District attorney, wife found dead in Texas county where assistant DA was shot, police say

[CK_John]

Source: By Frank Heinz, NBCDFW.com (msnbc)

Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead in their home Saturday night, police say.

Investigators with the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department confirmed the deaths to NBC 5 Saturday night, but had little else to say in the early stages of the investigation.

Police have not said when the couple was found, how they were found or if they have any leads in the case. Additionally, investigators have not yet confirmed how the couple died.

Additionally, investigators have also not said whether the murders are connected to the slaying of Kaufman County assistant district attorney Mark Hasse, who was gunned down on his way to work in January.

Read more: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/30/17534219-district-attorney-wife-found-dead-in-texas-county-where-assistant-da-was-shot-police-say?lite

[Horse with no Name]

1. I read this earlier

I would bet they are linked.

[freshwest]

2. Wasn't there also an attempt by a white supremacist group with a lot of arrests in that same area?

Maybe a year ago, but it was about bomb making materials and ammunition. There is a lot of this going on in the various states, mostly rural, IIRC.

AFAIK, the prison system ends up with people in race based gangs. Then they get out and perhaps act out on it. There are the sovereign citizen groups and others running around loose with the lax laws.

Do you remember the story I'm thinking of in that area?

[Horse with no Name]

3. Yes.

http://www.cedarcreeklake.com/lake-life--investigators-focus-on-aryan-brotherhood-texas-link-in-kaufman-county-prosecutor-s-death/517
>>>>snip
On the day of Hasse's death in a courthouse parking lot, the Federal Bureau of Investigation of Houston released a statement announcing the guilty pleas of two members of the white supremacist organization.

At the conclusion of the statement, the FBI credited a multi-agency task force for securing indictments in October 2012 against 34 ABT members that named the Kaufman County, Texas District Attorney's Office. The two ABT members, Ben Christian "Tuff" Dillon, 40, of Houston, and James Marshall "Dirty" Meldrum, 40, of Dallas, entered their guilty pleas to conspiracy in racketeering.

In December 2012 the Texas Department of Public Safety issued an alert that the ABT planned to retaliate against the 20 federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies that helped secure the indictments in Houston.

Kaufman County was the only law enforcement agency in the Cedar Creek Lake area identified, but it did mention Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

[freshwest]

4. They didn't get all of them, damn. They need trained deep cover infiltrators in these groups.

This is real 'organized crime' and a very bold group. And the authorities knew something would happen...

It must be terrible to be in the gunsights of these thugs. Thanks for the story.

I'm wondering if they can call in federal agencies to help?

[Horse with no Name]

8. I think I read that the Texas Rangers are handling it

however, as one who knows East Texas very well...these people are very good at hiding out in the open.

On edit: It appears the Texas Rangers AND the FBI are involved now

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Kaufman-Co-District-Attorney-wife-shot-to-death-in-their-home-200752961.html
>>>>>>
The front door of the McLellands' 3,000 square foot residence was found kicked in, sources added. Kaufman County deputies, the FBI, Texas Rangers, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Forney police are all involved in the investigation.

Late Saturday night, news media was asked to leave their positions near the house as law enforcement agencies widened the crime scene.

A neighbor told News 8 police were outside the house when she returned home around 9:00 p.m. Saturday. The neighbor said McLelland and his wife were friendly people.

"I'm very very scared," said Vanessa Hernandez. "It's really hard to imagine something like this happening in the neighborhood."

[freshwest]

11. I'd be terrified if I was there, too.

[Why Syzygy]

44. Agencies...

this is from the DOJ link I posted.

This case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Rangers; Texas Department of Public Safety; Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Houston Police Department-Gang Division; Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Office of Inspector General; Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office; Atascosa County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Orange County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Waller County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Fort Worth, Texas, Police Department; Alvin, Texas, Police Department; Carrollton, Texas, Police Department; Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office; Atascosa County District Attorney’s Office; and the Kaufman County, Texas, District Attorney’s Office.

The case is being prosecuted by David Karpel of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman of the Southern District of Texas.

[freshwest]

46. I meant on the ground to protect people - the couple wasn't protected enough.

I understand investigation and prosecution - that's after the fact for the most part. But can't even imagine the manpower that would be required to get at the suspects when as one person said, they blend into the population at large in that area. I never lived in that region, I was further to the west or south at times, and I'm sure it's much different than back then. There are millions of people in that area and it's not like they can figure out who's who without investing tons of money in cash strapped communities.

[Why Syzygy]

5. Hiding ...

the story mentions other county employees are on alert, in hiding, or being protected. This is scary, so close to home.

Here's the Justice Department's announcement of the plea deal.
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/January/13-crm-140.html

Let's hope the killing is stopped, like, NOW!

[freshwest]

9. It sounds like the Colorado convict who killed someone there and and Texas may

Last edited Sun Mar 31, 2013, 03:59 PM - Edit history (1)

may have taken orders from this Aryan Brotherhood.

The article says ABT (of Texas) but since it said they began in California, he could have been an interstate gang. And just imagine how many of them there are.

Instead of hate crimes, which one might guess their focus would be and terrible itself, they are murdering those trying to stop them from robbing and killing other people.

The state will need funding to deal with these guys. I'm sure they are not the only kind of gang that comes out of prison doing this.

I read a post about a gang that ordered people killed outside the prison for them for some reason. They had contacts outside who were willing to do such things - this may be what happened here. I hate to say it, but they need to be put in solitary if they are going to do this.

They don't seem willing to take a different path in life and they aren't really being encouraged to, either. I never associated with these folks - whenever I suspect someone was KKK or ABT, I gave them a wide berth. I'm sorry for their families, and all of those who are being murdered and threatened.

I don't know how this will end up and it may take years. I'm not sure gun control would stop them. And there is not an argument for the couple killed being armed, even though they may have been - one has to sleep sometime. An assault rifle was used to kill this man and his wife at home where they should have been safe from harm, like so many others have died.

[dixiegrrrrl]

37. You KNOW they are going to be labled terrorists

and bring down a huge boatload of shit on their heads.

Hopefully, that is..hopefully all our taxpayer funded Homeland Security branches can do more than just spy on what we are typing....

[Why Syzygy]

45. Prison

I think the same on solitary confinement. Seems to me the only way to prevent tragedies from gangs is to isolate them from the beginning. If these two get jail time, they will just be returning to the club house. Pitiful.

[freshwest]

47. But solitary confinement is considered to be cruel and unusual punishment and a mental health risk.

If someone had problems going into prison, they would be worse when they left. There isn't a sufficient amount of money spent to deal with these guys. So they are walking time bombs. I still haven't heard anything more at to why the woman sold Edel the gun.

[kestrel91316]

27. If white supremacists are doing this in Texas,

I'd consider that a case of chickens coming home to roost.

You keep up with promoting extreme RW politics and some folks will take you seriously.

[Horse with no Name]

43. Agreed.

Which is precisely what I meant when I said they are hiding in plain sight.

[marshall]

50. Drug cartels on the move?

I used to live in Kaufman county. The place is a hotbed of all kinds of trouble.

[Lobo27]

6. Damn, this close to home.

I come from Mesquite, Texas, a suburb of Dallas that borders Kaufman County. Been there for drag races, fishing and even the big flea market that the county once had. A semi rural county, so I'm sure this tragedies are hitting very hard. The county also houses a pretty big jail or some sort of prison.

[Hekate]

7. Another political assassination...

[Hekate]

12. I'm just going to keep calling them what they are

... especially since a DUer gun owner challenged me to back up my claim that we in America now have an ongoing legacy of political assassination.

[Hekate]

14. I was thinking of them, too

It's not a good sign.

[TexasTowelie]

16. The reports indicate that the couple was shot inside their home.

Multiple shots on the DA and a single shot on his wife with what appears to be an assault rifle.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/03/30/4739434/kaufman-da-found-fatally-shot.html

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. Jay-sus...WTF is going on down there

They get at an ADA and a DA? Crazy.

[freshwest]

28. Kicked the door down and did a military style sweep of the enemy like a war zone...

[DallasNE]

17. Has The Look And Feel Of Another

White supremacists hit job all of the way down to another straw purchase weapon being used to kill.

[Berlin Expat]

31. There's more to

it than just the Aryan Brotherhood angle.

The AB is pretty well-known in law enforcement as one of the primary meth distributors for the Gulf Cartel of Mexico; they also work with the Sinoloa Cartel from time to time.

This could be a straight-up AB killing. It could also be the AB branching out to act as enforcers and hitmen for the Gulf Cartel in the United States. Proxies.

The real scary cartel down Mexico way is Los Zetas. They're mostly composed of Mexican Army deserters (mostly from the Special Forces), rogue cops, federal and local LEO's. They specialize in atrocities that make the Khmer Rouge look like the Care Bears. Additionally, Los Zetas is believed largely responsible for the unsolved murders of scores of Mexican journalists; they have computer security specialists from the Intelligence Branch of the Mexican national security apparatus working for them. Online anonymity is meaningless against these guys for the average joe.....it has been said they can breach almost all computer security measures.

When Los Zetas carry out massacres, it's not four or five people.....it's often in the hundreds. Their massacres are an unprecedented scale. Many have compared to their efficiency to that of the Nazi-era SS.

[DallasNE]

33. I Was Thinking More Of 211 Crew

Targeted assassinations. http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22843773/211-crew-supremacist-group-involved-high-profile-crimes

But it could be these other groups as well. I was just going on the type of hit and who was targeted.

Regardless, what we are seeing are the consequences of having a large prison population that is a breeding ground for extremism that turns increasingly violent.

[Berlin Expat]

36. What you say

is all too true. Prison populations have become breeding grounds for all manner of extremism.

Interestingly, the other fellow who got shot in TX, the Assistant DA, was shot by "two men in tactical gear, clad entirely in black". The gunmen have never been discovered or identified.

The description is much like this less-than-charming photo <img src=""> of members of the Sinaloa Cartel. Los Zetas dress very much the same. There's a strong paramilitary element in these gangs, and the Aryan Brotherhood would certainly recognize them as "kindred spirits".

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. Good lord....

Had not been paying attention to what was going on down there..
doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the potential for all sorts of ugly in contested cities and areas.

[Berlin Expat]

42. If you can read Spanish,

or I guess you can use Google Chrome autotranslate or Google translate, there's a great blog called "El Blog del Narco" that keeps up to date on the latest lunacy the cartels are perpetrating.

http://www.blogdelnarco.com/

Informative, if highly disturbing.

If the sight of death doesn't bother you, there's always this....a video of the handiwork of Los Zetas.

Click at your own risk - you've been warned. Not Safe For Work - or your soul.

[freshwest]

48. Best friend is retired HPD and DEA and speaks of Los Zetas in a mixture of awe and fear.

Tells me of what they're doing in Mexico and the fears they have come across the border. Told me of horror stories which don't make it to the American media, some personal, others from the news in those areas. Also mentioned all the police, reporters and other civil officials they have killed.

It seems like nothing can be done against these cartels. They are transnational like Al Queda. I'm thinking they aren't really about crime, no more than the ABT or Nazis are, except to fund their operations. They've said for years their intent is to destabilize and bring about a fascist state.

At that point it's not about race or ethnicity, but dividing their territory up with a frightened population. Some insist they must own guns to protect their families from them, although they would not be effective in my opinion.

This is why the police are being militarized and I really hate it.

[lib87]

18. Ugh. Another white supremacist group killing?

They need to treat these groups for what they are-terrorist groups.

Hopefully everyone stays safe in Kaufman county.

[onehandle]

19. Guns doing what they do best. nt

[PolitFreak]

23. Guns doing the ONLY thing they're designed for:

Destroy.

[Sunlei]

21. Our prisons are so messed up and angry to the bone

[PolitFreak]

22. Was he pro-choice?

[Niceguy1]

51. does it matter?

Nt

[PolitFreak]

53. In Texas?

Probably!

[bemildred]

24. I dunno why, I'm thinking of Chris Dorner.

Another well-armed guy with a grudge.

[DBoon]

25. Another hero to the RKBA gang

After all, a well armed populace is the last bastion against government tyranny

Governments should fear their citizens

Soap box, ballot box, ammo box - in that order

the necessity of an armed population in defense of freedom.

[bemildred]

26. Barney Fife.

[blogslut]

34. McLelland's assassination may be tied to the Aryan Brotherhood

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20130330-kaufman-county-district-attorney-mike-mclelland-wife-found-dead-in-home.ece

[bemildred]

40. Yes, I know, and there are other things, and we don't in fact know much.

And lots of angry copy cats who aren't going to take it any more are running around copying other similar copy cats too.

But I just started to wonder is somebody has some sort of vendetta going on here.

[blogslut]

41. Well, we don't know yet. That's for sure.

I posted a video of the press conference by the Kaufman County Sheriff below. He's as forthcoming as a stone about clues/cause/suspects.

Just the same, North Texas is stinking with racist/hate groups and the DOJ did hand down indictments to 34 members of the ABT last November and the ABT did threaten to retaliate and the DA's office in Kaufman county did indict and prosecute ABT members.

[jsr]

29. He had protection for a month:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DISTRICT_ATTORNEY_DEAD_TEXAS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-31-12-16-43

Sam Rosander, who lives in the same unincorporated area of Kaufman County as the McLellands, told the AP on Saturday that sheriff's deputies were parked in the district attorney's driveway for about a month after Hasse was killed.

[undeterred]

30. This is absolutely terrifying.

When the people who bring killers to justice get murdered in cold blood, the worlds a pretty unsafe place.

[valerief]

32. If only it had been raining guns, this never would have happened.

logic

[Exultant Democracy]

49. If only he had seeded his front yeard and walkway with landmines.

[valerief]

55. Oh, no. You see, MORE GUNS are the cure for everything. nt

[blogslut]

35. Video of today's press conference by Kaufman County Sheriff

http://www.wfaa.com/video?id=200796171&sec=567392&ref=rcvidmod

[EC]

39. I'm sure the AB is another group that is

amassing weapons to take down the government with. The pols had better learn that regulation and registration is needed. These guys are known to belong to a hate group, why let them buy an armory?

[davepc]

52. Why let them become some of the biggest Meth dealers in the USA?

I mean, there are laws against that right?

[EC]

54. Well,. their government officials

aren't going out of their way to make sure they can deal Meth, like they are about guns. With the Meth...I think the law in those areas are either afraid of them or working with them. But with the guns their congress men are going out of their way to make sure they can collect all the arsonal they need and then more.

[Morganfleeman]

57. Not really

The Ayran Brotherhood isn't so much a group that advocates the overthrow of the government as much as it is a straight up organized crime syndicate whose primary objective is money and striking fear into the hearts of its enemies. They're allied with the Mexican Mafia which is probably the most notorious prison gang in the country and they largely operate from behind bars. Narcotics trafficking, gun trafficking, extortion and murder for hire are their specialties. They're not like supremacist groups that live in the wilderness plotting the overthrow of the government.

The ABT are not buying legal, traceable guns for the record. They acquire much of their munitions through illegal gun trafficking. No registration law is going to prevent them from acquiring weapons short of an outright ban, which we know won't happen, and even if it did, they would likely circumvent any such ban.

[Horse with no Name]

56. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center

there are 62 KNOWN hate groups in Texas. There are almost more known hate groups in Texas than Mississippi and Alabama combined and certainly the entire Northeast section of the country.
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map#s=TX

You can see the significant clusters in the Northeast/East sections of Texas. This is also where a significant portion of meth labs are.

This is where I live and this is the area that keeps Texas RED. Things that happen like this in this area do not surprise me.

However, as the other person stated above. I think this is more of an interstate issue and I would bet that the killing of the Prison official in Colorado is linked to these assassinations as well.