Why does this stuff have to happen in Durham?

[Alcibiades]

Couple's crimes related to cult
Prosecutor: Couple's crimes related to cult


Posted: Jun. 30 2:04 p.m.
Updated: Today at 10:53 a.m.

Durham, N.C. — A Durham couple charged with kidnapping, rape and assault was involved with a satanic cult, a prosecutor said on Monday.

Joy Johnson and Joseph Craig appeared at a bond hearing Monday. A judge set Craig's bond at $590,000, but refused a prosecution request to increase Johnson's bond from $270,000 to $500,000.

Prosecutors said a man and a woman met Craig through a shared interest in Satan worship, but the pair never consented to physical abuse.

Craig shackled his victims to beds, kept them in dog cages and starved them inside his Albany Street home, prosecutors said. He was charged with beating the man with a cane and a cord and with raping the woman.

"This goes well above what they were interested in doing," Assistant Durham County District Attorney Mark McCullough said.

Johnson, who was third vice-chair of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice-chair for the Young Democrats, was charged with two counts of aiding and abetting. Prosecutors said she knew her husband planned the crime and watched as they were committed.

More at: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3128703/



I really hope this isn't true. They seem like such a nice couple.

[struggle4progress]

1. " ... One neighbor who declined to give his name came to court Monday to support the couple and held

up messages behind the courtroom's glass partition. '(They're) innocent until proven guilty,' the man said ... "

Prosecutor: Couple's crimes related to cult
Posted: Jun. 30, 2008 2:04 p.m.
Updated: Jul. 1, 2008 10:53 a.m.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/3128703/

[struggle4progress]

2. " ... Jeremy Collins, president of the Durham Young Democrats, has known Johnson for several years.

After following the Duke lacrosse case ... Collins said he would reserve judgment until the facts of this case were revealed ..."

North Carolina Democrat accused of satanic rituals — husband charged with rape
July 1, 2008
By ANNE BLYTHE
RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1033864,sat070108.article

[struggle4progress]

3. "Mark McCullough, an assistant district attorney, would not release details of the allegations"

N.C. Dem leader accused of satanism
Published: July 1, 2008 at 3:17 PM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/01/NC_Dem_leader_accused_of_satanism/UPI-90201214939867/

[struggle4progress]

4. 3 charged in Durham rape, kidnapping investigation

Posted on Wed, Jul. 02, 2008
The Associated Press

... The latest person charged is Diana Palmer, 44, the first vice chairwoman of the county Democratic Party. She turned herself in to police Wednesday afternoon and was charged with one count of accessory after the fact of assault with deadly weapon inflicting serious injury ...

Attorney Bill Thomas said Palmer denies any association with satanic worship or any knowledge of a crime. He said the allegation against her is that Johnson or Craig asked her to take some items away from their house.

"The Durham Police Department has knowledge that my client was not present and did not have knowledge of crimes for which others have been arrested, and I hope the investigator will share this with the public," Thomas said ...

http://www.charlotte.com/204/story/697027.html


Third arrest made in alleged cult abuse case
Diana Palmer, charged in Durham satanic cult case
Posted: Today at 12:26 p.m.
Updated: Today at 5:40 p.m.

... Palmer "vehemently denies" any ties to satanism or to any cult, said her attorney, William Thomas ...

"Diana is extraordinarily trusting and caring. I don't think she would ever knowingly do anything wrong," county party Chairman Kevin Farmer said ...

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3141729/

[Alcibiades]

6. "accessory after the fact "

Now I'm much more curious to know the details. This charge raises a lot of questions in my mind.

[struggle4progress]

7. "Johnson has resigned .... Palmer has not, and state Democratic Party officials said they are

waiting for more information ... If the case 'proceeds to trial, we may seek to remove Ms. Palmer from the state executive committee if she does not voluntarily resign,' state party spokeswoman Kerra Bolton told The Herald-Sun ... "

Attorney: NC rape case could be misunderstanding
Posted: Today at 1:07 p.m.
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/3149220/

[struggle4progress]

9. "State Sen. Floyd McKissick (D-Durham) ... said he anticipates Palmer will resign from her party ...

leadership post soon. Palmer's attorney says a decision has not been made yet. Authorities say they are still actively investigating this case."
3rd Suspect In Alleged Satanic Cult Case Appears In Court
Thursday, Jul 03, 2008 - 06:55 PM
http://www.nbc17.com/midatlantic/ncn/news.apx.-content-articles-NCN-2008-07-03-0009.html

<edit: fix gibberish cut-n-paste>

[struggle4progress]

5. "... the case may be referred to the State Attorney General's Office because of a potential conflict

of interest in the Durham District Attorney's Office. A Durham prosecutor declined to comment ..."

Political ties in satanic sex case a concern
Wednesday, July 02, 2008 | 10:13 PM
By Tamara Gibbs
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6241123

[struggle4progress]

8. "Neighbors, like Christine Gebhartt, have been wondering what happened inside the home on Albany

Street since the arrests happened. Gebhartt said police paint quite a different picture of a man she met while walking her dog. 'He introduced the two dogs through the fence and they got along real well, and we were laughing about the dogs and he just said, "Welcome to the neighborhood," and that was the gist of it,' she said.

There's a neighbor that actually goes into the home to take care of the animals who have been left behind. He said he's lived next to the couple for the last year and a half and they've been good neighbors to him, so he’s going to reserve judgment until all the facts are laid out."

Dem officials face charges in sex case
07/03/2008 03:10 PM
By: Ilin Chen
http://news14.com/content/headlines/597099/dem-officials-face-charges-in-sex-case/Default.aspx

[struggle4progress]

10. "... 'The Durham Democratic Party is a volunteer organization,' said Kevin Farmer, chairman of the

organization. 'I'm not a professional. I'm not equipped to deal with this. I bake bread for a living.'

A probable cause hearing for the couple is set for Monday in the Durham courthouse. Investigators could be asked to reveal details of their case ...

'I still like to believe innocent until proven guilty,' said Christine Gebhardt, a teacher who met Craig shortly after she moved into the neighborhood nearly two weeks ago. 'I know a lot of people who think they're shamans and go to shamans. It doesn't mean they're in a satanic cult.' ... "

Democratic official charged in sex case
Satanism is alleged; lawyer say it was 'consensual activity'
Anne Blythe
(Raleigh) News & Observer
http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/696835.html

[struggle4progress]

11. Victims Unavailable For Hearing In Alleged Satanic Ritual Case (mon 7 jul)

Monday, Jul 07, 2008 - 05:48 PM
By Paul Matadeen
Durham Reporter
NBC17.com

DURHAM, N.C. – At a probable cause hearing on Monday afternoon, a Durham prosecutor said her office had not been able to contact the victims of an alleged satanic ritual ...

Prosecutors say the two victims have traveled out of state for their safety, and the investigator who knows how to contact them is off work until July 21 ...

Brown asked prosecutors to promptly contact the lead Durham P.D. investigator on the case. He asked prosecutors to reschedule a bond hearing for the following week, so that he could go over the new information, once they made contact with the alleged victims.

The probable cause hearing was rescheduled for July 21, or the soonest available time when the investigator will be present ...

http://www.nbc17.com/midatlantic/ncn/news.apx.-content-articles-NCN-2008-07-07-0016.html

[Lex]

13. Sounds like the DA's office can't reach them, period.

And they are stalling about the "off work" investigator. What, no one else can get the file and look up the contact info until the investigator is back? BS.

[struggle4progress]

14. So far, the whole story is odd, from the fact that the alleged victims listed

the alleged abusers' address as their own, to the fact that the alleged victims then supposedly fled the state, fearing for their personal safety

Normally, I don't follow stories like this. But as a Durham Democrat I feel obliged to pay a bit of attention -- not only due to the continuing saga of political prosecutions across the country but in particular after the schizoid lacrosse episode

[Lex]

15. Yes, I've been suspicious since the "satanic" allegations

were made. That's almost always total BS.

It's made me think of the lacrosse case too because it looks over-hyped, poorly investigated, and the media is going along reporting crap. Another stupid mess.

And no Nifong to blame this time.

[struggle4progress]

12. pdf link to search warrant:

http://www.wral.com/asset/news/local/2008/07/07/3163372/20080707124942698.pdf

[struggle4progress]

16. Judge: Cult case will go to trial

Posted: Jul. 14, 2008
Updated: Today at 5:41 p.m.

... Both victims were present for the probable cause hearing Monday afternoon ...

Craig's attorney argued Monday that the victims ... could have left at any time.

Defense attorney Woody Vann said both victims had jobs, and had access to cell phones and vehicles ...

The male victim went to live with the couple in November 2007, the female victim a month later ...

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3202148/

[struggle4progress]

17. Judge lowers bond for woman charged in alleged cult abuse

Posted: Today at 4:05 p.m.
Updated: Today at 6:25 p.m.

Durham, N.C. — ...

The secured bond for Joy Johnson, 30, was lowered from $220,000 to $75,000 ... Curran argued on Tuesday that Johnson suffers from health problems and has been traumatized by being in jail ... Assistant Durham District Attorney Jan Paul, however, said that a new bond hearing for Johnson was unnecessary, because one was held Monday, July 14 ... Curran claimed that she was only notified of the hearing a half-an-hour before it took place. At a hearing on July 7, a Durham County judge lowered Johnson's bond from $270,000 to $220,000 ... http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3225775/