NOLAN and BRADLEY RALSTON - 5 and 1 yo - / Killer: Rick Smith - Manchester, IL

Illinois shootings: Grandmother, young couple, two sons slain

By Carlos Sadovi, Rafael Guerrero and Ray LongTribune reporters
12:58 p.m. CDT, April 24, 2013

A grandmother, a young couple and their two small children, 1 and 5, were found slain in a home in the small town of Manchester, about 50 miles southwest of Springfield, according to police and relatives.

The suspected gunman died after he exchanged gunfire with police during a chase, officials said. Police did not name him, but relatives and neighbors identified him as Rick Smith, 43, who lived in Roodhouse about five miles from Manchester.

The slain family members were identified by relatives as: Joanne Sinclair, 65, her granddaughter Brittany Luark, 22, her boyfriend Roy Ralston, Nolan Ralston, 5, and Bradley Ralston, 1.

Another child, Cassidy Ralston, 6, was in serious condition, according to Brad Teeter, Sinclair's son-in-law.
"The guy broke into the house," Teeter said. "I couldn't tell you about the guy, never met him, never seen him, never talked to him. He apparently broke into the home of my wife's mother and shot everybody inside."

"I'm at a loss right now," said Teeter.

State police would not comment on a possible motive. But a neighbor said Smith had been going through a custody battle with the mother of their 4-year-old daughter. The woman is Sinclair's daughter.

"He was under a lot of stress. . .There was a lot of problems with custody with the daughter," the neighbor said.

The neighbor said Smith had lived with the woman at his home until recently. The neighbor said the two had been together for about five years.

The neighbor said Smith worked as a jack of all trades. "He did odd jobs for people, he could fix anything. He was a really hard worker," the neighbor said.

The neighbor said Smith had custody of their daughter fairly often but "I know there was a lot of friction with (her)  family."

Manchester Mayor Ron Drake, 66, said he was alerted around 4:45 a.m. by a page asking Scott County officials to respond to a multiple shooting.

An all points bulletin was issued for the suspect and he was arrested around 7:30 a.m. after a brief chase. "From the time they spotted him to the time they stopped was probably 10 minutes on the chase," Drake said.

He exchanged shots with police after his white Chevy Lumina was pulled over, according to the state police. He was wounded and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

State police said they recovered several weapons.

These are the first murders in the town in the 43 years he has lived there. He said 300 people live in the town.

"It's a tragedy," he said. "I've lived here for 43 years and my wife's lived her for all of her life and there's never been a homicide."

Illinois State Police responded with local police and SWAT teams overnight, she said. Schools in the area were closed as a precaution.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-illinois-shootings-20130424,0,7030923.story

This is close to home.  This sounds like another "if I can't have them you can't" selfish killings.  I sure hope little 6 year old Cassidy makes it.  Why can't the guy just off himself and leave every one else alone?  William

The thing that bothers me about this is that this man was a convicted felon but had firearms. Felons in the state of Illinois should not have access to firearms. Somebody should be charged for that. William

You are right. They need to track down how he got the gun and prosecute the responsible party or parties.

William, if you see an update on Cassidy please post it for us. Thanks.

Aside from her physical injuries she has lost her family. So sad. So much to cope with at such a young age.

Friends remember Manchester murder victims
Surviving 6-year-old in fair condition

By Chris Dettro (chris.dettro@sj-r.com)
The State Journal-Register Posted Apr 25, 2013 @ 01:52 PM



Children's bicycles are seen outside the apartment where suspect, Rick O. Smith allegedly walked into a home Wednesday and shot an entire family, including a 6-year-old girl who survived before he was killed during a shootout with police, Thursday, April 25, 2013, in Manchester, Ill. Investigators were still trying to piece together the events that led to Scott County's first homicide in two decades. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

ROODHOUSE — Brittney Luark and James Roy Ralston moved fewer than five miles up U.S. 67 from Roodhouse to Manchester a year or so ago but still returned often.

“They moved to get away from Greene County and Roodhouse and all the drama,” said Jaymie Shanks, a friend and former co-worker of Luark. “She wanted a better life for her kids.”

Shanks was one of about 200 people who attended a candlelight vigil Wednesday night at the Roodhouse city park for Luark, 23; Ralston, 29; their children Nolan, 5, and Brantley, 1; and Brittney’s grandmother, Jo Ann Sinclair, 67.

All five, as well as Brittney’s unborn child, were slain early Wednesday in their Manchester apartment by Rick O. Smith, 43, who later was killed when he left his car on Woodson-Winchester Road after a brief car chase got into a gun battle with Illinois State Police and Winchester city police.

The Scott County coroner’s office confirmed Thursday that Luark was pregnant.

State police spokeswoman Monique Bond couldn’t say how far along Luark was in her pregnancy, but said police are counting the unborn child as a sixth victim of the 4:30 a.m. shotgun slayings.

The couple’s 6-year-old daughter, Kassidy Ralston, was wounded by a shotgun blast and was listed in fair condition at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield Thursday. Friends said she suffered facial injuries and underwent several hours of surgery Wednesday.

Smith forced his way through the back door of the couple’s home carrying a shotgun, rifle and hunting knife, authorities said. Roy Ralston was found dead in a hallway, while the two boys were found in one bedroom and Luark and Sinclair in another.

Smith carried Kassidy, a student at Winchester Elementary School, outside and put her in the arms on a neighbor before fleeing. The neighbor called police.
Still asking why

Smith had no court record in Greene County and only a misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Scott County, where Manchester is located. He had several traffic violations, including a third DUI for which he was sentenced to 30 months’ probation and 90 days in jail, in Morgan County.

Multiple sources said that Smith, who lived in rural Morgan County about a mile from the Scott County line, had been in a relationship with Luark’s mother and that the two had a 4-year-old daughter together. They said Smith had lived with them in Roodhouse, but that there had been recent arguments over custody of the girl.

Bond said the relationship between Smith and the victims was something investigators were still trying to piece together.

“Once we have the opportunity to talk with family members and acquaintances, we may know something about that,” she said.

Shanks said people were looking for answers as to why Smith would slaughter the family.

“They’re saying he was bi-polar and off his medication, but that’s no excuse,” she said. “They won’t ever find any reason.”

“They would come down here every weekend,” Shanks said of the couple and their children. “This was their hometown.”

Shanks said Brittney’s friends Heather Martin and Brandi Stugard organized Wednesday night’s vigil “so everyone could remember the people that they were, not just that they were murder victims.”

She said a pastor at a nearby church, who didn’t know the victims, suspended services to come over to the park and pray with those in attendance.

She said friends plan to light candles in the park every night until the funerals, which have not yet been arranged.

“We’re hoping the families will agree to have the funerals together,” Shanks said. “They wouldn’t want to be separated.”

Taking care of grandma

Autopsies were performed Thursday in Bloomington, but Scott County officials said the results would not be released until sometime today.

Shanks met Luark in 2002, but then Shanks moved to Jacksonville for a time before returning to Roodhouse. She remembers Luark as somebody who always had a smile on her face.

“We went to CNA (certified nursing assistant) school together and worked together at White Hall Nursing and Rehabilitation,” Shanks said. “She was a damn good CNA. She cared about anybody, no matter what.”

Shanks said Luark quit the nursing center when she became pregnant with Brantley.

“Roy wanted her to quit,” Shanks said. “She had hard pregnancies because she was so tiny.”

She said Brittney had cared for her grandmother for the past four years.

“She was on continuous oxygen and had heart problems,” Shanks said. “She was always sick because her immune system was so low.”

“Brittney dropped everything to take care of her grandma,” Shanks said.

Nolan Ralston was named Mr. Greene County and Kassidy was runner-up as Miss Greene County at the Greene County Days last fall.

“He was the happiest little boy ever when he found that out,” Shanks said.

She said Luark and Ralston had been together for several years and planned to get married.

“You know how everybody talks about getting married,” she said. “But she had a ring on her finger this time.”

http://www.sj-r.com/carousel/x1213304970/Police-Dispute-between-suspected-shooter-Manchester-victim

At least the girl is better. The facial injuries bother me. For a young girl to be hurt in the face is very difficult. A face is the beauty of a female. At least she's alive and doing better. William

Manchester Murders: Did Smith Illegally Own Guns?
As the debate over stricter gun laws continues on the state and national level, a small Scott County community grieves the murders of five family members.

Before buying a gun, a person has to go through certain qualifications; including a federal background check and in Illinois, applying for and receiving a firearm owner identification card.

As the small town of Manchester copes with the heinous murders, questions arise regarding how and why the shooter had a gun in the first place.

"Legally, he absolutely should not have had a gun," said criminal defense attorney Jon Gray Noll. He isn't involved in the Manchester murder case, but gives us his legal perspective.

State police say 43-year old Rick Smith broke into an apartment early Wednesday morning and shot three adults and three kids with a shotgun at close range. A six-year old girl survived and is recovering at St. John's hospital.

Smith died in a shootout with authorities. We're now learning some of the weapons he had. "It was a shotgun and also a rifle and a long bladed knife," said Trooper Mike Kindhart with Illinois State Police.

According to records, Smith was convicted of aggravated DUI in 2000 in Morgan County; which is a felony.

Federal and state law prohibits felons from possession of a firearm.

"There's a reason felons can't have weapons. they're dangerous people and have shown it and society says we're not going to take a risk with you," Noll said.

We asked Illinois State Police, the lead agency on the case, if the shotgun used in the crime was registered to Smith, if they know how he got it, and if he had a FOID card.

"All of those will come out in the future so at this point in time that's not being released on any of the identification of his items as far as FOID card and even the exact weapons," Kindhart said.

Although state police aren't releasing how Smith got the gun, it's important to note: it is against the law for a legal gun owner to buy or give a gun to a felon.

Also, if firearms are ever stolen, report it to police immediately; that way you don't share responsibility if one is used in a crime.

http://www.wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_10764.shtml

I hope they trace those guns and charge those responsible for giving him access. It is possible that he stole them, we'll see. William

Family, friends gather to say goodbye to murder victims
By John Reynolds (john.reynolds@sj-r.com)
The State Journal-Register Posted Apr 30, 2013 @ 08:14 PM

ROODHOUSE — The Rev. Larry Balthis, pastor at Manchester Baptist Church, was in Roodhouse Tuesday for the visitation for five family members who were slain in their home last week.

Balthis said candlelight vigils over the past few days have helped people cope with the difficult-to-understand tragedy, but he added that the healing process will be lengthy.

“This is something you don’t get over. It’s something you have to get through,” Balthis said. “You get through day-by-day, moment-by-moment, just a little bit at a time. It’s going to take some time.”

James Roy Ralston, 29, and Brittney Luark, 23, their children — 5-year-old Nolan Ralston and 1-year-old Brantley Ralston — and Luark’s grandmother, Jo Ann Sinclair, 67, all were shot to death in the early morning hours of April 24 at a home in the small town of Manchester, about 50 miles west of Springfield.

Luark was pregnant at the time of her death.

The couple’s 6-year-old daughter, Kassidy Ralston, was wounded and taken to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. A family member said Tuesday that she has been released from the hospital.

Authorities located the suspected gunman, Rick O. Smith, 43, near Winchester about three hours after the shootings. He was shot and killed after he fired at police, authorities said.

Smith, of rural Morgan County, had been in a relationship with Luark’s mother, and the two had a 4-year-old daughter together. According to numerous sources, there had been arguments over custody of the girl. Police, however, have said they’re still investigating a possible motive for the murders.
A small park with a playground is just across the street from the Mackey Daws Family Funeral Home in Roodhouse, where Tuesday’s visitation was held.

After paying their respects, some people gathered in the park and talked.

Balthis said that Kassidy and her oldest brother, Nolan, attended services at his church. He remembers seeing Kassidy at church the Sunday before the shooting.

“She was with one of the other girls from the church handing out the bulletins at the front door,” Balthis said. “She had a new dress on. She was a happy kid doing her thing.”

Luark’s father, Charles Garcia of Willington, Conn., was sitting underneath a shelter in the park.

“My granddaughter Kassidy is having a tough time. I’m here to be strong for her,” Garcia said.

He said he talked or texted his daughter almost daily.

“She was a good mother. She loved her family dearly,” Garcia said.

Balthis noted that people from both the victims’ and Smith’s families have attended vigils over the past week.

“I think the community has pulled together well, and I think it will continue to do so. It’s a tight-knit community,” Balthis said.

Funeral services for the victims are scheduled for today.

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1213308344/Family-friends-gather-to-say-goodbye-to-murder-victims

I'm glad the 6yo girl is out of the hospital. Pool little angel is having a hard time with the loss of her family. William

MANCHESTER -- Illinois State Police investigators have determined that a man who shot dead five family members at their home in central Illinois was motivated by his anger over a custody dispute.

In a statement Friday, the state police said Rick O. Smith planned the shooting attack on the family because he believed they were interfering in his dispute with the mother of his 3-year-old daughter. Rita Luark and Smith's daughter live at a different address and were not among the victims of the April 24 shooting in Manchester.

Police shot and killed Smith the same day after he fired shots at officers during a car chase.

Police said their conclusions on Smith's motive were based on statements from family members and acquaintances.

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1416817092/Manchester-shooter-motivated-by-custody-dispute

Illinois Family Shot To Death: Rick O. Smith Killed 5 Over Dispute, Cops Say


By REGINA GARCIA CANO 04/25/13 05:18 PM ET EDT




Rick O. Smith, 43, has been charged with shooting and killing five people, and wounding a sixth, in Manchester, Illinois.


MANCHESTER, Ill. — The man suspected of storming a south-central Illinois home and killing five members of the same family with a shotgun had been in some kind of dispute with at least one of the victims, but authorities said Thursday they were still trying to determine if it had something to do with the custody of a child.

Illinois State Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said investigators were running down media reports about a possible custody battle involving Rick O. Smith, and were going to places he frequented.

"Investigators are going to locations where some of his last known addresses, locations he frequented, talking to family and friends, just kind of backtracking to see what can be pieced together," she said.

But whatever was going on between Smith and a person in the home had attracted the attention of the neighborhood in the tiny community of Manchester.

Drew Summers said a white car – which authorities say Smith was driving after the slayings – drove back and forth in front of the slain family's home late at night. It happened so often, Summers' live-in girlfriend finally called the police.

"He seemed like a stalker so we've called the cops on him," he said. "It seemed he had something against them."

The motive is just one of the questions about the slaying that authorities were trying to answer a day after Smith allegedly shot and killed a 1-year-old boy, his 5-year-old brother, their pregnant mother, their father and their great grandmother. The boys' 6-year-old sister was also shot, but survived. Smith, the nephew of the town's mayor, was killed after being shot while exchanging gunfire with police.

What remains baffling is why the 43-year-old Smith scooped up the 6-year-old girl, Kassidy Ralston, carried her outside and handed the bloodied child to a neighbor before driving off.

In fact, Bond said, the preliminary investigation suggests that Smith may not have meant to shoot the little girl, though like many parts of the story, detectives don't know why he apparently decided to spare her.

"What his relationship with her, what was his affection for her, we don't know," she said.

A hospital spokeswoman in Springfield said Thursday that Kassidy's condition had been upgraded from serious to fair.

The shootings happened before dawn Wednesday in the 300-resident town about 50 miles west of Springfield. Manchester has 14 streets, one store and no stoplights.

"(Scott) forced his way into the back door using some type of heavy pipe," Bond said. He then opened fire.

The body of 29-year-old James Roy Ralston was found in a hallway, with the bodies of 1-year-old Brantley Ralston, 5-year-old Nolan Ralston in one bedroom. In another room lay Ralston's girlfriend and the boys' mother, 23-year-old Brittney Luark, and her 67-year-old grandmother, Jo Ann Sinclair.

A neighbor who heard the gunshots called police and told them Smith fled in a white sedan. Smith led authorities on a chase to the nearby town of Winchester, where he exchanged gunfire with the officers. Bond said a state trooper used his motorcycle for cover as he fired back at Smith.

Police said they found a rifle, shotgun and large hunting knife in Smith's car.

Scott County State's Attorney Michael Hill said Smith, of rural Morgan County, had previous convictions for reckless homicide, drugs and bad checks. But people who knew Smith described him as a quiet guy who kept to himself, living in a rural area just outside town.

"He would drive by and wave at you," said Corey Lomelino, 21. "But he wasn't looking for any attention."

Manchester Mayor Ronald Drake said he hadn't spoken with his nephew in two years and believed Smith was unemployed. Drake said the last time Smith contacted him was to borrow tools.

The shooting rattled the neighborhood like never before. Summers, whose 1-year-old used to play with the victims, said he'll install a deadbolt lock and go to his parents' home to retrieve a hunting gun for protection.

The feeling is the same at area schools, where many children and teachers knew Nolan and Kassidy.

"I would say at least 40 kids knew him (Nolan) and they're 3, 4, 5 years old and that makes it even more difficult," Winchester Community School District Superintendent David Roberts said.

Roberts canceled the district's preschool Thursday so he could talk to teachers and parents about how best to broach the subject with children who just a couple of days ago were sitting in the same room as Nolan.

"I am trying to work with staff to get them prepared," he said. "They are very emotional at this point."

North Greene Unit District No. 3 Superintendent Les Stevens said Kassidy had attended kindergarten there last year, and that grief counselors were brought in to talk to children and teachers.

"When I heard it a shotgun was used, that hit me as hard as anything." said Stevens.

Stevens said some students were ready to hear about what happened Thursday, but others weren't. A middle school student asked to be excused when her principal said she was going to talk about the shootings, he said, telling the principal, "I don't want to hear anything."
___
Associated Press writers Don Babwin and Jason Keyser in Chicago and David Mercer in Champaign, Ill., contributed to this report.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/illinois-family-shot_n_3157658.html

[*]Have we lost the lessons of the Manchester Murder?
[*]

Posted May. 11, 2013 @ 12:01 am
May 11, 2013 at 10:06 AM




As a blessed father, I must say that I am troubled by the reoccurring emotion invoked upon me by reading of yet another murder related to a custody war. I am equally troubled, however, by our lawmakers who have turned a blind eye to the bloodshed.

Nothing jump-starts our government faster than an airline crash, bridge collapse or unsafe highway, which result in multiple tragic deaths. Our government, with notable admiration, leaves no leaf unturned when it comes to determining the accident’s cause and embarking on a safer solution.

Yet, when it comes to the senseless, violent bloody murder of an estranged spouse and their children by the other estranged spouse, our lawmakers seem oblivious to the obvious contributing factor: the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act.

When a serial killer or sexual predator is on the loose, law enforcement and experienced criminal investigators work tirelessly to find the common thread in hopes of identifying a suspect. After all, we must protect our children!]

Yet, when children of a broken marriage hold the keys to the marital home, are the ticket to tax-free child support (which can range from a paltry sum to a bag of gold) and are the sole factor to winning the cherished prize title “custodial parent,” who are the protectors of these children? And when the custody war between parents turns deadly, why can’t we see the common thread? Custody and visitation.

How quickly we have forgotten the local area father who was shot in the back of the head, murdered when merely picking up his daughter from the child’s mother, who feared losing a custody war.

As a society gasping in despair when reading of yet another senseless bloody murder stemming from a custody/visitation dispute, why are we not questioning how our Dissolution of Marriage Act contributes to the calling of arms (literally!).

If we want to never again feel the sorrow of a bloody rampage resulting in senseless murder in the name of custody and visitation disputes, the simple solution is to remove custody and visitation from the dissolution of marriage process.

End a marriage with as much government involvement as it had in creating it. Marriage license to divorce certificate. Each parent remains a parent, ending the awkwardness of hosting children during periods of “visitation.” Each parent remains personally and financially responsible for their children, ending the war for child support. Each parent has equal parenting time, 50/50, giving every child a parent-child relationship.

Imagine a divorce attorney or a judge informing parents that each will remain a parent with equal parenting time, that each are financially responsible for their children and that the only unresolved matter is splitting assets and liabilities. Can you still imagine reading how one spouse murdered the other and their children over the splitting of the linens?

There may always be the spite and revenge associated with the ultimate breach of trust that is inherent in divorce. But this spite and revenge needlessly consumes parents and only fuels a dangerous battle for custody resulting in senseless murder.e Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act pits parents against each other in a ruthless war, and far too often that war results in murder. Yet, we stand idly by, ignoring the cause. Why?

http://www.sj-r.com/x811437241/Ron-Stradt-Have-we-lost-the-lessons-of-the-Manchester-Murder/?tag=2#ixzz2qFHhOOax