Police Constable Preddie Murder In Slain Manchester Just 2 Nights Ago… Such A Gruesome Sigh

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for Police Area Three, which includes the parish of Manchester, Kevin Blake, is describing the murder last night of Constable Orville Preddie as a wicked act and one which must be condemned by the entire society.

“This is further evidence that while significant gains have been made in reducing the number of murders in 2014, the fight against criminals is not over.

“The manner in which Constable Preddie was murdered speaks to the callousness of these murderers. We mourn for our colleague and I offer my personal sympathies and that of the Constabulary to the family, friends and colleagues of Constable Preddie,” ACP Blake told OBSERVER ONLINE Friday morning.

Police say Preddie who was off duty and unarmed was relaxing with friends at a bar in the remote community of Farm in the Asia police division of southern Manchester when several men armed with guns entered the premises.

The criminals proceeded to rob patrons and in the process of going through their pockets discovered Preddie’s police identification. One of the gunmen promptly shot him in the head. He reportedly died on the spot.

Police Divisional Commander for Superintendent Melvin Brown says “no stone will be left unturned” in the hunt for the killers of the 34 year-old constable.

“We will be unrelenting, turning over every stone, exploring every angle… we are resolved to find those responsible,” Brown told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Preddie was married with two children aged eight years and 18 months.

He is the second policeman to be killed in 2014.

Posted in: Breaking News, Current News, International, Local. Tags: Police Constable Preddie Murder In Slain Manchester Just 2 Nights Ago… Such A Gruesome Sigh.

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Police Constable Preddie Murder In Slain Manchester Just 2 Nights Ago… Such A Gruesome Sigh

Texas ex-official sentenced to death for murder of prosecutor"s wife in apparent revenge plot

Dec 4: Eric Williams makes his way into the courtroom before closing arguments in his trial at the Rockwall County Courthouse in Rockwall, Texas. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Vernon Bryant, Pool)

ROCKWALL, Texas –  A former justice of the peace in North Texas was sentenced to death Wednesday for killing a district attorney’s wife in what prosecutors described as a revenge plot that left three people dead.

Eric Williams was convicted Dec. 4 of capital murder in the 2013 death of Cynthia McLelland, who was slain along with her husband, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, in their home east of Dallas.

Williams has been charged, but not tried, in the deaths of Mike McLelland and prosecutor Mark Hasse.

The 47-year-old Williams lost his job and law license after McLelland and Hasse prosecuted him for theft and burglary. Prosecutors say that conviction pushed Williams over the edge. During his trial, they presented evidence that he paid a friend to rent a storage unit where he kept more than 30 guns, police tactical gear and a getaway car.

Authorities say a masked Williams gunned down Hasse in January 2013 outside a courthouse building in broad daylight.

Prosecutors say a “masked assassin,” whom they identified as Williams, approached Hasse as he walked to work and the two shoved each other. They said Hasse pleaded and yelled “I’m sorry” before he was repeatedly shot.

Two months later, Williams stormed into the McLellands’ rural home and shot both the district attorney and his wife more than a dozen times each, according to evidence at his trial.

Williams’ wife, Kim, is accused of helping him carry out the slayings and testified before closing arguments Tuesday that she drove the getaway car in Hasse’s death and helped her husband dispose of weapons used in the shooting of the McClellands.

She said Eric Williams had a hit list that included former state District Judge Glen Ashworth and Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley.

Family of Cynthia and Mike McLelland addressed Williams during victim impact statements after he was sentenced to death, according to the Dallas Morning News.

“What you do will come back to you,” said Nathan Foreman, Cynthia McLelland’s son.

Defense attorney Matthew Seymour told The Associated Press that he had no comment.

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Texas ex-official sentenced to death for murder of prosecutor"s wife in apparent revenge plot

US soldier missing at murder hearing

21 October 2014 Last updated at 18:15 Activists have called for the surrender of the US suspect A US Marine has failed to appear in a Philippines court after being accused of murdering a transgender Filipino.

The lawyer for Pte First Class Joseph Pemberton said his presence at the preliminary hearing was not required. The case will now resume next week.

He has been named as the suspect in the death of Jeffrey Laude, found dead in a hotel bathroom on 12 October.

The victim’s family expressed concern the suspect will evade justice and called on the US to take action.

“We hope the Americans will bring him out. They’re coddling a worthless man,” the victim’s mother, Julita Laude, told reporters.

Police in the northern port city of Olongapo have said Pte Pemberton was the last person seen with Laude – a transgender woman also known as Jennifer – before she was found strangled.

Mourners paid tribute to victim Jeffrey Laude, found dead in a hotel bathroom on 12 October Julita Laude has called on the US to produce the suspect in her child’s death

After Tuesday’s hearing, Rowena Garcia Flores, Pte Pemberton’s lawyer, told Filipino officials her client was still studying the complaint against him and he was not required to appear at the hearing.

But Fe de los Santos, chief prosecutor in the case, argued the soldier was ordered to attend and has demanded he appear at the next hearing on 27 October.

“The attendance of the Marine will serve as a very good assessment of the willingness of the US government to comply with the provisions of the Visiting Forces Agreement,” he said.

There was a small anti-US protest following the death and the case has already prompted remarks at the highest levels of both governments.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said on Monday the crime should not sour ties with the US.

And Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington seeks no “special privilege” for the suspect but only protection of his rights.

The soldier was detained aboard the carrier USS Peleliu off the Filipino coast. The US can retain custody of soldiers wanted for crimes in the Philippines under the Visiting Forces Agreement.

Several US warships were ordered to remain in the Philippines while the investigation continued.

The American navy vessels and around 3,000 marines had just completed a military exercise with the Philippines.

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US soldier missing at murder hearing

Mexico arrests over lawmaker murder

6 October 2014 Last updated at 00:19 Gabriel Gomez Michel was abducted in broad daylight on a motorway Police in Mexico have arrested four men in connection with the recent killing of governing PRI party congressman Gabriel Gomez Michel.

The men were arrested in the western state of Jalisco. Police released no further details.

Mr Gomez Michel, 49, and his driver were abducted in broad daylight on a motorway leading to Jalisco airport on 22 September.

Their bodies were found a day later in the boot of their burnt car.

The authorities have so far not established a motive for the killings.

Politicians from his party said they suspected a criminal gang was behind the murder.

Local politicians are often targeted by Mexican drug cartels, but the murder of politicians at a federal level is more rare.

Mr Gomez was a paediatrician who served as the mayor of the town of El Grullo in Jalisco state from 2010 to 2012.

Jalisco is the stronghold of a criminal gang calling itself the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion and the state has seen a spate of killings blamed on the group.

The car with the bodies of Mr Gomez Michel and driver Heriberto Nunez Ramos was found in neighbouring Zacatecas state.

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Mexico arrests over lawmaker murder

Men to be tried for Bunny Francis" murder today

Monday, September 29, 2014 | 8:44 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The four men charged with the murder of Roderick ‘Bunny’ Francis, a high-profile player in the local fishing industry, are scheduled to be tried in the Home Circuit Court today.

The accused are, 42-year-old Carlos Batista of Allerdyce Drive, Kingston 8; 27-year-old George Gardner; Sheldon Watson, 36; and Newton Welsh, all of Kingston addresses.

Sixty-six-year-old Francis was shot dead by gunmen, pretending to have car trouble, outside his Queensway home in St Andrew in July 2011.

Francis’s death is believed to be a contract killing.

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Men to be tried for Bunny Francis" murder today

Canada body parts murder trial opens

29 September 2014 Last updated at 15:03 Police have said Magnotta filmed the murder of Jun Lin and posted it online The trial of a Canadian man accused of killing his lover and sending parts of his body in the post to political figures has begun in Montreal.

Luka Magnotta, 32, has pleaded not guilty to five charges related to the 2012 death of Jun Lin, a Chinese university student, including murder.

He faces a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges.

The trial start was delayed amid a crowded court calendar and difficulty selecting jurors.

Nearly 1,600 people were interviewed to fill a 14-person bilingual jury that includes two alternates.

Mr Magnotta’s lawyer, Luc Leclair, said he had sought jurors who were open-minded and willing to listen to the case, broadcaster CTV reported.

Canadian and European law enforcement hunted for Mr Magnotta across Europe

“He’s been waiting a long time,” Mr Leclair said. “There was a time that we never thought this day would come.”

Prospective jurors were asked during the panel selection whether they would be able to handle graphic and disturbing evidence.

Police began their investigation after finding a headless torso near Mr Magnotta’s Montreal flat in late May 2012.

Soon after, limbs were found in the post sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office and to the Liberal Party’s office.

Lin’s body parts were also later revealed to have been mailed to two British Columbia schools. His head was found in a Montreal park.

Investigators also found a video posted online thought to show Lin’s murder.

Mr Magnotta fled to Europe, prompting an international manhunt that ended when he was arrested in an internet cafe in Berlin.

He is charged with first-degree murder, committing an indignity to a body, publishing obscene material, mailing such material, and criminally harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of parliament.

Mr Magnotta’s lawyer, Luc Leclair, said his client had been waiting for the trial for a long time

The prosecution may ask the jury to find Mr Magnotta guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter if they cannot prove Mr Magnotta intentionally killed Lin and planned the murder in advance.

The trial is expected to last four to six weeks. About 60 witnesses are expected to be called.

Lin, who was enrolled as a computer science and engineering student at Concordia University in Montreal, was from the city of Wuhan in China.

His father, Diran Lin, will attend the trial.

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Canada body parts murder trial opens

Constable freed of attempted murder

Police constable Andr? Thomas was acquitted of attempted murder in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Thomas was freed after the testimony of the complainant who told the court she did not want to proceed with the matter.

The woman told the court that she had only wanted the police to warn Thomas when she reported the case.

As a result, Resident Magistrate Anmarie Nembhard told the accused that he was free to go.

Thomas still remains with the police, as he is still answering to a charge of rape. He is to appear in the St Catherine Circuit Court on Tuesday on that matter.

Thomas’ appearance in court arose from an incident in Eltham, St Catherine, when he allegedly took the complainant to an area and beat her, and attempted to set her ablaze.

The police said the accused went back to the woman’s residence, where he sexually assaulted a teenager.

Following a report to the police, a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A ruling was made that Thomas be charged with attempted murder and rape.

- R.T.

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Constable freed of attempted murder

Gangster on murder charge killed

THE Portmore police have reported that Okeelie Brown, one of two men killed last Monday during a shoot-out with lawmen on Winona Drive, Garveymeade, was a gang member charged in 2010 with the double murder of former Waterford High School goalkeeper, Okeeffee Lewis, and his stepfather, Leonard Hamilton.

The police claim Brown and another man, Dadrian Davis, were killed when the lawmen went in search of them after receiving information that they had pulled weapons on a visitor to the Garveymeade community.

Brown was also reportedly wanted by the police for the shooting of a rival gang member, ‘Headless’, earlier this month.

special team

“A report was made to the police that men had accosted the visitor, enquiring about his reasons for being in the area. Based on information, a special team went in search of the men. They were spotted and engaged the police in a shoot-out,” a police source told THE STAR.

Two firearms, a .38 pistol, with two rounds of ammunition, and .45 colt pistol, were seized during the shoot-out.

Brown, the police claimed, was second in command of the notorious Umbrella gang, said to be responsible for 31 murders in the Newlands area and elsewhere in Portmore from 2006 to 2011.

He, however, had fallen out of favour with the outfit’s incarcerated leader and left to form his own gang, operating out of Garveymeade.

Brown and four other members of the Umbrella gang were charged with the November 16, 2010, double murder of Lewis and Hamilton in Newlands, which plunged Waterford High into mourning on the eve of the Manning Cup semi-finals.

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Gangster on murder charge killed

Motive unknown for double murder

No motive has been established for the deaths of a Kingston businessman and a sales representative employed to the RJR Communications Group, who were found in Red Hills, St Andrew, on Sunday.

Fifty-two-year-old Darol Lodge of Red Hills and 25-year-old Felicia Sutherland of Passage Fort in Portmore, St Catherine, were found on Sunday about 8:30 in the morning.

According to the Red Hills police, relatives went to Lodge’s home to visit him, but instead stumbled upon both bodies. They were faced down with their hands and feet bound. It is believed they may have been strangled.

The scene was processed and their bodies were removed to the morgue.

Investigations are ongoing.

In the meantime, comments of bereavement flooded Sutherland’s Facebook page as her friends expressed sadness at her passing.

A relative of Sutherland described her as a person who was not involved in any dispute with anyone. The relative was at a loss as to why someone would want to harm her.

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Motive unknown for double murder

Still no motive in Fairfield Road double murder

Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

Up to late yesterday, police had not established a motive or identified any suspect(s) in connection with Saturday’s killing of two men at Fairfield Road, St Catherine.

Delroy Edwards, a businessman from the community, and who is employed to the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), and another man, who was still unidentified, were shot to death inside a bar.

When The STAR visited the area yesterday, the community was still tense. Residents expressed concerns about the killings. “This killing now mean people have to lock up from early and start to fret about who might be next,” a female resident said.

It was reported that about 9:30 p.m., Edwards who is also the nephew of Jennifer Edwards, the NSWMA’s executive director, was inside a bar he operated. Police said a man walked in, brandished a handgun and fired shots hitting Edwards and an unidentified male patron.

The man escaped in the community.

The St Catherine North Major Investigation Task Force is probing the matter.

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Still no motive in Fairfield Road double murder

Psychiatric evaluation for senior on murder rap

DEON P GREEN, STAR Writer

A senior citizen accused of be-heading another senior citizen in St Thomas and placing his head in a cage miles away from the murder scene, is to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

When the case came up for mention in the St Thomas Circuit Court on Monday, the judge ordered the evaluation.

The accused, 63-year-old Densil Bramwell of Wheelerfield in the parish, was remanded in custody and booked to return to court on December 1.

Bramwell is charged with murder after he was apprehended by the police. He reportedly led the police miles away from the murder scene in Wheelerfield and showed them the head of the deceased that he had placed in a cage in Golden Grove.

The headless body of 69-year-old Rudolph Blair was discovered by residents in the community on October 17, 2007.

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Psychiatric evaluation for senior on murder rap

Jamaican taxi operator gets life sentence for murder of Trinidad teacher

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Thursday July 24, CMC – A Jamaican taxi operator, Ivan Taylor was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Trinidadian teacher Michelle Coudray Greaves.

Taylor,46,who was found guilty of murder on May 22, will serve 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

Coudray-Greaves, 39, was due to start a teaching job in the western city of Montego Bay, when she went missing after returning from a trip to Trinidad on June 2, 2012.

Taylor, who provided her with taxi service, was arrested shortly after her burnt remains were found in cane field on the outskirts of Montego Bay. Forensic science was used to determine her identity.

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Jamaican taxi operator gets life sentence for murder of Trinidad teacher

Taxi operator sentenced to life for murder of Trinidadian teacher

The taxi operator, found guilty of  the murder of  Trinidadian teacher Michelle Coudray Greaves, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday

Ivan Taylor of  Lindoes Hill, in the western parish of Westmoreland was found guilty on May 22.

He will serve 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole. The mother of  the deceased, Marlene Coudray, was at the sentencing.

“ (I’m) still distressed but a lot relieved, I still don’t have my daughter and the children are without a mother … but I am comfortable with the verdict,” said her mother who is a Government Minister in Trinidad and Tobago.

Taylor,46,who was found guilty of murder on May 22, will serve 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

Coudray-Greaves, 39, was due to start a teaching job in the western city of Montego Bay, when she went missing after returning from a trip to Trinidad on June 2, 2012.

Taylor, who provided her with taxi service, was arrested shortly after her burnt remains were found in cane field on the outskirts of Montego Bay. Forensic science was used to determine her identity.

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Taxi operator sentenced to life for murder of Trinidadian teacher

Police making headway into double murder of Trelwany children

The Trelawny Police are reporting that they have made headway in the probe into the murder of  two children this week and expect an imminent  breakthrough. One person is in custody in relation to the case and they expect to make another arrest soon.

Ten-year-old Meleeka Mitchell and 12-year-old Omari Sterling, were kidnapped on the weekend and their bodies found on Tuesday. Meleeka’s body was found in bushes with the feet and hands bound, while Omari’s body was found in a pond a few feet away.

Head of  the Trelawny Police Superintendent, Willford Campbell, states that a main suspect has been identified. He has indicated that the father of one of  the children is facing prosecution in the matter as a result of negligence.

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Police making headway into double murder of Trelwany children

Prime murder suspect spotted at church

Deon Green, STAR Writer

In a case that had been puzzling the Golden Grove police in St Thomas, a prime suspect believed to be the brother of a man shot dead two weeks ago, was chased after he was seen in a church and held.

Reports reaching THE STAR are that residents tipped off the police that the suspect had been hiding near the Hampton Court Seventh-day Adventist Church since his brother’s puzzling death.

chased

Police sources say the suspect was spotted in the church yard and ran as they chased him. It is understood that the suspect whose name is being withheld, in a frantic bid to elude the cops slammed into a tree and suffered head and foot injuries. Three of the cops also suffered minor injuries and had to seek medical attention. The suspect remains under police guard in hospital in stable condition. He is to interviewed on release from hospital.

On June 6, the Golden Grove police began probing the circumstances under which 23-year-old Romio Lynch from Long Hill Road in Montego Bay, St James died.

At the time of the incident residents in Stokes Hall heard an explosion at the Sugar Housing Scheme. Minutes later a man was seen struggling to get from the work site. The man, identified as Lynch, later died while undergoing surgery, after telling medical personnel that he was injured by a length of steel.

However, medical sources at the hospital confirmed that the injury was consistent with that of a gunshot wound to abdomen.

The cops are now probing allegations that Lynch may have been accidentally shot with an illegal firearm.

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Prime murder suspect spotted at church

MIT makes breakthrough in probe of businessman's murder

The Major Investigation Task Force ( MIT) has made a breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of St. Andrew businessman, Robert Mendez.

Mendez, who operated Payless Car Mart off Maxfield Avenue in St Andrew, was shot dead by gunmen on April 1.

Video footage of the businessman being shot in his office was shown on Television Jamaica (TVJ)in May. The MIT is reporting that it has arrested and charged one of the suspects. He’s John Jarrett, 43, otherwise called “Tucker and “Wasp” of a Balcolmbe Drive address.

Superintendent Michael Phipps, head of the St Andrew Branch of the MIT, told RJR News that Jarrett was charged on Friday afternoon.

Jarrett who was picked up last week was seen on the video footage trying to remove a bracelet from Mendez’s hand after he was fatally shot.

Superintendent Phipps was tight-lipped on the status of the second suspect, but RJR News understands that he was captured in Canada on Thursday.

The suspect, who was seen shooting the businessman in the video, was nabbed by Canadian law enforcement agents following a request by the local police.

The suspect, who lived in Canada for sometime, has been arrested for immigration violations and is expected to be deported to Jamaica.

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MIT makes breakthrough in probe of businessman"s murder

Gun linked to Greenwich Town murder seized

The West Kingston Police have seized a gun linked to a recent murder in the division.

The point-2-2 revolver was found during a search of  the May Pen Cemetery shortly after 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon.

Head of  the West Kingston Police, Senior Superintendent Steve McGregor, says the firearm has been linked to the fatal shooting of  a man on Greenwich Street on June 12.

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Gun linked to Greenwich Town murder seized

Kingston makes UN highest murder rate survey

Andr? Williams, STAR Writer

Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, has been listed among an international survey of world cities with the highest murder rates, The WEEKEND STAR understands.

According to www.theguardian.com, who published the top 10 list on Tuesday, data from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows the most up-to-date available homicide rates per 100,000 people for the most populous cities of 137 countries.

The WEEKEND STAR gathered that the Americas overtook Africa as the region with the highest murder rate in 2012, with eight of the world’s 10 deadliest cities found there.

Kingston sits on the list at number 10.

The data shows that Kingston, Jamaica, has a murder rate of 50.3 per 100,000 people in 2011.

The UNODC numbers capture intentional homicide, defined as ‘unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person’.

Additionally, the report stated that a total of 328 people were murdered in Kingston in 2011, significantly down on previous years.

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Kingston makes UN highest murder rate survey

After murder and rape allegations … COP HANDED OVER TO DETECTIVES

Deon P Green, Star Writer

The St Thomas-based policeman who was taken in custody by the Morant Bay police last Thursday was on Saturday handed over to detectives at the St Catherine North division where he is accused of attempting to murder a woman and sexually assaulting her niece.

The Star has learnt that charges could be slapped on the constable next week

An informed source told The Star that the policeman was taken into custody after reports of two incidents against him were reported to the Police High Command.

The cop was arrested on allegations that some time last week he went to a woman’s house in Spanish Town, St Catherine, where he beat her into a semi-unconscious state.

It was reported that the policeman then placed tyres around the woman and attempted to set her ablaze. It is further alleged that the woman managed to escape, sought medical attention then reported the incident to the Police High Command.

In another incident, the same policeman was reported to the police hierarchy for holding up a niece of the woman he had beaten at gunpoint, and sexually assaulted her.

As the Morant Bay police remain tight-lipped about their investigations, The Star was unable to get the identity of the constable or any other detail on the allegations. The Star was told that the name of the accused constable could not be disclosed as investigations are continuing.

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After murder and rape allegations … COP HANDED OVER TO DETECTIVES

16-y-o arrested for murder in Westmoreland

Latest News

Tuesday, December 31, 2013 | 3:33 PM

WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — A 16-year-old student was taken into custody in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man in Bethel Town, Westmoreland, Tuesday evening. The police have identified the deceased as 32-year-old Jerome Wilson, unemployed, of Charlesmont, Belvediere, also in the parish.Reports are that about 5:00 pm Wilson and the student were involved in an altercation when a knife was brought into play.Wilson was stabbed and later pronounced dead at hospital.The Bethel Town police are investigating.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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16-y-o arrested for murder in Westmoreland