GUILTY FL - Craig Wall, 5 wks, & Laura Taft, 29, murdered, Clearwater, Feb 2010

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Texas Mist

Texas Mist

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Police investigating death of 4-week-old boy

By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 11, 2010

CLEARWATER - The father of a 4-week-old boy who died last week made a video clip on a camera in which he says he "was sorry that he did something to the baby," according to court documents made available this week.

Craig Wall Sr. has not been charged in the death of his son, Craig Wall Jr. An investigation is ongoing.

Clearwater Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts said this afternoon the department is not commenting on what caused the baby's death.

But on Saturday, detectives seized Wall's camera, a red Nikon Coolpix, after the mother of the child, Laura Taft, found the video clip and told the detectives about it, according to an affidavit for a search warrant.

more here :(

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/feb/11/police-investigating-death-4-week-old-boy/news-breaking/

RIP, baby Craig. :rose:
 
Clearwater woman slain; killing linked to baby's death, police say

By CHIP OSOWSKI | News Channel 8
Published: February 17, 2010
Updated: 44 min. ago

CLEARWATER - A man whose infant child's death is under investigation was arrested this morning in Sumter County in connection with the stabbing death of the child's mother.

Clearwater Police said Craig Wall, 34, kicked in the rear door of Laura Taft's apartment early this morning and stabbed her to death. :(

Taft is the mother of 5-week-old Craig Wall, Jr. who died Feb. 6. Police say Taft's killing appears to be connected with the child's death.

Wall was arrested Sunday on a misdemeanor charge of violating a domestic violence injunction and released on $1,000 bail, Pinellas County Jail records say.

Craig Wall, Sr. made a video in which he said he "was sorry that he did something to the baby," court documents say. He has not been charged in the death of the child, but the death is under investigation



more here

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/fe...n-slain-suspect-red-car-sought/news-breaking/
 
OMG -- this women's death seems to have been preventable. How horrible-- she must have been living in fear while grieving over her baby's death. I wish the police had been quicker in putting together the pieces of the puzzle as it may have spared the Laura Taft's life.
 
OMG, the police had this video yet didn't arrest the man or at least give this woman some type of protection.

What an evil b*stard.
 
lizzybeth said:
OMG, the police had this video yet didn't arrest the man or at least give this woman some type of protection.

What an evil b*stard.
Click to expand...

Well - I guess she had protection in the form of a piece of paper :(

LARGO — Arrested on a domestic violence violation charge after trying to attend his son's memorial service Sunday, a Clearwater man is suspected in the baby's death, a police report shows.

Largo police arrested Craig Alan Wall Sr., whose infant died Feb. 6, on a charge of violating a domestic violence injunction filed by the baby's mother.

The report from Largo police said Wall, 34, was arrested around 4 p.m., about two hours after he drove through the parking lot of St. Dunstan's Anglican Church, where his son's memorial service was being held.

..............
According to the Largo arrest report, the infant's mother obtained an injunction on Feb. 8 that forbade Wall Sr. from contacting her because of an investigation by Clearwater police "that (Wall Sr.) was suspected of being the one responsible for the infant's death."

Clearwater police declined to comment Tuesday. Police spokeswoman Beth Watts said investigators are waiting for results from the medical examiner, and the investigation is "ongoing."

According to an arrest report, Wall led a friend to the church and asked the friend to videotape the service and read a statement that Wall had prepared.

The infant's mother told police that Wall "flipped her off" when he drove through the church parking lot.

In her petition for the injunction, the baby's mother, 29-year-old Laura Taft, said that Wall "has a very, very bad temper" that sometimes leads to him hitting walls or the coffee table.

Taft said, on Jan. 25, Wall tried to hit the family dog because it had eaten something off the floor. Taft said she tried to leave with the children, but Wall blocked the doorway and threatened to kill her if she did.

Taft said she feared for her life and the life of her other son, Connor Taft, who turns 6 Saturday.
......................
Wall had left the church when Largo police arrived Sunday afternoon. After police called him, Wall agreed to meet them at the Largo Public Library.

He was taken to the Pinellas County Jail and released Monday after posting $1,000 bail.



more here

http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...es-father-as-suspect-in-infants-death/1073604
 
Jeeze....how tragic..so preventable...

they had the camera....they had the "confession"...what good would a
piece of paper do to protect this poor woman, she just lost her baby to this creep...now he kills her

hello...what is wrong with the "system"??

Join me on the Spotlight forum where I am interested in talking about ideas to change the system, get accountabllity

in fact the more I read these boards the more I think that what we really need is an overhaul of the mental health systems/rehabs....so many of these crimes are really from mentally ill people off their meds and /or people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs

and so many of these crimes against children are from kids well "known" to the system, to the courts and/or the child services workers

This seems to be yet another preventable tragedy
 
<snip>

When officers arrived, they found a woman, identified as 28-year-old Laura Taft, stabbed to death. The back door of apartment # 157 had been kicked open.

About three hours later, deputies found the murder suspect, 34-year-old Craig Wall, in Sumter County. Authorities there received a BOLO (be on the lookout) around 4:30. Shortly before 6:00 a deputy spotted the Wall's vehicle.

When back-up units arrived, they found Wall to be "unresponsive." They broke the driver's side window and removed him from the car.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/mostpo...Clearwater-murder/qhjeiPAIyU69XN7EPMCNlQ.cspx

guess he tried to do himself in -- I'm glad they found him in time to haul him in :mad:
 
Sorry, too bad he didn't succeed in his suicide attempt, February 5th.

:(
JMHO
fran
 
fran said:
Sorry, too bad he didn't succeed in his suicide attempt, February 5th.

:(
JMHO
fran
Click to expand...

I'd rather he didn't succeed. I'd like to see him suffer for years for what he's done.
 
So, wait a minute...I'm trying to wake up and not quite believing what I'm seeing. Wall kills his baby boy, kills his wife, has a history of criminal and documented domestic violence.....and he walks for $1000?

Did I sum it up? Are the other family members running for their lives? What about the other little boy? The community? Anyone who steps in his path? This guy is a ticking time bomb. Which judge allowed this? Who's going to accept responsibility when Wall snaps again? Will a dog, a baby, a wife, or a whole school building or court house full of people die next?

This is outrageous..far beyond our usual outrageousity!!
 
Missizzy said:
So, wait a minute...I'm trying to wake up and not quite believing what I'm seeing. Wall kills his baby boy, kills his wife, has a history of criminal and documented domestic violence.....and he walks for $1000?

Did I sum it up? Are the other family members running for their lives? What about the other little boy? The community? Anyone who steps in his path? This guy is a ticking time bomb. Which judge allowed this? Who's going to accept responsibility when Wall snaps again? Will a dog, a baby, a wife, or a whole school building or court house full of people die next?

This is outrageous..far beyond our usual outrageousity!!
Click to expand...

not quite.
he killed the baby, and then violated the protection order, then was out on a thousand bail when he killed.

sickening and disgusting either way.....i seriously cannot believe this one though. they basicaly had him confessing to killing the baby, and yet this woman is still dead.

all le should be fired for this horse manure
 
This isn't just LE dropping the ball; they dropped a boulder on this one. I'm at a loss for words. Why was he not sitting in jail for the death of that sweet baby? I hope a lot of heads roll after this debacle.

Prayers to the family. I can't imagine their pain. I'd be mama-bear angry if I were them.
 
Horrible! I don't understand why he was allowed to bail out after she gave police the camera. Surely they knew he'd go after her after that,especially with the order of protection also placed on him.

A thousand dollars bailed him out to kill again,something is terribly wrong with our laws in that we allow obviously dangerous people to get bail.
 
no one knows what that tape says for all we all know he might be saying sorry that he left the baby alone with her maybe to hom thats what he didwhen he said he did something to the baby .. im not saying thats what happened but maybe she is the one that actually killed the child hents why he went after her if thats the case she ain't gonna get no sympathy from me..
 
CanManEh said:
no one knows what that tape says for all we all know he might be saying sorry that he left the baby alone with her maybe to hom thats what he didwhen he said he did something to the baby .. im not saying thats what happened but maybe she is the one that actually killed the child hents why he went after her if thats the case she ain't gonna get no sympathy from me..
Click to expand...

omg.
that's all i have to say to this......omg
 
<snip>

Wall is now in a Sumter County hospital, Clearwater police said, and is expected to survive. Police did not know the nature of his injuries.

He was arrested on State Road 44 about 75 miles from Clearwater.

The Clearwater Police Department said Wall, 34, broke through the sliding glass door of Laura Taft's apartment early this morning, argued with Taft and stabbed her to death.

Officers found Taft outside her front door with a number of stab wounds. She died at the scene, police said.

Taft is the mother of Craig Wall, Jr. who died Feb. 6 at the age of 5 weeks. Police say Taft's killing appears to be connected with the child's death.

Two days after the child's death, Taft sought a restraining order against Wall because he had become a suspect in their son's death, a copy of her petition said.

Wall was alone with their infant son before the child had to be rushed to a hospital, and Wall would often hit things when he became angry, the petition says.

Wall has "always said if I leave him he would kill me," her petition said.

A judge granted her the restraining order, but Wall filed a counter-petition because he wanted to go his son's memorial service Sunday. That petition was denied.

Wall went anyway, according to court records, and he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of violating a domestic violence injunction and released on $1,000 bail, Pinellas County Jail records say.

Wall drove through the parking lot of St. Dunstan's Anglican Church with a friend who was to videotape the service for him and tell the attendees on Wall's behalf that Wall loved Taft and their infant son, a police report says.

But Taft said she saw him at the wheel of the car and that he made an obscene gesture toward her.

.............
The camera was placed by a shrine next to the baby's bassinet, and an officer looked at the video clip before the search warrant was obtained.

"She observed Craig Wall stating that he was sorry that he did something to the baby and that he did not mean to make the baby cry," the documents say.

Investigators believe Wall left the camera next to the baby's bassinet so Taft could see it, documents say.


more here

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/fe...n-slain-suspect-red-car-sought/news-breaking/
 
CanManEh said:
no one knows what that tape says for all we all know he might be saying sorry that he left the baby alone with her maybe to hom thats what he didwhen he said he did something to the baby .. im not saying thats what happened but maybe she is the one that actually killed the child hents why he went after her if thats the case she ain't gonna get no sympathy from me..
Click to expand...
Her baby died just days before she was savagely murdered by being stabbed multiple times... I could go on, but believe me, every cell in my body is aching with sympathy for this poor mother.

May she, and her baby, rest in peace.
 
From the article it looks like he had spent 14 years in prison. I wonder why they couldn't have put him back in after the baby died for some kind of parole violation, while they gathered the evidence in the baby's death. Or at the very least kept him in jail when he violated the protection order. With his record there should have been enough cause to hold him.
 
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