Two Individuals Charged With Murder and Other Offenses Related to Shooting Death of Two Afghan Nationals in Kabul, Afghanistan

7 Jan 2010 21:39 Africa/Lagos

Two Individuals Charged With Murder and Other Offenses Related to Shooting Death of Two Afghan Nationals in Kabul, Afghanistan

Third Afghan National Wounded in Shooting that Led to Charges

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Justin Cannon, 27, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Christopher Drotleff, 29, of Virginia Beach, Va., have been charged with crimes including second-degree murder, attempted murder and firearms offenses while working as contractors for the U.S. Department of Defense in Afghanistan, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia and John Perren, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office announced today. Cannon and Drotleff were charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA).


The 13-count indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on Jan. 6, 2010, and unsealed today, alleges that on May 5, 2009, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Cannon and Drotleff shot and killed two Afghanistan nationals and wounded a third. The indictment alleges that at the time of the shootings, Cannon and Drotleff were Department of Defense contractors employed by Paravant LLC, which is a subsidiary of Xe (formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide). According to the indictment, as contractors, Cannon and Drotleff provided training to the Afghan National Army for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the use and maintenance of weapons and weapons systems.


Cannon was arrested today in Corpus Christi by FBI agents. Drotleff was also arrested today by FBI agents in Virginia Beach. Cannon and Drotleff were each charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, six counts of using and discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and four counts of murder resulting from the use of a firearm during a violent crime. If convicted, the maximum penalty faced by Cannon and Drotleff is life in prison or the death penalty.


The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy C. Stoker and Alan M. Salsbury from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia - Norfolk Division as well as Trial Attorney Robert McGovern of the Criminal Division's Domestic Security Section. The case is being investigated by the FBI.


An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.


Source: U.S. Department of Justice

CONTACT: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs,
+1-202-514-2007, TDD, +1-202-514-1888


Web Site: http://www.justice.gov/

Michael Jackson: Homicide or Suicide?

There are members of the family of Michael Jackson and his fans who suspect that there was a conspiracy to kill him and the LA police chief is not ruling out the suspicion that Michael Jackson was murdered!

The following press release also suspected that he was thinking of suicide!

Could the death of Michael Jackson be homicide or suicide?‎

9 Jul 2009 02:06 Africa/Lagos

Michael Jackson 'Suicide' Lyrics to Come to the Auction Block

STAMFORD, Conn., July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- International autograph auctioneers Alexander Autographs Inc. of Stamford, Ct. will offer in their August rock and entertainment auction a telling set of lyrics handwritten by Michael Jackson indicating that the late singer may have been in a suicidal frame of mind at the time of their composition.


The hastily-scribbled lines were written in pencil on a white sheet and include several erasures and some underlining. They include such phrases as: "...I hurt my backbone... I start to givin' up...The bills are pilin' up...This stuff ain't good for me...Life's an Aggravator...I plan to give it up." The manuscript contains even more relevant content. At the bottom of the page, Jackson drew a portrait of himself forlornly gazing up at his own words.


Especially revealing in Jackson's notes is the quote "This stuff ain't good for me." Drugs are widely suspected to have been a cause of Jackson's death. Indeed, Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman confirmed Jackson was heavily medicated for a range of ailments stretching back to 1984. If Jackson's reference to "stuff" meant medication, he may have foreseen his own end. Jackson also refers to his "backbone," and today it is also believed he was heavily medicated for spinal pain.


Alexander Autographs' president, Bill Panagopulos, undertook extensive research of Jackson's notes. Evidence suggests that the late singer wrote this manuscript in about 1986 for what eventually became a song which incorporated only a few lines of this text. The song was ultimately rejected from inclusion in his smash album "Bad." Panagopulos speculates: "It was in the mid-1980's that Jackson's physical appearance first started to change - he had rhinoplasty surgery, rapidly lost weight and his skin had begun to lighten. These 'modifications' could have been a result of a great deal of mental anguish or struggle, and frankly, that's what I see in these notes. No doubt the finished song was cut from the album because of its utter negativity."


Jackson's "suicide" lyrics were obtained along with other items from an aide to Jackson in 1993 when they were discarded by the singer. They have been carefully examined for authenticity and are being offered fully guaranteed.


Alexander Autographs will also offer a signed two-page legal agreement in which Jackson releases to USA for Africa all of his rights and royalties to the epic single "We Are the World." Also coming to the block will be a Jackson-style "Bad" era black leather jacket replete with buckles, straps, and steel ornaments, nearly identical to the jacket he wore on the "Bad" album cover and video, and bearing within a label from the famous Western Costume Co. with Jackson's name.


The 1,000 lot auction, scheduled for late August, will include additional Jackson material as well as other premier items including an Elvis Presley stage-used guitar from his last filmed tour, two Jimi Hendrix guitars, Hendrix handwritten lyrics, a Prince stage-used "Purple Rain" outfit, and hundreds of other rare rock and entertainment collectibles.


Alexander Autographs, Inc. (www.alexautographs.com) is located in Stamford, CT and can be reached via email at info@alexautographs.com or telephone 203-276-1570.


Source: Alexander Autographs, Inc.

CONTACT: Bill Panagopulos, Alexander Autographs, Inc.,
info@alexautographs.com, +1-203-276-1570


Web Site: http://www.alexautographs.com/


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Drawings Of Michael Jackson. ibeatyou Competition

Jennifer Hudson Identified Nephew's Body

Jennifer Hudson Identified Nephew's Body

October 28, 2008



(Chicago, IL) Hudson's nephew was found murdered today ending a frantic 3-day search. It was a crushing blow after her mother and brother were found murdered Friday and Jennifer Hudson has the grim task of identifying the bodies. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports.