Two little girls stabbed to Death. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Sweetpea · 05-09-2005, 02:44 PM

I just don't know what to say. My thoughts are with their families.

Two little girls, 'best friends' were kidnapped and stabbed to death. Left to die in a park in Illinois.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/09/dead.girls/index.html

Sweetpea

maleficent · 05-09-2005, 02:47 PM

The story
Bodies of 2 girls found in woods
'Best friends' stabbed to death in Illinois

(CNN) -- Police said Monday they are investigating the discovery of the bodies of two girls in a park north of Zion, Illinois, as a homicide.

The girls had been reported missing by their parents Sunday evening.

Officials identified the girls as "best friends" Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9.

"We do have two murdered children, and we don't have anybody in custody," said Zion Police Chief Doug Malcolm. "There's no solid leads."

The cause of death was multiple stab wounds, said Lake County Coroner Richard Keller. No evidence of sexual assault was found, he said.

Keller earlier said the girls were found in a wooded area and were not covered.

Keller said there were "obvious injuries" and that police were looking for murder weapons. He said no DNA evidence had been found so far.

The bodies were discovered at Beulah Park around 6 a.m. (7 a.m. ET). The park is primarily a wooded nature preserve, according to the Zion Park District's Web site. It also contains a bicycle trail and a playground.

Zion is a small town 44 miles north of Chicago.

Brent Paxton, a Lake County Board member who lives nearby, told The Associated Press the area is typically safe and quiet, and that his three young children play in the park.

"Obviously, if it was random act, somebody just picking up kids in the park, I would be very concerned about that," Paxton told the AP.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim contributed to this report.

hambone · 05-09-2005, 02:48 PM

Oh my gosh. I used to live right near Zion......

That is horrible...

la petite moi · 05-09-2005, 02:50 PM

Heard about this. It's depressing what society is coming to. Ugh. I hope they find the killer and give him the death sentence.

Elphaba · 05-09-2005, 03:25 PM

Could this have been done by one person? The girls were young, but very lively I imagine. If they were duped into a hardluck story, ala Ted Bundy, this town may have something more to be concerned about.

Terrible news.

Gilda · 05-09-2005, 04:42 PM

Just because there's no evidence of sexual assault doesn't mean that the assault wasn't sexual in nature. Some chickenhawks get sexual satisfaction from the violence itself, rather than any of what we'd call sexual contact.

Here's hoping the person or people responsible are found soon.

rival · 05-09-2005, 05:30 PM

In every story like this, I have to wonder where their parents were. Children under 10 years old shouldn't have been without adult supervision.

maleficent · 05-09-2005, 05:34 PM

http://www.legendgames.net/showstory.../UN0000239.txt

Quote:

A check of the Illinois sex offender registry did show at least 96 registered offenders in the area, including two within a mile of the girls' school.

Putting in the zip code for the school, using the address foundin this thread:
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=86912

Returns about the same number of results.

I am having a hard time beleiving that there is no evidence found yet...

Elphaba · 05-09-2005, 07:40 PM

[QUOTE=maleficent
I am having a hard time beleiving that there is no evidence found yet...[/QUOTE]

Perhaps the investigators don't want the press running with something that can identify the killer(s)?

jbw97361 · 05-09-2005, 07:43 PM

Well if they are still looking for the guys that did it, and they have something like the kind of car they are driving, i suppose they would keep it a secret so that they dont change autos. The police always have a reason for what they do. It might not be the best reason, but it all works out in the end usually.

Elphaba · 05-09-2005, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rival

In every story like this, I have to wonder where their parents were. Children under 10 years old shouldn't have been without adult supervision.

A small town, where everyone knows each other. A community park where children play. I don't disagree with you, rival, but this may still be possible in small rural communities. Being within 44 miles of Chicago, may not be as rural as the picture painted. 44 miles from Seattle can be a small community depending on which direction you go.

I would not be that quick to blame the parents, if they believed themselves to live in a small and safe community.

maleficent · 05-09-2005, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elphaba

Quote:

Originally Posted by maleficent

I am having a hard time beleiving that there is no evidence found yet...

Perhaps the investigators don't want the press running with something that can identify the killer(s)?

I Hope this police department has some outside help. This being a small "safe' community, even with their 97 sex offenders, I can't imagine that there would be a goodly number of murders, they are probably not equipped to deal with investigating such a crime.

If I remember correctly, the police in Bolder, did a log of bungling in the investigation of the murder of Jon Benet Ramsey, and her murderer or murderers have never been brought to justice.

RAGEAngel9 · 05-09-2005, 07:56 PM

I live in Libertyville, Il which is in the same county.
Zion isn't the safest place in Illinois, but far from the worst.
It isn't that unlikely to have some kids riding by themselves to friends places, especially if it isn't that far. My town has still has lots of kids playing together without adults at times.
I won't speculate on any sort of motive or possible suspect, but there isn't much more that done to protect these kids.
If the person who did it knew them, that person would've made a move eventually.
If they were just the unlucky random targets, it would've only been some other kids.

maleficent · 05-09-2005, 08:05 PM

http://www.wral.com/news/4466998/detail.html
Two second-grade girls who disappeared while riding bikes together were found dead Monday, both stabbed multiple times and left to die off a bicycle path in a park, authorities said.

A resident walking through a wooded nature area in the park discovered the bodies of best friends Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9, at dawn.

"This is a heinous crime. It was a crime not only against those kids but against all of us," Police Chief Doug Malcolm said.

The parents of one of the girls had reported her missing about 8:50 p.m. Sunday, about two hours after she was expected home, Malcolm said. The parents of the other girl called shortly afterward, and authorities with rescue dogs began searching.

Malcolm said no weapons were found and there was no evidence of sexual assault. A girl's bicycle was found nearby. He said police had not identified any suspects and that there were "no solid leads that we're focusing on."

The killings stunned this town about 45 miles north of Chicago, prompting police and school officials to escort children directly onto buses at the end of the school day. Dozens of anxious parents waited until their children emerged from the front doors of the school, then put their arms around their kids or clutched their hands as they walked to their cars.

Fifteen-year-old Albert Tobias said he didn't know why someone would want to attack his sister. "But I would like to know what happened," he said in a brief telephone interview.

Constance Collins, superintendent of the Zion Elementary School District 6, said the girls were in the same second-grade class at Beulah Park Elementary School.

"They were best friends," said Laura Unrein, who lives near the park. "When one left, the other left. They were always together."

"They were very sweet girls," said Julie Dobnikar, who teaches second grade at the school. Dobnikar added that the girls' teacher is "very distraught right now."

School was in session Monday, and social workers and a crisis intervention team were called in to help the students.

Jeanette Ortiz said she is worried because her 11-year-old son plays and rides his bike in the same park. She came to the school to pick him up.

"I'm going to have to tell him that he needs to be careful no matter where he goes," she said.

Unrein said the area where the girls' bodies were found is well-known in the community as a place to avoid.

"There have been incidents of kids beating up people and taking their wallets and park rangers have had to shoo people out of there for hunting illegally," she said. "My husband and I don't go down there any more because you hear the stories."

The park where the girls were found has a paved bike path, a ravine and trails made by mountain bikes. Police tape cordoned off the area.

Zion, along Lake Michigan, was founded in 1901 by a religious faith healer as a utopian community. It has about 22,000 residents but retains a quiet, at times rural feel despite being on the edge of both the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

Quote:

Unrein said the area where the girls' bodies were found is well-known in the community as a place to avoid.

"There have been incidents of kids beating up people and taking their wallets and park rangers have had to shoo people out of there for hunting illegally," she said. "My husband and I don't go down there any more because you hear the stories."

That just makes me shake my head -- it might be unrelated...but...

Elphaba · 05-09-2005, 08:38 PM

Sounds like Cairo, where I live. Remote can be safe and/or dangerous.

maleficent · 05-10-2005, 03:24 PM

well damn http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...tory?id=745597
Father Arrested on Suspicion of Killing 8-Year-Old Daughter and Her Friend in Illinois

By MIKE COLIAS Associated Press Writer
The Associated PressThe Associated Press

Could they have used a more unflattering photo

ZION, Ill. May 10, 2005 — A man was arrested on murder charges Tuesday in the Mother's Day stabbings of his 8-year-old daughter and the little girl's best friend, who were killed after they went biking in a park.

Jerry Hobbs, who was recently released from prison, had led police to the bodies just off a wooded bike path early Monday, claiming he spotted them while searching for his daughter, the girl's grandfather, Arthur Hollabaugh, told The Associated Press.

Hobbs, 34, was questioned through the day about the deaths of Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9.

Both girls had been beaten and stabbed repeatedly in the woods and left to die, Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said. He said the girls were found side-by-side and did not appear to have been sexually assaulted.

Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said in announcing the charges Tuesday that he could not discuss possible motives for the killings, but prosecutors said more details would come out when Hobbs appears in bond court Wednesday morning.

Authorities said Tuesday that additional charges could be filed, but they did not specify what they might be.

"This horrific crime has terrorized and traumatized the Zion community and I think it's safe to say people of good will everywhere," Waller said.

Hobbs has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1990 in Texas, including prior arrests for assault and resisting arrest, according to state Department of Public Safety records.

Before being released April 12, he had served two years in a Texas prison for chasing neighbors with a chain saw during an argument with Laura's mother, Sheila Hollabaugh, according to Wichita County, Texas, Assistant District Attorney Rick Mahler.

No one was hurt in the 2001 incident, and someone subdued Hobbs by hitting him in the back with a shovel, Mahler said. Hobbs was sentenced to 10 years of probation but failed to appear for required meetings, so his probation was revoked in 2003 and he was imprisoned.

Hobbs had been living with the Hollabaughs after his release, Arthur Hollabaugh said. He said he worried authorities might be trying to railroad Hobbs in their search for the girls' killer.

maleficent · 05-10-2005, 03:56 PM

and the NY TImes added some:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/na...0cnd-slay.html
Father Arrested in Slaying of Two Girls in Illinois
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Published: May 10, 2005

The father of one of two young girls found stabbed to death in a park on Monday was arrested and charged today with two counts of murder, easing the fear but not the shock that has gripped the town of Zion, Ill., since the girls were reported missing on Mother's Day.

The charges against the father, Jerry Hobbs, were announced at a televised news conference this afternoon by the Lake County state's attorney, Michael J. Waller. Both children had been beaten and stabbed, he said at the press briefing in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago. Officials said there were no obvious indications of sexual assault.

"This horrible crime has terrorized and traumatized the Zion community and, I think it's safe to say, people of good will everywhere," said Mr. Waller, who described it as the "most horrific crime" he had seen in 30 years in law enforcement.

Mr. Hobbs reported finding the bodies of his missing 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend Krystal Tobias, 9, early Monday while he and Laura's grandfather, Arthur Hollabaugh, who is Mr. Hobbs's father-in-law, searched Beulah Park, in Zion.

Laura and Krystal had been bicycling and playing in the neighborhood on Sunday, Mother's Day. When they did not return home that night, their families called the police.

Mr. Hollabaugh told The Associated Press today that he and Mr. Hobbs began searching at first light on Monday and eventually spotted a child's bicycle in the bushes part way down a wooded ravine in the park.

Minutes later, he said, Mr. Hobbs screamed that he had found the girls' bodies. "I went and I seen them from a distance," Mr. Hollabaugh told The A.P. "It was clear they were laying there."

Mr. Hollabaugh said he did not believe that his son-in-law had killed the girls.

"Jerry just got out of prison for aggravated assault, and I think they're holding that against him," Mr. Hollabaugh told The A.P. "I don't think he did it."

During today's news conference, Mr. Waller said he could not provide details about the evidence against Mr. Hobbs because state law bars such disclosures until a suspect has had a bond hearing. Mr. Hobbs's hearing is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday.

"We believe we have a compelling case against this defendant, and that will come out in due course," Mr. Waller said.

The prosecutor did say that Mr. Hobbs' actions after he was questioned by the authorities had "piqued the officers' interest" in him as a possible suspect. Mr. Waller declined to describe those actions.

Mayor Lane Harrison told reporters at the news conference that word that the killings did not appear to have been the work of a stranger might help calm his town of 22,000. But, Mayor Harrison added, "We will all have questions until the day we die."

Citing records from the Texas Department of Public Safety, The Associated Press reported that Mr. Hobbs has an extensive criminal history dating to 1990 in Texas, including arrests for assault and resisting arrest.

The records also show that Mr. Hobbs has had a rocky relationship with Laura's mother, Sheila Hollabaugh. Mr. Hobbs was arrested in 2001 after arguing with her, grabbing a chainsaw and chasing residents around the Texas trailer park where they lived at the time, according to an assistant district attorney in Wichita County, Rick Mahler. Mr. Hobbs was eventually subdued by a blow to the back with a shovel, Mr. Mahler told The Associated Press.

Mr. Hobbs was convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to 10 years' probation, but he failed to appear for his required meetings, so his probation was revoked in 2003 and he was imprisoned until his release on April 12, the news service reported.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it just coincidental that the father was the one who found the girls? Or is he being made a scapegoat because of his criminal past?

Elphaba · 05-10-2005, 04:02 PM

Oh, my. That explains how two girls could be drawn away without fighting or running. This one strikes too close to home for me when a parole system fails to monitor a felon adequately, and a mother who allows an abuser back in her life.

I feel great sorrow for the two families.

In answer to Mal's question, this man's history of violence would be reason enough for me to bring him in for questioning. The police are holding something back, so I should withhold judgement until charges are made tomorrow.

streak_56 · 05-10-2005, 04:04 PM

Thats just horrible....

My thoughts goes out to the families.

Seeker · 05-10-2005, 04:14 PM

Hmmm, chainsaws, probation meetings. No mention of any psychiatric or psychological counseling? There must have been some reason he was released, but if he is charged it really makes you question people and systems.

I wonder, even with the charges to come, if anyone will ever know 'the truth' in this case. I certainly hope that if charges are made against him, that the evidence is not questionable.

Munku · 05-10-2005, 06:53 PM

I'd be interested to know what evidence they have against him.

flat5 · 05-11-2005, 03:00 AM

CNN's site mentions he also missed 'anger managment' meetings.

cj22009 · 05-11-2005, 03:40 AM

I can't see how anybody could do this to children it breaks my heart to just think of what was going though their heads. If it is the the one girls father that did this he for sure needs to get the death penalty.

stevie667 · 05-11-2005, 03:45 AM

Sounds disturbingly like the Soham murders we had over here.

Disgusting all around.

Everytime · 05-11-2005, 07:13 AM

makes me feel sick

whocarz · 05-11-2005, 12:07 PM

If this guy did kill his daughter and her friend, I'd shoot the piece of shit myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by la petite moi

Heard about this. It's depressing what society is coming to. Ugh.

People have been killing, mutilating, torturing and raping one another for as long as we have been around. This kind of shit is nothing new, and society isn't becoming more violent or repugnant.

flstf · 05-11-2005, 01:08 PM

Apparently he said he was mad because she stole some money and wouldn't go home when he told her to. I may have to rethink my position on the death penalty.

Father denied bond in 'slaughter of two little girls'

Laura Hobbs
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/s.../0509hobbs.jpg

Krystal Tobias
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/s...0509tobias.jpg
By Nicole Ziegler Dizon

The Associated Press

WAUKEGAN — Jerry Hobbs told investigators he was angry at his 8-year-old daughter for stealing money when he tracked her down in a wooded park on Mother's Day, punched her and then killed her and her best friend, stabbing the girls more than 30 times, prosecutors said Wednesday at his first court appearance on murder charges.

Hobbs, shackled and in a dark blue jail uniform, stared at the courtroom floor as Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Jeff Pavletic described the case against him.

"This was a slaughter of two little girls," Pavletic said.

The killer was so enraged, he said, that the knife went through Laura Hobbs' neck and into her spine, and she had been stabbed once in each eye.

After hearing the prosecutor's descriptions, the judge ordered Hobbs held without bond. A public defender had not yet been appointed to represent him.

Hobbs had led police to the bodies of Laura and her 9-year-old friend Krystal Tobias early Monday morning, claiming he had come across them just off the Beulah Park bike path while searching with relatives for his missing daughter.

In videotaped interviews over the following two days, however, prosecutors say Hobbs told them that he killed both girls after Laura refused to leave the park and that he then dragged their bodies into the woods.

Hobbs, 34, told investigators he had gone out looking for his daughter between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday. He told Laura to go home but she refused, so he punched her for disobeying, Pavletic said. Krystal then pulled out a potato knife to try to defend her friend, and he attacked her as well, according to the interviews. Hobbs wrested the knife from her, hit her, and then stabbed both girls repeatedly, Pavletic said.

He dragged them into the woods and left them face-up, side-by-side, Pavletic said. The girls had apparently taken their shoes off, and Hobbs had paired them next to the bodies, he said.

"It was a brutal beating, repeated punching of the two little girls and then repeated stabs. It's pretty horrible," Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said.

Laura was stabbed 20 times in the neck and abdomen and once in each eye, prosecutors said. Krystal was stabbed 11 times in the neck and torso.

Waller said after the hearing that he didn't believe Krystal had brought the knife, but that that was what Hobbs had told investigators in the interviews and written statements.

Pavletic said Hobbs, who had just been released from prison a month earlier for aggravated assault, told investigators he believed Laura had stolen money from her mother. She had been grounded, but her mother let her go out and play on Mother's Day.

liquidlight · 05-11-2005, 01:21 PM

Oh my God . . . so much blame and so much guilt, how does this happen to people?!

Sweetpea · 05-11-2005, 01:22 PM

sickening. No other word for it.

"life in prison" anyone?

Sweet Pea

Gilda · 05-11-2005, 01:45 PM

The story the father gave the police doesn't ring true. It sounds a lot like a technique used by adosecents to avoid some of the guilt for their own wrongdoing. They'll try to shift some of the blame onto another person, while still sticking to the basic facts. The idea is that if you admit to some wrongdoing, you seem honest, so you'll be believable when you try to shift blame. It's not an effective technique.

It's truly pathetic that he's trying to shift blame here to the girls. Notice how his story makes it seem as if he's being a good father disciplining his child who maybe goes a bit too far, has to defend himself froma knife attack and things get a little out of hand?

It's too easy to say he's a monster; that way we can distance ourselves from this behavior. His behavior was monstrous, but much of what humans do to each other is. This will never make it to a criminal trial. We'll have a guilty plea and a life sentence.

liquidlight · 05-11-2005, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilda

It's too easy to say he's a monster; that way we can distance ourselves from this behavior. His behavior was monstrous, but much of what humans do to each other is. This will never make it to a criminal trial. We'll have a guilty plea and a life sentence.

I'm having a hard time not getting some level of satisfaction out of considering what the other inmates will do to him once he makes it into prison. I have no sympathy for people of this man's character and I wish there were someway to help them.

Personally I dread all the possible defenses that they might bring out such as insanity, this man is going to suffer, either in this life when he realizes what he's truly done, or in the next when that knowledge is given to him. If you're religious or not, knowing that I'd hurt my child in that way would be the worst possible hell that I can imagine.

powerclown · 05-11-2005, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpea

"life in prison" anyone?

Life in prison is the kindest thing they could do with this guy. Guaranteed 3 meals a day, hot showers, a warm bed, surrounded by people with similar interests....

They should force him to live with my ex-wife for the rest of his days.

whocarz · 05-11-2005, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liquidlight

I have no sympathy for people of this man's character and I wish there were someway to help them.

The only help this scum and his ilk deserve is a piece of hot lead in the brain.

Sweetpea · 05-11-2005, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whocarz

The only help this scum and his ilk deserve is a piece of hot lead in the brain.

Instant death?

That seems too nice.

The death penatly is lovely . . . however, it ends their suffering.

Life in prison so he can think about what he did to his daughter would be more suitable.

As for the insanity defense . . . um... doesn't that apply here??
You'd HAVE to be insane to do this to someone, let alone two small little girls.

Sweet Pea

flat5 · 05-11-2005, 05:01 PM

Insane? I don't know. I do know that this guy is mean and irresponsible.
I hope he has a tough time in prison.

maleficent · 05-11-2005, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flat5

Insane? I don't know. I do know that this guy is mean and irresponsible.
I hope he has a tough time in prison.

Even in a prison hierarchy, this guy is lower than the lowest pondscum... He mightnot be given the death penalty, but he's not gonna survive in prison too long. My bitchy little karma fairies will make sure of that.

Gilda · 05-11-2005, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpea

As for the insanity defense . . . um... doesn't that apply here??

You'd HAVE to be insane to do this to someone, let alone two small little girls.

Sweet Pea

Clinically mentally ill, no doubt. Insanity in the legal sense means an inability to tell right from wrong and the inability to appreciate the consequences of your actions. In this case, that would mean, A: Did he know that his actions would kill the girls? and B: Did he know that doing so was wrong and illegal?

Insanity is an affirmative defense, meaning that the defendant essentially admits to the acts, but makes a claim that he isn't responsible. I've read that less than 1% of all insanity defenses are successful, and even when they are, the defendant ends up in a mental institution for the criminally insane, which is not a nice place to be.

05-09-2005, 02:44 PM	#1 (permalink)
Sweetpea Fade out Location: in love	Two little girls stabbed to Death. I just don't know what to say. My thoughts are with their families. Two little girls, 'best friends' were kidnapped and stabbed to death. Left to die in a park in Illinois. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/09/dead.girls/index.html Sweetpea __________________ Having a Pet Will Change Your Life! Looking for a great pet?! Click Here! "I am the Type of Person Who Can Get Away With A lot, Simply Because I Don't Ask Permission for the Privilege of Being Myself"

05-09-2005, 02:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	The story Bodies of 2 girls found in woods 'Best friends' stabbed to death in Illinois (CNN) -- Police said Monday they are investigating the discovery of the bodies of two girls in a park north of Zion, Illinois, as a homicide. The girls had been reported missing by their parents Sunday evening. Officials identified the girls as "best friends" Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9. "We do have two murdered children, and we don't have anybody in custody," said Zion Police Chief Doug Malcolm. "There's no solid leads." The cause of death was multiple stab wounds, said Lake County Coroner Richard Keller. No evidence of sexual assault was found, he said. Keller earlier said the girls were found in a wooded area and were not covered. Keller said there were "obvious injuries" and that police were looking for murder weapons. He said no DNA evidence had been found so far. The bodies were discovered at Beulah Park around 6 a.m. (7 a.m. ET). The park is primarily a wooded nature preserve, according to the Zion Park District's Web site. It also contains a bicycle trail and a playground. Zion is a small town 44 miles north of Chicago. Brent Paxton, a Lake County Board member who lives nearby, told The Associated Press the area is typically safe and quiet, and that his three young children play in the park. "Obviously, if it was random act, somebody just picking up kids in the park, I would be very concerned about that," Paxton told the AP. CNN's Keith Oppenheim contributed to this report. __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

05-09-2005, 02:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
hambone Zeroed In Location: CA	Oh my gosh. I used to live right near Zion...... That is horrible... __________________ "Like liquid white from fallen glass, Nothing to cry over"

05-09-2005, 07:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
jbw97361 Tilted	Well if they are still looking for the guys that did it, and they have something like the kind of car they are driving, i suppose they would keep it a secret so that they dont change autos. The police always have a reason for what they do. It might not be the best reason, but it all works out in the end usually. __________________ JBW

05-10-2005, 03:24 PM	#16 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	well damn http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...tory?id=745597 Father Arrested on Suspicion of Killing 8-Year-Old Daughter and Her Friend in Illinois By MIKE COLIAS Associated Press Writer The Associated PressThe Associated Press Could they have used a more unflattering photo ZION, Ill. May 10, 2005 — A man was arrested on murder charges Tuesday in the Mother's Day stabbings of his 8-year-old daughter and the little girl's best friend, who were killed after they went biking in a park. Jerry Hobbs, who was recently released from prison, had led police to the bodies just off a wooded bike path early Monday, claiming he spotted them while searching for his daughter, the girl's grandfather, Arthur Hollabaugh, told The Associated Press. Hobbs, 34, was questioned through the day about the deaths of Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9. Both girls had been beaten and stabbed repeatedly in the woods and left to die, Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said. He said the girls were found side-by-side and did not appear to have been sexually assaulted. Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said in announcing the charges Tuesday that he could not discuss possible motives for the killings, but prosecutors said more details would come out when Hobbs appears in bond court Wednesday morning. Authorities said Tuesday that additional charges could be filed, but they did not specify what they might be. "This horrific crime has terrorized and traumatized the Zion community and I think it's safe to say people of good will everywhere," Waller said. Hobbs has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1990 in Texas, including prior arrests for assault and resisting arrest, according to state Department of Public Safety records. Before being released April 12, he had served two years in a Texas prison for chasing neighbors with a chain saw during an argument with Laura's mother, Sheila Hollabaugh, according to Wichita County, Texas, Assistant District Attorney Rick Mahler. No one was hurt in the 2001 incident, and someone subdued Hobbs by hitting him in the back with a shovel, Mahler said. Hobbs was sentenced to 10 years of probation but failed to appear for required meetings, so his probation was revoked in 2003 and he was imprisoned. Hobbs had been living with the Hollabaughs after his release, Arthur Hollabaugh said. He said he worried authorities might be trying to railroad Hobbs in their search for the girls' killer. __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

05-09-2005, 02:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
la petite moi Filling the Void. Location: California	Heard about this. It's depressing what society is coming to. Ugh. I hope they find the killer and give him the death sentence.

05-09-2005, 03:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
Elphaba Deja Moo Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA	Could this have been done by one person? The girls were young, but very lively I imagine. If they were duped into a hardluck story, ala Ted Bundy, this town may have something more to be concerned about. Terrible news.

05-09-2005, 04:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
Gilda 32 flavors and then some Location: Out on a wire.	Just because there's no evidence of sexual assault doesn't mean that the assault wasn't sexual in nature. Some chickenhawks get sexual satisfaction from the violence itself, rather than any of what we'd call sexual contact. Here's hoping the person or people responsible are found soon.

05-09-2005, 05:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
rival Crazy Location: Pittsburgh, Pa	In every story like this, I have to wonder where their parents were. Children under 10 years old shouldn't have been without adult supervision.

05-09-2005, 07:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
Elphaba Deja Moo Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA	[QUOTE=maleficent I am having a hard time beleiving that there is no evidence found yet...[/QUOTE] Perhaps the investigators don't want the press running with something that can identify the killer(s)?

05-09-2005, 07:56 PM	#13 (permalink)
RAGEAngel9 Insane Location: Vermont	I live in Libertyville, Il which is in the same county. Zion isn't the safest place in Illinois, but far from the worst. It isn't that unlikely to have some kids riding by themselves to friends places, especially if it isn't that far. My town has still has lots of kids playing together without adults at times. I won't speculate on any sort of motive or possible suspect, but there isn't much more that done to protect these kids. If the person who did it knew them, that person would've made a move eventually. If they were just the unlucky random targets, it would've only been some other kids.

05-09-2005, 08:38 PM	#15 (permalink)
Elphaba Deja Moo Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA	Sounds like Cairo, where I live. Remote can be safe and/or dangerous.

05-10-2005, 03:56 PM	#17 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	and the NY TImes added some: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/na...0cnd-slay.html Father Arrested in Slaying of Two Girls in Illinois By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS Published: May 10, 2005 The father of one of two young girls found stabbed to death in a park on Monday was arrested and charged today with two counts of murder, easing the fear but not the shock that has gripped the town of Zion, Ill., since the girls were reported missing on Mother's Day. The charges against the father, Jerry Hobbs, were announced at a televised news conference this afternoon by the Lake County state's attorney, Michael J. Waller. Both children had been beaten and stabbed, he said at the press briefing in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago. Officials said there were no obvious indications of sexual assault. "This horrible crime has terrorized and traumatized the Zion community and, I think it's safe to say, people of good will everywhere," said Mr. Waller, who described it as the "most horrific crime" he had seen in 30 years in law enforcement. Mr. Hobbs reported finding the bodies of his missing 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend Krystal Tobias, 9, early Monday while he and Laura's grandfather, Arthur Hollabaugh, who is Mr. Hobbs's father-in-law, searched Beulah Park, in Zion. Laura and Krystal had been bicycling and playing in the neighborhood on Sunday, Mother's Day. When they did not return home that night, their families called the police. Mr. Hollabaugh told The Associated Press today that he and Mr. Hobbs began searching at first light on Monday and eventually spotted a child's bicycle in the bushes part way down a wooded ravine in the park. Minutes later, he said, Mr. Hobbs screamed that he had found the girls' bodies. "I went and I seen them from a distance," Mr. Hollabaugh told The A.P. "It was clear they were laying there." Mr. Hollabaugh said he did not believe that his son-in-law had killed the girls. "Jerry just got out of prison for aggravated assault, and I think they're holding that against him," Mr. Hollabaugh told The A.P. "I don't think he did it." During today's news conference, Mr. Waller said he could not provide details about the evidence against Mr. Hobbs because state law bars such disclosures until a suspect has had a bond hearing. Mr. Hobbs's hearing is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday. "We believe we have a compelling case against this defendant, and that will come out in due course," Mr. Waller said. The prosecutor did say that Mr. Hobbs' actions after he was questioned by the authorities had "piqued the officers' interest" in him as a possible suspect. Mr. Waller declined to describe those actions. Mayor Lane Harrison told reporters at the news conference that word that the killings did not appear to have been the work of a stranger might help calm his town of 22,000. But, Mayor Harrison added, "We will all have questions until the day we die." Citing records from the Texas Department of Public Safety, The Associated Press reported that Mr. Hobbs has an extensive criminal history dating to 1990 in Texas, including arrests for assault and resisting arrest. The records also show that Mr. Hobbs has had a rocky relationship with Laura's mother, Sheila Hollabaugh. Mr. Hobbs was arrested in 2001 after arguing with her, grabbing a chainsaw and chasing residents around the Texas trailer park where they lived at the time, according to an assistant district attorney in Wichita County, Rick Mahler. Mr. Hobbs was eventually subdued by a blow to the back with a shovel, Mr. Mahler told The Associated Press. Mr. Hobbs was convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to 10 years' probation, but he failed to appear for his required meetings, so his probation was revoked in 2003 and he was imprisoned until his release on April 12, the news service reported. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Is it just coincidental that the father was the one who found the girls? Or is he being made a scapegoat because of his criminal past? __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

05-10-2005, 04:02 PM	#18 (permalink)
Elphaba Deja Moo Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA	Oh, my. That explains how two girls could be drawn away without fighting or running. This one strikes too close to home for me when a parole system fails to monitor a felon adequately, and a mother who allows an abuser back in her life. I feel great sorrow for the two families. In answer to Mal's question, this man's history of violence would be reason enough for me to bring him in for questioning. The police are holding something back, so I should withhold judgement until charges are made tomorrow. Last edited by Elphaba; 05-10-2005 at 04:06 PM..

05-10-2005, 04:04 PM	#19 (permalink)
streak_56 who ever said streaking was a bad thing? Location: Calgary	Thats just horrible.... My thoughts goes out to the families.

05-11-2005, 07:13 AM	#25 (permalink)
Everytime Upright Location: Ontario	makes me feel sick

05-10-2005, 04:14 PM	#20 (permalink)
Seeker Getting Clearer Location: with spirit	Hmmm, chainsaws, probation meetings. No mention of any psychiatric or psychological counseling? There must have been some reason he was released, but if he is charged it really makes you question people and systems. I wonder, even with the charges to come, if anyone will ever know 'the truth' in this case. I certainly hope that if charges are made against him, that the evidence is not questionable. __________________ *To those who wander but who are not lost...* ~ Knowledge is not something you acquire, it is something you open yourself to.

05-10-2005, 06:53 PM	#21 (permalink)
Munku Lost Location: Florida	I'd be interested to know what evidence they have against him.

05-11-2005, 03:00 AM	#22 (permalink)
flat5 Very Insignificant Pawn Location: Amsterdam, NL	CNN's site mentions he also missed 'anger managment' meetings.

05-11-2005, 03:40 AM	#23 (permalink)
cj22009 On the edge of control Location: Ga	I can't see how anybody could do this to children it breaks my heart to just think of what was going though their heads. If it is the the one girls father that did this he for sure needs to get the death penalty.

05-11-2005, 03:45 AM	#24 (permalink)
stevie667 Too Awesome for Aardvarks Location: Angloland	Sounds disturbingly like the Soham murders we had over here. Disgusting all around. __________________ Office hours have changed. Please call during office hours for more information.

05-11-2005, 01:08 PM	#27 (permalink)
flstf Easy Rider Location: Moscow on the Ohio	Apparently he said he was mad because she stole some money and wouldn't go home when he told her to. I may have to rethink my position on the death penalty. Father denied bond in 'slaughter of two little girls' Laura Hobbs http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/s.../0509hobbs.jpg Krystal Tobias http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/s...0509tobias.jpg By Nicole Ziegler Dizon The Associated Press WAUKEGAN — Jerry Hobbs told investigators he was angry at his 8-year-old daughter for stealing money when he tracked her down in a wooded park on Mother's Day, punched her and then killed her and her best friend, stabbing the girls more than 30 times, prosecutors said Wednesday at his first court appearance on murder charges. Hobbs, shackled and in a dark blue jail uniform, stared at the courtroom floor as Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Jeff Pavletic described the case against him. "This was a slaughter of two little girls," Pavletic said. The killer was so enraged, he said, that the knife went through Laura Hobbs' neck and into her spine, and she had been stabbed once in each eye. After hearing the prosecutor's descriptions, the judge ordered Hobbs held without bond. A public defender had not yet been appointed to represent him. Hobbs had led police to the bodies of Laura and her 9-year-old friend Krystal Tobias early Monday morning, claiming he had come across them just off the Beulah Park bike path while searching with relatives for his missing daughter. In videotaped interviews over the following two days, however, prosecutors say Hobbs told them that he killed both girls after Laura refused to leave the park and that he then dragged their bodies into the woods. Hobbs, 34, told investigators he had gone out looking for his daughter between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday. He told Laura to go home but she refused, so he punched her for disobeying, Pavletic said. Krystal then pulled out a potato knife to try to defend her friend, and he attacked her as well, according to the interviews. Hobbs wrested the knife from her, hit her, and then stabbed both girls repeatedly, Pavletic said. He dragged them into the woods and left them face-up, side-by-side, Pavletic said. The girls had apparently taken their shoes off, and Hobbs had paired them next to the bodies, he said. "It was a brutal beating, repeated punching of the two little girls and then repeated stabs. It's pretty horrible," Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said. Laura was stabbed 20 times in the neck and abdomen and once in each eye, prosecutors said. Krystal was stabbed 11 times in the neck and torso. Waller said after the hearing that he didn't believe Krystal had brought the knife, but that that was what Hobbs had told investigators in the interviews and written statements. Pavletic said Hobbs, who had just been released from prison a month earlier for aggravated assault, told investigators he believed Laura had stolen money from her mother. She had been grounded, but her mother let her go out and play on Mother's Day. Last edited by hrdwareguy; 05-11-2005 at 02:04 PM.. Reason: Removing kids pics

05-11-2005, 01:21 PM	#28 (permalink)
liquidlight AHH! Custom Title!! Location: The twisted warpings of my brain.	Oh my God . . . so much blame and so much guilt, how does this happen to people?! __________________ Halfway to hell and picking up speed.

05-11-2005, 01:22 PM	#29 (permalink)
Sweetpea Fade out Location: in love	sickening. No other word for it. "life in prison" anyone? Sweet Pea __________________ Having a Pet Will Change Your Life! Looking for a great pet?! Click Here! "I am the Type of Person Who Can Get Away With A lot, Simply Because I Don't Ask Permission for the Privilege of Being Myself"

05-11-2005, 01:45 PM	#30 (permalink)
Gilda 32 flavors and then some Location: Out on a wire.	The story the father gave the police doesn't ring true. It sounds a lot like a technique used by adosecents to avoid some of the guilt for their own wrongdoing. They'll try to shift some of the blame onto another person, while still sticking to the basic facts. The idea is that if you admit to some wrongdoing, you seem honest, so you'll be believable when you try to shift blame. It's not an effective technique. It's truly pathetic that he's trying to shift blame here to the girls. Notice how his story makes it seem as if he's being a good father disciplining his child who maybe goes a bit too far, has to defend himself froma knife attack and things get a little out of hand? It's too easy to say he's a monster; that way we can distance ourselves from this behavior. His behavior was monstrous, but much of what humans do to each other is. This will never make it to a criminal trial. We'll have a guilty plea and a life sentence. __________________ I'm against ending blackness. I believe that everyone has a right to be black, it's a choice, and I support that. ~Steven Colbert

05-11-2005, 05:01 PM	#35 (permalink)
flat5 Very Insignificant Pawn Location: Amsterdam, NL	Insane? I don't know. I do know that this guy is mean and irresponsible. I hope he has a tough time in prison.