Our Documentary...

Documentary on Tweed murder case set for rebroadcast

January 28, 2011 - By MICHAEL D. McELWAIN (mmcelwain@reviewonline.com)

 

EAST LIVERPOOL - The documentary about the unsolved 1973 "Tweed Murders" that shocked the East Liverpool community will air again this Saturday.
The documentary film "759 Dresden" was the result of more than two years of research and filmmaking, according to David Dunlap, the film's producer and director.
The documentary first aired Nov. 20 on WQED, the Pittsburgh-based PBS station, as part of the "Filmmakers Corner" program hosted by Minette Seate.
Dunlap said due to the first reaction and the interest from the viewing public, WQED elected to rebroadcast the program this Saturday at 10 p.m.
"With interviews from the people that were there, previously unseen archival footage and a 3-D model of the crime scene, the facts and myths surrounding the murder are presented in the hope that new information will be brought forward from the viewing public," Dunlap said.
On a larger scale, Dunlap said the film is about more than the Tweed murders and is "also about the issue of unsolved murders in the Columbiana County area."
The news rippled through the community concerning the July 30, 1973, brutal death of all three, one a prominent city businessman, the pregnant woman and her daughter. Law enforcement officers from all over descended upon East Liverpool attempting to catch the suspect. With a few witnesses and even fewer leads, the murderer was never apprehended.
For a city unaccustomed to such a heinous crime, the initial news and the follow-up investigation continued for weeks.
Several East Liverpool residents were interviewed including police officers, crime scene photographers and reporters working that day. Mayor Jim Swoger is seen in the introduction.
Former Review reporter Lucille Huston is interviewed and gives her account about what happened that day in 1973.
Current police officers on the East Liverpool force are also interviewed, and the case remains open.
"This film is about a community coming together to help our neighbors find some long-sought answers, and, maybe, find some closure after all these years," Dunlap said
Dunlap, who grew up in Calcutta, has a few other projects underway.
Currently in pre-production is a documentary called "Our War."
Dunlap said the documentary will focus on East Liverpool's involvement in World War II with interviews from local participants, archival footage and photographs.
"If anyone has, or knows of, photos or film footage taken in the East Liverpool area during World War II, or if anyone locally wants to be interviewed for this documentary, they can contact me," Dunlap said.
Also, a feature film called "Ohio vs. the Saucer-men" is in development.
"It's a departure from our documentary films," Dunlap said. "This feature film, set in the 1950s, is planned to have a retro 'B film' sci-fi look. It will be filmed in and around the East Liverpool area and will use local actors, locales and businesses."
Dunlap said he can be reached at his productionteam@28thparallel.com e-mail address.

Andrew Irwin Murder Trial

As I am sure most of you know that I was in court for the Andrew Irwin trial.
I have to say that sitting through a trial from start to finish was a very eye opening experience for me.
First let me say that I was impressed with the Prosecutor's Office, all 3 of them were amazing. The closing arguments were impressive by both John Gamble and the Defense Attorney, Jennifer Gorby.
 I learned so much. For example, not all evidence that is sent to our lab is actually processed. Some is processed but not further tested, etc. The BCI Special Agent Ed Carlini is a very knowledgeable man, and I don't think I could do that job.., The Coroner from Cuyahoga County is a woman..., there are different departments in the lab for each task, IE: DNA, Blood, etc.., they usually test every victims hands with a chemical to see if there are traces of metal..., there are victims on both sides..., (although, I hate when the killers family says that "we have lost someone too" becuz I am pretty sure they can still go visit their loved ones in jail)..., If you are the defendant in a case, it is probably best NOT to argue with the judge..., I could NEVER be a Defense Attorney and represent someone that is a killer, I could never be a paramedic or the 1st one on the scene, I could never be a cop and keep my cool with some of these people..., I understand (sometimes) why the Prosecutor's Office doesn't like to deal with the families..., (we are an emotional bunch)..., and no matter what, Mike is still always with me every time I do anything at all remotely close to homicide..., and in the end, I have faith in the Justice System and letting a Jury decide the fate of the accused...

I have put a few of the links below because I didn't want to comment during the trial and in case you missed something, it is all right here. That is of course with the exception of the fact that even though this case is now solved, the family of Emily Foreman will continue to miss her and have to deal with the fact that she is not coming back. My heart as always, breaks for them. R.I.P. Emily..... 






http://www.reviewonline.com/page/content.detail/id/538427/Murder-defendant--I-am-not-a-killer.html?nav=5008
http://www.reviewonline.com/page/content.detail/id/538395/Jurors-challenged-by-weather.html?nav=5008http://www.reviewonline.com/page/content.detail/id/538368/Coroner-describes-victim-s-injuries.html?nav=5008

GUILTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Irwin guilty in 2nd trial

January 26, 2011 - By MARY ANN GREIER

 

LISBON - New trial, new defense team, same result - a guilty verdict against Andrew Irwin for murdering Emily Foreman.
"I think the verdict speaks for itself," Columbiana County Prosecutor Robert Herron said Tuesday.
A heavy security presence, including Sheriff Ray Stone, stood in the Common Pleas courtroom as the result was read to a packed gallery of family members for both the victim and the defendant, along with staff members from the prosecutor's office and court.
Irwin's mother, Cheryl Carpenter, let out a cry then quietly sobbed in the arms of her husband. As the 12-member jury was polled individually, each saying their verdict was guilty, Irwin himself sat with his head in his right hand, looking down.
When the jury was excused to leave the room, he just sat there instead of standing as he had done throughout the trial as a show of respect. Most of his family members and supporters, his attorneys Jennifer Gorby and Fred Naragon, the prosecution team and the victim's family members all stood.
The decision came one week after a new set of jurors started hearing the gruesome details about what happened to Emily, a 21-year-old woman who was stabbed multiple times in her mother's home on Anderson Boulevard in Liverpool Township on Aug. 23, 2006.
For the second time since 2006, a jury reached the same conclusion - that the 29-year-old Irwin purposely caused her death. Irwin was already convicted of the murder in March 2007 by another jury and sentenced to 15 years to life, but the 7th District Court of Appeals overturned the conviction and sentence, resulting in the new trial.
Judge C. Ashley Pike of Common Pleas Court, the same judge who presided over the first trial, presided over this one in his renovated courtroom. He'll schedule sentencing for a later date. Irwin will again face a possible sentence of 15 years to life, meaning he'll be eligible to request parole after 15 years. He can also file an appeal.
Attorneys for both the prosecution and defense presented detailed closing arguments Tuesday morning, with the judge then delivering instructions to the jury. Jurors received the case at noon, went to lunch, then started deliberations at 1 p.m., indicating a verdict had been reached at 4:20 p.m.
"Finally this is going to be over for awhile. The family is very, very happy with another guilty verdict," Emily's eldest sister, Lisa Rayl, said.
Emily's family members included her three sisters, her brother, her mother Kim Koerber, her grandmother, her sister-in-law, cousins and nieces and nephews. All or some were present throughout the trial proceedings, as were the family members for Irwin. Koerber and Carpenter weren't permitted in the courtroom during the trial since they were on witness lists. Only Carpenter testified.
Rayl said Irwin has affected the whole family in a lot of ways and they're hoping to have no more contact with him.
"We love Emily. We've all been here because justice needed to be served for Emily and for our family. We needed to see it for it to be over," she said. "She was not perfect, but we loved her."
Rayl also acknowledged the attorneys who handled the case, saying the prosecution was "awesome."
Herron acknowledged the efforts of all the agencies involved in the case, including Liverpool Township Police Chief Charles Burgess and his officers, the East Liverpool Police Department, the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation from the Ohio Attorney General's office and the Columbiana County and Cuyahoga County coroner's offices.
He also acknowledged the efforts of his staff, including Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Gamble, Assistant Prosecutor Tammie Riley Jones and Investigator Jim Brown.
When asked if the fact that Irwin testified this time around made any difference, Herron said "it certainly presented a different tenet to the case."
"These types of cases are particularly difficult because the defendant has had an opportunity for a year or more to pore over the transcripts of what was said, knows all the evidence and every word...so essentially they have our playbook," he said.
In this case, when Irwin testified, he touched on every part of the state's case, from the blood on his body to how his DNA ended up inside the victim's purse. In closing arguments, Jones described his testimony as "a story precisely choreographed to respond to the state's evidence."
"I think the jury saw through that," Herron said, commending them for their service and noting their time involved and the responsibility they held. "We are absolutely convinced that their verdict was consistant with the evidence."
A message asking for comment was left for Naragon, but was not returned.
The case followed a lengthy path to reach the second guilty verdict with a lot of twists and turns from the date of the stabbing to now. While awaiting the first trial, Irwin was convicted of vandalism for his part in a riot at the county jail and now he's awaiting sentencing for assaulting one corrections officer and spitting at another one since his return to the jail from prison.
While he was in prison, one of the victim's sisters, Rebecca Foreman, was convicted for smuggling drugs to him.
His previous attorney, George Kafantaris, was disbarred for some of his dealings with clients in Trumbull County. Kafantaris also served some jail time in Columbiana County for two contempt findings for his actions during the first Irwin trial, including waving a tape in front of jurors after they reached their verdict, saying here is your murderer, trying to claim someone else did it.
The actions of Kafantaris were part of the reason Irwin won a new trial, with an appellate court saying he had ineffective assistance of counsel. Irwin won't be able to appeal this verdict until after he's been sentenced. He remains in the county jail with no bond.
Mary Ann Greier can be reached at mgreier@salemnews.net

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In Court.....

I have had several phone calls and requests from people asking about the Irwin trial. At this point, out of respect for the law, I cannot comment until the trial is over. I will then write a story for the blog. I hope everyone understands.
Belinda

Irvin Keefer Murdered 35 years ago today

Irvin Keefer was murdered in Glenmoor on January 14th, 1976 during an apparent robbery of his gas station. His case is still unsolved.
Please think of his family and friends today and keep them in your prayers.

If you have ANY information on this case, please call the St. Clair Township Police Department!

Fairfield can’t find patrol partner

Please contact your commissioners and ask them to reconsider giving the Sheriff's Dept more money! This is important to our safety!!

January 12, 2011 - By TOM GIAMBRONI

 

LISBON - Columbiana County Sheriff Ray Stone was disappointed to learn Fairfield Township trustees had dropped efforts to contract with his office for extra police coverage.
Trustee Barry Miner reported this week they were unable to find another township to partner with to help pay the $65,000 per year needed to pay for the cost of assigning a deputy full-time to patrol both townships. Miner had contacted trustees in Knox and Unity townships about joining with them to share the expense, but both declined to participate in the venture at this time.
Stone has been looking for ways to put more deputies on the road since taking office in September 2008 without incurring any additional expense because county commissioners have declined to provide him with extra funding to add several deputies.
That's why he was encouraged when Fairfield and Knox townships expressed interest in contracting with his office for extra police coverage. Stone believes such an arrangement could have worked, even if Fairfield and Knox townships had gone together, despite the 12 miles between both townships.
"It would have been better if the townships were next door (like Fairfield and Unity) but it still would have worked (between Fairfield and Knox)," he said.
If the contract was between adjoining townships, the deputy could easily spend the entire 40-hour week patrolling both townships. Stone said if Fairfield and Knox townships had contracted with him he would have likely scheduled the deputy 16 hours per week in one township and 24 hours in the other township, rotating the schedule on a weekly basis.
"It could have worked," he said.
Miner said Knox Township indicated to him the distance between the townships was a problem and they would prefer to contract with an adjoining township so the deputy could spend everyday paroling both townships instead of on an alternating basis.
Stone has been able to add two deputies to the road patrol by changing how he deploys his staff but that's about as far as he can go without any additional money from commissioners, who provided him with same level of funding as 2010.
The sheriff's office is likely going to need additional funding this year to cover an anticipated pay raise for its employees, who agreed to a pay freeze in 2010 under a three-year contract approved by Stone and commissioners. The contract contained a wage reopener clause for 2011, and negotiations are expected to begin soon.
The auditor's office reported last week the county general funded ended the year with a $1.2 million balance.
tgiambroni@mojonews.com

Remembering Emily

Emily Foreman was murdered on August 23, 2006.
She was stabbed 17 times!!!
Andrew Irwin was convicted of her murder but was granted a new trial that begins on January 20th.
Emily's family must now go through this pain all over again.

She leaves behind a young daughter.
Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.