Authorities charged a Rocky Mount man Tuesday in the murder of Taraha Shenice Nicholson, one of five women found dead in Edgecombe County since 2005.
Antwan Maurice Pittman, 31, faces one count of first-degree murder, authorities said during a press conference at the Edgecombe County Sheriffs Office. READ MORE BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW:
UPDATE 08/15/09. George Cook of Let's Talk Honestly Interviews reporter Mike Hixenbaugh of the Rocky Mount Telegram, the reporter covering the case for the local paper.We discuss:
*How the police are handling the case.
Is race a factor?
*How the locals in Rocky Mount feel.
*The overall lack of news coverage.
*The current status of the case.
*How Nancy Grace and Fox News both bumped stories about the murders, and more.
Is there a serial killer targeting black women in the North Carolina over the last four years. 6 African American women have been found dead and 3 are listed as missing.
The Edgecombe County Sheriffs Office is leading a task force investigation to determine if the murders are related. Some outside profilers say the murders are the work of a serial killer, but authorities will not say if they believe thats the case.
All of the victims were black women found in remote locations near the eastern boundary of Rocky Mount, and each had a history of drug or alcohol abuse and prostitution, according to criminal records.
The bodies of,Tahara Sheniece Nicholson, 28, Jackie Thorpe 35, Jarniece Latonya Hargrove, 31; Ernestine Battle, 50; and Melody LaShae Wiggins, 29, were all found in the same area.
A sixth body discovered in February has yet to be identified, and three other missing women with similar descriptions and backgrounds Christine Marie Boone, Renee Joyce Durham and Yolanda Renee Lancaster remain missing.
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Unit are working with local authorities to investigate a string of similar deaths in Edgecombe County, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Amy Thoreson, spokeswoman with the Charlotte FBI office, said the bureau often gets called in on serial killer cases. Their analytical work focuses on who criminals are and how they think.
Interview with Regina N. Kelly the woman whom the movie "American Violet" is based on.
Regina N. Kelly
Hi this is George Cook of www.letstalkhonestly.com . Many of you may or may not know who Regina N. Kelly is. She is a African American woman falsely arrested on drug charges who refused to take a plea deal and fought back. Her story is the basis of the film American Violet now playing in limited release across the united States. I have been honored to interview Regina and some of the things we discuss are:
*What happened the day she was arrested
*How she feels about her country today
*Why she wouldnt take the plea deal
*How her arrest affected her children
*How other than the NAACP no civil rights leaders stepped up to help her and much more.
Listen to the interview by using the player below:
Antoinette Harrell led a Mississippi Delta Poverty Tour in which she took several members of the media, academia, government, activist, and college students.
They got to see the extreme poverty in the delta up close. I am blessed again to interview Atoinette Harrell about her experiences on the tour. Also joining us this time will Professor Rebecca Hensley from Southeastern Louisiana University.
What they say will make you angry, it will make you sad, hopefully it will make you want to help by using the email links below to let several Mississippi Government officials know how you feel.
Many believe that slavery ended in the United States in 1863. That is wrong. There are known cases of descendants of slaves and share croppers who have been forced into indentured servitude up until 1973.
Peonage as this type of servitude is known existed in 16 states. Mostly southern states but it did exist in states like New York and Illinois.
The legacy of peonage are that entire communities in both Mississippi and Louisiana live in extreme poverty. Some towns don't even have local governments let alone running water and gas.
Check out my interview with Antoinette Harrell of the organization Gathering of The Heart. Gathering of the Heart is a group that is attempting to help these people not only with food, water, and clothes. But also by getting their story out there.
NEW KINDLE EBOOKs: Let's Talk Honestly: One Black Man's Thoughts and a new childrens book, The Hillsiders: What do you want to be when you grow up by George L. Cook III. Also available for iPod & iPhone
Learn More about these Kindle Books HereLTH E-BOOKS
