Miguel A. Ayala: "I want a public pretender."Miguel A. Ayala, Carlos Gonzalez, and Irene Rodriguez have been charged in the robbery and murder of Vic Milford.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:One of three suspects charged in the robbery and shooting death of a Miller Brewing Co. executive in Walker's Point laughed about the incident in the getaway car, while another asked for a pair of Milwaukee Bucks tickets taken in the stickup, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday.
Miguel A. Ayala, 21, Carlos Gonzalez, 17, and Irene Rodriguez, 16, were charged Friday in connection with the killing of Lodewikus "Vic" Milford, who was Miller's director of compensation and benefits.
Ayala was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, party to a crime, while armed, according to the complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Gonzalez was charged with felony murder, and Rodriguez was charged with reckless homicide, party to a crime, according to the complaint.
Milford, 43, was killed early last Saturday after being robbed near S. 2nd and W. Walker streets.
Ayala, of the 2400 block of S. 9th Place, also was charged with three counts of armed robbery, use of force, party to a crime. If convicted of all of the counts against him, Ayala would face a maximum sentence of life in prison plus five years and additional prison sentences totaling 120 years.
Also, if convicted, Gonzalez would face a maximum prison sentence of 55 years and Rodriguez 60 years.
So now we know the names of the thugs and the face of one of them. We know the charges against the three.
Does Ayala look like a cold-blooded killer to you? That's what a cold-blooded killer looks like.
I'm not saying "alleged" killer because Ayala has confessed to the murder.
The Journal Sentinel summarizes the criminal complaint:According to the complaint, which contains varying accounts from witnesses and the accused:
Friday evening, Jan. 25, Milford and three female co-workers were at a restaurant before going to a couple of bars near S. 2nd and W. Walker streets.
About 10 p.m. Gonzalez, of the 1400 block of S. 2nd St., and Rodriguez, also of the 2400 block of S. 9th Place, were driving around in a car and picked up Ayala at S. 25th and W. Mitchell streets.
Ayala had a gun, and the three decided to look for someone to rob.
After driving to S. 35th St. and W. Greenfield Ave. and then S. 6th and W. Historic Mitchell streets in search of a victim, the trio drove to S. 2nd and W. Walker streets.
Shortly after 1 a.m., Milford and the three women began walking south on 2nd St. back to their vehicles, which were parked in the 200 block of W. Walker St. One of the women was driving her own vehicle; the other two were riding with Milford.
When Ayala, Gonzalez and Rodriguez spotted the group, Rodriguez dropped off the other two and parked in the 100 block of W. Walker St.
Milford and the women reached a parking lot, started saying good-bye and began entering the two vehicles.
At that point they were accosted by Gonzalez and Ayala. Ayala demanded money from Milford and then pulled the gun from his waistband.
Milford gave his wallet and a roll of money to Ayala, but Ayala demanded more money. After telling Ayala that he had no more money, Milford asked for his driver's license back.
Ayala dropped the license on the ground and demanded money from two of the women as Milford backed away and entered his vehicle. When the door closed behind Milford, the vehicle's alarm went off, and Ayala yelled at him to shut it off, Ayala told police.
Milford said he could not turn off the alarm and, according to Ayala, said "something slick" that made the gunman angry.
Ayala then fired twice through the driver's side window before he and Gonzalez fled.
Milford was struck twice in the neck and died at the scene.
Ayala said after he and Gonzalez got into the getaway car, Gonzalez was laughing about what had happened.
The three split $95 taken during the robbery, and Ayala gave Rodriguez two Milwaukee Bucks tickets because she "could take her little brother to a Bucks game," according to the complaint.
It's difficult to summarize the complaint because some details conflict, as the Journal Sentinel notes.
This summary is chilling, but you really should read the entire criminal complaint.
It's positively nauseating.
My God, what are 16- and 17- and 21-year-olds doing driving around Milwaukee looking for someone to rob at gunpoint?
What really made me sick was the way the three divided up the "proceeds" of the robbery.
According to Gonzalez's account:At the car Carlos Gonzalez stated that he asked Miguel Ayala, "Why did you do that?" Irene Rodriguez said to Carlos Gonzalez, "What do you mean?" and Carlos Gonzalez then told Irene Rodriguez he, meaning Miguel Ayala, had shot a guy. They threw the purse and the other proceeds in the car. Miguel Ayala began going through the purse and there were some Bucks tickets in the purse. Irene Rodriguez said that she wanted those Bucks tickets from the armed robbery so that Irene Rodriguez could take her little brother to the Bucks game. Miguel Ayala then showed Carlos Gonzalez that he had four $20 bills and two $5 bills. They then split up that money, each getting two $20 bills and one $5 bill. Mr. Ayala then decided that they were going to burn the purse. Irene Rodriguez then drove Miguel Ayala home and Miguel Ayala got out of the car and with the purse, the two $20s and the one $5 bill. Irene Rodriguez then drove Carlos Gonzalez to her home where they spent the night together.
It's so disturbing to read what the three did, how they reacted to the shooting, how they divided up what they stole.
According to Ayala's account:Mr. Ayala stated that they then both got into Irene Rodriguez's car and that Irene Rodriguez drove them away. Mr. Ayala stated that Mr. Gonzalez was in the back seat laughing about what had happened.
These people obviously live by a twisted value system.
Ayala actually shot Vic Milford after the robbery. He admits it. He seems proud rather than troubled that he committed murder.After making this statement Mr. Ayala stated, "I want a public pretender." Detective Heier asked Mr. Ayala [sic] what he meant by public pretender and Mr. Ayala stated that that is what he calls public defenders, public pretenders.
It's sick beyond words.
There is no place in a civilized society for people like this.
I'd like to know how their parents are reacting to all of this.
Is Irene Rodriguez's mom pleased that her daughter wanted to do something nice for her little brother?
This is unreal. I'm at a loss here. I'm so horrified by this.
I'm relieved that Ayala, Gonzalez, and Rodriguez are off the streets.
I'm terrified that there are so many more like them out there.
The Writers Guild of America strike has now lasted 12 weeks and 5 days.
Late night TV talk shows are suffering because of it. The only guests Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien have had are NBC news personalities, politicians, and animals.David Letterman and his Worldwide Pants, however, were able to cut a deal and bring the writers back to work.
This is what Letterman's writers produced to entertain America:From the January 31 Late Show with David Letterman, inspired by Vice President Dick Cheney's 67th birthday on Wednesday, the "Top Ten Things Overheard at Dick Cheney's Birthday Party."
10. "Medic!"
9. "That's nice -- a card from Osama"
8. "He must be happy -- he's sneering from ear to ear"
7. "MMMMM! chocolate cake with Lipitor frosting"
6. "Clear!"
5. "Dick, you don't look a day over 93"
4. "Hey, his daughter is making out with Condoleeza"
3. "Instead of a pinata, we're gonna beat a Gitmo inmate"
2. "How about a rousing chorus of 'For He's a Miserable, Old Prick!"
1. "Duck!"
If this is the best work that Letterman's writers can do, I wish they were still on strike. I became aware of this Top Ten List via the Media Research Center.
After reading it, I did go to the CBS website and watched the clip of Letterman delivering it. It was painful.
I used to be a regular viewer of Letterman's NBC show. (Remember when the home office was located in Milwaukee?) I continued watching when he moved to CBS. Eventually, I only tuned in to Letterman when I was interested in seeing a guest. I'd grown so tired of his mannerisms and smirks that I found myself too annoyed to enjoy the show. It was at the end of the campaign for Election 2000 that I pretty much said goodbye to Letterman for good. In addition to being bugged by his worn-out shtick, I wasn't interested in dealing with his clearly liberal political bias.
The Top Ten List above reminds me why Letterman is no longer a part of my nightly TV viewing.
To be fair, Letterman certainly isn't the only comedian to make fun of Dick Cheney, his health, and his hunting accident.
But what strikes me about this list is the fact that Letterman himself has had serious heart problems and bypass surgery. Numbers 10, 7, 6, and 5 could be applied to Letterman.
The audience laughed and applauded, but I don't think it's funny.
Moreover, I think it's particularly offensive for Letterman to mock Mary Cheney, the Vice President's daughter.
It's a double standard. Lib Letterman can joke about Mary Cheney being a lesbian and make insinuations about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Do you think that a conservative could get away with making fun of a liberal's sexual orientation, without being slammed as a bigot?
I don't.
I think Number 2 on the Top Ten List above would be perfect for Letterman.
JB Van Hollen is going to break his silence on the murders in Crandon.
You'll have to wait until next week Thursday to find out what he has to say.
From 620 WTMJ:Attorney General JB Van Hollen has scheduled a news conference for next Thursday to discuss the Crandon shootings. While most of the major facts in the case seem clear, Van Hollen has repeatedly refused to release public records about the case saying that it was still an ongoing investigation. Van Hollen has refused to say what that ongoing investigation entailed.
It's possible that we could learn more about the case and what that "ongoing investigation" entailed during next week's news conference.
The news comes the same day as news that families of some of the victims have filed notices of claim with Forest County and the City of Crandon claiming that supervisors at the Forest County Sheriff's Department and Crandon Police Department knew Tyler Peterson was prone to violence before he killed six young people.
Peterson gunned down his six victims on October 7, 2007.
When Van Hollen holds his news conference, it will be February 7 -- FOUR months after the shootings.
His stonewalling on releasing the public records about the case has been truly bizarre.
The way authorities have dodged questions and open records requests looks really bad.
Apparently, Van Hollen realizes that he can't hide anymore.
The latest e-mail from Mike Huckabee, "My 5 Smooth Stones" (Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:19:11):We are in this race to win despite the desperate efforts by the Romney campaign to try and say that "a vote for me is a vote for McCain". Actually, a vote for me is a vote for me!
We have outlasted Rudy, Fred, and others who were supposed to be the winners. Only 8% of the Republican delegates have been selected, and we have about the same number of delegates as McCain or Romney. We are in it to win.
The Romney campaign knows this and they are running scared.
So far the media has with a few exceptions, been content to sell this sham of a story to their viewers and listeners. You would think that under this coordinated assault, we would be sinking in the polls nationally.
Not so. FOX News has us tied with Gov. Romney in 2nd place nationally in a new poll of registered voters.
What's more, in Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma, recent polls have us in first or tied for first.
We can win. We will win.
To close this gap and shock the pundits, and more importantly our rivals, I need your immediate financial support. I am counting on you as I always have, because you are the five smooth stones in my pocket.
Make an immediate contribution of $25 or more today and watch us soar.
I am counting on you for victory.
With deepest gratitude,
I'm sorry but Huckabee sounds like a sleazy televangelist.
He equates himself with David from the Old Testament, having the five smooth stones ready to slay Goliath.
Obviously, his e-mail doesn't explain the significance of his stones.
He assumes that his religious base knows what he means. Talk about using faith to score political points!
Huckabee cannot be serious about winning. He just can't be.
His smooth stones rub me the wrong way.
UPDATE, February 20, 2008: US: Bombers didn't have Down syndrome The U.S. military said Wednesday that two women used as suicide bombers in attacks earlier this month had undergone psychiatric treatment but there is no indication they had Down syndrome as Iraqi and U.S. officials initially had claimed.
In my opinion, that doesn't make al Qaeda any less brutal or bankrupt. _________________
This is absolutely barbaric. BAGHDAD -- Two mentally retarded women strapped with remote-control explosives — and possibly used as unwitting suicide bombers — brought carnage Friday to two pet bazaars, killing at 73 people in the deadliest day since Washington flooded the capital with extra troops last spring.
The coordinated blasts — coming 20 minutes apart in different parts of the city — appeared to reinforce U.S. claims al-Qaida in Iraq may be increasingly desperate and running short of able-bodied men willing or available for such missions.
But they also served as a reminder that Iraqi insurgents are constantly shifting their strategies in attempts to unravel recent security gains around the country. Women have been used in ever greater frequency in suicide attacks.
The twin attacks at the pet markets, however, could mark a disturbing use of unknowing agents of death.
Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Iraq's chief military spokesman in Baghdad, said the women had Down syndrome and may not have known they were on suicide missions. He said the bombs were detonated by remote control.
In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the bombings prove al-Qaida is "the most brutal and bankrupt of movements" and will strengthen Iraqi resolve to reject terrorism.
...The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, said the bombings showed that a resilient al-Qaida has "found a different, deadly way" to try to destabilize Iraq.
"There is nothing they won't do if they think it will work in creating carnage and the political fallout that comes from that," he told The Associated Press in an interview at the State Department.
Rather than voting to condemn the United States Marine Corps, the Berkeley City Council should pass resolutions to condemn al Qaeda.
Using women with Down syndrome as suicide bombers?
If that's not worthy of condemnation, I don't know what is. __________________
Register your complaint with the City of Berkeley via Phone or Email.
UPDATE, April 23, 2009: Norma Giannini Released_______________
UPDATE, December 12, 2008: Early release denied for nun in sex abuse case_______________
Today, Sister Norma Giannini has received her sentence for sexually abusing boys 40 years ago.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:A nun was sentenced today to a year in the House of Correction and 10 years of probation for having sexual relationships with two boys at a south side Catholic school where she was a principal in the 1960s.
Sister Norma Giannini, 79, was sentenced to five years in prison on each of two felonies by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joseph Donald, but he stayed the sentence in favor of the probation term, with the year in the Franklin facility a condition of that probation.
Prosecutors had recommended eight years in prison.
I assume that the judge gave Giannini only one year in prison because of her age. I think that's inappropriate. Giannini's acts were those of a perverted, abusive woman, a criminal. One year isn't a slap on the wrist.
Had she been tried 40 years ago would she have received such a lenient sentence?
Or if she was 39 rather than 79, would that make a difference?
Another scenario: If she was a 39-year-old man convicted of having sex with children, would the sentence be the same?
It's clear that Giannini isn't being required to pay much for the crimes she committed. Giannini, a member of the Sisters of Mercy, was principal of the St. Patrick's Congregation grade school. She moved to Illinois in 1970. She was charged in December 2006 and pleaded no contest in November to two felony counts of indecent behavior with a child.
According to the charges, Giannini initiated sexual contact with both of the boys in the 1960s and had repeated sexual encounters with them, sometimes at her house. It's unclear when anyone first alerted authorites in the church or law enforcement about the activity, but in 1996, when the Milwaukee Archdiocese Response to Sexual Abuse panel questioned her, she said, "I thought I was in love with both of them," according to court records.
Oh. She was in love with them. Well, that's a different story.
GIVE ME A BREAK!I think the sentence sends the wrong message.I wonder if Giannini has apologized to her victims. Has she expressed remorse? I don't think so. I wonder if Giannini has apologized to every faithful priest and nun who has suffered because of her history of abuse. They have to bear her shame. It's unfair, but true. Her crimes shouldn't be used to disparage or mock the many, many devoted priests and nuns who have spent their lives serving God by serving his people.
Mike Huckabee's campaign has decided to make conservative talk radio the enemy, specifically Sean Hannity.
A fund-raising e-mail was sent out today with the subject line: "Sean Hannity...Now It Makes Sense."
Sean Hannity: "I'll tell you right now, and I've not announced this, but I will be voting for Mitt Romney in this campaign. It's the first time I've stated it publicly. I'll state it now." ("Sean Hannity Radio Show," 1/31/08.
Well I have to admit I am very disappointed by this statement even though I am not surprised. That said, statements like this personally motivate me even more. If you feel as I do I encourage you to commit to doing these three things by Super Tuesday:
1. Make a contribution of $25 or more in support of Mike Huckabee between now and Super Tuesday.
2. Make at least 5 voter contact calls for Mike everyday until Super Tuesday. Click here to signup as a Ranger and start making calls tomorrow.
3. Call your friends and family in Super Tuesday states and ask them to vote for Mike.
If you are willing to do all three for Mike before Super Tuesday, please leave a comment on our campaign blog and encourage others to do the same. I will email you again soon about our new television advertising buy.
Chip Saltsman
National Campaign Manager
Hannity has the right to support a candidate.
What's the big deal?
No e-mail like this was sent when The New York Times endorsed John McCain. Saltsman didn't express his disappointment and lack of surprise over that.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charlie Crist and Rudy Giuliani endorsed McCain there was no disappointment, no "now it makes sense" statements.
All the praise that they've showered on McCain didn't "personally motivate [Saltsman] even more."
What's the deal?
Literally.
