Thursday, May 23, 2013
In court documents, a federal judge argued that Prince William County prosecutors had "tainted" the capital murder case by intimidating a key witness: the triggerman.
Prince William County prosecutors culminated a pattern of "continued misconduct" by threatening Owen Merton Barber IV—the triggerman in the 2001 murder of Daniel Petrole Jr.—after Barber testified that a former death row inmate was not involved in the crime, a federal judge wrote in an opinion issued Wednesday. Judge Stephanie D. Thacker cast the dissenting vote Wednesday, as the U.S. Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to allow the Commonwealth of Virginia to retry Justin Wolfe, of Chantilly, on capital murder charges. Wolfe was previously convicted of ordering Petrole's murder, but his conviction was vacated after another federal court found that prosecutors suppressed evidence. The two appeals court judges wrote that they were "confident that …
Misconduct by prosecutors was not reason enough to prevent the retrial of a capital murder case, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
A federal appeals court in Virginia ruled Wednesday that misconduct by Prince William County prosecutors should not prevent the Commonwealth of Virginia from retrying Justin Michael Wolfe for the 2001 murder of his drug dealer, Daniel Robert Petrole Jr., of Centreville. Wolfe was first convicted of ordering the murder due in large part to testimony from the triggerman, Owen Merton Barber IV—who has since recanted his story. Saying that prosecutors had suppressed evidence, a lower federal court ordered Wolfe's release last year—but the appeals court ruled Wednesday that this was an "overbroad remedy" and the district court had "abused its discretion" in preventing Wolfe's retrial. "Though we reiterate that a federal habeas court possesses …
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Prince William County Police found suspect at his Manassas residence.
Prince William County Police charged a Manassas area man who ignored emergency equipment and took off on foot after striking an unoccupied vehicle, police spokesman Officer Jonathan Perok said. Rozier Daunte Danley, 36, of Caspian Place, is charged with driving under the influence (third offense in 10 years), eluding, driving on a revoked license, hit and run, resisting arrest and unreasonable refusal. A Prince William County police officer tried to pull Danley over on Saturday at midnight, while Danley was driving near the Prince William County Parkway and Hastings Drive. "The driver, later identified as the accused, ignored the officer’s emergency equipment and continued to Caspian Place where the suspect struck an unoccupied vehicle…
The latest crime headlines on Patch.
Every day, Patch covers crime and fire in the Manassas and Manassas Park area. Below is a collection of today's headlines. See more coverage and share your comments at each post. Manassas Police Charge Two in Child Pornography Cases. Police charged one man with possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography and another individual with possession of child pornography. Police: Chase Ends After Driver Hits Car, Runs Away on Foot. Prince William County Police charged a Manassas area man who ignored emergency equipment and took off on foot after striking an unoccupied vehicle, police spokesman Officer Jonathan Perok said. Juveniles Attack Student After Getting Off School Bus. A juvenile female victim may have been …
A Manassas Park man and a Dumfries man are charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography.
Manassas City Police recently charged two men in child pornography cases. Police charged Carlos Andres Salazar Jr., of Katelyn Court in Manassas Park, with 10 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography at the end of an 8-month-long investigation. Manassas City Police Investigators, in conjunction with the Nova/DC Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, obtained the arrest warrants on May 16. Salazar is currently held at the Prince William County adult detention center without bond. A court date is pending in the juvenile and domestic relations court. Also on May 16, police obtained arrest warrants for Steven James McGibney, of Detrick Trail in Dumfries, on seven charges of possession …
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Some of the latest incidents reported in the Manassas City Police Department jurisdiction.
Manassas City Police are investigating the following recent crimes. Aggravated Assault A juvenile victim was assaulted on the 8600 block of Bruton Parish Court on May 16, around 3:30 p.m. The victim, assailant and witnesses had all just gotten off of a school bus and were all juveniles, police said. A juvenile female victim may have been kicked or stomped upon by a juvenile female assailant. She suffered cuts and bruises and went to the hospital on Saturday with a parent, and the incident was reported to police that day. Vandalism Four parked cars on the 8700 block of Jackson Avenue were keyed sometime between Saturday and Sunday during the overnight hours. Burglary Copper pipes and wires were stolen from a house on the 9900 block of …
The fire broke out just before 10 p.m. on Monday
A fire in a Manassas home Monday evening caused about $40,000 in damages and displaced three people, Manassas officials said on Tuesday. It happened at 9:45 p.m. at a home on the 9000 block of Sandalwood Drive when firefighters said the battery of a laptop left on the bed overheated and ignited the bedding in a second story bedroom. Firefighters arrived and stamped out the blaze within 10 minutes, but remained on the scene, to investigate, salvage belongings and extinguish hot spots. Everyone in the home made it out safely, but three firefighters—two from Lake Jackson Volunteer Fire Department and one from the City of Manassas Fire and Rescue—were transported to Prince William Hospital for treatment and were later released, Manassas …
Police charge Manassas man with peeping/spying into home.
Officers caught a Manassas man as he was climbing down a tree outside a neighbor's home, apparently spying on her, Manassas City Police said. Milton Omar Garcia Sorto, of Calypso Drive, is now charged with peeping/spying into an occupied dwelling. Police responded to a report of a prowler at 11:14 p.m. Friday on Calypso Drive and saw Garcia Sorto climbing down a tree to the rear of a residence. A resident inside the home told police that she saw a person sitting in a tree and looking in her bedroom window. Garcia Sorto is held on bond at the Prince William County jail pending a June 18 court appearance. The information in this article was provided by the Manassas City Police Department. Where arrests are mentioned, it does not indicate…
Manassas Police: Witnesses have spotted the man walking around in the buff at least four times.
One man is really enjoying the warmer weather. Witnesses have spotted a man strolling through a Manassas neighborhood, in nothing but his birthday suit, at least four times over the last few weeks. On April 30 between 9:05 and 9:15 a.m., the naked suspect walked around on Grist Mill Court and in Kinsley Mill Park. Then on May 9 and May 14 at 5:30 a.m., the man stood in the street on Cather Avenue. Witnesses spoke to the man from a safe distance on Cather Avenue on both days, but he ran toward Willa Lane and disappeared between the houses, said Sgt. Lowell Nevill of the Manssas City Police Department. Yet again, on May 17, witnesses spotted the suspect in a driveway on Cather Avenue at 6:15 a.m. The suspect is described by witnesses as …
Monday, May 20, 2013
The latest crime headlines on Patch.
Every day, Patch covers crime and fire in the Manassas and Manassas Park area. Below is a collection of today's headlines. See more coverage and share your comments at each post. Naked Man Walking Around in Manassas. Witnesses have spotted a man strolling through a Manassas neighborhood, in nothing but his birthday suit, at least four times over the last few weeks. Peeping Tom Caught in Tree Outside Women's Bedroom. Officers caught a Manassas man as he was climbing down a tree outside a neighbor's home, apparently spying on her, Manassas City Police said. More recent crime news:
AileenPaul
7:08 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
It appears we are no better than the Italians were at prosecuting Amanda Knox. This is just one example of the many injustices in our "justice" system. more ›