Wouldn't You Like To Know?

A convicted murderer is set free because of a Supreme Court ruling. He's spent most of his life in and out of the prison system. He's free and clear to go where he chooses. He will have no supervision, no rehabilitation.

He's moving to your state.

Do you want to know? Do you think you have the RIGHT to know that a man who killed a single mother in 1977 -resides in your state? Do you think you have the RIGHT to know that this same man, who attempted to molested his stepdaughter during a prison visitation and attempted to ellicit phone-sex from her on another occasion-could potentially be your neighbor?

Ross Renecker could very well become your neighbor, if you live in Arizona.

Some people may say Renecker has served his time, and a man-supposedly dying from cancer-should be able to live out the rest of his life in peace. If you were to ask Frances Stubberfield's family, and hear her story-you may change your mind.

I only heard of this case because of Mark Horner and his blog "Beyond 90 Seconds". If not for him, I may have never heard the potential danger that Arizona residents like myself could face-until it was too late. In order to get the bigger picture- especially if you live in Arizona-you should listen to his interview with the victim's son, Scott Stubberfield.

Then answer the question:

Wouldn't you like to know?


Sources: Mark Horner-Beyond 90 Seconds
Yakima Herald-Republic

Finally Some Relief For Chandler

Finally, the community of Chandler, Arizona can rest a little easier knowing that a violent sexual predator allegedly responsible for the sexual assaults of 5 girls between 12 and 14 years old has been arrested. He is believed to be the elusive "Chandler Serial Rapist".

A press conference that took place about 2 1/2 hours ago with the Chandler Police Department confirmed that they arrested 39 year old Santana Batiz Aceves in the attacks. Aceves, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, had similar clothing in his vehicle that matched descriptions by victims. Also, DNA swabs matched evidence taken from the attacks. Aceves was living under the alias "Ricardo Ramirez Lopez".

Aceves, an illegal immigrant, was working as a heavy equipment operator, and living in the same area as an attempted attack on November 8, 2007. He has a wife, a son, and a daughter. I'm unaware at this time of their legal status. Surely, Aceves' legal status adds more fuel to the fire regarding the hot-button issue of immigration.

No matter what Aceves' legal status is, this case is about one thing only: The victims. The young girls who have been violated in their own homes. The focus should be on what this creep allegedly did, and on justice for the victims. While I can certainly agree that his legal status is an important element in the case, it usually ends up overshadowing the issue of the major aspect of the crime, and the victims.

I can only imagine the relief of this community that this creep has finally been caught and is off the streets. Tonight, they will rest a little bit easier.

Source(s): eastvalleytribune.com; azcentral.com; azfamily.com

Additional Information: [azfamily.com] Press Conference Video; Chandler PD press release [pdf]

He Needs A New Girlfriend Now.

Looking a man? Okay, well he's not exactly a "man", other than the chronological sense, but he's back on the market, nevertheless.

Matthew Henry Fleming, 22, may be just the guy you're looking for. Of course, you may have to get used to him blaming you for leading the police on high-speed chases. You would also have to be understanding of his twenty-some prior charges and convictions. Here's a snip from azcentral: [full article]

Chandler police have arrested a man they believe fled from officers while driving drunk in south Chandler - then crashed the vehicle, jumped into his girlfriend's lap and told police she was the driver, court records show.

Police arrested Matthew Henry Fleming, 22, Wednesday on suspicion of unlawful flight, endangerment and DUI, police said.

You never know, he could be a great catch. Then again, there may be a long wait....

Sorry, ladies.

It Must Take A Lot Of Gall.....

Imagine you are having a routine surgery. You're in the operating room, unconscious, oblivious to what is taking place. Of course, what should be taking place is your surgery. The surgery that Sean Dubowik went in for was supposed to be gall bladder surgery-which he got-along with much more. Here's a snip from the AZcentral website:

A Mayo Clinic Hospital surgeon in training used a cellphone to photograph a patient's genitals during surgery and now may face disciplinary action and a patient's attorney. Dr. Adam Hansen, chief resident of general surgery at the Phoenix hospital, admitted to Mayo administrators he snapped the photo during a Dec. 11 gallbladder surgery on patient Sean Dubowik, whose penis bears the tattooed slogan, "Hot Rod."

Please read the full article here.


Judging by the numerous comments on the article, I guess most people think this doctor should not lose his job. And since Mr. Dubowik is a strip club owner and has a tattoo on his penis, then how dare he be upset that someone take a picture of it while he's unconcious and is unable to consent to such a photo.

That, of course, is sarcasm-because I don't think it's ever "okay" to take a picture of someone's genitals while they are unable to consent, no matter what the person does for a living, and no matter what is tattooed on that region. Only Mr. Dubowik knows how truly violated he feels. Just because he owns a strip club and has a penis tattoo, doesn't mean that he's not human, and can't feel humiliation.

What do you think?

Shevy Wright--One Wish

With so much death, destruction, and evil in the world, I thought it would be nice for once to write about a story about something sad, yet heart-warming. It's not too often that we hear about the good things that our law enforcement do. A great number of people focus on putting down our officers of the law-they aren't doing enough, they are corrupt-blah, blah, blah....the list goes on.

They take an oath to protect all citizens. They risk their lives, see things that everyday people wouldn't wish to see in a million years. Shevy Wright took that oath also. He took the oath in front of the Chief of the Chandler (Arizona) Police Department, as any officer would-amid his fellow officers and other public officals. He had a uniform and other police equipment, as well as his own personal locker. His badge number was #1018. Yes, Shevy was a full-fledged member of the Chandler Police Department.

Shevy had one of his greatest wishes come true-to be a police officer. A nine-year-old little boy wished for one thing- to put away the bad guys just like his fellow officers.

It all started with a diagnosis of a brain tumor in December 2006, a Disney World trip provided by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and eventually the Chandler Police Department caught wind of Shevy's wish to be a police officer.

Sadly, Shevy lost his battle with his tumor. It was one "bad guy" that he couldn't catch, and that no one could protect him from.



Shevy's short life should serve as an example that the people that protect and serve us are human. They are hard-working individuals that really do want to make a difference, protect the community, and make wishes come true.


Rest In Peace Shevy, and may your memory continue to serve what "community" is all about.

If you are interested in sending your condolences to Shevy's family, there is an online guestbook available here.


Shevy Wright, left, with Chandler Police Chief Sherry Kiyler
(photo from the chandlerpd website.)






Sources: azcentral.com; kpho.com

Paging Doctor Peter Normann--Stat!

Dr. Peter J. Normann






The whole story sounds like a bizarre science fiction film, but for the families of Dr. Normann's victims, it's all too real. A doctor, performing liposuction procedures, loses 3 patients in a seven month period. One death occurred in December 2006, another in April 2007. The latter death resulted in restricting Normann's medical practice. Yet even after the restrictions, Normann-- with the assistance of a homeopathic doctor named Gary Page, was allegedly the cause of yet another death in July 2007.

Both Normann and Page were barred from practicing medicine.

What's bizarre still is Normann's "medical staff", which according to the Arizona Medical Board, included a "license massage therapist, a former restaurant owner, two former pre-school teachers and his mother" .

Two of the families of the deceased patients have filed lawsuits against Normann. But Normann is nowhere to be found. He disappeared shortly after his license was revoked.

These families deserve justice for their loved ones, and they deserve compensation for the barbaric practices that destroyed their lives.

Someone knows where he is. If it's you, do the right thing and turn him in to the authorities.

Sources: Arizona Republic, azcentral.com; Arizona Medical Board.

Four Corners Creep Of The Week: "The Cream Of The Creep"

So, just who is the creepiest creep of all? This week, you get to decide just who is the biggest creep out of all our Four Corners Creeps thus far.



If you would like a recap of who exactly you are voting for, just click here. Then come back and cast your vote!!

48 Hours Mystery Highlights Dr. Stidham Murder Case

I first found out when the 48 Hours Mystery show highlighting the Dr. Stidham murder case from reading Tucson Citizen reporter A.J. Flick's blog about the Stidham case.

I also received an email with a profile of the upcoming episode, which I would like to share.

Dr. Brian Stidham with his son

Dr. Brian Stidham with Dr. Bradley Schwartz(R)

(Logo and Photos provided by Louise Bashi, press contact for CBS News)

A BELOVED CHILDREN’S EYE DOCTOR IS BRUTALLY MURDERED IN TUCSON REVEALING A SHOCKING WEB OF SEX, DRUGS AND REVENGE ON "48 HOURS MYSTERY" ON SATURDAY, OCT. 27

Brian Stidham was a beloved family man and a talented eye surgeon who graduated with honors from Harvard Medical School. The 37 year-old doctor’s career was taking off when he moved his family from Texas to Tucson for a position alongside a renowned surgeon named Dr. Bradley Schwartz. But Stidham’s promising life was cut short in October of 2004 when he was found murdered in the parking lot outside his office. Stabbed 15 times, Stidham’s death shook the town to its core. The results of the subsequent investigation contained shocking revelations about Dr. Schwartz, involving sex, drugs and an insatiable hatred of Dr. Stidham. Schwartz had been living a secret life that included extramarital affairs, and an addiction to Vicodin. When he was indicted on drug charges, his new partner, Dr. Brian Stidham, decided to launch his own successful practice. Schwartz became enraged and blamed Stidham for stealing his patients and staff. For years, Schwartz was consumed by rage and a desire for revenge. Detectives believe Schwartz hired a hitman to kill his former partner on the night of October 5, 2004, but he cunningly established an alibi by going on a date at the time of the murder. Lead investigator Jill Murphy recalls “some of the witnesses that came forward had told us that Dr. Schwartz had said that he would not have committed the murder himself, that he would have someone do it for him.” This story of an unquenchable hatred and obsession for revenge that ends in murder is reported by Peter Van Sant, on 48 HOURS MYSTERY, this Saturday, Oct. 27 ( 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

“An Eye for an Eye” is produced by Ian Paisley, Joe Halderman, and Lourdes Aguiar. Anthony Batson is senior producer and Al Briganti is the executive editor. Susan Zirinsky is the executive producer.

For a video preview, go to the following link 48 Hours Mystery: Eye For An Eye.

Many of you already know that Dr. Brian Stidham was my daughter's eye doctor. He performed her first eye surgery in June 4, 2004, four months before his brutal murder.

Stupidity and Another Innocent Victim

Sunday is the only day that I work in the morning, due to my husband's work schedule. I mainly work in the evenings. Because of this fact, there are some co-workers that I only see on Sundays.

When one of my co-workers was dropped off by a vehicle, which was not the vehicle he normally drives or arrives in, I was a little curious and admittedly-nosy. So I asked him where his car was.

He had crashed his car. He was speeding and totalled it. Of course, naturally, I had to ask if he was drinking and driving. He said he was, and also added that he had spent 3 days in jail, and had a court date. If I had more time, I probably would have said more. I probably would have mentioned the fact that he had a little baby. I probably would have asked him how he would feel if he had killed someone. I probably would have asked him how he would feel if some drunk person had run down him and killed someone, like his child, or his child's mother. But, I didn't. I sure plan to, though.

There's another case though that needs to be heard. Another innocent victim, a little girl. Her story is in the news, but yet she is another victim whose name we do not know. Here is a snip of the online article from the Arizona Republic.

Police say Wilson Gilberto Alba-Cano, 27, was the driver in a hit-and-run accident that killed a 5-year-old girl Sunday afternoon in south Phoenix. Alba-Cano, was reportedly intoxicated, when he collided with another vehicle at Seventh Avenue and Roeser Road, Phoenix police spokeswoman Stacie Derge said.

Another innocent victim of an alleged drunk driver. And the guy just drove away, until he plowed into a fence, it seems.

I hate to be a pessimist-- but already knowing how easily these drunk drivers get off, only to do the same thing over, and over--I can already see a probable defense for this guy. Another quote from the article:

Police said it appears that some of the children in the truck were not wearing seatbelts.

Of course, when you have four children, ages 3-7, it's not okay for them to be riding in a vehicle without seatbelts. That doesn't excuse the alleged drunk driver from killing this little girl. She is still the victim here. But of course, the justice system usually finds a way to blame the victim.

Source: Arizona Republic

A Birthday In Heaven

Five years ago today, Ariana Socorro "NaNa" Payne was born. For those who have been following Ariana's case, you know that Ariana is not with us in the physical sense to celebrate. If you haven't been following the case, you can find several past posts about both Ariana and her older brother, Tyler here.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask everyone to take a moment of silence in honor of Ariana, Tyler, and every other child that has lost their lives- whether it's from abuse, accident, or disease. Thank you.

I can imagine that Ariana is in heaven, coloring and watching Scooby Doo movies with Tyler! God Bless You, and Happy Birthday, little angel!

Little Girl Dies From Gunshot Wound (**Updated**)

At 5:00 a.m. this morning, most children in the surrounding area of Southwest Tucson would still be sleeping. Still in dreamland for a couple more hours before the morning rush of breakfast, washing up, brushing teeth, getting backpacks ready.

For one little girl and her family, it didn't quite go that way. Instead, the 6-year-old little girl was rushed to University Medical Center with a gunshot wound. Here's a snip from the Tucson Citizen:

Sheriff investigators have determined shots were fired outside the home, in which there were two adults ad three children.

The girl was sleeping on the couch and apparently was hit by a bullet that went through the home's front door.

She was alive when sheriff deputies arrived around 5 a.m. and airlifted to a local hospital, Ogden said.

She was taken to University Medical Center, said Tracy Koslowski of the Drexel Heights Fire District.

No more information has been released at this time, but this is very close to my neighborhood so needless to say I will be following closely. The complete article can be found here.

I really hope they find these sub-human creatures that did this to an innocent little girl who should have been going to school this morning with the rest of her peers. I am just disgusted and heartbroken for this little girl's family.

**UPDATE**- 10:45 a.m.

According to the updated article in the online version of the Arizona Daily Star the little girl's name is Analissa Monares-Leon, 6. Police are still looking for potential suspects in this case.

Giselle's Story

Giselle had spunk. She was a typical, healthy 5-month-old dog, energetic, and everything you would expect from a dog her age. One of my co-workers, a roommate of Giselle's owner, told me she was the "best and sweetest dog-ever".

Giselle's owner, who is also a co-worker of mine, had just adopted Giselle, a yellow lab, from a local animal shelter a couple months ago. Her friend and roommate had just got a bassett hound pup, and she wanted to get a dog herself. She talked about Giselle constantly, and loved this dog completely.

On September 25th, around noon, her roommate was planning to walk her bassett hound, Elliot. Giselle quickly escaped out of the open doorway, and took off.

Giselle's owner, her boyfriend, and roommate looked for Giselle as much as they could, to no avail. They thought she wouldn't be back. Talking to her roommate at work the same day, she suddenly recalled that Giselle had one of those chips that they sometimes put in animals in case of an incident such as this. It sounded promising that Giselle would be found.

Later that night, around 10:30 pm, Giselle's owner and her boyfriend would find her. They found her in a wash about a couple blocks away from their house, in a wash near Stone and Roger Road. (For those who don't know what a "wash" is--it's a dry river bed).

Giselle was unconscious. She was extremely hot. They rushed her to an animal hospital, where Giselle was treated.

This is where it gets really disturbing. When Giselle was found, she smelled of alcohol, one of her eyes were swollen shut, and she had an open sore near her neck. She was urinating blood. It appeared that whoever Giselle came in contact with that day, had beaten her badly. The injuries were not consistent with being hit by a car. The vet told Giselle's owner that she had suffered blunt force trauma and that her brain would not likely recover. She would have brain damage, but would live.

Five days later, Giselle died.

When you really think about it, Giselle's story really tells a lot about our society. The fine line between abusing animals and killing humans is too common to ignore. If you look into the history of serial killers, you will find a large majority had abused animals before moving on to killing people.

When will the person or persons that abused and tortured Giselle move on to humans?

No-Good Samaritans

An elderly man finishes his grocery shopping and awaits a bus to take him home. Suddenly, a truck comes plowing through the parking lot, striking the man, scattering his groceries everywhere. The driver of the truck speeds away, into the darkness.

Horrified onlookers run to aid the obviously injured man, while they wait for help to arrive. His groceries, mangled and destroyed, still lay in the parking lot.

Sounds great, right? People helping others in a time of need, doing what any good samaritan would do? Well, it would be, if that's what had actually happened.

But, that's not what happened.

One person went to help the elderly, bleeding victim.

The others? They stole his groceries.

A man, a fellow human being, lays dying on the ground, and they steal his groceries. The man is dead. According to the article here in the Arizona Republic, the man that was helping the dying man, also had his groceries stolen.

The Mesa Police have identified the owner of the truck as Alan Flores-Ocon, 23.

The driver who swerved up onto the westbound curb of Main and hit the victim fled in pickup truck. Police recovered the truck at a nearby apartment complex but the suspect escaped. The truck is registered to Alan Flores-Ocon, 23, and police want to question him.

If Flores-Ocon was the one driving the truck and struck this man, that's bad enough. But what is worse is the lack of compassion for another human being, one who need their help. Instead, they helped themselves. Disgusting excuses for human beings.

Four Corners Creep Of The Week: Douglas Burns

Well, the results of last week's "Creep of the Week" are in and, as expected the results were overwhelmingly in favor of Scott Clark being a creep. Of course, there's always the one person who doesn't think he's a creep, but......ya know, opinions.....everbody's got one. However, I must add that this isn't the first time Scott Clark has had a legal entanglement involving our feathered friends. Seems he has a "fowl" past involving poultry. I would also like to send out a special "thanks" to Soobs for this link. So for now, Clark is free on bail and awaiting his court hearing later this month.


Now, keep your vomit bags handy for our next creep. Just a warning......

Meet Douglas Burns, 54 (sorry, no picture available at this time). He's awaiting a hearing later this month to determine whether he will have to register as a sex offender. He pled guilty back in July to cruelty to an animal with sexual motivation.


Apparently, he didn't see anything wrong with sexually assaulting a dog, taking pictures, and getting said pictures developed at Wal-Mart.


You can read the rest of his story in this article from the Arizona Republic.

Thanks for voting!!

They needed more beer.......of course.

I think it takes a special brand of idiot to decide to make a "beer run" around 8:00 A.M. when children are on their way to school, people are on their way to work-just minding their own business, going along their daily business.

In fact, I don't agree with drinking and driving at any time of day. I just think anyone that's blasted out of their minds, getting in their vehicle in the early morning hours to get more beer, is....well, a big idiot.

So, you're probably eager to meet these two alleged beer enthusiasts, eh?








Well, here is Kenneth Marlette, 37, who--strangely enough bears a striking resemblence to Uncle Fester of the Addams Family (no offense to Uncle Fester, of course!)












Then there's his lovely fiancee', Audrey Klosterman, 26, pictured below.

I don't really have much to say about her.......yet. But she does have a MySpace account.

According to her profile, you may notice, she is "busy". Well, she's busy, alright-busy being held at the Pima County Jail, along with her drinking buddy/fiance, Kenneth. They are each being held on second degree murder charges with $500,000 bond each.

But it was just a normal morning for Julia Sunderlin, a 50 year old woman who routinely walked her beloved dog, Gertie, along the roadside of Sabino Canyon Road in Tucson, Arizona. That is, until the dynamic duo came along. According to news reports, Marlette and Klosterman allegedly began arguing while driving to get more beer, Klosterman apparently grabbed the steering wheel and veered the van off the road, where Julia and Gertie were walking. The van hit Julia with such a force that she bounced off the windshield and struck a nearby power pole. Gertie died underneath the van. Julia passed as well.

[Julia Sunderlin (from her myspace page)]

Here's a wake-up call for all the nutjobs that think they can control their driving while they are drunk. You can't. You take not only your life in your hands, but innocent people--strangers. You don't have the right to do that. You don't have the right to determine the fate of other people. I have an idea--if you run out of alcohol, beer, whatever----go to freaking BED! Is it really that hard? Don't go out and get MORE beer. It's that simple. Drink at home--stay HOME. If you really need more beer--send someone that's f***ing sober for crying out loud!! I don't want you out on MY streets killing MY family or someone I care about. Heck, I don't even want your dumb ass out there killing people I don't know or don't like. Call me crazy.

Julia was seemingly well liked. She was just one of those people who seemed to touch alot of people. Apparently, she was from England, considered a "free-spirit", and a die-hard Rolling Stones fan. According to her Myspace profile, she has a son, and a grandchild, whom she had not yet met. Julia had a lot of life left in her. A life taken away because two people needed "more beer".

Taegen's Law Rally

Saturday, September 15th was a hot day in Sahuarita, Arizona with the temperatures soaring to the 100 degree mark before noon. But the heat was overshadowed by the mission at hand--getting signatures for Taegen's Law.

I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in the rally, and it is truly an experience I will never forget. The people I met there, my new friends, were just all incredible people.

I arrived shortly after 9:00 A.M. to help my friend, Chrissi, and her husband, P.J. set up for the rally, which was held at the Walmart in Sahuarita. The staff at Walmart were very supportive, helping to set up tables and umbrellas, to help shade at least some of the sun's searing rays. We were soon met by Jamie Hallam, mother of Ariana and Tyler Payne, and her best friend, Tara, as well as her father, Richard. I had previously only met Jamie briefly, at the memorial service for Ariana and Tyler, so it was nice to be able to speak with her and meet Tara and Richard.

Everyone who participated, some of them whose names I can't recall, were really working hard. It really was a team effort. Considering the size of Sahuarita, a town about 20 miles south of the southside of Tucson, the results were incredible. We were able to get over 500 signatures in just a couple hours.

The efforts obviously would not have paid off if it wasn't for the people that signed the petition. Their support and willingness to listen and sign was exhilarating. They came that day to shop for what ever needs they had, and left hopefully making a difference in a child's life. The majority of people we were able to come in contact with were more than happy to sign. It's a great mark for humanity.

I posted a few pictures from the rally on my Myspace, if anyone is interested in seeing them.

Four Corners Creep Of The Week: Tommy Soza

Dear Readers,

I have decided to start a new weekly segment to this blog called "Four Corners Creep Of The Week". Each Monday, I will dedicate a post to some of the most creepiest criminals. If you have a "creep" you would like to nominate, please feel free to drop me a line via the contact information at the top of this blog. The only qualifications are they have to be in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, or Utah, and of course they have to be "creeps". Also, there will be a poll to coincide each week, called "The Scale Of Creepiness". You can rate how creepy you think the individual is. Results of the poll will be posted on the next week's edition.


So, on to our first weekly edition of "Four Corners Creep Of The Week."


HE LIKES TO HIT ELDERLY LADIES WITH BASEBALL BATS



Meet Tommy Soza, 17, sought by the Tucson Police Department for allegedly beating a 77 year old woman with a baseball bat. The incident occured on July 22, but with no leads, the police are requesting the public's help.

Here are a couple news stories from Tucson Citizen and video of the victim from KVOA.com, talking about the attack.

Now it's your turn to decide how "creepy" Tommy Soza really is.

The Killing Of Mia Henderson--Part Two

NOTE TO READERS: This blog entry was orignally started on Saturday, 9/8, but due to other circumstances, I was unable to finish it and post it until today- Monday, 9/10. My apologies for the delay in posting.


By now, most people know what led up to the murder of Mia Henderson, an eighteen year old freshman at the University of Arizona. Her roommate, Galareka Harrison, also eighteen and a freshman at UA, is being held at the Pima County Jail with a $50,000 bond.

It wasn't long after they became roommates at the Graham-Greenlee dorm that Mia Henderson suspected Galareka Harrison was stealing from her. Her Social Security card, her CatCard, missing money--all led to Mia filing a theft complaint with the UAPD.

It's about as bizarre as it can get, the actual crime itself. The Arizona Daily Star posted the probable cause statements on 2 pages: Page 1 and Page 2. There are also several articles on this case.

Before the Myspace account of Mia Henderson was switched to private, it was clear that there were many people that cared deeply about her. Her friends left messages about how much they loved her, were going to miss her, and their disbelief about what happened to her. Some had somewhat jokingly hoped there was a 'Myspace in heaven'. Not surprisingly, Galareka Harrison has a few supporters on her Myspace.

Two young, intelligent women have lost their future. They both had a bright future ahead of them, but one had it taken away brutally. The other took that and her own future. It was all about money and possessions. A sad tragedy for both girls that could have been avoided.

The Killing Of Mia Henderson-Part One

When I first heard the news about a stabbing that took place in the early hours of Wednesday, September 5th in a dorm at the University Of Arizona, the details were few and far between. My first instinct was to call a friend of mine that I had been working with since her senior year in high school. Although the reports had stated that the girls involved in the altercation were both 18, my instincts and worrisome nature got the better of me, and I left her a text message asking if she was okay, and what I had heard that the news was reporting. She assured me she was 'fine', but had seen a police car in the area. Our conversation continued throughout the morning, off and on. In one text message, she recalled walking past the Graham-Greenlee Dormitory saying she saw 'a cop standing by the door'.

The majority of the students were either oblivious or only heard that there was a stabbing. In a text message from my friend around 11:30 am, she stated :

"I actually didnt know what happened until u
said something."

She seemed shocked to find out that the girl, Mia Henderson, was dead.

Message boards on the local online newspapers have commenter's questioning if the U of A did enough to alert students as to what had occurred in the dorm. The stabbing here was described by UAPD as "isolated and contained". Some made comparisons to the Virginia Tech killings, also in the beginning, described in a similar manner. Luckily, it turned out that it was an isolated incident. But the parallels are hard to ignore, especially in the beginning when no one knew what was going on. It's chilling to think what "could have" happened.

Did the U of A do enough to inform students of what was happening at Graham-Greenlee? I don't know. There was an e-mail alert sent out to students, and from what I can gather, the students are responsible for checking their campus e-mail accounts for these types of alerts. But is an e-mail really enough in the times that we live in? The times where "isolated" incidents sometimes turn into larger tragedies?

NOTE: This is Part One of a series about the tragic death of Mia Henderson.

Remembering Ariana and Tyler Payne - Part Two

For those that have been following my blog entries about the Ariana and Tyler Payne case, I would like to take the time to give you links to their online obituaries so that you can express your condolences, if you wish. As stated in my previous entry on this case, the memorial service will take place this Saturday, August 25th.



Ariana Payne



Ariana's Obituary



Tyler PayneTyler's Obituary