Morning Blotter, 7/28/08

* Rhode Island Couple Killed With Hoe, Stowed in Septic Tank -- (Warren, RI) James A. Soares Sr., 60, and wife Marian Soares, 53, were reported missing July 15 when they didn't attend a family reunion. Police in Warren believe they were murdered July 9 by their 24-year-old son, James Soares Jr. The younger Soares may have used a grub hoe to do the job. After they were murdered, the Soareses were hidden in a cesspool. Police found the probable murder weapon under James Soares Sr's body. Junior was a suspect early in the investigation, and the worst fears of the Soares family were confirmed when police finally dug the couple up on Saturday, July 26. James Soares Jr. was charged Sunday with killing his parents and concealing their bodies.

Soares Jr. had a MySpace at one point. It was virtually blank save for his photo album, which seemed a little telling -- two images were from the movies Scarface and Goodfellas, respectively. Other images showed Soares partying with friends, two young women, one scantily clad, and Soares in front of a vehicle in his parents' backyard, a man (possibly his father?), standing in the background.

While James Soares Jr. may have identified with movie gangsters in the past, his previous crimes were mostly minor. His alleged murder of his parents was a significant leap forward for his gangster aspirations, but also his undoing, since it's hard to run some kind of Rhode Island-based vice empire from the lifer's row in a state prison. [Fox News]

* Dustin Patterson -- A Creep to Watch? (Tulsa, OK) Cops in Tulsa think Dustin Patterson, age 23, kidnapped a 6-year-old girl early Saturday, July 26, 2008. Patterson, who knew the girl's family, allegedly took the little girl through her bedroom window. Cops say Patterson also threatened to stab the girl if she made any noise. According to the victim, Patterson held her in his lap and drove around for a while before he finally stopped and let her out of the car at a street corner. Police don't think the little girl was sexually abused, but Patterson has been charged with kidnapping and burglary.

Dustin Patterson had a couple of personal profiles on MySpace, and he last logged in to this one in February this year. The day prior to his last login, Patterson made what looked like his only blog post on that account, and it indicated that he'd already been in trouble with the law this year: "jail,$1500,3 days,court,cops,$137got stolen.but the worst most stressfull part of it all is not being able 2 be with my girlfriend & her cool lil boy all because i was being a dumbass!!!!"

Lesson apparently not learned. Unless the current charges against Patterson carry severe penalties, though, he'll be back out sooner than later. He may just be a creep to watch. [NewsChannel 8]

* Wills and Insurance, As Usual -- (Brooklyn, NY) The mystery of the July 16 double-murder of attorneys Mark Schwartz and his wife, Christina Petrowski-Schwartz has kept NYC abuzz for nearly two weeks. Police now believe the key to unlocking the puzzle of the couples' murder may lay in an insurance policy and last will and testament. While he is not considered a suspect, police have their eye on a former business associate of the Schwartzes, Robert Delvicario. [NYDN]

* He May Have Just Hated Churches -- (Knoxville, TN) Jim David Adkisson, age 58, allegedly walked into Tennessee Valley Unitarian in Knoxville on Sunday morning carrying a shotgun, ammo and a grudge. When all was said and done, two people were dead and several more injured. Adkisson's alleged attack came as the children of the congregation performed the musical, Annie Jr.. [WBIR]

* Celebrity Trainwreck 101? -- (Hollywood, CA) Shia LaBeouf is courting Britney Spears-style press of late. Early Sunday morning, LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk. The LA County Sheriff's Dept. says it was about 2:30 a.m. when LaBeouf took a wrong left turn and ran into another vehicle. LaBeouf rolled his truck and injured his hand. His passenger suffered minor injuries, as did the driver of the other vehicle. Looks like someone might be doing PSAs for MADD, soon. [LAT]

* SMCC Shooter May Have Been Punched -- (Phoenix, AZ) The first person allegedly shot by Rodney Smith in the computer lab at South Mountain Community College last Thursday may have struck Smith first. Apparently Isaac Deshay Smith, age 19 (no relation to Rodney), the most seriously wounded of the three victims, was sentenced to jail for striking Rodney Smith late last year. The AP reports that the men had clashed verbally every time they encountered one another ever since. During the confrontation between the two that led to the gunfire, Isaac Smith allegedly punched Rodney Smith, prompting the 22-year-old to open fire. [AP]

* ON THIS DAY IN TRUE CRIME HISTORY: Mary Rogers -- (New York, NY) On July 28, 1841, the body of Mary Cecilia Rogers was pulled from the Hudson River. For a time, the questions surrounding the death of "Beautiful Cigar Girl" galvanized the nation. It also inspired the Edgar Allan Poe short story, "The Mystery of Marie Roget." The real mystery of what happened to Mary Rogers was never solved, but theories range from gang rape to a botched abortion. [TruTV.com]