CARINA SAUNDERS - 19 yo (11/2011) - Bethany OK

BETHANY, Oklahoma -- During a press conference on Monday, Bethany police released the identity of the body found in a duffel bag in Bethany on Thursday, October 13.

10/13/2011 Related Story: Body Found In Duffel Bag In Bethany Field


According to Phil Cole, Chief of Police at the Bethany Police Department, the body has been identified as 19-year-old Carina Saunders. Police said tattoos helped investigators identify the
teenager before the Medical Examiner's official report.

According to police, an animal rescue group found the duffel bag in a wooded area behind the Homeland near N.W. 23rd Street and N. Rockwell Avenue and called 911. Police believe the body had been there for three or four days before it was found.

Police said Saunders' family last reported seeing her on September 28. The family filed a missing person's report at the Oklahoma City Police Department, and started a Facebook page called Carina Come Home.

According to the page, someone last spotted Saunders at an apartment complex near Northwest 41st and MacArthur Blvd. on October 8 and 9.

"She had friends in that complex. It was not unusual for her to be on that property," Chief Cole said.

Police said investigators were able to gather leads from the first day of the investigation, because tattoos match those shown on Saunders' body in a picture from Facebook.



"When we had a tentative idea that this may be who it was, we started to work immediately," Chief Cole said.

Police said they have several leads but no motivation for the killing. If you have any information in the case, call Bethany police at (405)-789-2323.

The Oklahoma State Bureau Of Investigation is working with Bethany police to try and develop a suspect in the case.

Saunders' family released the following statement on a Facebook page:

Carina's father and I need to inform all of you that Carina has gone home to be with her Lord and Savior. We wanted to let everyone close to her know before you found out on the news. Thank you so much for all your prayers, and love and support. Please keep them coming as our family is going through this time of trial.

http://www.newson6.com/story/15715169/police-identify-body-found-in-duffel-bag-in-bethany-field

BETHANY, Okla. -- New information is being released into the murder of a 19-year-old Bethany girl. Last week, the body of Carina Sanuders was found stuffed inside a duffle bag behind a Homeland store.

Wednesday, police named two persons of interest in the case.  

Those men are Cody Perez and Kyle Tweed.

One of the men, Tweed was interviewed by police and has been released.  

The other, Perez, has been missing for several days.  

Right now the pair are not being named as suspects, although police hope they may help solve the case.

Perez hasn't been seen since early last week.  

Police say Perez likely fled to Texas or California.

"We truly feel Perez attempted to leave the metro on the 11th," Bethany Police Chief Phil Cole said.

Police records may shed some light on the connection between Tweed and Perez.  

Perez's mother reported she feared something may have happened to Perez because he was having problems with a "tweet" or "tween," perhaps meaning Tweed.

The report continues "tweet" came to Perez's apartment one night and threatened Perez saying, "He was gonna take it to the next level."

Chief Cole wouldn't detail exactly how the two men knew the victim, Saunders.

"At this point, releasing information on the relationships between the two persons could compromise the investigation," Cheif Cole said.

Cole simply said solving the murder mystery is their top priority.

"We have a family grieving. Friends who loved the victim. Our officers here have children. It's the most important thing in Bethany as far as our department is concerned," Chief Cole said.

Anyone with information on Perez is asked to contact Bethany police.

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-persons-on-interest-in-search-for-womans-killer-20111019,0,5817505.story

BETHANY, Okla. -- A huge breakinto a murder mystery in Bethany. Bethany police arrest one mansuspected of taking part in the murder of 19-year-old Carina Saunders. Saunders' body was found stuffed in a duffle bag behind alocal Homeland store.

Right now one man, Jimmy Lee Massey, Jr., is behind bars.  

Police say several others involved in a local drug and prostitution ring likely helped with the murder.

Before anyone discovered Saunders' body, investigators claim Massey kidnapped another female.

"Mr. Massey restrained this kidnapping victim and forced her to watch the murder of Carina," Bethany police chief Phil Cole said.

According to court records, "Massey went on to describe in very specific and graphic details how the body of Saunders had been tortured and finally dismembered prior to its disposal."

The kidnapped female was then given "a message to relay to her associates that this is what happens to people who don't cooperate."

"We believe the murder of Saunders was to send a message to the kidnapping victim and others they needed to take part in the human trafficking side of this criminal organization," Cole said.

Massey remains behind bars at the Oklahoma County jail on drug charges.

Another man, Francisco Gomez, also faces the same drug charges.  

He's on the run from police and is now being called a person of interest in the Saunders' murder.

The case may not end there.

"There's a lot of work to be done. We believe there are others involved in the murder of Carina Saunders. We're working to ID these people," Cole said. Chief Cole said Saunders apparently knew some of the people involved in the crime ring but is not suspected of any criminal activity prior to her murder.

"Our information is she was a random choice, as sad as that is," Cole said.

The name of the kidnapping victim is not being released to protect her safety.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Gomez is asked to contact Bethany police.

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-graphic-suspect-arrested-after-girls-body-found-in-duffle-bag-20111220,0,6407719.story

A former elementary school teacher-turned-alleged drug dealer was charged on Thursday in the brutal murder and dismemberment of a 19-year-old woman.

Luis Ruiz, 37, allegedly tortured and slaughtered Carina Saunders, whose remains were found stuffed into a duffel bag behind a grocery store in Bethany, Oklahoma in October 2011.

Authorities believe Ruiz, a father of five, murdered Saunders to scare female witnesses so they would cooperate with a drug and human trafficking ring he was allegedly involved in.



Brutal crime: Luis Ruiz, left, has been charged with killing and dismembering Carina Saunders, right


Horrific find: Saunders' remains were discovered inside a duffel bag in a field behind a Homeland grocery store

The death came after Saunders received threatening text messages and reported them to police on October 9, according to News 9.  The next day, the 19-year-old Mustang High School graduate vanished, and a missing persons report was filed.

Just a day later, police arrested Ruiz on drug-related charges, but he was later released on bond.

On October 13, a couple were trapping cats in a field behind a Homeland grocery store near Northwest 23rd Street when they came across a body inside a bag.



Elusive link: Police have stayed mum on the nature of the relationship between Saunders, 19, and the 37-year-old former teacher



Possible link: Ruiz's younger brother said Saunders resembled a white woman that his brother used to 'hang out with'

Nine months after Saunders' murder, Ruiz was picked up by police on Thursday afternoon on larceny charges after he was allegedly spotted trying to steal from a Sears store in southwest Oklahoma City.

Police already had a warrant for his arrest on a murder charge.

The arrest was made possible thanks to a confidential witness who told detectives she was kidnapped last October and brought to a house where she was forced to watch Saunders being tortured and cut into pieces, News 9 reported.

According to court documents, police combed through the apartment at the Will Rogers Court Housing Complex and found blood and hair in a freezer, as well as a blood-stained knife.


Caught: Ruiz was arrested on a larceny charge after allegedly trying to steal clothes from a Sears store

Officers reported that they could smell bleach inside and it appeared the crime scene had recently been cleaned.

Neighbors said the house was known in the area as a drug den and possibly a brothel filled with women.

Ruiz’s brother, 21-year-old Jorge, told ABC News the suspect used to teach at Columbus Enterprise Elementary School in southwest Oklahoma City.

'I don’t want to believe that he didn’t do it. I still think he’s innocent, in my eyes,’  Jorge Ruiz said.


House of horrors: Last December, police found blood, hair, and a blood-stained knife inside an apartment where they believe Saunders was tortured and killed

Before his arrest this week, Ruiz had run afoul with the law on several occasions.

In 2010, he was arrested for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, according to court documents.

His brother also believes that since he moved to Oklahoma from Texas about six years ago, he had been involved with prostitutes.

Jorge Ruiz said the 37-year-old suspect has three daughters with one woman, a son with another and possibly another child with a third woman.  

The brother also said that he may have seen Luis with Saunders. He said the photos of the 19-year-old looked similar to a white woman the 37-year-old used to 'hang out with.'


Suspects: Police arrested Jimmy Massey, top left, Alejandro Rojas, top right, Michael 'Monster' Knight, bottom left, and Luis Soto, bottom right, on drug charges possibly related to
Saunders' murder

On more than one occasion, the house turned into a crime scene; first in 2010, when a sex offender attempted to kill himself and again in 2011 when someone set fire to the place.

The raid on the  house led to the arrest of five men: Jimmy Massey, Alejandro Rojas, Michael ‘Monster’ Knight, Luis Soto and Francisco Gomez.

Four of the suspects remain in jail for drug-related crimes, but they have not been charged in connection with Saunders’ murder.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2170349/Luis-Ruiz-Tortured-dismembered-girl-19-scare-witnesses-involved-human-drug-trafficking-ring.html#ixzz20NJyQXRc

Brother of murder suspect speaks about arrest
Luis Ruiz, 37, accused in death of Carina Saunders

UPDATED 7:00 PM CDT Jul 06, 2012

BETHANY, Okla. - The brother of a murder suspect accused of killing a Bethany teenager says Luis Ruiz used to be a teacher at an Oklahoma City elementary school before he got caught up selling drugs.

Jorge Ruiz, 20, says his brother Luis Ruiz, 37, used to teach at Columbus Enterprise Elementary in southwest Oklahoma City.

"I'm not sure which grade he taught," said Jorge Ruiz. "This was a long time ago. I was in like, fifth grade."

Luis Ruiz was arrested Thursday on a first-degree murder complaint.

Luis Ruiz is accused in the murder of 19-year-old Carina Saunders. Saunders' dismembered body was found in a duffel bag outside a grocery store in Bethany

"It's pretty crazy; It's kind of shocking," added Jorge Ruiz. "I feel sad. I want to believe that he didn't do it. I still think he's innocent, in my eyes."

"I feel bad for the parents of (Carina Saunders)," he added. "They're going through a lot."

In 2010, Luis Ruiz was arrested for having possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, court documents confirmed.

"He's been kind of a drifter," Jorge Ruiz said. "He just comes and goes. My whole family hasn't seen him in a while. He's been a drifter and a loner. He has a drug problem and definitely got mixed up with the wrong crowd selling drugs."

Ruiz said his family is in the process of hiring an attorney.

Read more: http://www.koco.com/news/oklahomanews/okc/Brother-of-murder-suspect-speaks-about-arrest/-/11777584/15429460/-/uaq4yf/-/index.html#ixzz20S8o6JHD

Man Pleads Guilty In Drug Trafficking Case Tied To Saunders Murder

Posted: Aug 08, 2012 11:54 AM CDT
Updated: Aug 08, 2012 1:13 PM CDT
By Lisa Monahan, News 9


OKLAHOMA CITY - A man arrested in a drug trafficking ring that is possibly connected to the death of a Bethany girl enters a guilty plea in court Wednesday morning.

Alejandros Rojas will spend four years in custody on drug trafficking charges from November 2011.

Rojas and four other individuals, including Jimmy Massey, were arrested for one count of illegal drug trafficking and one count of conspiracy to distribute.

Following the arrests, court documents revealed a possible connection between the drug trafficking ring and the murder of Carina Saunders, the 19-year-old found dismembered in a duffle bag in Bethany during October 2011.

Prosecutors formally charged Jimmy Massey and Luis Ruiz for Saunders' murder last month.

When asked if Rojas is considered a suspect in the murder of Carina Saunders, Oklahoma County First Asst. District Attorney Scott Rowland said, "We've known all along some members of the drug ring Rojas associated with are responsible for Carina Saunders murder but right now there is no information specifically connecting him [Rojas] to her death."

Rojas has an I.C.E. hold and will be deported back to Mexico after serving the time in jail. The drug charges against Jimmy Lee Massey, Francisco Gomez, Luis Arturo Soto and Edgar Alberto Gonzales- Olivas are still pending.

http://www.news9.com/story/19227701/man-allegedly-involved-in-drug-trafficking-pleads-guilty

Autopsy: Body found in duffel bag badly mutilated

By TIM TALLEY
Published 4:29 p.m., Wednesday, August 15, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The dismembered body of a 19-year-old woman that was discovered in a duffel bag in suburban Oklahoma City had been decapitated and missing hands and feet, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday.

The 11-page report reveals graphic details of the extent of mutilation of the body of Carina Saunders, whose remains were identified by dental records. Her body was discovered behind a grocery store in Bethany on Oct. 13.

The report concludes that Saunders was murdered and lists the cause as "violent death," but it does not indicate when she died. The autopsy was completed in January, but officials said the report was sealed while detectives investigated the case.

Two men were formally charged last month with first-degree murder in Saunders' death. Jimmy Lee Massey Jr., 34, and Luis E. Ruiz, 37, are being held without bond and are scheduled to appear before a judge on Sept. 18 for a preliminary hearing conference. Massey was in custody on a drug-related charge when he was accused of murder.

Their attorneys did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.

Bethany Chief Phil Cole did not return a phone message seeking comment on the case Wednesday. He has said authorities believe Saunders' murder was connected to a drug ring, human trafficking and prostitution.

The autopsy report, from the Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office, indicates there were cut marks around Saunders' neck and that a tattoo on her upper back of the words "Kween Spade" showed rectangular cut marks that appeared to be an attempt to remove it. It also said that limbs had been severed and separated.

The report also found that Saunders' body contained traces of Tramadol, a prescription pain reliever, but that analysts couldn't determine the amount due to decomposition.

According to court records, a witness told Bethany police that she and Saunders went to a south Oklahoma City house where Ruiz beat Saunders and tied her up. The witness said Ruiz dragged Saunders to an upstairs room, tied her to a table and cut off her left foot. She said he also tried to cut off her right foot, but that the saw he was using broke. The witness said she escaped through a window.

Another witness told police she had been told the killing was recorded on Ruiz's cellphone. She said she was with Ruiz in a hotel in May, looked at his phone while he was in the bathroom, saw video of the killing and recognized Ruiz as the person who was cutting off Saunders' foot, according to a court affidavit.

Another affidavit states that Massey told police he witnessed Saunders' death but claimed he wasn't involved. But police said he told a jail inmate he was involved in the killing and provided details that only investigators and the medical examiner's office would know.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Autopsy-Body-found-in-duffel-bag-badly-mutilated-3791392.php#ixzz23ivuajWQ

Preliminary hearing set for 2 men accused of killing Carina Saunders
Jimmy Massey, Luis Ruiz will be in court Jan. 23

UPDATED 9:35 AM CDT Sep 18, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY —

A judge issued a continuance for two men accused in the death of a 19-year-old woman.

The preliminary hearing for Jimmy Lee Massey Jr., 34, and Luis Ruiz, 38, has been set for Jan. 23.

The two men were formally charged in July with the death of Carina Saunders, 19, whose body was discovered behind a grocery store in Bethany on Oct. 13, 2011.

An autopsy report revealed Saunders had been decapitated and her body was missing hands and feet. She was identified by dental records.

The report says Saunders was murdered, but does not indicate when she died.

Authorities believe Saunders' slaying was connected to a drug ring, human trafficking and prostitution.

Read more: http://www.koco.com/news/oklahomanews/okc/Preliminary-hearing-set-for-2-men-accused-of-killing-Carina-Saunders/-/11777584/16643550/-/d0gp07z/-/index.html#ixzz27PnPQF8J

Judge orders man charged in Carina Saunders' slaying to face trial on drug charges
Jimmy Lee Massey Jr., 33, is accused of participating in the slaying of a 19-year-old Mustang woman whose dismembered body was found in duffel bag.

By Tim Willert
Published: December 5, 2012  

An Oklahoma County judge on Wednesday ordered a trial on drug trafficking charges for two men, one of whom also is charged with murder in the torture and killing of a 19-year-old Mustang woman.


Preliminary hearing for Jimmy Lee Massey Jr., left, who is accused of trafficking meth. Massey also is charged with first-degree murder in dismemberment death of Carina Saunders. In Judge Doak's courtroom in the Oklahoma County Courthouse on Wednesday. Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman Jim Beckel

Oklahoma County Special Judge D. Fred Doak ruled sufficient evidence exists to send Jimmy Lee Massey Jr. and Francisco Gomez to trial on charges of trafficking methamphetamine and conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine.

Prosecutors amended the charges against Massey to include three counts of distribution, authorities said.

Massey, 33, and Luis Enrique Ruiz, 37, were charged in July with first-degree murder in the October 2011 death of Carina Saunders, whose dismembered body was found in a duffel bag.

Massey, while jailed on the drug charges, shared details of Saunders' killing with two detainees, according to a probable cause affidavit filed with his murder charge.

“Much of the initial information in the Carina Saunders case came from that drug investigation,” Oklahoma County First District Attorney Scott Rowland said Wednesday.

http://newsok.com/judge-orders-man-charged-in-carina-saunders-slaying-to-face-trial-on-drug-charges/article/3735028

Detective Connected To Carina Saunders Murder Let Go

Posted: Jan 30, 2014 7:57 PM CST
Updated: Jan 30, 2014 7:57 PM CST
By Lisa Monahan, News 9

BETHANY, Oklahoma -

A case that made headlines nationwide remains unsolved Thursday night. And now, another detective connected to the high profile murder of Carina Saunders is forced to turn in his badge. News 9 is looking into why both investigators on the case have been let go.

The Bethany Police Department has another vacant spot. Three have come open in just past few months. Two were detective who played major roles in the pursuit of justice for Carina Saunders.

The City of Bethany confirms Lt. Austin Warfield was released from duty on Tuesday following an internal investigation. City officials did not explain what resulted in the termination of the detective, who was previously the lead detective on one of the biggest cases at the department: The high profile murder of 19-year-old Saunders.

"That case has been a very painful case, especially for victim's families. I think for a while there it looked like the case was handled and they had people in custody and now suddenly they are back to square one," said SWOSU criminologist, Dr. Howard Kurtz.

Warfield and former Capt. Jack Jencks were forced to turn over the case to the OSBI one year ago when criminal charges were dropped against the suspects due insufficient evidence.

City officials refused to say if that shakeup in the Saunders case, and subsequent publicity of mistakes made, were connected to Warfield's termination. But the decision comes just four months after the firing of another detective on the Saunders case; Jencks.

Jencks was let go after evidence was found missing from Bethany's property room, developments that are concerning to carina Saunders parents and the community.

"Anytime a number of officers are let go, confidence in that department [decreases],"said Kurtz.

The OSBI says the Saunders case is still an open and active case.

http://www.news9.com/story/24595599/detective-connected-to-carina-saunders-case-let-go

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Cold Harbor for Carina Saunders

http://ghostshirtpapers.blogspot.com/2012/07/cold-harbor-for-carina-saunders.html

After months of investigation Luis Enrique Ruiz and Jimmy Lee Massey Jr. have been charged with first degree murder in the torture, killing, and dismemberment of Carina Saunders. A front page story in The Oklahoman written by Tim Willert gives graphic details of the act and raises nearly as many questions regarding the murder as it answers.

Three new names were made public and two recently mentioned were conspicuously absent. According to the story Saunders went to a house on S. Harvey Ave. with a woman named Michelle Hanshaw. Willert's account says Hanshaw watched as Ruiz beat Saunders, tied her up, dragged her upstairs, and sawed off her left foot. As he tried to do the same thing to her right foot the blade broke. At some point, Ms. Hanshaw bailed out of out of a window to escape the nightmare in progress.

Willert writes that a woman named Stephanie Howard told police that on two occasions she and former boy friend, Ruiz had to "baby-sit" Saunders. There was no explanation of what she meant by "baby sitting," although given the gruesome nature of this business it probably wasn't a good thing. According to the story Ruiz told her that Saunders was going to be "dealt with."

Willert reports that a third woman, Tia Downour was at the house, but left soon after arriving. Ms. Downour also said she had been told there was a cell phone video of the murder and that the phone belonged to Ruiz.

Downour went on to say that while she was sharing a motel room with Ruiz she took a surreptitious peek at the video, but turned it off once Saunders began to scream..

The rest of the story involves unnamed sources and jailhouse detainees ratting Messrs Ruiz and Massey out. As always it appears they couldn't help but gab about what they'd done and as always everyone they told either wanted to do the right thing, or more realistically, wanted to cut a deal with the DA with their new found leverage.

Two names not mentioned in this latest article were Mindy Cottier, the self described dancer/escort who Bethany police believed had a copy of the odious video and Christopher Banschbach. Reports indicated that Cottier had backed out of a meeting with detectives and was tracked down at a south side motel. She was sharing a room there with Banschbach, a former felon, who was promptly popped on all manner of drug and illegal gun possession charges. The previous story did not offer a guess on the connection those two might have had with either Ruiz, or Massey.

So, as they say, the situation is fluid. Earlier leads and speculation seem to have been run to ground and debunked. The flat on Heyman Street where blood, a machete, and an abandoned Blackberry were found by authorities would appear, in this accounting of events, to not be related to the murder. There is no telling if witnesses will change their stories, or if further evidence will reveal others were involved either as participants, or horrified spectators. It also remains unclear why Ruiz believed Saunders had to be "dealt with."

One basic fact remains the same however. Something went terribly wrong in Carina Saunders' life. At some point she made a series of decisions that led her into a squalid world of drugs and people so detached from the rest of humanity they could reasonably be considered beings from another planet.

Her story is an American tragedy. In some of her photographs her eyes seemed to recognize it. In those shots the loneliness and sadness melded with what appeared to be the knowledge she was on a down hill slide that could not possibly end well.

And in the end the monsters took her. We can only hope we will now take the monsters.

I'm not sure it is justice, but it is all we can offer Carina Saunders and those who loved her. Cold harbor is, in the final analysis, better than none.

7-24-12

Posted by Sid Howard at 11:48 AM

Former suspect in Carina Saunders slaying sues Bethany and its police department

Luis Enrique Ruiz, 39, is suing the city of Bethany, its police chief and officers involved in the investigation, alleging civil rights violations during the investigation of the Carina Saunders investigation, according to a complaint filed Thursday in Oklahoma City federal court.

by Matt Dinger
Published: February 20, 2014

A former murder defendant in the brutal slaying of a 19-year-old girl is suing the city of Bethany, the police chief and officers involved in the investigation alleging that they coerced testimony, fabricated evidence and ignored proof of his innocence.

Luis Enrique Ruiz, 39, contends that Bethany Police Chief Phil Cole, former police Capt. Jack Jencks and police Lt. Austin Warfield “employed deceptive, misleading, manipulative and illegal tactics to manipulate and fabricate the criminal case,” in a complaint filed Thursday in Oklahoma City federal court.

The complaint contains ten claims of civil rights violations, including false arrest and imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

Ruiz and Jimmy Lee Massey were charged in July 2012 with first-degree murder in connection with the slaying of Carina Saunders, but Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater dismissed the charges against Ruiz and Massey in February 2013.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation took over the case in February 2013. No other arrests have been made.

Saunders was reported missing Sept. 28, 2011. Her body parts were found in a duffel bag behind a Homeland Store on NW 23 and Rockwell in Bethany on Oct. 13, 2011.

After interviewing more than 80 witnesses and following up on more than a hundred leads, police unconstitutionally arrested, detained and incarcerated Ruiz, according to the complaint. He remained without bail in the Oklahoma County jail for eight months.

Certain witnesses in the case were not arrested or charged, were allowed to keep illegal substances found in their possession and were promised leniency in unrelated cases, the complaint alleges.
The defendants also “manipulated known drug addicts” and falsified law enforcement reports, court records show.

Officers attempted to coerce a confession from Ruiz, and did coerce a confession from Massey, according to the complaint.

Ruiz argues that he suffered physical and psychological injury, emotional distress and intense humiliation as well as financial devastation and damage to his reputation.

Ruiz was charged in March 2013 with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and in October with possession of a controlled dangerous substance in Oklahoma County, records show. His preliminary hearing in both cases is next month.

Former police Capt. Jencks was charged Feb. 10 with 10 counts of larceny of a controlled dangerous substance in Oklahoma County. He is accused of taking prescription drugs scheduled for destruction from the Bethany police evidence room.

http://newsok.com/former-suspect-in-carina-saunders-slaying-sues-bethany-and-its-police-department/article/3935704/?page=1

Former Bethany police captain charged with 10 felony drug counts

Jack Ronald Jencks, 46, was charged Thursday with 10 counts of larceny of a controlled dangerous substance. He is the former Bethany police captain involved in the botched investigation of a gruesome slaying has been charged with stealing drugs from police evidence.

by Matt Dinger
Published: February 6, 2014

The former Bethany police captain involved in the botched investigation of a gruesome slaying has been charged with stealing drugs from police evidence.

Jack Ronald Jencks, 46, was charged Thursday with 10 felony counts of larceny of a controlled dangerous substance in Oklahoma County District Court.

Jencks investigated the slaying of 19-year-old Carina Saunders. Her dismembered body was found in a duffel bag behind a Homeland grocery store at NW 23 and Rockwell on Oct. 13, 2011.

Jencks is accused of taking prescription narcotics and other drugs from boxes and envelopes kept in the department's property room between March 2011 and March 2013, court records show.

His last name is spelled “Jenks” in court documents.

Jencks is accused of taking pills entered into evidence in 10 cases, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Don Faircloth wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

The discrepancies were discovered after the drugs were submitted to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for destruction last February.

In one instance, an envelope supposed to contain 34 1/ 2 pills, had only one full pill and one half pill along with six wood screws. The agent thought the screws were to mimic the sound of the pills and hide the fact that they'd been stolen, the affidavit states.

The evidence tape appeared to be intact on four of the envelopes, but microscopic analyses showed a razor had been used to open and reseal them, Faircloth wrote.

Only two other people reportedly had access to the police department's evidence room. Jencks was the last person to handle the evidence in all ten cases where pills were discovered to be missing, records show.

Jencks told investigators that he was responsible for submitting evidence to the OSBI lab and transporting it to the police property room until cases were adjudicated. He also said that he was the one who gathered evidence and took it to the OSBI for destruction, the affidavit states.

Jencks was fired last fall. He is a 20-year veteran of the police department who has been shot in the line of duty and suffered from work-related illness, defense attorney Michael Johnson said.
Jencks will have an arbitration hearing regarding his termination next month, he said.

Jencks will be booked into the Oklahoma County jail on Friday, but immediately post bail, Johnson said.

“Jack Jencks is a very highly-decorated and respected member of the Bethany Police Department. He absolutely denies being involved in these crimes, and we look forward to litigating this matter and proving his innocence,” Johnson said.

“He's no longer an employee and we did not do the investigation,” Bethany Police Chief Phil Cole said.

“It would be inappropriate for me to comment. I'll leave that to the OSBI and the district attorney,” Cole said.

Jencks was the police officer who wrote the probable cause affidavits in the first-degree murder charges brought against Jimmy Lee Massey Jr. and Luis Enrique Ruiz in connection with the Saunders slaying.

Massey and Ruiz were charged in July 2012.

The OSBI took over the case last February, and the murder charges against both men were dismissed that same month by District Attorney David Prater due to insufficient evidence.

The affidavits contained conflicting witness statements that did not match evidence in the Saunders case, sources said.

http://newsok.com/former-bethany-police-captain-charged-with-10-felony-drug-counts/article/3931289/?page=2

Posted May 27, 2014 - 12:05pm

Former Bethany police officer ordered to stand trial on larceny charges

By Graham Lee Brewer, The Oklahoman

(MCT) - A former Bethany police officer should go to trial on charges of stealing prescription drugs from police evidence, an Oklahoma County judge ruled Friday.

Former police Capt. Jack Jencks, 47, is accused of removing dozens of pills from envelopes containing police evidence scheduled to be destroyed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Special Judge Larry Jones noted Friday in his decision that much of the evidence against Jencks is circumstantial. However, evidence put forth by the state shows Jencks had both intimate knowledge of the evidence-keeping process and ample access to the drugs, the judge said.

Jencks was charged in February with 10 felony counts of larceny of a controlled dangerous substance. An additional count was added Wednesday, during the second day in his preliminary hearing.

Court records show Jencks was the last person to handle the evidence in all 11 cases where pills went missing. He told investigators that he was responsible for submitting evidence to the OSBI lab, for both destruction and testing, and taking it to the police property room.

The state asserts after the drugs were tested by OSBI and returned to the Bethany Police Department, Jencks removed the pills, in one case replacing them with screws to mimic the sound and feel of the drugs, and then marked the envelopes for destruction.

Defense attorney Michael Johnson pointed out during Wednesday’s hearing that aside from the other two officers who had access to the Bethany Police evidence locker, fingerprints from two additional officers were found inside some of the envelopes and at least 25 OSBI agents also had access to the evidence envelopes.

“I find it amazing that officer’s fingerprints are found in bags inside evidence envelopes that are torn open that have nothing to do with the case, and yet aren’t even investigated or talked to,” Johnson said Friday after the judge’s decision.

“But, OSBI pretends to know what they’re doing.”

While answering questions during Wednesday’s hearing, Bethany police officer Nathan Myers, who also had access to the evidence locker, said once the evidence envelopes marked for destruction are sealed it is not possible to tell what the contents are unless the seal is broken and they are opened.

He said they are not opened by OSBI when received for destruction, either.

Jones touched on that lack of thoroughness with evidence in his decision Friday.

“It is somewhat bothersome that just because an envelope is marked for destruction that OSBI finds no need to verify its contents or making further inventory,” the judge said.

“This could have been the perfect crime, or crimes. Removing these pills prior to delivering them to OSBI for destruction … knowing that they would not be subject to inspection or further inventory would mean that no one would ever know that the pills had ever been removed,” Jones said.

Even though Jones highlighted the shortfalls of evidence procedure for both OSBI and the Bethany Police Department, and also noted all the evidence was circumstantial, he said testimony on Jencks’ medical history, which was done after the court room was cleared for privacy reasons, and Jencks’ familiarity with the handling of and protocol for evidence was enough to send the case to trial.

Jencks was one of the lead detectives in the case of Carina Saunders, the 19-year-old woman whose dismembered body was found inside a duffel bag in 2011. That case has since been turned over to the OSBI.

http://examiner-enterprise.com/news/state/former-bethany-police-officer-ordered-stand-trial-larceny-charges#sthash.UL2WvZPT.dpuf

 

Thanks, Mom! You can read my ADHD pretty well these days. Clearly, I became sidetracked earlier, but I had a point...I'm amazed at how many things are out there now about Carina, things I had never read before.

Man Once Suspected In Carina Saunders Murder Arrested Again

Posted: May 16, 2013 2:38 PM CDT by LaShauna Sewell, News9.com

Luis Ruiz

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City police arrested a man who was once suspected of murdering and dismembering 19-year-old Carina Saunders.
2/25/2013 Related Story: Murder Charges Dismissed Against Suspects In Case Of Dismembered Bethany Woman

On May 13, a police officer spotted a red Infinity at Interstate 40 and Meridian. The car had a Tennessee license tag. When the officer ran the plate, he discovered the car was stolen out of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The officer pulled over the car and identified the driver as 39-year-old Luis Ruiz. His passenger was 27-year-old Lauren Estephan. Both were taken into custody without incident, and booked into the Oklahoma County jail for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Ruiz was also booked for not having a state driver’s license.

Ruiz spent six months in jail after he was arrested in connection with Saunders’ murder. Her body was found dismembered and stuffed into a duffle bag in October 2011 behind a Bethany grocery store. Murder charges against Ruiz and another man, Jimmy Massey, were dropped in February due to lack of evidence.

http://www.newson6.com/story/22273689/man-once-suspected-in-carina-saunders-murder-arrested-again?source=related