Grand jury indicts two on unrelated first-degree murder charges
princeton – Two first-degree murder charges, kidnapping and child abuse resulting in death are among the indictments handed down by the February session of the Mercer County Grand Jury.
Carlos Lee Manuel Lopez, 18, of Princeton was indicted on charges including first-degree murder, robbery, assault during the commission of a felony, wanton endangerment, use or presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony and conspiracy, according to the indictments list at the Mercer County Circuit Clerk's Office.
Lopez has been charged with first-degree murder in the June 8, 2024 death of Shaileshbhai 'Sam' Patel. Patel was found around 1 a.m. that day when officers with the Princeton Police Department responded to a report about a gunshot victim at Kee Street, Detective S.M. Severt of the Princeton Police Department said in a criminal complaint. Patel was deceased when officers arrived on the scene.
During the investigation, officers obtained surveillance videos of two suspects in the area when the shooting occurred, Severt said in the complaint. Officers also received an anonymous tip advising that 'CJ' Carlos Lopez and a juvenile had purchased a firearm and planned to rob Patel of his laptop computer. A juvenile was arrested along with Lopez. A 9-mm pistol was later recovered.
In another case, Cory Lee Callen, 33, of Bluefield, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, use or presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony and unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, according to the indictments list.
Callen was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after the Jan. 4 death of Leona Edwards on Gardner Loop Road near Princeton. Callen allegedly ambushed Edwards while she was exiting her vehicle and shot her several times.
Senior Trooper N.C. Patton with the West Virginia State Police Princeton Detachment testified during Callen's preliminary hearing about what he observed after arriving at Gardner Loop Road.
Edwards was found face down at the driver's side of her vehicle, Patton said while being questioned by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney David Pfeifer. She had been shot through her head's temple area with the shot going down into her neck. There were multiple gunshot wounds in her abdomen area.
Callen was regarded as the 'number one suspect' due to the fact Edwards had filed a domestic violence petition or DVP, Patton said.
Before the Jan. 4 murder, Callen was arrested on May 22, 2023 and later indicted by the June 2023 Mercer County Grand Jury on charges including unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person; domestic battery; unlawful restraint; obstructing an officer; and fleeing on foot from an officer.
In another case before the grand jury, Robyn Lake Defibaugh, 27, of Bluefield was indicted on a charge of child abuse resulting in death. Defibaugh was arrested and charged after sleeping with her 45-day-old son on Nov. 7, 2024 and allegedly rolling on top of him.
Detective-Lieutenant D.A. Williams with the Bluefield Police Department was dispatched to Defibaugh's College Avenue home in regards to the death of a 45-day-old baby, according to the criminal complaint Williams filed at the Mercer County Magistrate Clerk's Office.
'Upon entering the residence I observed a female, later identified as Robyn Lake Defibaugh sitting on her bed holding her deceased son,' Williams said in his report. 'Sgt. (A.E.) Green, who was first on the scene advised when he arrived Defibaugh was holding the baby, he asked 'how long' which she replied, 'I don't know.' Defibaugh advised it was an accident to officers on the scene.'
Williams said that he advised Defibaugh about her Miranda Rights and he conducted an interview after she agreed to speak about the incident.
Defibaugh said that she went to bed with the baby at around 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov 7 (2024) and said 'she woke up in a panic because she knew she had fell asleep with the baby,' Williams said in the criminal complaint. 'She stated that she always sleeps with the baby in the bed. She advised that when she woke up her back was pushed against his face, she stated that she tried to wake him up and she didn't wake up and he felt stiff.'
'Defibaugh was then asked if she was currently under the influence of alcohol, prescriptions or narcotics,' Williams said in his report. 'She advised she drank 1 glass of wine before bed but then corrected herself and advised she had drunk a whole bottle of wine before bed. When Defibaugh was asked what size bottle she drank she replied 'with the big one.'' The wine came from a 1.5 liter bottle, he said. Detective-Sgt. Kevin Ross found the bottle in the kitchen's trash can.
An alleged abduction led to a Virginia man being indicted by the grand jury.
Jalen Hale, 21, of Falls Mills, Va. was indicted on charges including kidnapping, first-degree sexual assault, wanton endangerment and malicious assault, according to the indictments list.
Warrants for Hale's arrest were obtained after an investigation into the report of a June 26, 2024 abduction and sexual assault of an adult female in Bluewell, Lt. S.A. Sommers with the Mercer County Sheriff's Department said after Hale surrendered to authorities. Deputy A.C. Nelson is the investigating officer.
Nelson testified during Hale's preliminary hearing in July 2024 that he was notified June 27 around 1:17 a.m. about a possible abduction in Bluewell along Coal Heritage Road. He was informed along with Lt. W.E. Rose that an adult female had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Nelson said he was also told a gun was involved. A statement was taken from the woman.
Nelson said the woman asked if they could find her cellphone which she thought was somewhere in her car. A cellphone that didn't belong to her was found face-up and still on in the front passenger seat.
Checking the cellphone showed it belonged to Jalen Hale, Nelson said. A hat and a vinyl glove were found about 20 feet from where the victim had exited her car and ran into the nearby woods.
The woman said that she was parked outside a Bluewell business to pick up a relative when a man approached her and asked if he could get in the car and out of the rain, Nelson said. This man left when she refused, came back with a small-caliber handgun and demanded to be allowed in the car.
Contact Greg Jordan at
gjordan@bdtonline.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kash Patel Sends Ominous Threat in Response to L.A. Protests
The FBI says it will act on its own to squash the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests. FBI Director Kash Patel issued an ominous threat to the city and its residents late Sunday night, claiming that his agency would intervene in the multiday anti-Trump display without explicit direction. 'Just so we are clear, this FBI needs no one's permission to enforce the constitution,' Patel posted on X. 'My responsibility is to the American people, not political punch lines. LA is under siege by marauding criminals, and we will restore law and order. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you.' In a move that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should agree with, California announced it would sue the federal government Monday, arguing that the Trump administration's order to send hundreds of National Guard troops toward Los Angeles, without coordination with the state's governor, was an unconstitutional breach of power. Hours earlier, FBI Public Affairs Assistant Director Ben Williamson shared that Patel had gotten off a call with 'senior leadership' addressing what they referred to as 'riots' in L.A., specifying that Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino had 'offered all necessary resources from FBI HQ' to address the situation. Williamson said the pair 'reiterated the position that any perpetrator who attacks or interferes with law enforcement will be aggressively pursued and brought to justice.' Bongino made it plain that one of the agency's primary targets would be individuals suspected of assaulting officers, writing on X that he and Patel had notified all FBI teams to pursue suspected individuals 'long after order is firmly established.' 'We will not forget. Even after you try to,' Bongino posted. But Republicans have so far not been very successful at pinpointing wrongdoing in Los Angeles. Instead, some viral videos circulating in conservative circles of protest-related violence in the city are actually not from the weekend at all, but were instead taken in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jan. 6 attack gets in the way of Republican talking points on ICE protests
Reflecting on the recent protests in Los Angeles, Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin told CNN that he considered it 'absolutely insane' to see protesters 'carrying a foreign flag.' When 'State of the Union' host Dana Bash reminded the Oklahoma senator that carrying a flag 'is not illegal,' Mullin quickly interjected, 'A foreign flag while you're attacking law enforcement, it's pretty bad.' Of course, during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Americans also saw foreign flags and rioters attacking law enforcement, and much of the Republican Party now treats those violent criminals as victims and heroes. A day before Mullin's on-air comments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection used its social media platform to issue a statement that read, 'Let this be clear: Anyone who assaults or impedes a federal law enforcement officer or agent in the performance of their duties will be arrested and swiftly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Attack a cop, and life long consequences will follow!' That certainly seemed like an uncontroversial sentiment, except, again, Jan. 6 rioters assaulted and impeded law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties. And while they were arrested and prosecuted, and it appeared that many of them might face serious consequences, Trump returned to the White House and started handing out pardons — including to those who were convicted of violent assaults. And then there was FBI Director Kash Patel, who published a related online item of his own over the weekend: 'Hit a cop, you're going to jail ... doesn't matter where you came from, how you got here, or what movement speaks to you.' Not only did the president who appointed Patel come to the opposite conclusion when handing out Jan. 6 pardons, but the comment also brought to mind this Mother Jones report published after Patel's Senate confirmation hearing earlier this year. [Patel] hailed January 6 rioters convicted of violence against police officers as 'political prisoners.' ... Several Democrats pressed Patel on his work with the J6 Prison Choir, a group of January 6 rioters who recorded a version of the national anthem mashed up with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The song became a mainstay at Trump's campaign rallies. Patel told Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) that he promoted the song to raise money for the families of January 6 attackers. To be sure, 'Hit a cop, you're going to jail' seemed like an undebatable point. The trouble is, in the Trump administration, it's a maxim that comes with some important fine print: 'Hit a cop, you're going to jail, unless the president likes the reason you hit a cop, in which case you're getting a pardon.' This article was originally published on
Chicago Tribune
6 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Under Patel, FBI heightens focus on violent crime, illegal immigration. Other threats abound, too
WASHINGTON — When the FBI arrested an accused leader of the MS-13 gang, Kash Patel was there to announce the case, trumpeting it as a step toward returning 'our communities to safety.' Weeks later, when the Justice Department announced the seizure of $510 million in illegal narcotics bound for the U.S, the FBI director joined other law enforcement leaders in front of a Coast Guard ship in Florida and stacks of intercepted drugs to highlight the haul. His presence was meant to signal the premium the FBI is placing on combating violent crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, concerns that have leapfrogged up the agenda in what current and former law enforcement officials say amounts to a rethinking of priorities and mission at a time when the country is also confronting increasingly sophisticated national security threats from abroad. A revised FBI priority list on its website places 'Crush Violent Crime' at the top, bringing the bureau into alignment with the vision of President Donald Trump, who has made a crackdown on illegal immigration, cartels and transnational gangs a cornerstone of his administration. Patel has said he wants to 'get back to the basics.' His deputy, Dan Bongino, says the FBI is returning to 'its roots.' Patel says the FBI remains focused on some of the same concerns, including China, that have dominated headlines in recent years, and the bureau said in a statement that its commitment to investigating international and domestic terrorism has not changed. That intensifying threat was laid bare over the past month by a spate of violent acts, most recently a Molotov cocktail attack on a Colorado crowd by an Egyptian man who authorities say overstayed his visa and yelled 'Free Palestine.' 'The FBI continuously analyzes the threat landscape and allocates resources and personnel in alignment with that analysis and the investigative needs of the Bureau,' the FBI said in a statement. 'We make adjustments and changes based on many factors and remain flexible as various needs arise.' Signs of restructuring abound. The Justice Department has disbanded an FBI-led task force on foreign influence and the bureau has moved to dissolve a key public corruption squad in its Washington field office, people familiar with the matter have told The Associated Press. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has proposed steep budget cuts for the FBI, and there's been significant turnover in leadership ranks as some veteran agents with years of experience have been pushed from their positions. Some former officials are concerned the stepped-up focus on violent crime and immigration — areas already core to the mission of agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — risks deflecting attention from some of the complicated criminal and national security threats for which the bureau has long borne primary if not exclusive responsibility for investigating. 'If you're looking down five feet in front of you, looking for gang members and I would say lower-level criminals, you're going to miss some of the more sophisticated strategic issues that may be already present or emerging,' said Chris Piehota, who retired from the FBI in 2020 as an executive assistant director. Enforcement of immigration laws has long been the principal jurisdiction of immigration agents tasked with arresting people in the U.S. illegally along with border agents who police points of entry. Since Trump's inauguration, the FBI has assumed greater responsibility for that work, saying it's made over 10,000 immigration-related arrests. Patel has highlighted the arrests on social media, doubling down on the administration's promise to prioritize immigration enforcement. Agents have been dispatched to visit migrant children who crossed the U.S-Mexico border without parents in what officials say is an effort to ensure their safety. Field offices have been directed to commit manpower to immigration enforcement. The Justice Department has instructed the FBI to review files for information about those illegally in the U.S. and provide it to the Department of Homeland Security unless doing so would compromise an investigation. And photos on the FBI's Instagram account depict agents with covered faces and tactical gear alongside detained subjects, with a caption saying the FBI is 'ramping up' efforts with immigration agents to locate 'dangerous criminals.' 'We're giving you about five minutes to cooperate,' Bongino said on Fox News about illegal immigrants. 'If you're here illegally, five minutes, you're out.' That's a rhetorical shift from prior leadership. Though Patel's direct predecessor, Christopher Wray, warned about the flow of fentanyl through the southern border and the possibility migrants determined to commit terrorism could illegally cross through, he did not characterize immigration enforcement as core to the FBI's mission. There's precedent for the FBI to rearrange priorities to meet evolving threats, though for the past two decades countering terrorism has remained a constant atop the agenda. Then-Director Robert Mueller transformed the FBI after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks into a national security, intelligence-gathering agency. Agents were reassigned from investigations into drugs, violent crime and white-collar fraud to fight terrorism. In a top 10 priority list from 2002, protecting the U.S. from terrorism was first. Fighting violent crime was near the bottom, above only supporting law enforcement partners and technology upgrades. The FBI's new list of priorities places 'Crush Violent Crime' as a top pillar alongside 'Defend the Homeland,' though FBI leaders have also sought to stress that counterterrorism remains the bureau's principal mandate. Wray often said he was hard-pressed to think of a time when the FBI was facing so many elevated threats at once. At the time of his departure last January, the FBI was grappling with elevated terrorism concerns; Iranian assassination plots on U.S. soil; Chinese spying and hacking of Americans' cell phones; ransomware attacks against hospitals; and Russian influence operations aimed at sowing disinformation. Testifying before lawmakers last month, Patel took care to note the surge in terrorism threats following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and a Chinese espionage threat he said had yielded investigations in each of the bureau's offices. But the accomplishments he dwelled on first concerned efforts to 'take dangerous criminals off our streets,' including the arrests of three suspects on the 'Ten Most Wanted' list, and large drug seizures. Rounding out the priority list are two newcomers: 'Rebuild Public Trust' and 'Fierce Organizational Accountability.' Those reflect claims amplified by Patel and Bongino that the bureau had become politicized through its years of investigations of Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago home was searched by agents for classified documents in 2022. Close allies of Trump, both men have committed to disclose files from past investigations, including into Russian election interference and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, that have fueled grievances against the bureau. They've also pledged to examine matters that have captivated attention in conservative circles, like the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade. Employees have spent hours poring over documents from the sex trafficking case against financier Jeffrey Epstein, a favorite subject of conspiracy theorists, to prepare them for release. Patel had forecast his interest in rejiggering priorities long before becoming director, including by saying that if he ran the bureau, he would 'let good cops be good cops' and push agents into the field. A critic as a House Republican staffer of the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation, which he calls an example of politicized law enforcement, he had said that he would support breaking off the FBI's 'intel shops' to focus on crime-fighting. James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisor, said he would like to see more specific information about the new priorities but was heartened by an enhanced violent crime focus so long as other initiatives weren't abandoned. 'Mission priorities change,' Gagliano said. 'The threat matrix changes. You've got to constantly get out in front of that.' The Trump administration has touted several terrorism successes, including the arrests of a suspected participant in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed 13 American servicemembers and of an ex-Michigan National Guard member on charges of plotting a military base attack on behalf of the Islamic State. But the administration is also employing a broad definition of what it believes constitutes terrorism. FBI and Justice Department officials see the fight against transnational gangs as part of their counterterrorism mandate, taking advantage of the Trump administration's designation of the violent street gangs MS-13 and Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations to bring terrorism-related charges against defendants, including a Venezuelan man suspected of being a high-ranking TdA member and a Utah father-son suspected of providing material support to a Mexican cartel — a charge typically used for cases involving groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaida. A former Justice Department terrorism prosecutor, Patel has called the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces — interagency units in the bureau's 55 field offices — as 'shining examples' of its mission. Those task forces spent years pursuing suspects in the Capitol riot but have now been enlisted to track down cartel members, he has said. After an Egyptian man whose work authorization in the U.S. had expired was arrested on charges of using a homemade flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to attack a group drawing attention to Israeli hostages in Gaza, administration officials held up the case as proof of their philosophy that immigration enforcement is tantamount to protecting national security. The FBI says its domestic terrorism investigations continue uninterrupted, though Patel at times has discussed the threat in different terms than Wray, who led the bureau as it investigated the Capitol riot and who cited it as evidence of the dangers of homegrown extremists. At hearings last month, Patel pointed to a string of arsons and vandalism acts at Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorism acts that commanded the FBI's resources and attention. As it reconfigures its resources, the FBI has moved to reassign some agents focused on domestic terrorism to a new task force set up to investigate the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and its aftermath, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel moves. One national security concern Patel has preached continuity on in public is the threat from China, which he said in a recent Fox News interview keeps him up at night. Wray often called China the gravest long-term threat to national security, and when he stepped aside in January the FBI was contending with an espionage operation that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. There are signs of a broader national security realignment. A task force tracking foreign influence, like Russia's attempts to interfere in American democracy, was disbanded and the Justice Department has scaled back criminal enforcement of a statute requiring registration of U.S. lobbying on behalf of foreign entities. All of that concerns retired FBI supervisor Frank Montoya, a longtime counterintelligence official who says fentanyl and drug cartels are not 'existential' threats in the same way Russia and China are. When it comes to complicated, interagency espionage work, the FBI, he said, has always 'been the glue that made it all work.' Patel makes no apologies for priorities he says come from the White House. 'President Trump has set some priorities out in a new focus for federal law enforcement,' he has said. 'The FBI has heard those directions, and we are determined to deliver on our crime-fighting and national security mission with renewed vigor.'
