. They say he shot McCray while she talked with friends on Facetime.
McKenny said video from an incident the day before McCray was killed shows how much they believe he was a danger to McCray.
“I was there, I was in the house when it happened,” she said.
Shaw was ultimately arrested but died the next day from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while in the hospital.
On Monday, McKenny and her attorneys claimed the West Palm Beach Police Department failed to keep her daughter safe from Shaw even though there was never a restraining order previously filed and Shaw had been living at the family’s home.
“After the pursuit was called off at no point did any of the officers offer Miss McCray a safe place to go,” attorney Nicholas Johnson said. “They didn’t offer to relocate her to an undisclosed location to keep her safe from someone who was foreseeable to come back and possibly commit another violent crime, and that’s exactly what happened the very next day.”
WPTV contacted the West Palm Beach Police Department for a response or at least a clarification about their policy on domestic violence cases but haven’t received a response.
Stuart Kaplan, a former FBI agent and now practicing attorney, said domestic violence policies vary from department to department.
“I can tell you they all have references or victim advocates, meaning to refer victims if they are the victim of domestic violence to other resources for them to get assistance. For example to put them in a shelter or to get them counseling but it is not a legal obligation that’s put on law enforcement to mandate or force upon a potential victim that he or she insist they leave the home and put themselves up in a hotel,” he said.
McKenney’s attorneys say they have filed a public records request for documents to continue their investigation. They also say they plan to bring a claim against the city. If that isn’t resolved within six months, they intend to file a lawsuit.
McKenny said things must change.
“It’s really hard I just don’t want this to happen to another one. I don’t want another Kelvi McCray,” she said.
By: Todd Wilson
Title: Mother of killed teen demands answer from West Palm Beach police
Sourced From: www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/west-palm-beach/mother-of-killed-teen-demands-answer-from-west-palm-beach-police
Published Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2024 22:01:01 GMT
At least one person is dead, one is missing, and two people are in custody after a car that was stolen in Boynton Beach crashed into a canal in Martin County, authorities said.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said four people two adults, one juvenile, and one other person, age unknown were in the vehicle when it crashed Monday night in the area of Southwest Kanner Highway and Southeast Cove Road.
One person died, two others were taken into custody, and a fourth person is unaccounted for. Deputies are now searching for that person.
No other information has been released.
By: Matt Papaycik
Title: 1 dead, 1 missing after stolen car crashes into Martin County canal, deputies say
Sourced From: www.wptv.com/news/treasure-coast/region-martin-county/1-dead-1-missing-after-stolen-car-crashes-into-martin-county-canal-deputies-say
Published Date: Tue, 07 May 2024 14:11:04 GMT
Crime
‘Don’t worry, I shot them both’: Wellington neighbor accused of shooting couple over basketball hoop dispute
A suspect accused of fatally shooting a Wellington couple on Saturday confessed to killing them over a dispute related to a basketball hoop, deputies said.
The shooting took place in the 10500 block of Galleria Street, part of the Black Diamond residential development, just before 5:30 p.m.
According to a probable cause affidavit, when deputies arrived they found the bodies of the victims, Tara Marie Jones and Taylor Glenn Jones, in the front yard of the home.
A witness who lives nearby told investigators they heard gunshots while inside their home. They came outside and saw both of the victims on the ground bleeding. The witness said while attempting to render aid, they saw a man, identified as Norman Scott, walking outside the home.
The witness said they asked Scott if he heard anything, and he replied, “Don’t worry, I shot them both,” according to the affidavit.
Scott went on to explain that just before the shooting he was arguing with his neighbors about a basketball hoop and property boundaries. He claimed during the argument that both victims attacked him so he shot them.
The affidavit said Scott also called 911 to report the shooting and reiterated that his neighbors attacked him so he shot them.
A second witness, who lives with the suspect, said they spoke to Scott shortly after the shooting, who admitted to killing both of the victims.
Detectives said Scott’s residence was equipped with eight exterior surveillance cameras pointed toward where the shooting took place.
The second witness told detectives all of the cameras were operable and controlled by an app on Scott’s phone.
The affidavit said two of the surveillance cameras recorded the shooting, which showed Taylor Jones removing debris out of the yard and escorting his children’s bicycle back in front of his home.
Video then showed Scott exit the front door of his home holding a ladder and appearing to motion toward Taylor Jones. Investigators said based on the camera view Scott appeared to be asking him to come and speak to him.
The affidavit said Taylor Jones then walked toward Scott in a “very nonthreatening and nonchalant manner.”
As they were conversing, “at no point during this encounter” was Taylor Jones recorded being aggressive or threatening, detectives said.
However, investigators said the video showed Scott “was clearly upset and appeared to be yelling at Taylor Jones” while both appeared to be looking and pointing toward the basketball hoop that rested between both homes.
A short time later the affidavit said Scott reached into his right side and retrieved a handgun. Taylor Jones backed away with both hands raised, but Scott continued to follow him while pointing the handgun at the victim.
As Taylor Jones began stumbling backward, detectives said Scott fired about three to four shots. As Taylor Scott was falling to the ground and lying on his back, investigators said Scott continued shooting.
While standing near a sidewalk, the affidavit said Scott then turned the handgun on Tara Jones and shot her while she was on her property.
The affidavit said the video showed Tara Jones retreating backward as Scott advanced toward her with the handgun.
After shooting her, detectives said Scott turned and began walking back to his home. While passing Taylor Jones, who was lying on the ground, Scott preceded to shoot him two additional times, according to the arrest report.
A forensic investigator determined that Tara Jones was shot three times, once in both legs and once in the upper chest. Taylor Jones was also shot three times, once in the left eye, once in the back and once in the upper right leg.
On the ground next to both of the victims’ bodies, detectives said they found 9mm expended cartridge cases.
Detectives said they found the weapon used in the shooting inside Scott’s home on a table.
Scott appeared before a Palm Beach County judge on Sunday to face two charges of first-degree murder with a firearm. He is being held at the main Palm Beach County jail without bond.
By: Scott Sutton
Title: ‘Don’t worry, I shot them both’: Wellington neighbor accused of shooting couple over basketball hoop dispute
Sourced From: www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/wellington/dont-worry-i-shot-them-both-wellington-neighbor-accused-of-shooting-parents-over-basketball-hoop-dispute
Published Date: Mon, 06 May 2024 16:32:00 GMT
An undocumented immigrant from Guatemala is accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 11-year-old girl in Lake Worth Beach, deputies said.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, Marvin Perez Lopez, 20, was arrested Saturday.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the incident occurred Thursday in a parked van near the family’s home.
The child’s mother told investigators that she thought her daughter was inside their home but wasn’t, so she went outside to find her.
After walking around, she realized her daughter was in the van with a man.
She told them she banged on the van and asked them what they were doing and the suspect ran out of the van, saying he was sorry and asked for forgiveness. The affidavit said the child and Lopez live in the same apartment building.
The affidavit said the mother didn’t call the police because she was afraid due to her immigration status and a prior incident when her daughter was taken from her by authorities for a short time.
Investigators also interviewed the 11-year-old girl, who is in the sixth grade. The affidavit said she told investigators that her attacker grabbed her hand and told her to “get into the van.” She said he started touching her and pushed Lopez away. The child said she was able to get out of the van, however, he grabbed her and pulled her back into the vehicle.
The girl then outlined to investigators how Lopez sexually assaulted her.
Detectives said they went to Lopez’s home on South K Street on Friday night to speak with him. When they knocked on his door, detectives said Lopez exited a window in the back of the home and ran west into an alley.
Investigators spoke with a family member at the suspect’s home who said he knew why Lopez ran “because of what happened yesterday,” saying that the girl’s mother came to their door and told him.
Hermencia Vasquez told WPTV that she was home when her brother-in-law was accused of sexual assault.
“It was 9 at night and the lady/mom came into my house saying that something happened with her daughter and Marvin,” Vasquez said. “I asked Marvin what would he do if she got pregnant and if he would be responsible, and he said yes he would be responsible for the child.”
Detectives said Lopez left Guatemala in early January, crossed through Mexico and turned himself in to U.S. Border Patrol. The sheriff’s office said Lopez was given a court date for some time in 2027 and released from custody.
According to investigators, he found his way to Florida at the end of January 2024.
In a Monday post on the sheriff’s office X page, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said workers at the Guatemalan Maya Center alerted them about the sexual assault.
“Our work in the community paid off because we have a good relationship with that center,” Bradshaw said. “We have a lot of people here in Palm Beach County that may or may not be illegal, and they become victims. They shouldn’t be afraid to call us. We’re not going to call Border Patrol if they’re a victim and haven’t committed a crime. We’re going to help them.”
Bradshaw said Lopez has confessed and will face trial in the U.S.
“Before he even remotely even thinks he’s going to get deported, he’s going to do the time here first,” Bradshaw said.
‘Courts Are Overwhelmed’
Why was Lopez given a court date for 2027? Immigration attorney Richard Hujber said he knows the answer.
“So, the courts are overwhelmed, for sure, that’s the answer,” Hujber told WPTV.
He said vetting at the border is poor.
“They know they’ll get a hearing date many years from now and during that time, just with that hearing notice, for example, they can get a driver’s license,” Hujber said. “If they seek asylum, they can also get a work permit, and nobody is looking at the merit as to whether they have a legitimate valid asylum claim.”
Lopez faces charges of kidnapping a minor under 13 years of age and sexual assault.
He is being held in the main Palm Beach County Jail without bond.
By: Scott Sutton
Title: Undocumented migrant accused of sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl in Lake Worth Beach
Sourced From: www.wptv.com/region-c-palm-beach-county/lake-worth-beach/undocumented-migrant-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-11-year-old-girl-in-lake-worth-beach
Published Date: Mon, 06 May 2024 18:07:01 GMT
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