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A grand jury indicted a local woman Monday for first-degree premeditated murder after police say she shot her ex-boyfriend a day before Valentines Day this year.

The indictment comes nearly two months after police arrested Katherine Jean Tonner, 24, in connection with the death of her ex-boyfriend, 26-year-old Jose Ricardo Ortiz III. Ortiz was found dead in Tonners room at The Ridge at Gainesville with at least one bullet wound in his head, according to Alligator archives.

On Monday, a grand jury evaluated evidence presented by the state attorney and indicted Tonner on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder.

One of Tonners roommates discovered Ortizs body after he heard three loud bangs from Tonners room and then a fire alarm at about noon, according to an arrest report. He found Ortizs body facedown near Tonners bed and expended shell casings nearby.

The roommate saw Tonner drive away before Tonner called 911 from her parents home. She told dispatch she had shot a man whom she loved after he had asked her for money, according to the report. She said she was suicidal.

She told a responding Alachua County Sheriffs deputy she had placed the gun in a kitchen drawer.

I shot him in the head, she told the deputy, per the report. I never meant to hurt anyone.

After the initial investigation, Gainesville Police submitted an amended arrest report, including the discovery of a suicide note in Tonners room. Police said Tonner professed her love for Ortiz in the note.

On a calendar on the wall outside her room, police found hearts and the word death written in all capital letters under Feb. 14, according to the report.

Prior to the shooting, Tonner reached out to Ortizs mother to have him come back for things left in Tonners apartment, police said.

She insisted Ortiz be the one to come pick up the items, and, the day of the shooting, left work to go meet him at her apartment, according to the report.

During the crime scene investigation, police determined that Tonner shot the gun at least five times while standing between the door and Ortiz.

Ortiz was shot four times, including twice after he had fallen to the ground, according to the investigation.

UF law professor Kenneth Nunn, the assistant director of the Criminal Justice Center, said the indictment means the grand jury found probable cause to press formal charges. He said it could take months for a trial but if the state attorney makes it a capital offense, Tonners maximum sentence could be the death penalty.

As of press time, Tonner remains in custody at Alachua County Jail.

Contact Meryl Kornfield at [emailprotected] and follow her on Twitter at @MerylKornfield

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Grand jury indicts woman for murder in Ridge case - The Independent Florida Alligator

Clay Neely / The Newnan Times-Herald

Officer Thomas Lanyi stands inside the new crime scene van that belongs to the Newnan Police Department. Along with Lt. Tate Washington, Lanyi designed the interior to accommodate the needs of any active crime scene.

For many years, Newnan police crime scene technicians made do with a rather unorthodox vehicle for the job: a 2007 Chevy Impala.

Detectives would sort through the trunk of the car, looking for their standard tools of the trade like fingerprint kits and evidence bags. If something was left back at the office, someone would inevitably have to retrieve it.

Now, a custom-designed crime scene van is ensuring investigators have every tool at their disposal at any given time. A 2017 Dodge Ram 3500 cargo van is now the centerpiece of any active crime scene.

Officer Thomas Lanyi has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. Three years ago, the longtime Moreland resident retired from the Cobb County Sheriffs Office and began working at the Newnan Police Department as his retirement job.

After serving on patrol with Newnan, he eventually took on the position of crime scene investigator bringing him full circle in his career.

When breaking into law enforcement in the early 1980s, Lanyi cut his teeth as a crime scene investigator and evidence custodian. Getting back into crime scene investigation was like riding a bike, Layni said.

Along with Lt. Tate Washington, Lanyi helped design the interior of the truck, which allowed him to use his experience as an investigator to make sure every inch of space counted.

The van features locking drawers, a desk for fingerprint and paperwork, along with LED lights. The work area is entirely climate controlled. Work lights illuminate the outside of the van, and all evidence is safely secured inside.

The design was carried out by Leggett & Platt, a manufacturer that designs and produces various engineered components and products. Washington and Lanyi submitted their idea, and the final product was exactly as envisioned.

Anything that might be needed at the scene of a crime is now readily available.

The van is a far cry from its predecessor.

This truck is capable of handling four Impala trunks, Newnan Police Chief D.L. Buster Meadows joked. In the past, someone would have to come back to the office and return to the scene. This makes our investigations much more streamlined.

Even with all the bells and whistles, Lanyi said hes most proud of the fact that the project stayed under budget. The final cost of the truck after full customization was $41,321.73. Because it was paid for using seized assets, it came at no cost to taxpayers.

As fast as our city is growing, its a major asset to the department, Lanyi said. I think this sets us up for taking care of the needs of a growing community for a long time.

**** Clay Neely: clay@newnan.com, @clayneely

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NPD's new crime scene van signals a shift towards the future - Newnan Times-Herald

A new member has joined the Duncan Police Department Investigation Unit, but she isnt new to policing the streets.

Lori Adams, who served as the Evidence and Property Custodian for DPD, now takes on the position of Crime Scene Investigative Technician. Shes seen more accomplishments than that this year though; she also took home the City of Duncan Employee of the Year Award.

When the opportunity was presented to me, I knew this was a challenge I wanted to accept and I am looking forward to the training and experiences ahead, Adams said. I work with an outstanding support system and feel very honored for the confidence this department places into me.

The position change stemmed from ongoing budget cuts, Police Chief Danny Ford said.

According to Ford, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation might have to pull some of their staffing from the area, including in divisions related to criminal investigations. This was the best decision to handle the money troubles, officials said.

Capt. Joe Shoemake said, Having Lori fill this position will benefit the investigations division by allowing our team to begin any investigation while she is able to process, collect and secure evidence at the scene.

The position for Adams will become fully functioning within the next year, officials say, and shes expected to help streamline the evidence collection process. Previously, Adams was sent to a three-week crime scene investigation technical school, DPD states.

She received training in evidence collection, fingerprinting, photography, blood spatter, search methods, diagraming and other subjects pertaining to the duties required in the CSI Tech Position, states a press release.

Adams began with DPD as a dispatcher in 2003, but shes off to Academy next to obtain her Cleet Reserve Certification.

Read more from the original source:
DPD Investigation Unit adds new family member - Duncan Banner

Fans of NCIS would love a chance to engage with the characters of the show, even if it was just taking a selfie with a wax figure looking like Mark Harmon. This aspect of being a devoted NCIS viewer is the sign of a well written TV show. The viewers desire to escape the real world to fight crime and help put the bad guys away (even if it is only for an hour).

This NCIS loyalty got me thinking this week about NCIS and the future of the show. It is possible that this famed CBS show will ever get a fan attraction like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has in Las Vegas? With the attraction called CSI: The Experience, viewers of the show get to play a crime scene investigator and check out two state-of-the-art forensic crime labs. If youve gone, you know the special effects are amazing. And its like you are in the middle of the TV showno really!

Giving props to each series respectively, the CBS shows have diehard fans. They continueoffering up new episodes that just keep getting better and the writers have done a great job keeping up with new technology to make crime solving even more interesting. However, the biggest difference is CSI fans were crushed when the show ended, while the NCIS series has continued to grow strongriding high with new episodes. The Vegas attraction is very popular, so creating an attraction highlighting the best of NCIS could also be extremely popular.

It was in 2000 that CSI hit the airwaves and NCIS started only three years later. Both CBS shows have impacted the way the world looks at the men and women who solve crimes. Add that NCIS honors the armed services. It could be argued this show deserves an attraction too. The attention given to the real NCIS agents who work their beats and find justice for victims would be awesome too. If that isnt enough, then who wouldnt be willing to shell out a few bucks for a selfie standing next to Mark Harmon? See, I told you a NCIS attraction would be a great idea!

This column was written by Jodi Jill and if youre looking for more then be sure to head on over to the link here.Also, you canfollow her on Facebook and Twitter! (Photo: CBS.)

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Will NCIS ever get a fan attraction like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in Las Vegas? - CarterMatt

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WDTV) -- Fairmont State University Criminal Justice students recently took top honors at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences/Alpha Phi Sigma National Conference in Kansas City, Mo. In fact, Fairmont State will be known as the Alpha Phi Sigma National Office for the next two years because three FSU students won the national election for the presidential slate of the organization and will serve a two-year term as its national officers.

The new national officers are Samuel Hamilton, President; Morganne Phillips, Secretary; and Phillip Sands, Treasurer. A student from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore will serve as Vice President.

As the chapter advisor to Alpha Phi Sigma, Im very pleased to announce that Fairmont State University students won the national election. The students will be involved in recruiting new chapters, maintaining communication with more than 300 chapters nationwide and planning the next two national conferences that will be held in New Orleans and Baltimore, said Dr. Deanna Shields, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and advisor to FSUs Epsilon Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society.

The FSU chapter also won first place in the T-shirt design competition, the Star Chapter Award given by the National Headquarters and the Outstanding Chapter for Leadership Award presented by a panel of judges at the conference.

FSUs students consistently perform well in the national crime scene competition. Last year the FSU team won first place in the crime scene competition over teams from 16 other schools.

Because FSU has won so many times, they have now what they call the Fairmont rule. If a team wins one year, they cant compete the next, said crime scene investigation coach Dr. John McLaughlin.

This year the FSU crime scene investigation students developed, administered and judged the entire crime scene competition.

With the assistance of Dr. John McLaughlin, the crime scene competition was a tremendous success, Shields said.

The FSU team is comprised of the following students: Nick Brown, Brittiany Brummage, Olivia Eubanks, Samuel Hamilton, Thairon Holler, Bailey Kershner, Emily Markham, Amber Miller, Abby Palmer, Julian Pecora, Morganne Phillips, Jamie Riddell, Sarita Robinson, Phillip Sands and William Siegler.

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FSU Criminal Justice students take top honors in national competition - WDTV