March 7, 2006

Imette St. Guillen Murder I

The New York Times has published details of potential suspect Darryl Littlejohn's criminal record. He does not have any convictions for sex crimes but his rap sheet shows he is a violent, career criminal. Littlejohn has been interrogated for two days and has not been charged with any crime, but the investigation seems to be heading in that direction.
I am sure Littlejohn is not saying a word to police. Most career criminals know how to work the system and he has been in the system long enough to know not to talk. If Littlejohn is the murderer, hopefully police will be able to tie him to this horrible murder by DNA, fingerprints or hair but it will take time for police to go through all the evidence they collected.

Details on Littlejohn's criminal past, as reported by The NY Times:
"He first tangled with the authorities when he was just 17, when he was arrested for armed robbery in Manhattan. He slashed a man and tried to rob another with a shotgun, according to state records. He went to prison for three years.
Using the alias Darryl Banks, he was arrested on a drug charge in 1985, and served a year and two months in jail. In 1987, as Damon Wells, he again served time for drug possession. In 1992, he was arrested in Maryland, where he was using the name Derek Hansen, for unauthorized use of a car among other charges. Mr. Littlejohn was extradited to New York on a warrant for another of his aliases: John Handsome.
As Mr. Handsome, Mr. Littlejohn had been arrested in Queens with a paper bag full of heroin and cocaine and a 9 mm gun, according to a person familiar with that case. He was paroled in October 1995. Within three months, he was in trouble again, this time as Jonathan Blaze. He held up a bank in Farmingdale on Long Island during a blizzard in December. He stole $61,759 and fled, according to state papers.

Mr. Littlejohn pleaded guilty to robbery and criminal use of a weapon, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On May 11, 2004, he appeared before a parole board. A transcript of the minutes shows that Mr. Littlejohn was hostile and uncooperative, refusing to answer questions posed by the commissioners. He was denied parole. "Your violent and out-of-control behavior shows you to be a menace to society," the decision read. "Your continued incarceration remains in the best interest of society."

But two months later, Mr. Littlejohn, then 39, had served enough of his sentence to qualify for a conditional release. He took a job with a mortgage lender and met with his parole officer, officials said. But he failed to tell parole officials that he was working as a bouncer at a bar, which may have violated the conditions of his parole." - The New York Times
CBS (article & video) stated Littlejohn has a curfew as a condition of his parole and he is not supposed to be out of his house after 7PM. Today, police searched Littlejohn's residence in Rochsdale Village, Queens for any possible evidence.
According to this CBS article, police believe St. Guillen may not have left the building where 'The Falls' bar is located and this is what prompted the search.
"After 4 am they could not find any video of St Guillen from the dozens of neighborhood surveillance cameras. They now believe she never left 218 Lafayette Street alive."
CBS is also reporting about some of the evidence they obtained from the building.
"Sources say police have found tape in the basement of 218 Lafayette similar to the type used to cover the face of the victim. Also there were cat hairs found on the bedspread used to wrap St Guillen’s naked body and there was a cat in the basement of 218 Lafayette Street. The bouncer’s cell phone records indicate that on Saturday morning it was physically on the Belt Parkway near Brooklyn’s Spring Creek Park where St Guillen’s mutilated body was dumped."
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According to reports by Fox News and CBS- police have executed a search warrant inside the building where Imette St. Guillen was last seen at 'The Falls' bar. Police are searching for evidence from the bar as well as the rest of the building the bar is located in.

Police also seized a van located in the commercial parking area of the building, above the bar, to search for evidence. In photos, you can see police dressed in white suits exiting a door near the bar with bags of possible evidence. No 'official' reports have been made by police about the status of their investigation.

The New York Times is reporting the person the police are questioning is a bouncer at the bar where Imette was last seen. The police have not released any details but The Boston Herald has- naming the bouncer in question as Darryl Littlejohn, 41. They describe Littlejohn as a career criminal on probation who was working on the night of Imette's disappearance.

ABC is reporting witnesses told police they last saw the bouncer (Littlejohn) with Imette St. Guillen on the night she disappeared. Littlejohn has been convicted of five different crimes ranging from armed robbery to drug possession but nothing sexual in nature. Police say cell phone records have placed him at The Falls at the time St. Guillen disappeared and around East New York -- where her body was found, two hours later. However, Littlejohn lives only a couple of miles from where Imette's body was found, which could explain his cell records.

Imette St. Guillen's wake was held on Friday in Boston where hundreds of family and friends came to pay their respects. Imette's funeral took place on Saturday in West Roxbury, Mass.

Police are still looking for the 911 caller who reported the body. The New York Post reported the brief exchange with the tipster on Friday.

Operator: "Hello, 911" Caller: "I think there's a body over at Fountain and Seaview."
Operator: "How do you know? What did you see?"
Caller: "It looks like a body. You should send someone to take a look at it."

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 1-800-577-TIPS.