He Seemed Safe - Update
Update: April 26, 2008
A reader dropped me an email last week to let me know that Joshua Davis plead guilty on April 17th to kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering Savannah Smith in 2006. His sentencing is scheduled for June 5, 2008 in Providence, RI.
According to an article in the Boston Globe Davis offered an apology to the family during the court proceedings:
Joshua Davis, 22, apologized softly to the family of Savannah Smith after pleading guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping of a minor and child molestation. But he said he knew an apology wasn’t good enough. 1
He is right, an apology is no where near good enough. Unfortunately the state of Rhode Island does not have the death penalty. The prosecution is asking for a life sentence without the possibility of parole - the most severe penalty that can be handed down. I hope the judge gives him that sentence, especially after hearing the following details of what Joshua Davis did to Savannah Smith: Continue reading “He Seemed Safe - Update”
- Eric Tucker, “Man pleads guilty to abduction, strangling or 8-year-old,” boston.com, April 17, 2008. [↩]
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Illinois Amber Canceled
Oscar, Karla and Fernando Casanova were last seen on Friday, April 18, 2008 in the 1800 block of North Richmond Street in Chicago, Illinois. At about 2:30 that day they were abducted by a male family relative.
The three children– Oscar Casanova, 6, Karla Casanova, 7, and Fernando Casanova, 11–were abducted from Yates Elementary School at 1839 N. Richmond St. Friday about 2:30 p.m., according to the Amber Alert. They were released from school before they were abducted, police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said. 1
I am not sure why the Amber Alert was not issued on Friday or sometime over the weekend. Now there is a reason to believe the children are in danger because their mother was discovered dead in her home today.
The woman, Sophia Garcia, 30, was found dead at about noon with a plastic bag over her head in the 1700 block of North Harding Avenue, officials said. 2
The identified suspect at this time according to the Amber Alert site is 31-year-old Benito Casanova. Benito is a White/Hispanic male standing 6′1″ tall and weighing approximately 200 lbs. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
[he] is described as Garcia’s husband or boyfriend. A Grand Central Area detective said they have not yet been able to determine if Garcia was married to or just dating Benito Casanova…the suspect is the father of two of the missing children.3
The suspect vehicle description is a 2002 Silver/Gray Dodge Dakota with Illinois license plate 86196HB. One license plate is missing.
The children’s descriptions are as follows:
Fernando Casanova is an 11-year-old White/Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes. He stands 5′ tall and weighs approximately 130 lbs.
Karla Casanova is a 7-year-old White/Hispanic female with brown hair and brown eyes. She stands 4′1″ tall and weighs approximately 75 lbs.
Oscar Casanova is a 6-year-old White/Hispanic male with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He stands 4′ tall and weighs approximately 60 lbs.
Anyone having information should call 911 and tell the operator you have an Amber Alert report.
Updates:
June 7, 2008: The Amber Alert for these children was canceled about a month ago. As far as I can tell these children are still missing.
References:
- ’Developing: Amber Alert issued for 3 children; mother found dead,’ WMAQ TV Chicago, April 21, 2008. [↩]
- Jeremy Gorner, ”Mother found dead; Amber Alert issued for 3 kids,” Chicago Tribune.com, April 21, 2008. [↩]
- ’Developing: Amber Alert issued for 3 children; mother found dead,’ WMAQ TV Chicago, April 21, 2008. [↩]
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