http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...EWS03/801160352Unsolved homicides frustrate police, families
Of the 41 reported in Shreveport, last year, 29 have been solved
January 16, 2008
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Shreveport police Cpl. Tommy Rachal, a crime scene investigator, examines bullet holes in a car that was involved in a recent shooting in the city. (Val Horvath/The Times) OPEN CASES
1. Baby Doe, 1, found dead Feb. 3 at a residence in the 3000 block of Kitty Lane. Cause of death unknown. Detectives are working to determine if it was a homicide.2. Donnell Anderson, 30, robbed May 10 by two men in his residence in the 2100 block of Legardy Street. He was forced to the floor then shot at least twice.
3 and 4. Clyde O'Neal, 39, and Antonio Stringer, 22, were walking on Southern Avenue early the morning of May 12 when they were mowed down in a hail of gunfire then run over.
5. Issac Grey, 25, was killed June 24 while sitting in a car in the 200 block of East 68th Street. The occupants of another vehicle shot and drove away.
6. Sharon Denise Sanders, 38, was found June 23 lying in Portland Avenue near Lakeshore Drive. She had a gunshot wound to the temple.
7. Treveon Hunter, 9, was killed Oct. 19 during a drive-by shooting as he and his uncle exited a vehicle in the 3100 block of Frederick Street. His uncle was severely wounded but is recovering.
8. Kenneth Stephens, 50, was found on the ground outside at the FINA station in the 1400 block of Hollywood Avenue early the morning of Nov. 5. His body was riddled with bullets.
9. Malcolm Barnes was found fatally shot Nov. 23 on the porch of a residence in 4016 block of Tate Street.
10 and 11. Jacquetta Moore and Cedric Davidson were stabbed to death and set afire in Moore's residence in the 3100 block of Poland Street. Patrick Dyas has been arrested on a charge of obstruction of justice but has not been charged with their deaths.
12. Jane Doe, age unknown. Workers at Goodwill Industries found a woman's remains Feb. 9 in a field near the 500 block of West 60th Street. Multimedia:
See a map and details of open cases
By Loresha Wilson
ljwilson@gannett.com
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TV crime solvers use state-of-the-art technology and seem to tie up all the loose ends by the time the credits roll, but that isn't quite how it works in Shreveport.
Unsolved homicides — cold cases — are more of a reality around here.
Of the 41 homicides reported in the city last year, 29 have been solved. In 2006, 30 people were killed; 10 of those cases remain open.
"Solving crimes is complex and, in some cases, requires time," said Bernadette Palombo, a criminal justice professor at LSU-Shreveport.
The city's latest homicide, that of Delando Harris on Dec. 2, is an exception to what's becoming the rule. It was solved.
Harris, 11, was shot in a Caddo Heights residence. A 16-year-old male is thought to have been playing with a gun when the weapon discharged, hitting Harris, known as De-Bo, in the chest.
But other killings of 2007, some growing quite old, are a lingering source of vexation for Shreveport Police Department's violent crimes unit.
"It's very frustrating to not solve a case," said Sgt. Brian Strange, violent crimes investigating supervisor. "As an investigator, they take it home with them. They are constantly trying to think about what angle to go with, their witnesses, the possible suspects. You would think they leave it at work, but they just don't."
The unit's 10 detectives investigate not only homicides, but all deaths of suspicious nature, all shootings, stabbings, kidnappings and batteries of an individual. There are five detectives per shift. And at least two, along with a supervisor, respond to each homicide.
"They are working all those other cases all the time," Strange said. "Though they are always juggling cases, usually the homicides take priority. It's up to the supervisors to level the cases so that homicides get the attention they need."
Treveon Hunter was killed during a drive-by shooting in front of his Queensborough residence. Police believe his uncle, who also was wounded but survived, was the intended target. They're still looking for Hunter's killer.
"I can't sleep at night knowing that the person who killed my son remains free," Hunter's mother, Katrina Clark, said. "I know someone somewhere knows who did it but just will not come forward.
"It's just not fair to me or to Treveon."
Another apparent drive-by victim — Issac Grey, 25, — was sitting in a car when he was fatally shot. Police got a description of the shooter's vehicle but still need the public's help solving this case.
Shreveport police have conducted dozens of interviews with relatives, friends and neighbors of the victims, collected DNA samples and, in some instances, reviewed surveillance video.
"In some cases, you have a person who has committed a homicide and you know they did it, but we don't have that little piece of evidence we need to make an arrest," Strange said. "And that's why some of the cases go unsolved."
A general reason police have trouble cracking a homicide is lack of cooperation from witnesses, investigators say. In many city homicides, those involved in illegal activities related to the death don't aid investigations.
"It's hard to get a witness to come to court, let alone to stand up and be a witness," Strange said.
Law enforcement agencies clear or solve an offense when at least one person is arrested, charged with the commission of the offense and turned over to the court for prosecution. Cases also are solved by exceptional means, such as when an identified offender is killed during apprehension or commits suicide.
Nationally, the percentage of homicides cleared by arrest has been declining. In 2005, 62 percent of all homicides were cleared compared to 79 percent in 1976.
Homicide has the highest clearance rate of all serious crimes, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
"It's scary to think that 38 percent of the nation's murders go unsolved," Palombo said. "It tells you that we need to change the way our law enforcement agencies are operating."
Though Shreveport's clearance rate tends to be slightly above the national average, in the higher 60s, Palombo and Strange alike say TV crime stories have some affect on the department's ability to clear their cases. Criminals pay close attention to what police look for during an investigation.
"The sophistication of the offenders is an issue," Palombo said. "We see that some of these offenders follow very closely to what law enforcement does and how they investigation case, and they manage to stay a step or two ahead of the investigators."
Strange said the more difficult cases are those with absolutely no witnesses, let alone cooperating ones, such as that of Malcolm Barnes. A passer-by found his body on the porch of a Mooretown residence. Authorities believe he was shot the previous night.
Then there are the homicides such as Jane Doe, with no witnesses, no identification of the victim and nothing tying the victim to illegal activities.
"Those cases are like a spiral," Strange said. "We start with the victim and work it out, but what kills us is the victim's hidden lifestyle that the family doesn't know about.
"At that point, it's up to the police to uncover the hidden lifestyle."
While Strange agrees that evidence such as DNA can bring arrests long after the fact, the first 72 hours are crucial in a homicide investigation, he said.
There is no statute of limitations on murder, Strange added. So thanks to improving technology and evidence collection, a killer can be brought to justice years after the crime.
Sometimes the cases aren't solved for many years, until a fresh tip leads them to be reopened.
"They are going to find my child's killer one day, I know they will," Clark said. "Otherwise, he will never rest in peace."