This Day In History

May 22 1957
A B-36 bomber accidentally drops a 10 megaton hydrogen bomb over an uninhabited area near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The conventional charges detonate on impact, leaving a radioactive crater 12 feet deep and 25 feet wide.

May 22 1968
The nuclear submarine U.S.S. Scorpion sinks to the bottom with all 99 aboard perishing, after it is reassigned to a spy mission and begins to head towards the Canary Islands. Navy Warrant Officer John Walker (a mole) had certainly reported enough to the KGB to allow them to read the Scorpion's encrypted transmissions. For reasons yet unknown, Navy officials of the U.S. and Soviet Union agree not to discuss the circumstances of this incident or the sinking of a Soviet sub the same year.

May 22 1981
Peter Sutcliffe is convicted of murdering 13 women in the Yorkshire Ripper trial. In the words of the presiding judge: "It is difficult to find words that are adequate in my judgment to describe the brutality and gravity of these offences and I say at once I am not going to pause to seek those words. I am prepared to let the catalogue of crimes speak for itself."

Woman Builds French-Style Mansion on Skid Row

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Looming over a barren industrial neighborhood locals call skid row, stands Gertrude Zachary's castle.

Rising like a fortress between a rescue mission and the railroad tracks, the estate is encircled by a wall 10 feet high. Within is a pool, courtyard garden, guest home and a 8,500-square-foot main home with four turrets each rising 50 feet into the air.

The estate is a showcase for Ms. Zachary's collection of religious art, stained glass windows and antique arched doors purchased in Europe and elsewhere. The arched brick entryway echoes the transept of a Gothic church. On the first floor, several reception rooms flow together, under a 12-foot ceiling. An iron banister staircase leads to the second floor, with its two bedrooms and a playroom for Ms. Zachary's grandchildren. An adjacent bathroom is home to a large, wooden unicorn.

On the walls, Ms. Zachary has hung modern paintings alongside quirky framed collections, such as gun shell casings, sequined vintage purses and miniature crowns that once adorned religious statues. She has a particular affection for soft, glittering lights: She's hung 210 chandeliers, many of them hand-blown in Murano, Italy. To clean them takes four days of work on the part of the estate's caretaker.

Ms. Zachary's home, across from a shuttered restaurant and abutting the parking lot of a raucous bar, is the only apparent residence in the desolate neighborhood. Lush blue-green velvet curtains and centuries-old door and window frames overlook parking lots, an overpass and a billboard advertising Ms. Zachary's antique and jewelry business. Ms. Zachary's daughter, Erica Hatchell, who lives in a more affluent area, said her mother couldn't be dissuaded from building here. "Nobody else would have made that decision," she said.

"I like downtown," said Ms. Zachary, 73, noting that cities such as Paris and New York have homes in industrial areas. Married and divorced three times, she lives in her estate with her Shih Tzu named Zipper.

There's no shortage of color to Ms. Zachary's life. Her father, Julius E. Witzky, was the chief engineer at Mercedes-Benz. His family said he helped design the U-boat and the Hindenburg, the doomed airship. She received a jewelry manufacturing plant in a divorce settlement from her third husband in the mid-1970s, and her fortune grew as she expanded the business and made well-timed real estate investments.

In 2000, Ms. Zachary bought a parking lot adjacent to her downtown antiques store for $250,000-a fraction of the price of a similar piece of land in the city's more desirable residential neighborhoods. It also boasted a 360-degree view of the Rio Grande valley and was a quick drive to her three nearby stores and a manufacturing plant. Because the 0.589-acre lot was downtown, Ms. Zachary's plans-her home was inspired by one in Paris-won easy approval from the city, which makes new home construction difficult in most areas because of its stringent rules to protect historic neighborhoods.

When construction began in 2006, few believed it would become a house. Some thought it looked like a concrete castle; one wondered if it might be a new Scientology building. But the result, completed in 2008, drew praise from architects and builders alike. While Ms. Zachary said she spent $2.1 million to build the mansion, a knowledgeable local expert estimated it cost perhaps double that amount. The assessed value of the home and land is $1.3 million.

With her eye always on business, Ms. Zachary occasionally opens up her home for local fund-raisers, "People see how beautiful the chandeliers are and we usually end up selling a couple chandeliers the next day," she said. Indeed, some of the furnishings in the home still have tags on them.

But some items she'll never sell, such as the intricate wood-panel walls and cornices, purchased from a local men's furnishings store that went out of business. Ms. Zachary's builder fit the dark ash panels to one of the walls of the home's large reception space.

Likewise, she purchased etched glass from Paris and soaring arched doors from an estate in Buenos Aires, and designed her home to fit them. After 10 years of collecting in Europe, she owns a wardrobe said to be from a Parisian brothel, where the girls use to hide, as well as a cradle said to have been made for Napoleon III's infant son, which now sits decoratively in the second floor bedroom of her guest house.

Does she truly believe it belonged to him? "It's a nice story," she said, her brown eyes looking amused.

Ms. Zachary has made a few unusual decisions, such as installing in her garage some arched stained glass panels sold from a de-sanctified church in Pittsburgh. She said she's not sure why she made that decision, but her daughter Erica explained that at night, when the garage lights are on, the windows are a beautiful way to welcome her home.

For her wardrobe, Ms. Zachary has devoted one clothes closet to dark colors and the other to light. "Anything to be unique," laughed Erica

APD Officer Indicted On Sex Crimes Charges

KOAT- Albuquerque Police Department Officer Tank Guenther has been indicted on 26 charges of criminal sexual contact of a minor, bribery of a witness and tampering with evidence.

Action 7 News obtained a copy of the indictment against Guenther on Thursday.

Investigators said the alleged abuse spanned from August 2002 until December 2005, but authorities didn't know about the accusations until the victim stepped forward in 2009.

Guenther is under investigation for allegations he raped a family member under the age of 13. Chief Ray Schultz said the department learned of the investigation last summer, and Guenther has been on administrative duties until now.

"When felony allegations are made against an officer, the department, a detective or even a civilian, the first thing we do is put them in a position where there's minimal contact with the public, obviously not doing any law enforcement duties or functions," Schultz said.

The department has launched an internal affairs investigation as the criminal aspect is also being reviewed.

According to the indictment filed on Thursday in district court, Guenther is charged with 26 counts of criminal sexual penetration in the first-degree. Investigators also said he bribed a witness and tampered with evidence for four years after the alleged abuse.

A spokesperson for the district attorney's office said that while the charges are against a police officer, it's important to remember that the case is about alleged child rape.

"The community rightly should expect a lot from a public safety officer, a police officer, but we expect more of them," the spokesperson said. "But in this case, this deals with a family matter, about his role in his family abusing a family victim."

Guenther is not in custody, but the district attorney's office said he will soon be getting a notice to appear in court.

If convicted, Guenther could face a maximum of 306 years in prison.

Teen Who Killed Family on Donaldson Ranch Goes Free

(CNN) -- A young man who was 14 when he shot and killed his family on a New Mexico ranch owned by newsman Sam Donaldson has been freed, a spokeswoman for the state's youth and families agency said Saturday.

Cody Posey had just finished the eighth grade when he was arrested on July 7, 2004, in connection with the slayings of his father, stepmother and stepsister.

He confessed to the slayings, but said he snapped after years of physical and psychological abuse. He said he fatally shot his father, Paul Posey, 34, stepmother, Tryome Posey, 44, and stepsister, Mairlea Schmid, 13, and then used a backhoe to bury their bodies inside a manure pile.

Posey was convicted in February 2006 of voluntary manslaughter for his father's death, second degree murder for his stepmother's death and first degree murder for his stepsister's death.

The state asked the court to impose the maximum adult sentence, life without parole. But Judge James Waylon Counts ruled that it was possible Posey could be rehabilitated and sentenced him as a juvenile offender. Once he reached 21, he could no longer be held as a juvenile and was free to go.

Posey turned 21 on Saturday, according to his uncle, Carl Clees.

Romaine Serna, spokeswoman for New Mexico's Children Youth and Families Department, confirmed Saturday that Posey is a free man.

"He has a bright future. I see no problems with him progressing and getting on with his life like the rest of us," Clees said.

While in custody, Posey obtained his high school degree and completed nearly two years worth of college credits, Clees said, adding that he had no disciplinary issues and served as a mentor to other youths.

The Posey family lived and worked on the Chavez Canyon Ranch in Hondo, New Mexico, owned by Donaldson, a former anchor at ABC News. It was Donaldson who discovered the bloody scene inside the Poseys' home on July 6.

Donaldson was the first witness to testify at Posey's trial in Children's Court in 2006.

Posey's defense called 40 witnesses, including ranch hands who claimed they witnessed years of physical and psychological abuse by Posey's father.

Testifying in his defense, Posey described the night before the shootings.

His father and stepmother summoned him to the master bedroom and tried to force him to have sex with his stepmother, he testified. When Posey refused, his father burned him with a heated metal rod, he testified.

Posey said he ran from the room. He was still reeling from the encounter the next morning when his father slapped him while he was doing chores.

He said he decided to grab a gun from Marilea's saddle bag, and then shot each member of his family in the head.

"I was thinking my world would be better and the whole world would be better without him," he told police shortly after his arrest.

In his confession, Posey admitted that after burying the bodies in the manure pile, he tried to stage the scene to look like a burglary. He said he took the family's pickup and visited friends, where he spent the night, lying about where his family was.

Donaldson told jurors he called the police soon after finding a large amount of congealed blood in the house and a "disturbing, red, dry swath" across the floor where the bodies had been dragged.
The bloody trail and backhoe tracks led police to the manure pile where the badly decomposed bodies were discovered.

Although the shootings occurred within seconds of each other, the jury returned different verdicts for each victim, siding in part with Posey's claims of abuse.

But now, Posey just wants a fresh start, his uncle said. "I'm excited for him. I look forward to helping him as much as possible," Clees said.

Stepmom Charged in Boy's Fatal Injuries

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Police have charged an Albuquerque woman in the death of her 3-year-old stepson who died from being hit hard enough to tear his small intestine.

The boy died Aug, 27, and police arrested Chiara Anton-Williams after the Office of the Medical Investigator ruled the boy's death a homicide cause by internal injuries. Anton-Williams, 27, was charged with child abuse resulting in death.

“That child suffered blunt trauma,” Albuquerque Police Department Officer Nadine Hamby said.

Police reported the case began when an Albuquerque Public Schools officer spotted a frantic Anton-Williams in the parking lot of the S.Y. Jackson Elementary School just after classes dismissed. She was with her stepson, whom the officer said looked gray and was having trouble breathing.

He called for an ambulance, and the boy died at University of New Mexico hospital later that day.

An autopsy showed the child died from blunt-force trauma to the abdomen that resulted in several tears in his small intestine. Investigators said the fatal injuries happened within that hour.

Police began questioning Anton-Williams who was with the child an hour before he died. The stepmother told police during that time she had been rough with the child after he defecated on the floor in their home as they were leaving to pick up her biological children from school.

The stepmom told police she grabbed him put him in the shower but said that was all she did. Police said her story doesn't match up with the boy's injuries.

“Somebody had to actually have seriously put some trauma to this kid, and it didn't happen by you just grabbing his arm and taking him somewhere,” Hamby said.

The state Children, Youth and Families Department reported there is no record of prior abuse allegations against Anton-Williams. However directors at the daycare the boy went to told police the child showed up once with a black eye and another time with a swollen eye.

Anton-Williams told the daycare directors the boy fell the first time, and the second time she said he was sick, according to a criminal complaint.

The daycare’s director declined to comment. The boy's father is not being investigated.

The child had two step-siblings. It is not known who is caring for them.

Anton-Williams was being held on a $150,000 cash or surety bond. She posted that bond just after noon on Thursday.

10-Year-Old Suspected in Fatal Shooting

BELEN, N.M. (KRQE) - A 10-year-old Belen boy is suspected of shooting and killing his father Thursday night, according to police who are investigating whether the gunshot was deliberate or accidental.

The Belen police chief confirmed a 42-year-old man had been shot once in the head with a rifle. Two children were at the home on the 300 block of Vivian Dr. in Belen at the time of the shooting.

Late Thursday night investigators were still in the process of searching through the home after they'd waited several hours for the search warrant to be signed.

They said they were recovering documents possibly related to Children, Youth and Families Department visits as well as weapons inside the home.

Officers responded to the home after they received a call of shots fired at 6:30 pm.

Ramona Silva, who lives almost directly across the street from the victim, told KRQE News 13 she knew the single-dad and his three children well.

The police chief said the man and their mother were divorced.

Silva said the children adored their father and she hopes the shooting was accidental.

"What I saw he was a wonderful dad, and those kids were really respectful with their dad," Silva said. "They were always respectful to their dad, you know?

"I mean come on, for a man to raise three children on his own, you know, it says it all right there."

She said the victim's parents live directly across the street from their son and had no idea of the shooting until she called them to ask about the police activity at their son's home.

If the shooting is ruled a homicide it will be Belen's first this year after recording two in 2008.

Grandma, 70, Accused of Dealing Heroin

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - She may have been a sweet old lady, but Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deputies said she was also selling heroin.

Deputies arrested Mary Padilla, 70, Wednesday night, after they said she sold heroin to an undercover informant.

When authorities raided her house on Jupiter Street NW, they found heroin in her purple robe, which was hanging in her bedroom closet.

Detectives said they also found two digital scales.

Neighbor Barbara Goldsmith said that police made a lot of noise, busted down the door and surrounded the house.

"I saw about 5 or 6 vehicles, they all piled out of cars, some had masks, some had guns, semi-automatic weapons," Goldsmith said.

Goldsmith said she was shocked by the arrest.

"Mary is a wonderful neighbor, she looks after everybody, she helps people when they need it. There's no way Mary could use or be a drug dealer, it's impossible" Goldsmith said.

Padilla has been charged with trafficking a controlled substance. She made her first appearance in court Thursday afternoon. She told detectives the drugs were her son's.

4 Bodies Found in Car Pulled From Lake

COCHITI LAKE, N.M. (KRQE) - New Mexico State Police have found at least four sets of human remains inside a car that was pulled out of in Cochiti Lake.

State Police said two days ago the department got a report from the owner of a pickup truck, stating that he thought his truck went into the lake.

So officers started searching the lake on Wednesday, and that's when they found a Ford four-door sedan under the water.

They arranged to have the car removed Thursday, and in the process of pulling it out, they found human bones.

State Police Lt. Eric Garcia said he believes the car has been in the lake for "over a year, at least." He said the car has been submerged for so long that there are fishhook marks in the side of the vehicle from recreational fishers at the lake.

Police discovered through the license plate and id number that the car is linked to a missing persons case, related to a custody fight back in 2001 in Albuquerque.

That fact has Albuquerque Police on scene as well.

"The state police advised they found a vehicle of our probable offender. That's what we're doing here. See if we can close out that case with this investigation," Albuquerque Police Officer Nadine Hamby said.

State Police obtained a search warrant and are currently in the process of examining the car. The Office of the Medical is on scene, according to Garcia.

As for the truck that officers were originally looking for, it was never found.

State Police said they are treating the area on the lake as a crime scene, and that it could take days before they can positively identify the bodies.

Woman Indicted in Son's Park Death and Playground Burial

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The woman, who admitted to police that she killed her son and buried him in the sand at an Albuquerque playground, was officially indicted Monday.

A grand jury indicted Tiffany Toribio, 22, on five charges: first degree murder, child abuse leading to the death of a child under 12, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and concealing her identity.

The first two charges each carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, which is classified as a life sentence under New Mexico law.

Police said Toribio suffocated her 3-year-old son Tyrus Toribio twice. The second time she placed her hand over his face until he stopped breathing.

She then buried him in Alvarado Park. They young boy's body was unearthed a few days later.

On Monday, State District Judge Bob Schwartz doubled Toribio's cash only bond from $250,000 to $500,000.

District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said the increase was a significant order by the judge.

Toribio will be arraigned in the next 10 days.

Police are still probing the involvement of the Toribio family.

Police: Mom Killed Boy, Buried Him in Playground Sand

(CNN) -- A 23-year-old woman suffocated her son and then buried his body beneath the sand of a playground, police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said Thursday.

Police arrested Tiffany Toribio about 4 a.m., just hours after they said they wanted to speak to her about her missing 3-year-old son, Ty.

Family members had contacted authorities, saying her son matched the description of a boy found Friday at an Albuquerque playground.

Police Chief Ray Schultz said she confessed to killing the boy soon after being apprehended.

"She placed her hand over her son's mouth and nose and suffocated him. She had second thoughts about what she did. She performed CPR on her son, brought him back to life and then decided to go forward with that original act she had started to commit," Schultz said.
Watch Schultz describe the alleged killing »


"What makes this story especially sad is, when asked the reason why she took Ty's life, Tiffany said that she did not want him to grow up with no one caring about him, the same way that she had grown up where nobody had cared about her."

An emotional Schultz added that Toribio has tried to kill herself since her arrest. She was being held in isolation at a detention facility and kept under observation, he said.

He added, "As you can see, this case has been very emotional for everybody in the department."

Toribio was charged with first-degree murder and an array of other charges, including abuse of a child under 12 that caused death.

The discovery of the body at Alvarado Park on Friday shocked the community, which dubbed the boy "Baby Justice" and "Baby Angel" as they rallied around his case.

Police released a composite image of the boy Tuesday, hoping to garner more leads in the case. They weren't able to release a photo of the boy because his body was so disfigured by the sand's heat.

Schultz said that after killing her son, Toribio dug a hole under gym equipment at the playground, moved the body and buried him in the shallow grave.

"Since that time, she's been walking the streets of the city of Albuquerque," he said.

The boy was wearing Arizona brand clothing, size 3T: nylon black running pants with red stripes, a red shirt with a monster truck on it and black, gray and lime green Skechers sneakers.

Toribio did not comment Thursday morning after her arrest as she was put in a police car.

Schultz said there had been no reports of child abuse filed against Toribio. But he said family members indicated that she did not express the typical love of a mother for her child.

"She did not show the normal relationship that you would see with a mother, son," he said.

This week, police had gone to residences where she had lived previously, but she wasn't there, Schultz said. Police had gone there after family members expressed concern because "they did not like the way Ty was being treated," the police chief said.

Police Release Composite Photo of Boy Buried In Playground Sand

(CNN) -- Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, released a composite image Tuesday of a young boy found buried beneath the sand of a local playground.

The boy was discovered on Friday by a passerby who saw a tiny black and lime shoe protruding from beneath the playground sand.

It led police to the body of a boy, who had been buried there in a shallow grave less than 48 hours earlier.

On Tuesday, police still had no answers as to what happened at Alvarado Park -- or even who the boy was.

His name is unknown, though the community has dubbed him "Baby Justice" or "Baby Angel." Nobody in the area has claimed his body, and nobody has reported a child of his age missing.

Before the composite image was created, police weren't able to release a photo of the boy because his body was so disfigured by the sand's heat.

Police say the Native American or Hispanic boy was between 3 and 5 years old, 38 pounds, 38 inches in height, with brown eyes and dark quarter-inch hair. When he was found, he was wearing Arizona brand clothing, size 3T -- nylon black running pants with red stripes, a red shirt with a monster truck on it and black, gray and lime green Skechers sneakers.

Police aren't sure how he died.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman John Walsh said a preliminary autopsy didn't reveal a cause of death. Walsh said there were no obvious signs of bruising on the boy.

"We have canvassed the entire adjoining neighborhood," Walsh said. "We're knocking on every door. We've been broadcasting and pleading for tips from the community. But still, nobody has come forward."

Though police have received numerous tips from the public, Walsh said nothing has come from them.

Albuquerque police are working with other local, state and nationwide law enforcement officials to try to piece together what happened.

Until then, members of the community have spent hours at memorials for the boy -- who none of them knew -- praying for him and raising money.

French Mortuary, in the town, has offered to pay all funeral costs for the boy.

Resident Rachel Lesperance told CNN affiliate KOAT-TV she spent her weekend collecting $3,600 for the boy. Her money, and the donations raised by others, will go toward a plaque at the park in the boy's honor, buying extra lights for the playground and to a fund toward finding out what happened to the little "Baby Justice."

"He doesn't have a family," Lesperance told KOAT-TV. "We're his family now, and we want him to be taken care of like one of our own."

Please, Find the Identity of Baby Justice..

(CNN) -- Walking through an Albuquerque, New Mexico, park a passerby made a startling discovery -- a tiny black and lime shoe protruding from beneath the playground sand.

It led police to the body of a young boy, who had been buried there in a shallow grave less than 48 hours earlier.

That was Friday.

On Tuesday, police still had no answers as to what happened at Alvarado Park -- or even who the boy was.

His name is unknown, though the community has dubbed him "Baby Justice" or "Baby Angel." Nobody in the area has claimed his body, and nobody has reported a child of his age missing.

Police said they couldn't even show a photo or give a sketch of the boy because his body was so disfigured by the sand's heat.

All they have is a description based on how they found him.

Police say the Native American or Hispanic boy was between 3 and 5 years old, 38 pounds, 38 inches in height, with brown eyes and dark quarter-inch hair. When he was found, he was wearing Arizona brand clothing, size 3T -- nylon black running pants with red stripes, a red shirt with a monster truck on it and black, gray and lime green Skechers sneakers.

Police aren't sure how he died.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman John Walsh said a preliminary autopsy didn't reveal a cause of death. Walsh said there were no obvious signs of bruising on the boy.

Walsh said the department is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to create a forensic reconstruction of what the boy may have looked like in hopes that someone will recognize him.

"We have canvassed the entire adjoining neighborhood," Walsh said. "We're knocking on every door. We've been broadcasting and pleading for tips from the community. But still, nobody has come forward."

Though police have received numerous tips from the public, Walsh said nothing has come from them.

Albuquerque police are working with other local, state and nationwide law enforcement officials to try to piece together what happened.

Until then, members of the community have spent hours at memorials for the boy -- who none of them knew -- praying for him and raising money.

French Mortuary, in the town, has offered to pay all funeral costs for the boy.

Resident Rachel Lesperance told CNN affiliate KOAT-TV she spent her weekend collecting $3,600 for the boy. Her money, and the donations raised by others, will go toward a plaque at the park in the boy's honor, buying extra lights for the playground and to a fund toward finding out what happened to the little "Baby Justice."

"He doesn't have a family," Lesperance told KOAT-TV. "We're his family now, and we want him to be taken care of like one of our own."

Pictures are of the shirt found on the boy and the shoes worn by this poor boy. Please hope this helps...

Unidentified Child Found Buried In New Mexico Park

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An autopsy on the unidentified body of a small child found buried in the sand of an Albuquerque playground was under way on Saturday as investigators resumed their search for the boy's parents or guardian.

Police renewed their call for the public's help in finding out how the 3- to 5-year-old boy ended up buried in northeast Albuquerque's Alvarado Park. A mother at the playground with her children spotted a shoe sticking out of the sand and made the grim discovery on Friday afternoon.

"No one has stepped forward as parent, guardian or caretaker or any other relationship with this child," Albuquerque police spokesman John Walsh said on Saturday. "Anybody who has seen or heard of any, anything, involving a child in that area, we want them to call us."

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said during a news conference late Friday that police have had no reports of missing children but believe he may be from the neighborhood.

The autopsy at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator began at 9 a.m. Saturday, Walsh said, and will determine the cause and manner of the child's death.

The boy was wearing a red shirt with the image of a four-wheel drive truck on the front, black nylon pants with red stripes and black shoes. Police showed a photograph of the boy's clothing during the news conference in hopes that someone might recognize it.

A team of about 50 investigators canvassed the area around the park until early Saturday and resumed the effort after daybreak, Walsh said.

Forensic experts who exhumed the body told police that the boy could not have been dead longer than 48 hours, Walsh said.

Schultz said the case was unique because his department has not had any reports of missing children in the 24 hours before the body's discovery. He asked that anyone who had been to the park in the last couple of days to call police.

"This is one of those cases where I think every minute counts," Schultz said late Friday.

Neighbors said they were shaken by the discovery.

"I run in this park every day. I've lived here for 17 years, it's very upsetting," neighbor Marlisa Gomez told Albuquerque television station KOAT.