Craigslist Killer

Maria Haymandou’s latest blog post

Miranda Barbour

There has been a lot of talk recently about the “Craigslist killer”, a 19 year-old woman named Miranda Barbour, who, along with her husband, Elyette Barbour, murdered a man named Troy LaFerrara that they found on Craigslist.  Just today, defense attorneys for Barbour questioned in court whether she had been fairly represented by legal counsel, hoping to have her confession tossed out as evidence.  According to the attorneys, Barbour asked for a lawyer when she was first questioned by Pennsylvania state police back in December, but was turned down.

After Miranda walked into the station and said that she wanted to give a statement and turn herself in, it should have triggered her right to counsel, according to defense attorney Edward Greco.  Snyder County District Attorney Michael Piecuch, testifying as a witness, claimed that Barbour didn’t qualify for a lawyer because she wasn’t yet charged with a crime.  However, Barbour confessed to the crime without a lawyer present, and therefore defense attorneys want her confession tossed out as evidence.

Barbour, wearing an eye-catching orange prison jumpsuit, was impassive during the suppression-of-evidence hearing.  If convicted, she could face a death sentence.  She and her husband have pleaded not guilty to the stabbing and strangling this past November of LaFerrara, whose body was found dumped in a Sunbury alley.  According to prosecutors, the couple used Craigslist to lure LaFerrara into a meeting, and then killed him for the sake of committing a murder together.  Barbour has since made controversial claims to a local newspaper that she’s killed “at least” 22 people through her previous involvement in a satanic cult.  She claimed that her victim’s body parts can be found around Alaska, Florida and North Carolina.

Authorities, however, are skeptic that Barbour actually is a serial killer, due to her petite size and lack of solid evidence.  Video footage played in court today revealed Barbour arguing with a trooper and asking for her cellphone, which he took after restraining her.  The defense attorney claimed that the video was evidence, and police knew she was a subject and therefore should have provided legal counsel.

 

 

 

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What To Do In Jamaica Bay

Jamaica Bay, with New York City in the background.

I recently came across an article discussing the fun to be had at Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn’s only national park.  The Community Newspaper Group’s adventure correspondent, Max Jaeger, decided to check it out.  Jaeger got to Floyd Bennett Field, the entrance of the park, with bikes.  The park offers those interested an archery range, kayak launches and even a remote-control car track.  There are a total of 30 tent sites and 20 recreational vehicle hookups in the park, which are typically booked for several months straight in the Summer months.  There is also a recreational nature trail, and while it seems fairly isolated, it nonetheless remains within earshot of the nearby JFK airport, so that the sound of airplanes flying just above the trees is a regular occurrence.

For $20 a night, one can rent a campsite, which includes a fire pit, grill and picnic table.  While you have to bring your own tent to the site, there is plenty of firewood provided at the park, although it’s quite large, so it might be a good idea to bring a starter to start your campfire up.  Dryer lint actually makes for excellent kindling.  Unfortunately, if you’re looking to stargaze, then Jamaica Bay might not be the best camping ground for you; New York’s ever-present glow overpowers the majority of the area’s starlight.

Living in the heart of Brooklyn, it can be very easy to forget that many parts of the city, such as Jamaica Bay, offer plenty of peace and quiet for anybody who is looking to spend just a day or even a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of New York City.

2 New Releases on RSD14 – ToughMFs & Lady Luck Combo

Good hard rockin’

HepTown Records

RECORD STORE DAY RELEASES 2014

ToughMFs
“Sweet Annelie/Messed Up” – 7” vinyl single
(Heptown Records)

Order at Hepcat Store

MEMBERS:

Dean Micetich from DiCE Magazine, The Black Tibetans handles the  vocals and lead guitar
Dave Catching from Masters Of Reality, ex. Queens of the Stone Age keeps the energy sky high with the second guitar
Brian BOC from Eagles Of Death Metal drives it all along on the bass guitar
Joey Castillo also from Eagles Of Death Metal and Queens of the Stone Age ties it all together with his pounding drum beat!

Lady Luck Combo
“Peggy Lee” – 7″ Vinyl EP
(Heptown Records)

Order at Hepcat Store

With their roots in rockabilly and rock´n´roll they move between related genres to create something entirely their own!

SIDE A:

Peggy Lee
Good ol’ 66

SIDE B:
Ain’t Nobody
Cannonball Rag

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What is Cinco de Mayo?

Little Caroline Travels The Big World

For those celebrating, happy cinco de Mayo! I hope you are celebrating for the right reasons!

What is the true meaning of cinco de Mayo? I believe that if you are going to celebrate something, you should know its origins first!

Cinco de Mayo, which is Spanish for 5th of May, is celebrated today  to remember Mexican culture and traditions. The meaning behind the day has changed overtime.

Cinco de Mayo started as commemorating the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This was part of the Franco Mexican War that lasted between 1861-1867.

Mexico at the time was struggling financially and France, under the rule of Napoleon III, saw its opportunity to carve out some French territory.

At Puebla, on May 5, 2,000 Mexicans stood strong against 6,000 French. In the end the French retreated and Mexico won the town.

The Battle of Puebla…

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Don’t Throw Out the Baby with the Bathwater

Brooklyn’s Jewish Community

A group of Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn.

New York has been home to a vibrant Jewish community since the mid-17th century, when the area was a Dutch colony.  In 1654, a group of Jews from Brazil, fearing religious persecution at the hand of the Portuguese, looked to the tolerant Dutch for protection.  While most of them came to the Netherlands, a group of them came to the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (later to become New York).  While some of the local Dutch settlers were hesitant to let these newcomers in, they were here to stay, and New York’s Jewish community is the oldest in the United States.  However, Jews in the New York remained a negligible minority until the late 19th century, when immigrants from Europe, mostly the German and Russian Empires, came to America to start new lives.  Upon arriving in the city, most of them settled in the Lower East Side and Brooklyn.

While the ethnic and socioeconomic makeup of all of New York’s five boroughs has changed dramatically over the past 100 years, Brooklyn’s Jewish community remains to this day a visible part of the region’s culture.  The oldest congregation in the borough is Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom, an Orthodox Jewish congregation first founded in 1869 by German Jews.  According to the synagogue’s Vice President, Stephen Weidberg, it’s the last modern Orthodox synagogue in Williamsburg.  Despite its humble beginnings (they first worshipped in a house, and its early years were characterized by financial hardship), Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom grew and eventually prospered.  This past weekend, the synagogue celebrated its 145^th anniversary.  The celebration was also meant to honor the synagogue’s Rabbi, Joshua Fishman, who is retiring after 43 years.  Fishman, who is a vital component of the synagogue, will be sorely missed, but according to synagogue officials, the congregation will still keep running, albeit without their old leader.