Massacre in Detroit,woman & 4 small kids found slaughtered
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Over in Detroit, just a few hours ago, police went to a house after
receiving a call from an anonymous person about a multiple homicide.
Inside the house police found a woman and 4 small children, all under age
6, dead. The dead woman is the mother of two of the children, and the aunt
of the other two. Not a lot of details are being released yet, but this
does seem to be quite an interesting family massacre. I'll try to post
more details as they emerge, but the bottom line is, 5 people, 4 of them
little kids, all members of the same family, slaughtered. That is more
than enough to peak my interest and excitement.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's Reuters news wire:
DETROIT (Reuter) - Police were investigating a multiple homicide Wednesday
after a woman and four small children were found dead in a home on
Detroit's west side.
Detroit police spokesman Officer Charles Reden said police went to the
home at 11:30 a.m. EDT after receiving a call from an unknown source about
a multiple killing.
The woman was in her early 20s and the children were all under six years
old. Reden said the cause of death was unknown and no other details were
being released.
WWJ-Radio reported the woman was the mother of two of the children. The
other two children belonged to the woman's sister, the radio station said.
14:11 08-13-97
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Here are a few more very early details on this family massacre out of
Detroit. The Police Chief, a fellow named Benny Napoleon, has stated that
the scene is "probably one of the most brutal things I've ever seen". All
it takes is a statement like that to get all my soul dead emotional juices
pumping.
We also learn that it was the dead woman's sister who discovered the
bodies and called police. Police are still not giving any possible motive,
nor are they saying how the 5 murders were committed. But i'm sure that
more info will be forthcoming in the not too distant future.
My initial guess would be that a family member, or a boyfriend/husband
could very possibly be the culprit. But I could easily be wrong about
that.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's United Press International
news wire:
Woman, 4 kids slain in Detroit house
United Press International
Wed, 13 Aug 1997
DETROIT, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Homicide detectives are investigating a house on
Detroit's west side where a woman in her 20s and four small children, all
under 6 years old, were apparently slain.
Police are releasing few details but Deputy Police Chief Benny Napoleon
says he's shocked by the violence.
Speaking to a local radio station (WWJ-AM), Napoleon calls it ``probably
one of the most brutal things I've ever seen.''
The dead woman's sister discovered the bodies today and called police.
Reports say two of the children are 3 years old, the others 5 years old.
The dead woman is reportedly the mother of two of the children, and an
aunt of the others.
Police won't discuss the manner of death, nor any possible motives or
suspects.
Joe1orbit
Hello,
A few more details are emerging on this quintuple murder over in the
Steel City of Detroit, Michigan. A 21 year old woman named Yolanda Bellamy
is dead, along with 2 of her children, a niece and a nephew. The 4 kids
were aged 3, 3, 5, and 5. Kind of young, I imagine they were quite easy to
kill.
Police are apparently questioning a man at this time, but nobody has
been arrested, no motives are being given, and the method of slaughter, be
it gun or knife or strangulation, etc... is also not being made public by
our tight-lipped Detroit police chief. Oh well, patience is a virtue. I'm
sure that these details will emerge sooner or later. Neighbors are saying
that they did hear several gunshots last night, but I think I'll wait for
the official police word on killing methodology before I jump to any
conclusions based upon the unreliable opinions of neighbors.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
DETROIT (AP) - A woman and four small children were found slain in a home
Wednesday in a crime that shocked police even in a city that has hundreds
of murders a year.
``It's probably the worst thing I've ever seen in 21 years of law
enforcement,'' Executive Deputy Chief Benny Napoleon said. ``Whoever did
this is obviously a very vicious person.''
Napoleon said the bodies were discovered close together, but he would not
say how the five were killed. He said police were questioning a man but
that no suspects had been arrested and he would not comment on a possible
motive.
Napoleon identified the dead as Yolanda Bellamy, 21; her two sons, Nathan
Burns Jr., 5, and Nathan Burns III, 3; and her niece and nephew, Shafontah
Bellamy, 3, and Delvontay Bellamy, 5.
A woman believed to be the mother of the Bellamy children found the bodies
late Wednesday morning, Napoleon said.
``She started screaming, `My kids! My kids!''' said Catrina Mitchell, who
lives nearby.
Ms. Mitchell and other neighbors said they heard several gunshots about 1
a.m.
The family lived in a duplex in a lower-middle-class neighborhood with
neat lawns and lots of children but a mixed reputation for safety.
Neighbors called it mostly quiet, but mentioned a problem with break-ins,
and one said it was not unusual to hear gunfire.
Detroit had 428 murders last year, and 475 in 1995, according to FBI crime
statistics.
AP-NY-08-13-97
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Here is a quick update on this quintuple killing in Detroit. Police have
announced that they have a 22 year old fellow in custody, whom they are
not identifying at this time, and who is being considered as a suspect in
the killings. The 22 year old was an acquaintance of the dead woman, and
does have a criminal record of assault and drug convictions.
There was an argument the night before, between this young and angry
fellow, and Yolanda. He apparently killed her, and then all 4 children in
the home. It's not clear from this report whether or not he has been
formally charged with the five murders, but it does sound as though he is
a very serious suspect, and likely will be charged in the case within a
day or two.
I will edit this news report slightly, just to avoid repeating the same
information that was provided in my previous posts to this thread.
Take care, JOE
The following edited news report appears courtesy of today's Associated
Press news wire:
DETROIT (AP) - A woman and four small children were found stabbed to death
in a home Wednesday in a crime that shocked police even in a city that has
hundreds of murders a year.
``It's probably the worst thing I've ever seen in 21 years of law
enforcement,'' Executive Deputy Chief Benny Napoleon said. ``Whoever did
this is obviously a very vicious person.''
Napoleon said the bodies were discovered close together.
He identified the dead as Yolanda Bellamy, 21; her two sons, Nathan Burns
Jr., 5, and Nathan Burns III, 3; and her niece and nephew, Shafontah
Bellamy, 3, and Delvontay Bellamy, 5.
Late Wednesday, police said they had a 22-year-old suspect in custody who
had known Ms. Bellamy for more than a year.
Napoleon said the suspect had a criminal record that included robbery,
assault and drug convictions.
He said the slayings resulted after an argument that started the night
before. There were no signs of a struggle and nothing appeared to be
stolen from the home.
AP-NY-08-13-97
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Here is a much more detailed summary of the events surrounding this
quintuple mini-mass murder over in Detroit. You can always count on the
local online newspapers to provide better and more detailedcoverage of a
story than the national news wires do.
We learn quite a few interesting facts her, including the identity of
your suspected mini-mass murderer. It is indeed the dead woman's
boyfriend, 22 year old Rico Jones, who is under arrest AND has apparently
confessed to killing his gal pal and the 4 small children. All 5 victims
were stabbed and slashed to death. All 5 had their throats slashed and
were stabbed at least a dozen times in the stomach and chest. Oh well, at
least Rico was consistent. Contrary to prior reports, no gun was involved
in the killing spree.
The scene inside of the house was so bloody and gory that one of the
first officers to arrive on the scene became physically ill upon viewing
the carnage. Well, I guess that policeman had a weak constitution.
Personally, I cannot imagine becoming ill due to viewing a dead or
decapitated or mutilated person. Death is an inevitable fate that befalls
all humans, and any type of bloody or gruesome death would only serve to
peak my interest.
The light colored living room carpet was apparently soaked in blood, and
had turned red. A policeman who viewed the scene said that "The kids were
like doll, lying on the floor."
We also get a bunch of comments from relatives of Yolanda, and the exact
sequence of events that led to the discovery of the 5 bodies.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of the 8/14/97 online edition of The
Detroit News newspaper:
Thursday, August 14, 1997
Killer slashes throats of woman, 4 children
By David G. Grant, Shawn Lewis and Wayne Woolley / The Detroit News
A young Detroit mother and four small children were found butchered
Wednesday in a home that neighbors and police said had been the scene of
many loud domestic disputes.
The dead woman's boyfriend, Rico Jones, 22, of Detroit surrendered to
police about 1 p.m. Wednesday and was arrested. Homicide investigators
said he later confessed to the slayings.
Police were expected to seek murder warrants today from the Wayne
County prosecutor's office.
Yolanda Bellamy, 21, was stabbed and slashed to death in her west side
home, along with her two sons, Nathan Burns Jr., 5, and Nathan Burns III,
3. The other victims were her niece and nephew, Shafontah Bellamy, 3, and
Delvontay Bellamy, 5, police said.
None of the children were related to Jones, police said.
It was one of the worst mass murders in Detroit's history -- and a
scene so gruesome that one of the first police officers called to the
scene became ill.
"It's the most disturbing thing I've ever seen," said Executive Deputy
Police Chief Benny Napoleon. "It's unbelievable that someone could be that
brutal."
All of the victim's throats were slashed and all were stabbed at least
a dozen times in the stomach and chest.
"Whoever did this is a maniac," one investigator said.
So much blood had spilled that the light-colored living room carpet
turned red.
"It was a bloodbath," said a ranking police officer who inspected the
house. "The kids were like ... dolls lying on the floor."
The killer apparently was invited into the house or had a key,
investigators reasoned, because there were no signs of forced entry. All
the windows and doors were locked.
The carnage inside the house on the 8900 block of Rutherford was
discovered shortly before noon by the dead woman's sister, Erika Bellamy,
23.
She had gone to pick up her children, Shafontah and Delvontay, who had
spent Tuesday night with their cousins and aunt.
"She called me up frantic and crying, saying she peeked inside and saw
a lot of blood on the floor," said Fannie Bellamy, the dead woman's
grandmother.
"Erika and Yolanda were very close -- like best friends -- and they
often kept each other's kids while they were working. They were always
together."
Erika Bellamy told investigators that when no one answered her
repeated knocks on the front door, she kicked it open and saw bodies
strewn haphazardly across the living room floor.
The carnage was rivaled in recent years only by the murders of six
people in a crack house on St. Aubin on April 4, 1990. In that case, the
victims were people whose drug addictions led them into dangerous
lifestyles.
Neighbors told police they heard a ruckus inside the house just after
1 a.m. Wednesday.
None bothered to dial 911, they told police, because loud arguments
were commonplace inside the house. Police confirmed they had been called
to the home to settle disputes.
"Yolanda had a lot of men friends they would come and go all the
time," said Thelma Jackson, a neighbor. "She had a lot of arguments with
her men friends in recent months over money and her children."
Fannie Bellamy was searching for anything that could help her
understand who killed her granddaughter.
"I'm hurting, that's for sure," she said as she sank into a gray
armchair and held her head in her hand. "I just feel bad and torn up. I
don't know what this world is coming to. People are so mean and evil."
Fannie Bellamy was the one who had to tell Yolanda's mother, Linda,
what happened.
"I called my daughter at work and told her to sit down because
something bad had happened," she recalled. "We all went to Yolanda's
house. ... I had to leave because I'm on medication. Linda said she didn't
want to leave until they removed the bodies from the house."
Fannie Bellamy spent much of Wednesday coping with her grief by
thumbing through a family scrapbook.
"This is 'Landa when she was a baby," she said, pointing to an image
of the dead woman as a baby, peering up from a white bassinet while
gripping the sides with her tiny hands.
She spoke with pride about her granddaughter, who attended Murray
Wright High School and worked two jobs -- including one as telemarketer
for a long-distance phone company -- to support the children.
"She didn't receive any aid," Fannie Bellamy said. "She really took
care of those kids and always dressed them so nicely. She just stayed to
herself."
She said Yolanda never spoke about fearing anyone. Bellamy was silent
for a moment and then looked off into the dining room.
"When 'Landa was a little girl, I remember she was always getting into
things, but she laughed all the time, and kept the rest of us laughing,
too."
Golfing OJ
joe1...@aol.com (Joe1orbit) writes:
<< A few more details are emerging on this quintuple murder over in the
Steel City of Detroit, Michigan. A 21 year old woman named Yolanda Bellamy
is dead, along with 2 of her children, a niece and a nephew. The 4 kids
were aged 3, 3, 5, and 5. Kind of young, I imagine they were quite easy to
kill.
Police are apparently questioning a man at this time, but nobody has
been arrested, no motives are being given, and the method of slaughter, be
it gun or knife or strangulation, etc... is also not being made public by
our tight-lipped Detroit police chief. Oh well, patience is a virtue. I'm
sure that these details will emerge sooner or later. Neighbors are saying
that they did hear several gunshots last night, but I think I'll wait for
the official police word on killing methodology before I jump to any
conclusions based upon the unreliable opinions of neighbors. >>
Yet another grizzly story. Joe, you are truly one-of-a-kind. Keep up the
good work!
"I Want To Tell You"
--OJ
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Well, there has certainly been a very major development in this
quintuple mass murder out of Detroit. As you know, if you have been
reading this thread, a 22 year old man named Rico Jones is under arrest,
accused of killing his girlfriend and 4 small children, aged 3,3,5, and 5.
Earlier today, Rico was at police headquarters in Detroit, on the fifth
floor of the building, when he suddenly leapt up from his seat, raced to a
window, and jumped out!
Now, this would have been quite a wise move if he were on the first
floor, or even the second floor. But unfortunately he was on the fifth
floor, and his ability to successfully emulate Superman was not quite
honed. He plummeted to the ground, suffering rather severe injuries, and
is now in critical condition at a Detroit hospital.
Police are not sure whether Rico was trying to escape, or trying to
commit suicide. I certainly do hope and believe that he was trying to
escape, because I find the act of suicide to be highly irrational. In a
previous new report, police stated that Rico had confessed to killing
Yolanda bellamy, his gal pal, and the four little children. So it
certainly does look bleak for Rico. Hopefully he will recover from his 5
floor plunge. If a fellow is going to jail, he needs to be physically fit
and healthy in order to take care of himself in a prison facility. Lets
hope that Rico did not suffer any permanent injuries in this more daring,
if a bit foolhardy, escape attempt.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
DETROIT (AP) - The suspect in the slayings of a woman and four young
children jumped out of a fifth-floor window at police headquarters today,
police said. He was hospitalized in critical condition.
Detroit Police Inspector Ella Bully said she couldn't yet say whether the
man was trying to commit suicide or escape custody.
Detroit Receiving Hospital spokeswoman Julie Nemeth said the 22-year-old
man was in critical condition and undergoing surgery.
The man, who was not identified pending the filing of formal charges, had
a criminal record that included robbery, assault and drug convictions.
Yolanda Bellamy, 21, her sons, Nathan Burns Jr., 5, and Nathan Burns III,
3, and her niece and nephew, Shafontah Bellamy, 3, and Delvontay Bellamy,
5, were found Wednesday morning by Ms. Bellamy's sister.
There were no signs of a struggle inside the two-story brick duplex in a
pleasant neighborhood of neat lawns. Nothing appeared to have been stolen.
The bodies were found close together.
Ms. Bellamy had been baby-sitting for her niece and nephew, neighborhood
resident Catrina Mitchell said in today's editions of the Detroit Free
Press.
She said she heard Ms. Bellamy's sister screaming, ``My kids! My kids!''
after finding the bodies.
Police called it one of the grisliest crimes in recent memory, even in a
city that, according to FBI crime statistics, had 428 murders last year
and 475 in 1995.
``It's probably the worst thing I've ever seen in 21 years of law
enforcement,'' said Executive Deputy Chief Benny Napoleon said. ``None of
us can recall ever seeing anything like this.''
Napoleon declined to confirm TV reports that the man in custody was Ms.
Bellamy's boyfriend.
About 200 neighbors watched as detectives wearing white gloves and paper
boots went in and out of the home. Yellow crime-scene tape cordoned off
the house and was stretched across the street.
The northwestern Detroit neighborhood has a mixed reputation for safety.
Residents say it is mostly quiet but mentioned problems with break-ins,
and some said gunfire was not unusual.
Shirley Figmon, who lives three doors down from Ms. Bellamy, said she
didn't know her well but that she always appeared friendly.
``I'd see them playing out front and she'd be out watching them,'' Ms.
Figmon said. ``We'd drive by and they'd wave at us, but that's it.''
Several neighbors said they heard gunshots about 1 a.m. Wednesday, but
Napoleon said the gunshots were not linked to the killings.
``It was in this neighborhood,'' said resident Kim Pettus, who lives a
block from the crime scene. ``It was close. But they're always shooting
around here, so you never know.''
AP-NY-08-14-97
maryanne kehoe
Joe1Orbit's postinga and
[comments regarding mass-murder
in Detroit]
As I am originally from the suburban Detroit area (Macomb County), what
really amazes me is that it seems before any major holiday in Detroit,
there is always some kind of heinous crime committed, wheather it is
murder, motorists being shot at on I-94, or the 2 creeps that broke into
Rosa Parks' house and beat the s*** out of her. What is it with these
people? Christmas is the worst--what with churches being broken into,
and I remember Mother Waddles warehouse went up in flames about 5 years
ago at the Holiday, there seems to be no end to henious holiday crime.
I wonder what Precient the murders were committed in-if the victim lived
in the area of the storied 5th (?) Beaubien precient, those cops will
kick butt in order to resolve this case.
Maryanne.
