Delayed Justice

Today’s hearing for Beverly McCallum has been postponed to Oct. 23. And hers daughter’s (Dineane Ducharme) appeal process started off with a denial at the circuit court on Sept.27. It likely will come before the Court of Appeals next. And if denied there, with a request for a review at the Michigan Supreme Court.

I have had to rely on the good graces of producer Alysia Sofios to learn what’s going on in the murder trial of Beverly McCallum. Her trial for the 2002 murder of her husband Roberto Caraballo has been postponed. The next scheduled court session at 8:30 a.m., Oct. 6 for a hearing in 56th Circuit Court. Meanwhile, not everything is done, evidently, with the story of her daughter Dineane Ducharme, convicted last year of first degree murder of her stepfather, Mr. Caraballo. She received a life sentence. There is a motion hearing Sept 27 at 8:30 in 56th Circuit Court. Is there a new trial in the offing? A resentencing? I don’t know.

Coming back from yet another spinal fusion, there’s the tug to get back to work on a homicide. The last seven years have largely been devoted to my film work on peace activist A.J. Muste (radicalforpeace.org). Now that’s done I might could do more work. Doesn’t matter that I’m 74 and don’t walk well.

The case is that of Tony Willis, shot and killed outside his house. He collapsed roughly at the intersection of Lafayette and Brown streets in Grand Rapids.

More to come.

Here is the trial schedule (for now) for Beverly McCallum of how things are scheduled to roll out in Eaton County (thank you Alysia Sofios):

Status conference for pretrial motions – April 27 at 11 a.m. 

Final pretrial – August 29 at 3 p.m.

Jury selection – September 8 

Trial – September 11, 12, 13, 15th (afternoon), 18th (until 1:30 p.m.) 19th, and 20th.

Initially, she was to be tried for second degree murder, but the crime warranted a first-degree charge. 

Finally, I have been missing in action, seriously missing. Yet another spinal fusion (my third). Enough pain to go around. I hope you will forgive me.

Beverly McCallum faced her accusers and Judge Kelly Morton in 56A District Court, Eaton County. Her arraignment today resulted in charges of first degree murder and molestation of a body. Alysia Sophios was in the courtroom and said that the judge heard from Gord DeVries, the discovered of the body of Roberto Caraballo, forensic pathologist Stephen Cohle, and Chris McMillan, one of the admitted participants in the crime, who witnessed the assault and gave out on Ms. McCallum’s part in the planning and execution of the murder.Much more to come.

The murderer of Shelley Speet Mills (stabbed to death in 1970) has skirted justice for yet another year. Oh, gosh. What will it take? A confession? A true report that the killer may have relayed to someone else? I do not know but I pray it happens.

A few days ago I noted that the website was blowing up at the “We Remember” node for Shakara Carter. Yes, we have her listed, but the file is very thin. There are some podcasters who had done a ton of work on the case. More, I think they have done a very fine job in talking the story. The podcast? Crime Junkie.

1996. Sharon Kay Hammack was found murdered. This according to John Tunison of mlive: “Her body was found by a truck driver, who discovered her wrapped in a cloth and dumped along 76th Street SE, near Kraft and Broadmoor avenues in Caledonia Township. She had been strangled.

“She also had been stabbed twice in the head.”

And now, thanks to DNA and a whole lot of hard work, Garry Dean Artman, 64, an over-the-road trucker, has been charged with her murder. Artman was most recently based in Florida but he lived in Grand Rapids in the mid-90s when at least a dozen local women, including Hammack, were found dead in Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties.

He was arrested down south and has been extradited and arraigned. One of my favorite reporters, Susan Samples of WOOD TV, filed this report.

I am more than dilatory getting this posted.

In other actions, Beverly McCallum, accused of leading the assault on Roberto Caraballo in Charlotte, MI, in 2002, will be facing her preliminary hearing in Eaton County District Court Sept. 20. Our friend Alysia Sofios will be in court and I’ll ask her for an update.

The probable cause hearing and conference for Beverly McCallum was postposed Friday in Eaton County District Court until 10:00 a.m. August 29, with the preliminary now scheduled for September 20.

Beverly McCallum is scheduled to go before 56A District Judge Kelly Morton tomorrow morning at 10:30 for a probable cause hearing and conference. Beyond that, Ms. McCallum is scheduled for a preliminary exam July 29 at 1 p.m., again before Judge Morton. It is entirely likely that this latter meeting will have to be postponed if all goes to schedule. Of course, there are a wide range of other outcomes…she may waive her preliminary and plead, or waive the prelim. and go right to trial.

And the questions remain. Here is a well done update with Fox 17 reporter Matt Witkos.

As always, I believe that somebody knows something.