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ELB wrote:I suppose if it was just supposed to be a thumpin' that spun out of control, it might make a little more sense.

Probably that was the case. The line-up of defendants didn't look like they were pulling up the collective IQ of east Texas.

- Jim

This case has gotten bizarre even by Galveston standards.

Five men were indicted for the murder-robbery. According to confessions by various suspects, the boss of the murdered man got some gangsters to rob the man to scare him, because he was dissatisfied with the man's productivity.

One suspect pled guilty to robbery earlier. He testified against another suspect.

That suspect had a jury trial last week and was found not guilty. He had a provable alibi, and other evidence was contradictory.

This is, unfortunately, a subscription-only link. No other news story is available.
http://www.galvestondailynews.com/news/ ... 0f31a.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Alibi is Latin for "another place." It literally means a suspect was in another place when the crime occurred. The word is frequently misused as a synonym for excuse, usually an unbelievable excuse.

- Jim

Burglary of construction sites is rampant and has been my entire adult life. The thieves literally feel entitled to steal anything that is not nailed down, and some things that are.

On some level they know it's less risky than burglary of a habitation, which is always a felony. With theft they can often claim to have "made a mistake" or plead to a misdemeanor.

The Lege made theft of copper (wire and air-conditioners) a felony a few years ago, but that has not slowed down the copper thieves.

However, these burglars in Galveston after Ike were a lower breed. They were stealing personal property from storm-damaged houses, and they generally didn't care how much additional damage they caused.

- Jim

Four additional suspects were arrested. Police now say the motive was robbery.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/218270" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This article does not state what, if anything, was stolen.

- Jim

Warrants had been issued for a named suspect a while back. The suspect surrendered in Cleveland (Liberty County, northeast of Houston).

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/216770" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No motive is stated (frustrating ).

- Jim

No progress in this case. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information, and police combed the area for clues.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/207926" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

The victim in this case has been identified. His vehicle remained parked in front of the house after the murder. No motive is known.

“We have no suspects and nobody in custody,” [a police spokesman] said. “We don’t believe this is a threat to anyone else in the neighborhood.”

Well if you don't know who did it or why, how do you know there is no ongoing threat?

This is weird:

Officers interviewed witnesses at the scene, including one man who had paper bags on his hands, but [the police spokesman] declined to discuss details.

It has been cold enough to require gloves if you are working outdoors. Maybe the bags were some poor man's disposable gloves.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/205274" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

The itinerant construction workers that have been in the area since Ike have added a new dimension to crime. Some of them have been working (or looking for work) by day and committing burglary on unoccupied houses and construction sites by night. A few have been caught and convicted.

But this kind of seemingly random murder with no obvious motive is unusual. Even if it was due to one of the common explanations like a love triangle, those murders are usually done more surreptitiously.

- Jim

In Galveston Friday a man was found shot to death in the yard of a house in the 7500 block of Beluche Drive, on the shore of Lake Madeline.

The man was an electrical contractor from Houston who had been working on the Ike-damaged house. He was described as white man. No name was given (probably pending notification of relatives).

A report of a "man down" was called in to 911 at 2:15 p.m., but no one in the area had heard gunshots or seen any unusual activity.

No motive is known and no suspect has been identified.

The area is upscale and isolated from arterial streets and roads.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/204658" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is a very unusual crime for this area. Usually the worst that happens is robbery of convenience stores or burglary.

- Jim
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