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This is a crime that touched me deeply. I was working this day (not the affected radio, but a partner radio) the deputies that responded made me proud to work for them. If you have any prayers to spare, please pray for her widower and son...they deserve the justice that has been denied for so long.
Trial begins in vicious slaying of Vista housewife
By Dana Littlefield
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
1:30 p.m. October 19, 2009
VISTA — On a seemingly unremarkable morning four years ago, a young mother began her usual tasks: taking her son to school, starting the laundry, listening to music.
But Carolyn Neville's day took a violent turn when she was attacked and killed in her Vista home by an intruder who stabbed her more than 70 times with various weapons, including two knives and a set of hedge clippers.
A prosecutor told a jury Monday that it was Derlyn Ray Threats, 28, now on trial in Vista Superior Court, who surprised Neville at her Diablo Place home.
“This was burglary that was interrupted and became a murder,†said Deputy District Attorney Patrick Espinoza, during his opening statement.
However, a defense lawyer told the panel the evidence would show someone else committed the slaying — a taller man carrying a motorcycle helmet, who took the murder weapon with him when he fled.
“Someone else was seen, someone else was heard and something else was used,†said James Weintre, who represents Threats along with attorney Wil Rumble.
If convicted of murder, residential burglary, robbery and a special-circumstance allegations including torture, Threats could face the death penalty.
Espinoza told the jury that Neville, 24, returned home around 8 a.m. after taking her 6-year-old son to school Sept. 1, 2005. She previously misplaced her house keys, so she had left the front door unlocked.
Neighbors soon heard screams coming from the residence and called 911.
When sheriff's deputies arrived, they heard the sound of a metal door slamming behind the house, Espinoza said. The deputies ran to the back yard, where they saw a man wearing a green sweat shirt and green sweat pants, later identified as Threats, attempting to jump a fence.
One of the deputies noticed what he thought were gloves on Threats' hands, which turned out to be white socks drenched in Neville's blood, the prosecutor said.
Deputies caught up to Threats a few houses away and found a stun gun hidden in his pants and the wooden handle of a hammer, Espinoza said. The head of the hammer was never found.
Back at the Neville home, authorities found the woman's body lying on the floor, a bloody chef's knife in the kitchen sink, and a set of hedge clippers on the stairs of the two-story home. A steak knife was also recovered, which authorities said Threats dropped as he ran through a neighboring yard.
All of the items were stained with Neville's blood. Some, like the steak knife, contained a mixture of both Neville's and Threats' DNA.
Neville's DNA was also found under Threats' fingernails and on his clothes, the prosecutor said.
But James Weintre, Threats' lawyer, stressed to the jury that deputies had initially described a 6-foot-2-inch man, carrying a motorcycle helmet running from the Neville home. Threats is 5 feet 9 inches tall, and had no helmet.
Threats also wore a beard at the time, which was not mentioned in the initial description.
Weintre said the physical evidence in the case would point to his client's innocence. He said Threats had no motive to kill Neville and that witnesses would testify he is a peaceful man.
“Mr. Threats is not the killer,†Weintre said.
This POS jumped on a class action suit claiming not enough minorities were called to jury duty to the downtown court (he is being tried in North County), he also claimed the deputy was mean to him, and has repeatedly delayed his trial while changing lawyers. He was on a 3-day meth binge when it happened.
I will refrain from posting other details until they are revealed at trial, but if ever anyone deserved the death penalty, this man does.
Commission supports residents' bid to rename Diablo Place
By Adam Klawonn
STAFF WRITER
February 9, 2006
VISTA – When Mark and Sharon Basecke bought their home on Diablo Place six years ago, the street name troubled the devout Christian couple.
“It wasn't exactly a selling feature,†Sharon said.
But when a 24-year-old neighbor was fatally stabbed 70 times last fall, the Baseckes and other Hacienda Heights residents decided the name “Devil Place†had to go.
Their proposal to rename the street “Via Angelica†won unanimous support from the city Planning Commission on Tuesday night.
The City Council will consider approving the change next month and waiving the $277 tab for new street signs.
“It's a step forward for us to move on with our lives,†said Stephen Neville, whose wife, Carolyn, was killed.
“There's nothing worse than coming home to Diablo Place and remembering that tainted night.â€
Authorities say Carolyn Rebecca Neville was returning to the couple's west Vista home on Sept. 1 after dropping off her 6-year-old son at school.
Neighbors on Diablo Place called the Sheriff's Department after hearing screams from the Neville home. Deputies arrived and found Derlyn Ray Threats, 24, wearing gloves and trying to scale the backyard fence, according to court papers.
Deputies caught him and arrested him after they found his socks soaked in blood, and a stun gun and bloody, broken stick in his left pant leg, the court papers said.
Carolyn Neville's body was near the front door at the end of a trail of blood. A pair of bloody hedge clippers was found on the stairs leading from the upstairs bedroom.
The attack brought Diablo Place residents together to change the street name.
“The discussion had come up about how diabolical this incident was,†said Brenda Landers-Smith, 44, a holistic health practitioner. “The name of the street is Diablo Place, and it just lent itself to disliking (the name) even more.â€
Threats was later charged with murder, burglary, robbery and attempted rape. A court hearing is scheduled for today, but a trial date has not been set.
Shortly after the slaying, Neville and the Smiths led a petition drive to change the street name to “Angels Place.â€
In October, 19 of the 27 households surveyed voted in favor of the change. But those opposed said the name did not match the neighborhood, or that it would make address changes on personal records a hassle.
The Childers Hacienda Heights Homeowners' Association rejected the change because the name didn't jibe with other neighborhood streets with Spanish themes, such as “Via Bolivia†and “Paseo Rio.â€
In December, Neville and his supporters sent out petitions again – this time to all Hacienda Heights residents – using the name “Via Angelica.â€
Support among the 55 households that responded was unanimous.
“This was a pretty good response rate because there was a lot of emotion behind it,†said association manager Chris Osteen.
The association's board of directors voted unanimously in favor of “Via Angelica†last month, but only the City Council has the power to change street names.
Mayor Morris Vance said he was sympathetic to the residents' cause and expects the council to approve the name at its March 14 meeting.
Trial begins in vicious slaying of Vista housewife
By Dana Littlefield
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
1:30 p.m. October 19, 2009
VISTA — On a seemingly unremarkable morning four years ago, a young mother began her usual tasks: taking her son to school, starting the laundry, listening to music.
But Carolyn Neville's day took a violent turn when she was attacked and killed in her Vista home by an intruder who stabbed her more than 70 times with various weapons, including two knives and a set of hedge clippers.
A prosecutor told a jury Monday that it was Derlyn Ray Threats, 28, now on trial in Vista Superior Court, who surprised Neville at her Diablo Place home.
“This was burglary that was interrupted and became a murder,†said Deputy District Attorney Patrick Espinoza, during his opening statement.
However, a defense lawyer told the panel the evidence would show someone else committed the slaying — a taller man carrying a motorcycle helmet, who took the murder weapon with him when he fled.
“Someone else was seen, someone else was heard and something else was used,†said James Weintre, who represents Threats along with attorney Wil Rumble.
If convicted of murder, residential burglary, robbery and a special-circumstance allegations including torture, Threats could face the death penalty.
Espinoza told the jury that Neville, 24, returned home around 8 a.m. after taking her 6-year-old son to school Sept. 1, 2005. She previously misplaced her house keys, so she had left the front door unlocked.
Neighbors soon heard screams coming from the residence and called 911.
When sheriff's deputies arrived, they heard the sound of a metal door slamming behind the house, Espinoza said. The deputies ran to the back yard, where they saw a man wearing a green sweat shirt and green sweat pants, later identified as Threats, attempting to jump a fence.
One of the deputies noticed what he thought were gloves on Threats' hands, which turned out to be white socks drenched in Neville's blood, the prosecutor said.
Deputies caught up to Threats a few houses away and found a stun gun hidden in his pants and the wooden handle of a hammer, Espinoza said. The head of the hammer was never found.
Back at the Neville home, authorities found the woman's body lying on the floor, a bloody chef's knife in the kitchen sink, and a set of hedge clippers on the stairs of the two-story home. A steak knife was also recovered, which authorities said Threats dropped as he ran through a neighboring yard.
All of the items were stained with Neville's blood. Some, like the steak knife, contained a mixture of both Neville's and Threats' DNA.
Neville's DNA was also found under Threats' fingernails and on his clothes, the prosecutor said.
But James Weintre, Threats' lawyer, stressed to the jury that deputies had initially described a 6-foot-2-inch man, carrying a motorcycle helmet running from the Neville home. Threats is 5 feet 9 inches tall, and had no helmet.
Threats also wore a beard at the time, which was not mentioned in the initial description.
Weintre said the physical evidence in the case would point to his client's innocence. He said Threats had no motive to kill Neville and that witnesses would testify he is a peaceful man.
“Mr. Threats is not the killer,†Weintre said.
This POS jumped on a class action suit claiming not enough minorities were called to jury duty to the downtown court (he is being tried in North County), he also claimed the deputy was mean to him, and has repeatedly delayed his trial while changing lawyers. He was on a 3-day meth binge when it happened.
I will refrain from posting other details until they are revealed at trial, but if ever anyone deserved the death penalty, this man does.
Commission supports residents' bid to rename Diablo Place
By Adam Klawonn
STAFF WRITER
February 9, 2006
VISTA – When Mark and Sharon Basecke bought their home on Diablo Place six years ago, the street name troubled the devout Christian couple.
“It wasn't exactly a selling feature,†Sharon said.
But when a 24-year-old neighbor was fatally stabbed 70 times last fall, the Baseckes and other Hacienda Heights residents decided the name “Devil Place†had to go.
Their proposal to rename the street “Via Angelica†won unanimous support from the city Planning Commission on Tuesday night.
The City Council will consider approving the change next month and waiving the $277 tab for new street signs.
“It's a step forward for us to move on with our lives,†said Stephen Neville, whose wife, Carolyn, was killed.
“There's nothing worse than coming home to Diablo Place and remembering that tainted night.â€
Authorities say Carolyn Rebecca Neville was returning to the couple's west Vista home on Sept. 1 after dropping off her 6-year-old son at school.
Neighbors on Diablo Place called the Sheriff's Department after hearing screams from the Neville home. Deputies arrived and found Derlyn Ray Threats, 24, wearing gloves and trying to scale the backyard fence, according to court papers.
Deputies caught him and arrested him after they found his socks soaked in blood, and a stun gun and bloody, broken stick in his left pant leg, the court papers said.
Carolyn Neville's body was near the front door at the end of a trail of blood. A pair of bloody hedge clippers was found on the stairs leading from the upstairs bedroom.
The attack brought Diablo Place residents together to change the street name.
“The discussion had come up about how diabolical this incident was,†said Brenda Landers-Smith, 44, a holistic health practitioner. “The name of the street is Diablo Place, and it just lent itself to disliking (the name) even more.â€
Threats was later charged with murder, burglary, robbery and attempted rape. A court hearing is scheduled for today, but a trial date has not been set.
Shortly after the slaying, Neville and the Smiths led a petition drive to change the street name to “Angels Place.â€
In October, 19 of the 27 households surveyed voted in favor of the change. But those opposed said the name did not match the neighborhood, or that it would make address changes on personal records a hassle.
The Childers Hacienda Heights Homeowners' Association rejected the change because the name didn't jibe with other neighborhood streets with Spanish themes, such as “Via Bolivia†and “Paseo Rio.â€
In December, Neville and his supporters sent out petitions again – this time to all Hacienda Heights residents – using the name “Via Angelica.â€
Support among the 55 households that responded was unanimous.
“This was a pretty good response rate because there was a lot of emotion behind it,†said association manager Chris Osteen.
The association's board of directors voted unanimously in favor of “Via Angelica†last month, but only the City Council has the power to change street names.
Mayor Morris Vance said he was sympathetic to the residents' cause and expects the council to approve the name at its March 14 meeting.
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