randythib

In 1988, Brandon Elledge was a 17-year-old high school senior at Clements High School, a suburb of Houston. Two fellow classmates asked Brandon for a ride home and he agreed.

The ride was a ruse.

Timothy Acklen and James Garcia wanted to get into Brandon's truck to steal his stereo. Acklen shot Brandon in the face with a .38-caliber pistol loaded with hollow point bullets along a dirt road behind the Sweetwater Country Club and left his body for dead. In 1989 Acklen pled guilty to murder and was sentenced to 50 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Garcia also pled guilty to murder and received 40 years. 

In 1989, the parole law required convicted felons to serve only one-fourth of their sentence, plus good time credit, before consideration for early release was given. Ben Elledge (Brandon's father) assumed because of the cold-blooded nature of what should have constituted capital murder, that the parole board would not seriously consider releasing Acklen.

How wrong he was.

In 2003, Ben and Betty Elledge were stunned when they received a letter from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice informing them that Acklen had been tentatively approved for parole. After years of reliving the horror of their son's murder through fighting the Parole Board of Texas, it seems that Acklen is scheduled for release in February 2009. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Elledge and I cannot begin to imagine the "what if''s" that haunt their minds.  Although terribly difficult to re-read, as some of it was written within hours of the actual events, Ben plans to edit over 600 pages of manuscripts and publish a book. 

"And it will tell every gruesome and gory detail of the whole sordid mess."

Lots of it is a pretty neat story about a young man who overcame a life of crippled legs and crippled lungs to make himself into a near giant of a physical being and a football star and then have his life cut short and  to die at the hands of a cold blooded murderer who admitted to the grand jury and to many others that Brandon was just a target of opportunity.

Anyone remember this story in the news?

sugar has a sneaky way of showing up in lots of foods you'd least suspect.  reading labels now requires a degree in chemistry.  never will you find "sugar" on a label.  dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, mono and di glycerides..... even with exercise and thinking i'm eating well, my triglycerides were more like cowglycerides.  it's embarrassing when the doctor asks, "my God, what are you eating?"  yeah, its genetic as well.  both my parents are on diets and meds to control tryglyceride levels.  high levels can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, poor circulation, renal failure, and a whole host of other complications.  so educate yourself as sugars aren't so simple anymore.

The state parole board on Tuesday denied a request for compassionate release to Charles Manson follower Susan Atkins, who stabbed actress Sharon Tate to death nearly 40 years ago and is dying of brain cancer.

Sharon Tate's sister, Debra Tate, the last surviving member of her immediate family, sent a letter to the board opposing Atkins' release.

 "She is a cold-blooded woman who to this day has not displayed any remorse," wrote Tate, who lives in the Los Angeles area.

Her doctors and officials at the women's prison in Corona made the request in March because of her deteriorating health. Atkins also has had her left leg amputated and is paralyzed on her right side, her husband and attorney, James Whitehouse, told the California Board of Parole Hearings.

Should California grant Susan Atkins a compassionate release?

last night i watched a documentary that was sad and disturbing. Jodi Huisentruit  was a television news anchor for KIMT based in Mason City, Iowa.   it is believed that she was abducted while on her way to work in the early morning hours of June 27, 1995.  she was 27 years old at the time and had her whole life and career ahead of her. the case is still unsolved.  someone had been watching her closely and knew her apartment number, the car she drove, and the time she left for work (3:00 a.m.)  there was an obvious struggle outside her car and her belongings were scattered in the parking lot.

you guys have a demanding job and i hold you in high esteem.  you truly are celebrities but without the body guards.  i realize you may not choose to disclose it, but i was wondering if any of you have ever felt threatened?

visit the site dedicated to the active search for the missing anchorwoman.

www.findjodi.com

truly sad....

 

an atlanta man is behind bars accused of killing his own daughter.  police said the father (chaudhry rashad) was angry because he felt his daughter (sandela kanwal) was disgracing the family with plans to divorce her pre-arranged husband.  so divorce is more disgraceful than murder?  what is wrong with these people?