By: Vince Gerasole

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (CBS) — A woman’s family was trying Tuesday to put together how she ended up dead in a Merrillville, Indiana hotel – and how her alleged killer was then gunned down in a violent standoff with police in Gary.

As CBS 2’s Vince Gerasole reported, the suspected killer – Keenan McCain, 29 – was the boyfriend of victim Betty Claudio, 44. And McCain had a troubling past.

Claudio’s body was found over the weekend at the Merrillville Hampton Inn.

Claudio was a much-loved mother and aunt.

“She literally would do anything for anybody, and for somebody to take her life like that, that’s not right,” said Felicia Rivera, Claudio’s niece.

Rivera said her aunt worked as a hotel housekeeper, and was the family’s rock.

“My aunt didn’t deserve none of this, bro,” said Rivera, of the West Side. “My aunt was one of the sweetest persons.”

Claudio checked into the Hampton Inn Saturday night. By Sunday, she was dead from strangulation.

Police say evidence linked the killing to McCain, her boyfriend of just one month. The pair were reportedly fighting.

“Even when I was going through stuff and I needed somebody, she was one of the first people I ran to,” Rivera asid.

On Monday, tipsters alerted police that McCain was hiding in a Gary apartment at Waverly Drive and Taft Place, and barricaded himself inside.

After hours of negotiations, a SWAT team was activated. McCain, in an exchange of gunfire, wounded two officers and was fatally shot by police.

“I never met him, but everybody always spoke negative, like he wasn’t a good person,” Rivera said of McCain.

A background check reveals McCain had a long history of trouble with the law and various female victims. It included strangulation and protection from abuse orders.

McCain had been wanted for intimidation with a firearm and domestic battery and strangulation since the fall of 2019. In July of 2017, he was charged with domestic battery, in January of 2011 there was a charge of invasion of privacy, and there was another domestic battery charge in March of 2010.

For now, Claudio’s family is trying to cope.

“She opened her door with no hesitation, and she made sure she took care of everybody and loved everybody,” Rivera said.

Both of the officers shot in the standoff were rushed to the hospital. Their wounds were not life-threatening and they were recovering at home on Tuesday.

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By: Kevin Haas

ROCKFORD — In the weeks leading up to an arrest in 2016, Nicholas August threatened a former girlfriend and tried to manipulate her into thinking she could never leave him.

His threats became more frequent and more dangerous, according to accusations laid out in an order of protection. At one point, he followed her to a store and yelled at her, “You will die and I am going to kill everyone in your family,” the court documents state.

But on the night of his arrest his phone call was different. He was asking for a favor.

“He asked me that night to write up a statement saying that I made a false police report,” the petition for an order of protection reads. “I told him I wouldn’t do that … so he got pissed off.”

August’s history is in the spotlight after a Jan. 3 holdup at Heritage Credit Union that shut down one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares for hours and brought 100 law enforcement officers to the scene. During a violent and horrifying ordeal that lasted 6 1/2 hours, police say the 38-year-old August sexually assaulted the hostage he held inside the East State Street credit union. August eventually surrendered, dropping to his knees with his hands up outside the building, and released his hostage.

The public nature of the crime is uncommon, but August’s history of domestic violence allegations followed by pleas for his accusers to recant is familiar to police and prosecutors.

“We’ve actually caught offenders on the jail (phone) saying, ‘You need to write an affidavit and give it to my lawyer,’” Rockford police Lt. Kurt Whisenand said last year in an interview with the Register Star. “They basically spell out to the victim how they recant.”

Accusers often recant in domestic violence cases. The reasons vary. They can be economic, if the victim relies on her abuser for shelter or financial support. It can be the result of a change of heart or pure manipulation.

It could be that “he’s a good dad and I need a good baby sitter,” Winnebago County State’s Attorney Marilyn Hite Ross said.

Hite Ross couldn’t say how often domestic violence victims recant, but during an interview last year she asked one of her office’s domestic violence attorneys for an estimate and was told “this week alone, between five and eight people,” she said.

The frequency at which victims recant, or stop cooperating with authorities, informs every move police and prosecutors make when they pursue charges. Authorities in some jurisdictions still rely on victim testimony to prosecute a case. But prosecutors get murder convictions without the victim’s testimony, so why do they rely on it for domestic violence?

That question is behind so-called evidence-based prosecution, the practice of basing a prosecution around what investigators can gather at the scene, through hospital records, text messages and other physical evidence.

“The whole philosophy is when a cop shows up at the scene, the focus of the cop needs to be: How can I prove this case six months from now without the victim?” former San Diego prosecutor Casey Gwinn said in a May interview with the Register Star. “There’s a huge paradigm shift that has to happen.”

Gwinn, a leader in the Family Justice Center concept that Mayor Tom McNamara’s administration is implementing here, pioneered the practice of evidence-based prosecution while working in San Diego in the late 1980s. An American Bar Association study showed the practice helped his office obtain a 70% jury trial conviction rate in misdemeanor domestic violence cases. The overall conviction rate was 96%, according to the 2001 study.

Since 2008, about 42% of all domestic violence jury trials in Winnebago County have resulted in a guilty verdict. By comparison, 61% of murder trials during that same time ended in a guilty verdict, according to a Register Star analysis of 17th Judicial Circuit Court cases provided at request of the newspaper.

The criminal justice system doesn’t collect data on conviction rates, and Hite Ross doesn’t track it for her office. That has, at times, put her at odds with the mayor’s administration, which needs the data to measure the success of its planned Family Peace Center and to apply for grants to support its operation.

But Hite Ross has a fundamental objection to tracking such data. Prosecutors, she says, should not chase high conviction rates but should approach each case in the service of justice, whether that means a conviction or not.

Still, Hite Ross said she embraces the evidence-based approach that Gwinn pioneered. She’s also put a priority on prosecuting domestic violence cases, and recently has moved to strengthen the domestic violence unit in her office to keep pace with a challenging caseload. She hopes to place an additional attorney on that team by month’s end.

Domestic violence cases are labor intensive for prosecutors, and they require a specialized understanding of how to work with victims. When prosecutors are overburdened, or if enough evidence isn’t collected from the onset of the case, offenders can slip through the cracks of the criminal justice system, says Gwinn, the city’s guide in launching the Family Peace Center.

Gwinn observed domestic violence court here in February and said he saw cases dismissed too often.

“I watched multiple cases be dismissed because the prosecutor didn’t have any way to prove the case, and didn’t have the ability … was either not willing or didn’t have the ability to go forward without the victim,” he said. “I never saw a case in court where they said, ‘Your honor, the victim is not present but we’re ready to proceed.’”

Hite Ross said her office moves forward without the victim’s testimony when the evidence is sufficient. She notes that she brought evidence-based prosecution here when she joined her predecessor Joe Bruscato’s staff in December 2008. Before that, she prosecuted the first domestic violence case without a victim in Cook County and got a conviction.

“We prosecuted it like a murder case,” she said. “We used the evidence from the hospital records. We had the medical staff come in and testify. We and the officers who had photographed her injuries and had observed her when they located her shortly after the abuse.”

She said her office went through substantial training with law enforcement to aid in domestic violence prosecutions.

“We have always followed that philosophy of evidence-based prosecution. Sometimes the evidence without the victim just isn’t there. Then, of course, there’s nothing that we can do,” Hite Ross said.

Her office has had success recently in trying domestic violence cases. In 2018, nine of the 11 trials ended in a guilty verdict. Three of four did in 2019, and the two trials so far this year resulted in convictions, according to cases from the 17th Judicial Circuit analyzed by the Register Star.

Fewer jury trials also can be a byproduct of adopting evidence-based prosecution, said Gael Strack, co-founder and CEO of Alliance for Hope International, who, along with Gwinn, is helping the city with its Family Peace Center plans.

“Most of the cases ended up pleading out, quite frankly, because if you build a strong case from the beginning there’s really no factual issue in dispute,” Strack said. “One way to solve this problem is to really put more effort on the front end to really gather all the information. In years past, they would just take the victim’s statement and that’s it.”

Hite Ross said more public awareness regarding domestic violence helps bring justice because people better understand the difficult dynamic faced by survivors. Whisenand, the Rockford police lieutenant, also calls for public support in curbing the city’s issues with domestic violence, which accounts for approximately 35% of the city’s violent crime.

“It’s not a problem that you can arrest your way out of. It’s not a problem that you can prosecute your way out of. It has to be the entire community,” Whisenand said. “It has to be the whole community identifying those relationships that are toxic and bad and intervening with those resources.”

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By: Hannah Dellinger

The family of a Houston mother who was gunned down in front of them at her birthday party is suing to claim the estate of the ex-boyfriend police say killed her.

Carolee Taylor sustained “severe mental anguish and physical pain” in the moments leading to her killing, a wrongful death lawsuit complaint filed Thursday in Harris County Circuit Court claims. Her mother, daughter and other family members also suffered immeasurable mental anguish when Taylor was dragged out of her birthday party, berated and shot multiple times by Albert Simon, the complaint says.

Simon’s “extreme and outrageous” conduct is the cause “severe emotional distress,” the lawsuit says, and Taylor’s family is seeking an undetermined amount for damages from the now-dead murder suspect’s property. They also demand a jury trial.

On Christmas Eve as about 15 people gathered for Taylor’s birthday, the woman’s uncle saw Simon pull up to his home in the Stonegate subdivision and brandish two firearms, Simon’s arrest warrant affidavit for murder says.

Simon forced his way into the home and demanded to talk with Taylor, the warrant says. He made her leave the house by gunpoint and shot her to death on the porch. Her family discovered her body as Simon fled, police say.

He was found on Dec. 28 at Hermann Park and fatally shot by police as he reached for a bag with a semi-automatic firearm.

During the time Simon was on the run from authorities, the civil lawsuit alleges the man was in contact with his attorney and appeared to be preparing for his own death.

“It appears that Albert Simon had instructed his attorneys to attend to his estate in some manner prior to his death and that he was preparing for his death by making funeral arrangements while on the run from authorities,” the lawsuit says.

The civil action includes a request by the plaintiffs — Taylor’s mother and daughter — for a judge to implement a temporary injunction prohibiting Simon’s family from having access to his personal belongings.

The injunction would be in place long enough for the plaintiffs to examine any documents relevant to the case and to assess the value of Simon’s assets.

The lawsuit lists several bank accounts and financial transactions in Simon’s name that were evidence in this 2014 divorce. He received $1.2 million from a party called Pipeline Inspection Company.

Civil court records show Simon’s then-wife filed for a divorce in October 2014. The court filings show that a Harris County judge granted the wife a temporary restraining order in November 2014.

Simon was convicted of stalking a woman in December 1993 in Harris County, court records show.

Taylor’s family and friends said the woman’s bright, bubbly charm will be missed by many. Her death was the 41st domestic violence-related homicide in Harris County in 2019.

Houston has the highest rate of intimate partner femicides in the state, recent analyses by the Texas Center on Family Violence show. Advocates say the region’s increasing need for services for domestic violence survivors is outpacing available resources.

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By: Bethany Bruner

Shannon E. Currier, 44, was killed Wednesday after her on-again, off-again boyfriend, 38-year-old Christopher McCleese II, crashed the vehicle he was driving while fleeing Gahanna police. Currier was a passenger in the vehicle.

Dash camera footage from Gahanna police shows a man who was wanted for choking his girlfriend into unconsciousness was going about 90 mph before he crashed the vehicle he was driving.

The crash killed Christopher McCleese II’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, Shannon E. Currier, 44, of Gahanna.

Arik Ederi has been Currier’s best friend for nearly two decades and said the relationship between Currier and McCleese, 38, was volatile and violent.

“It’s one of those toxic relationships and has been for a long time,” Ederi said. “Nothing keeps him away. She’s reported it to parole and probation and the courts and she’s gone above and beyond to protect herself as much as possible.”

One of Currier’s neighbors had called police around 7 p.m. Wednesday to alert Gahanna police to McCleese leaving Currier’s home on Park Avenue.

A short time later, officers spotted McCleese in the area of East Johnstown Road. McCleese fled, with Currier as a passenger in the car.

Police said the pursuit lasted about four minutes before McCleese lost control of his vehicle, a four-door sedan, and crashed into a tree on Clark State Road near Headley Road. The dash camera footage shows officers estimated McCleese’s speed at about 90 mph shortly before impact.

When officers arrived at the crash site, McCleese fled the vehicle on foot in the direction of Hannah Park, which is located nearby. He was found around 7:40 p.m. and taken into custody after a short foot pursuit with officers, according to Gahanna police records.

He was taken by medics to Mount Carmel East Hospital for treatment of injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

He has since been released from the hospital and booked into the Franklin County jail on an outstanding warrant for felonious assault, which police had been looking to serve on McCleese when the pursuit began, police said.

The charges stemmed from a domestic incident on Jan. 3 in which Currier accused him of hitting her in the face and back of the head with a closed fist, as well as choking her to the point of losing consciousness, according to court records.

According to a police report from the Jan. 3 incident, Currier told police McCleese had recently begun staying with her again after the pair rekindled their relationship.

Currier said McCleese had been using methamphetamine and heroin and been acting strangely in recent days, calling her names and accusing her of engaging in affairs with other men.

The report said Currier refused medical treatment, despite visible injuries on her face and symptoms of a concussion. Officers conducted a lethality assessment, an oral series of questions used by law enforcement to determine the risk a domestic violence victim faces from her attacker, and the report said Currier was deemed a “high risk” based on her answers.

Officers noted in the report that Currier declined to speak with a victim advocate but was given information about a local women’s shelter and the process to obtain a restraining order.

Court records show McCleese has several prior domestic violence arrests dating back to 2008, as well as prior convictions for carrying a concealed weapon and aggravated burglary and had been charged with violating a protection order.

That charge was related to a protection order Currier had sought against McCleese in July 2018. A police report from the incident showed McCleese had called Currier more than three dozen times within a 24 hour period 12 days after the restraining order had been issued.

The case was ultimately dismissed in November 2019 at the request of prosecutors, according to court records.

Ederi said he was struck by the irony in McCleese fleeing the vehicle as Currier lay mortally wounded inside.

“The person he’d been chasing non-stop, he left to run away from the police,” Ederi said. “I am relieved that she didn’t die looking into his eyes.”

He said Currier was a person with a big heart who loved animals and worked retail jobs most of her adult life because of her affinity for people.

“She’s bubbly, she’s happy,” he said. “When she laughs, you have to laugh. She has this ditzy, obnoxious laugh, but it’s addicting.”

Ederi said he hopes McCleese will remain behind bars for a long time, something that hadn’t happened after what Ederi said were other violent episodes, including one in which Currier suffered a broken back.

“I just hope that this time it sticks,” he said. “He’s a habitual offender.”

McCleese is likely to face additional charges once laboratory results related to the crash are available, police added.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

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By: Stavra Ketchmark

The numbers are familiar but never fail to shock. One in four women will experience violence at the hands of their partner. Homicide is a leading cause of death for women younger than 44 years old, and nearly half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former partner. African American and American Indian/Alaska Native women are at even greater risk than others, and women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV, also known as domestic violence) are more in danger of being killed by their partner. These horrifying statistics are not new, but what you may not know is that researchers have recently identified an important predictor of increased violent behavior in perpetrators of IPV.

The most dangerous domestic violence offenders strangle their victims. The most violent rapists strangle their victims.

We used to think all abusers were equal. They are not.

Our research has now made clear that when a man puts his hands around a woman’s neck, he has just raised his hand and said, “I’M A KILLER.” They are more likely to kill police officers, to kill children, and to later kill their partners. So, when you hear “He choked me,” now we know 

YOU ARE AT THE EDGE OF A HOMICIDE.

CASEY GWINN
Co-Founder, Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention 

Strangulation as a Warning Sign

According to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, “A woman who has suffered a nonfatal strangulation incident with her intimate partner is 750% more likely to be killed by the same perpetrator…with a gun.” That is a staggering number, and it’s not a coincidence. Researchers and law enforcement professionals have determined that nonfatal strangulation is a leading indicator of escalating violence in a relationship and an important risk factor for homicide in women.

Why Is Strangulation Different Than Other Types of IPV?

One reason that strangulation is a particularly concerning warning sign in IPV is because of what it represents: Control, taken from the victim and placed in the hands of the perpetrator, who, in the moment of violence, has the power to literally take the breath of the victim. It can take only seconds to lose consciousness during a strangulation incident, and the line between fatal and nonfatal strangulation is perilously thin.

“IPV is a significant public health problem that has profound effects on the physical and psychological well-being of millions of Americans. It is known that strangulation is one of the most lethal forms of intimate partner violence,” says Diana Faugno, MSN, RN, CPN, SANE-A, SANE-P, FAAFS, DF-IAFN, DF-AFN, board director of End Violence Against Women, president of the Academy of Forensic Nursing, and author of the forthcoming second edition of Manual Nonfatal Strangulation Assessment for Health Care Providers and First Responders. “Attempted strangulation is the ultimate method that an abuser can use to exert power and control in a relationship because it communicates to a victim that ‘I can kill you at any time.’”

And “if a perpetrator is willing to move towards taking the life of a loved one with his bare hands…killing others does not seem to be a stretch.”

Identifying and Treating Victims of Strangulation

Identifying victims of nonfatal strangulation when they present for medical treatment or interact with law enforcement is crucial, but it’s not as simple as it might seem. Despite the lingering terror it can inflict on victims, strangulation, even in fatal cases, often does not leave a visible mark. In fact, researchers report that only half of strangulation victims have visible injuries, and only 15% have injuries that can be photographed. According to Gael Strack, co-founder of the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, “Our original study…proved it—most victims of strangulation WILL NOT HAVE VISIBLE EXTERNAL INJURIES and will not understand the danger. The lack of injuries and the lack of training caused the criminal justice system to minimize strangulation. We failed victims. But now we know—NONFATAL STRANGULATION CASES ARE LETHAL and have serious immediate and long-term health consequences.”

In addition, victims often do not use the term “strangulation,” but rather will describe “choking,” which can have the effect, for victims themselves and for health care providers, law enforcement, and friends and family of the victim, of minimizing the very real danger of being a victim of strangulation.

This makes it even more important that health care providers recognize strangulation victims when they present for treatment. “When a victim of nonfatal strangulation presents to the emergency department it is critical for the medical provider to rule out potential life-threatening injuries,” said William Smock, M.D., police surgeon for the Louisville Metro Police Department and chair of the Strangulation Institute’s Medical Advisory Board. Evaluation should include assessment for neck and spine injuries, as well as head trauma, and ordering a computed tomographic angiogram is essential, says Smock. In addition, death can occur days or weeks after strangulation as a result of carotid artery dissection, respiratory complications, or blood clots, so patient education and follow-up are crucial.

For more information on identifying and treating strangulation, as well as downloadable resources for patient education and discharge planning, visit the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention’s website at https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com.

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