GUILTY AZ - Sidney Cranston, 40, Kingman, 16 June 2015 *Arrest*

[Mica]

Kingman Police Chief Rusty Cooper late Wednesday said Al Blanco has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of Sidney Cranston.

Al Blanco, 61, of Kingman, was arrested at a care facility in a Phoenix suburb and booked into the Maricopa County 4th Avenue Jail in Phoenix. KPD detectives obtained a murder warrant from the Mohave County Attorney’s Office. The warrant was sent to the FBI, which responded to a care facility in a Phoenix suburb and took Blanco into custody on the warrant. Blanco will be extradited back to Mohave County in the near future. The case is still an open and active.

http://m.kdminer.com/news/2017/jan/11/kpd-fbi-arrests-sidney-cranstons-alleged-killer/?

 

[Mica]

This information was provided by Kingman Police spokeswoman Jennifer Sochocki:

Today, the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office has positively identified the human remains located in a remote area east of Kingman this past Saturday as those of Sidney Cranston, Jr. The medical examiner utilized dental charts for verification. Investigators continue to work diligently on the investigation as other aspects of the case remain open.

http://m.kdminer.com/news/2017/jan/12/sid-cranstons-family-ready-start-healing-process/?

 

[Mica]

Also from my previous link...

Blanco was hospitalized a week after the Cranston case was featured on the “Crime Watch Daily” TV show, reportedly from an overdose.

“He didn’t kill himself, but he tried,” Chris Cranston said. “This guy is the scum of all scumbags. I’d like to see him put to death, and I’m not a big proponent of the death penalty.”

 

[steelman]

Also from my previous link...

Blanco was hospitalized a week after the Cranston case was featured on the “Crime Watch Daily” TV show, reportedly from an overdose.

“He didn’t kill himself, but he tried,” Chris Cranston said. “This guy is the scum of all scumbags. I’d like to see him put to death, and I’m not a big proponent of the death penalty.”

Excellent find. When these cases go cold for so long, it's almost impossible to keep all the details straight in your head.


So kids, what have we learned ??

Answer: The cops don't like pressing charges for murder until they have a body, regardless of all the other evidence as well as their suspicions. .

Feel free to use this new-found knowledge as you scamper through other cases on Websleuths. ......

P.S.) (Think Danielle Stikslicki if you want to get really frustrated and sick to your stomach. They aren't even out searching for her. )

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Grand jury indicts Blanco for Sid Cranston murder

http://kdminer.com/news/2017/jan/20/grand-jury-indicts-blanco-sid-cranston-murder/

Al Blanco, accused of murdering real estate Sid Cranston and burying his body on a ranch, was indicted by the Mohave County grand jury Thursday on first-degree murder charges.

The case has been assigned to Superior Court Judge Billy Sipe, and Blanco’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

 

[steelman]

Sid Cranston’s alleged murderer remanded without bond

On June 16, 2015, the day he was last seen, Cranston collected about $2,500 from property rentals and was scheduled to attend a meeting later that day with Kingman City Council regarding his property at 3405 Hodges Road. Cranston, according to friends, failed to attend the meeting and did not return to his friend’s house where he was staying during his trip to Mohave County.

Cranston’s remains of were discovered Jan. 7 buried on an 80-acre parcel of private property owned by Don and Karen Bishop after a search warrant was executed. The basis for the search warrant was because of information provided by Blanco’s friend, Bill Sanders, who told law enforcement personnel the location where Cranston’s body was buried.

http://kdminer.com/news/2017/jan/14/sid-cranstons-alleged-murderer-remanded-without-bo/



So............Blanco hid Sid's body on private land. He got caught because he blabbed about it. At least his friend did the right thing and told LE.

 

[luvhockey]

At least we know he'll be able to stand trial.

The 61-year-old Blanco was not physically present in the court room, but appeared via TV from the jail. He sat quietly and subdued in a wheelchair, and was almost unrecognizable from what he looked like in 2015. His hair and beard had turned grey, and his right hand appeared to be injured. Blanco only spoke when the judge asked him questions.

https://kdminer.com/news/2017/jan/14/sid-cranstons-alleged-murderer-remanded-without-bo/

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Accused killer arraigned: No decision yet whether to seak death penalty in Realtor’s slaying

http://www.mohavedailynews.com/news/accused-killer-arraigned-no-decision-yet-whether-to-seak-death/article_5d7623b0-e45e-11e6-a864-6fd94e37ab2c.html

With the victim’s family in the audience, a former Kingman resident pleaded not guilty Thursday in the death of a Kingman Realtor.

Alfredo M. Blanco, 61, is charged with first-degree murder for the shooting death of Sidney Cranston Jr., whose body was found buried on property east of Kingman. Blanco is being held in county jail without bond.

Superior Court Commissioner Billy Sipe Jr. explained the sentencing ranges to Blanco, who was in a wheelchair. If Blanco is convicted of first-degree murder he faces either life in prison with or without the chance of parole after 25 years or the death penalty.

Deputy Mohave County Attorney Kim Aune said the prosecutor assigned to the case, Bob Moon, has not decided yet whether to pursue the death penalty. Mohave County has two other pending death penalty cases. Aune also said other charges may be forthcoming.

A Tale of Two Polygraphs: KPD went where the clues led them in the Sid Cranston case

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Blanco arraigned on new charges

http://www.mohavedailynews.com/news/blanco-arraigned-on-new-charges/article_d0098d4c-fd89-11e6-a8ec-cfa21d71293f.html

Alfredo M. Blanco, 61, was arraigned Monday on felony charges of tampering with physical evidence and concealing a dead body.

Blanco is charged with first-degree murder for the shooting death of Sidney Cranston Jr., whose body was found buried on property east of Kingman. Blanco is being held in county jail without bond on the murder charge.

Superior Court Judge Steven Conn set Blanco’s bond on the new charges at $50,000. The judge also set the next hearing in both cases for March 20. If convicted of the concealing a dead body charge, a defendant faces up to 21/2 years in prison or probation. For the tampering charge a defendant faces up to two years in prison or probation.

William Glen Sanders, 54, was also arraigned Monday before Conn on charges of tampering with physical evidence and concealing a dead body. He allegedly helped Blanco move and bury Cranston’s body on the property. Sanders and Blanco had worked for Cranston as handymen on Cranston’s properties.

Slaying of Kingman Realtor before new judge

http://www.mohavedailynews.com/news/slaying-of-kingman-realtor-before-new-judge/article_9dc58600-fa5b-11e6-ac5e-9f8f75450790.html

A Superior Court judge granted a motion Thursday to release the body of a Kingman Realtor killed more than 20 months ago.

Blanco made his first appearance before Superior Court Judge Steven Conn. Conn said he would not recuse himself from the case despite having contact with an accomplice of Blanco’s and knowing a former police officer who ended up with the murder weapon.

Conn also granted a prosecutor’s motion to release Cranston’s body to his family.

 

[steelman]

There was two of them involved in it ?? Unbelievable, these people. You'd think that guys in their 50's would know a little better. And for what, a couple thousand bucks ?

 

[leep]

I've said it before and I'll say it again them both biting the hand that feeds them just shows how stupid they both are.
RIP SID, You give a man work and he goes and shoots you in the back.....



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Kingman: Blanco, charged with murder in Sid Cranston case, returns to court April 17

https://kdminer.com/news/2017/mar/21/kingman-blanco-charged-murder-sid-cranston-case-re/

In a Mohave Superior Court hearing that took about 15 minutes, the first-degree murder case of Alfredo Blanco was scheduled for review on April 17 to allow additional time for attorneys to sort through three large binders of evidence.

In Monday’s case management conference, Judge Steven Conn told both attorneys that he had authorized expenditures for an investigator.

Defense attorney Robin Puchek said he would need more time for the disclosure review. The state still has time to file a motion to seek the death penalty in the case, he noted. Other options are life in prison and life with a possibility of parole.

Prosecutor Bob Moon said he will bring in legal staff for death penalty determination. In addition to reviewing disclosure binders with redactions, they’ll be looking at CDs and DVDs, so the disclosure process is ongoing, he said.

 

[Satchie]

There was two of them involved in it ?? Unbelievable, these people. You'd think that guys in their 50's would know a little better. And for what, a couple thousand bucks ?

I agree, I hope the trial provides some clarity about the motive. Chris Cranston says "He got too far in debt to my brother and killed him.” http://m.kdminer.com/news/2017/jan/12/sid-cranstons-family-ready-start-healing-process/?

First degree murder, so it seems to have been a carefully laid plot. I don't understand why he involved Sanders, but I guess it's fortunate he did as that led to the resolution of the case.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Mohave County prosecutors do not file for death penalty against Alfredo Blanco

https://kdminer.com/news/2017/apr/18/county-prosecutors-do-not-file-death-penalty-again/

The timeline to seek the death penalty for Alfredo Blanco, accused of murder, passed without any filings from Mohave County prosecutors, who apparently did not feel they had sufficient evidence to pursue the death sentence.

Defense attorney Puchek on Monday asked Judge Steven Conn to continue the pretrial hearing to allow for rehabilitation of Blanco’s foot and hand. Blanco was arrested in January at a rehabilitation center in Youngtown after suffering a stroke and losing movement in his limbs.

Conn said he’s smart enough to be a judge, but not a doctor, and he wasn’t comfortable ruling on something he knows nothing about. He set the next hearing for May 30 to give attorneys time to file paperwork with Mohave County jail to see what the issues are with Blanco’s rehab.

 

[byo]

Blanco pretrial hearing July 10, state’s request for saliva granted
By Hubble Ray Smith | Originally Published: May 31, 2017 5:57 a.m.

KINGMAN – Judge Steven Conn granted the state’s request Tuesday for a saliva sampling from first-degree murder defendant Al Blanco, and set the next pretrial hearing for July 10.

Blanco, 61, is charged with the June 2015 murder of real estate agent Sidney Cranston Jr., whose body was discovered in January on a ranch east of Kingman.

Defense attorney Robin Puchek said he’s not yet prepared to go trial on the murder case. . . . He’s still in the process of evidence disclosure and reviewing the autopsy report, along with polygraph test results from both Blanco and William Sanders, an acquaintance who led police to the body. He’s charged with concealing a dead body and tampering with evidence.

Sanders, free on his own recognizance, is scheduled to appear June 19 before Judge Conn.

(. . .)

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

So glad to see this case is moving forward.

<mod snip>

 

[byo]

LITTLE SID REMEMBERED
Posted by | Jun 18, 2017 | Arizona, Kingman, Mohave County

More than 40 people participated in the Sidney Cranston Jr. Memorial Ride to commemorate the second anniversary of his disappearance on Friday, June 16. (. . . )

Leading the caravan of motorcycles, trucks and cars on the memorial ride, was Little Sid’s father, 66-year-old Sidney Cranston Sr., who actually began his journey to Kingman from New York four days earlier. The senior Sid wanted to honor and remember his son by making a 2,850-mile journey on his 1991 BMW motorcycle from Wilson, New York to Kingman.

(. . . )

 

[byo]

Blanco case over 700 pages of evidence, next hearing Sept. 11
By Hubble Ray Smith | Originally Published: July 11, 2017 5:55 a.m.

KINGMAN – Murder defendant Alfredo Gerardo Blanco appeared before Mohave County Superior Court Judge Rick Lambert Monday looking much older than the 61-year-old man who was arrested in January for the death of real estate agent Sidney Cranston Jr. (. . .)

Lambert, who has taken over the caseload of retired Judge Steven Conn, gave attorneys eight more weeks to review evidence in the first-degree murder case, setting the next pretrial hearing for Sept. 11.

The state’s prosecuting attorney told Lambert that the discovery process, or the process of gathering and disclosing evidence, is still ongoing and that an eight-week continuance would be acceptable for both sides.

(. . .)

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Medical hearing in Cranston murder case set for Oct. 6

https://kdminer.com/news/2017/sep/12/medical-hearing-cranston-murder-case-set-oct-6/

First-degree murder defendant Alfredo Blanco was admonished Monday by Superior Court Judge Rick Lambert for filing his own hand-written motion asking for better medical attention at Mohave County jail.

Lambert advised Blanco to refrain from writing motions without his attorney’s knowledge.

Lambert set a hearing on the medical issue for 11 a.m. Oct. 6, with a continuance on Blanco’s omnibus hearing at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 6.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Man facing trial for Cranston murder takes medical complaints to court

https://kdminer.com/news/2017/oct/08/man-facing-trial-cranston-murder-takes-medical-com/

Superior Court Judge Rick Lambert listened to accused murderer Al Blanco tell his story Friday about receiving inadequate medical attention during his 10 months in Mohave County Jail, then accepted five exhibits from the state that proved otherwise.

He denied Blanco’s handwritten motion to seek better care from doctors outside the jail and set the next court hearing for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 6.

Prosecuting attorney Bob Moon showed a 3½-inch binder containing about 300 pages of medical records on Blanco, probably more than a normal person’s lifetime, he said.

The medical records document Blanco’s two falls from his wheelchair while in custody, once in January and again in June. There were doctor assessments, X-rays taken and pain medications prescribed.