Fort Myers shooting suspect connected to 2009 murder

 

Connell Carroll, the suspect in both murders, is still at large.  There is a number at the end of the below news article to call if you have any information.  Please disseminate far and wide and bring this guy in this time, so that no more women are killed by him... and no more children left with out a mom because of him.

A woman has died after being shot in the leg during an argument on Sunday afternoon.

Fort Myers Police responded to a home on 1400 block of Brookhill Drive just before 4:00 p.m. on Sunday to find 22-year-old Nicole Smith suffering from the gunshot wound.

EMS responders were unable to stabilize her, and she died as a result of her injury.

Neighbors say Smith was holding her newborn when she was shot.

Fort Myers Police are looking for her boyfriend, 32-year-old Connell Carroll, saying he's wanted for second degree murder.

"Our investigation has revealed that the victim, Miss Smith, and her boyfriend, Connell Carroll, had gotten into an argument and she received a gunshot wound that ultimately led to her dying," said Detective Peter Tarman.

Connell Carroll was also connected to the murder of Danielle Blackburn on February 10th, 2009.

He was never arrested.

Danielle's family says they weren't shocked when they heard the news.

"I knew it was gonna happen. I've been telling people it was going to happen," says Danielle's father Don Blackburn.

Danielle was murdered while her daughter slept in the next room.

"He took two young mothers. That's two children without a mother," Don says.

Crysten Blackburn is Danielle's sister-in-law. She had met Carroll on several occasions and says he was quiet and reserved.

"Was he the type of person who would inflict harm on women? When I met him I came to talk to Danielle and he didn't leave the room when I was speaking to Danielle. He was next to her the entire time," she says.

After Danielle's murder, police couldn't find enough evidence to arrest Carroll.

Now, after another woman is dead, Danielle's family blames the judicial system.

Darin Blackburn, Danielle's brother, claims Carroll never completed a mandatory battery course that would have helped him.

"I told police that if they didn't do something it would happen again," he says.

Neither Danielle's nor Nicole's daughters were harmed during the shootings. Both are staying with family members.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Connell Carroll, you're asked to call the Fort Myers Police Department, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.

Fort Myers shooting suspect connected to 2009 murder - NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida

Domestic Violence Daily is out! Edition of Thursday, Apr. 28, 2011

 

Domestic Violence Daily

Thursday, Apr. 28, 2011

HEADLINE

Girls Like Us: The Hidden Story of Human Sex Trafficking in America

(Photo: HarperCollins).Teenage girls forced to work as prostitutes under the thumb of violent pimps and traffickers. That something that only happens in faraway places like Cambodia and the Philipp...

GEMSGIRLS

---

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

randijames

AngelFury

SayNO_UNiTE

GEMSGIRLS

TABLE OF CONTENT

173 articles by 93 contibutors

Living  38

Crime  25

Stories  15

Art & Entertainment  11

Health  5

Education  5

#vaw  18

#dv  4

Domestic Violence Daily is out! Edition of Wednesday, Apr. 27, 2011

 

Domestic Violence Daily

Wednesday, Apr. 27, 2011

HEADLINE

California policymakers recognize SAAM & Denim Day — CALCASA

The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault continues our strong tradition of reaching out to policymakers and the Administration to raise awareness about sexual violence throughout our state. ...

CALCASA

---

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

  AngelFury

  mybestlifecoach

  CALCASA

  PixelProject

  PCAAmerica

TABLE OF CONTENTS

137 articles by 92 contibutors

Living  34

Crime  14

Stories  13

Education  8

Art & Entertainment  7

Technology  3

#domesticviolence  4

#denimday  3

Domestic Violence Daily is out! Edition of Tuesday, Apr. 26, 2011

 

Domestic Violence Daily

Tuesday, Apr. 26, 2011

HEADLINE

Footer

Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women is a global advocacy and communications platform on ending violence against women and girls. It triggers and showcases actions around the world. The glo...

SayNO_UNiTE

---

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

AngelFury

SayNO_UNiTE

TABLE OF CONTENT

162 articles by 92 contibutors

Living  31

Crime  28

Art & Entertainment  16

Stories  12

Health  4

Technology  2

#vaw  23

#opsafe  2

The Domestic Violence Daily is out! Monday, Apr. 25, 2011Edition

 

The Domestic Violence Daily

Monday, Apr. 25, 2011

HEADLINE

Footer

Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women is a global advocacy and communications platform on ending violence against women and girls. It triggers and showcases actions around the world. The glo...

SayNO_UNiTE

---

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

  AngelFury

  operationSAFE

  GEMSGIRLS

  SayNO_UNiTE

TABLE OF CONTENT

165 articles by 91 contibutors

Living  38

Stories  27

Crime  20

Art & Entertainment  8

Education  7

Tragic  4

#opsafe  2

#girlslikeus  1

Domestic Violence Daily is out ! Edition of Sunday, Apr. 24, 2011

 

Domestic Violence Daily

Sunday, Apr. 24, 2011

HEADLINE

Anger of health experts over weightlifting kit for children as young as four

By Mail On Sunday Reporter Last updated at 10:03 PM on 23rd April 2011 A weightlifting kit for four-year-olds has been criticised by health experts who say that the equipment could cause physical d...

mwilliamsthomas

---

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

 mwilliamsthomas    

 
 operationSAFE

 fromtracie

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

84 articles by 69 contibutors

Living 23

Stories 8

Crime 7

Art & Entertainment 5

Health 3

Education 2

#vaw 18

#opsafe 2

Facing Trauma- Discovery Fit and Health New Show

FACING TRAUMA - TRAILER from Park Slope Productions on Vimeo.

For more information please read below & check out these links: 

Press Release:  http://press.discovery.com/us/dfh/programs/facing-trauma/

Casting Call:  http://health.discovery.com/tv/casting/casting-facing-trauma.html

Trailer:  http://www.vimeo.com/19735328

 

DISCOVERY FIT & HEALTH is looking for survivors who have sustained facial injuries resulting from domestic violence or violent crimes for the documentary series

FACING TRAUMA

FACING TRAUMA follows Dual Board Certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Andrew Jacono as he helps put back together the faces and lives of people who have been tragically and visibly scarred by violence and are struggling to move forward.  Dr. Jacono’s expert reconstructive treatment will be provided FREE for the benefit of the survivor

If you or someone you know could be a potential candidate please email your story and contact information to:

facingtrauma@gmail.com

we will contact you ASAP

We have consulted with domestic violence and crime victim advocates. We embark on this project with great respect and commitment to victim safety, empowerment, and completely informed consent. Please help us raise awareness of domestic violence and the many victims who are trying to reclaim their lives.

It’s All About the Power and Control, I Mean the Kids - Part Three

“If you want to change the culture, you will have to start by changing the organization.” ~ Mary Douglas (1921-2007)

Monday and Tuesday I gave you my opinion about the Father’s rights Movement, that I think it may have started out as some good fathers and men attempting to make their children’s lives better.  I said that I believe abusers have taken that over and ultimately made children’s lives worse through the Family Court System.

After all, it is abusers that want to maintain power and control of their victims and could care less about what is really best for their kid’s.  They will twist everything so that it appears to those they are manipulating that the victim is the one in the wrong or that the victim is the abuser.

Today, I felt it was only fair to discuss the various avenues that a truly good father can take to protect him and his children.  I’ve already stated that I don’t believe that just being a parent (whether mom or dad) makes a person a good parent.  There are men out there that are abused by women and there are kids out there that are abused by moms.

Most of the time men that abused will not seek help; mainly for the same reasons a woman won’t, but with the added social embarrassments that women don’t have.  What will their friends and family think about them ‘letting’ a woman abuse?  Men are most often not believed either; by friends, family, and professionals.

The reason for these two additional factors is because the way society as a whole thinks about gender.  A man doesn’t ‘let’ himself be abused anymore than a woman ‘lets’ herself be abused.  No abuse victim wants to be abused, in any way, regardless of what type of abuse it is.  An abuser can gain power and control of their victim in many different ways and the victim rarely sees this happening until it is too late.

When a man finds himself the victim of domestic violence or abuse and seek help they often find no services geared specifically for men.  The main reason for this is that most men (not all) are not abused to the point that they can no longer provide for themselves or that their lives are in physical danger.  The shelters that are set up to help women can’t house abused men in with abused women for many reasons, mainly because many abusers attempt to play themselves off as victims to gain entrance into a shelter to find their victims... horrifying!  But also because most shelters are not set up for co-habitation between males and females.

Organizations and shelters can however still help men that need that help.  The can help them by providing emergency assistance with vouchers for hotel for a couple nights for their safety, this is one of the things a man would have to know to ask for though... even most women don’t know to ask for a voucher when told the shelter is full.

Men can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for Men and Women at 1.888.743.5754 to ask for advice and help in their particular situation.  Online a man can go any of these sites (which I found here):

• Start with our list of Programs Closest to You
• Battered Husbands Support
• Battered Men.com
• Battered Men: Research Reveals A Secret Side To Domestic Violence (Originally published in The Pacific Sun, overview of research and stats related to female perpetrators)
• Domestic Violence Against Men (From Oregon Counseling)
• Domestic Violence Against Men in Colorado
• Domestic Violence - Another Perspective from MenStuff.org
• Male Depression.com
• S.A.F.E.: Stop Abuse for EVERYONE

I would suggest that any man who is a victim of domestic violence visit An Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence Aid and Resource Collection:  http://www.aardvarc.org/dv/malevictims.shtml  There are a lot of good resources there that can help a man and their children.

There are good fathers out there, I just want them to be able to help themselves and their children without getting sucked into the FR Movement.  After all abusers can manipulate anyone, that is what makes them good at lying in court and getting their way, rather than the best interest of their child being protected by the court.

Australian Judge lowers DV victim’s compensation because she is used to violence

WTF?  What in the hell was this judge thinking...WOW!  Apparently he isn’t.  Oh, and notice that the husband only served 8 months of a 2 year sentence to begin with.  That sentence seems low to begin with, only 2 years, for a violent incident that turned into a hostage stand-off when police arrived.

Source:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1350962/Battered-wifes-compensation-cut-used-violence.html#ixzz1CFyPp1Pw

Battered wife's compensation cut because she is 'used to violence'

By Richard Shears
Last updated at 3:59 PM on 27th January 2011

• Comments (25)
• Add to My Stories

A terrified wife who had to lower her children from a window when confronted by her abusive knife-wielding husband has had her compensation pay-out cut by a judge because she was 'conditioned' to domestic violence.

The Australian judge said the woman, who was 26 at the time, had been subjected to violence in the past and suggested that because she was used to the abuse he agreed her compensation should be cut.

The decision has outraged domestic violence experts who said the Brisbane court's decision would only 'diminish' the woman's traumatic experience.

It was in 2006 that the woman and her children were confronted by her 36-year-old husband, who was wielding a knife.

A hostage stand-off developed when police arrived but the woman was able to hand her children out of a window.               

The District Court in Brisbane was told that the husband then pushed his wife into a bedroom door, injuring her shoulder.               

He was eventually arrested and pleaded guilty to deprivation of liberty and common assault and was jailed for two years, to be suspended after eight months.               

His wife, who has not been named, applied for criminal compensation and was awarded the equivalent of £13,000.

But lawyers for the Queensland government appealed and argued that the percentage of the maximum compensation for mental anguish should be reduced from 34 per cent to 20 per cent.               

Judge Jones said a 20 per cent reduction was justified, meaning that the woman will now receive £10,400.               

The judge said that unfortunately for the woman, the incident was one of a long history of domestic violence, resulting in her being conditioned to it by her husband.               

Because of her predisposition to post traumatic stress disorder, he agreed the 20 per cent reduction was justified.               

He noted, however, that the offences before him had pushed the woman over the edge.               

Domestic violence experts told Brisbane's Courier Mail that the cut-back was the latest case in which judges expressed concern that their hands were tied when awarding criminal compensation payments to people who had suffered domestic violence over a long period.               

Miss Diane Mangan, chief executive of the help-line DV Connect, said the decision to reduce the payout because of the woman's predisposition to mental stress from previous domestic violence served to diminish her traumatic experience.               

'It's almost like saying the years that you have suffered at the hands of your husband don't count,' she told the paper.

Australians have expressed outrage at the decision to cut the woman's compensation. 

'I just hope this judge never has a family member in a similar situation,' said one writer to a newspaper's online comment page.

'Where is the justice here?'               

One man said the Australian legal system is a colossal failure.

'When is this going to be fixed?' he asked. 'When are Australians going to get off their apathetic behinds and tell our local members, state and federal ministers that enough is enough.'

New technology helps convict domestic abuse suspect

Nice!  Glad to see that it was allowed.  This could give hope to other domestic violence victims who have no outward bruising or ‘not enough’.  Just about anyone that has ever been hit knows it sometimes takes days for bruises to appear and by then the cops have already left and decided there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest or press charges.

Source:  Baltimore Crime Beat: New technology helps convict domestic abuse suspect - Baltimore crime news: Police, courts and police stories in the city and central Maryland - baltimoresun.com

New technology designed to detect hard-to-see injuries has been successfully used to prosecute a domestic violence suspect in the city. Called an Alternative Light Source, staffers at Mercy Medical Center used it to detect bruises hidden under a victim's skin.

As a result, the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office says a 31-year-old man was found guilty of assault and sentenced to eight years in prison. A Baltimore Circuit Court judge allowed the Mercy nurse to testify about the technology.

Baltimore Sun reporter Kate Smith described the new technology in a story published earlier this month.

A statement from city prosecutors:

While at Mercy Medical Center, the victim was examined by Barbara Boal, R.N., F.N.E. – A, a forensic nurse with the hospital’s SAFE program. She observed and photographed bruising to the victim’s chest, back, and neck.

She then examined the victim using an Alternative Light Source (ALS), a technology that will allow its user to observe bruises underneath the skin and not yet visible to the naked eye.

Using the ALS, Nurse Boal was able to see additional bruising to the victim’s neck consistent with her report of being strangled with one hand. She also observed substantial bruising to the victim’s chest, caused by blood vessels bursting while the victim was deprived of oxygen during the strangulation.

For more details:

At the June trial, Nurse Boal was called as a witness. She was qualified as an expert in forensic nursing.  Just before she was to start the substantive portion of her testimony, the defense raised a Frye-Reed challenge to the introduction of any testimony based on the use of the Alternative Light Source technology because this type of expert testimony had not been litigated in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

A Frye-Reed hearing was conducted where the forensic nurse was the sole witness. She testified that the use of the ALS was standard at Mercy Medical Center, that it was used in other hospitals around the state and the nation, and that it was considered the best practice for visualizing bruising under the skin.

The judge found that the use of the Alternative Light Source was a generally accepted practice in the forensic nursing community and denied the defense motion to exclude testimony based on the use of the ALS. The assault trial lasted June 1, 2010 – June 7, 2010 and Johnson was found guilty of second-degree assault and sentenced June 15, 2010 to eight years incarceration.

Boycotting hotels with porn channels will help stop DV and sexual abuse?

The article below highlights what one MN county is attempting to do as an effort to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault.  Which would normally be something that I would applaud.  In this situation though I think this an extreme waste of time, effort and possibly even money; spent debating this proposed bill.

First off let me say that I’m not dense and in a sense I get what they are getting at...in that forcing employees to not stay at hotels that offer porn channels would maybe in the long run force the hotel to stop offering these channels; and maybe this would have some positive impact.

When I initially read this article my thoughts flew off in so many directions.  I have re-read this piece a few times to make sure that I was really reading what I first thought I was.  My first thought upon reading the headline was:  wow, they must have a problem with county employee’s and porn.

My next thought was more along the lines of:  what if they have a lazy employee that would rather just stay where ever is convenient for them without asking if the hotel offered pay per view porn, even if they would not be reimbursed for the room costs, would that person then be looked at differently and silently accused of something...stereotyped even?

But wait, they have added in all the provisions to make sure they can still stay at hotels where porn is available and get the reimbursement.... so who really are they trying to protect?  Or, better yet, who really are they trying to fool with this bill?

So staying in a hotel that offers porn channels is ok as long as it costs less to stay there or it is the hotel where a conference is being held?  So as long as it is cheaper and more convenient to stay there then combating domestic violence and sexual abuse are ignored?  What kind of message is this actually sending?

 

Minnesota county considers anti-porn bill for employee hotel stays ~ By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY

Comments 100

Does the hotel you just booked offer porn on its pay-per-view system? A Minnesota county is considering banning its employees from staying in hotels that offer porn. File photo, taken May 25, 2005, shows a spacious room - and flat-screen TV - at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel. By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

A Minnesota county tomorrow will consider passing a bill that would ban county employees from selecting hotels with porn on their pay-per-view TV systems.

Concerned about sexual and domestic violence, Winona County commissioners will consider a so-called "clean hotel" policy, the Winona Daily News reports. It's not clear how county employees would figure out whether or not the hotel they're thinking about booking offers porn.

The county's move comes about five months after Minnesota state lawmakers considered passing a bill that would restrict Minnesota state employees from staying in hotels that offered violent porn movies for state-sponsored trips. In mid-March, a state House committee voted down the bill.

According to the local paper, Winona County employees would not be reimbursed for their hotel bill if the hotel offers pornography. Some 480 hotels meet the criteria, the story says.

The bill would allow for some exemptions: County workers could stay in a hotel that offers porn if it's the official hotel for a conference, or if staying at the porn-free hotel would cost 15% more than another hotel, the paper says.

Winona County's proposed bill also calls for the county government to ask the Association of Minnesota Counties to adopt the same rule.

Anti-porn bill proponents say the bill can help reduce sexual and domestic violence, the story says. "In and of itself, this policy is not a cure-all," a county paper reads, "but it is an important effort to help prevent a social disease and its related costs to the public."

The state of Minnesota spent $221 million in 2006 on costs linked to sexual violence, the paper says.

Readers: What do you think about the anti-porn bill proposal? If you agree with the anti-porn effort, do you ever check to see whether the Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Best Western or any other hotel you're thinking of booking offers porn?

Posted Sep 6 2010 4:08PM

Minnesota county considers anti-porn bill for employee hotel stays - USATODAY.com