GUILTY CA - Gavin Smith, 57, Oak Park, 1 May 2012

[nosherlock]

map too big sorry, i'm lame at computers. just go to google maps, oak park ca and see what i'm saying.

 

[2rose]

I find it really interesting that Johnny Creech has said that he has "never met" Smith...but they took his car, searched his house...IMO it was really stupid on his part to say anything at all. That quote might make it hard to come up with a defense.

I'll admit that I don't understand a lot about the legal system but is it normal that all those 2010 charges (but the one) were dropped? Or does he have a great lawyer?

Well they had a search warrant so they want to gather ANY information possible.
The AUDI was referred to as the ONLY family vehicle.
So we don't know if it regularly driven by the husband or the wife ...
or who's name it was registered in.
Things they would look for in the car would include:
- a GPS system (for instance ... was the car in Sylmar ?)
- any evidence of Gavin (fingerprints, blood, clothes ?)
- any murder weapons (objects with blood on them or guns ?)

I don't have experience with court problems either, but in hearing about high profile cases in the news, it seems to me that there is nothing unusual about the length of time. I recall one recent article (don't remember which case) mentioned that the defense lawyer had to be given 9 months to prepare his case.

It is not unusual for legal cases to be bargained down (not sure is that is the right word).
I know someone with a simple car accident case (no physical harm to anyone involved) started with a bunch of charges against the other guy and after a year, it was bargained down to one offense.

Legal cases on tv often show that rather than arguing every single count, the prosecutor will drop some charges in order to obtain a confession to at least one count.

I only read this thread on the websleuths forum, but it has been mentioned that some read multiple threads, so those that do so, would probably agree about a similiar time span for court cases. I believe most murder cases are typically lengthy legal ordeals.

 

[JodyMT]

I would like to know exactly how long Gavin has been seeing Chandrika. I know I read that they stopped seeing each other in 2008 but the relationship soon started again. I have also read that the relationship started up again recently.

Seems whichever it is, she really had her hooks into him. I would love to see a picture of her.

If Gavin has continued to go back to her, I can definitely see why Lisa gets very defensive when the subject of Chandrika and Gavin comes up.

I hate cheaters.

 

[ynotdivein]

:lurk:

Is everyone doing ok in here? Remembering that Gavin is the main focus? Remembering WS Rules and TOS?

Just checking in.

 

[Seek&Find]

I'm sorry ahead of time if this has already been discussed, but why is John Creech just now being sentenced for a crime he was convicted of back in 2010? Or did he just now plead to this crime FROM 2010? Even then, why has he been allowed to go so long between arrest and pleading?

Again I am sorry, I just never was real clear on what the story was with him.


BTW, IMO...IF John Creech had anything to do with Gavin's disappearance or death, there is NO WAY he is going to give that up. That is a far more serious crime than drug dealing. 10 years for drugs but maybe life for death. Nope.

Btw, no sorries needed! We can re-examine pieces of Gavin's case already discussed. In fact, when cases go quiet for a bit, as it seems this one has, it's pretty common to go back over old links, what we know & don't know, what we think might happen as the case moves forward, etc.

We can't post rumors, state things as fact without supporting links, or post as insiders without verification, as the mods have stated, but we're free to discuss.

 

[Seek&Find]

I find it really interesting that Johnny Creech has said that he has "never met" Smith...but they took his car, searched his house...IMO it was really stupid on his part to say anything at all. That quote might make it hard to come up with a defense.

I'll admit that I don't understand a lot about the legal system but is it normal that all those 2010 charges (but the one) were dropped? Or does he have a great lawyer?

Good point! The "I'd love to tell" quote also seems a little cocky, which doesn't help him, IMO.

Has anyone seen a vid of him commenting at the courthouse 6/21? Another post mentioned being curious abt a pic of Chandrika. Me too! And John. The LASD Inmate Information Center doesn't have his mugshot up.

Originally, I didn't think he was the unidentified man interviewed leaving the Creech house the day of the search, but then the LASD Inmate info listed him as having black hair, brown eyes & race as H (ie Hispanic/Latino), as was the interviewed man. Still might not have been him, so I've looked a bit for a pic or mugshot to no avail...If anyone finds a courthouse vid, or pic of John, please post!

The LASD Inmate Information Center confirms John Creech in custody, arrested at 10:45 AM, 6/21/12. No bail. "Visitor Status: N". Wonder if that means he's on restriction/no visitors? Lists DOB 2rose found: 7/22/1972. Black hair, brown eyes, 6'1", 195 lbs. Not a small guy. Anyone found a mugshot??

I can't link directly to the info. If interested, use link, and enter First & Last Name.

Also lists next court date as 8:30 AM, 7/26 and courthouse address.

Article and video with unidentified man leaving Creech home with two girls after search warrant served here.

(Another interesting bit...he's still listed as "Visitor Status: N".)

 

[2rose]

I would like to know exactly how long Gavin has been seeing Chandrika. I know I read that they stopped seeing each other in 2008 but the relationship soon started again. I have also read that the relationship started up again recently.

Seems whichever it is, she really had her hooks into him. I would love to see a picture of her.

If Gavin has continued to go back to her, I can definitely see why Lisa gets very defensive when the subject of Chandrika and Gavin comes up.

I hate cheaters.

I don't like cheating either

2008 The only date that has been released publicly is when they met.
2008 Her husband found out about it the same year.
2008 Supposedly he communicated by email with Gavin.
2008 And told his wife to end the affair.

20?? It has been said that the affair started up again,
but no dates have even been reported in the media.

A date has never been mentioned when Gavin's wife found out about the affair.
So we don't know if her awareness was in the 2008 round#1 or the more recent round#2.

All this info has been linked to previously & those links are available at
CA CA - Gavin Smith, Los Angeles, 1 May 2012, MEDIA/TIMELINE *NO DISCUSSION" - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

The links are not in perfect chronological order or article date,
but rather, in order of when the articles were posted in this webforum ...
so they appear in relative chronological of when new info became public knowledge.

Most of the links have titles, so you will be able to tell what the article is about.
Since the affair is fairly recently discovered info, start near the bottom
(but above the media links).

 

[2rose]

I would love to see a picture of her

Yes I would like to see pictures of Mr. & Mrs. Creech too.
When the Creech house was searched, an article told of an unnamed neighbour who described Mrs. Creech as a blond ... which surprised me because of the foreign sounding names of the home owner & grandmother, I assumed they would have dark hair ... but perhaps she dyed her hair.

As for John Creech, I have only seen one description of him (as frail) & that was in this forum by NoSherlock. <modsnip>

 

[shana]

The links are not in perfect chronological order or article date,
but rather, in order of when the articles were posted in this webforum ...
so they appear in relative chronological of when new info became public knowledge.

Exactly. The links were originally posted in relatively current time, from posters such as myself who are no longer participating on this thread. It's nice that they have been copied to another thread (media), and I appreciate anyone who does such secretarial tasks aka gruntwork.

~jmo~

 

[shana]

crazy directions here...yes oak park is technically part of the simi hills but more normally considered part of the santa monica mountains. from oak park the simi valley and the city of simi is DUE NORTH. driving west is the wrong way to go to the sfv. the sfv is EAST of oak park. the ventura fwy EASTbound takes you from oak park to the valley in 15 min or less. i grew up in the west valley and the whole area was my stomping grounds. why is simi a part of the dialog anyway? did i miss something?

Thank you, nosherlock!

If anyone pulls-up a map of the area, please notice Kanan (-> Kanan-Dume). This is a canyon road that many locals use to & from West Valley and PCH (Malibu, Pt Dume, Paradise Cove, etc.)

Also please note south-facing beaches.

Describing compass points on the California coastline is always a challenge. I generally say "up the coast" when referring to, say, where Santa Barbara is relative to L.A. It makes it easier for those not familiar to visualize the geography.

~jmo~

 

[2rose]

Originally, I didn't think he was the unidentified man interviewed leaving the Creech house the day of the search, but then the LASD Inmate info listed him as having black hair, brown eyes & race as H (ie Hispanic/Latino), as was the interviewed man. Still might not have been him

That man was NOT John Creech because LE were looking for him but did NOT find him there. There are a number of quotes from previously linked articles that say Creech was not there. Here is one of them ...

http://www.dailynews.com/crime/ci_2...atsworth-search-missing-fox-executive?refresh

Neighbors identified the home's resident as John Creech and his wife and daughters. Daniel J. Teola, an attorney who represents the family, said John Creech was not home at the time of the search, but his wife and children and an elderly woman were there

 

[JodyMT]

Btw, no sorries needed! We can re-examine pieces of Gavin's case already discussed. In fact, when cases go quiet for a bit, as it seems this one has, it's pretty common to go back over old links, what we know & don't know, what we think might happen as the case moves forward, etc.

We can't post rumors, state things as fact without supporting links, or post as insiders without verification, as the mods have stated, but we're free to discuss.

It is a shame that this case hasn't received more coverage. The one thing I have learned with high profile cases is, the media wants to use them for ratings. In order to do that, there has to be a lot of air time with the family, attorneys and analysts.

Lisa doesn't want to talk publicly about it, and I am sure the reason for that is she knows that every discussion will lead back to the affair and the Creechs. I have seen her and Evan shut down two reporters when asked about marriage troubles.

So, no scandal and no cooperating family members leads to very little coverage.

 

[JodyMT]

That man was NOT John Creech because LE were looking for him but did NOT find him there. There are a number of quotes from previously linked articles that say Creech was not there. Here is one of them ...

http://www.dailynews.com/crime/ci_2...atsworth-search-missing-fox-executive?refresh

I thought it was him at first too, but I was thinking that man looked really young.

I don't think I have seen one picture of either him or Chandrika.

Have any of you seen a photo of either one of them?

Isn't it strange that there isn't even a mugshot of John posted?

 

[Seek&Find]

That man was NOT John Creech because LE were looking for him but did NOT find him there. There are a number of quotes from previously linked articles that say Creech was not there. Here is one of them ...

http://www.dailynews.com/crime/ci_2...atsworth-search-missing-fox-executive?refresh

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies served the warrant the 8600 block of of Santa Susana Place in Canoga Park at 7:30 a.m., according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.

link

Per video, the unidentified man said "Yeah, naturally you'd be shocked if they come at 7 o'clock in the morning."

Video here says officers left the Creech home just prior to the broadcast, which was at 4 PM, per video screen shot. Video also says "They were here a little over eight hours". So, officers were gone by 4 PM.

The video of the man above was shown during a live broadcast @ 11:01 PM, the same day as the search. Per the reporter on the scene, "A man just walked out of the property here". The video/interview with the man shows it's completely dark out, ie long past the approximately 4 PM departure of LE.

Per US Naval Observatory data, sunset in the LA area on June 8 was at 8:04, with twilight ending at 8:33 PM.

a woman and her two children emerged from the house as it was being searched.

link

So, as LE said, John Creech wasn't home when they served the warrant. However, per data above, this man was seen there after LE had left, so it still could be him. Still might not be. If we find a pic/mugshot of Creech, that'd help.

Moo

 

[Seek&Find]

It is a shame that this case hasn't received more coverage. The one thing I have learned with high profile cases is, the media wants to use them for ratings. In order to do that, there has to be a lot of air time with the family, attorneys and analysts.

Lisa doesn't want to talk publicly about it, and I am sure the reason for that is she knows that every discussion will lead back to the affair and the Creechs. I have seen her and Evan shut down two reporters when asked about marriage troubles.

So, no scandal and no cooperating family members leads to very little coverage.

In comparison to some missing cases we see here at WS, this one's getting a lot of coverage, which is good. Some cases here, like Kayla Chadwick, aren't even covered by local media. Others can't get national attention. Gavin's case has gotten both, thankfully! Hoping that continues.

 

[CocoChanel]

I thought it was him at first too, but I was thinking that man looked really young.

I don't think I have seen one picture of either him or Chandrika.

Have any of you seen a photo of either one of them?

Isn't it strange that there isn't even a mugshot of John posted?

I had never heard the name Chandrika before, but a cursory search leads me to believe it is a name most likely to be found of those of South Asian descent. Is that the case?

 

[2rose]

Per video, the unidentified man said "Yeah, naturally you'd be shocked if they come at 7 o'clock in the morning"

On the morning of the Canoga Park search, I thought that guy had picked up the children to take them to school for the day ???

 

[Seek&Find]

I had never heard the name Chandrika before, but a cursory search leads me to believe it is a name most likely to be found of those of South Asian descent. Is that the case?

We don't know.

Originally Posted by Seek&Find
Hey, Salem. The search warrants have not been released. So, restricted speculation/sleuthing of CC related solely to info in articles, ie not as broad as John, right? Lotsa newbies here, so clarifying to save you work later, and I haven't seen limited sleuthing before, so...?

Yes - that sums it up. Restricted sleuthing is not uncommon around here. It needs to be confined to what is released in MSM (or HuffPo in this case), whatever is in LE docs that is released to the public, and there can be speculation based on the fact that she was the last person to see him, if that is the case.

Hope that helps,

Salem

ETA: IF she was not the last person to see him - there can be no speculation about that without a link. DOING background checks, posting any arrests, etc. IS OFF LIMITS. RAIDING FACEBOOK OR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA IS OFF LIMITS. Basically - you may speculate and discuss what is in the articles. So there is not a lot of room here, but there is some.

At this time, we can discuss what is in MSM or LE docs only IRT Chandrika, & thus far no article has included her pic.

(And to clarify re: above, Gavin was last seen driving away from the family friend's house.)

 

[Seek&Find]

On the morning of the Canoga Park search, I thought that guy had picked up the children to take them to school for the day ???

:waitasec: Haven't seen anything about that?? If you find a link, please post.

 

[2rose]

I had never heard the name Chandrika before, but a cursory search leads me to believe it is a name most likely to be found of those of South Asian descent. Is that the case?

I agree with your statement. That particular name is commonly found in India. where most of the native people have dark hair ... which is why I was surprised to read that Mrs. Creech was a blond per ...

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_...break-chatsworth-search-missing-fox-executive

Deputies surrounded the house in the 8600 block of Santa Susana Place, a cul-de-sac, with weapons drawn and used bullhorns to ask the residents inside to come out, according to witnesses. A short time later, a blond woman and young girl came outside the house and sat on the curb