Investigation Discovery, one of my favorite cable networks, is featuring the Cesar Laurean case Saturday. I’ve seen the program and it is interesting. Read the news. The actor playing Sheriff Ed Brown doesn’t look much like the real deal, but other than that the re-enactments are good. Two photo stills from the show’s re-enactments- Laurean [...]

The Guardian has a new, in-depth article online which looks at rape in the U.S. military. Read the story. The article refers to “the case of 24-year-old lance corporal Maria Lauterbach, a marine preparing to testify that she was raped by fellow marine, Cesar Laurean, when she went missing in 2007. Although it was never [...]

Here’s a really interesting story from The Dayton Daily News about Mary Lauterbach and her efforts to change military culture. Read the article. Mary Lauterbach: “The moment that Maria reported the sexual assault, they concluded she was a liar. Even after she reported being sucker-punched and having her car keyed, which should have been red flags, [...]

Christina Smith has made moves to leave her past and her former husband behind. Smith, who divorced Cesar Laurean in April, was remarried in July. The groom in that wedding paid $40 cash for a marriage license, according to the Marion, Ohio, Register of Deeds. Special thanks to Off the Cuff regular KH for pointing [...]

The Pentagon’s inspector general is criticizing Camp Lejeune officials for inadequate and incomplete handling of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach’s rape complaint against Cpl. Cesar Laurean, who later murdered her. Read the news. The report found that the details of Lauterbach’s rape complaint were not entered into a database maintained by the base’s Sexual Assault and Prevention Response [...]

The Daily News shuffled its way Tuesday from The U.S. District Courthouse on Princess Street in Wilmington to the Sampson County Courthouse on East Main Street in Clinton. Most days, content editor Amanda Hickey posts about what made news each day and often tosses in opinions. It is pretty good reading. – On the story [...]

This blog began in April 2008 two days before authorities captured Cesar Laurean in Mexico. Laurean’s N.C. Department of Correction file He is being held at Pasquotank Correctional Institution, a high security prison for adult males in Elizabeth City. This blog begins anew the day before District Attorney Dewey Hudson makes an announcement concerning Laurean’s wife. But let me say this for [...]

In case you dropped by an old haunt looking for trial coverage of the first-degree murder trial of Cesar Laurean, head over to the newspaper’s special report STAVE V. LAUREAN. There is a photo gallery, interactive timeline, archived articles and a trial blog. I will be posting regularly. – LINDELL 

Read the news article about Laurean’s response to the Lauterbachs’ wrongful death lawsuit.  I am anticipating some big news in the Cesar Laurean case Friday. Can’t say what just yet, but I will post it here and jdnews.com as soon as possible.

I spoke with a law enforcement source about the wallet. Here’s the deal from their end. Christina found a wallet in the Meadow Trail home – I believe the bedroom, but am not 100 percent on that – and asked Cesar about it. He supposedly told her the wallet belonged to a friend who must have left it and took [...]

An article from The Examiner sent to me by the National Association of Chiefs of Police: The Department of Defense’s Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services recently submitted its congressionally-mandated report to the secretary of defense.  The report — obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police’s Sex Crimes Committee – finds DoD [...]

Here is a press release from Rep. Mike Turner who is continuing his campaign to strengthen protections for military personnel who claim sexual assault. Remember, Turner has been vocal about this since Maria Lauterbach was found dead and it became public that she had previously accused the man suspected of killing her of rape. (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. [...]

Like I told y’all last week, Jacksonville lawyer Dick MeNeil filed a change of venue today in the Cesar Laurean case. He claims The Daily News, WITN-TV and other media outlets covered the case so much that his client wouldn’t get a fair trial in Onslow County. Read the news here. McNeil’s entire motion is [...]

- Sheriff’s detectives charged Michael Deaver and Randall Tefft with burning a house after a break-in. Tefft is also charged with stealing guns and gold from his mom. Leave it to Deaver. – The father of the child whose toes were gnawed off by a pit bull puppy last month is due in court tomorrow. Not [...]

WITN has a video package online of a special report recapping the Laurean case. WITN’s Jacksonville Bureau Chief Chelsea Donovan also talks with lawyers on both sides – District Attorney Dewey Hudson and public defender Dick McNeil - about the possibility of a plea bargain. Check it out.

The deal won’t close for 30 days, but RE/MAX has someone under contract to buy Cesar Laurean’s home. Read news here. And a nod to WITN’s Chelsea Donovan for beating me to the story… this time. ———————————————- Mike McHugh sent me these photos of Chelsea and I at 103 Meadow Trail when the house was [...]

Okay, so we all know Laurean is a big fan of The Daily News. He read an online article about Maria’s disappearance before he disappeared in mid-January 2008. And law enforcement tracked him through IP addresses viewing jdnews.com from Mexico. So how ironic is it that he can’t read the newspaper now? Well in Ed [...]

Former Marine Cesar Laurean will enter a plea of not guilty today at his arraignment, according to his attorney Dick McNeil. The entire thing is sort of anti-climatic because we all already know what will happen. The judge will read him his rights; he will plead not guilty; the prosecution will announce that they will [...]

A DNA test has confirmed what I reported more than a year ago on the blog. Cesar Laurean is not the father of Maria Lauterbach’s onborn child. Read the news here.

Read news here. He has been “administratively separated.”

“By agreement of the State and defense, the arraignment in the Cesar Laurean case has been rescheduled from May 18, 2009 to June 8, 2009,” District Attorney Dewey Hudson said in a statement to the press today. 

Senior Resident Onslow County Superior Court Judge Charles Henry issued a gag order in the case of state v. Laurean. The order was added to the public record this morning and I was there to pay my $2.75 and pick it up for y’all.   Read news here. Here is a shot from a couple [...]

I lifted this post from another section and put it here to start a new thread. Mike McHugh who is sifting through a file compiled by a private investigator for a Newsweek correspondent had this to say: I started pouring over the documents Lindell received from a Newsweek reporter regarding background studies of Christina and [...]

As reported the other day, authorities believe Laurean gave a crowbar to a friend Dec. 16, 2007. Once that friend realized the significance of the crowbar, he turned it in to detectives. Mike and I spoke to him Tuesday. The last several days have been so crazy, I am just now able to take the [...]

Jacksonville attorney Dick McNeal looking through boxes of evidence discovery material in his client’s case. Prosecutors plan to show Cesar Laurean killed Maria Lauterbach. The materials were handed over by Senior Assistant Distict Attorney Mike Maultsby on Tuesday. The state would not supply McNeil with discovery until Laurean was back in North Carolina.

UPDATED The story is now Online with information from a search warrant served today that fills in some of what happened in mid-December, how detectives got their hands on what they believe is the murder weapon, who the guy in the Lowe’s video is, and I get into whether Laurean was extradited because of due [...]

UPDATED Laurean was delievered to the Onslow County Jail at 8:05 p.m. by Sheriff’s Inspector Rick Sutherland and other members of law enforcement. He appeared before a magistrate and was booked. Read news here.  ————————————————————————  Okay, strange is becoming surreal. I have heard from a source close to the investigation that Laurean is headed for Miami, not Houston. [...]

Based on a thing or two I know I can’t report, I would expect him back in Onslow County much sooner that later. Read news. Everyone is talking about the impending media circus, but I don’t see it. Laurean’s 1st appearance in court will be important and we might see a few extra reports for [...]

Cesar Laurean will be returned to the U.S. by Friday. Read breaking news. More information as soon as possible.

Robert Sharpe, a former intern at the D.A.’s Office, has been indicted on an embezzlement charge that he stole a copy of the Cesar Laurean file. Read news here. Authorities said he planned to sell the 6,000 plus pages and electronic files to an undercover Onslow County Sheriff’s Deputy posing as a Newsweek reporter. That is all I [...]

Read this news report about a North Carolina prosecutor and a state senator pushing to see the law changed to make the death of an unborn child a seperate crime when the mother is killed or injured. Some say the law would go too far; some say the law falls short. You can also read [...]

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense has been asked to postpone an investigation in how the military handled the rape investigation of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach — a decision local law enforcement said was wise. The D.A. and the Sheriff agree now is not the time to be investigating the rape allegations, now [...]

103 Meadow Trail went on the auction block Monday to a resounding silence. Looks like no one is prepared to pay $102,000 for that house of horrors. Read news here. A very somber photo of the Laurean residence last January: Comments to this blog are unmoderated. Any questionable comments should be reported to localdesk@freedomenc.com or [...]

Almost one year exactly from when Maria Lauterbach’s body was found and authorities announced her assailant had fled to Mexico, history is repeating itself just north of here. The missing Sampson County woman I told you about Friday is dead. Authorities found her body in a wooded area not far from her home this weekend, [...]

It was one year ago today that authorities found Maria Lauterbach and her unborn son in a shallow grave behind Cesar Laurean’s Half Moon community home. Laurean was already on a bus bound for his native Mexico. There were many, many law enforcement officers who took part in that investigation and made Laurean’s arrest in Mexico [...]

The sale of the Laurean home was postponed. Read about that here. I did have a chance to look inside as potential buyers checked it out before the auction. I took a few photos. The garage: Carpet in one bedroom: View of the backyard from the master bedroom:

103 Meadow Trail to be sold today. The site of a brutal 2007 homicide and the gruesome temporary burial site of a pregnant woman will be on the auction block today.   Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach vanished Dec. 14, 2008; the day authorities believe she was beat to death with a crowbar in Cpl. Cesar [...]

Friday, Jan. 11, 2008, was an altogether simultaneously sad and hectic day. There was literally more happening in the Lauterbach case than the newspaper could report. Late Thursday, Sheriff Ed Brown was in a good mood, convinced that when Marine Sgt. Daniel Durham’s plane touched down he would tell them where Maria was hiding and everything [...]

Mike McHugh swung by 103 Meadow Trail and snapped this shot of the legal notice taped to the front door: The property will be auctioned off Monday on the courthouse steps. Bidding starts at one penny. Mike described the property this way: “The grass is high and unkept. The swimming pool is still in the backyard and [...]

For those of you who have been speculating about and timelining the events immediately before and after the death of Maria Lauterbach, Cecil Jones will become very important to you. He found Maria’s cell phone on the side of the road allowing detectives to piece together a very important corner of the puzzle. The way [...]

The second article in the real time timeline is Online now. From the article: “A computer in the Laurean home accessed pornographic Web sites, including some featuring pregnant women, the afternoon of Dec. 14, 2007, according to a source close to the investigation.” Whatever happened that day, it is sad to think while Maria was [...]

The Daily News has begun a Lauterbach investigation timeline which will run in the print edition each day for the foreseeable future. The information will be available Online at jdnews.com. Tomorrow’s article is already up. The first report is to catch readers up to where the situation existed on Dec. 13, 2007. Sunday’s article will detail the [...]

The Half Moon community home of Cesar Laurean, and site of a grisly discovery in January, is up for sale. Read article here. A photo of the house from earlier this year.

A Dateline crew was at The Daily News today to interview me about the William Miller cold case. Here is a photo by Dave Melvin of freelance cameraman Kevin Bond filming me looking at a bunch of photos on my laptop: Bond was the cameraman that shot rolls of film for Dateline when they were going [...]

The Onslow County District Attorney’s Office is reporting that Lance Cpl. Christina Laurean has returned to Camp Lejeune from her visit to see her husband, a murder suspect held in a Mexican jail. Hey, Ed C., you owe me five bucks.

A story is Online now about Christina Laurean going to Mexico for a possible conjugal visit with her husband Cesar. Read it here. D.A. Dewey Hudson’s press conference Thursday on the steps of the Onslow County Courthouse: Dick McNeil and Dewey Hudson discuss the case, the 2012 presidential race and where to get a good burger [...]

A profile article on Jacksonville attorney Dick McNeil is Online now. A FreedomENC photo of McNeil, Vaughn Jones and P.I. Jerry Waller: Read it here. Waller and McNeil outside the Craven County Courthouse: A tidbit of the story: McNeil said he did not know whether Cesar Laurean would ever be returned to the U.S. to [...]

District Attorney Dewey Hudson has called for a press conference at his office in Onslow County for tomorrow to provide an update on the Cesar Laurean case. More when I know it…

A high-ranking government official confirmed to me tonight that the Marine Corps has approved Christina Laurean’s leave request to visit her husband Cesar Laurean who is in a Mexican jail awaiting word on his extradition. She will travel to Mexico sometime in November. I don’t know the exact dates. I talked with a few local [...]