GUILTY MO - Shawn Hornbeck & Ben Ownby abducted by Michael Devlin, 2007

[SewingDeb]

Your link didn't work so I googled it.

I like this part:

"Out here we try 'em fast, so I can't see this trial lasting more than three or four days," Parks said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...OOL-?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Your link didn't work so I googled it.

I like this part:

"Out here we try 'em fast, so I can't see this trial lasting more than three or four days," Parks said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...OOL-?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Sorry about the link not working SD, I edited my post, thank you.

Yeah, when I read that comment I thought, "we'll see".

 

[SewingDeb]

Sorry about the link not working SD, I edited my post, thank you.

Yeah, when I read that comment I thought, "we'll see".

No problem...it happens to all of us once in awhile.
Yes, we'll see. I imagine this trial being long and drawn out.

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Outside jury to hear Devlin case, judge rules

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH​

06/22/2007

UNION — No resident of Franklin County will sit in the jury box during the kidnapping trial of 41-year-old Michael Devlin, a judge ruled Thursday.

Franklin County Circuit Judge Stanley Williams ruled that the case would be tried in Franklin County, but the jury would be selected elsewhere. That jury would then travel to Franklin County for the trial.

The judge has yet to pick a county for jury selection.

"That's a moot question at this time until we are actually ready to try this case," said Franklin County Prosecutor Robert Parks

snip~

Devlin's attorney, Michael Kielty, has repeatedly said that picking an impartial jury would be difficult in Franklin County because the community is close-knit and the case has attracted widespread publicity.

He said he thinks the jury should be chosen from populous areas such as St. Louis, St. Louis County and Jackson County.

"I don't think there's anybody in the state who hasn't heard about this case," he said. "But I think with the larger venues, we would have the ability to interview the most people to have the fairest jury."

Parks said it made little difference to him that the jury wouldn't come from Franklin County.

"It doesn't matter to me one way or another," he said. "It might be better appeal-wise. If he is convicted of these crimes, they can't argue that he didn't get a jury that he wanted."


snip~
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/2C1E31B37FF0D0BA862573020010A5B0?OpenDocument

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Devlin Task Force Closes Office

Members of a special task force investigating a possible link between Michael Devlin and past child abduction cases continue to follow up leads as they come in, but they're no longer working full time out of a central location.

http://tinyurl.com/yur5vs

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Last Edited: Sunday, 15 Jul 2007, 7:06 PM CDT
Created: Sunday, 15 Jul 2007, 7:04 PM CDT

Attorneys for accused kidnapping suspect Michael Devlin will argue for a change of venue Monday

http://tinyurl.com/3anm4s

 

[Tom'sGirl]

UPDATE: Attorneys to seek expedited trial in Devlin case
Posted: 11:20 AM Jul 16, 2007
Last Updated: 11:20 AM Jul 16, 2007

POTOSI, Mo. (AP) Attorneys for Michael Devlin say they will request an expedited trial in the Shawn Hornbeck kidnapping case, ensuring it would go to trial in six months.

Attorneys Nathan Corlija and Michael Kielty appeared today on Devlin's behalf at a hearing in Washington County. Judge Kenneth Pratte approved a change of judge, assigning the case to Judge Sandy Martinez.

They said they had planned to seek a speedy trial during today's hearing. They decided not to because of what they call ``developments.''

They wouldn't elaborate, and would not say if those developments included efforts to reach a plea agreement.

The attorneys also plan to seek a change of venue at a hearing next month.

http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/8530777.html

 

[arielilane]

Devlin Task Force Closes Office

Members of a special task force investigating a possible link between Michael Devlin and past child abduction cases continue to follow up leads as they come in, but they're no longer working full time out of a central location.

http://tinyurl.com/yur5vs

Thank you Tom'sGirl for keeping us updated with all the current news! It very much appreciated. I hope you don't mind, but I copy and pasted from the link you provided.

"They followed up on a lot of circumstantial evidence and coincidences, but we have no physical evidence or witnesses at this point," Nothum said. For example, he said, detectives have been able to "place" Devlin in some of the counties around the time that child abductions took place but haven't come up with strong evidence or witnesses to tie him to specific crimes.



"They don't have a smoking gun to take a case to the prosecuting attorney," Nothum told The Missourian.



While they have moved out of the central office, they haven't halted their investigations. "They're just working from their own departments now," Nothum said.



Devlin, a 41-year-old pizzeria manager, faces kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in Franklin County for the abduction Jan. 8 of Ownby, 13, who was snatched after getting off a school bus near his home east of Beaufort.



He also faces multiple state and federal charges related to that kidnapping and in the abduction of Shawn Hornbeck, 15, more than four years earlier. The boys were returned to their parents Jan. 12 after they were found in Devlin's Kirkwood apartment.



Initially, the task force was formed to investigate similarities between the Ownby and Hornbeck abductions and the 1991 abduction of 11-year-old Charles Arlin Henderson from Moscow Mills in Lincoln County.



Other possible abduction cases the task force is investigating are:



Bianca Piper who has been missing since March 10, 2005;



Scott Kleeschulte who disappeared from St. Charles in 1988 when he was 9 years old; and



Angie Housman who disappeared in 1993 after a school bus dropped her off near her St. Ann home. The 9-year-old's body was found in the Busch Memorial Conservation area;



The task force also is following leads in two out-of-state cases including the 2003 death of Dalton Mesarchik who was last seen in the front yard of his Streator, Ill., home on March 26, 2003; and Jacob Wetterling who went missing from St. Joseph, Minn., Oct. 22, 1989.



Agencies involved in the task force include the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, FBI, Missouri Highway Patrol, Kirkwood Police, St. Charles Police and sheriff's offices in Washington County, St. Louis and Lincoln counties.

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Thank you Tom'sGirl for keeping us updated with all the current news! It very much appreciated. I hope you don't mind, but I copy and pasted from the link you provided.

YVW arielilane, and heck no I don't mind about the c/p

 

[Tom'sGirl]

[SIZE=-1]06:55 AM CDT on Monday, August 20, 2007[/SIZE]

(KMOV) -- According to Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke, Michael Devlin was transported to St. Louis county Thursday for a court appearance that was held on Friday.

Sheriff Toelke told News 4 the move was kept very quiet.

He said that Devlin was transferred to the St. Louis County Jail on a writ.

A writ is a court order that gives officials the right to move an inmate, like Devlin, to another jurisdiction for court purposes.

The majority of the more than 70 charges Devlin faces are in St Louis County. Sheriff Toelke said in a few days Devlin will be headed back up I-44 to Franklin County.

During Sheriff Toelke’s conversation with News 4, he did give some insight on Devlin's demeanor in Franklin County.

Sheriff Toelke said “Devlin is pretty much a model inmate. He doesn’t say much, he just keeps to himself. He hasn’t really been a problem so he’s had a cell mate from time to time.”

Devlin’s move was so quiet that even some of the St. Louis County jailers did not know that he was in the building when News 4 contacted them.

News 4 also tried to get in touch with Michael Devlin’s attorneys and they were not available for comment.


http://tinyurl.com/2kfpqu

 

[felder]

"...Corlija and Kielty prefer that Devlin be housed in St. Louis County. The attorneys are based in the St. Louis area and say the closer proximity to their client helps ensure Devlin will get a fair trial....

Kielty said he and Corlija have now sifted through virtually all of the written reports and evidence in the case, which amounts to thousands of pages. Devlin is also scouring the documents and taking notes to aid his defense, Kielty said.

Kielty said he will soon begin reviewing physical evidence in the case. Authorities removed boxes of material from Devlin's apartment, and federal authorities have said they have child *advertiser censored* tapes that Devlin made there...."

More at link:
http://tinyurl.com/ytuttx
St. Louis Post Dispatch, 8/22/07

 

[Tom'sGirl]

"...Corlija and Kielty prefer that Devlin be housed in St. Louis County. The attorneys are based in the St. Louis area and say the closer proximity to their client helps ensure Devlin will get a fair trial....

Kielty said he and Corlija have now sifted through virtually all of the written reports and evidence in the case, which amounts to thousands of pages. Devlin is also scouring the documents and taking notes to aid his defense, Kielty said.

Kielty said he will soon begin reviewing physical evidence in the case. Authorities removed boxes of material from Devlin's apartment, and federal authorities have said they have child *advertiser censored* tapes that Devlin made there...."

More at link:
http://tinyurl.com/ytuttx
St. Louis Post Dispatch, 8/22/07

Thanks felder, I aslo posted a couple of links today up in the Sticky links.

 

[MagicRose99]

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH​

09/10/2007

POTOSI, Mo. -- A hearing was rescheduled for Oct. 1 on picking a county to provide a jury in the kidnapping case against Michael J. Devlin in Washington County.​

The hearing was to have been held today before Circuit Judge Sandy Martinez, but lawyers for Devlin sought a continuance. Washington County Prosecutor John Rupp proposed the new hearing date.​

http://tinyurl.com/2y35dm​

(Taken from the Legal Preceedings sticky)

I've been wondering if there were any updates about this case... why do they always grant continuances?!? Lets just get it over with for these boys!

 

[Tom'sGirl]

(Taken from the Legal Preceedings sticky)

I've been wondering if there were any updates about this case... why do they always grant continuances?!? Lets just get it over with for these boys!

Because that's what Defense Attys do, sometimes it goes on for years unfortunately.

 

[LaWanda]

That's what I don't understand. Shawn and Ben were found in his apartment. They were found there by police officers. IMO He's guilty, get it over with. Don't waste more of the taxpayer's money than necessary.

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Plea Bargain Under Way for Devlin
By Ed Pruneau, Missourian Managing Editor
10/02/2007

Attorneys for Michael Devlin apparently are considering the notion of a plea bargain for their client, the former Kirkwood pizzeria manager accused of kidnapping two young boys.

Click on link..........

Plea Bargain Under Way for Devlin

 

[cheko1]

Devlin doesn't desrve a plea deal.
After what he put both familes thru he needs put out of his misery!

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Devlin doesn't desrve a plea deal.
After what he put both familes thru he needs put out of his misery!

Agreed, but that's how it goes in so many cases. I just had a feeling they would do this as the evidence mounted up

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Devlin deal will end kidnapping cases

By Robert Patrick
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH​

10/05/2007

Michael Devlin is scheduled to “dispose” of all his state and federal child sex and kidnapping charges, St. Louis County prosecutors said today.

Devlin will appear in court in Franklin County Monday “for disposition of his case,” then go to Washington County Tuesday, St. Louis County Wednesday and on to federal court, prosecutors said in a press release issued this afternoon

cont'd at link
http://tinyurl.com/2z8z5e

 

[Tom'sGirl]

AP release

ST. LOUIS - A former pizzeria manager accused of kidnapping two Missouri boys will plead guilty next week, a relative of one of the boys said Friday.

Michael Devlin was arrested in January after police found Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby at Devlin’s apartment in the St. Louis County town of Kirkwood.

Loyd Bailie, Ben’s uncle, told The Associated Press that the family had been briefed by prosecutors that Devlin will plead guilty next week in all four jurisdictions where he is charged.

"This is a great day," Bailie said. "Just knowing that Ben is not going to have to relive all this through the court system — this is cloud nine."

Attorneys on both sides of the case would not comment, but St. Louis County’s prosecutor made a surprise announcement Friday that there will be a series of disposition hearings in all four jurisdictions. Those hearings are Monday and Tuesday.

Shawn was 11 when he went missing while riding his bike near his Washington County home in 2002. Ben, 13, had been missing four days after being abducted after getting off a school bus in Franklin County. A tip from a classmate describing a white pickup truck speeding from the scene led police to Devlin.