Parolee Accused in Lily Burk Slaying Has Violent History
7:42 AM PDT, July 28, 2009
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Police say 17-year-old Lily Burk was beaten to death Friday after hours of trying in vain to get money for a parolee who abducted her off Wilshire Boulevard.
Her body was found Saturday inside her black Volvo in a downtown parking lot at the corner of Alameda and Fifth streets.
Burk's preliminary cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma, said Diaz.
Samuel is a transient with a history of violent crimes and drug problems, according to law enforcement sources.
A law enforcement source said Samuel had a previous history of assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and kidnapping.
According to law enforcement records, Samuel also had been arrested April 23 on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood on a parole violation.
He remains in jail, booked on suspicion of murder.
VIDEO: Self Defense Classes Popular After Abduction
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/ktla-video-self-defense-classes,0,7042526.tivideo
Self-Defense Training:
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/ktla-self-defense,0,836775.story
Article:
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/ktla-girl-found-dead-in-car,0,2397273.story
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Transient charged in kidnapping, slaying of 17-year-old Lily Burk [Updated]
2:38 PM PT| July 28, 2009
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[Updated at 2:51 p.m.: Charles Samuel, 50, appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court today with his attorney. His arraignment was postponed for three weeks.]
The Los Angeles County Dist. Atty.'s Office said it will determine at a later point whether to seek the death penalty.
Police detectives arrested 50-year-old Charlie Samuel in connection with Burk's death. They allege that he kidnapped her near the Southwestern University College of Law on Friday afternoon and killed her after unsuccessfully trying to withdraw money using her credit card.
Police said today that fingerprints recovered from inside the Volvo match Samuel's.
A transient accused in the slaying of 17-year-old Lily Burk was charged today with capital murder, kidnapping and two counts of robbery.
Article:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...arged-in-kidnapping-slaying-of-lily-burk.html
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Parolee Charged in Teen Girl's Murder
Charlie Samuel, 50, faces August arraignment.
Updated: Tuesday, 28 Jul 2009, 3:27 PM PDT
Published : Tuesday, 28 Jul 2009, 2:18 PM PDT
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A parolee was charged today with murder, kidnapping and robbery in the slaying of a 17-year-old girl whose body was found in the passenger seat of her car near Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.
The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegations that Charlie Samuel, 50, murdered Lily Belle Burk during the commission of a kidnapping and robbery, which could make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
Samuel was also charged with one count each of kidnapping to commit robbery, second-degree robbery and attempted first-degree automated teller machine robbery.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Henry J. Hall ordered Samuel to remain jailed without bail pending arraignment Aug. 20.
Deputy District Attorney Truc Do told the judge that the evidence against Samuel includes video surveillance, forensic evidence and statements. Police said earlier that Samuel's fingerprints were found in Burk's car.
Over the objection of Deputy Public Defender Susan Roe, the judge agreed to allow television and still cameras in the courtroom for Samuel's brief hearing.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League issued a statement saying the case was "an unfortunate and horribly tragic example of why the LAPPL has vehemently opposed the early release of prisoners and minimizing the seriousness of parole violations as a means of reducing the state budget deficit. We are more passionate than ever about this issue because of the tragedy of Lily Burk."
The union said that the suspect had been arrested April 23 on a parole violation and then released from state prison in February where he was serving time after an arrest for petty theft with a prior conviction.
"This is precisely the type of `low level' parolee the state no longer wants to take responsibility for," according to the police union.
Article:
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/Parolee_Charged_With_Murder_of_Teen_Girl_20090728
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Missed this article yesterday......it was also updated today!
The Death of Lily Burk….What We Do NOT Know - UPDATED
July 27th, 2009
Updayed July 28, 2009
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After spending way more time than was likely sensible talking on the phone and exchanging emails with various people from the LAPD, the DA’s office, and the police union, this is what I can tell you thus far about the criminal past of Charlie Samuel, the 50-year old vagrant who is accused of the soul-wrenching murder of 17-year-old Lily Burk:
1. Samuel’s most recent felony conviction appears to be in July 2006, for petty theft, a misdemeanor charge that was bumped up to a felony because of a prior conviction. He went to prison for the theft and was paroled in February of this year.
2. Just exactly what that “prior” conviction or convictions plural was —and when it/they occurred—has yet to be confirmed. Over the years, Samuel is reported to have committed at least one burglary and/or a robbery, maybe both, maybe a number of burglaries.* [NOTE UPDATE AT END OF POST]
What we also do know is that, between 2003 and now, other than the one petty theft, Samuel committed some very small crimes:
3. In August of 2003 he was convicted of driving with a suspended driver’s license.
4. In July of 2006, , he was convicted of putting a non-coin slug into a parking meter.
5. After he was paroled in February of 2009 for the theft, in April of 2009 he violated the terms of his parole by being found with a crack pipe.
So does all that add up to someone whom we should have spotted as a man so bad or crazy that he would kill a 17-year old girl? Or is there lots more?
When the case goes to the D.As office—which may occur today— we may be able to get a better idea, as the prosecutor will need to acquire an accurate listing of Samuel’s prior criminal activity.
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*UPDATE: This morning’s LA Times reports that:
In July 1987, Samuel was sentenced to six years in prison for robbing a residence in San Bernardino County, according to the California Department of Corrections. In the years that followed, Samuel was paroled several times and repeatedly returned to prison when he committed other crimes or otherwise violated the terms of his release, records show.
Article:
http://witnessla.com/gangs/2009/admin/the-death-of-lily-burketruth-v-the-political-spin/
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Parolee Charged With Murdering 17-Year-Old Girl
Jul 28, 2009 5:56 pm US/Pacific
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Samuel remained jailed Monday and on Tuesday was charged with capital murder. He was also ordered to remain jailed without bail.
The district attorney's office says the 50-year-old also faces one charge each of kidnapping to commit robbery, robbery and attempted ATM robbery.
Prosecutors will make a decision about whether to seek the death penalty when the case moves closer to trial.
His arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 20.
About two hours after Burk was kidnapped, Samuel got out of the Volvo and left it in a downtown parking lot, with Burk's body in the passenger seat, Diaz said.
Burk suffered head injuries, apparently from striking the passenger side of the windshield, and there were signs of a struggle, according to police.
VIDEO: Family, Friends Hold Vigil For Slain Teen
http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=109963@kcbs.dayport.com
Article:
http://cbs2.com/local/Body.Downtown.Homicide.2.1103873.html
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Parolee charged with murdering 17-year-old girl
Posted: 07/28/2009 05:45:52 PM PDT
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parolee has been charged with capital murder in the killing of 17-year-old girl whose body was found in a downtown Los Angeles parking lot.
Charlie Samuel appeared in Superior Court Tuesday and was ordered to remain jailed without bail.
The district attorney's office says the 50-year-old also faces one charge each of kidnapping to commit robbery, robbery and attempted ATM robbery.
Prosecutors will make a decision about whether to seek the death penalty when the case moves closer to trial.
His arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 20.
Article:
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_12932886?nclick_check=1
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Transient is charged with murder in Lily Burk's death
A judge postpones the man's arraignment at the request of his court-appointed attorney. The suspect, 50, also is charged with kidnapping and robbery in the 17-year-old's slaying.
July 29, 2009
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A hulking, handcuffed Charles Samuel, 50, was led into Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Bald and dressed in jail-issued, light-blue clothing, Samuel sat in the prisoner dock with his back to the courtroom and his shoulders slumped.
Samuel spoke only once, uttering a soft "yes" when Judge Henry J. Hall asked him if he agreed with his court-appointed attorney's request to postpone his arraignment.
In the afternoon, she made two odd calls to her parents asking how to use a credit card to withdraw cash at an ATM. About 7 p.m., they contacted police to report her missing.
Later that night, police tracked Burk's cellphone and ATM activity to the skid row and Little Tokyo areas, but a search into the early hours of Saturday morning turned up nothing.
At dawn, however, Burk's lifeless body was discovered in the passenger seat of her Volvo in a downtown parking lot. Her head had been beaten and her neck slashed.
Police said they have collected footage from surveillance cameras showing Samuel driving away from the area of the law school in Burk's car with her in the passenger seat, with Burk at a downtown ATM machine and then abandoning the car late Friday afternoon in the parking lot where Burk's body was found.
Fingerprints lifted from the inside of the car have been matched to Samuel, who reportedly made incriminating statements to detectives after his arrest. They believe that Burk was killed within about 45 minutes of her last call to her parents and hours before she was reported missing.
His arraignment, when he would be expected to enter a plea, was put off for three weeks.
A decision whether to seek the death penalty against him will be made on a date closer to the opening of his trial, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
Article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lily-burk29-2009jul29,0,909475.story
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Man accused of killing Lily Burk in court
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
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When Samuel made his first appearance in court, he hid his face behind the public defender. Samuel allegedly kidnapped 17-year-old Lily Burk last Friday. Hours later her body was found brutally beaten.
The District Attorney's office released the following statement:
"Although filed as a capital case, the District Attorney's office will not make a decision on whether to seek the death penalty until the case moves closer to trial. If the prosecution opts not to seek the death penalty, the only other possible penalty for Samuel, if he is convicted as charged, is life in prison without the possibility of parole."
Experts say parents should work out a way for their kids to secretly relay a message to them if they are ever in trouble.
"Have a password, a key word that kids and parents know, a word that they would only use in an emergency situation," said Robin Sax, a legal expert.
Robin Sax is a former District Attorney. She says parents can also set up code messages on cell phones.
"The one nice thing with the handy Blackberries these days is that you can program your phones with messages," said Sax. "And I think, say, a sentence in advance with 'I'm in danger, call 911' ... so with the stroke of one key, a kid could press that one button and ... know that help is on the way," said Sax.
VIDEO: Man accused of killing Lily Burk in court
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6937570
Article:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=6937589
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Pondering a brutal killing as the risk of violence rises
Lily Burk's senseless death occurs as California is cutting funding to programs that help transients, the disabled and the mentally ill, and thousands of prison inmates could potentially be released.
July 29, 2009
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In East L.A., in the Palisades, in Watts, in Pasadena and Long Beach, if you're a parent, you tell yourself a lie.
You tell yourself that your child is safe.
But then there's a horrible story in your own neighborhood, and it punches holes in your shield. There's the child cut down by stray bullets while walking home from school or the store. There's the careening truck that takes out a bookstore and kills a toddler and her father.
Or there's the story of Lily Burk, 17, the Los Feliz girl killed Friday while running an errand for her mother.
Reading that story, I ached for the victim and wondered how her parents could breathe under such crushing news. I also did something a little selfish but human. I looked at the details to see if perhaps Burk was doing anything she shouldn't have been doing, or if she was in a place where she shouldn't have been. I wanted something, anything, that might reinforce the illusion that we can steer our children clear of danger.
In other words, as we cast about in the aftermath of a senseless killing for ways to make us feel safer, we're instead raising the level of risk.
"We're talking about . . . budgetary considerations that cut from programs in the immediate but wind up costing society so much more in the long run," said Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, just back in L.A. after working to close a $26-billion budget gap.
"When you're releasing people without the support system and then banning people with convictions from working, you're setting up a situation where you perpetuate crime. Cutting drug and alcohol programs and cutting Cal-Works is going to leave women and children on skid row, and it's going to increase the number of children in foster care. It's short-sighted budgeting."
Article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez29-2009jul29,0,3168641.column
:angel:
has not yet been booked. 
