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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 29 November 2016

3 murder warrants issued for SC man sheriff said killed 7

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) agent was responsible for Kohlhepp was arrested
— A South Carolina man those three killings and four Nov. 3 after deputies found
suspected of being a serial more at a motorcycle shop Carver’s girlfriend chained
killer was formally charged in 2003. in a storage container,
with three additional Kohlhepp was charged Wright said. Kohlhepp shot
counts of murder Monday with killing 32-year-old 25-year-old Meagan Mc-
for bodies found buried on Charlie Carver between Craw-Coxie on Christmas
his land. Aug. 30 and Sept. 2. Carver or Dec. 26 after holding her
The murder warrants went to see Kohlhepp with against her will for about a
against Todd Kohlhepp his girlfriend to check on a week, according to arrest
weren’t a surprise. Spar- cleaning job when he was warrants that include a kid-
tanburg County Sheriff shot and killed and she napping charge.
Chuck Wright already said was kidnapped, authorities Her husband, 29-year-old
the 45-year-old real estate said. Johnny Coxie was shot
and killed a week earlier,
Northern California homicide a warrant said. The Cox- Todd Kohlhepp’s enters the courtroom of Judge Jimmy Henson
for a bond hearing at the Spartanburg Detention Facility in Spar-
ies were reported missing
may involve racial motivations last December. Coxie was tanburg, S.C. Kohlhepp, suspected of being a serial killer, was
formally charged with three additional counts of murder Mon-
killed a day after his wife day for bodies found buried on his land.
PAUL ELIAS lin Cooper says his client was released from jail. Mc- (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) denies involvement in the Craw-Coxie had told her
— Authorities in the San killing and that prosecutors mother she needed to be
Francisco Bay Area are in- have not yet provided any bonded out so she could Kevin Bobo said. er, service manager, me-
vestigating the slaying of evidence or details sup- go to a job, but then her Kohlhepp already faces chanic and bookkeeper at
a young black man as a porting the hate crime ac- mother lost contact, Spar- four additional murder a motorcycle shop in 2003.
possible hate crime amid cusation. tanburg County Sheriff’s Lt. charges for killing the own- q
growing concern over ra- Contra Costa County ho-
cially motivated incidents micide prosecutor Derek
and attacks nationwide. Butts declined to discuss
The Contra Costa County details of the case or the
Sheriff’s Department arrest- evidence supporting the
ed one white suspect and hate crime allegation, not-
is searching for two oth- ing that investigators were
ers thought to be involved still searching for two mur-
in the Nov. 12 killing of a der suspects.
28-year-old musician. The Southern Poverty Law
Investigators say Will Sims Center says it has docu-
was robbed, beaten and mented 701 “reports of
shot to death in the wee hateful incidents of harass-
hours outside a bar near his ment around the country”
hometown of Richmond. since the presidential elec-
Investigators say Sims tion.
worked as a retail clerk, Since then, the Council on
had no gang ties and a American-Islamic Relations
clean criminal record. says it has documented
Authorities arrested about 100 “anti-Muslim” in-
31-year-old Daniel Porter- cidents, including an anon-
Kelly and charged him with ymous letter mailed to
robbery and murder with a several California mosques
hate crime enhancement. saying President-elect Don-
Authorities are searching ald Trump will exterminate
for 32-year-old Ray Simons Muslims.
and 31-year-old Daniel The population of Rich-
Ortega and didn’t elabo- mond is 36 percent black,
rate on the hate crime alle- making it the largest eth-
gations or the details of the nic group in the city. Rich-
homicide. mond Mayor Tom Butt said
Porter-Kelly remains jailed Sims’ slaying appeared to
without bail. be a hate crime and urged
Porter-Kelly’s attorney Co- community restraint.q