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Apparently one of Mark's girl friends spoke too soon when she implied he was going to sue Melanie's mother. He'd never dare sue Nancy Grice. If he did, he would open the legal door to information that he doesn't want exposed.

To his girlfriend, all I can say is, baby, watch out for yourself. Mark didn't want you to post that.

In response to the person who posted "Perhaps a lawsuit is in motion but it's not against the NMSP." I can't tell from that if you mean Melanie's mother is initiating a civil suit against Officer McCracken or McCracken is initiating a civil suit against Melanie's mother. Please be more explicit.

Are you a bad person?

What does that mean?

Can you found out if someone has been in your house or find finger prints somewhere in your house.Can they find out who it is.

Can you found out if someone has been in your house or find finger prints somewhere in your house.Can they find out who it is.

This is Judge Bonem's written decision in its entirety. Parts are not missing from this decision nor are there any inferences on my part as to what he may have “meant.” Now you all have the information and do not have to rely on the miss-quotes, innuendos, or B.S. that this person has been trying to get you to believe. The truth is out and you can no longer harm the McCracken Family with your lies!

Counsel:

The referenced matter came on for preliminary examination on November 29,2004. Hearing extended December 8, 2004. At the conclusion of hearing, issues related to the existence of probable cause to believe a crime had been committed by the Defendant and as to whether expert opinion testimony form four witnesses should be admitted were taken under advisement by the Court. Briefs were requested on the expert opinion issue. The following will constitute my Decision Letter relative to the reserved issues.

For the purpose of this hearing, I will receive as evidence in the preliminary examination the testimony and exhibits proffered by Dr. Elliott Rapaport, Dr. Eugenis Brazwell, Dr. Thomas Henry, and Dr. Ljubisa Jovan Dragovic reserving the weight to be attributed to such evidence for consideration hereafter.

I proceed to examine the conclusive issue of whether "probable cause" was established sufficient to determine that Melanie McCracken died as a result of criminal conduct perpetrated upon her by the Defendant. Article 2, Section 14 of the New Mexico Constitution provides that no person shall be held to respond to an accusation of a felonious crime unless they have had the opportunity to a presentment before a Grand Jury or shall have had the opportunity for a preliminary examination before a Magistrate.

The issue presented for resolution at a preliminary examination or by a Grand Jury hearing is a determination of probable cause. If, "it appears to a court that there is no probable cause to believe that the defendant has committed an offense, the Court shall discharge the defendant. If the court finds that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed an offense, it shall bind the defendant over for trial".5-102@) and 6-202 NMRA 2004 comp.

Guidance with regard to the meaning of "probable cause" is provided by the general instructions to the Grand Jury wherein a definition of "probable cause" is provided. The Grand Jury is advised that return of an indictment requires them to find probable cause. Probable cause, means the evidence presented would cause a reasonable person to believe that an offense has been committed and that the accused committed the offense. Probable cause does not require proof beyond a reasonable doubt." UJI}4-801} 204 Comp..

State V. Vallejo, 93 NM 387 (CA, 1979) applied generally these axioms. There it was held that the State was only required to produce evidence sufficient to establish reasonable grounds for the Magistrate's exercise for the Magistrate's exercise of judgment. The Court of Appeals relied on State v. Garcia,79 NM 367 (1968 ) where the Supreme Court held that the " test at preliminary hearing was not whether guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt, but whether there is that degree of evidence to bring within reasonable probabilities the fact that a crime was committed by the accused." See also State v. Selgado, 78 NM 165 (1967) “We find this claim without merit. A preliminary hearing is not a trial of the person charged with the view of determining his guilt or innocence. The preliminary hearing is to determine whether a crime has been committed, the connection the accused has with it", State v. Masters, 99 NM 58 ( CA 1982) " probable cause is the only issue."

What remains unanswered by these and other New Mexico cases is the extent to which witness credibility may be weighted in determining the existence of probable cause. Two New Mexico cases give some hint of the direction which may be taken in resolving other issues. State v. Massengill, 99NM 283(CA, 1983) discusses the purpose and conduct of a preliminary examination and notes that during the course of preliminary examination witnesses may be cross-examined and their credibility and character tested. State v. Garcia, 114 NM 269 (1992) reversing a first degree murder conviction because of the absence of deliberation, held that "evidence equally consistent with two inferences does no, without more, provide a basis for adopting either one." While I am not comfortable with application of Massengill or Garcia as a response to the issue posed, they do give some indication of the direction that might be adopted if New Mexico Courts were presented with the issue.

More convincing are the solutions adopted in the large majority of other States that have dealt with this perplexing issue. These cases are gathered at Wharton's Criminal Procedure 13th edition Sec. 138 where it is noted that ""The credibility of witnesses at a preliminary hearing may properly be considered by the magistrate in determining whether there is probable cause. However, according to some cases, the credibility of a witness may be considered only when his testimony was implausible or incredible as a matter of law. Likewise at 84ALR 3d 811, Annotation, Propriety of Consideration of Credibility of Witness in Determining Probable Cause at State Preliminary Hearing, the author noted that a number of cases support the view that the credibility of witnesses at a preliminary hearing is a proper consideration for the judge or magistrate in determining probable cause. Cases from California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan and Nevada were cited in support of this majority rule while cases from Colorado and Wisconsin were cited in opposition.

A more recent Utah case sides with the minority of States. State v. Clark, 20P 3d 300 (SC UT, 2001)"At this stage of the proceeding,...the evidence required to show probable cause is relatively low because the assumption it that the prosecution's case will only get stronger as the investigation continues." I do not understand the law in New Mexico to require similar conduct on my part. If it were otherwise then I would be compelled to reach a result similar to that adopted by the Utah Court. Instead, I believe that the appropriate standard is that which I have characterized as having been adopted by the majority of State Courts.

I agree with that "number of jurisdictions, [that] the credibility of witnesses at a preliminary hearing is a proper consideration for the Judge or Magistrate in determining probable cause. It has been said that the credibility of witnesses at the preliminary examination is a question of fact within the province of the committing magistrate to determine, and neither the trial court nor an appellate court may substitute its judgment for that of the committing magistrate on such question".

Considering the import of the proceeding legal analysis, I determine that the testimony of Dr. Dragovic is not plausible or credible. The only factual support, other than suspicions, for the testimony of Dr. Dragovic is the testimony of Ryan Gamber, brother of Melanie McCracken, who alleged that he witnessed acts of spousal abuse perpetrated by the Defendant against Melanie McCracken, and the emergency medical technician, Donnie Hobbs, who alleged previous calls to the parties' residence possibly related to spousal abuse. Both witnesses' testimony with regard to the spousal abuse issue was negligible. Hobbs had very little to say relating to the same and Gamber was simply not believable. The finding by Dr. Dragovic of "homicidal asphyxiation" stands alone among the three testifying pathologists (Henry, Dragovic, and Zumwalt) and the two additional reporting pathologists (Ward and Armbrustmacher). Dr. Smialek conducted a record review of the first autopsy and raised questions for later response after exhumation and a second autopsy. Dragovic's opinion is based upon speculation and cannot form the basis for a probable cause finding related to manner of death.

While I have similar reservations with regard to Dr. Henry's opinion that Melanie McCracken died from an "accidental overdose" as supported by Dr. Brazell and Dr. Rapport, I need not review the same. Henry's finding does not form the basis for or play a role in my decision. It is of no importance to my consideration of the cause of death.

I am then left with the opinion of Dr. Armbrustmacher and Dr. Ward, as expressed in their autopsy report of March 12, 1996, that a violent and unnatural death cannot be excluded and that "the cause and manner of death are therefore best classified as undetermined." This opinion is supported by Dr. Zumwalt's finding on exhumation on December 11, 2002, that "the cause and manner of death remain undetermined. As noted by Dr. Zumwalt, there are some deaths where it is not possible to determine a cause although most, but not all, of these deaths involve skeletal remains. Based on the state of the evidence at this time, the death of Melanie McCracken is such a death even though it does not involve skeletal remains.

In making this determination, I am fully cognizant of the allegations of inappropriate investigation efforts which are attributable to the Defendant's employing agency--the New Mexico State Police. I believe it is clear to all that the failure to involve an independent agency early on to conduct the investigation was not provident. Hopefully that lesson has been learned. But the Defendant has not been linked to such improvident investigative techniques to the degree necessary to support a finding of probable cause.

Counsel for the Defendant Mark McCracken shall prepare and present an order discharging the Defendant and incorporating by reference the Findings set forth in this Decision Letter.

Sincerely yours,
David W. Bonem

Perhaps a lawsuit is in motion but it's not against the NMSP.

If Mr. McCracken is innocent the NMSP did him a terrible disservice by refusing to allow an outside agency to conduct the
investigation. Then they made it worse by behaving as if they believed he was guilty and they had to cover up for him -- not collecting evidence, "losing" the scene photos, attempting to intimidate Judge Sanchez, etc. Because of the NMSP he'll always live under a shadow. He ought to sue them.

No the person writing the editorial for the Tribune is not the liar but the person who is re-posting it is. If you are going to post something and claim it to be authentic then please make sure it is authentic. For instance, The 3rd paragraph in the editorial reads...Melanie McCracken,her family, MARK MCCRACKEN and all other New Mexicans deserve better than a lingering cloud of speculation. Then in paragraph 10 the a very key part of this editorial was deleted (intentionally????). This is how it read...In dismissing murder and tampering with evidence charges against Mark McCracken on Dec. 30 in Albuquerque, state District Judge David Bonem ruled "the state of the evidence at this time," including Melanie McCracken's remains, were insufficent to support the charges against Mark McCracken. The question I'm left wondering why would these pieces of information be left out if you were truly wanting acurate information to be presented? Things like this raise doubt about the credability of this web site and the other cases which may actually have validity.

Are you saying that the recent editorial in the Albuquerque Tribune, which is quoted word-for-word below your last message, was written by a "liar"?

Please, point out, specifically, which statements in that editorial are inaccurate.

Liars, liars, pants on fires. The people listening to your lies aren't listening anymore. So why do you insist on continuing the Masquerade. You people are a joke, not a funny laughing ha ha joke, just a joke. It is a shame that you bring a bad name to a web-site that was supposed to be used for good. Kind of makes the whole thing look like a joke.

MCCRACKEN CASE MUST LEAD US TO MAKE CHANGES
Albq. Tribune Editorial, Jan 8, 2005

The end - in dismissal of all charges - of the almost-decade-old murder case against former State Police Lt. Mark McCracken likely means the public never will know for certain what happened to his wife, Melanie McCracken. That uncertainty aside, the public also might never know whether justice has been served.

The evidence in this case and in the court ruling ending it suggests it is time to reform New Mexico State Police regulations to ensure its officers are not - and are never thought to be - above public accountability.

At the minimum, Gov. Bill Richardson and the Legislature should consider establishing mandatory independent investigative procedures that require outside and credible investigation when state officers are potential suspects.

At best, state officials should consider establishing a completely independent state bureau of investigation, such as those created in several other states. That not only would allow an arms-length investigation of cases in which State Police officers might be under suspicion, but it also could provide highly dedicated, professional investigative capabilities for the State Police, the state's counties and its many small cities and communities - including internal affairs investigations in any of New Mexico's many local police agencies. This not only would ensure a greater measure of justice, but it would significantly raise the bar of credibility for law enforcement across the state.

Melanie McCracken died in 1995 of an undetermined cause. Her husband was a State Police sergeant at that time. The investigation into her death, to say the least, was poorly handled by State Police, who really had no business investigating a case of such highly suspicious circumstances, in which one of their own could have been a suspect. The McCracken case is among those that cry out for independent, credible and definitive investigation - in short, justice.

In dismissing murder and tampering-with-evidence charges against Mark McCracken…
Bonem suggested what many people outside the State Police fear - that the case was bungled. He rightly observed, "I believe it is clear to all that the failure to involve an independent agency early on to conduct the investigation was not provident. Hopefully, the lesson has been learned."

New Mexicans should not assume it has. They should press the Legislature and Richardson to implement reforms to assure New Mexicans that justice will prevail in cases with such questionable circumstances. New Mexicans need to have trust in their law enforcement and judicial systems, which should operate in the bright light of day, not under a shroud of suspicion.

In response to the post below: Perhaps there is no evidence because this was an attention getting incident by Melanie that tragically turned into a suicide and not this grand “murder cover-up” crime some writers on this site want you to believe. The truth did come out in the hearing and shortly the judge’s own written words, and not the inferences the bias writers on this site like to miss-quote, will be posted so you all can read it for yourselves.

In response to the post several down from this one -- that's bullshit. The judge did not side with Mark, and he definitely did not state that Promethazine was the cause of death.

He said the cause of death had not been proven, and there wasn't enough hard evidence to convict Mark. He blamed that lack of evidence on the New Mexico State Police who conducted a shoddy (the implication was "corrupt") investigation.

How can you say inocent and justice. He lied about what happen to his wife by saying that she died in the car accident. He Tried his best to cover the truth up and it looks like some judge is going to help him hide the truth. Thats what this site is all about. The Lies and the Coverups By Those that are suppose to serve and protect.

Delusional conspiracy theorists attempts fail as their psycho babble comes to light in front of Judge. Truth and justice prevail as innocent police officer receives final justice in this case.

How sad that a murderer will go free. My thoughts and prayers go out to Melanie's family. Please do not give up searching for the truth.

The Lies have finally come to light. The truth came out in the hearing. The judge sided with Mark. Promethazine was the cause of death, promethazine becomes untraceable when exposed to light ( as testified to in the hearing) and even after 5 years of being exposed to light there were still traces in her blood. The original investigation never tested for promethazine. The truth came out and justice was served. So you can stop your lying now because no one is listening.

No McCracken trial
Evidence does not support murder charge, judge rules

By Joline Gutierrez Kreuger
Tribune Reporter
December 30, 2004

The nearly decade-long nightmare for former State Police Lt. Mark McCracken is over today after a judge ruled he will not stand trial for his young wife's mysterious death.

But the nightmare the dead woman's mother, Nancy Grice, has lived since the day Melanie McCracken died in 1995 continues.

"She's crushed," Mike Corwin, a private investigator close to the case, said today of Grice after learning retired state District Judge David Bonem will not bind over Mark McCracken for trial.

"This is a travesty," he said. "It just goes to show you that women in New Mexico do not stand a chance."

Bonem, who presided over the McCracken preliminary hearing earlier this month at Metro Court in Albuquerque, ruled that while a "violent and unnatural death cannot be excluded" there was not enough probable cause to try Mark McCracken on charges of murder and tampering with evidence.

"(T)here are some deaths where it is not possible to determine a cause although most, but not all, of these deaths involve skeletal remains," Bonem said in a four-page letter issued today.

"Based on the state of the evidence at this time, the death of Melanie McCracken is such a death even though it does not involve skeletal remains."

The cause of the death is still undetermined. Authorities could bring Mark McCracken back to another preliminary hearing in the case - but only if new evidence surfaces.

In his ruling, Bonem did question why the State Police and not an independent law enforcement agency investigated Melanie McCracken's death. Mark McCracken was a State Police sergeant at the time.

"I believe it is clear to all that the failure to involve an independent agency early on to conduct the investigation was not provident," Bonem wrote.

"Hopefully the lesson has been learned. But the defendant has not been linked to such improvident investigative techniques to the degree necessary to support a finding of probable cause."

Bonem, who resides in Portales, was on vacation and unavailable for comment today.

Mark McCracken, 43, also declined comment today. His wife, LeeAnn McCracken, referred all calls to his attorneys, Peter Schoenburg and Carolyn "Cammie" Nichols.

The attorneys said in a written statement that justice had been served.

"It was just a result," the attorneys said in a joint statement. "We feel sympathy for Melanie McCracken's family, but Mark McCracken did not murder his wife."

Mark McCracken said he found his 24-year-old wife facedown in their Bosque Farms home on Aug. 5, 1995. Mark McCracken has said she was suffering from leukemia.

He said she was fearful of ambulances. So, he said, he took his unresponsive wife in the back of their car to a hospital but crashed off N.M. 47, about four miles from their home and 13 miles short of an Albuquerque hospital.

Even after two autopsies and investigations by six pathologists, there remains disagreement about the cause and manner of her death.

Her autopsy report classifies the cause of her death as "undetermined."

Special Prosecutor Randall Harris, who was selected to try the case for the state, had argued the only possible reason for her death was asphyxiation.

Harris also said the defense case was flawed because it could not prove Melanie McCracken died at the crash scene. He also said the real crime scene - the McCracken house - was not investigated properly by State Police officers, some of whom McCracken supervised and fraternized with.

But Schoenburg and Nichols had countered that Melanie McCracken died at her own hand by accidentally ingesting a lethal dose of promethazine, an antinausea drug, although toxicological tests could not show a lethal level in her system.

Mark McCracken's attorneys had also argued that testimony during the seven-day preliminary hearing made it clear the crash was not staged, as prosecutors have alleged; that Mark McCracken was rendered unconscious by the crash and not capable of orchestrating a cover-up at the scene; and there had never been any cover-up found by the layers of investigators, nor could any of the investigators say without a doubt that Melanie McCracken's death was a homicide.

Schoenburg said an autopsy confirmed she had no leukemia or other terminal illness. But he said the pressure she felt to continue her charade masquerading as a profoundly ill person prompted her to take too much promethazine, causing her death.

Harris said today that while he is disappointed with Bonem's decision he respects it - and Bonem.

"Both sides were able to present all of their evidence to Judge Bonem in a fair and extremely difficult case for the state," Harris said in a written statement issued from his law office in Clovis.

It fell to Harris to relay the judge's decision to Grice.

"It was probably the most difficult phone call I had ever made, contacting Melanie's family," Harris said. "I ask all parties to pray for all families touched by this untimely death of Melanie McCracken."

Grice did not return a call to her home today. But Corwin, who has worked closely with Grice to bring her daughter's case to trial, said it was clear the judge excluded most of the prosecution's testimony introduced during the preliminary hearing and opted instead to side with "hearsay" testimony introduced by the defense.

"He kicked out anything that supported that a murder had taken place," Corwin said. "And then he allowed false testimony in, and there is no recourse."

Bonem in his letter said that he did not find credible the testimony of Dr. Ljubisa Dragovic, a renown forensic pathologist who had testified for the state that Melanie McCracken's death was most likely caused by asphyxiation.

Bonem also took no value in the testimony of Melanie McCracken's brother, Ryan Gamber, who had told the court he had witnessed an incident of domestic violence between his sister and Mark McCracken.

"Gamber," Bonem said, "was simply not believable."

What is omitted from the statement below, (which was probably posted by one of McCracken's relatives), is that, although the judge stated that there wasn't enough evidence to indict McCracken, he also stated that "a violent and unnatural death cannot be ruled out."

The forensic evidence and scene photos that might have convicted McCracken mysteriously disappeared during the investigation, which was conducted by McCracken's fellow officers. The judge very much took the state police to task for insisting on doing the investigation themselves rather than allowing an independent agency to do it. His implication was that there was probably a police cover-up.

Judge: Former State Police Officer Will Not Stand Trial In Wife's Death
POSTED: 12:30 pm MST December 30, 2004

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A judge has ruled that a former state police officer will not stand trial on charges of first-degree murder and evidence tampering in the 1995 death of his wife.

Retired state District Judge David Bonem said there's no probable cause to believe that Mark McCracken committed an offense.

State police were called to the scene of a one-car crash on New Mexico 47 south of Albuquerque on Aug. 5, 1995. They found Melanie McCracken's body in the back seat of the family car.

An autopsy classified the cause of her death as undetermined.

Mark McCracken has said he found his wife unconscious, put her in the car and lost control of it while driving when he looked back to check on her.

Dear Melanie's mother I hope you never give up the Fight to these Dirty COPs. I'm a Special Investigator from Vancouver canada and I have been fighting againsta dirty bunch of COPS with the Abbotsford Police Dept. My clients little 12 year old girl was murdered 30 years ago and the police have lost all the info on this case so many times.

We have complained to so many gov't agencies that they all keep passing the buck that's what gov't employees do best so that they don't get there fingers slapped. So I give you my deepest codolances and don't give up KICK THERE ASS in court if you need any help my e-mail address is beaintl@hotmail.com DON'T GIVE UP !!!!!!!!!!!

FROM REAL CRIMES:

Michael Corwin, the private investigator for the Melanie McCracken, Stephanie Houston, Crystal Houston, Troy Pino and Gabino Gallegos cases (all of which are on this web site) is running on the Democratic ticket for New Mexico House Representative, District 31, in Albuquerque. He is running on a theme of victims' rights and rooting corruption out of government. Needless to say, he has our total support. Even the Republicans among us here at Real Crimes are stepping outside the box in this particular instance.

Mike's opponent, Greg Payne, had warrants out for his arrest for 15 months during his only term on the city council, as well as three ethics complaints. He has been arrested for domestic violence and for violating a restraining order and has been sued three times by his landlord for non-payment of rent. This is not a person who will be helpful to crime victims.

If you aren't eligible to vote in District 31, (north of Montgomery, east of Eubank, up to the county line, with the exception of Tanoan) but would still like to support Mike's campaign, contributions can be made to:

Citizens to Elect Michael Corwin
11024 Montgomery NE # 128
Albuquerque, NM 87111

Barb,
You were so right , Kaits case is vip, 15 years is a very long time for a mom and her family to suffer, thank the Lord the mom never ever gave up, And thank goodness people like you moms can really make a difference in this justice system that we have.
We will all be praying for each and every parent that has lost there children.
God Bless you
You will, be in our prayers always

Re: Kaitlyn Arquette case:

On the home page, go to the blurb introducing the Kaitlyn Arquette case and click on the "Update: APD Cold Case Squad Reopen's Kait's Case." It took that family 15 years to make that happen. If this can happen with one case, it can happen for us all! We just have to keep hanging in there!

From the Albuquerque Tribune, June 24, 2004

MAN NOT GUILTY OF HOMICIDE: DEAD WOMAN’S FATHER SAYS DA “THREW THE CASE”
By Joline Gutierrez Krueger

A jury declined to convict a Socorro man of purposely driving over his girlfriend with a truck trailer, but the dead woman's father says the fight isn't over.

Patrick Murillo, 42, was found not guilty Wednesday of vehicular homicide after a jury deliberated about two hours. Murillo - a married man, plumber and occasional musician - was accused of becoming enraged with Stephanie Houston the night of Feb. 27, 2000, at the Red Carpet Bar in Los Chavez, then crushing her under his trailer as she walked away from the bar south on N.M. 314. The trial, which began Monday, was moved to Grants from Valencia County under a change of venue motion. Murillo and his attorney, Thomas Esquibel, could not be reached for comment.

"We're disappointed with the decision of the jury, but we respect their decision," 13th District Attorney Lemuel Martinez said on behalf of prosecutor Joe Arite. "We're happy we brought this case to trial so that the defendant can go on with his life and the victim's family can try to find some closure, at least from a legal standpoint."

But Bill Houston said the case is far from closure. "The DA threw the case," Houston said from his home in Socorro. "He didn't call witnesses he should have called."

Albuquerque private investigator Mike Corwin, who worked on the case, agreed that those witnesses were crucial to a conviction. "While we must accept the jury's ruling, I believe that they would have found Patrick Murillo guilty had the jury heard testimony that Stephanie sought a restraining order against Murillo just two days prior to her death," Corwin said. Others would have testified about seeing Stephanie beaten a day before her death and taken to the hospital several times in the past after beatings, he said. Another witness was supposed to have testified that Stephanie had an appointment the next day at a battered women's shelter, Houston said.

But Martinez said the case was tried the best way it could be. "It's important to note that we had to present this case to a jury as soon as we could, given the length of time between when it happened and when it went to trial," he said. "It would not wait much longer."

Martinez agreed to reopen the case at Bill Houston's relentless urgings four years after his daughter's death. Before then, Bill Houston and Corwin said, officials had failed to look at the domestic violence that preceded the death of the 27-year-old convenience store clerk and single mother.

State Police had concluded that she had been killed accidentally when she tried to jump into Murillo's truck but fell. Their investigation was led by retired Lt. Mark McCracken, who has been suspected of killing his wife, Melanie, in 1995. A first-degree murder indictment against McCracken was thrown out on a technicality in May, but Special Prosecutor Randall Harris has vowed to seek a second indictment. A preliminary hearing is expected in November.

Bill Houston and Nancy Grice, Melanie McCracken's mother, collected petition signatures earlier this year seeking a grand jury investigation into allegations that government employees and others paid by the public improperly investigated both cases.
The petition was filed in April in Valencia County. A judge is expected to decide when to convene the grand jury.

Houston said he is prepared to take his daughter's case to a federal level. He also said charges against Murillo involving an unrelated crime also could be pending. And he vows that this case will be one of Arite's and Martinez's last.

"He might as well know he's out," Bill Houston said of Martinez, who is running for re-election this November. "They threw this case. They threw it big time."

To Kait Arquette's mom, Lois Duncan,

I heard your talk at the conference and was blown away. I definitely want a copy of it. And not just because you wrote I Know What You Did Last Summer. Your talk contained everything all of us want to express.

from a long-time fan of your teenage suspense novels who is also a homicide servivor

Janet

From Lois Duncan Arquette (mother of Kaitlyn Arquette, whose case is on this web site):

This is a catch-up note for those with an interest in what transpired at the New Mexico Survivors of Homicide Conference in Albuquerque last week. Melanie McCracken's mother, Nancy Grice, and Melanie's brother Ryan both attended, as did a number of other families from this web site.

The conference was very well organized but emotionally overwhelming, with so much grief and anger confined in one room. About 150 people attended. About half were Native American, caravanning in from the Navajo Reservation and the pueblos. Those participants were disappointed that there were no members of the FBI or BOIA on the panels. I'm sure that will be remedied next year.

If any of you want a copy of my keynote talk, send an e-mail c/o Real Crimes, and they will send you a copy as an e-mail attachment. Mine was the first presentation of the day and set the tone for the rest of the conference. Everybody was primed to pummel the law-enforcement panel with challenging questions, which many of them neatly ducked, but a few expressed willingness to consult with the families personally at a later time. The representatives from the Office of the Medical Examiner seemed particularly receptive.

There was a vacancy in the judges' panel, because Chief Judge John Brennan was arrested on Memorial Day for drunk driving and possession of cocaine.

For those of you who attended -- it was wonderful seeing you there. For those New Mexico homicide survivors who couldn't make it -- please, consider attending next year. NMSOH is a good organization, and I believe they have the ability to accomplish things that few of us can accomplish alone. For those survivors out-of-state -- you might want to look into the possibility of organizing a similar function in your own area.

And -- for those of you who care, but are lucky enough not to be eligible for this organization -- please, keep us all in your prayers.

Lois Duncan Arquette

I see where the whistle-blower newsletter/website, The Twisted Badge, has launched a new series of articles titled “Corruption in New Mexico.” Will they be featuring cases from the Real Crimes site?

Response:We've given them permission to do so if they choose to.

FOR HOMICIDE SURVIVORS (AND OTHERS WITH AN INTEREST) IN NEW MEXICO:

The New Mexico Survivors of Homicide will hold their state conference in Albuquerque on Saturday, June 5. Lois Duncan Arquette, mother of Kaitlyn Arquette (see story on this web site) will be keynote speaker.

There will be a law enforcement panel with members of the NM State Police, Metro Crime Lab, OMI, Crownpoint Investigators, APD, and the Victim Advocate from the US Attorney’s Office. There will also be a panel of six judges, which will include Lemuel Martinez, who is in a position to get the Melanie McCracken case rolling again if he chooses to do so. There will be a period for questions-and-answers and a chance to talk to these people in between sessions.

The conference will be held at the Marriott on Louisiana. Registration is 7:30-8 a.m.

There's no charge for this. However, Joan Shirley at New Mexico Survivors of Homicide says, "I must have people's names for the nametags and for our lunch and breakfast counts for the Marriott, so they need to call me to register so I know that they are coming."

The office phone number for NMSOH is 505-232-4099. The e-mail address, if you want to contact her that way, is joan@nmsoh.org. If you don't register in time, you can still sit in on the talks and panels, you just won't get the meals.

REQUEST FOR YOUR HELP: MELANIE MCCRACKEN HOMICIDE CASE

Please, send a letter or e-mail to District Attorney Lemuel Martinez, demanding that he not drop the Melanie McCracken case because of a technicality that had nothing to do with guilt or innocence.

DA Lemuel Martinez's e-mail is LMartinez@da.state.nm.us.
His telephone number is 505-285-4627. His mailing address is PO Box 647, Grants, NM 87020.
The requests do not necessarily need to come from New Mexico.

You'll find a description of this case on this web site. It took Melanie's mother, Nancy Grice, eight years to get her daughter's case in front of a grand jury. That grand jury indicted Melanie's husband, New Mexico Police Lt. Mark McCracken, for first degree murder and evidence tampering. They also requested that another grand jury be empaneled to investigate the conduct of the members of the NM State Police Department, (McCracken's own subordinates), who performed the corrupt investigation. The case was scheduled to go to trial in July. Then, last week, charges were abruptly dismissed because an assistant in the courtroom, helping to distribute paperwork to the jury, had taken part in the investigation.

Charges against McCracken were dismissed "without prejudice," meaning the state has the power to go back to Square One and bring the case before another grand jury if they choose to do so. Please, help make sure that they do that. Nancy has struggled long and hard to get her daughter's case brought to trial. It mustn't be allowed to fall through because of a stupid blunder on the part of the prosecutor.

A (HOPEFULLY TEMPORARY) SETBACK ON THE MCCRACKEN CASE:

Murder charges against former New Mexico State Police officer Mark McCracken, accused of killing his wife, Melanie, in August 1995, were dismissed Friday because of a prosecutorial error.

State District Judge William Sanchez dismissed the indictment without prejudice, meaning the state can bring the case before another grand jury or present it to a judge at a preliminary hearing. The special prosecutor in the case says it's but a "hiccup" in the process.

Defense attorneys for McCracken filed a motion last month asking that the indictment be quashed because of the presence of an investigator in the room during grand jury proceedings in October. Special prosecutor Randall Harris did not contest the motion, and on Friday state District Judge William Sanchez in Los Lunas ordered the indictment thrown out. The case had been scheduled for a month-long trial starting July 5.

"It was a technical glitch with the grand jury indictment," Harris said. "It didn't have anything to do with guilt or innocence."

Harris said he made a mistake when he allowed Allan Farkas, an investigator with the District Attorney's Office in Valencia County, to be in the grand jury room. Farkas, he said, was helping to hand out paperwork to jurors. "There's no allegation of impropriety on his part," Harris said. "You know, Randall Harris made a mistake, pure and simple. It's not fatal. This is nothing. This is a hiccup." Harris vowed to have McCracken re-indicted before July 31 but said he has not decided whether to go before a second grand jury or ask for a preliminary hearing.

State Police conducted the investigation into Melanie’s death, even though one of their own had been involved.

Reports indicate that McCracken, then a State Police sergeant, told fellow officers he had been rushing his 24-year-old wife to a hospital when the crash occurred. He said he had found his wife face-down in their bedroom in Bosque Farms. She had terminal leukemia, he said. An autopsy report found no cancer but did indicate she had defense wounds and bruises in various stages of healing.

Melanie McCracken's mother, Nancy Grice, fought for eight years to have her daughter's death reinvestigated. Last year, District Attorney Lemuel Martinez named Harris as special prosecutor. McCracken was indicted by a Valencia County grand jury Oct. 31 on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

I sure hope the special grand juries do more than a review of conduct into the investigation of Troy Pinto, Stephanie Houston, Melanie McCracken. It would be great if these three cases were reopened, investigated properly, and justice served.

Obstruction of justice is just as much a crime, if not more, in police departments as it is for any other professional position or person. The conduct of the officers should pay the highest price and be used as an example to other officers.

Once the special grand juries review Santa Rosa Police Department and New Mexico State Police policies involving murderers, all other police agencies in New Mexico should form special grand juries to investigate the many other cases from the different PD.

Santa Rosa and New Mexico State Police Department can be used as prime examples for the rest of the police departments in Albuquerque.

It is obvious, having as many cases as there are on this web site something is very wrong with the law enforcement we tend to rely on to protect and serve.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Enough signatures have now been collected on petitions to empanel special grand juries to review the conduct of members of the New Mexico State Police for their flawed investigations of the Melanie McCracken and Stephanie Houston cases and the Santa Rosa Police Department for their flawed investigation of the Troy Pino Case.

I live in Albuquerque so I was able to go pick up a press conference video in person from the Survivors of Homicide office. When I looked at it I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Its one thing to read about it in the paper but another to look at the faces of the parents and hear exactly what they've been through. You guys did a great job and your demands are so clear and strong how could anybody deny them? I pray that you can get the state legislature to fully understand what this is all about.

Where does Gov. Richardson figgure into this? He's the one who could be forcing this through. Why isn't he?

I understand that you taped the Real Crimes Press Conference that you NM guys held last month in Albuquerque with the Melanie McCracken, Stephanie Houston, Stephane Murphey, Kaitlyn Arquette cases, and all the rest of them. Is there a way to order a copy of that video? If all the Real Crimes NM cases are on it, I sure want to see it. Also, I'm part of a homicide surviors group in another state, and we'd like to hold a similar press conference. We'd like to see what you did with yours.

Nora Lynn

Response:FROM REAL CRIMES: The videos are currently being run off and should be available sometime next week. Yes, Nancy Grice and Bill Houston appear on the video. If you want a copy, send a contribution in any amount you can afford to NIA/NM (National Investigations Agency of New Mexico), a non-profit agency that performs investigations without charge for families of homicide victims whose cases have been botched by The System. (The NIA web site is at www.nia-nm.com.)

Real Crimes guarantees that one hundred percent of any donation you make will be used for pro bono investigations for families whose cases weren’t properly investigated by law enforcement. Your check should be sent to NIA/NM, P.O. Box 845, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949. Please, print your address clearly and include an e-mail address in case there’s a problem with delivery.

Re: The captain that Sgt. Damon Fay stated he spoke with. Fay didn't identify the captain by name on this message board, but the captain officially in charge of overseeing the investigation was David Osuna.

On the Jan 30th posting - What Captain lied to Sgt. Damon Fay? It is important.

Freda,

Young as you are, you've had a hard life, and you've experienced things no child should have to experience. Of course, you cling with all your heart to role models that you've placed your trust in. From what you say here, there have not been many such people.

Good luck and God bless.

You sound like a loyal and loving niece. And, of course, none of the people posting on this message board were there when Melanie died. But you and your family weren't there either. The only person who was there was Mark McCracken, and the only information you have about Melanie's death is the story Mark told you.

As you say, you were young at the time and would have had no idea about the complex dynamics of the "abused wife syndrome." I work for a shelter for abused women, and am all too familiar with it. The abusive spouse does appear on the surface to adore his wife or girlfriend. But what goes on behind closed doors is very different from what is shown to the rest of the world. You say Malanie told lies. That fits the pattern. The battered spouse will often lie to cover for her husband, because she wants him to love her and admire her for her loyalty. She tells people her bruises are from accidents or diseases. She hopes that, if she convinces him of her unconditionallove and loyalty, the abuse will stop. Sadly, it usually continues to accelerate. Some women leave in time. Those are the ones we see at the shelter.

FROM THE WEB MASTER:

For Those Who Are Interested:

Go to the Real Crimes home page and click on the link beneath the headline about the REal Crimes press conference that was held in Albuquerque this past week. You may want to think about assembling your own group of families to conduct this same type of press conference in your own area.

Message boards like this are not horrifying they allow people like you to show your support while others can express the truth. Your right not all police are bad, but this case showes there are a lot of them. Police officers did and still are covering up for Mark because their necks are on the line. One of them will jump ship if they already haven't. When a jury hears the actual facts given by Mark himself their will be no doubt he is guilty. This case will finally be where it should have been eight years ago in a court of law. The police officers you say did not cover up anything can no longer control or hide the facts. A jury will. The witnesses they failed to question will not be excluded they will be heard. When this case is over Mark will convicted of First Degree Murdere and along with him the police officers will be charged for covering up the crime. Then they can ask themselves if protecting a murderer was worth it or was the price to high. You should take a long at the real autopsy report before you say their was nothing there. I do feel sorry for his children, because they will see him go to jail, but Nancy is the one I feel more sorry for, her daughter was murdered by Mark and the State Police covered it up.

No I am not attacking Nancy for doing what anyother mother would so if their child was murderer but this case is different. Melanie was not murderer. Were any of you there at that funeral. Did any of you know Melanie before she died. I have been asking a ton of questions and it seems that none of you can answer them. No you did not know them. You do not know any of Marks family. I have yet to see any real investigative reporting done. You all are so bent on making Mark look like a murderer that no one will question any of his family. Why do you classify them all to be in on it? Do you really think they are going to lie about anything. I will have you all know that I do know the family. I did know Melanie before she died. I can also tell all of you would not being doing the same thing as Nancy. Because there wasn't anything there to be concerned about. Why don't you all look into ALL of the facts. But then again that would dissapoint you because then you would know that you are all wrong and that will be proven when this case goes to trial. You all will be sorry that you accused an innocent man of murder. It's almost like the days of old when people thought that there were witches and burned innocent women at the stake. You all might as well be those people. You don't care who it hurts as long as you can pin an innocent person of some sort of wrong doing. I guess people have not really evolved like they want to believe.

For all who are curious: Melanie's father Robert Grice has publicly spoken about how he believes that Mark murdered Melanie. Each family member of a murder victim has to find their own comfort level with pursuing justice. No one begrudges that Mark's family chooses to suport him, but is ironic that Mark McCracken's defenders can only seem to attack Nancy for doing exactly what they would do themselves if a loved one were murdered and the authorities turned their backs.

I'm so glad that people like you all sit around with your time and judge other people. I am sure that other people have judged you before and you did not find it to be such a "justice". Maybe before accusing him you should hear what Melanies father has to say. So far I have yet to read or hear about anything he has said. Is there a reason why he is staying quiet? Is it because Nancy has made it that way. I find it interesting that none of you would ever come to these allegations without the words she has spoken. You all feed off of others bad news. You feed off of lies and deciet. Do any of you know any of Mr. McCrackens family? Also regarding a question about his father, yes he died of cancer. I will not diclose any further information then that. You say he was controling and an abuser. Check his backgroud. Where he came from. What his family was like. I am sure you will find it to be quite interesting that he has no record of being abusive or into anything illegal. I also can remember when Melanie died. I remember Nancy hung onto Mark for support and then she started accusing him of murder. Melanie was never kept from her family. She never liked to be alone. Would not go anywhere without Mark on her own choice. Maybe all of you should find out all of the facts before you judge him of being guilty. Did any of you know that he was brought up in a christian environment? I bet that none of you can tell me what kind of upbringing he had. Also I would like to include that you should not bring up his father. His father was a great man. A man that fearer nothing because he believed that god was there with him all the time. I believe the same and I also believe that god is with Mark, his wife, and children. Some of you on this board should find out all the facts before judging.

Every time a Mark McCracken supporter posts in his defense it brings me joy. Since it means that when he is convicted it will be by a jury of his peers that has an open mind about the evidence presented at trial. Such open mindedness means one less avenue for appeal for him to try to get out of the pennitentiary. He has chosen a top lawyer and most likely the trial will be moved. Such fairness is the bedrock of the legal system and reduces the chances that he will ever taste freedom after his conviction. A miminum sentence of 30 years for a man who is 42 does not bode well for him ever participating in those things that we often take for granted like graduations and weddings.

It is too bad that he doesn't realize that it is as much about the coverup as it is the crime. For not only is there interest in punishing Mark McCracken for his actions, but an even greater interest in punishing those government officials who helped him to avoid justice for eight years. Too bad since it could ultimately make a difference in his ability to participate in those things too often taken for granted.


Mike Corwin

Sgt. Damon Fay of the Albuquerque Police Department has posted on this board that he personally finds the circumstances of Melanie’s death “highly suspicious.” He stated that a captain at the NMSP lied to him about the status of the investigation and that somebody (the implication is that this was that same captain) then phoned Melanie’s mother, pretending to be Sgt. Fay, and threatening the mother if she continued to question the circumstances of her daughter’s death.

That is not “the newspapers” speaking – that is APD – a fellow police department!

I am writing about the case of Melanie McCracken. For those of you who think that all cops are bad I have news for you. While you are comfortably sleeping in your bed feeling safe and secure those men are out there protecting your homes and your families. They give their lives up for you to be safe. Now in the case of Melanie there was no injustice the news papers and everyone else is making it out to be like he did it. Have any of you thought that maybe newspapers don't sell well unless there is something like a murder in or some other horrible news convicting someone of something that they are innocent of. I do hope that none of you consider yourselves Christians because if you do then you also know that no one has the right to judge except for God himself. Mark McCracken is innocent and that will be proven. He and his family are being caused grief. How would you feel if you children saw something horrible about you on tv and it wasn't true. Or better yet how would you feel if you were being accused of something that you didn't do. How about someone you love. You would try to help them through it and find message boards like this horrifying. You would take a second look at what the media says about people and think it through. Now I know that there are bad cops out there. I have delt with some of them. The state police department did not cover anything up because there wasn't anything to cover up. But none of you know that you would rather believe what the media says about people because you don't have the mind to make up and make your own decisions about people. You would rather believe innocent people to be guilty. The autopsy did not show anything for her cause of death either time. So how is it that you can believe him to be guilty? Are you that desperat to see someones life being destroyed?

The DAMON FAY situation is real interesting.

Either he did phone Melanie's mom and threaten to have her arrested, which like he says would not be legal since he's APD and had no jurisdiction. But if he has friends at the State Police he might have agreed to intimidate the mom and stop her from moving forward with her own investigation. Those guys do seem to scratch each others backs.

OR ... maybe Sgt. Fay is the GOOD GUY. Maybe he DIDN'T make that phone call and somebody at the State Police called Melanie's mom and impersonated Sgt. Fay.

FROM THE WEB MASTER:

On Jan. 21, 2004, the families of 24 NM homicide cases, most of which are featured on this Real Crimes website, held a press conference in Albuquerque to demand police accountability. The response has been phenominal. To read all about it go to:

Jan. 21, 2004:
Front page article in Albq. Tribune, banner headline:
www.abqtrib.com/archives/news04/012104_news_victims.shtml

Additional coverage:

Jan. 21, 2004 Albq. Tribune, along with the main article, on a back page, there are descriptions of the individual cases.
www.abqtrib.com/archives/news04/012104_news_vicside.shtml

Univision:
The press conference was covered by Univision, the Hipanic/Spanish language TV network with links to cable nationwide.

On Jan. 23, 2004, the Tribune ran a follow-up story:

STATE POLICE CASES TO GET SECOND LOOK
State Police have agreed to re-examine the 1998 hit-and-run death of a Bernalillo man and say other old cases may get a second look as well.
The news comes two days after 24 families banded together as the New Mexico Justice Project to demand better accountability from law enforcement agencies they say have botched investigations into their loved ones' deaths.
"The response from the public and law enforcement has begun," said Gabino Venegas Jr., spokesman for the group and father of the man killed in the crash six years ago this month. (ETC.)

TO APD SGT. DAMON FAY FROM NANCY GRICE, MELANIE MCCRACKEN'S MOTHER:

I am very interested to know the identity of the NMSP Captain that Mr. Fay spoke with. The one who stated to him there was an active NMSP investigation in progress.

As everyone knows by now there were numerous allegations made by various ranks of NMSP about their alleged thorough and complete investigation into Melanie's death. We all know now that investigation never took place.

An adult male did call me, identifying himself as Damon Fay and ordering me to cease & desist or face arrest for obstruction of an on going police investigation. That call was made to my office when I was employed at Carrie Tingley within a few days of my meeting with Mr. Fay. I never had a reason to believe it wasn't Mr. Fay, as I never heard any more from him after that.

Perhaps he and I should talk about this, as we apparently both were misinformed. And if somebody called me and impersonated Mr. Fay, it is important for both of us to know who that person was.
Nancy Grice

Damon Fay's name also appears in the Stephen Haar case.

Oh....and one more thing Sarge! I was also wondering if any of those drug trafficking, homicidal killers were employed by anyone you knew anxiously awaiting those shippments of Asian Heroine coming off the corridor of Mexico when Kaitlyn, Stephan, Peter, and Garbino were all unmercifully run down, and gun down at the time of their deaths?

Was good ole buddy boy "Matt Griffin" robbing all those banks to help pay for those shippments being hidden in that Chop shop over there off Lomas? I hear that Asian Heroine is the best in all the land and costs a pretty penny!

OOP's

Dear Sgt. Damon Fey,

I was just wondering since you were so gracious to explain yourself about Mrs. Grice's case over her daughters death, I was wondering if you would be so couragous to explain how your name seems to mysteriously appear in other cases on this website. I was also wondering if you have any idea why all these cases you have represented yourself as homicide investigations, appear to be drug connected?

I am courious why they all appear to be in favor of the perpetrators and not the victim's?

I hope you don't mind me saying this.....and forgive me if I offend you, of-course I seem to have a nack for "Stirring the cauldron" so to speak, but you seem to favor drug trafficker/dealer homicide related cases. It's quite amazing and I can't help but express how interesting the connections and if I didn't know better, I would have to say these cases appear to be covering up drug trafficking and drug dealer homicides.

Have "ALL" these families accidently misunderstood your explanations as to why their children are dead and why their killers have gone free?

CASE CLOSED???

( :

Hello. Read about the plight of the 23 families in the ABQ Tribune last night. Hope the best for you all.

Have you ever wondered why New Mexico year-after-year rates as one of the bottom 5 states in quality of life (Morgan Quitno surveys), while our sister state, Colorado, consistently rates in the top 5 states, although both states are very similar in demographics, physical characteristics and climate? I, too, have wondered about it. My conclusion is that New Mexico is in the dung heap because we have just about the most corrupt politicians of any state. I've heard it said that New Mexico has the best politicians that drug money can buy. One of the biggest factors that Quitno uses is crime statistics. New Mexico AND ABQ consistently rate at the very top and states and cities for crime level - especially high violent crimes. Your hapless family and the many others victimized by these often horrific crimes pretty much prove that point.

Have you also ever wondered why that when criminals are arrested, whether you are talking about DWIs or burglars or car thieves or assaulters or murderes, the system here extends almost no support to the victims and their families while doing its very best to get the criminals off the hook. Seven years ago, our truck was stolen, found later stripped. I talked to a police sergeant about it. He told me that there were car thieves right here in ABQ who have been arrested 7-8 times for car theft, but because of our judges, they are still on the street. In fact, Resendiz (the Railroad Killer) was arrested and released several times here in ABQ for stealing cars.

If you analyze the problem, the conclusion is that one or more persons in very high authority in our State is a criminal kingpin - pulling all of the strings in secret. Truth is that no matter how much you or the other victimized families bang your heads against the walls trying desperately to obtain justice and to prevent what happened to your loved ones from happening to anyone else, you will make very little progress unless and until you identify who this kingpin(s) is, and permanently put him out of commission.

Over the last 7 years or so, I have identified one very powerful politician who in my personal belief is probably at least one of the kingpins here. That person is Tom Udall. In fact, I have a 8/29/99 email letter from Lois Duncan which states, "I set up an appointment to meet with Udall about Kait's case, and he stood us up." It seems to me that if Udall had acted responsibly and solved Kaitlyn's murder and prosecuted the murderers, then perhaps many of these other gangster-related crimes in this area would have never occurred. In my opinion, Tom Udall has the blood of the victims on his hands!

Just to name a few additional findings: (1) Based on Udall family websites, Tom Udall is the proud great grandson of mass murderer John D. Lee ("Moutain Meadows Massacre); (2) in the late 1980s, Udall Corp. was building airstrips in Costa Rica apparently to service Colombian drug lords (when discovered by Costa Rican officials, were kicked out, and then serviced Panama Dictator, international drug kingpin and pedophile Manuel Noriega); (3) In Udall's 8 years as our AG, Udall never prosecuted a single major drug lord or gangster in New Mexico - yet as AG he helped prosecute a 15 year old Clovis boy falsely accused of stealing a $1.49 package of beef jerky; (4) in 1997, Udall filed an apparently false financial disclosure statement required by all Congressional candidates, in which he stated that he made less than $5,000 in the previous 2 years (thereby keeping secret how much he really made); (5) Udall's close friend and major contributor is an internationally known sexual tantrist (who on his website, asks his followers to proclaim that they are God every day), and during Udall's 8 years as our AG as far as I can find never tried to get us a Megan's law or in any way curtail the flood of sex criminals who regard New Mexico as a haven. Much of this information you can verify yourself, and I can document my findings. Consider that Patricia Madrid has also apparently not prosecuted a single major drug lord or gangster since she has been our AG.

You may also want to look into Tom Udalls political donors. Udall receives huge amounts of donations from attorneys and law firms, many of them located in Texas, New York and California. It is a known fact that gangsters pay off politicians by laundering their payoffs and bribes through lawyers and law firms. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that any of these donating lawyers and law firms are criminal fronts. Possibly none are. However, in my opinion, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it is probably a duck. Regardless of who the politician is, monies that he/she receives in which the originator may be hidden should be thoroughly investigated.

Consider if you were a drug kingpin, what position in New Mexico's government would be the absolutely required position for you to operate within the state with virtual impunity? Clearly, that would be the position of Attorney General. And clearly, New Mexico is controlled from top to bottom by organized criminals. Add that to my findings about Udall. Anyone who believes that our police and prosecutors are going to solve any crime in this state that could even remotely jeopardize or cut into much of the profits of the criminal kingpin(s) then he or she is seriously delusional.

I have found several other very disturbing findings about Udall. Should you be interested, please provide me your mailing address or fax number so I can send you my report. If you know anything about Udall - good or bad - just as long as it is the truth to the best of your knowledge and beliefs, please provide me your information (anonymous is OK).

In any event, please respond. I await your response. John Williams

VIEWERS--I got a phone call some years ago from close friend and defense attorney Randi McGinn. She asked me if I would talk to Nancy Grice about her daughter's death. I agreed and did. After she layed out the facts and circumstances, I shared in her frustration and made some phone calls for her to the NMSP. I learned that the case was under active investigation through a State Police Captain. Since it was an active investigation with another agency and it occurred in another county from Bernalillo, the Albuquerque Police Department COULD NOT take the case. It was NEVER my (or APD's) case for Nancy to "obstruct." Thus, I NEVER told Nancy that I would (or could) arrest her. One cannot make an arrest for obstructing in a case in which they are not involved. I saw a very sad and grieving woman in Nancy and I sympathized with her. (I rather think she has confused me with someone else with this allegation.) I called Randi McGinn back and told her that APD couldn't take the case because of a lack of jurisdiction and an active investigation with yet another agency but I wholly agreed with her that there were highly suspicious circumstances that warranted a full investigation. Randi McGinn thanked for my time. Had I told Nancy Grice she would have been arrested for obstructing, Randi McGinn would have skinned me alive and I would have lost a close friend in her. The allegation is untrue and the threat of arrest never took place. Sgt. Damon Fay-Albuquerque Police Department.

FROM THE WEB MASTER:

There's a new case on the Real Crimes web site. Please, read the story about Russell Cage.

This will be of particular interest to those of you who have concerns about forensic issues and murders concealed as suicides.

If you would like to send a message to Russell's family, you can post it on the General Message Board or send an e-mail to and we will forward it.

While there have been some very good advances this year, we still have a long way to go- but hopefully the January press conference will help to highlight the problems here in New Mexico.

Yesterday, Patrick Murillo was let out of jail on his own recognizance. Unbelievably, the assistance district attorney failed to utter a single word to support his bail request at Murillo's arraignment. Despite the fact that Stephanie contacted a law firm to seek info on a restraining order just a few days before her death. Despite the fact that Patrick Murillo filed frivoulous criminal charges (that were dismissed before trial) against Bill Houston to try to keep him from pushing for a re-opening of the case. Despite the documented history of Murillo physically abusing women including arrests. Despite a paternity suit while married, Murillo's lawyer called him a family man and a pillar of the community. Yet, not a peep out of the ADA.

It makes us wonder whether the ADA who got the indictment of Murillo actually presented all of the evidence to the grand jury that was at his disposal.We think quite possibly the domestic violence info may have been ingored or downplayed perhaps to limit the grand jury to a homicide by vehicle indictment instead of a murder indictment.

However in a very positive move, Bill Houston and Nancy Grice are joining together to create a citizen's grand jury petition to investigate whether taxpayer money has been used by government employees and contractors to conceal domestic violence homicides in Valencia County. This petition, which will hopefully be ready to file with the court by the end of January, may well lead to one of the most sweeping investigations into corruption in the country and hopefully will serve as a wakeup call to the powers that be that "we the people means we the people".

If anyone is interested in helping to obtain signatures of registered voters in Valencia County please contact me by e-mail at corwinri@nmia.com. Thank you.

Mike Corwin

Mr. Houston, It has been a long in coming! Congratulations. You and that Mike Corwin are something else!

Something interesting is going to be happening in Albuquerque in January, 2004.

Gabino Venegas, the father of Gabino George Venegas, whose story is on this web site, is organizing a press conference in Albuquerque, NM, to present a list of demands for ways in which New Mexico law enforcement can be forced to be held accountable for their actions.

Twenty-three families of NM homicide victims whose cases were corruptly investigated by an assortment of New Mexico law enforcement agencies, will participate. Those agencies include the New Mexico State Police, Albuquerque Police Department, Santa Rosa Police Department, Bloomfield Police Department, Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety, Socorro Police Department, Gallup Police Department and Navajo Tribal Council Investigators.

Stay tuned.

It seems whoever wrote about an "innocent" man being convicted has to keep telling themselves that because your conscience is telling you he is guilty. No matter how many times you say it out loud or write it down the fact he is guilty will not change. You try to blame their deaths on the parents and as you say their lack of involvement in their "real" lives. If Ms. Grice had known about Melanie's "real" life, your right she probably wouldn't have died, because his abuse would have been stopped. If my daughter were being abused by her husband you wouldn't be reading about her mysterious death you would be reading about his. Some people say they look like they couldn't hurt a fly be careful flies don't always die.

This worked for Mr. Houston! He kept at it and at it and at it and finally made the breakthrough.

Please God that every family with a case on this web site does the same.

I find it very interesting how these parents are involved in their children's lives now that they are no longer with us. I wonder how involved they were when they were alive. Maybe that is part of the problem, they did not know their "real" lives.

A loss of a loved one will carry on for an eternity. How will the conviction of an innocent man ride on your conscience?

Re: Stephanie Houston case:

It really makes me feel good to see Justice finally coming around. This is so exciting!!!! It will really add to and spice up the big press conference in Albuquerque in January, huh? I bet you are beside yourself with anticipation. I am not a part of the homicides in NM but I sure feel a part and I am counting the days so I know time must really be dragging for those of you really involved. My thoughts and prayers are with you guys. Hang in there.

Way to go Bill Houston!!!!
Congratulations!!! I can't tell you how exhilarating this news is and how proud so many people are of you. You are a true shining example of a father's love. You have worked long and hard and your hard work and determination has not only brought justice to your daughter but it has, and is, helping the others of us still fighting for justice. Your tireless efforts give us all the courage to keep on going on. You have my deepest sympathy for your loss and my admiration for all you have done and continue to do.
BARB THOMPSON,
RONDA REYNOLDS MOTHER

From the Web Master:

A note of hope for all who are battling for justice: Another of our Real Crimes cases moves forward:

STEPHANIE HOUSTON'S KILLER HAS BEEN INDICTED!

Thursday, Dec. 18: Late this PM, Patrick Murillo was indicted for vehicular homicide in the killing of Stephanie Houston.

The indictment is a direct result of a personal investigation conducted by Stephanie's father, Bill Houston, and his private investigator, Mike Corwin. In July, 2002, Bill was charged with stalking for attempting to obtain information about his daughter's killer. But he persevered.

The case in a nutshell: Stephanie died Feb. 27, 2000, in Belen, NM, when her jealous and abusive boyfriend, Patrick Murillo, ran her over with his truck. The investigating agency was the New Mexico State Police. OMI urged that the death by investigated as a homicide, but the NMSP refused to do that. Scene investigator, Mark McCracken, (who has since been indicted for first degree murder in the death of his own wife, Melanie McCracken), told the media that the State Police had fully investigated the case and Stephanie caused her own death because she was falling-down drunk. In truth, police had questioned no witnesses and done no reconstruction. The toxicology test showed Stephanie had consumed about one beer. It has taken Bill Houston and his PI almost four years to get this case to the Grand Jury.

For more information about this case, go back to the Real Crimes home page and scroll down to "Stephanie Houston." The "Crystal Houston" case is also on our web site. Stephanie's sister, Crystal, was murdered in Socorro, NM, fourteen months after Stephanie. The investigatinig agency was the Socorro Police Dept. Bill and his PI are continuing to work on Crystal's case.

Is there a way to view archived messages?

Response:From the Web Master: Yes, it's possible for us to access archived messages. But it's a real hassle, since there are so many message boards and literally thousands of posts. So we prefer not to do that unless the request comes from the family of a victim, a private investigator, an attorney, a reporter, etc. -- somebody with a real need for archived information.

Conduct and process all crime scenes as if they were homicides.

The term "staging" should not be used to describe the actions of surviving family members who cover or redress a loved one, who is found nude or has died in an embarrassing situation. These activities are certainly understandable considering the shock experienced by a relative who encounters the sudden and violent death of a loved one. Investigating suspicious deaths are more often times a "gut" feeling that something was amiss. (Actually, that "gut" feeling is your subconscious reaction to the presentation, which should alert you to the possibility that, things are not always what they appear to be, consistent with equivocal death investigations).
Equivocal death investigations are those inquiries that are open to interpretation. There may be two or more meanings and the case may present as either a homicide or a suicide depending upon the circumstances. The facts are purposefully vague or misleading as in the case of a "staged crime scene." Or, the death is suspicious or questionable based upon what is presented to the authorities. The deaths may resemble homicides or suicides; accidents or naturals. They are open to interpretation pending further information of the facts, the victimology and the circumstances of the event.

In "staged crime scenes," however, the presentation of the homicide victim and the manipulation of the crime scene by a clever offender could make the death appear to be a suicide. A good investigator will have worked many such cases and the truth of the matter is initially, the cases do look like suicides.
The most common type of staging occurs when the perpetrator changes elements of the scene to make the death appear to be a suicide or accident in order to cover up a murder. The second most common type of staging is when the perpetrator attempts to redirect the investigation by making the crime appear to be a sex-related homicide.

The Dateline update on the McCracken case, that was pre-empted from Friday night, aired on Sunday, Nov. 16.

"Odd and strange death investigation practices!"
Melanie McCracken
Stephanie Houston
Robert Mireles
Dale Claycomb

I encourage you to run with it while you have the chance. This chance may not come again. Not everyone on here gets this opportunity; don't let it slip away.

I feel so deeply for you people. I understand why your angry. But I tried to speak to Mrs. Claycomb and everything I said was discredited. I do this on my own time, I take time out of my time to do this. I don't have a family member who was murdered. I don't know any of you. I do this, because this is my calling and I am good at what I do! No... you will probably never know me. You don't need to know me to see what I am telling you.

Your fathers house was cleared out quickly because of the evidence that was NOT there. With the indications of an accidental death such as your fathers....there would have been more in that home than was found there. Clearing out the home prevented his death from being seen as anything more than an accident. Let me say it this way. There was NOT ENOUGH in the home to prove it was an accident. We spend our time thinking that the amount of physical evidence is what determines the cause of death. But in some situations, these types of case especially, what you do not see or find, because it isn't there can turn a case into a whole other story; the amount of physical evidence that would need to be there to prove it was indeed an accident, was not there. It would look something like this...in the investigation there was a note found indicating the victim felt a need to be concerned or felt worry for his well being. The home had so such indications that a history of this type of behavior could be identifiable. His blood content level was also marked as extremely high, leaving the suspicion there may have been foul play. Further investigation is recommended at this time. This can be the evidence in and of itself. That was the whole purpose. Look at Melanies crime scene.....it was what was not found that made her death scene suspicious. You can either have to much evidence or not enough. Same pattern....there was no medication or no evidence of anything in the home to indicate she committed suicide and the autopsy verified that finding. This is what I am saying. There was not enough evidence in the home to determine your father's death was accidental and if the note had been collected and turned into and made available to the pathologists I bet there would have been reason to have it more thoroughly investigated.

See the simularities, that to me is a marked perpetrator and we could even called it a signature .....there was not enough evidence in the home to indicate his death should have been ruled an accident, so the home was cleared out and the death scene was cleaned up so no one could try to prove other wise. But they knew that....they knew the home did not contain enough evidence to show that your father was into anything that would cause him harm. Strangulation by a rope and a few items scattered is not enough and his alcohol content was so high he could not have been anything more than on the verge of passing out. YES! There is a link .... a big one and you also know it. Just like the link to Robert Mireles death...and I hope that one will be pursued to be reopened as well.

What I hope your family will do..... while the doors are opened with suspicion casted upon the NMSP and their odd and strange death investigation practices and because your father's and Robert Mireles connection to Melanie is clearly evident....you will pursure this issue to the extent of which you get your fathers case looked at as well.

This is the time.....take it and run with it.....
Find that note and if you can't find the note....you find the two who can verify the exsistance of that note. You will need your wifes persistance because it takes a lot out of survivors to do what they are doing on here and you can't give up once you start. You have to run the whole race. You have to make it your mission to know and persistance will have transform into a passion to reveal the truth.

Premeditated with intent and tampering with evidence. You have to know what your doing to stage a crime scene and you have to have an eye for the one who knows a staged crime scene when they see it.

If you look the other way when I am trying to help you, then I am wasteing my time. I am not hostile towards anyone; I am trying to be straight forward about your journey. You have to read all these other peoples stories....look at how many years they have devoted to their lost. Look how many dead ends they have faced and they are still ploughing through, determined to get to the truth. You have to be this way too!!!! This isn't no easy journey. It is harder to stay focused and follow through, than it is to give up. Giving up is easy. Giving up and convincing yourself it was an accident is the easiest way. What you see here are all these peoples chasing their hearts. Each one of these victims are apart of someones heart. Thats what these families are chasing. They are chasing a portion of their lost hearts.

If you have a child ... and in your case your father. There is a heart connection that causes people to search till the end of time for something they desire...in this case, it happens to be the families of the victims of homicide, that cases them to chase the lost portion of their heart. That takes strength, determination, love, anger, frustration, devotion, ...... ARE YOU READY!

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For those of us with a possible murder at the hands of a police officer, it is heartening to have watched the update on Dateline, Sunday 11/16. hopefully, the d.a. will actually try to convict this man. it's too bad Ms. Grice had to wait this long to have her chance at justice for her daughter. my prayers are with you. melinda wagner, mother of natalie lyn wagner

Well....I have tried to help. Although I seem to get the blunt end of the hostility of the fighting survivors of homicide. I will not be able to come on here and help any more....but I want to leave you one last thing.

Did you know that you can apply pressure to the throat right underneath the chin gradually cutting off the airway without leaving a bruise or breaking the hyphoid bone...leaving absolutley no evidence linking to a homicide. Dales blood alcohol level was at such a high content that it was ...even for a known drinker to have got himself in such a predicament as he was found in.....

That note was SOOOooooo important to the crime scene......

I wish you the best and I hope all of you on here find the answers you so deserve and I hope all of you get justice ....

God bless!

What happened to the Dateline Story? Watched Dateline Friday night and there was nothing on there about this case.

Response:From the Web Master:

The story was apparently pre-empted and will be rescheduled. This often happens with "follow-up" stories, because they're shorter than the originals and can be easily moved to a different time slot if one of the major stories runs on too long.

This is highly irritating when you're told a story will air and are sitting there waiting for it.

I want to offer my total support to Danny Claycomb and his wife for their attempt to obtain information about Dale Claycomb's suspicious death.

I personally don't have information. But I am sure there are people who do. I hope they will devulge it. One murder is awful. Two are twice that. But if there is a third one, that goes out of orbit.

Lets stop a fourth one from happening.

Nancy: I admire your courage and determination. I, along with millions, will be watching Friday night, thinking of you and praying for justice. It is Mothers like you that give hope to Mothers like myself and give us the courage to keep going. Hang in there and God Bless you.
Barb thompson

An update on the Melanie Grice McCracken story is scheduled for Friday, 11/14, on Dateline NBC. This will likely include information on the grand jury indictment of Mark McCracken for first degree willful and premeditated murder and evidence tampering.

Sorry for two posts in a row, but I am incouraged that there are others who see Dads - (Dales) death and the circumstances as suspicious. It helps me feel less crazy that I am not the only one. This has been so wierd for me. People I work with are always asking for developments with the situation and I feel stupid answering them because I thought things like this only happened in the movies or on television dramas. I feel silly telling them about it. I just can't let my gut feeling go though. Danny Claycomb

My wife does not deserve any hostility form anyone on this board. She only shared what she did and quit sharing because of how much she cares for me. She was only acting as my messenger. NOt only that, but my wife is also incredibly good at getting things done. That is a tallent I do not posses when it comes to research. I would not have 75% of the info. I have and gave, were it not for her. Now, in regaurds to what I feel in my gut. I did know my father very well, and there are personal things I know that are not suitable for discussion on this board. I do not think "accident" feels or sounds right. If you want a "personal" type of question answered, than you should already know how to ask me, and I should already know who you are. Any other questions that I deem suitable for answering on this board will be answered...... most likely by my wife, after she has consulted with me. I want to know what really happened, and the only reason I am posting here with my concerns is because I have a feeling..... mind you a feeling, that he could be dead because of a possible link to Melanie. I don't know that. I feel, think, or what ever any of you want to call "that". If anyone has information that I can verify, which may link the deaths, I could really use it. Thank you to those who had encouraging posts in response to mine. Danny Claycomb

Response:FROM THE WEB MASTER:

If anyone has information for Danny Claycomb and does not feel comfortable posting it on this message board, you can send a private e-mail to justiceproject@earthlink.net, and we will forward it to Danny.

wow, Danny. I have never seen this board be so hostile. I think everyone is taking out there frustration on you that they have for your wife. She was so intent on getting information and supplying so much, then she just quit - just disappeared. If you want to clear some issues up that were mentioned a little before this, or have specific questions, just ask and I am sure someone has a response. If you are afraid, which may be wise - who knows, then use whatever resource was listed below.

You do not HAVE to know something is wrong. I think you showing up here, says something. Not one person on this board represents all of us. You are just going to have to filter through information and questions on here to get your answers. Don't let individuals scare you away. You do what you want.

I can't see as anything has changed from the time before.

But if you read back, Danny posted the message looking for information, from those here on the message board, to give to him! Which your answer was exactly what I was looking for; a good enough reason for people to not stick their necks out, to help if we can.

If he knows who to contact and who he can trust, then I guess he should do it!

Danny has already stated that he's willing to communicate. But he doesn't need to do that on this message board where his thoughts can be read by the wrong people who will then know exactly what evidence they need to destroy.

He knows whom he can safely contact. And he can do that privately.

I agree with you, things do not add up and their are several people on here that believe the way I do. But what I am looking to here from you is ....this doesn't fit....the note, the alcohol blood content, the urgency to clear out the house, things missing from his personal belongings, your conversation with him never lead you to believe he was so depressed he was suicidal or would even remotely do anything to endanger himself. Not able to make contact with the investigating office from state police.....what you were told and what don't fit....the pieces Danny.....what are the pieces that make you suspicious? These are the things that you feel you can share or that you can not share because your not ready....

I am aking you to be ready to communicate.

So what I am hearing you say Danny is; "You feel there are questions that have been unanswered, things do not add up, things you heard do not fit and you are suspicious that your fathers accident may not have been as accidental as people would have you believe?" Well, certainly things do not add up to me and I am not a family member. What anyone else thinks does not matter. What you think does. The reason I asked you this question ..... "You as Dales son, are the only one who's gut intuition matters." Because you are apart of him. You know your father and you know what you feel inside yourself about your father. What others have told you doesn't matter because you KNOW the truth, inside yourself without anyone of us trying to tell you what we think. You have to be ready to move forward and know your determined to make that decision. If that direction causes you to back away, then you will go on awlays wondering. Take for instance this website. Not anyone on here believes their child or family member's death has been vindicated and that is why they are here. Yet, even though they have not got the answeres they know are there and that still small but strong loud voice in them tells them differently. Because we will need your help to find those answers you are looking for. "What I am searching for is this; "My father did not die they way he said he did!" When you go through these crime stories on here you will read everyone of them say......I know what the investigation is showing me is not true. Because these families 'KNOW!'

That's all that is important to them. It don't matter what I think or what anyone of us on here thinks. We can all plant suspicion in your mind, but we can not plant it in your heart. That is only something you know.

That's a good response, Danny, straight forward and courageous. My prayers and those of many others are with you in your search for the truth.

In response to the question of whether or not my Dads death was accidental or not, all I can say is I am not completely convinced that it was accidental. There have been too many coinsidences and wierd things that happened and were said to be completely sure that he died accidentaly or that there was foul play involved. I just don't want to let it go until I am satisfied with the evidence (proof) in either direction. I just don't have enough answers yet, and some of the questions only open more cans of worms. I needed a break from the drama in order to deal with my loss, and now that I have had time to do that, I am ready to find the truth, and get to the bottom of this mess. Danny Claycomb

There's no way for any family to know for certain whether a loved one's death was an accident. All they have to go on is what they're told and what is in the coronor's report.

It's policy for the case investigator to be present at the autopsy, and his input has a strong influence on the coronor's findings. If the investigator has a personal reason to want a suspicious death to be labeled an accident or a suicide, he can guide the coronor to come to that conclusion with such statements as "friends say the victim was very depressed over his financial situation" or "the victim has a history of self-destructive behavior."

Danny, do you believe your fathers death was an accident? Lets get that out of the way in the beginning. There is no sense in trying to look at this case if you are convinced he died accidently!

If there is any information or suspicions any of you might have about my father's (Dale Claycomb) death, I would love to hear it. I was the last to speak to my father before he died - a couple of hours before. I miss him and want to know if there is a connection to the McCracken case. Thank you, Danny Claycomb

Not to mention all those former State Police officers who filed descrimination charges on the department as well. Looks like a whole can of worms to me.....

I think it is fantastic!
I think your right. They are certainly going to have to fix that commercial!

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The Houston case will be a successful case too!
Valincia County seems to be cleaning house

Yes....I agree to "KEEPING TRACK OF WITNESSES!"
Since the predator is still on the prowl.

The Stephanie Houston case is scheduled to go to the Grand Jury this coming Friday. Please, familiarize yourselves with this case by reading the account on this web site. Stephanie died when her abusive boyfriend, Patrick Murillo, ran her down with his truck when he realized she was going to leave him.

The scene investigator was none other than NM State Police Officer Mark McCracken.

Like Melanie's mother, Nancy Grice, Stephanie's father, Bill Houston, has been engaged in a heartwrenching day-to-day struggle to force the NM State Police to perform an honest investigation of his daughter's suspicious death.

We need to keep track all the witnesses in the case. Watch and see if any die or perhaps hang themselves in their garages or bedrooms!

Editorial in today's Albq. Journal:

SIC GRAND JURY ON SLACK INVESTIGATIONS!

The exoneration of a State Police officer who shot a neighbor's dog comes at a time when his department's credibility couldn't be much lower. (This refers to an incident on Oct. 25, when NM State Police Officer Tomas Maes shot a neighbor child’s Golden Retriever puppy in the face with a 45-caliber handgun, because it wandered into his yard after the neighbor, Vanessa Salizar, 12, accidentally left a gate open. The State Police exonerated Maes of any wrongdoing.) ........ Some neighbors who are familiar with the dog are skeptical of the claim that Scooby posed a threat that justified any kind of force, much less deadly force. An investigation that skirted talking to the dog's owners didn't do much to allay that skepticism. Nor did a story unfolding in Valencia County involving another investigation by the agency of one of its own officers....

The editorial goes on to describe the (non)-investigation of the Melanie McCracken case and ends with the statement: "The grand jury that indicted (NM State Police Lt. Mark McCracken) called for another grand jury to look at the State Police conduct in the wake of the alleged crime. Good idea. At the very least, the State Police are guilty of breaking what the special prosecutor in the case calls Rule No. 1: "Never -- ever -- investigate your own agency."
That's a rule the DPS and State Police should not be allowed to break with impunity, whether in a murder case or a dog-shooting.

I'm Abby Reichardt, the daughter of Warren Pritchett, Jr. who was killed by Gregory Keiser when Keiser plowed into my father while he was riding his bicycle. His case is on this web site. It pleases me when I see justice is finally being served in Melanie McCracken's case. However, it frustrates me to no end that it has to take so long.

Although the trial for my father's "murder", (that's what I know it was but don't know how to prove it yet), was over in June, and Keiser was found guilty by a jury, there still has not been a sentencing. Keiser's attorney has filed a motion for a retrial based on the grounds that the DA introduced evidence that SHOWED BLOOD and therefore might PREJUDICE THE JURY. My father's body was MUTILATED...of course there's going to be blood!

Both the DA and the defendant's attorney have filed their legal memorandums. The judge still has not made a ruling on the retrial. It amazes me how this process takes so long. It reflects a great amount of disrespect for the survivors of the victims. I have once again written letters to Attorney General M. Jane Brady and Lt. Governor John Carney to express my frustrations as to the way that this case has been handled from day one. Neither one responded.

AG Brady passed her letter off onto the DA Steve Welch and had him address my concerns. My family had to meet with the Chief Presentence Investigation Officer. We had to submit a heartfelt letter detailing how the loss of my father has had an impact on our individual lives. We gave him everything and now guess what... He has mysteriously left his job (no one seems to know why) and he never submitted the report.

Now we have to start all over again with a new P.I.O. The first one was going to suggest that Keiser definitely get jail time, who's to say that the new P.I.O. will feel the same way? Once again, we may be screwed.

When I hear good news like the McCracken case, I still have hope. Thank you, Nancy Grice, for bringing me hope.

Maybe we are going to all get lucky and get to see Brown and Ortez get their day in court too....

who's smiling now!
I sure am!

( :

Well....isn't that interesting. They want another Grand Jury investigation. I think that is perrrrfect.

The Grand Jury wants the NM State Police to be investigated!

Also from today's paper:

Randall Harris, a special prosecutor appointed to assist the Valencia County grand jury, said Monday evening grand jurors requested that another grand jury be empaneled to "review the conduct" of the State Police in the inquiry. Harris said he has passed on that request in a letter to Valencia County District Attorney Lemuel Martinez.
"This seemed to be a very strong request," said Harris, who served 12 years as district attorney for the Ninth Judicial District based in Clovis.

No wonder McCracken got preferential treatment!

Today's paper says: After Friday's indictment, attorneys in the case arranged for McCracken to surrender Monday rather than be arrested. Harris (the prosecutor) said it was clear from discussions with McCracken's defense attorneys that their client would report to the Valencia County Sheriff's Department, which Harris characterized as an "independent agency."

Instead, McCracken SURRENDERED TO FORMER STATE POLICE COLLEAGUES AT THE OFFICE HE ONCE SUPERVISED. State Police Lt. Robert San Roman said McCracken turned himself in at the Los Lunas State Police office Monday morning. Up until several years ago, McCracken had been a supervisor there. He is a 21-year veteran of the agency.

After being indicted for first degree murder and evidence tampering, Mark McCracken's bail was only 100K, (DWI & drug dealers routinely get 1mil bond), and he only had to post 10K. He is still being given preferential treatment as he was never cuffed and was allowed to show up at his convenience in a chauffeur driven state police unmarked vehicle with blankets over the windows so no one could see him being booked. Valencia County then had under-sheriff Martinez on TV saying that an individual with a distinguished law career had to be treated differently.

That's the moral of all the stories. You have an investigation that gets botched. Which creates another investigation on top of that. The original that was botched and then all the unravelings of the botched....so it takes much longer. Because has on top of the original sets false information, lies, all the interviews have to be read, top of that, half the people who should have been interviewed never were interviewed, so they have to be interviewed and the ones who were interviewed, have to be requestioned and discredited if possible. Once a case becomes a cover up ..... then it actually becomes two cases ....and a tangled mess to unravel.

Agreed....I think we should all thank the new DA of Valincia as well. I believe this case would have always been a throw away case if it had not been for a wonderful NEW DA Team here in Valincia County ...that was the only district who felt the need and desire to buck the New Mexico State Police. As the record shows there has been no agency who was willing to go up against them.....I think their efforts show a great deal of ehtics in Justice. Like "Harris" said....the system can work....you just have to have the right people in there and I believe the DA's office really cared and wanted to see Melanie and Nancy get justice after all.

Nancy, you must have a load lifted from your shoulders. I am so happy for you.

I know also that Mike Corwin has always been a big source of support for you and that he has worked so hard. Thank you Mike.

Maybe they will connect Robert's death to that slime-bag and the Department's inability or unwillingness to behave ethically. Maybe now the FBI MIGHT get involved. I will not hold my breath though.

This is just incredible. If they check the DNA of that child of Mark's new wife, they might find out that he was having an affair at the time he killed Melanie. Which would give a possible motive. Then again, I have learned that motive is not necessarily needed.

My favorite holiday....
Happy Holloween Melanie

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May your soul forever rest in peace!
We love you...
( :

Nancy, this is wonderful news. And, it's about time. Your perseverence has paid off. You've worked hard. What a mom! Let's hope justice will be done now. To see one of our cases move forward gives all of us hope.
(From: Rosemary Sherman mother of John Sherman)

MORE ON MARK MCCRACKEN INDICTMENT

(From the Nov. 1, Albuquerque Tribune on-line):

Nancy Grice has never given up her search for justice in the death of her daughter, Melanie McCracken, eight years ago. "Everyone was furious that I wouldn't just shut up and let it go," Grice wrote in a letter she prepared for a true-crime Web site (Real Crimes).

On Friday, Grice might have gotten what she was looking for. McCracken's husband, retired State Police Lt. Mark McCracken, was indicted by a Valencia County grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in her Aug. 5, 1995, death.

"Justice deferred is justice denied, and I am hopeful that that justice will no longer be denied," special prosecutor Randall Harris said after Friday's indictment "Here's the problem, and the grand jury was very vocal about this. Her death was never treated as a criminal investigation as it should have been from the start. There was no real criminal investigation at all."

And what investigation there was should never have been conducted by State Police, where Mark McCracken was a sergeant at the time of his wife's death, he said. "It is wholly and totally improper for an agency to investigate themselves."…

For years Grice has pointed to numerous discrepancies in her son-in-law's story. Among them:

Why Mark McCracken would rush Melanie to the hospital when he didn't call 911 and when Living Cross Ambulance was only a half mile from their home.

Why Melanie McCracken appeared to have been dead longer than her husband had indicated.

Why no cancer was found in the autopsy report as Mark McCracken had claimed.

Why paramedics had been called on several occasions before the night of Melanie McCracken's death. Grice has long speculated that her daughter's marriage was violent.

The former head of Living Cross Ambulance, who was believed to have records of those calls, was found hanging in his garage the day before he was to be interviewed by "Dateline: NBC," Grice has said.

Grice appealed to the state Attorney General's Office, the state Office of the Medical Investigator, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office and then-Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley to reopen her daughter's case to no avail. She was even threatened with arrest (by APD homicide detective Damon Fay)for interfering with an ongoing investigation, she said in her Web site (Real Crimes) letter.

"She never did give up," Harris said…. He credits Grice for her perseverance. Grice, he said, was in the Los Lunas courthouse when the indictment came down.

"She was very grateful, very tearful," Harris said of Grice, a registered nurse who lives in Veguita. "She expressed her gratitude at the grand jury's decision, and I thanked her for her patience with the criminal justice system."

CONGRATULATIONS See what happens when a mother doesn't give up. Way to go Mom. I'm glad the authorities finally saw the light.

FROM THE WEB MASTER -- MARK MCCRACKEN INDICTED!

(From Nov. 1, Albuquerque Journal on-line):

Eight years ago, New Mexico State Police investigated the mysterious death of Melanie McCracken, the wife of a respected officer in the department. The result: case closed.

On Friday, a Valencia County grand jury working with a special prosecutor took just 10 minutes to decide there was enough evidence to indict retired Lt. Mark McCracken on charges that he killed her and covered up the crime.

THE INDICTMENT CHARGES MCCRACKEN WITH THE "WILLFUL, PREMEDICATED AND DELIBERATE" FIRST DEGREE MURDER OF 24-YEAR-OLD MELANIE MCCRACKEN AT THEIR BOSQUE FARMS HOME. HE IS ALSO CHARGED WITH EVIDENCE TAMPERING.

McCracken, who retired in August after 25 years with the State Police, is scheduled to surrender to authorities Monday. He has denied any involvement in his wife's death....

Special prosecutor Randall Harris said no new evidence emerged but said none was needed.

"They just never seriously investigated this," Harris said. "Rule number one is you never, ever investigate your own agency, and that was where it started."

The indictment comes more than seven years after the state Office of the Medical Investigator ruled the death as "undetermined" and State Police and then-District Attorney Mike Runnels closed the case....

"The moral of this story is there is no such thing as a perfect crime. There is such a thing as imperfect investigation," Harris said. "This case is about an imperfect investigation."

Guess that thread we have all been hanging on ....Just broke!
( :

BREAKING NEWS FROM KOB TV THOUGHT YOU WOULD ALL WANT TO KNOW
Last Update: 10/31/2003 1:00:07 PM
By: Associated Press


(Los Lunas-AP) -- A Valencia County grand jury has indicted a former state police lieutenant on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his wife eight years ago.

The grand jury also indicted Mark McCracken on a charge of evidence tampering.

His attorney, Carolyn Nichols, says McCracken maintains his innocence.

Twenty-five-year-old Melanie McCracken was found dead in the back seat of the family car, which had overturned on New Mexico 47 on August Fifth, 1995.

Mark McCracken has said he was rushing his wife to the hospital after finding her unconscious at their Bosque Farms home.

He has said the accident occurred when he looked back to check on her and the car swerved.

McCracken allowed his wife’s body to be exhumed for a second autopsy last December.

The Office of the Medical Investigator ruled after two autopsies that the cause of death was undetermined.

McCracken retired from the state police on August 31st.

I have just been reading down through all these cases and I am totally amazed at the amount of suspicious murders involving the Albuquerque Police Department. There definitely should be some investigation into their practices as there seems to be some totally corrupt police there. These people are supposed to be protecting the public, but it seems that they in fact need to be protected from them. If there is any justice something should be done to investigate this police department.

FROM THE WEBMASTER:

We have just posted a new case, which is similar in ways to the Melanie McCracken case. It should be of special interest to people whose murdered loved ones were victims of domestic abuse.

Please, take a few minutes to review the heartbreaking story of Susan Hurley Harrison. Susan vanished following a fight with her allegidly abusive estranged husband, Jim Harrison. Two years later she was found in a shallow grave, dead from a blow to the head. Despite an overwhelming amount of circumstantial evidence implicating Jim, and his failure to pass a polygraph test, the Attorney General’s Office refuses to prosecute. Is Jim guilty? If not, who is?

The investigating agencies were the Baltimore County Police Dept. and the Maryland State Police.

If you would like to communicate with Susan's family, send a message via the Real Crimes e-mail address -- justiceproject@earthlink.net -- and we will forward it.

People seem so amazed that the victim's family can’t “MAKE the police investigate”?

I’m a private investigator, and let me tell you something -- families of homicide victims have ZERO RIGHTS, because the victim is basically a ward of the state. The police can do the investigation or not, and take the case to court or not, as whim and politics allow. If there’s a police officer or a friend of a cop or someone with political pull involved in the homicide, you can hang it up. Even if there isn't, if politics say, “We don’t want this case going to court because it’s going to be messy,” that’s the end of that.

There’s zero accountability. The families can’t review anything that the cops don’t want them to look at, so they have no way to prove the investigation wasn’t done properly. They can make all the innuendoes they want, but the cops just say they’re lying.

You can’t go over the heads of local police. Everything that goes to the politicians takes a circuitous route back to the police. The higher up it is, the worse it gets. If you go to the Attorney General or the Governor, he just forwards your complaints to the very police officers you’re complaining about.

Even if a suspect is indicted, that doesn't necessarily mean he's going to trial. Then the DA comes into the act. What's important to him is his track record as a prosecuter. If he feels there's even a ten percent chance that he won't win the case, he may not want to take that risk.

It's a well-kept secret. You don't find out until the murdered person is your own loved one.

That is so exciting about Dateline receiving that award!

This is Christi Claycomb.

I wasn't very nice the last time I was on here and I am here to try to fix any harm I had done.

About the time I received the autopsy report on Dale, my best friend committed suicide. I believe I took out my emotions about both situations on you people.

You have my apologies and my appreciation for this website and all that you do.

Thanks and I am sorry for my behavior and misdirected emotions.

Christi

How in the world do you two manage to live together. You both have to be exactly alike. All that constant nagging, complaining and criticizing...Oh and that disgusting verbal insulting abuse. Makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about listening to it. You both have to be the two most miserable souls in the universe. Competeing with each other as to whom is the most "God-like perfection!"

YES....He is hanging on by a thread!

I don't understand why you think it's so amusing that Mark McCracken would issue false statements about a homicide case. Chief Maldonado didn't think it was amusing.

Am I missing something?

You all are my entertainment. Just like the Jerry Springer show. YOU ARE HANGING ON BY A THREAD!

FROM THE WEB MASTER:

Although the KRQE TV story about the Stephanie Houston case was not posted on line, Real Crimes has been able to obtain a copy of the script. Anyone who is interested in reading it may contact us at justiceproject@earthlink.net, and we will send it to you as an e-mail attachment.

Although Mark McCracken's name is not mentioned in the script, it appeared two times visually in the story in a display of newspaper clippings where McCracken told the press that the NM State Police had verified elements of the suspect's account and that they had reconstructed the accident. (The police chief then admits that both statements were false.)

This is a good example of how an enterprising investigative reporter was able to expose the fact that a case was not properly investigated.

MARK MCCRACKEN INVOLVEMENT IN THE STEPHANIE HOUSTON CASE:

An investigative coverage of the Stephanie Houston case is scheduled to air on KRQE, Channel 13 News in Albq. on Thursday, July 31. If you are not in the area and can't get the newscast, you can read the text on Friday morning at www.krqe.com.

FROM THE WEBMASTER:

We have just been informed that NBC Dateline has received the 2003 Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting for their story on the Melanie McCracken case.

FROM THE WEBMASTER: News flash from the home page: There is a new case on this web site.

Nick Swigart was burned to death in his car at 2:30 a.m. in a vacant field 25 miles from his home. Police immediately labeled Nick's death "an accident." Nick's family wants to know, "What was Nick doing way out there in the middle of the night? How did the fire start? Why were his car keys and money clip missing? Why won't police investigate this as a possible murder and arson?"

We hope you will go to the Real Crimes home page and scroll down to the Nick Swigard Case in Lafayette County, Mississippi. If you have comments to make, please, post them on the General Message Board. Anyone who would like to send a personal message to the family can do so by an e-mail via this web site.

Well...He has his 20 in but he's young enough to stay on the force a lot longer than that!

Retire! Already? How old is this.....guy?

Wonder if that early retirement will push him over the edge since that was the most important thing in his life?

FROM THE WEBMASTER -- (news flash from the main message board):

We're pleased to announce an exciting new break-through in the "John Petrazzuoli" case.

John was burned to death in his car at 1 a.m. on May 6, 1999, in an allegedly deserted parking lot in Garden City, SC. Police closed the case as a suicide/accident, despite John's family's belief that John was murdered.

Last week, on the fourth anniversary of John's death, his mother placed an ad in the paper directing people to the Real Crimes web site to read John's story. That ad brought forth a witness, who had driven past the parking lot and seen three vehicles, with a man walking away from John's burning car. That witness, who called 911 at the time, was never questioned by the police and didn't even know that a victim died in the blaze. Until reading the write-up on this website, he hadn't realized the importance of his information and the fact that what he saw that night was a murder and an arson.

We sincerely hope this causes the Horry County Police Department to reopen John's case and investigate it as a homicide.

They don't plan to take this case to the grand jury until next budget. Apparently they are out of money. That will be sometime after July 1. The word is that Mark McCracken has been given early retirement effective 5/28/03. That should be about six months early. That way he won't be targeted while still on the force.

We must be into the home stretch now. When does the case go to the Grand Jury?

FROM THE WEBMASTER:
Re: the Stephanie Houston case

Good news! Thanks to the relentless perseverance of Stephanie's father, Bill Houston, and of his private investigator, Mike Corwin, the N.M. State Police have reopened Stephanie's case and will be investigating it as a possible homicide. Stephanie was run over by her abusive boyfriend, Patrick Murillo, in February, 2000. At that time the State Police closed the case as an "accident." (For details, read the Stephanie Houston case report on this web site.)

The scene investigator for Stephanie's case was State Police Sgt. Mark McCracken.

The "Mind of the Domestic Violence Abuser and their Personality!"

1) Abusers have a "jeckyl and hyde" personality and are often placid at work or in public choosing to vent their anger, stress, fear, and frustration on their spouses and/or family members. Abusers are master manipulators and often have the ability to charm others into believing them - both during and after comminting the abusive act. Most abusers have a need for secrecy to protect their "PUBLIC" image and therefore use threats and intimidation to keep their victims from telling anyone about the abuse or testifying against them in court.

"On the job, Mark had a solid reputation. He was viewed by underlings as a great boss,and by colleagues like District Attorney Mike Runnells as a 'tough cop with a good heart!"

"Mark was a police officer, but he was a regular human being. He was easy to get along with and he was friendly and that was basically, I think the impression we all had of Mark!"





2) The continum of abuse on an emotional level are jokes, putdowns, isolation, "CRAZY MAKING"

(his secretary said she was very disturbed)

making threats of suicide, such as; I could do something to you and no one would ever know how!

(she always told me that she could do something to herself and no one would ever know how)

name calling,
(his co-workers nick named her 'fatal attraction')

ignoring them, and subtle threats of physical danger.

3) Economic .... weekly allowances, work refusal, job harassment, control$/ resources.


4) The set-up stage; The abuser will create and control situations in which the victim has no choice but to react in a way that will, in his mind, justify the abuse. For example, if he tells his wife that his secretary is attracted to him and is always hitting on him, he will arange for for a day to give her a direct order or reason to go to his office while he is out of town, and he will have cards or letters laying around for her to find causing the "Crazy Making" reactions to kick in.

5) The typical victim is forced to participate in the cover-up. Sometimes the abuser will threaten the victim's credibility (Melanie had always told me that she had leukemia as a child and that it was in remission) or and she had metioned this to some close friends as well)

with several ways to manipulate their victims with guilt, subtle threats,which throw the victim farther off balance psychologically.

"That was just part of her medical history that she had been spending a lot of time visiting Doctors and being examined that she had cancer!"

"But in july 1995, Mark said Melanie got some new test results suggesting that leukemia might be returning. He also said Melanie told him what to do if the worst happened!"

"She called and said that ..... if anything happened to her, she wanted me to take her to the hospital!"

They said they had nick named Melaine "Fatal Attraction" They said she got her way with him by feigning illness. A trooper said she was always complaining about being sick; about suffering from leukemia adding maybe she wasn't telling the truth.


6) The abuser controls the situation by lying to control the "INFORMATION" available. The abuser also may use lying to keep other people, including his victim, off-balance psychologically.

"Mark said Melanie had been a sick woman, with not one but two major medical problems, Leukemia and that she seizures and Brown thought there were now two more possible causes of death in addition to the car accident!" Leukemia and seizures.

"Brown thought there were two more possible causes of death"

For example, he tries to appear truthful when he's lying, he tries to look deceitful even when he's telling the truth, and somethings he reveals himself in an obvious lie.

There they were told about a woman who was absessed with her real or imagined health problem's and with Mark.

And some of Melanie's friends quoted in the report, agreed she had complained about her health.

Hypochondriac ....

That was the conclusion the was presented to me by the investigators. She was continually finding excuses to go to the doctor and get medications, and to generate sympathy for herself.

From the Web Master:

We're grateful to Christi for sharing so much painful personal information on this message board. By doing so, she and her husband may have prevented the investigators in Melanie's case from wasting time and energy digging for something that Christi feels certain isn't there.

Now, let's allow Dale Claycomb's family a chance to pull back from the fray and mourn a man they loved. If Christi has further insights about this situation, she can contact either Real Crimes, Nancy Grice's private investigator, or the prosecuter for the McCracken case. She doesn't have to post it here.

Sorry i keep doing this in increments. I just think of more to say. I am an expert in alcoholism. 0.135% is not a big deal for alcoholics. It is a big deal if you are driving, yes. But other than that it is not. There is a lot that alcoholics can do that intoxicated. Dale was an alcoholic and had been for years. Anyone can dispute it but his organs will back me up on that.

I am a recovering alcoholic and have been for 18 years. I think you would be surprised at the alcohol levels we can tolerate that would kill most people.

There were no drugs in his system. No blunt trauma except where the ligature his his face when he passed out. No signs of him trying to take himself down or awareness that he was dying or being choked. No bruising or sign of man handling. Which if someone had put him there, there would have been such signs. He was in extreme good physical condition other than his internal organs. All scarring was on his hands from his job - all were old - and an appendectomy scar that was also old.

My husband has chosen to leave it at that because there was nothing suspicious in the report. We already knew Dale was drunk because my husband talked with him that evening. We also knew that Dale was into this type of stuff no matter what his friends say.

I don't think, no matter how close you are to a guy, that he tells his friends his favorite was of masterbating.

The ligature was attched to the canopy on the bed above his head when kneeling on the bed. So when he went to get up and stand on the floor he passed out.

Sorry! it was 0.135%. Which is not a big deal for an alcoholic. He passed out when trying to get up off of the bed and fell to the floor.

I wanted to add my voice to the chorus of people that say .35 BAC is too high to be able to do your "thing" even for hard core lifelong alcoholics. It would be very difficult to fasten an apparatus together let alone get an erection or ejaculate. And it does not make sense that the apparatus was long enough for the bed but not the floor since the distance from the pivot point would shorten as it arced towards the floor.

Christi, that is a very suspicious level! Are you sure those figures are correct?

At 0.35% he had to have been close to being passed out, let alone making it to the bed and doing his "thing"

That's very close to toxic alcohol levels!

No 0.035% That can't be, because the BAC goes up to 0.09% .... then it leaves the scale and goes to .10% on up and 0.35% is very very drunk. .50% is toxic level!

At 0.35% you have someone that can barely walk almost to the point of passing out. Unless they have some kind of incredible tolerance and even at that, their ability to walk would be very debilitated.

You must mean 0.035% ?

.08 will get you 28

Well, an update on Dale Claycomb - it was definitely an accident. I have done a ton of research. Here's the skinny and my interpretation of events after reading the autopsy:

When he was done doing his "thing" on the bed, he attempted to stand up and lost his balance - due to his drunken state (0.i35% blood alcohol level) - and fell to the floor. The ligature was long enough for the bed but not the floor. The autopsy does not state these events. These events are according to me. The blood alcohol level is in the report, though.

Emotional and Psychological Abuse

Domestic Violence defined:

1)That being the destruction of a victim's self-esteem. Name calling, ridicul, threats, or other forms, is systematic and "PURPOSEFUL", to give power to the abusive partner.

2)The effect is the desired result of a perpetrator whose low self-esteem stimulates insecurity and fear of abandonment which are mitigated for him by the victim's growing dependency and feelings of self-wothlessness.

3)The methods of establishing control over another person are based upon the systematic, repetitive infliction of psychological trauma. These methods are designed to instill terror and helplessness, to destroy the victim's sense of self in relation to others, and to foster a pathologic attachment to the perpetrator.

4)In addition to inducing terror, the batterer seeks to destroy the victim's sense of autonomy. This is achieved by control of the victim's body and bodily finctions.

5)Deprivation of food, sleep, shelter, excerise, personal hygiene, or privacy are common practices. Once the perpetrator has established this degree of control, he becomes a potential source of solance as well as humilitation.

6)The capricious granting of small indulgences may undermine the psychological resistance of the victim far more effectively than unremitting deprivation and fear.

"Forced historectomy"
"Forced letters for pathetic thrills"


7)The more the batterer has developed a about who, how, when and/or where to kill, the more dangerous he becomes. The batterer who has previously acted out part of a homicide or suicide fantasy may be investing in killing as a "solution to his problem."

Domestic Violence Homicides
Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures, and Forensic Techniques, these murders are classified sex related homicides in the catagory of "INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE ORIENTED DISPUTES AND ASSAULTS or LUST MURDERS"


This is why Melanie couldn't see her family, why she has no friends, why she had to lie about leukemia, why had 40 different doctors, why she told all these stories about her health, why she had to have a historectomy, why she had to play the game!

It had nothing to do with needing attention!
She was forced to do everything she was told to do and say!

"what was that about a Grand Jury?"
I don't know!
"What do you think?"

Does anyone know what is happening with the Grand Jury on this case?

In one of these postings back in March indicated that Officer Mccracken was gone a week prior to Melanie's death.

Anyone know where he went?

There was another post also that said McCracken's father died of cancer. What type of cancer?

Anyone know?

From Lois Arquette, (Kaitlyn's mother):

I posted this on the main message board, but will do so here also, as it applies to all our cases and, right now, particularly to Melanie's.

It's my birthday, so today I went out to lunch with friends, which I don't often do. As we were leaving the restaurant, I was walking a bit ahead of the others and was almost to the door when suddenly there was a "clunck," and something landed on the floor in front of me. I thought maybe I'd lost an earring, but when I bent down to pick it up, it was a little pewter angel, about one inch tall. It came from nowhere -- apparently just fell out of the ceiling.

The people around me -- cashier, etc. -- were as startled as I was. I showed it to everybody, and nobody knew anything about it. There is no loop at the top to indicate that it fell off someone's necklace or charm bracelet, it's just a little stand-up angel.

On the back is inscribed the word -- "Hope."

Not to mention the fact, one case leads into another ...and another...and you have to work them in order so you don't miss any thing. So many of these families have almost given up.

The messeage board really helps but when the families give up, it slows things down.

When they get scared it slows things down.
These things don't happen over night....takes a lot of time.

I do know how there are connected.
But one case has so much information in it
you have to take them one at a time

On the subject of the Kaitlyn Arquette case, take a look at the Nathan Romero case. Nathan's mom tries to get the APD homicide dept. to follow up on leads in her son's murder, and the captain yells at her, "We know who killed your son JUST LIKE WE KNOW WHO KILLED KAIT ARQUETTE! This is police business -- butt out!"

So many of these cases seem to be linked in one way or another. If we figure out what those cases have in common maybe we can figure out whose getting protected and why.

Take a look at Kaitlyn Arquettes case. When there is a possibility we could be dealing with APD, your not looking at amatures.

I don't think State Police has that many amatures either. Look at McCracken and Ortiz capabilities, just to name a few. I imagine there are a few more....than just a few of them, involved with illicit activity.

Depends on how secure your house is ...determines how easily it is to enter without some trace.

McCracken's face wouldn't have been the first officer anyway ...he's to smart for that. But his first visual wouldn't have had to been State, it could have been another department.That could be enough to fall under vulnerability, it if wasn't!

If Mr. Claycomb was intoxicated, it would be a lot easier to over take someone even in a way, you wouldn't leave any other evidence on the body. No bruising etc. and he could have got a few other phone calls allowing him to let down his defences.

So far everyone is aware that Robert Mireles's first wife was run off the road and threatened after giving dateline a interview. We also know that 2 state police units blocked the front entrance of the road leading to the magistrate judges home, who had agreed to speak with the dateline producer.

At this point we have no idea how many officers are involved with McCracken's play ground. We also know that APD has an interest in McCracken.....so don't underestimate McCracken's ability to decieve or fox his way into someone's home.

Rigor starts in, any where from 2 to 6 hours after death and remains for 2 to 3 days. Body temp will continue to fall until it reaches ambient temps; which usually occur in about 18 to 20 hours.

The only other way to figure any time between that 11 hours is by the lividity! But that can also change if the body has been moved.

Someitmes lividity can be mistaken for bruising ...and bruising can also be mistaken for lividity ....Postmortem lividity does not form on parts of the body that is exposed to pressure.

Dale's time of death is only being determined within a 12-hour period because of the rigormortus (sp?) and the time of night he last spoke to someone.

There is a stiffening of the muscles that occur after a certain period of time. They stay stiff for so may hours and then relax. so the condition of his muscles, and the time his son last spoke to him. He spoke to his son at about 10:00 p.m. and was drunk at that time. I THINK he was found at 11:00 am and pronounced by OMI at 3:00 p.m.

I do not think that Dale would let McCracken in. Police do not need to let in to leave no evidence of forced entry. However, depending on how drunk he was he may not have been able to stop anyone.

Not yet....we have two more cases we have to work through...

Robert Mireles and Dale Claycomb
We are still gathering facts
Hang with us a little bit!

Other facts to Melanies case are rising from the grave.

It's time for you to join Kait and Ronds'a Mom and publish a book on your daughter, Melanie's case..... bring out the truth and expose all you can.

"Premeditated Murder" .... what kind of interesting "Circumstancial Evidence" could be setting in the background, under the surface waiting to stick it's little beady snake eyes out at us?

"cut from the same cloth" .... Peterson is claiming innocence! But the DA is heading for Circumstancial evidence and other possible leads!

"Circumstancial evidence" ....
I love circumstancial evidence; You can win a case on that. It has won many cases. It's all in the presentation.

I wonder what the estimated time of Dale Claycomb's death was the night he died?

I also wonder who he opened his door to that night?

Could it have been someone who flashed him a badge; possibly having a few questions for him concerning an investigation they were working on or questions about something else that went on in the neighborhood (that didn't)?????

What would it take to get into your house?????

Let that be a "WARRNING" to each and every one of you "participateing" in uncovering information about these crimes!!!!!

It is not unusual for an investigator to come back the next day .... if no one can be reached late in the evening ..... don't be to eager to offer your assistance immediately, especially not real late at night!

Amen! On the same cloth cutting; But Scott Perterson has 2 strikes against him. He doesn't wear a uniform and he's not employed by the NMSP!

It is interesting to look at Scott Peterson and Mark McCracken. They appear to be cut from the same cloth. At least Peterson never resorted to blaming Laci for her own death, and he admitted to his affair.

Maybe that is why the officer who worked this case was suddenly on special assignment immediately????

Maybe she asked far to many questions! Maybe she had to many crazy ideas going on in her head and she was to impulsive ..... wanted to make something out of nothing????

That, of-course would raise more questions!
Time to send her on "Special assignement!"

Exactly! In one of the posts somone indicated that they called for a wellfare check. Most places usually don't jump the gun and call County for an employee missing work like that. They usually leave a few messages and hope to hear from the employee.

But, someone must have had a great concern to make a call for a wellfare check like that. Specially to county. They might go by the house themselves or send someone out who may have lived close. But when you call county or another police agency to do a welfare check on someone ....

That raises questions?
Specially if you were an investigator. It wouild certainly raise questions enough to do some interviewing. I would consider that a lead, myself. A dead end lead, is better than no lead at all. I would rather have made it a dead end lead than to consider it to be no lead at all. Especially with a note found inside the residence indicating, if anything should happen to him, "Who to contact!"

Those two things should have alerted someone .... it should have raised serious suspicions about whether to call the crime an accident. It should have caused a very thorough investigation.

It should have said.... "Something is not right with this picture!"

Who at Sandia was worried about Dale's safety? My e-mail is ccusulos@attbi.com if you want to e-mail me. Or do you mean the wellfare check they called the police to do?

Yeahhh...I know! It is really supposed to be 'Judged by 12 and carried by 6, but under the circumstances we probably have close to 6 working against us and if we cut the body count, by playing it smart, we won't worry about another 12 carry'in a few more out.

I think you and your family are doing a wonderful job in trying to look for the truth Christi. I Believe that your intuition is correct about your suspecions. There was a note and concerned employee's from Sandia EMS, definately indicates someone new something and was worried about his safety. That note should have been the first suspicious evidence retrieved at the crime scene by OMI and other investigators.

I believe the embarassment is removed when the Spirit speaks to your heart and tells you there was more to this, than what meets the eye. I also believe you will be guided and the burden of any unanswered turmoil will be lifted as you move forward.

Usually what happen's with this type of killer, is he is not caught for all murders, but they apprehend him on one and know of more. All it takes is one. Ted Bundy killed over 100 women but only 24 can be accounted for. It just took one to take him down and the rest fell into place.

There is the possibility of him being so empowered by these killings he establishes a conditioned to kill for power and sport; the possibility of someone killing again for some form of revenge, (which is what I believe happened to Dale) could continue. With another death occurring 5 yrs after the 1995 death a Melanie McCracken, and and then another 2 yrs later, appears just a little bit serial by nature.

This says.... "heads up and stay alert!" For those of you who are local and have knowledge and skills that relate to these deaths ie... family members looking for information, reporters, private investigators, officer's, friends of the families! Anything that may alert your fear factor.....listen to it. There are numerous real life stories of people who came close to death situations and other incidents that had prior intuitive senses like, dreams, gut feelings, hesitations, etc. These simple things have saved their lives. No matter how crazy it may seem, "DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER!

Check your doors and windows at night, don't go into an empty house without making sure it has been swept. Don't allow police vehicles to pull you over in an isolated areas....drive until you get to a secure location. You can always explain your behavior to the officer and the judge if need be. Don't go out meeting anyone who make's contact with you for any reason unless you make sure it is in a secure place. Don't get out of your vehicles when you notice stranger's near by and watch your residential areas. Be aware of what does not look normal.

It is always better to be "Judged by six, than carried by twelve!"
Maintain your protective shields.

These are not fear "Zones" ...these are safety precautions that each and everyone should use on a day to day basis in todays society. This is a high trafficking drug state and you should always be aware and alert!

Dale's case was ruled "accident" by police the day he died. The police report is going to cost me $3. Must not be that big of deal. there are things at the scene that should be in evidence but I do not think they are. One was a note giving instructions as to who to contact if anything happened to him. Interesting, huh?

We are done being embarrssed about Dale's death. It is a little different for us in that he is the dad not the child for us. Thank God his mother had passed before this happened. It could have been too embarrassing for her. But a crooked police officer killing her son would have been intensified for her because she was a Holocaust survivor.

I pray that if nothing else, McCracken gets it for Melanie's murder because that will be the easiest to prove compared to the others and look what it has taken to do that!

In "Undetermined" deaths, essentially what the pathologist is asking for, is more investigation needed from investigators to determine death.

Just like the disappearance on Laci Peterson! What "ARE" the chances of Hubby going fishing and their bodies suddenly wash up out of water????

There are just some things way to obvious ...you just can't miss at a crime scene!

Evidence collection procedures will be done during the crime scene investigation ...including finger printing. Everything happens that moment in time when you are looking for anything and everything which could be anything that would appear to your senses as being evidence.

It is not unusual for an investigator to be on scene, any where from 4 to 6 hours.

There is one case on here I find interesting. What I see is a cover-up for laziness. Just one, but as near as I can tell it was shere laziness on the department working the case and result was the cover-up their laziness.

Your case, McCracken case and parties involved, the Wagner case and several others were cover-up corruption cases. Which doesn't make that case any different really. It falls under corruption as well.

As close as I can tell it was a case where no one wanted to work a homicide, so they made it a suicide so they could all go home which made it a cover-up, covering their neglagence. I could be wrong on that one ..... since it was a NM case.

Actually the website is public. It is also procedure and I believe most Law Enforcement agencies have what is considered a Death investigation manual. These manuals are for first officers on scene. To help them to know what to look for and preserve the crime scene until OMI arrives. The investigation and crime scene evidence is usually collected by OMI. Although, first officers will take crime scene photo's as well as the medical investigators when they arrive.

Some areas are so remote they may not have an OMI and first officers are going to be the ones to handle the cases.

Where as OMI (Office of Medical Investigators) usually do crime scene collection and photos, plus work as an investigator. Homicide detectives only follow what has been discovered at the crime scene once the findings have been made available to them.

In some counties, the homicide detective will do the OMI work as well. It just depends on the county, location, funding. How they are set up to opperate. OMI's don't usually hunt the perpetrators, but turn that over to Homicide.

That was going to be my next question??? How would they know this man had been in your residence before-hand unless they were making assumptions or they knew something more?

One of the biggest mistakes that LEO's can make is to call a death without investigating it or trampling all over the evidence. That is what crime scene tape is for. Most crime scenes have what is called a crime scene sign-in-sheet. (Your worste nightmare is crime scene contaminates. The weather if outside, friends and relatives of victim, curious onlookers, thieves, un-needed police officers, supervisors, district attorneys, EMTs etc.) To prevent this sort of thing, the sign-in-sheet is used to record everyone who enetered the scene and if so they have to write a written report as to why they were there.

But contaminates occurr alot when you do not have a crime scene investigator. And as we can see ...it can occurr when you do. Guess it depends on what side of the fence their setting on and what's in it for them.

On the dmmoyle website it says for the death to be determined accidental, the investigator must determine why the release mechanism didn't work, in order for the diagnosis of accidental hanging, to stick.

What makes these types of deaths important in crime scene investigation is to proove the individual didn't intend on killing there selves or a suicide. The investigation sets out to prove it was not a homicide. If you read on in the pages it will also explain that most deaths are considered homicide in nature until proven otherwise. That is standard proceedure. During crime scene investigation the investigators are looking for what is called a 'release mechanism' or a self-rescue arrangement. Apparently if the individual died the mechanism didn't work......

The whole entire investigation under these circumstance which determine "accident" will only be verified as such, in order to call it an accident. These are the findings that will be present when investigating AEA.

It would be interesting to know what the police reports have on the Claycomb case, simply because this type of evidence should be documented to prove accidental death.

I knew that he had posed Gregg from the beginning. It was his art work for me to find. The scene was just too perfect. As far as the crime scene, Gregg's room has been closed up for almost 5 years and much remains the same. We made sure to protect what we could.

There were so many mistakes (cover up obvious) made here that a kindergartener could see thru this, but the cops have power over the media and other things. Of course they say whatever sounds good at the moment. In fact, Det. Green, lead investigator here was quoted about why they didn't take prints? (Minnesota Monthly September 2001) His answer was that Padden had been there before so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I couldn't believe how many said that makes sense. then when I pointed out that they did not know Padden had been there when they came on the scene, or that they must have known immediately that Padden murdered Gregg, otherwise wouldn't it have been a good idea to take prints to find out who did??? It made Jay Thomas (radio talk show host) angry that I made him appear stupid when he was doing an interview.

Thanks so much for your support and for all the info you. My husband was just wondering the dmmoyle site, is this site for law enforcement to get info when an unattended death is being investigated?

Almost every site you study will tell you in these types of deaths, the autopsy call depends on scene information. When you don't have an investigation then things become harder to detect. Harder, but not impossible! Your all be challenged ..... these are the most challenging cases to endure.

Lets not let that stand in our way ....we have a pattern of murder here with three of these cases being asyphxial suffocations and every one links to the other. That in and of itself tells you something. We have a serial killer cop at work here trying to fool everyone.

It would seem at some point it seems like we don't have a chance in prooving anyone these deaths as murders. But I don't give up that easy and I surely hope the rest of you don't!

Just remember what you do in the dark ...will come to light! I honestly believe there will be Divine Justice here in everyone of these cases. "BELIEVE" It is a simple word, with a powerful punch.

Melanies McCracken, Robert Mireles and Dale Claycomb, and Gregg were all victims of murder by "Aspyxial Suffocations and the crime scenes were staged to look like suicide's and accident's!

This is what we know! Melanie McCracken,(1995) Robert Mireles (2000) and Dale Claycomb's (2001) These deaths are connected, by virtue of witness information.

With Dale Claycomb ... the whole idea was to bring enough shame to the family so they wouldn't dig into a case like this. We are dealing with shood proffessionsals as I have already mentioned. They know how to kill .... how to stage a crime and not what to look for when covering it up.

I encourage you all not to be embarassed by what we discover here. This site is for finding what does not appear to be correct about any of these deaths. We know what is going on here. We know what is happening. I don't believe any one of the family members here look at any death as embarassing ..... we just look at it as being a cover-up and what we know to be a cover-up.

Any kind of cover up is possible and we are all aware of that.

Sharon.... Sounds to me that Gregg was strangled with a ligature on the bed first and them was drug to the door and strung up! If this was the case the killer staged the crime scene by moving to body to position it where it was later found.

www.forensic-pathology.com
go to lecture hall and enter
then to AEA

Everyone of these investigations about AEA will discuss the extensive amount of props that indicate this form of accidental death. Usually the crime scene area has several indicators that identify this as an accidental death. A crime scene with a body and a few magazines are not enough to determine AEA.

If this was the case in scene investigation .... can you imagine how many people could kill someone and get away with it by just staging the area around the victims body with simple to obtain items such as magazines?

This is why one source indicated there are a lot of homicides that are staged to look like AEA.

It is important to find research that is clear in the identification of AEA. These are a few websites. I will share them with you as we go along.

Go to topics ...then scroll to the bottom of the page to search and type in "Death Scene" ....

This will take you to the page.

You can also view this website as well....gives very detailed information about the importance of what is found at the crime scene.

www.room23.org "DEATH SCENE"

OF-COURSE she couldn't be reached. They couldn't allow her to talk to you. Because she didn't agree with the call's they made on Dales death. Things didn't look right to her and she was removed from you so you couldn't make contact.

More than likely they will transfer her out to some other district to make sure you don't speak with her.

Tell her to look at the web site Sharon! You look at it for her. It is as plain as it is written. It is almost verbatium as to how the crime scene was set-up, to make it look like AEA. Lots of other things to look for than just "magazine props." That isn't enough to call it accidental! Thats to easy ...... No crime scene is that easy unless it is a natural death. That still has to be determined as well.

And your welcome Sharon! I think a lot of answer's can be found in here for several of the families on this website.

Another interesting point is this, "once a death is ruled to be an AEA fatality, law enforcement is generally out of the picture!" One website I found also said that AEA is a regular crime to make it appear like an AEA fatality.

It also states that AEA individuals "usually develope a tolerance" to such extremes and therefore typically indicates "EVIDENCE OF DEVELOPMENT" and refinement over a period of time. These types of fatalities are described as "Lengthy" investigations to prove them AEA fatalities.

www.law-forensic.com "Investigative Considerations"

Of course you can email us. Just get in contact with Real Crimes Lois and they will give you our email addy. I give my permission. I would rather not put my addy here because I have put it on a murder victim survivor board and got all sorts of screwballs from the anti death penalty movement and from the group Murder Victims for reconciliation. This wasn't normal people from either group but the extremists and they get real nasty. I also don't think I would like my addy to fall into the wrong hands here. Take care and please let me know if there is anything we can do. I think about you and your family daily. The crap that they have done to you is so terrible, and many don't realize how these lies affect everything in our lives. The referral to this kind of activity leave many laughing at us and talking behind our backs, but are too chicken to look at any of the evidence we have, hell, they are too big of cowards to even try to talk to us.

Sharon, I cannot bring myself to to go through that dmmoyle sight yet. Somehow, could we e-mail each other when I get Dale's autopsy report? Another mother of one of these victims offered her healp but her expertise is somewhere else - not in the AEA. I could use both of you.

Right after Dale's death the investigating officer was on a special assignment and couldn't be reached.

My thanks to whoever posted the dmmoyle site. I just viewed it and I am amazed that the cops here missed everything that has to do or not to do with the supposed hanging death of my son.


1.Hanging deaths the tongue usually protrudes. Gregg's tongue was not protruding, and we have the crime scene photos to prove it.
2.The ligature will form a V shape. Gregg's ligature was horizontal.
3.there will be a gap in the ligature where the knot is positioned. There is no gap in the ligature around Gregg's neck, it completely encircles his neck.
4.The victim is usually incontinent. The only urine stain or signs of it are on Gregg's bed at least 5-6 feet where he was found hanging from his closet door.
We have pics of everything to prove this, except for the urine stain, we still have the sheet that they never took from the scene, btw, Gregg had not wet his bed since he had been 3-4 years old.
I can see that maybe one or even 2 of these signs could be missing for some reason or another, but all of them. I wonder what the coincidences are of that?? Everything that is supposed to point to Asphyxia due to hanging are gone. Every sign of Asphyxia due to strangulation by a ligature are present. Go figure??

Thanks again to whoever found this info.

If a crime scene can be yanked out from under-neath the 0fficers at the "Houston" murder, what makes it any harder to yank the crime scene out from under this particular officer?

Fits the MO to me!

Make the "Woman" get in her proper position; You know, "Where she belongs" in relationship to a man"..... so we can dominate, rule with our grand authority and insist on it being what we manipulate it to be... "an accident!"

Well....it takes the heat off, of the same "Boys" working all these mysterious deaths for one thing, but it puts the "female officer" up against all of them!

That makes it easier to intimidate and make her feel stupid if she saw or indicated anything different. That is like allowing her to sign off on the investigation but only at their approval. If it wasn't approved then she had to write it from their perspective and authority.....

Very clever "boys!"

Especially having to work around the "Instrumental Offender!"

I think it is really interesting that Dale Claycombs investigator was a female law enforcement officer!

And for the one who proclaim that McCracken is loving, kind and all those great qualities he has, who are blinded by their own fright.... people can see. Those are the cover-ups from those who are caught up and contolled by his power at this moment.

There are lots of them who work under his spell. Kim Mireles is one of them. She was his informant and still is. Brown is another. I suspect more. The hoods that owe him favors; other officer's in his district; other officer's in other department agencies. He's been around a long time and had plenty of years to establish control in a lot of areas.

People don't want to be set up to go to jail. They don't want unwarranted traffic stops; cocaine or some form of drug tossed in the back seat or under the front seat of their vehicle during an illegal traffic stop or illegal search. A man in his position could establish any kind of security they want in the right situation.

One think's he's a LT.!
The other thinks he's a Detective!
One think's he's a crime scene investigator!
One think's he is a principle!
The other think's he is a singing star!
And, one thought he was a "cop" who could arrest another officer for going out with his woman!

Luis Brown, don't know what to do with himself.
I bet he is absolutely miserable!

The absence of authority precedes violence. A batterer doesn't show feelings or emotions easily, accept anger. Usually jealous and possessive and are into macho things like guns and fast cars. They have a very high need for aggression and some are corporate go-getters.

They have a very high need for dominance and try to control everything or everyone around them. They like to rank high on masculinity scale and they always minimize the seriousness of abuse. They have usually learned violence as a child and some are prone to drugs and/or alcohol. They usually don't have many friends and they tend to socially isolate their partners as well. The victim being socially isolated has few resourses for help or any kind of intervention.

The batterer is totally emotionally dependent on the partner and will go to any length to keep her/him from leaving. They aften become remorseful unless you are the "Intrumental Offender" who feels no remorse at all. They blame all their anger on the partner and accuse them of attacking, embarassing or provoking them. They never take any responsibility for their behavior and will blame their actions on everything....others, society, alcohol, work partner etc.

What is very interesting is they get "High from violence" and it becomes an addiction. They begin to control others with violent behavior and becomes automatic when they feel frustrated, angry or insecure.

I believe this is why Luis Brown (OMI) is in the situation that he is in! He was coerced with one of many things, intimidation, fear, threatening, lying, misleading, manipulating and of-course abusing his authority.

But when you take a closer look at Officer Ortiz, now he seems to act on his own, like he did with the Gabino Venegars case. So I guess you could call him one of McCracken's, as we know him at this point. Damon Fay for one ...he looks the part as well. They all have a common ground beside kick-backs and violence appears to be one of many of their rewards.

Yeahhh....look at everyone of their "Abusive Mates" positions....all of them, but 2 were officers....one was in education and the other one was a musician!

The description of the Instrumental Offender matches suspects in several other cases on this web site -- Valarie Fiorenza, Stephanie Houston, Ronda Reynolds and Natalie Wagner.

I finally found it under "dmmoyle". excellent website. good job!!!!

The most "dangerous" Domestic violence offender of all is called the "Instrumental Offenders. The instrumental offender appears more competent than others, but this strength can be very misleading. This type of offender generally finds a high degree of congruence between his controlling behavior and his world and self view.

He has a very possessive understanding of women and their roles with men. Violence, is not an impulse but a tool for control of others. This offender has a personality structure that is consistent with the concept of the "Closet Narcissists".

He is generally very dependent on his partner, but will describe the relationship in opposite terms that portray the woman as "Needing" him to make things work. He is persistantly observant of her actions, may be prone to stalking, and is vulnerable to intense jealousy with the slightest "evidence" of her interaction with other males and other women. He views her interest in other people as taking something away from him to which he is entilted. If they have children ...he even views the children as an interference and impediment to his full enjoyment to his partner.

While any offender is likely to commit sexual abuse, the instrumental offender is more likely to use sex acts for humiliation of the partner than for actual sexual pleasure.

He is not likely to experience remores, and in extreme manifestations, is a "VERY DANDEROUS" and difficult client who should only be treated by domestic violence specialists.His jealousy or paranoia might appear to be a product of psychosis. He is very unlikely to leave the relationship and will exert threats, stalking and other means of terror to prevent her from leaving.

He is vulnerable to suicidal thoughts and his high risk of lethality to others increases as suicidality becomes intense.

Melanie had bruises all over her mouth and inside her gums as well. Those are pressure bruises!

Same kind you can read about on:
www.dmmoyle.com

Websites

http://dmmoyle.com/dicod.htm
http://www.inhalants.org/damage

Domestic Violence has really nothing to do with love. What is has to do with is the love of "CONTROL and POWER". Yet the love of controlling and dominateing certain victims has it's rewards for the abuser. These types of People take their abuse of control and power every where they go. It is in the work place with subordinates, in the their social environment, even in their duties on a daily basis.

It is not a sickness ...not an illness ... it is a controllable behavior. These types of individuals choose to be this way.

Their first "Love" is control and power and their second love is who they can contol and over power! When the NMSP promoted Officer McCracken they essentially made a killing machine out of him!

Sorry about my typos, I just get excited and get to typing way to fast.

( :

I also believe that Luis Brown was intentionally called into the McCracken inner circle the night a Melanie's death and has been pressured to be an accomplice every since that night.

This is why he recanted his story about his concern for Melanie in the days prior to her death ...and McCracken' got word, possibly from his female informant who was on the inside, as I believe Robert took his work home home with him....as was indicated by the information aquired from him the night of his death. McCracken learned what was being said and what was occurring inside the Living Cross EMS department and set out at that point to pressure ...intimidate and maneuver Luis Brown by coaxing him into his play ground ... and set him up to play in his killing games!

This is when Brown denied every discussing the DV occurring in the McCracken home because McCracken stay'ed as close to his tail as an "woman abuser" does to him mate.

I believe that Police Brutality and Domestic Violence should be somewhat concidered very similar in the fact that "brutality" is connected to DV in this line of "career occupation."

Once an officer has been labeled a DV abuser he is no longer allowed to own a firearm and therefore can no longer work in law enforcement.

Bye-Bye career!

OMI "Luis Brown" at first recognized the abuse at first when he called the EMS employees into to discuss the abuse going on in the McCracken home ..... but he has since become a victim as well by association and he is now apart of the crimes against all these families because he knows what McCracken is capable of and he is afraid to come forward. So he now becomes a collusion partner just like an abused woman... would be do with her mate.

Which does not excuse him from his paticipation ....infact it makes him as guilty as the rest. So when these crimes were coommitted I actually believed he was summon's upon request while off duty to participate in the cover-ups and afraid not to refuse .....

And I bet you any amout of money that "Officer Art Ortiz" NMSP is an abuser as well and he identify's with McCracken, Patrick and every case he botches up he is doing it because he enjoys the control and power of watching families suffer over their loss of family members and possibly if he is married or has a mate he abuses his mate as well.....

You can also enter "Abuser Profile" on the same search page and it gives you a profile on the behavioral evidence of an Abuser and how he manipulates his victim ...

And ...I got something else for u as well....
Go to google and put in Domestic Abuse Profile ...

Click on "Leaving Domestic Abuse Safely"
Then read about the cycle of DV and HOW AN ABUSER WILL IDENIFY WITH OTHER ABUSERS!

This will shed a lot of light on the Stephanie Houston case and McCracken's cover-up for Stephanies b/f Patrick.....

Google will take you right to it...
if you enter it this way

http://dommoyle.com
you can also go to google and put in
www.dmmoyle.com

go to frequently asked questions
scroll down the page till you come to

"How Physcians Can Clear The Air Reguarding Inhalant Abuse!"

Then read "Why are inhalants concidered to be so toxic....and you can clearly see that inhalants carry a lipid-like organic toxin's in organs such as the liver and will retain evidence of asphyxial suffocations caused by SSD.

i entered that "dommyle" website and couldn't find it. Are you sure as to the address?

Now....let me guide you to another interesting website.

http://www.inhalants.org/damage.html
and take a further look into what type of damage inhalants can do to the body. There is no vitural way Melanie could have died of Sudden Sniffing death, beause all the chemicals used can be found in the damage to the body tissues......

even for a first time user, who dies from SSD the chemicals will show damage to the heart and other organs.

and if you want to....take yerselves a little tour into the suicide manual as well.....

Bet you will find some interesting information and it will surely enlighten this whole thing.

Now once you get there ....clic on "Investigative training"
Then clic on "Death Investigation for field officer"
got to the right side of the page and clic on causes of death....

Then scroll all the way down to "Chokings"
and begin reading from there....

Isn't it amazing how these deaths occurred exactly as they have been written in this manual...

I mean ...if I didn't know better myself....I would just swear the killer was taking an experienced tour of each case and trying them out to see if they really worked....
It even describes suicide deaths ...and how not to presume any hanging as a suicide and how important it is for the OMI and first officer to collect good clear and precise evidence to determine if it was a homicide or suicide!

( :

OHHHHHHhhhhhh....... I got something really really exciting to show every body. I absolutely love to do my home work....
YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHAT I FOUND! .....

I want everyone to take a visit to this website!
http://dommoyle.com/dicod.htm

Moyle Information Services for Law Enforcement .... death investigation.

FROM THE WEB MASTER:

We request that no pressure be applied to family members of recent victims to share information about the suspicious deaths of their loved ones. If those families choose to share such information, they will do so on their own, but probably not by posting it on this message board.

If they choose to share such information, it's more appropirate that it be sent by private e-mail, addressed to the Real Crimes web site. That information will be forwarded in confidentiality to any recipient they indicate they want it to go to.

We would like you to continue to participate. You may find out somethings you did not know and you may be some help to offering things we might not know. The same as you might see things you feel are inappropriate or things you feel said unjust. Yet you might find answers too. That again is how it works.

That is kind of how it works here. We are not trying to step on toes ...but toes get stepped on by the mere issues of murder and cover-up.

Thank you for sharing....
You have already offered us something we didn't know!

It is possible that Mr. Mireles's daughter might have came to this site and been reading what has been and could possibly be posted here. You might be seeing a reaction to what she has been reading. It is really sad, that the young one could be coming here to find answers. What is so vitally important about this site is, all the things that can hurt the victims of these families, exists and we can't protect the vulnerable ones.

Yet the truth of the site is ...Exactly that....we are all looking for the truth here and Roberts daughter could probably be looking too.

But on the other hand....Roberts daughter may be very intuitive and have knowledge into his death that she herself could be un-aware of. We, as much as we would like to protect her tender and broken heart, maybe be some what impossible here.

The webmaster is very good a deleting things in which break the agreement when we get on the message board. Feelings and emotions are sometime tested here, as you have noticed. I don't really think you were being judged as much as the individual just got a little excited for a moment. Unfortunately once the post goes ups, we have no way of redeeming it to clarify our typos or mistakes.

All we can do, as you have done is step in and try to clarify what we were we trying to say.

In your position as with the young lady, who maybe looking for answer's to her father's death. All you can do is try to acknowledge what she could be seeing and reading; could be close to the truth.

That's what this site is about, as painful as it is;
"THE TRUTH!"

In regards to reponse April 10 13:24 PDT 2003:

Please read carefully before you judge!!! There is period after write in. A new sentence was started to plead with his second wife to come forward with the information that she is hiding. I am in no way on Kim Mireles' side. I was speaking of writing in to this site and I did not think to write the actually site down. Not realizing that someone would read quickly and then judge. I am not the argumentative type but have been around His teenage daughter and watched the Trauma she is going through. Watched her suffer silently and unheard. Please read it again so that you may get the actual point without the anger. The point is the Children of Robert Mireles and his family not his second wife Kim are the Victims left behind. It sickens my heart to look in to his teenage daughters eyes and see the anger towards Kim that she carries. She believes with all her heart that Kim murdered her father. That was the entire point!!! The families Of Robert Mireles are the Vicitms so please remember that when you are reading this and other statements about all of these victims!!! Thank you

What's really interesting is how quickly you jumped on that typographical error ....when in fact if you read on it straightened it's self out quite well....

That brings my attention to the possibility that is what you were hoping to make Melanies death, appear as if she died of sudden sniffing death....

But you cleaned up the crime scene to well...... you forgot the gas can, or the paint thinner can or paint remover can, and during your sloppiness you forgot something else too....dead ppl don't clean up their own crime scene!

This type of death causes a loss of brain tissue mass as well and all the sniffing it would take to kill her would have been caught in her liver as chemical compounds....

So correct me if I am wrong, but did I detect a little bit of freuidian slip right there!

Emotional Expressions of stress on the victim, by an abusive mate...looks something like this!

Constant fatigue: "Is'nt that what you told your buddies!"she was going in to lay down for a little bit, after you both "ARGUED" the night of her death.

Inability to enjoy former pleasures: What about the post that described Melanie's feelings ....that she never wanted to ride those horses ...she was forced too, by her mother!

Sadness: ohhh...I bet she was very sad. I bet you made her life a living hell.

Brooding over the past and how things turned out: I find it interesting how Melanie looked at her past so much and involved your family in it?

Pessimism about the future: I bet some where deep inside herself ...she knew that she wasn't going to live very long!

Frequent thoughts of death and dying: guess that is where you got the idea of planting the seed into everyones mind; her death was either a suicide or she must have died of Leukemia!



Loss of interest in sex: Is that when you accused her of? cheating on you all the time... while infact you were out looking for other women to cause her to even feel less of a women?

Your easy to look at ..... your an open book actually. So is all that business your busy doing..... guess everyone is getting really curious about all these people dieing.

Guess this also says alot about your courtship with the Stephanie Houston case, doesn't it!

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