A portion of Erin Gould’s brain had to be removed as a result of her December 2008 hammer attack. Read the news article. Her aunt said she is disabled and posted this photo on another Web site: A neurosurgeon testified today to the extent of her injuries. Here’s a few John Althouse photos of the MRI images [...]

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 [...]

Johnathan Gould enters the Onslow County Superior Courtroom Tuesday: Prosecutors say Gould beat his wife nearly to death with a hammer last year. She was in the courtroom Tuesday sitting on the back row with family. Gould and his attorney, Jacksonville lawyer Billy J. Morgan: Thanks to Daily News photographer Don Bryan for the outstanding courtroom pictures.

JPD responded to a call Monday morning and saw three suspects in a SUV hauling a cash machine down Western Boulevard. Arrests were made. Read the news here. The three suspects were driving a 1999 Mitsubishi Montero like the one pictured here (I don’t know the color): Again, this is not the actual vehicle used and I [...]

While the newspaper works on a big�picture story�concerning Jacksonville City Councilman Jerome Willingham’s litigious lifestyle, here is some information gathered Monday for a story that wasn’t printed to give way to the larger piece in the works. Daily News government reporter Molly K. Dewitt did some legwork Monday on the story.�Here is what the council [...]

Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Philips said he “absolutely” did not know about Willingham’s�federal lawsuit against the City of San Leandro. The District Attorney’s Office was�also�unaware of it when I asked last week. Why did Willingham keep�it�so secret? He clearly believes he was in the right, why not tell�the voting public about it?� —————————– first update ——————————� [...]

Since being promoted to content editor, Amanda Hickey has literally been working day and night to get the newspaper’s Web site in top shape. As you might have noticed, story-related videos are now embedded in the news articles. The cold case map has been updated. The new pet blog is up and running. And if you [...]

I received this e-mail today from a friend of the Richardsons. The writer is extremely upset with the newspaper and readers who have made comments about the Richardsons on the news articles I have written. I have verified this person’s identity and relationship with the Richardsons, but will not publish their identity. If they want [...]

It’s not good news for the bad guys when these two agencies get together. Onslow County Sheriff’s Capt. Pat Garvey and Jacksonville police detective Dave Miltier.

- 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 [...]

As long-time readers know, my personal life often bleeds into my professional one. I certainly don’t mean in the articles I write, but in the day-to-day grind of being a crime reporter in an area rife with unusual crimes. Tuesday was one of those days. I was up early because the jury in the Lawrence Dowsing [...]

Camp Lejeune confirms man accused of killing wife is a Marine. A reliable source tells me Cody Richardson strangled his wife, Jessy, with his bare hands and left her in their bed for three days. I noticed the windows were open Monday as crime scene investigators worked inside the apartment.

 Lawrence Dowsing and his attorney, Jacksonville lawyer Stuart Popkin on one side of the courtroom and Senior Assistant District Attorney Mike Maultsby on the other. A Daily News / Chuck Beckely photo. Click thumbnail to enlarge. Maultsby told the jury in the murder trial of Lawrence Dowsing that the killer of Brad Palmer thought Palmer’s life was worth $50 – the [...]

It’s becoming a little too common lately.  I was in court listening to closing arguments in the Lawrence Dowsing murder trial today at around 2 p.m. when a bailiff came in and whispered something in JPD Cpl. James Gamel’s ear. I didn’t pay attention when he got up and left.  A Daily News archive photo [...]

Bumped into a high ranking JPD officer who wanted to know what I meant by these two following sentences in this article about a second suspect in the Brad Palmer homicide: Jacksonville police would not comment on the status of Munn’s investigation. “That is something you need to talk to the District Attorney’s Office about,” said JPD [...]

Lindell sent this to me to post on jdnews.com but since the program we use for the Web site has decided to not cooperate with me, here it goes until I win the Amanda-Web site battle.   A Southwest area man charged with animal cruelty and growing marijuana was released from the Onslow County Jail [...]

I made a major error in reporting on the Lawrence Dowsing murder trial in today’s newspaper. The online story has been corrected and I will add a correction with the story I put in Saturday’s paper. Read the corrected article here. Police found a pair of bloody jeans in the defendant’s home. I incorrectly identified [...]

The N.C. Court of Appeals has upheld a�contempt of court ruling against a Jacksonville city councilman for not paying child support. According to court papers, he was failing to pay back child support while spending money on stuff like Red Lobster, Gold’s Gym and the dating service E Harmony. Read the news article�here. He accused [...]

Here we go – - A hearing begins tomorrow for a 10-year-old boy accused of raping his sister. I know a lot of people will jump up and say, “How horrible! That deviant should be locked away for the rest of his life!” Well, problem is, I got it on good account that the boy [...]

I watched a good defense attorney Tuesday lay the foundation for a good defense. Stuart Popkin, representing Lawrence Dowsing charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of an out-f-state electrician looking to score weed, worked slowly to put his client in contact with the victim, but several hours prior to his death. Read the [...]

My boss (one of them anyway, I have quite a few), Timmi Toler has a really funny blog post up about a public official saying the newspaper uses illegal means to get its stories. Her response to that ludicrous statement is hilarious. She uses a metaphor of reporters standing on the street corner asking for a [...]

Everyone gets their day in court. For some, who have passed through the fire and come out clean, like Charles Cunningham, it is a time of rectification. For others, like Lawrence Wallace Dowsing III, who sit in their cells the night before jury selection with the knowledge that their fate rests in the hands of [...]

[UPDATE: Lethen Pollock was charged Sunday by Onslow County Animal Control with cruelty to animals and mistreatment of animals.] Where to start… I have been all around the world. In my Navy days, I saw a fellow sailor catch fire and run around with his face burning off. I have been to some gruesome crime scenes in the [...]

Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that I’ve been pretty much out of communication since 8 a.m. Wednesday due to court martial proceedings aboard Camp Lejeune. Yesterday a corpsman pleaded guilty to pointing a gun at a lance corporal’s chest. He didn’t pull the trigger. The lance corporal missed out on being a corporal [...]

A Camp Lejeune Marine pleaded guilty during a special court marshal hearing today to pointing a gun at comrades and shooting one of them during a game of “trust me.” Amanda’s story is here. And yesterday’s related story. This is sad. I know those guys are under a lot of pressure over there, but I [...]

It’s been almost a week since I have posted – the longest lull ever, I think. But between Labor Day, and my entire family having some weird head cold / soar throat thing, and a general state of malaise, I took a short sabbatical. And I wasn’t coming back until probably Monday, but this story [...]

Mike McHugh’s idea of funny. Me no laugh.

The grandmother of the infant who had his toes chewed off is defending the child’s parents. Read that here. And the frantic 911 call made by the father when he wakes up to find his son’s toes have been snacked on is attached to the news story. My being an old Navy man, I pay attention to detail. For instance, [...]

“Bushwhacking” Bill Gerrans strikes again! Seriously, lawyers are supposed to jealously defend their clients and I think Gerrans has certainly shown his skill in this case. He was able to get Gill’s bond lowered and then found a bondsman to work with him. Of course, I think Gerrans has something in a defendants a lot of [...]

Rodger Gill’s bond has been reduced. He is not out of jail yet. I will have more later tonight. UPDATE: The information I was going to put on here ended up strong enough for a follow-up article, so I will have it tomorrow…

The Fayetteville Observer is reporting that state prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Camp Lejeune Marine John Wimunc who is accused of killing his estranged Army wife, Holley Wimunc, in her Fayetteville apartment last summer and trying to burn her body in Sneads Ferry. Read their story here. I’ve have more on it later in the [...]

Travis Tritt had a song several years ago bemoaning the death of true Southern Rock with the line -”Damn, I miss Dwayne Almond. I wish he were still around.” That line has been sticking in my head lately, but it keeps rattling around something like this – “Damn, I miss Earl Taylor. I wish he [...]

Read this bit of news.

That is how one member of the Onslow County legal community referred to Jihad Melvin when I told that person that Melvin had been given a new trial by the Court of Appeals. Read the news article here. That page has links to the previous articles about Melvin and a copy of the Appeals Court [...]