Charges filed in slaying of UMKC student from this summer

Jackson County prosecutors have filed charges in the slaying of Oladipo Oladimeji, a UMKC student killed this summer in a McDonald's parking near 64th and Troost. (I'm not 100 percent sure that I've gotten his name correct -- the charging docs and the current news coverage has it that way, but I went back to this summer's coverage, where the first and last names are reversed.)

A Nigerian native, the victim also worked as a Jackson County correction officer. Prosecutors say Markus "Twin" Whitelaw, the man charged Thursday, allegedly provided the gun used to kill Oladipo. The probable-cause statement says police relied on surveillance images and interviews with a couple of witnesses. Whitelaw is NOT accused of pulling the trigger.

The PC is also a good reminder for why the police hold back some details on murder cases. Oladipo's laptop was stolen during the shooting, which wasn't common knowledge. Investigators used that detail as a check of the witnesses' statements.

You can learn more about the victim here.

DUI suspect blames Ozzy Osbourne

Story is from Ohio. I would love to have heard the full explanation -- Did Ozzy break into his home and pour booze down his gullet? Was he hypnotized into getting blotto via subliminal messages on "Crazy Train"? -- but it doesn't sound like the gentleman was in any condition to go into details.

Robber hits Waldo store owned by homicide victim's parents

The parents of Brian Euston -- who was killed in Westport earlier this year -- own a Waldo hardware store that was robbed at gunpoint on Wednesday, KSHB reports.

KC traffic fatalities up slightly in 2010

So far, 68 people have died in traffic crashes in Kansas City this year, KCPD Chief Jim Corwin's blog reports. That's about three more than 2009.

Imprisoned sisters will go free, if one donates kidney to the other

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he'll release two sisters serving life sentences for an $11 robbery -- IF one of the sisters agrees to donate her kidney to the other. Which sounds terribly dramatic until you read that it was the kidney-rich sister's idea, and that -- if the sisters aren't matches -- the governor is still going to let them go early. Gladys and Jamie Scott have served 16 years so far.

All of this comes a few days after Barbour caught hell for making some politically incorrect remarks about the civil-rights era, so some critics wonder if he's doing this to buy forgiveness. The cherry on top: The Scotts want to move to Florida, so Mississippi's prison system won't have to pay for dialysis or the transplant. Everbody wins! Except Florida!

The Washington Post interviewed a few bioethicists who suggest that, hey, maybe we shouldn't make organ donation a condition of early prison releases.

Shapiro said he fears that if it becomes widely known that donating an organ could spur release from prison, "everybody in prison would be lining up with the parole board offering to donate a kidney."

(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Renee Pernice's family marks 2-year anniversary of her disappearance

Fox 4 has an interview with the family of Renee Pernice, who disappeared almost two years ago. Her husband, Shon, was charged in her murder earlier this year, but Renee's body has never been found. A $25,000 reward is still being offered in her case.

Officer, I swear I can explain ...

Another delightful explanation: A Florida man insists that he was not masturbating on a flight from Salt Lake City. Instead, some Tabasco sauce spilled on his crotch, he allegedly told police.

Probation for man who killed pet owner whose dog urinated on lawn

Charles Clements, a 69-year-old from the Chicago area, is getting four years of probation after he shot a man whose dog urinated on Clements' yard. The two men had gotten into an altercation, which included Clements getting punched in the face by the 23-year-old victim.

New Year's Open Thread

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments, and please avoid profanity, as well as racially and sexually abusive language. And when you sign your comments, please use only one nickname. If you need to reach me, please email jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Texas officer dies saving 11-year-old girl

Jillian Smith, a police officer in Arlington, Texas, died saving an 11-year-old girl on Tuesday, the Dallas Morning News reports. Smith, who recently completed her field training, was killed by Barnes Samuel Nettles, who had dated the girl's mother.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Who was Sujendra Amarasingham?

Christine Vendel has more about Sujendra Amarasingham, the UMKC student slain while working at an Inner City Oil gas station earlier this week.

I went to the prayer vigil held outside the store last night, and there were a few dozen people present. A lot of them were from the university, some were clergymen and neighbors, and the owner and other clerks spoke.

Everyone, to a person, said that Amarasingham was one of the gentlest, nicest people they'd ever met. Which you expect, to some extent. It's pretty rare that someone will come to these vigils and regale you with tales about the deceased being a jerk. But I really got the sense that Amarasingham was as decent as everyone said.

Besides his job at Inner City Oil, he had a job doing IT support at UMKC. He studied electrical and computer engineering, and if he'd lived, he would have graduated this spring.

Quote of the day

The Kitsap Sun found this wonderfully awesome quote from their police blotter. A suspect explained why he was carrying syrings and a spoon in his pocket, even though he hadn't done any heroin recently:

“It’s like carrying a condom, you never know when you’ll need one.”

The best defense is a good offense a gruesome murder

A New York man -- facing charges of beating a woman with a frying pan, strangling her with a power cord and leaving her body in a suitcase -- says it was a case of self-defense, police report.

That's hot: Stripper accused of setting rivals' underwear on fire

Story is from Louisville. She was allegedly mad at the other dancers for stealing her clientele, police say.

My grandma needs this heroin, officer

An Oklahoma man -- allegedly caught with $50,000 worth of heroin at an airport -- told authorities that it was for his sick grandma, the feds say. Or maybe for his diabetes and blood pressure.

Thief stole dead boy's video game from his casket, police allege

A Pennsylvania man is accused of stealing a handheld video game from a boy's casket during a viewing on Monday, police say.

Dial 'M' for murder ... or meh

The Crime Report has a really good article about homicide rates and why they to shrink or grow. The panel of experts thinks that, when the final numbers are in, 2010's homicide numbers will be flat or a little higher than 2009. The United States is pretty close to where it was in the 1960s. A lot of the peak years for murders, such as 1980 and the early 1990s, have coincided with a boom in the drug trade.

What's really shocking is some other cities' counts. El Paso has about three homicides so far this year. Seattle is on pace to record approximately 20. Kansas City, which is smaller than both, is a little over 100.

An indecent (exposure) proposal

An 80-year-old man -- suspected of indecent exposure in a national park's bathroom -- allegedly offered to do landscaping for the arresting officer if the incident could be overlooked, the Panama City Herald reports.

Hat Tip: Saw this via Fark!

Thursday's Open Thread

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments, and please avoid profanity, as well as racially and sexually abusive language. And when you sign your comments, please use only one nickname. If you need to reach me, please email jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

KC police fatally shoot suspect who allegedly charged officers

From Christine Vendel and Tony Rizzo:

Kansas City police shot and killed a 40-year-old Kansas City man this morning during a confrontation at a vacant house in south Kansas City. Officers were called to the house in the 7800 block of E. 111th Terrace on a report of a prowler. The officers could hear people inside. A back door had been kicked in.

According to police, when officers confronted the men, one prowler was carrying a 3-foot metal pole. Officers told him to drop it, but he charged them instead, said Officer Darin Snapp, a police spokesman. One officer fired, striking the suspect, Snapp said.

Customer stepped over dying clerk to steal cash from register

Kansas City police have released the name of a 25-year-old UMKC student who was slain while working at an Inner City Oil gas station. Sujendra Amarasingham, a native of Sri Lanka, had been studying computer and electrical engineering. He was fatally shot early Tuesday near 59th and Swope Parkway, Christine Vendel reports.

The gunman waited for Amarasingham to come outside from his secured bullet-resistant booth to empty trash. Amarasingham apparently saw the gunman and ran back into the building but was shot at the front door. The gunman stepped over Amarasingham’s body and stole merchandise, but no cash.

A customer arrived a few minutes later and tried to pay for gas. The customer saw Amarasingham dying on the floor and stepped over him to steal cash from the register. The customer left without offering help or notifying police.

I put the bolding in that second paragraph. It's been a while since I've been surprised at this city's criminals. But that one is a new low.

S.C. man hit while playing 'Frogger' on four-lane highway, police say

The 23-year-old had been trying to play a real-life version of the old arcade game and ran into traffic, moments before he was hit, Clemson police say.

Independence police investigate possible abduction outside store

From The Star: Independence police are investigating a report of a woman being abducted Tuesday night.

Witnesses said that a woman, possibly in her 20s, was taken about 10 p.m. from a convenience store in the 2300 block of South Lee’s Summit Road in Independence. A man, witnesses told police, forced himself into the woman’s car as she was leaving the parking not. The man assaulted the woman, witnesses said, and she appeared in distress. The woman’s car was described as a green mid-90s Ford Crown Victoria or similar style.

Officials don't know what killed man whose skull was found in KC yard

The medical examiner's office isn't sure what killed Terry Kirtley, whose skull was found in a yard near 37th and Myrtle in August, KSHB reports. The rest of his bones were found in some nearby woods a few days later. He disappeared from a group home months before the remains were found.

'Teen Mom' star arrested

Amber Portwood, who appeared on MTV's "Teen Mom" reality show, is facing charges of battery and neglect after she reportedly hit her former fiance while the cameras recorded it. She's now under a no-contact order, though as a first-time offender, it's unlikely that she'll do any jail time.