Page 10 of 10 FirstFirst ... 8 9 10
Results 226 to 235 of 235

Thread: Molly Young (21) was found shot to death in ex-boyfriend's apartment

  1. #226
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,250
    Rep Power
    7243612
    Unanimous bipartisan vote.

    Also, Larry has been slowly posting things that were released to him. I haven't been keeping up too well, baby and all. Possibly this weekend I can sit down and put everything together.

    http://senatorforby.com/8-frontpage/...ugh-the-senate

  2. #227
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,250
    Rep Power
    7243612
    This is an introduction to parts 1 & 2.

    https://www.theodysseyonline.com/cover-up-in-carbondale

    A Cover-up In Carbondale
    Oct 10, 2016

    While I will still be writing about Shannon's case as new information becomes available to me, I feel the time has come for me to explore and share another case that I've followed closely for several years. It's an extremely important case, one that has spawned a new law in the State of Illinois, both extending the statute of limitations for wrongful death cases and increasing the fines for public bodies who refuse to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. The case in question is close to my heart for personal reasons, and though I'm heartbroken over the circumstances, I am also honored to be able to share such an important story with you, dear reader.

    In high school, I had a friend named Kim. Anything I could try to write about her here just wouldn't do her justice. But I suppose that's the problem with memory ? you can never accurately describe the glow it casts around your loved ones. Kim was one of the kindest people I've ever met. She was also one of the most perpetually happy. She was never without her infectious, dimpled smile. Kim and I worked at a daycare together, and she was truly in her element there. She adored children and there wasn't a child there that didn't feel the same about Kim. She was everyone's cheerleader, always providing a positive outlook when one was needed. I didn't think there was anything she couldn't do. I can't recognize or explain exactly when things changed, but they did.

    Kim fell for the wrong man, as so many women have been known to do, myself included. He was a drug dealer and an addict. He cheated on her and verbally abused her ? something he's admitted to, to multiple people. On February 14th, 2012, after a disagreement about suspicious text messages on his phone, he screamed in her face and ripped her promise ring off her finger. Not long after, she was dead. He claimed it was suicide. She had loaded a gun and shot herself, despite the fact that she wasn't familiar with firearms. Despite the fact that she had always been adamantly and vocally against suicide and self-harm. Despite the fact that she had made concrete plans for her immediate future. Despite the fact that he admitted that he called his father before ever calling 911. Despite the fact that he had made inconsistent and contradictory statements to various people. Tulsa PD refused to investigate; they called it an "open-and-shut case." But so many of her family and friends felt ? and still feel ? that justice was not served.

    A little over a month later, in Southern Illinois, Molly Marie Young was lured to her ex-boyfriend's apartment. Richie Minton, who was a police dispatcher for the Carbondale PD, texted her at 3:00 am saying, "Help me." Sometime between 4:00 am and 5:00 am that morning, Molly was killed ? shot in the head with a gun that she did not know how to load or operate, with her non-dominant hand, at a nearly impossible trajectory. Minton insisted Molly must have killed herself, despite the fact that he didn't have his roommate call 911 until 9:00 am ? and when they did finally call, they reported Molly's death as a drug overdose. The Carbondale Police probably would have been happy to call this an open-and-shut case, but they weren't as lucky as Tulsa PD.

    This is because Molly's father, Larry Young, has proven to be a worthy and most fearsome adversary.

    I stumbled across Molly's story entirely by accident, several months after Kim's death, while doing research on a separate case. I read her story with tears streaming down my face, reliving what happened to Kim all over again. I joined Justice for Molly immediately and was an active part of the group's online presence for a time. After a year or so, I fell out of touch with the members as I became more involved in Shannon's case and my advocacy work for other inmates. It wasn't until "Molly's Law" was signed this July that I found myself drawn into the case once more. Despite the still-growing popularity of Justice for Molly and the successful passing of this new bill ? the Carbondale Police Department has still refused to cooperate and has yet to complete any sort of thorough investigation into Molly's death. This case is another example of blatant police corruption and nepotism at work--something I've sadly become all too familiar with over the last few years. I felt compelled to investigate Molly's story further, and to try and share it with as many people as I possibly could. I reached out to Larry Young and was excited and honored to receive a prompt reply. With his guidance and cooperation, in the coming weeks, I will be delving into Molly's case just as I have Shannon's.

    In this new series, I will give you a basic timeline of events, and describe the intricacies of the crime scene. We'll examine the backgrounds of both Molly Young and Richie Minton. We'll go over the evidence with a fine-tooth comb, and dissect the opinions of experienced independent analysts. We'll expose police corruption and seek out solutions to questions that have been left unanswered for far too long. At the end of our time together, I hope you will see ? as you hopefully did with Shannon's case ? that justice was not served. Justice cannot be served as long as law enforcement continues to protect and serve their own first. I hope that you'll be sure to join me next week for Part 1 of The End of the Rainbow, and that you'll check back periodically for updates on Shannon's case.

  3. #228
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,250
    Rep Power
    7243612
    Part 1

    https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-end-of-the-rainbow

    The End Of The Rainbow

    Molly Young could have been any young woman. She could have been your daughter, your sister, your cousin, your friend. In fact, Molly Young is representative of nearly thirty percent of the female population, who have experienced some type of abuse at the hands of their partner. Women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner abuse, almost triple the national average. It could ? and does ? happen to anyone. Women who are victims of abuse are eight times more likely to be killed by an intimate partner in cases where the partner owns a firearm. It happened to my sweet, beautiful friend Kim. And it happened to Molly Marie Young.

    Molly's family isn't sure when or where she met Richie Minton. It's one of the many questions no one has been able or willing to give them a straight answer on. But what is clear is the fact that over the course of their year-long relationship, Minton was not a loving and supportive partner. Friends of Molly's (who have asked to remain anonymous) witnessed many instances of Minton being verbally cruel and mentally manipulative to her. Molly's counselor recalls that while she could at times be somber, Molly wasn't depressed ? Minton was just abusive. Their relationship was passionate and incredibly volatile. They were often caught in a vicious cycle of dramatic break-ups and make-ups. But by March of 2012, the couple had split and Molly was ready to distance herself from Minton once and for all. She had started opening up and talking to other men, and seemed to be interested in pursuing a relationship with one. She was spending more time with her friends and making plans for her future. None of those plans would come to pass.

    Richie Minton spent the evening hours of March 23rd and the early morning hours of the 24th out drinking with friends. After the bars closed at two, Minton's friends gave him a ride home where, according to several accounts, the drinking continued. At 3:28 am, Minton texted Molly, "Help me." Molly called him at 3:47 am. She came over soon after. Though Minton would later say he was home alone and there was no party going on, his friend Bree Burns--who had been drinking with him at the bar--messaged Minton's roommate Wesley Romack at 4:20 am to say "Quit baking and come party with us." By the time Romack got home from his shift at Panera Bread, Molly had already been killed.

    Romack said in police interviews that he arrived home from work around 5:45 am. He said he noticed Molly's purse and shoes when he came in, and he poked his head in Minton's room and saw him asleep in bed. For some reason, Romack texted Molly: "He's asleep now, I just got home." This strikes me as unusual considering the fact that he saw her personal effects in the apartment, meaning that she was presumably asleep in Minton's room as well. At 7:00 am, Minton was supposed to have reported for his shift as a police dispatcher for the Carbondale Police Department. Between 8:30 and 9:00 am, Minton woke Romack and asked him to call 911 because he had misplaced his phone. At 9:02 am, 911 was called and Molly's death was reported as, for reasons I can only speculate, a drug overdose. CPD arrived at 9:15 am.

    However, several witnesses in Minton's apartment complex allege that this was the second time police arrived at his apartment that morning. Two tenants in particular--who did not know each other--said they saw squad cars pull in without lights or sirens and an officer at Minton's door between 7:30 and 8:00 am. The CPD denies this.

    Paramedics also arrived around 9:15 that morning. At approximately 10 am, both Minton's parents and his lawyer arrived. Molly's family wasn't contacted until around noon. Minton and the CPD tried to pass Molly's death off as a suicide, but forensic evidence and the facts of the case make that a difficult sell. CPD botched the investigation from start to finish, and that alone makes their credibility regarding this case extremely suspect. Before the crime scene had even been secured, Minton was allowed to wash his hands and change his clothes. He had deleted all his text messages before handing his phone over to police--and though he actually had two phones in his possession, only one was taken into evidence. None of the tenants of the apartment complex were ever interviewed, even though various witnesses came forward to say they had seen and heard strange things early that morning. Even the police reports varied, with different officers detailing different accounts of where and how both the body and the gun were found. Minton had two fresh, six-inch scratches on his back, and the police didn't even raise an eyebrow. Minton explained that he must have gotten them while trying to give an unresponsive Molly CPR. Tests are done to analyze the content beneath Molly's fingernails turned up positive for Minton's DNA.

    On the 911 call, ( you can hear it here ), Minton says that Molly intentionally committed suicide by overdose and that she bled out through her nose. This is despite the fact that Molly had a large and noticeable bullet wound to the top left of her head. When you start taking stock of the evidence, Minton's story is particularly sketchy. Molly was right-handed and unfamiliar with firearms. The bullet entered her head from her non-dominant side at a downward angle, with no exit wound. An independent pathologist found that the trajectory would have been impossible for Molly to have accomplished herself, stating that "based upon the angle of the victim's wound, the suspect was either standing over the victim when she was shot or standing on the bed." Even more compelling is the fact that Molly had no blood spatter or gunshot residue on her hands ? unheard of in suicide by firearm cases. The only GSR on Molly's body was a small amount on her sleeve. Minton, on the other hand, had GSR on his pajamas as well as a shirt and a pair of shorts found in his kitchen. As noted previously, he had over four hours in between Molly's death and the time the 911 call was placed, and he had been allowed to wash his hands after police arrived. The gun itself surely should have provided some evidence as to who fired the fatal shot, but no fingerprints were found anywhere on the gun. It was almost as if it had been wiped clean.

    The lack of fingerprints on the gun and GSR on Molly's hands were not the only troubling aspects of the scene. Despite the claims of overdose, Molly didn't have drugs or alcohol in her system. The state of her body also seemed to indicate there had been a struggle of some kind. The sides of Molly's head were bruised, as well as her left foot, knee, and thigh. Both her hoodie and her underwear had been torn, and her right hand had remained in a tightly clenched fist. According to independent forensic analysts, Molly's body had been moved immediately after her death. She had been positioned on the floor of Minton's bedroom with her head leaning up against his closet doors. This was evident from the blood transfer patterns visible on the base of the doors and the floor. There were also several swipe patterns across Minton's floor, originating from the transfer pattern near the closet and extending out in a southeast direction toward the position of Molly's body. Meaning, simply, that someone had tried to tidy up. But Minton wasn't about to sit down and explain himself. After his lawyer arrived, he refused to be interviewed and wouldn't consent to search. He hasn't spoken to police about Molly's death since his unusual 911 call.

    What happened next is a story blatant nepotism and the attempted assassination of a victim's character. The CPD went out of their way to try and paint Molly as a dark and morose figure, all the while ignoring the demons Minton was hiding in plain sight. In Part 2 of The End of the Rainbow, we'll take a closer look at the strange and sinister character that is Richie Minton, and attempt to understand his motivations.

  4. #229
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,250
    Rep Power
    7243612
    Part 2

    https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the...rainbow-part-2

    Who is Richie Minton?

    After Molly's death, there was a very rigorous and public attempt to paint Molly as a depressed and unstable individual, one who was more than capable and willing to take her own life. Molly's private journals were seized and various entries were used to explain that she had most likely committed suicide. One passage in particular was presented as a sort of suicide note. Molly had written:

    "I don't want to exist. I wish I had the ability to disappear, and for no one to remember me."

    This was presented to a six-person coroner's jury without an entry or date or an explanation of the context. This passage was written over a year before her death, at a time when Molly experienced a cancer scare. She had eventually undergone a procedure to remove a suspicious growth. She was young and ill, facing her mortality for the first time. Of course, the entries from that time period were understandably dark in tone. However, at the time of her death, Molly had recovered from most of her health issues and was optimistic about the future. She had made an appointment and put down a deposit to get a tattoo of a lotus flower, representing change and new beginnings. She was supposed to have gotten it done just 3 days after her death. Molly was feeling hopeful, not hopeless. But still, the choice was made to exploit her most vulnerable thoughts and feelings in an attempt to justify why the Carbondale Police Department didn't handle her case the way they should have. The CPD essentially put Molly herself on trial, when the whole time it should have been Richie Minton's character thrust under a microscope.

    Regardless of any of his personality traits or quirks, it's important to recognize first and foremost that Richie Minton was given undeniable preferential treatment in this case. As previously discussed, Minton was a dispatcher for the CPD. Both of his parents and his aunt are employed by local police departments; in fact, his father Deputy Richard "Flip" Minton, is a Cyber Crimes Unit Investigator trained in Basic Computer Evidence Recovery and Network Intrusion Response Training. This might explain why Minton's lawyer arrived at the scene even before the Illinois State Police investigators. It might also explain why his parents arrived less than an hour after the 911 call, while Molly's family wasn't even notified of her death until noon. Even Lieutenant Stan Diggs, an ISP investigator, admitted that the CPD had been "allowing Minton some latitudes." Lt. Diggs also admitted that Minton was allowed to change his clothing and wash his hands before being taken to the police department, though CPD now denies this fact. It seems that Minton also had ample time to wipe down his gun, seeing as absolutely no fingerprints--belonging to Molly or otherwise--were found on the weapon.

    Minton's close relationship with his father might have also afforded him some additional "latitudes." You may recall that Minton had inexplicably cleared his phone before handing it over to the police. When a Universal Forensics Extraction Device was used in an attempt to recover the information, something highly unusual occurred. The device wouldn't work. In fact, for reasons unknown, extraction attempts with multiple devices proved to be useless. UFEDs and extraction techniques happen to be Deputy Flip Minton's specialty. What also proved to be curious was the eventual allegation that Molly had spent the evening hours of March 22nd and the early hours of the 23rd searching for information about suicide. Records of time-stamped searches were produced to the public, but several witnesses came forward to refute the claim. Molly's close friend Cullen Stout says that he and Molly were attending a concert together, and had been in each other's company from around 8:00 pm on the 22nd until 2:00 am on the 23rd. Numerous people saw the two of them at the show and confirmed that it was impossible for Molly to be the one who had made those searches. Who would have had both the necessary knowledge and the technology to plant specifically timed searches on Molly's computer? Someone with Deputy Minton's expertise certainly would have been able to.

    But all of that aside, who really is Richie Minton? Sure, he is certainly well-connected, but exactly what kind of person did the CPD give such blatant preferential treatment to? If Molly's words were deemed absolute enough to represent her character and state of mind, then let's take a look at Minton's.

    A quick review of Minton's social media accounts reveal a fascination with the violent, the twisted, and the macabre. That in itself does not necessarily make him guilty, or even suspicious. I myself have an interest in the more sinister side of life. But Minton wasn't just morbidly curious about serial killers and their crimes--he revered them. Less than a month before Molly's death, Minton shared a quote from Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz:

    "And huge drops of lead poured down upon her head until she was dead. Yet, the cats still come out at night to mate and the sparrows still sing in the morning."

    About a month before that, Minton had posted on his Tumblr account threatening suicide. He also shared a short story he had written about a man who commits suicide after his entire family dies in an accident. On Father's Day, a few months after Molly had died, Minton posted on his father's Facebook page:

    "Happy Father's Day to the man who taught me all the important things in life, like: If they can't breathe, they can't fight."

    Minton's accounts were peppered with posts like this, statuses bordering on violent and photos of deranged criminals, both real and fictional. But in the months after Molly's death, Richie Minton, his parents, and a number of his friends began to delete massive amounts of posts. Larry Young and his family saved what they were able to, but many incriminating statuses and posts were lost.

    One particular online correspondence was saved, however. It was between Minton and another one of Molly's ex-boyfriends. It occurred barely two days after Molly was killed. Reading through the conversation, which took place over a number of Facebook messages, literally made my skin crawl. Minton's tone is so cold, nonchalant, and matter-of-fact. It struck me as almost callous, much like his demeanor on the 911 call. Minton started off as saying:

    "I can honestly say I think in the long run, a little good will come out of this [Molly's death]. And if good can come out of something bad, then...well, that's good. I don't know how else to put it."

    Minton also revealed that when he and Molly were dating, he had briefly lived in a house that was haunted by a demonic entity that tried to possess him. Minton said that the presence was dangerous to anyone that visited the home, "it was grabbing people, moving objects around, opening and closing doors." Molly had tried to cleanse the house with frankincense. Minton said that he had burned some frankincense after Molly's death and it had made him feel at peace. He went on to say that "as much as I want to say things would get better for her, I don't know if they would have. Somehow a little dark cloud followed her and things always went wrong."

    The part that probably struck me the most came near the end of the exchange, when Minton admitted that he had often been unkind to Molly:

    "The times I hurt her, I will never forget... ...If I could rationalize a shitty act as not being wrong, even if I knew it was, I'd do it."

    I want you to really consider those words. If Molly's despair in her journal entries was enough to convince CPD that she was suicidal, how are Minton's words not enough to convince them that he was capable of cruel and even deviant behavior? He said that he did terrible things even when he knew right from wrong, and that he had no problem justifying those things to himself. Does that not mean he is deceptive by nature? That his motivations were often selfish, by his own admission?

    Though Minton still refuses to speak about the circumstances surrounding Molly's death, he is far from silent. He's still very active on social media, and spends his time making knives, watching hockey, hanging out with his dog, and posting about how "dead he is inside." Just this last month he wrote that he'd probably never make it to old age--"just let me get hit by a bus or a bullet tomorrow." He has plenty to say about the St. Louis Blues but no thoughts about how someone can allegedly sleep through a .45 caliber handgun firing next to them, or how a dead woman with her fists clenched can scratch someone during CPR. As I said, none of this necessarily means that Richie Minton is guilty. But one certainly has to wonder if Minton is innocent, why is he so reluctant to explain what happened in his apartment that night?

  5. #230
    Senior Member bermstalker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    12,209
    Rep Power
    21474860
    Most rage inducing case ever!

  6. #231
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,250
    Rep Power
    7243612
    Just in case anyone wants to watch this episode on Molly Young tomorrow!


  7. #232
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,250
    Rep Power
    7243612
    Here is a link for the full episode. Not sure it will work because it was posted to the Justice for Molly group.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/180686205383827/permalink/1405670596218709/

  8. #233
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,250
    Rep Power
    7243612
    Riverfront Times article

    https://m.riverfronttimes.com/newsbl...-st-louis-fire

    Richie Minton Lawyered Up After Ex's Death ? Then Got Hired by St. Louis Fire

    by Sarah Fenske November 20, 2017 at 6:23 AM

    How did a man who refused to answer police questions about his ex-girlfriend's death and was twice convicted for drunk driving get hired on by the St. Louis Fire Department?
    City officials are giving contradictory answers to that question after a segment of Crime Watch Daily focusing on Richie Minton's role in the 2012 death of Molly Young.

    The Carbondale, Illinois, woman was killed with a gunshot wound to the head while Minton, her boyfriend, supposedly slept. Minton told police he'd passed out after a night of drinking and only found her body the next morning. The two six-inch scratches on his side? He must have gotten them giving her CPR.

    Then Minton lawyered up, refusing to answer any more questions. Just one day later, the coroner would change the manner of death from homicide to suicide.

    At the time, Minton was a dispatcher for the Carbondale police department, about two hours southeast of St. Louis. But, Crime Watch Daily reports, he soon left the department after twice being arrested for drunk driving.

    Records show that Minton was busted for DUI in 2012. He "parted ways" with the Carbondale police prior to a second arrest in 2013, the Carbondale Times reported.

    Minton was still on probation at the time he was booked for the second DUI. That may be one reason the incident resulted in jail time: In November 2014, he was sentenced to two weeks in the county jail and twelve months of probation, the paper reported.

    Yet just one month later, he was hired on St. Louis, where he remains today, three years later. He currently makes $31,304 as a fire dispatcher.

    Minton does not have a listed phone number. He did not respond to our message to his city email address seeking comment.

    Captain Garon Mosby, a spokesman for the fire department, initially referred questions about Minton's hire to the city's personnel department.

    Richard Frank, the city's director of personnel, said he couldn't discuss anything related to any specific employee. However, he said that the city takes pride in its efforts to "ban the box." Prospective hires are not asked whether they've been convicted of a crime ? and, if they disclose that they have, it's not necessarily a deal killer. That's true even if those crimes are recent.

    "If a person had two DUIs in the last two years and shows me evidence that they've completed the recommended substance abuse treatment or taken other steps, I'd let them into the pool of candidates," Frank says.

    Asked if something more serious might be a problem ? say, refusing to cooperate in a police investigation, particularly for a position that deals with the public, like dispatcher ? Frank acknowledges that a fire dispatch position does involve a criminal background check and a "character investigation," as well as drug and alcohol screening. However, the details of what that's designed to catch, and how they're administered, are up to the fire department, Frank says. He referred further questions to Mosby.

    Mosby was initially unable to respond to our follow-up questions thanks to the five-alarm fire that broke out on Wednesday. We delayed publication a few days to give him more time, but ultimately didn't hear back by press time.

    The Carbondale department's role in investigating one of its own would haunt Young's family. Young's father told Crime Watch Daily that a state police officer later confided in him, "Father to father, Carbondale Police botched the case, they let him wash his hands and change clothes at the scene.'"

    That wasn't all.

    In explaining why they believed Young's death to be a suicide, officials cited the fact that they found searches for "suicide" and "how to kill yourself" on Young's computer. They also noted the text that Minton's roommate got at 4:40 a.m. from Young's phone: "I think I'm gonna shoot myself in the head. I'm really really sorry if you come home to that." Police chalked that up to a suicide note (even though, oddly, after the roommate got home, he himself went to bed rather than checking on Young).

    Young's family notes that Minton could well have had their daughter's phone and typed the message himself. And beyond that, they say the searches on her computer for words like "suicide" were made on nights she was out with friends ? suggesting she never typed them.

    Beyond that, her family notes, Young's hands tested negative for gunshot residue. Her fingerprints, they say, weren't on the gun ? and appeared to have been shot left-handed.

    Young was right-handed.

    Was there residue on Minton's hands? It's impossible to know; after all, police let him wash up before he came down to the station.

    Young's death has since been changed from "suicide" to "undetermined." While a special prosecutor has been assigned, Crime Watch Daily reports, the most recent statement from his office suggests there is not enough evidence to charge anyone.

    "Although this was a tragic end to a young lady's life, there is simply insufficient evidence at this time to charge anyone as accountable for murder," the state's attorney told the TV show.

    We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at sarah.fenske@riverfronttimes.com

  9. #234
    Senior Member bermstalker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    12,209
    Rep Power
    21474860
    all I can do is shake my head at the complete shitstain this whole case is.

  10. #235
    Senior Member bermstalker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    12,209
    Rep Power
    21474860
    This is enough to make a person scream

    https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news...-st-louis-fire

    How did a man who refused to answer police questions about his ex-girlfriend's death and was twice convicted for drunk driving get hired on by the St. Louis Fire Department?

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •