Grisly allegations open Chittum trial

Edwardsville, Georgia, USA (April 5, 2019) BTN – Murder defendant Brandon Chittum was allegedly standing behind his best friend, Patrick Chase, coaching him on how to strangle Courtney Coats during her murder in 2013, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

“Do it harder; do it quick,” Chittum was allegedly telling Chase, as he was choking his girlfriend to “put her out of her misery,” Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Heischmidt told the jury in her opening statement. “The defendant was behind Chase, coaching him, giving him tips.”

Brandon Chittum

Chittum, 35, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, a count of dismembering a human body and concealment of a homicidal death. Coats went missing in late November 2013. Chase has since pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Chittum, formerly of Alton and a former member of the Outlaws motorcycle club, has been in the Madison County Jail awaiting trial since December 2013. Testimony at trial was that Chase was a member of the Black Pistons motorcycle club , which was like a “farm club ” for the Outlaws. Chittum said during a recorded interview that the two became friends when they were members of an alcohol recovery group.

Heischmidt said Tuesday that Coats and Chase were in an argument at their home in the 2500 block of College Avenue, and Chase pushed her, causing her to hit and badly injure her head. Chase said he wanted to “put her out of her misery,” so he and Chittum allegedly dragged her into a bedroom, where the first attempt at strangling her failed.

The prosecutor said that Chittum felt for Coats’ pulse and told Chase she was not dead. They then dragged her into a bathroom, where Chase slit her throat. Chittum then allegedly said, “Now she’s gone,” Heischmidt told the jury. “They senselessly, violently and brutally murdered her,” the prosecutor said.

She then described how Chittum allegedly called his wife and asked to borrow her car. She then drove it to Alton and left, and the two suspects then cut up the body, placed it in bags and took the remains up to the Joe Page Bridge near Hardin. The remains were found near, and in, the Illinois River in Greene County.

When Coats’ mother, Elizabeth Kovach, began to notice her daughter was not contacting her, as she always did, she reported her missing. Police launched a 27-day search for Coats, but an investigation led the a confession by Chase, who led authorities to the remains. Crime scene specialists from Illinois State Police then performed a detailed search of the College Avenue apartment where the murder took place.

Investigators found blood in the bathroom. “Scratched into the soap scum in the bathtub was the word, ‘Help,’ Heischmidt said. The prosecutor said Chittum will say he left before the murder and returned to Collinsville, but phone records from Chittum’s phone showed he was in Alton, then in East Hardin, then in Alton.

Defense attorney Evelyn Lewis said her client went to sleep on the couch during the killing. “Brandon did not kill her. He wasn’t even aware of it.” She claimed Chase told police that Coats injured her neck, yet there is no evidence of a neck injury. She said Chittum never called police about the incident because “he was in the Outlaws, and he was afraid what was going to happen to him.”

Testimony in the trial began Tuesday. The trial may last into next week.

SOURCE: The Telegraph

Waco Biker massacre cases dismissed

Waco, Texas. USA (April 2, 2019) BTN —  Recently elected District Attorney Barry Johnson said in a release that, "following the indictments, the prior District Attorney had the time and opportunity to review and assess the admissible evidence to determine the full range of charges that could be brought against each individual who participated in the Twin Peaks brawl, and to charge only those offenses where the admissible evidence would support a verdict of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In my opinion, had this action been taken in a timely manner, it would have, and should have, resulted in numerous convictions and prison sentences against many of those who participated in the Twin Peaks brawl. Over the next three years the prior District Attorney failed to take that action, for reasons that I do not know to this day."

Johnson said that when he assumed office in January, the statue of limitation expired on most of the offenses.

"I believe that any effort to charge and prosecute these individual charges at this time would only result in further waste of time, effort and resources of the McLennan County judicial system and place a further unfair burden on the taxpayers of McLennan County," Johnson said.

Related | Governor wants new anti-gang center for Waco

Related | Waco: Police Opened Fired On Bikers Witnesses Say

Archive | Waco Shooting History

On May 17, 2015, a shootout erupted at the Twin Peaks located in the Waco Central Texas Marketplace. The shootout was between two motorcycle clubs - the Bandidos and the Cossacks.

Nine bikers died in the shootout and dozens were injured. Following the incident, nearly 200 bikers were arrested.

Of those 177, 155 were indicted with various charges.

The first trial was held in September of 2017. The defendent, Jacob Carrizal, was being charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and directing activities of a criminal street gang. His trial lasted one month and ended with a mistrial.

After his trial, the amount of money spent on these cases totaled more than $1 million.

The results of Carrizal's trial started a domino effect. No other biker was tried, and the district attorney at the time, Abel Reyna, began dropping Twin Peaks biker cases. At one point, 60 cases were dismissed at one time by Judge Strother.

The remaining 24 bikers were re-indicted on a riot charge.

"I do not believe that it is a proper exercise of my judgment as District Attorney to proceed with the further prosecution of what I believe to have been an ill-conceived path that this District Attorney’s Office was set upon almost four years ago by the prior District Attorney, and I do not believe that path should continue to be pursued," Johnson said.

SOURCE: KXXV

Hells Angels and Pagan's scare local police

Rochelle Park, N.J., (March 31, 2019) BTN — Police from several towns are patting themselves on the back after they defused a potential fight between a group of Hells Angels and Pagan's at the Bergen Harley Davidson store in Rochelle Park -- and cops say they expect more trouble in the future. A Hells Angels member was buying a motorcycle at the Essex Street shop on Saturday when a Pagan reportedly told him "this is Pagan territory," according to Rochelle Park police.

They began to argue, after which several members of each club showed up "to support their member," according to a police report. "The situation was de-escalated by a large police presence," the report said.

Rochelle Park police thanked their colleagues from Lodi, Maywood, Saddle Brook, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and the Bergen County Regional SWAT team, who all responded.

"Intelligence obtained after the incident indicates tensions between the two motorcycle gangs [are] going to escalate," they added. "You're going to see a lot more incidents between these [two]," one officer said. "They're fighting for territory."

SOURCE: Daily Voice

No Colors Allowed

Albuquerque, N.M., USA (March 29, 2019) BTN — It's a bold sign: "a gang-free zone, wearing of 'colors' not permitted." It's hanging at the front entrance to Mariscos Altamar at Coors and I-40.
"It is shocking to see that," said Raymond Gallegos. The sign references "gangs," but the symbol represents what is referred to as the "one percenters," also known as bikers who give the community a bad name. "They watch one television show and we're almost all criminals," said Gallegos.

Sign posted on the entrance to Mariscos Altamar restaurant 

Raymond Gallegos is with the New Mexico Motorcyclists Rights Organization. He said the sign is meant to kick out bikers like himself wearing his cut. "What I'm wearing would be considered colors, it's an insignia that represents the club that I'm in," he said. The majority of bikers are in 'bike clubs,' not gangs, and are good people raising money for charities and helping those in need. "To say that we're all gang members, that's a very broad spectrum brush," said Gallegos.


He said this isn't the first time. Ojos Locos in Uptown confirms it has a sign inside too. The NMMRO sends out lists to its members, showing which establishments are "no colors welcome," including places like the Santa Ana Casino and the Cottonwood Mall. "I've been asked several times from managers or staff that they don't allow gang colors," he said.

Albuquerque Police Department records confirm that earlier this month officers were called to Mariscos Altamar for an incident involving a "biker gang," but no police report was ever filed. The manager would only say the owner told him to put up the sign on Friday.

"We all stick together and when we see a business that no longer supports us, we will no longer support them," said Gallegos.

Their Facebook page is below.

Mariscos Altamar

KRQE News 13 did reach out to both Mariscos Altamar and Ojos Locos. Neither would speak to us on camera or comment on why they put up their signs. Gallegos says signs like this are a civil rights violation under the first amendment, but he says it would cost thousands of dollars to take a case to civil court.

SOURCE: KRQE