From
* http://www.thedenverchannel.com/den/news/stories/news-99787220011001-061044.html
Twins Suspected In Cop Murder Appear In Court
Suspects Escorted To Court Under Heavy Guard
Posted: 5:59 a.m. MDT October 1, 2001
Updated: 5:36 p.m. MDT October 1, 2001
PENROSE, Colo. -- Investigators are trying to determine how a sheriff's deputy known to be thorough and conscientious could have been fatally shot, allegedly by twin brothers riding handcuffed in the back of his patrol car. Joel and Michael Stovall, 24, were arrested Saturday on suspicion of shooting Fremont County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Schwartz , 26, in the back of the head several times.
Schwartz had arrested them Friday for shooting a dog in Penrose, 85 miles south of Denver.
The twins were formally advised of murder charges Monday afternoon in Freemont County. They were appointed lawyers and ordered held without bail. The suspects' next hearing date was set for Oct. 24. Fremont County Sheriff Ivan Middlemiss said afterward they will face charges of first-degree murder of an officer and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Deputies say that the pair later shot and wounded Florence police officer Toby Bethel, 32, and taunted the paramedics who arrived to help him. They surrendered Saturday after an all-day pursuit that led into the scenic canyons along the Arkansas River near the Royal Gorge. Bethel was in in critical condition Monday at St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver. Bethel -- the father of three children and four foster children, and who had had his kidney, spleen and liver removed -- was hit once in the shoulder and twice in the back. The officer had surgery Sunday morning to remove a bullet from near his spine.
Dead Officer Not Shot With Own Weapon
It was unclear how the men, described as loners with a penchant for wearing camouflage, got a gun in Schwartz's patrol car, according to Fremont County Sheriff Ivan Middlemiss. He said that Schwartz was not killed with his own weapon. Family members said Schwartz disliked carrying his service shotgun in his patrol car because he thought the weapon, loaded with slugs, was too potent. He often locked the shotgun in the trunk or left it in its locked rack above his head and put the ammunition in the trunk, according to his wife, Sheryl, and his brother-in-law, Jason Noel, a sergeant in the sheriff's department.
Suspects Armed With Automatic Weapons
The brothers had several automatic weapons when they surrendered Saturday. Joel and Michael Stovall were wearing protective vests, much like those police officers use, and also were wearing protective helmets, said Ronny Bergmann, Chaffee County Sheriff. One of the twins sustained a gunshot wound when some shotgun pellets pierced his shoulder. At the home in Penrose where the twins lived with their grandmother, investigators said they found several guns and knives and what they believe to be ingredients for a bomb.
Fremont County Sheriff's Detective Robert Dodd said the twin brothers have "expressed militaristic attitudes and interest in survivalist subjects." He would not elaborate. "They were known to be tight with each other. They didn't really have friends on the outside, at least not many of them," Dodd said.
Police Officer's Infant Son Will Be Re-Named
Jason and Sheryl Schwartz had their first child five weeks ago.
Jason Schwartz switched to the night shift so he could watch their son while Sheryl worked during the day. They named the baby Mason because there were already two Jasons in the family, but Sheryl Schwartz said she would change the boy's name to Jason in honor of her husband.
Suspects Raised In Religious Family
The Stovalls were raised in a religious family of Jehovah's Witnesses, according to Betty Overbey, who works at the Oasis Tavern on Main Street in Florence. Their parents separated about 14 years ago, and the boys lived with their father after that, Overbey said. But in recent years both had been living with and taking care of their grandmother in Penrose, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
Florence Police Chief Mike Ingle said this is not the first time the Stovalls have been in trouble with the law. When they attended Florence High School, the two were arrested for arson, he said. The target: the high school itself. Joel and Michael were sophomores at Florence High when the incident occurred. During a choir class, they broke into an attic area, lit newspapers and magazines on fire, and dropped them down an air vent, said John Merriam, the principal at the time. The fire caused $420 in damage and forced the school, with 500 students, to evacuate, said Merriam, now superintendent for Florence and Penrose schools. No one was hurt in the incident. Since that time, though, Florence police have not had much interaction with the brothers, Ingle said.
More info:
* http://www.thedenverchannel.com/den/news/stories/news-99724320010929-100907.html
Commentary: Gee, you think the brothers were on private/public reproof at the time of these crimes?
And: Just how much will this failed Jehovah's Witness social experiment in Watchtower child-rearing policeis cost the taxpayers THIS TIME?
BITE ME, WATCHTOWER!!!