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Rachel Cooke

Saturday, June 16, 2007

The last time Michael Keith Moore surfaced in public, he was expected to
admit to kidnapping and killing Rachel Cooke, whose 2002 disappearance
still haunts her family and Williamson County.

But Moore, serving life sentences for a 2003 murder, pleaded not guilty
in November in the Cooke case — reneging on a deal with prosecutors and
dragging the Cooke family through another round of bitter disappointment.

Now Moore, in his first prison interview since that surprise plea, said
he was telling the truth when he pleaded not guilty. He claims he duped
investigators because he was getting special treatment in prison,
including extra visits with his ex-wife and having prison infractions
wiped off his record, as long as he cooperated.

Investigators, calling Moore a born manipulator, aren't buying his story.

Cooke's father isn't sure what to think.

"It's kind of hard to tell with this guy. He's probably a compulsive
liar. He's a predator, and that's part of the way he goes after people
is to lie," Robert Cooke said. "He's definitely a suspect, and they have
to look closely at him. But based on his history, how much of what he
says can you believe?

"I'm hoping somehow we can piece all this together. Either get more
evidence on him, or else omit him," Robert Cooke said.

Shortly after his not guilty plea, Moore scheduled — then canceled —
interviews with several TV and newspaper reporters. The
American-Statesman published a profile of Moore in December that
characterized him as a narcissist who craves attention and who believes
his intelligence allows him to toy with, and outwit, investigators.

Moore, who has spent most of his adult life in prison, took exception to
that article in a January letter to the newspaper, but fell silent when
invited to give his version of events.

Since January, no investigators have interviewed Moore in prison, and
after four months without contact, Moore sent a letter to the Statesman
in mid-May offering to talk. "Earlier the better for me," he wrote. "I
will not cancel out this time."

Sitting behind the bullet-proof glass in the visitors lounge of the
Hughes Unit in Gatesville, with his thick forearms heavily tattooed,
Moore was wary at first and asked if the reporter was acting on behalf
of the FBI or Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley.

He warmed to the task of describing how investigators should have seen
the holes in his story about kidnapping Cooke, who was 19 when she
disappeared. And he apologized to the Cooke family for promising closure
in the case and then failing to deliver.

"I can imagine them thinking their daughter, their loved one, just
disappeared again right there in that court. That's what I feel so bad
about," said Moore, 31.

For Robert Cooke, the apology rings hollow: "That's the part I don't
believe. I don't think he cares."

Moore insists that he got caught up in a game with investigators,
especially Fred Rhea with the FBI's violent crimes task force. Rhea was
the one who brought up Rachel Cooke, Moore said, and he played along,
right up to his confession.

"I already went so far, I guess you could say I made my bed, so I had to
lie in it," Moore said. "I guess you could say I was basically being an
(expletive), thinking about what benefits I could get from this guy
coming to see me, this FBI guy."

Changing his story

Moore told investigators that he was driving around Georgetown on the
morning of Jan. 10, 2002, in search of businesses or homes to break
into. He said he drove past Cooke, who was jogging. He pulled over and
parked, he said, and then ran a short distance in front of his truck
before turning around. Pretending to be out jogging, Moore said, he
timed his run so he and Cooke would meet at his truck, where he hit her
in the head with a hammer.

He told investigators he drove her to another location and raped her,
hid her body in the truck's large toolbox, and then drove to Matagorda
Bay to hide the body.

He changed his plea in court, Moore said, because he didn't want to help
"somebody get away with murder."

Bradley, the district attorney, scoffs at that notion.

"I would note that Michael Keith Moore is serving four life sentences,
is a psychopathic killer, a proven pathological liar, and has repeatedly
used the media to manipulate his circumstances. It would appear to me
that he's attempting to manipulate the media once again," Bradley said.

Before his February 2006 trial in the murder of Christina Moore, no
relation, Michael Moore made several calls to KVUE-TV, saying he was
innocent but knew who had killed the Round Rock woman. He declined to
reveal names for fear that his wife would be killed, KVUE reported.

In fact, Moore slit Christina Moore's throat as she kneeled in her
bedroom closet on Sept. 23, 2003. She was 35 and three months pregnant.

Prosecutors sought a capital murder verdict, and possible death
sentence, but jurors declined — finding Moore guilty of murder,
aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping.

Before his sentence could be imposed, Moore pleaded guilty and received
concurrent life sentences.

Investigators, stumped for years by Cooke's disappearance, approached
Moore last year in the belief that somebody who had killed once might
have killed before.

Moore's confession was the product of repeated meetings, including a
supervised visit to Matagorda Bay, where Moore said he pointed out the
cove where he threw Cooke's body, covered in a tarp and weighed down by
rocks.

Searches revealed no sign of her body.

Speaking this week from prison, Moore said he lied about the cove,
choosing a secluded spot after being driven around the bay for several
hours.

He also said his confession about Cooke's disappearance should have
raised questions, such as:

How could he have feigned jogging in street clothes?

Wouldn't a hammer-carrying jogger, or one running with one arm behind
his back, raise suspicions?

If Moore was casing businesses for a break-in, wouldn't they have been
open by the time Cooke disappeared, estimated to be after 9:15 a.m.?

Moore also said he gave away the large metal toolbox, which he had
claimed was used to hide Cooke's body, two months before Cooke's
disappearance.

Finally, he said, he was so muscular after lifting weights before his
2000 release from prison, "I wouldn't need a hammer. That's something
(investigators) would know."

Bradley declined to discuss an ongoing investigation.

"We're going to behave professionally and not have a public debate about
Michael Moore," Bradley said.

"We are going to continue to collect evidence in hopes that someday we
can prosecute him for the death of Rachel Cooke."

Rachel's Cooke's father said he merely hopes for some finality.

"We just don't know. We've got (Moore) out there, but I don't think we
should 100 percent focus on him, based on the lies that he's told in the
past," Robert Cooke said.

"It's hard for me to know what part of that story is true right now."

clindell@statesman.com, 912-2569




Monica Caison
CUE Center for Missing Persons
PO Box 12714
Wilmington, NC 28405
(910) 343-1131
(910) 232-1687 24 Hour Line
Email: cuecenter@aol.com
Website: http://www.ncmissingpersons.org/

William (Billy) Smolinski, Jr

House passes bill to improve investigations of missing people

Posted May 22, 2007
3:40 PM

(Hartford-AP) _ The state House of Representatives has unanimously approved a bill that would improve standards for how police investigate missing person cases.

The legislation is in response to the case of Billy Smolinski, a 31-year-old Waterbury resident who disappeared in 2004 and has yet to be found.

Smolinski's family says police made them wait three days to report his disappearance, and authorities lost or misplaced Billy Smolinski's DNA samples three times. His relatives also say they had to pressure police to fingerprint his truck.

The House approved the bill 148-0 and sent it to the Senate.

Representative Vickie Nardello of Prospect urged the House to approve the bill, saying no one should have to go through what the Smolinski family went through. The legislation would require the state's Police Officer Standards and Training Council to develop guidelines by next January for how police accept missing persons reports and what information they should provide to victims' families.

Several other states are considering similar laws.


















Updated Contact information on Billy Smolinski, Jr.



William (Billy) Smolinski, Jr’s Official Family

Website is: www.justice4billy.com


Please go to news articles and update tabs for all news stories on Billy.

Please forward this story to others so they can also read it. Thank you





Please e-mail confidential information to: info@justice4billy.com



Please mail confidential information to:

P.O. Box 123, Cheshire CT. 06410

Sky News - Madeleine's Eye Holds Vital Clue

Sky News - Madeleine's Eye Holds Vital Clue

Madeleine McCann update

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1265689,00.html

Breaking News

William (Billy) Smolinski

SHELTON: Officials search for missing Waterbury man under driveway

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

BY BEN CONERY


Copyright © 2007 Republican-American

Tips that missing Waterbury man Billy Smolinski Jr. was killed and buried under a driveway here led authorities on a fruitless search for his body Monday.

FBI agents and officers from Waterbury, Shelton and state police descended upon Fort Hill Avenue, a residential street of average-sized homes off Route 110, a main thoroughfare in this city of 38,000.

Investigators spent about five hours searching several locations, focusing on the driveway of 65 Fort Hill Ave.

State police dogs trained to locate human remains gave investigators some hope after the dogs indicated they picked up a scent near the driveway. But after investigators dug a small hole and drilled under the driveway, the dogs did not indicate they smelled anything. Investigators then abandoned the search.

Law enforcement officials were tight-lipped about the search. Though the FBI is the lead agency, a spokeswoman referred questions to Shelton and Waterbury police.


Shelton police Capt. Michael Madden said there were no further plans to search in Shelton. Waterbury police spokesman Lt. Christopher Corbett would only say the investigation into Smolinski's disappearance is ongoing.

Monday's search came after the FBI investigated tips that Smolinski was buried under the driveway on Fort Hill Avenue, a Colonial-style house that was built about the time Smolinski went missing at the age of 31 in August 2004.

According to information supplied to law enforcement agencies -- some coming from jailhouse informants -- Smolinski supposedly was killed by the son of his ex-girlfriend. The son buried Smolinski's body under the driveway before it was paved, according to the tips. The son, who has since died of a drug overdose, was said to have been working construction at the house while it was built.

A version of that tip was included in documents released after the state Freedom of Information Commission ordered Waterbury police to open most of their files into Smolinski's disappearance.

So far, investigators have not revealed any evidence to support that theory.

Smolinski's mother said Monday she was satisfied with the effort of law enforcement to follow up on the tips. Janice Smolinski had particular praise for the FBI, which took over the investigation from Waterbury police last year. The Smolinski family has been critical of Waterbury police in the case.

"We're happy that the FBI is heavily involved now and hopefully we'll get our answers, we need them," she said. The family has been aggressive in searching for answers and seeking information. Janice Smolinski said a new billboard of her son will be revealed this week along Interstate 84 in Waterbury.

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?s=6481423



















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Comments?

Updated Contact information on Billy Smolinski, Jr.



William (Billy) Smolinski, Jr’s Official Family

Website is: www.justice4billy.com



Please go to news articles and update tabs for all news stories on Billy.

Please forward this story to others so they can also read it. Thank you





Please e-mail confidential information to: info@justice4billy.com



Please mail confidential information to:

P.O. Box 123, Cheshire CT. 06410

Updated on Carrie Culberson Case

Below are two articles related to Carrie's case. One is in remembrance of National Crime Victims Rights Week which is this week, and the others is regarding the man whose barn was searched in 2004 where some items related to Carrie were found at 15 feet beneath the surface.


Victim's mother among speakers
Debra Culberson at April 26 event

http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=49&SubSectionID=156&ArticleID=154647
Messer charged in multi-county investigation
http://www.wnewsj.com/main.asp?SectionID=49&SubSectionID=156&ArticleID=154647

For more information regarding Carrie,

www.FindCarrieCulberson.Com




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www.Myspace.Com/FindCarrie
www.AngelGardenOfHope.Com
http://FindCarrie.BlogSpot.Com

Melissa Hawach

Hawach Returns With Children to Canada





Written by Evan Wright - 600 Action News-Local First
Sunday, 25 February 2007The Missing Children Society of Canada is confirming that former Saskatoon native Melissa Hawach is back from Lebanon, where she took back her kids.
Hawach, who now lives in Calgary, was granted legal custody of her 3-year-old and 6-year-old daughters by Canadian law makers.

Melissa claims her estranged husband took the children to Lebanon without her consent.

She made the trip to the country and took back her children. The Hawach's were in hiding in Lebanon since Christmas.

However, officials will not say where the trio is now, other then they're finally back in Canada.

Pat Viola

On Monday, 2/26/07, I will be going to Trenton, NJ, to testify on "Patricia's Law", S2255
for the Senate Committee, Law and Public Safety and Veterans' Affairs. S2255 has been
added to the agenda and I will be there on Monday to help expedite its passage through
the Senate Committee.

Just use the http://www.njleg.state.nj.us
and select Senate Committees, then Law and Public Safety and Veterans' Affairs Committee,
then select agenda. Try it.

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2006/Bills/S2500/2255_I1.HTM


The next step would be to push the Assembly version of "Patricia's Law", A3643, in the Assembly
Committee for Law and Public Safety. We need to get A3643 on the committee's agenda.

Jim

Explanation of proposed bill will be found on link or Angels That Care. This is a proposal for New Jersey resident's.

http://www.angelsthatcare.org/ModelLegislation-Final.pdf

Kristin Smart

A water tank has been searched in connection with the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart. Her birthday is tomorrow (Feb. 20, 2007). Please see article below


Acting an a tip, sheriff's deputies searched Friday for the remains of Kristin Smart, a Cal Poly student who vanished in 1996.

The e-mail tip to the Sheriff's Department said there were bones in a water tank on the Cal Poly campus that may have been related to the case, said Sheriff's Sgt. C.J. Bell.

Deputies searched the area on a hill Friday afternoon and climbed inside the tank but did not find any bones.

Investigators called the search off shortly after 6 p.m.

The 19-year-old freshman disappeared while walking home from a party. She was declared legally dead in 2002.

A $100,000 reward remains unclaimed.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/16721249.htm

http://www.findkristinsmart.org/

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www.Myspace.Com/FindCarrie
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http://FindCarrie.BlogSpot.Com