D.C. Killer

Cold cases and unsolved mysteries have always fascinated me. Police in Washington D.C. plan to start a website devoted to catching a serial rapist and murderer, who terrorized Montgomery County during the 1990's. His assaults abruptly stopped in 1998.

The website is a good idea. I don't claim to be any sort of expert on these types of crimes, but judging from cases I've followed, it wouldn't surprise me if the police have already interviewed the killer. The Buffalo Bike Path murderer (Altemio Sanchez), Gary Ridgway (the Green River Killer), and Paul Bernardo(the Scarborough, Ontario rapist), and others were all questioned (and released) years before they were charged in their respective cases. From the Associated Press...

Police say DNA connects eight rapes or attempted sexual assaults in Montgomery County from 1991 to 1998 to the Aug. 1, 1998 death of Christine Mirzayan. She was accosted by a man while walking home to a Georgetown University dormitory after a barbecue with friends. Mirzayan, a 28-year-old biochemist who had a summer fellowship with the National Academy of Sciences, was sexually assaulted and bludgeoned to death with an object weighing about 75 pounds. She screamed for help as she was attacked, Farish said.

The assaults generally occurred between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and targeted women from their teens to their mid- to late 40s and of varying ethnic backgrounds, Mudano said.

The time of the attacks seems pretty relevant also. I'll bet they can narrow the suspects down based on their work schedules, family commitments, etc. This man could be in jail on an unrelated case. He could be dead. Or he could have stopped attacking victims for some other reason. In any event, it will be interesting to see whether the police get any helpful clues from cyberspace...
DC police to start website for tips on suspect wanted in 1998 Georgetown killing, Md. rapes

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Hispanic dwarf on the loose

Our DC correspondent Alberto made me aware of this story. Police in Washington DC alerted the community they were looking for a "Hispanic midget" and "possible Hispanic dwarf" after another man was shot recently. From the Washington Post...

Nine days later, Henry Chavez, officially listed at 3 feet 11 inches tall and 85 pounds, is still on the lam. Montgomery County authorities say he shot a man outside a Silver Spring residence, which occurred 2½ years after Chavez was caught selling crack cocaine and driving with a dagger in the center console of his red Thunderbird.

It's a sad story when you consider Chavez had been trying to get on the right track. He studied Computer Science for three years, before taking off to help his dying father. Chavez said his height has hurt him at job interviews.

Chavez told a judge he had been discriminated against because of his height, even by those impressed by his résumé. "When I got to the interview, they changed their mind, and it hurt," he said.

The article goes on to describe how little people hate the use of the "M" word...

For years, a group called Little People of America has campaigned against use of the word "midget" because it conjures up images of circus performers. Gary Arnold, a group spokesman, said that of the slights he has heard, the police description in the aftermath of the shooting is hardly the worst.

Short shooting suspect, with a record and a softer side, eludes Montgomery police

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Street sign fiasco

A federal mandate says every city needs to replace every street sign because some idiot decided the signs need to be in both upper and lower case letters. What this means is perfectly good signs will have to be replaced at taxpayer expense. New York City has calculated their new cost at $27 million.

I can see why they are pushing this ridiculous mandate. After all, our country is in such great shape financially. Unemployment is at an all time low. Now's the time to do this. Give me a break. Do these people from the Transportation Committee have any kind of common sense? Buffalo should refuse to comply with this nonsense...



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