Media Links Only - NO DISCUSSIONS

New Posts

Report: Grand jury convened
Posted: 07/20/2009 01:35:19 PM PDT
Updated: 07/20/2009 06:19
<snipped>
A criminal grand jury was scheduled to convene Monday to hear testimony in the case against Melissa Huckaby, the Tracy woman charged with kidnapping, raping and killing her 8-year-old neighbor.

The Stockton Record has reported the proceedings have begun. A San Joaquin County Court spokeswoman said she could not confirm the report because of the secret nature of the hearings. The paper states the hearing is expected to take two weeks. A gag order prohibits anyone associated with the case from publicly discussing it.

In the Cantu case, Huckaby faces a murder charge with three special circumstances &#8212; kidnapping, lewd and lascivious acts on a child and rape with a foreign object. In another case, Huckaby has been charged with two counts of furnishing a harmful substance and one count of child endangerment for allegedly drugging another child and a Hayward man. Huckaby has entered not guilty pleas to all charges and remains in custody in San Joaquin County jail.

Article:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_12876977?source=rss
 
Report: Grand jury convened in Sandra Cantu murder case
Posted: 07/20/2009 02:04:13 PM PDT
Updated: 07/20/2009 02:16:09 PM PDT
<snipped>
A criminal grand jury is believed to be convening today to hear testimony in the case against Melissa Huckaby, the Tracy woman charged with kidnapping, raping and killing her 8-year-old neighbor.

The Stockton Record has reported the proceedings have begun. A San Joaquin County Court spokeswoman said she could not confirm the report because of the secret nature of the hearings. The paper states the hearing is expected to take two weeks. A gag order prohibits anyone associated with the case from publicly discussing it.

Cantu, a friend of Huckaby's daughter, was last seen March 27 at the mobile home park where both she and Huckaby lived. The girl's body was found April 6 in a black suitcase floating in an irrigation pond. Huckaby was arrested on April 10.

Article:
http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_12877211?source=rss&nclick_check=1
 
Angel Statue Intended For Cantu Family Stolen
Tracy Girl Slain Earlier This Year
POSTED: 2:31 pm PDT July 23, 2009
UPDATED: 2:49 pm PDT July 23, 2009
<snipped>
LATHROP, Calif. -- An angel statue intended for the family of slain 8-year-old Tracy resident Sandra Cantu has been stolen, a landscape business said.

Relatives of Cantu wanted the 3-foot-tall angel to honor the memory of the girl, so it was ordered by Eden Garden and Landscape on South Manthey Road in Lathrop.

The angel arrived at the business and a "sold" sign was placed it.

But when Cantu's family arrived Thursday to pick it up, employees at the business realized someone had taken it.

Another angel was also taken from the business in recent weeks.

Article:
http://www.kcra.com/news/20159177/detail.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added All Videos From KCRA-Just In Case Any Overlooked Or Missed! Plus To Have Them All Together In One Post. :wink:

VIDEO: Cantu Remembered In Tree Planting
http://www.kcra.com/video/19849420/index.html

VIDEO: Some Calls Monitored In Cantu Case
http://www.kcra.com/video/20056369/index.html

VIDEO: Cantu's Alleged Killer Pleads Not Guilty
http://www.kcra.com/video/19740968/index.html

VIDEO: Melissa Huckaby Due Back In Court
http://www.kcra.com/video/19738600/index.html

VIDEO: Huckaby Facing More Charges
http://www.kcra.com/video/19536969/index.html

VIDEO: Psychologist Analyzes Huckaby's Body Language
http://www.kcra.com/video/19184506/index.html

VIDEO: Huckaby Tells Investigators Cantu Death 'An Accident'
http://www.kcra.com/video/19181739/index.html
 
Angel statue for Cantu family goes missing
Jul 23, 2009
<snipped>
Owners of Eden Garden and Landscape on Lathrop&#8217;s South Manthey Road refused to comment.

&#8220;This should never have happened,&#8221; a man said over the phone before hanging up. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to talk about it.&#8221;

Sandra&#8217;s family, who was unavailable for comment, reportedly showed up at the landscaping store and discovered that the statue was missing. Another statue from the same business was stolen in recent weeks, according to news reports.

Recently, someone donated a pink crepe myrtle, which was planted in the girl&#8217;s memory by Sandra&#8217;s school, Jacobsen Elementary. Also, a Southern California family donated a playhouse in her honor.

Earlier this month, the Hearts &#8217;n&#8217; Pieces Quilt Guild presented the Cantu Family with an &#8220;angel quilt&#8221; made by guild members in memory of Sandra. The guild meets monthly at Tracy&#8217;s Orchard Mobile Estates Clubhouse.

Huckaby pleaded not guilty to the charges last month. A secret grand jury is convening this week and next week or so at the San Joaquin County Superior Court to hear the case against Huckaby, who before her April 10 arrest lived a few doors down from Sandra.

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...amily+goes+missing&instance=home_news_bullets
 
It's time to fix the flaws in the Amber Alert system
Guidelines vary on when to issue alerts
July 18, 2009, 4:45PM
<snipped>
When it comes to finding missing or abducted children, worried parents and law enforcement officers rely for the most part on fingerprints and the voluntary Amber Alert system. While these may assist in the recovery of a child, there is a lot more that can and needs to be done to better protect our children.

Each year between 800,000 and 1.3 million children are reported missing. Further, more than 58,000 children are abducted each year. And, in abductions involving a violent crime, statistics show that 99 percent of violent crimes occur within the first four hours that the child is missing.

In California, 8-year-old Sandra Cantu wasn't as lucky. She disappeared this past March and her body was found 10 days later inside a suitcase left in a drainage ditch. Her family had contacted police, but no Amber Alert was sent out. The police, while not issuing an Amber Alert, still conducted a search, informed other law enforcement offices in California, and spoke to the media.

Mark Klaas, whose 13-year-old daughter Polly was kidnapped and killed, has said, &#8220;The Amber Alert system, as it was conceived by the federal government, is an ill-conceived idea that was based on bureaucracy and not quickly disseminated information.&#8221; He's right.

So what's the solution? We need a national system with a single set of rules that are consistently applied in every state. When issuing Amber alerts, state law enforcement agencies should be using modern technology &#8212; cell phones, the Internet and GPS to maximize the rapid dissemination of vital information. The time has come for Congress to legislate a better system for protecting our children from possible abduction.

Article:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6535984.html
 
Grand jury meeting to decide whether Huckaby goes to trial
July 21, 2009 12:01 AM
<snipped>
A secret grand jury began meeting Monday to hear evidence in the case of Tracy's Melissa Huckaby, the Sunday school teacher accused in the kidnapping, rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

The hearing is scheduled to last two weeks.

In the end, the grand jury will decide if Huckaby, 28, should stand trial on the charges in open court.

The grand jury hearing will take the place of the preliminary hearing. It also keeps from the public key details of the case: the cause of Sandra's death and the alleged motive.

Legal experts have suggested prosecutors opted for a secret grand jury to quiet the public interest in an attempt to avoid having to move the trial out of San Joaquin County.

Article:
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090721/A_NEWS/307219974/-1/A_SPECIAL0263
 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090731/A_NEWS/907319987

Grand jury wraps up Huckaby hearing


~snip~

By The Record
July 31, 2009 3:29 PM

STOCKTON – A criminal grand jury concluded its deliberations this afternoon in the case of Melissa Huckaby, a Tracy woman accused of the kidnapping, rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.
The grand jury’s decision to indict her or not will remain secret unless Huckaby, 28, is brought back to court for arraignment on the indictment. Her next hearing in the San Joaquin County Superior Court is scheduled for Sept. 8.
The indictment would take the place of charges San Joaquin County prosecutors filed against Huckaby shortly after her arrest.
For the past two weeks, witnesses have been called to testify before the grand jury. If they return an indictment, the case will next go to a trial in open court.


~snip~
 
Huckaby grand jury duties done
August 01, 2009 12:01 AM
<snipped>
A criminal grand jury concluded its deliberations Friday afternoon in the case of Melissa Huckaby, a Tracy woman accused in the kidnapping, rape and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

The grand jury's decision to indict her - or not - will remain secret unless Huckaby, 28, is brought back to court for arraignment. The indictment would take the place of charges San Joaquin County prosecutors filed against her after her April 10 arrest.

Huckaby's next hearing before San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus is scheduled for Sept. 8.

For the past two weeks, witnesses have been called to testify before the grand jury. If they return an indictment, the case will next go to a trial in open court.

Huckaby's case was set for a September preliminary hearing. If the grand jury issues an indictment, the preliminary hearing won't be held, and key details of the case will remain out of the public's knowledge.

A judge's gag order has kept investigators and prosecutors from explaining a possible motive for the killing and how Sandra died. Legal experts have suggested prosecutors took it to a grand jury, where proceedings are always secret, to quiet the public interest in an attempt to prevent moving the trial out of San Joaquin County.

Article:
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090801/A_NEWS/908010322/-1/NEWSMAP
 
High-profile crimes bring neighborhood responses
Aug 03, 2009
<snipped>
Dozens of neighborhoods throughout the county will take part in the 26th annual National Night Out, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch.

Parties will be held from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. all over town to promote awareness of Neighborhood Watch and help foster a sense of community.

Rose suspected that maybe the high-profile crimes of &#8220;Kyle,&#8221; the tortured teenager and the murder of Sandra Cantu have motivated more Tracy residents to take a more active role in their communities.

&#8220;It helps a great deal,&#8221; Rose said. &#8220;The neighborhoods are proactive in stopping crime.&#8221;

She said she has Alan Sanchez, a reporter for Good Day Sacramento, and local singer Rachel Rene lined up as special guests. Decker said she planned to point out some of the troubling spots on her block and listen to neighbors concerns. She said crime has calmed down since forming the Neighborhood Watch.

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...rhood+responses&instance=home_news_lead_story
 
Anne Marie Fuller: Can't fight City Hall, but you can rent it
Posted: 08/05/2009 12:11:44 PM PDT
Updated: 08/06/2009 06:54:44 PM PDT
<snipped>
THE CITY of Tracy hopes to generate new revenue by renting out City Hall for private parties and other events.

City Hall also has been a backdrop for many city organizations and events. This past spring it played host for a special barbecue honoring local Community Emergency Response Team members who took part in the effort to find missing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, of Tracy. Nearly 100 people attended the barbecue, including many city officials and a local news crew.

"We picked City Hall as our backdrop for the barbecue because it ties everything all together," said Tracy Fire Division Chief Germane Friends, who helped serve food at the event. "We really thought it was important to honor and show our appreciation to those who stepped up and volunteered their time to help the community. It was truly a trying time for everyone, but we all pulled together and now I think we are a little more stronger."

Article:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_12998094
 
Sandra Cantu playground dedication set for Friday
Aug 06, 2009
<snipped>
The family and classmates of 8-year-old murder victim Sandra Cantu will gather Friday morning to dedicate a new playground in the girl&#8217;s memory.

Tracy Unified School District Superintendent James Franco and Jacobson Elementary principal Cindy Sasser will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony, which is closed to the public.

The $46,500 school playground was donated by Landscape Structures Inc. earlier this summer and built at Jacobson Elementary School, which Sandra attended before her March 27 disappearance.

On the play set is a sign marking it as the &#8220;Sandra Cantu Playground.&#8221; The structure &#8212; made up of two red slides and a tall tower &#8212; marks the third permanent memorial in Tracy to the slain first-grader.

In late May, a Southern California couple donated a hand-built pink-and-purple playhouse to the school in Sandra&#8217;s memory. And in June, Sen. Barbara Boxer donated a pink crepe myrtle, which the city planted yards away from Jacobson on West Kavanagh Avenue. A brass plaque with Sandra&#8217;s name and birth and death dates lies at the base of the sapling, which should grow for 20 more years and sprout pink blossoms in the spring. Pink was Sandra&#8217;s favorite color.

Huckaby, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was arrested on April 10. A grand jury convened in July but no indictment has been handed down yet.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month.

cantu_playground1__08_08_09.jpg


View slideshow (3 images):
http://matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws...ignature=wRr3L5rM3ztJSHcCx1oOHABVmz4=&x-s=543

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...+set+for+Friday&instance=home_news_lead_story
 
UPDATE: Murder probe launched after woman found dead in mobile home
Aug 06, 2009
<snipped>
Police detained four people tonight after they found a woman apparently beaten to death in her trailer home, but have yet to arrest a suspected killer.

&#8220;There is an active investigation,&#8221; said Tracy police Lt. Jeremy Watney. &#8220;We don&#8217;t think this was an accident.&#8221;

The woman was in her late 50s and lived in space #44, a pink single-wide mobile home close to the northern entrance of Green Oaks Mobile Home Park, 2929 N. MacArthur Drive.

The woman&#8217;s roommate came home late in the day and called police at 4:42 p.m. to report that the woman was dead and appeared badly beaten, Watney said, adding that it&#8217;s too early to release more details. The woman had severe head injuries, police said.

Neighbors said the woman&#8217;s name was Cindy, and that she stayed inside her trailer on most days.

Neighbors said they didn&#8217;t hear gunshots or a loud noise, and only found out about the incident when dozens of police showed up and cordoned the place off.

The woman&#8217;s slaying marks the second murder this year in Tracy following the killing of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu in late March.

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/ful...+in+mobile+home&instance=home_news_lead_story
 
Tracy Playground Dedicated To Sandra Cantu
Volunteers, Donors Construct Playground At Jacobson Elementary School
POSTED: 11:39 am PDT August 7, 2009
UPDATED: 11:50 am PDT August 7, 2009
<snipped>
A playground built in honor of a Tracy girl who disappeared and was found dead earlier this year was officially dedicated at her elementary school Friday.

"It's been over four months since Sandra left us, but she is definitely in our hearts. I know I think about her every day," Principal Cindy Sasser said. "Many have worked together to donate this beautiful playground ... to Jacobsen Elementary in memory of Sandra."

"Sandra's exuberance and smile will live on in the hearts and minds of its visitors, and she will never be forgotten -- not at all," Tracy schools Superintendent Jim Franco said.

Cantu's relatives were among those who turned out for the dedication ceremony. Her two siblings and friends from school were the first to play on the new playground.

Volunteers and donors built a playground at Jacobson Elementary School in Tracy in memory of Sandra Cantu.
20319465_240X180.jpg


Article:
http://www.kcra.com/news/20319477/detail.html
 
A step toward healing
Donated playground dedicated at the school attended by Sandra Cantu
August 08, 2009 12:01 AM
<snipped>
But Friday marked a small step toward healing as a new playground named after Sandra was dedicated during a brief ceremony at Jacobson Elementary, where she was a second-grader at the time of the tragedy.

"It's been over four months since Sandra left us, but she is definitely in our hearts," Jacobson Principal Cindy Sasser told a gathering that included family members and friends who sat in folding chairs next to the new playground. "I know I think about her every day."

At the end of the ceremony, Sandra's 15-year-old brother Thomas Fortin and Miranda were the first to climb to the top and to scoot down the slides. Then, a dozen other children who attended the ceremony joined them on the Sandra Cantu Playground, whose sign includes a smiling jaguar, Jacobson's mascot.

"She always used to play on the bars with me," recalled 8-year-old Nikita Bhukhan, who had been friends with Sandra since kindergarten.

Article:
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090808/A_NEWS/908080324/-1/NEWSMAP
 
Slideshow: Candlelight vigil
Aug 09, 2009
<snipped>
Members of the community joined family and friends of Cynthia Ramos in a candlelight vigil Saturday night in front of her home at the Green Oaks Mobile Park.

Ramos was found dead Thursday from multiple stab wounds. Two suspects are in custody and will have their first court appearances Tuesday in Stockton.

The killing was the Tracy&#8217;s second of the year.

Eight-year-old Sandra Cantu was killed in March. She had lived at the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park.

Her family joined Ramos' family in Saturday's vigil.

SLIDESHOW: 9-Images
http://matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws...ignature=R7+27+rNq7TKozTz4BdgpFMRSS8=&x-s=543

Article:
http://www.tracypress.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Slideshow-+Candlelight+vigil++ &id=3133334
 
The hearing originally scheduled for September has been moved up to Monday August 17, 2009. Heard on KTVU television this morning.
 
Judge moves up Huckaby hearing to Monday

Tracy Press Aug 11, 2009

"Another hearing has been scheduled for next week in the case against the Tracy woman accused of killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

A judge originally ordered Melissa Huckaby back in court in mid-September. A secret two-week-long grand jury hearing recently ended, and prosecutors moved up the date to 1 p.m. on Monday in Department 35 of the San Joaquin County Superior Court in Stockton.

A gag order prevents anyone associated with the case from talking about it to reporters or anyone else. The Stockton Record in July reported that a grand jury convened over a couple weeks last month. An indictment has yet to be handed down."

"Because of the intense public interest in the case, the court has limited seating at past hearings and will allow few reporters into the courtroom next week. Members of the public who want to grab a seat in the courtroom during the hearing will have to check in at 11:45 a.m. Monday in the clerk’s office, Room 303 at the Stockton courthouse, to get a lottery ticket."
 
Indictment in Sandra Cantu killing?
August 11 2009 at 04:50 PM
<snipped>
Although they won't explain why, San Joaquin County court officials say a hearing has been scheduled for Monday for Melissa Huckaby, the Sunday school teacher who allegedly drugged, raped and killed Tracy 8-year-old Sandra Cantu in March and dumped her body in a pond.

News of the hearing in Stockton comes after a secret grand jury finished up a review of evidence in the startling slaying. If Huckaby was indicted, she would have to be arraigned in court -- the beginning of the road toward trial.

Generally, prosecutors take cases to grand juries when they don't want to air evidence -- or identify witnesses -- in an open preliminary hearing. Defense attorneys aren't as fond of them; they aren't allowed in the room to call their own witnesses and rebut the charges.

Huckaby, 28, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges that make her eligible for execution if convicted. Her family members tell us they havent heard any news from the grand jury proceeding, and prosecutors and defense attorneys are mum so far. We'll keep you posted.

Read more at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/crime/detail?&entry_id=45357#ixzz0O1gjXxTJ

Article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/crime/detail?&entry_id=45357
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melissa Huckaby to return to court early
Posted: 08/12/2009 03:00:01 PM PDT
Updated: 08/12/2009 03:18:07 PM PDT
<snipped>
Melissa Huckaby, 28, was supposed to return to court in September, but the San Joaquin County Superior Court announced she will be in court 1 p.m. Aug. 17 for further proceedings.

A court spokeswoman said she was not at liberty to discuss the nature of those proceedings. A representative from the District Attorney's Office said they cannot comment on Monday's hearing. A gag order is in place in the case, preventing involved parties from discussing the case with the media.

A criminal grand jury was believed to have convened last month to hear evidence in the case. The proceedings are kept secret unless an indictment is made. If the grand jury met and they did issue an indictment, it would replace Huckaby's public preliminary hearing, in which a judge determines if there is enough evidence to try her on the charges. That hearing was scheduled to begin Sept. 24.

Article:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_13046449?nclick_check=1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Huckaby Court Appearance Moved Up
August 10, 2009
<snipped>
A legal expert following the Huckaby case told News10 it would appear Huckaby is going to be arraigned on the murder charge and given a trial date.

It's been widely reported that Huckaby's case was being reviewed by a criminal grand jury. The legal expert said it appeared the grand jury has indicted Huckaby. The grand jury process is sometimes used in criminal cases rather than having evidence heard publicly in preliminary hearings.

Article:
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=64990&catid=2
 
Program started to tell on predators
August 14, 2009, 5:13 PM
Updated 5:13 PM, August 14, 2009
<snipped>
The story of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu is what inspired Thurmont resident Charline Zalewski into activism.

A stranger is not accused in her death. The accused is her next-door neighbor and the mother of one her friends.

&#8220;That kind of did it for me,&#8221; Zalewski said. &#8220;No one wants to talk about it, but we need to.&#8221;

Tired of similar stories like Sandra&#8217;s, Zalewski has started a program called S.T.O.P. &#8212; Speak up and Tell On Predators which teaches awareness, prevention education and empowerment to parents and children.

While children are taught to watch out for strangers, 90 percent of sexually abused children know or are related to their attackers, according to Childhelp.org.

Zalewski is among that 90 percent. A relative abused her as a child.

&#8220;Too often many parents ignore the statistics believing it could not happen to their child,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Unfortunately it can and will happen to anyone, anywhere.&#8221;

For more on this story, check out Saturday's edition of The Frederick News-Post.

Article:
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/displayUpdate.htm?StoryID=93892
 
Huckaby Back in Court
Updated 11:05 AM PDT, Mon, Aug 17, 2009
<snipped>
A crush of media is expected Monday at a hearing for the woman accused of killing 8-year-old Tracy resident Sandra Cantu.

Former Sunday school teacher Melissa Huckaby is set to appear in court at 1 p.m. What happens in court is considered a minor legal move according to legal experts, but it was enough to get the Today Show on NBC to send a live satelite truck for some pre-hearing coverage on national television.

She is accused of the rape and killing of Cantu, whose disappearance and death attracted national attention back in March.

Huckaby pleaded not guilty back in June to charges she kidnapped, raped and killed the little girl.

She also pleaded not guilty to charges that she previously drugged a 7-year-old girl as well as a 37-year-old man, whom police believe she had been dating. The girl lives in the same mobile park where Huckaby lived just down the street from Sandra.

Huckaby is charged with murder with the special circumstances of rape, kidnapping and lewd or lascivious conduct with a child under 14, which could make her eligible for the death penalty if convicted. She also is charged with two counts of furnishing someone a harmful substance and one count of child endangerment in the drugging case.

Monday's hearing is not expected to make any changes in the case. The judge has already scheduled a preliminary hearing for Huckaby to start the last week in September.

Article:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Huckaby-Back-in-Court-53425507.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 247 more.
Total: 3,757 (members: 248, guests: 3,509)

Online statistics

Members online
248
Guests online
3,509
Total visitors
3,757
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,699
Messages
17,957,746
Members
228,588
Latest member
cariboucampfire73
Back
Top